—A Few Hours Later—
The plane arrived at the Far East Airport.
As soon as they disembarked, the group spotted Theresa and Himeko waiting for them.
"Auntie, you came to pick us up!"
The moment they stepped into the airport, "Husky" (Kiana) couldn't contain herself, unleashing the energy that had been pent up in the cramped plane cabin. She was the first to rush out, waving enthusiastically at Theresa and Himeko.
"Kiana, be a little more composed, won't you? How many times do I have to tell you? You're not a child anymore," Theresa said, frowning at Kiana.
Had Theresa not witnessed the future versions of Kiana in the storyline, she might not have been so critical. But after seeing that battle-hardened crimson figure and the elegant violet noblewoman, she knew that even a "single-celled organism" like Kiana could change.
Thus, Theresa had begun trying to refine Kiana's behavior, hoping to polish her image.
Unfortunately, the results so far had been... disastrous.
"Huh? I'm not composed?" Kiana blinked, her brain struggling to process the remark.
She thought she was doing pretty well, actually.
"Never mind, it's not important. Listen, Auntie, you won't believe what happened to us in the Elysian Realm this time—"
Watching Kiana brush off Theresa's words in a matter of seconds, the others could only sigh in exasperation.
"Idiot Kiana not only has the IQ of a single-celled organism but also the memory of a goldfish. Seven seconds, and she's already forgotten everything," Bronya deadpanned, glancing at the stopwatch on her mech, Heavy Bunny.
"Sigh..." The group collectively sighed in response.
"Wu Tong, why didn't you just use your spatial abilities to return this time? Why take a plane instead?"
Himeko, dressed in a sleek teacher's outfit that accentuated her figure, ignored Kiana and Theresa's exchange and walked over to Wu Tong.
"That... is a long story," Wu Tong replied, his face flushing slightly as he caught a whiff of her perfume.
"If it's long, then give me the short version," Himeko teased, a playful glint in her eyes.
Seems my charm is still effective~.
"Wow, Himeko, I didn't know you were familiar with Shenzhou-style jokes?" Wu Tong blinked, then chuckled as he realized she was just messing with him.
"Alright, short version: It was a group decision. The majority voted to take the plane, so here we are."
He condensed the explanation as much as possible, though some details were inevitably left out.
When Elysia had mentioned wanting to see the sky again, Wu Tong had suddenly remembered—the Flame-Chasers had been trapped in the Elysian Realm for 50,000 years. As memory entities, they couldn't leave, and even the scenery they saw was just cold, mechanical projections.
So when Elysia and the others suggested flying back, Wu Tong hadn't objected.
"Seems like our little Wu Tong is quite the gentle soul, huh?" Himeko smiled, as if understanding the unspoken sentiment behind his words.
"Gentle...?"
Wu Tong fell silent at that.
Am I really gentle?
Then he thought of the twenty-one maids he'd taken in and nodded firmly.
Yes, I am.
Taking in homeless girls, educating the illiterate, pushing the world's evolution, helping others mend regrets...
Honestly, I'm practically a saint.
Amid the lively chatter, Wu Tong led everyone back to St. Freya Academy.
After a grand welcome banquet, he gathered them in one of the school's classrooms.
"Everyone, I just remembered something important that I haven't taken care of yet. Let's brainstorm together and see if we can solve it," Wu Tong said solemnly.
"Something important? Don't worry, Wu Tong! A dazzling, flower-like maiden like me will help you overcome your troubles!" Elysia declared, stepping forward eagerly.
Perfect. I was waiting for that.
Wu Tong's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Well, it's not a huge deal, but it's not trivial either," he began, pausing for effect.
"I'm planning to establish an academy, but right now, aside from the buildings and textbooks, nothing else is ready. The school regulations, uniform designs, organizational structure... none of it's done."
"You're only doing this now? What were you doing all this time?"
"And let me guess—you want us to help you with this?" Mobius cut in, seeing right through him.
"Uh..."
Drinking tea, watching dramas, fishing, shopping, eating, sleeping...
Recalling the leisurely (and lazy) past few weeks, Wu Tong felt a pang of guilt. His eyes darted around before landing on Theresa.
Then, as if struck by inspiration, he quickly added, "I just forgot, okay? It wasn't until I came to this world and saw St. Freya that it hit me."
"Classes start in a little over a week, so... please, everyone, lend me a hand?"
He put on his best pleading expression, though his attention was laser-focused on Eden.
As the "Gold" of the Previous Era, Eden embodied the pinnacle of artistic achievement. Wu Tong was certain that with her expertise, this problem would be solved in no time.
Sure enough, the moment Elysia responded, he knew he had his answer.
Eden, ever the devoted "Elysia fan," immediately followed suit, promising to help.
"This sounds fun! Alright, let's give it our all!" Elysia cheered, rallying the others.
"Of course, Elysia~"
"Leave it to the world's greatest magician! You won't be disappointed!"
"Mei, let's join in too!"
"According to Bronya's analysis, the probability of Idiot Kiana causing trouble is higher than her actually contributing."
...
Naturally, not everyone was on board.
"No thanks. Such a boring task should be left to others. My time is too precious to waste on this," the green serpent lady (Mobius) flatly refused.
"I'll... pass," Kosma added. If Mobius simply didn't want to help, he genuinely had no idea how to.
"Um... should I find some people to help you?" Theresa offered hesitantly. Back when she founded her academy, she'd outsourced everything—her own understanding of the process was practically nonexistent.
...
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you all!" Wu Tong clasped his hands together gratefully.
...
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(End of Chapter)