Is It Weird for a Guy to Apply to a Witch School?-Chapter 453 -

Chapter 453: Conversation with Tan Han

“Mhm… it feels like some new friends have arrived.”

After the brief opening exchange with Tan Han, the conversation seemed to be progressing smoothly.

However… it would be better if there weren't some other disruptive factors.

I slightly tilted my head, my gaze passing through Tan Han's side and settling on a young woman who had just entered.

I didn't know her, but I could tell that the first target she confirmed after entering was Tan Han.

And after her gaze met mine, she instinctively dodged it.

“Hmm?”

Tan Han was puzzled, but she still turned around, following my line of sight, and finally landed on a person who caused her no surprise.

Tan Han sighed and turned back, a trace of apology on her face.

“Sorry, I should have told them not to follow me.”

“It’s fine. I don’t mind, and I understand your difficulty,” I said with a smile.

But beneath the smile that Tan Han couldn't decipher, I was contemplating whether to choose trouble or spectacle.

Finally, I figured it out: if something is bound to happen, then resisting it only makes it trouble.

If I embrace it, then it's a spectacle.

Tan Han’s group of supporters is very interesting.

I thought that someone as formidable as Tan Han, with her personal charisma, wouldn't have this kind of chaos in managing these people.

But this was all just conjecture.

I felt it was necessary to test them and see if this was a worthwhile spectacle.

“Thank you for your understanding,” Tan Han said.

However, she was also somewhat relieved, because Little Han gave her a slightly different feeling at this moment, or rather, she had vaguely felt it during their last contact.

If this were back in Ninglan New City, the other party would absolutely be the type to push her into self-isolation.

“Thank you for the compliment. After all, I’m also trying to understand others.”

“Is that so? You’ve certainly changed a lot.”

“Everyone changes, just as growth always happens subtly. It has been a while since we last met. So… how about we get straight to the point?”

“Good.”

Tan Han nodded.

She continued the method of interaction with Little Han that she had learned last time, decisively taking out the Storage Equipment without unnecessary words.

“Here, this is the Spellbook from before. I haven’t missed a single one,” Tan Han said, placing it on the table and pushing it toward me.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care if you missed any. After all, the bet that won me your Spellbooks wasn't fair to begin with.”

Just as I spoke, a waitress young woman walked towards me, and a Fool's Dream happily bounced alongside her to my table.

It was the raw materials for the second Fool's Dream Drink I had asked the Fool's Dream for earlier.

My gaze naturally shifted to them.

As I looked, I pretended to casually glance at the young woman I didn't recognize.

Although Tan Han didn't explicitly say that the person was one of her supporters, the relationship was easy to guess.

Moreover, I was confident that this person definitely wasn't a genuine friend of Tan Han's.

At this moment, she had clearly heard what I just said.

Her expression was a mix of unnaturalness and hostility toward me.

This type of person, who likes to work against the person they claim to support, either has a problem, or Tan Han has a problem.

As for who it is… I looked at Tan Han again, and ultimately decided to reserve my judgment.

As I thought before, this world is a huge, makeshift organization.

Even though Big Sis Bai has now become a Transcendent Witch, she hasn't changed from when she was a student; only her status has changed.

Tan Han is merely the first Child of Destiny of the Main World, not some deity.

She, too, can make mistakes.

At this moment, I couldn't figure out who the spectacle would be if everything continued to unfold as I expected.

Would it be Tan Han?

Or her supporters?

Or both?

Or maybe myself?

What I wanted to do was actually very simple: just to sow a little discord between Tan Han and her supporters.

My initial intention was to show Tan Han how fragile the relationship between her and her supporters truly was, and also to advise Tan Han not to rely on this group too much.

The reason I had this inclination was naturally that I noticed the inconsistency in the viewpoints between Tan Han and her followers.

If possible, it might free Tan Han from the influence of those supporters.

Of course, this was my ideology.

I wouldn't force it upon Tan Han.

I would only use my method to make Tan Han understand, and see if she makes the same choice as me after seeing the truth.

One more thing I was doing was incidentally dealing with the trouble Tan Han had given me.

But honestly, did I not want Tan Han's Spellbooks?

Driven by my greed, I naturally wanted them.

However, these Spellbooks served no purpose other than expanding my spell library and filling up my Spellbook Shelf.

Even the most precious Ancient Glacial Ice Transformation Spell didn't hold much significance for me.

Of course, this wasn't because I thought this Super Consumption Spellbook was worthless.

Quite the opposite, it was very valuable, but its value would distract me.

I currently have two Super Consumption Spellbooks.

Besides the Fire Rain Domain Spellbook, I don't even know what the other one is called.

It's best left unseen.

My energy is currently focused on the Tree of Knowledge Spellbook.

With this, I have the confidence to counteract any means used against me.

With the Tree of Knowledge, even if I used only the ten-point-consumption Flame Fairy Transformation Spell, I would have the confidence to contend against Tan Han, who possesses the Ancient Glacial Ice Transformation Spell.

Before, I dared to clash with Tan Han's Ancient Glacial Ice with just a Fireball.

That was the courage of the ignorant, plus Tan Han was also a novice.

But now, I have absolute confidence.

Therefore, I clearly differentiate the important from the trivial.

With the Tree of Knowledge as the core of everything I do, offensive spells, alchemy, Physical Arts, etc., are merely the means I use in my pursuit.

I will not be blinded by the power these means provide.

“But you are giving it to me so easily, and for the second time.”

I held the Storage Card between two fingers in front of me.

It obscured half of Tan Han's face, and a trace of playfulness appeared on my lips.

“Don’t you have even a hint of reluctance for these Spellbooks? Or have you convinced yourself to gloss over the problem, allowing the current reality to force your inner self to accept the facts?”

“Little Han, are you worried I’ll regret it later? No, I won’t…”

“No, no, I’m just curious about what you are thinking in your heart,” I quickly interrupted her.

Actually, the main reason I suddenly asked this question was to get an answer to a certain question from Tan Han.

That is, when a person has a choice, do they maximize their interests in the achievable range to the best of their ability, or do they choose to be satisfied with "enough"?

This question seems to be a choice between self-interest and altruism, but in different environments, even the same person will make different choices.

To make an unwavering choice, one needs a very clear bottom line to support that action.

Big Sis Bai raised an objection about the profit distribution of the Fool's Dream Drink cooperation with the Witch Cat Cafe.

Big Sis Bai argued that I should strive for the interests I was entitled to, while I chose to be satisfied with enough.

Tan Han's choice here is similar to mine.

She didn't strive to maximize her interests.

She could have chosen not to give me these Spellbooks from the beginning, but she still gave them.

Her action, in my eyes, was that among numerous Spellbooks, she chose… "enough is enough."

“These Spellbooks are your assets. Don't use your previous rhetoric to brush me off. You clearly had more choices. Even if you felt you weren't worthy of these Spellbooks, you could still choose not to use them. When you feel you are qualified, they would become the foundation for your eventual success. So… what mentality are you embracing by giving away these Spellbooks?”

“I am not brushing you off. When I realized my shortcomings, I understood that excessive Spellbooks would only become a burden to me. My previous combat expectations completely led me into a mindset fixated on combat, which, in Teacher Lina's words, meant… I was gradually walking down the path of being blinded by power.”

“So you are merely using this method to test your limits, rather than believing that 'enough is enough'?”

“Hmm?”

At this moment, Tan Han appropriately showed a confused expression.

“Sorry, sorry. Oh well I accidentally walked into my own dead end again. It's truly inappropriate for me to ask you such a serious question during our meeting. Since you have delivered the Spellbook to me, does this mean I can dispose of it however I wish?”

“That is natural.”

Tan Han's confused expression still didn't completely disappear.

She could see that her answer was not the focus of what I was saying; the other party was using her answer to contemplate her own problem.

Although this manner of chatting was quite impolite to the other party, considering the other party was Little Han, it didn't seem strange at all.

She was used to it anyway.

“As an apology, let me treat you to a cup of Fool's Dream Drink. This is a delicious drink newly introduced by the Witch Cat Cafe, and it’s not cheap.”

“Mhm Big Sis Little Han, are you saying it’s time for me to take the stage?”

At this moment, the Fool's Dream who had returned didn't interrupt because she saw me chatting with the other party.

“Sorry Since it's an apology, it must be prepared by me personally to show sincerity.”

I took the tools from the Fool's Dream's hand.

When it came to preparing the Fool's Dream Drink, no one understood it better than me.

“Customer, the Fool's Dream Drink is a mixed juice prepared using a special technique. It's not simply mixing juices together.”

The young woman next to her quickly reminded me.

“Thank you for the reminder, but you can ask the Fool's Dream if I know how to do it.”

I replied with a smile.

“Big Sis Little Han is very capable. We learned the preparation technique from Big Sis Little Han, so relax.”

“I-is that so?”

“Mhm.”

I didn't respond too much to the young woman's shock, but immediately picked up the glass vessel and the customized tools suitable for the Fool's Dream and started operating.

Although the tools weren't exactly easy for me to use, my movements were incredibly fluid: ritual, juicing, mixing…

In a moment, a cup of Fool's Dream Drink was fully poured.

“Want to try my handiwork?”

I pushed the full cup toward Tan Han.

This was a courtesy that Big Sis Bai hadn't even enjoyed, but I guessed this would likely be the last time I prepared it for Tan Han.

But if Big Sis Bai wanted one, I could prepare it anytime.

“Mhm, I’ll leave the cleaning of the utensils to you.”

I put the utensils back in their original place, smiling at the young woman.

“O-okay…”

The young woman quickly took the utensils and left.

“Thank you.”

Tan Han did not decline and simply thanked me after taking the cup of Fool's Dream Drink.

“It's nothing. I hope you like it.”

I picked up the cup of Fool's Dream Drink that I had only half-finished and took a slow sip.

There was indeed a slight difference compared to the one I had prepared, seemingly a difference in the ritual.

Could the entire preparation ritual of the Fool's Dream Drink also encompass the preparer…

Just as I was thinking, Tan Han spoke again.

“Little Han, I want to ask you, what are your plans at the academy next?”

“Plans? Mhm… trying not to be a student?”

I adopted a thoughtful expression, then shrugged and said with a smile.

“Is that so? That makes sense. You are the most unique student in our batch. I’m truly curious about what you usually do. Is Innate Spirit Vision really that amazing?”

“Innate Spirit Vision… hmm? Do you think my achieving what I have now is entirely due to this so-called Innate Spirit Vision?”

I looked at her with a beaming smile.

“I didn't mean that. I meant that your personal effort also…”

“No, you're wrong. I started entirely by relying on Innate Spirit Vision. If I didn't have this ability before, I would just be a dispensable ordinary person, not even qualified to enter the Witch Academy. But if someone told me now that I would lose my Innate Spirit Vision, I would just say it doesn't matter.”

“…”

At this moment, Tan Han looked at me in shock.

She hadn't expected me to say something like that.

I merely chuckled lightly at Tan Han's expression, my gaze moving away from the Soundproof Spell I had just cast.

From the moment I started speaking, I didn't want the person eavesdropping nearby to hear this.

“But what about you, Tan Han? Have you thought about who you are now? If you discard the Seed of Destiny, what do you have left… Spellbooks… those supporters, or the favoritism of the teacher and the Academy Head?”

I said, again shaking the Storage Card containing the Spellbooks in front of her.

“The Spellbooks, you gave them to me. Those supporters will leave you the moment they find out you are not a Child of Destiny. Except for a few friends you play well with, no one will pay attention to you. The teacher and the Academy Head will still treat and guide you as an ordinary student.”

“Tan Han, you are a smart person. I don't want to probe why you were so resistant to fate before, and now, after knowing the Script, you seem to have accepted the current situation. But I want to say you were dealt a better hand than I was, yet you're playing it so poorly. You don't want to be left with just the title of a former genius after stripping away the Seed of Destiny, do you?”

“…”

At this moment, Tan Han instinctively clenched one hand, her nails even digging into her palm.

With a crisp sound of shattering glass, the cup of Fool's Dream Drink, which she hadn't drunk much of, was crushed in her grip.

“I'm sorry, Tan Han. It was not my intention to cause you anxiety. Put the cost of the cup on my Cat Card. I am merely reminding you not to make futile efforts, but to look at what remains of yourself, belonging to you, after stripping away external possessions.”

Just like me, if I stripped away all my Magic Power Sources, Spellbooks, and even the Spirit Vision talent, as long as I was still walking the Transcendent path, what belonged to me, I would slowly pick up again.

But the world does not have "if."

I will not give up anything I have now.

My statement about "if I lost" is merely a hypothesis and premise for self-reflection.

The same goes for Tan Han.

Her status as a Child of Destiny will not be taken away, so she has the capital to slack off, but she will not slack off.