Chapter 53 : Chapter 53

Chapter 53 : A Pretty Girl with the Heart of a Rough Guy

“Here’s your dorm keycard. Hold onto it. This is the academy’s free dorm, and unless something’s off, it’s probably a three-story private villa,” I said, handing the keycard to Quan Xiuzhu.

She seemed lost in thought, staring blankly at the info on the card.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… I just… don’t know where this place is…”

“Use your phone to navigate,” I said straightforwardly.

“Can this phone navigate?”

“Why not? Navigate, then hop on a bus. The academy’s buses are free,” I explained with a smile.

She was still adjusting to all this.

Even though I was still getting used to it, but I was trying to live here.

“Thanks for telling me…”

“No big deal. Just helping a friend,” I said, watching her start to walk away with the keycard.

I quickly called out, “Hey, wait, where are you going?”

“Since I have a place to stay, I won’t bother you anymore. It’s getting late…”

“You’re just leaving like that?”

I was a bit surprised, but it wasn’t a big deal.

I’d been helping her this whole time, so she probably didn’t want to trouble me further.

But how could I let her slip away?

Not to mention, she still had my Witch Cape with my badge pinned to it.

Was she about to walk off with my stuff?

“Um? Oh, sorry, here’s your… clothes,” she said, realizing, and started to take off the cape.

“No need. It looks good on you. Keep it. It’s part of the Witch Academy’s uniform, you know.”

“Uniform? Then I should return it to you.”

“But you’ve already worn it. Sure, I’ve worn it too it’s secondhand but would you mind picking up a new set for me? Just a cape will do.”

“You’re right… I did wear it… Sorry, I’ll get a new one to trade with you,” Quan Xiuzhu said apologetically, as if realizing her situation.

She was a boy turned witch.

This world had notions of propriety between genders.

In her eyes, my request made it seem like I had a cleanliness obsession.

It also made her starkly aware, reminded by someone else that she used to be a boy.

She realized she’d accepted all this in such a short time.

That was strange.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

She’d resisted so fiercely when that senior sister forced her, when she learned the truth.

Even if it was futile, she’d struggled.

I quietly observed Quan Xiuzhu’s changes.

Her shift wasn’t as satisfying to watch as I’d hoped.

Pointing out her reality now kept her from falling too fast, which would’ve robbed me of my sense of accomplishment.

Plus, I did have a slight cleanliness obsession about her, the fallen boy.

If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t care.

I’d assume every senior sister was a cute, pretty girl.

But knowing she was once a guy?

That was a fact I couldn’t ignore.

Still, I’d be friends with her.

Her body was undeniably female now.

A pretty girl with the heart of a rough guy?

That was a bonus in my book.

At least for my tastes, it was.

Friendship was great, but from the transformation novels I read in my past life, I was wary of friendship turning into something else.

The chances were slim, but not zero.

So, keeping some distance was necessary.

“Since you agree, let’s go get the uniform! Honestly, that senior who brought you here was so irresponsible. You still have so much to do uniform, talent awakening, student card binding. They didn’t tell you anything. What’ll you do when school starts?”

“There’s that much left?”

“Of course,” I said, nodding at her surprised expression.

From her response, she’d accepted her enrollment at Witch Academy, and she wasn’t too resistant to the upcoming steps.

Was she the type to just go with the flow?

And we were about to get her uniform female clothing, basically.

No reaction to that?

Or was it because she had to replace my cape, so she was passively accepting it?

Either way, it didn’t matter.

I was just here for fun.

At least for now, I was playing the fun seeker.

I checked the time.

It was still early, but I wasn’t sure if those senior sisters were still around this late.

The registration seniors were here, so the others probably were too, right?

What a tough job.

Following my memory, I led Quan Xiuzhu through the remaining enrollment steps.

It felt like I was experiencing the senior sisters’ hard work myself.

No wonder those irresponsible seniors ditched freshmen so fast.

Though the tasks weren’t many, guiding someone through each one was a hassle.

I was now holding a new Witch Cape and badge, since mine was pinned to the one she had.

She chose the basic Fireball spell, so no changes there.

Looking at Quan Xiuzhu in her tattered clothes, still wearing my old Witch Cape, topped with a large Witch Hat, and holding a tall Magic Wand, she really looked like a witch.

When she learned the uniform was the “witch set,” she visibly relaxed.

She was clearly worried about female clothing.

That wasn’t my concern.

It’s always zero or countless times.

She’d wear female clothes eventually.

She still seemed uneasy, but the uniform excluding regular female clothing eased her mind.

Her face was half-hidden under the huge hat brim, her hands tightly gripping the wand she’d picked, like it was her last lifeline.

She should’ve relied on the badge it had spells, the only self-defense tool for freshmen right now.

“So… what’s next?”

“Um… talent awakening and student card binding? Sorry, I’m a freshman too, so I’m not super clear on the process. But let’s finish these today and head back. You seem exhausted.”

“Yeah… anyone would be tired after this, right?”

“True.”