High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 160: Chapter 84: State-Funded Students and Crane Tail_1

The second class in the afternoon had already ended.

According to the general student’s viewpoint, it was already time to leave school.

But for many proactive and ambitious students, their reading time was just beginning.

This was the Book Mountain Library.

The library of the largest university, Jiuyou Academy.

Behind the towering glass walls, every table was occupied by a diligent student in deep study. Only a library in Jiuyou Academy could harbor such an atmosphere.

As the proverb circulated in the wizarding world goes:

”You can always find Jiuyou students in the library, Alpha’s club in the lounge, patients from Starry Sky in the hospital, and hear Atlas praying under the statues of the gods.”

Nicholas pondered on this proverb, silently moving through the shadows cast by the sunlight inside the corridor.

Sometimes he wondered if there was a mistake on the school’s list, allowing someone incompatible with Jiuyou’s atmosphere like himself to enter the Academy.

In his eyes, whether it was the Alpha Castle or the Starry Sky Cube, both were more desirable places than Jiuyou Academy.

He had no recall as to when he stepped into the Book Mountain Library last time.

Perhaps it was the first day he set foot into the premier university, the day after he entered the Academy?

Back then, he still harbored anticipation, dreaming of achieving something in this palace of wizards, pouring his heart to his deceased mother.

And then what?

He shook his head, the memories here being a bit blurry.

He only vaguely remembered a series of continuous sneezes, laughter, book stains, and the furious yells of the library administrator.

Nicholas shivered, subtly changing his course towards the deeper shadows.

Though he possessed the blood of Under the Moon creatures, he did not suffer the sunlight allergy that most of such creatures had. He walked in shadows merely by nature and in part because he didn’t want others to notice him.

As a student who had flunked twice, meeting his ’classmates’ from earlier grades in a revered place like the library would be embarrassing in all circumstances.

His nostrils twitched slightly.

The rich smell of books wafted from all directions, making him slightly uncomfortable.

For a hybrid werewolf, even if his talent for smell had been greatly reduced, it was still more acute than the average wizard.

The intoxicating smell of books in his nose, was a mixture of dust, ink, shriveled insect carcasses, and decaying wood.

The smell, it always gave him the urge to sneeze.

This is one of the reasons why he didn’t study in the library in the three years of his schooling.

But now, he broke his own shackles.

For academics, for his sister, for the untouchable dream deep in his heart.

Nicholas took a deep breath, bear with the itch in his nose, and carefully sought that unique fragrance from the pile of mixed smells.

That scent that belonged to her.

...

Liu Fei Fei leaned on the desk, before her was a copy of ”Philosophy of Magic”.

But her mind was not on the book.

The dusk’s afterglow passed through the tall windows, gently enveloping her, as if dressing her in a layer of light chiffon.

She stared aimlessly at the test paper in front of her. Upon discovering something, she couldn’t help but giggle.

”So dumb.” she mumbled, ”How could you get this wrong!”

Then, she suddenly came to her senses, her face turning red. She covered her mouth, cautiously glancing around.

Thankfully, nobody noticed her slip-up.

The desk she chose was next to a corner window on the second floor of the Book Mountain Library. All around her were towering bookshelves, only two desks were placed in the gap between the bookshelf and the corner.

The other desk was a distance away from her, hidden behind a protruding bookshelf, only revealing half of its structure.

There seemed to be two students behind that desk who were passionately debating something in a low voice, completely ignoring her.

Indifference.

A hint of melancholy suddenly surfaced on Liu Fei Fei’s face, and she was slightly lost in thought.

Perhaps it was the shared sense of loneliness that allowed her to be more communicative with him, agreeing to hang out more.

She was a posthumous child, her mother disappeared when she was very young. The most profound memory of her youth was her grandmother’s massive hooked nose.

Granddaughter, who had inadvertently caused the death of her only son, her grandmother harbored deep hatred towards this girl and never showed any affection.

At the age of five, she was expelled from her home and lived with her great-grandmother on the mountain.

There were no neighbors in the mountain and her great-grandmother had poor hearing. Her great-grandmother could barely respond even after she spoke several sentences.

With no playmates her age and no one to talk to, she gradually got used to chatting with the small animals around the house.

When she was older, her great-grandmother gave her a bowl of medicine to drink.

She still remembered that in order for her to drink that smelly soup, her great-grandmother had to shoo away many large geese with her small feet to trap her in the house.

Given another chance, she would still find it hard to accept the taste of the medicine.

However, she would figure out a way to add a lot of sugar and honey to the soup to make it more palatable.

After all, it was an enlightening soup.

Not until she entered university did she gradually realize the value of that soup.

At that time, all she remembered was that overnight, her mind was crowded with a lot of things - words, numbers, spells, magic, a new world unveiling before her eyes.

The days thereafter became a lot easier.

During the day, she would help her great-grandmother collect medicinal herbs from the mountain, while at night she read those moldy old books under her great-grandmother’s oil lamp.

Until she received an admission letter from top university.

Until she set foot in school for the first time.

Until she met him.

She had never attended a wizarding school, had little experience in dealing with other wizards, and had never received any help from others.

So, when Nicholas cast a spell for her and ruined a law book in the process, she was terrified.

”It’s okay, it’s okay.” When she proposed to pay for the book, the thin, dark-skinned boy with ever-shaking eyeballs comforted her like this: ”It’s because of my inadequate spell-casting skills, it has nothing to do with you.”

”But,” Liu Fei Fei summoned the courage and looked at him apologetically: ”I have to compensate you. My great-grandmother once said, wizards must not owe others in their hearts.”

The boy hesitated for a few seconds.

”You’re a state-sponsored student, you must study very well.” He sincerely looked at her and asked: ”Can you help me with my homework?”

Liu Fei Fei didn’t hesitate and immediately nodded her head seriously.

”Well, that’s settled then,” she shook his hand forcefully.

Present.

Nicholas was starting to regret his suggestion.

He cautiously peered over several tall mahogany bookcases.

”What are you looking at, hurry up!” The girl behind the desk by the floor-to-ceiling window whispered: ”Where’s your textbook?”

”In my bag.” The freshman veteran nervously fiddled with the corner of his clothing, his gaze only dared to fall at the hem of her robe.

He turned his head and vaguely saw some familiar figures sitting behind a table not far away.

”Let’s switch places.” His shoes nervously scraped against the floor and whispered, ”It seems like there are some people from our class over there....”

”Why!” The girl flicked her hair and looked up at him: ”The library is always crowded, I was able to secure this spot thanks to my scholarship...We’re just studying, why would anyone care if they saw us?”

”I’m afraid you’ll be embarrassed.” This famed half-werewolf from Beta Town found that it was always hard to pluck up the courage in front of her, he stammered: ”Being seen with me, it’s not good for you.”

The sunlight fell on her face, making those delicate bristles look incredibly clear.

The girl’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and the dissatisfaction that had been in her heart disappeared instantly.

”It’s okay.” She lowered her head, flipping through the book rustlingly: ”If others feel uncomfortable, that’s their problem.”