401 Ten Years Later

It was a beautiful day. The sun was as bright and warm as the smile on Mia's face. She stood on a podium facing a class of wide-eyed students. "Alright, that's all for today."

Da Xue had been running for ten years now, and in that time, Mia had grown wiser, smarter, and stronger. Unfortunately, her height did not experience the growth that her mental state did; she was still as short as she was before. 

She still wore her hair in pigtails. The cute face she had in the past had been lost in the rivers of time; in its place was the face of a mature young woman, who had been seasoned by years of learning. Her mature countenance was a perfect fit for her figure. Not only did it make her adorable, but she also could not help exuding an irresistible charm. 

The class of students stood up simultaneously and bowed in respect. They remained standing till she left the classroom, after which they enjoyed their brief recess with their usual shenanigans.

With a few books tucked neatly under her arms, Mia walked back to her office, which was at the top floor of the teaching staff's building. She passed by a few students on her way there, and they all made sure to stop and greet her respectfully. "Good day, Professor Mia."

She made sure returned their greetings even though it cost her some time. As she had conducted her last class for the day, she did not mind. The rest of her day would be spent on tidying up her teaching materials, getting ready for the classes she would teach the next day. 

When Mia reached her office, she found a mountain of envelopes piled at her door. She took a look at them and shook her head helplessly. With a smile, she groaned, "Aww… Not again! This time, there's even more than ever before!"

As all the envelopes were pink, it was pretty simple to guess that they were love letters. Mia flicked her fingers, and the envelopes soared into the air on their own. In midair, they arranged themselves into a neat pile and flew into a wastepaper basket nearby. 

Mia giggled at this. She had learned this little trick specifically to dispose of letters like these. After seeing her Big Sister Dale use it once before, Mia pestered her until she was taught the trick. It was times like this that made her appreciate the humor and effectiveness of this trick.

After taking care of the letters, Mia walked into her office. Her workspace was not overly decorated. She placed her teaching materials on her desk, just beside a half-completed thesis, and turned to look at the warm sunlight streaming in through the windows.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she began to feel sleepy. Deciding to take a small nap, she sat down on her chair.

Mia wore the latest edition of a uniform designed for female teaching staff of Da Xue. It closely resembled sorcerers' robes, but there were some differences in design; for example, the waistline of her robe was form-fitting. It was made this way to accentuate the bodacious, hourglass figures of the female staff. The hemline of the robe was not a straight cut; it was slant, descending from the left knee to the right foot. There were slits on each side of the robe, offering a peek at Mia's slender feet, which was covered in silk white stockings. It was a beautiful sight to behold. 

The differences were not much, but one thing was certain: Da Xue's female robes were much bolder than ordinary designs Baiyi had made. Whoever altered Baiyi's original design spent a long time trying to get Baiyi to approve the alterations, else the female staff would have had to wear baggy robes as long as wedding gowns. 

As Mia was the only one in her office, she took off her leather shoes and propped her feet on her desk, baring her perfect fair thighs. She leaned back into her chair, a very comfortable position for her, and began to doze off. 

She had almost fallen asleep when she felt someone wrap their arms around her from behind. That was not all, though; the mysterious assailant began to caress her bared thighs suggestively. 

Mia slowly turned her head to the side and felt it rest on something soft and supple. She opened her mouth to speak, but the mysterious assailant beat her to it. "Hee hee hee! What would happen if those energetic boys, who have all hit puberty, walk in to see the lady of their dreams, Professor Mia, assuming such a suggestive pose? I'm guessing that, at the very least, they would stay up all night again, thinking... "

Recognizing the voice, Mia chuckled softly. "Oh please, most respected vice principal Lady Vidomina… Just how did you manage to squeeze out some free time for me today?"

"Oh? I am fueled by how much I miss you, darling!" Vidomina replied playfully. She lowered her face and rubbed her cheek against Mia's. 

"Pfft! Get that lame excuse out of here!" Mia said, bumping her head against Vidomina's a little forcefully. They were like little girls playing with each other.

"Oh, so you're suddenly old enough for the truth, huh... Well! How about because I'm fueled by a burning concern for you," Vidomina said as playfully as before. "Our Professor Mia reached the ripe age of twenty-seven this year, right? I saw a mountain of love letters sitting idly in your wastepaper basket outside. Really, all of them? Spare the young boys a heartbreak, will you? Besides, don't tell me that none of them look good enough for you!"

"Ex-cuse you! I'm not interested in children!" Mia replied casually, sitting straight. She lowered her legs back down to the ground and covered them with her robe, putting an end to the alluring sight that had been on display. 

"Huh? Not thinking of marrying anyone at all? Be careful with age… You can turn into a granny in the blink of an eye!" Vidomina replied, unwilling to cut Mia some slack. 

"I have passed the Legendary level assessment, which means I will be young for a long time. Wait a minute; I'm still young!" Mia protested.

"Alright, alright. We wish our Professor Mia continued youth and beauty!" Upon realizing that she was about to cross Mia's bottom line, Vidomina decided to stop teasing her. She then revealed the reason why she was in Mia's office, even though she had a mountain of work waiting for her in her office. 

"Nota and Attie have returned. As promised, we're going to Attie's place tonight."

"Already? That's early," Mia said, visibly bewildered. She glanced at the calendar on her desk, making sure that turned Vidomina was not pulling her leg. "What happens after that? It's… It's not my turn next, right?"

Vidomina only smiled in reply; her grin all but implied 'What do you think?'

"I knew it. You wouldn't have come all the way here if it wasn't my turn," Mia said with a sigh.

"I would appreciate it if you do insinuate that I am a callous person! I'll have you know that I devote much of my time to everyone's favorite academy," Vidomina grumbled, feigning anger. She grabbed Mia's soft cheeks with her fingers and pinched them. 

"Twen' who wam I goin'h weef thish thyme?" Mia asked, allowing Vidomina to pinch her cheeks.

Vidomina lowered her hands, placing them on Mia's shoulder. She looked into Mia's eyes assuming a most concerned expression, and with feigned graveness, she said, "Mia, how is it that you're completely clueless? Did someone go behind our backs to claim your heart and hog all your attention, hmm?"

"N-no way!" Mia shook her head vehemently, causing her pigtails to fly around. "Mr. Hope would utterly destroy me if I ever got a boyfriend behind everyone's back! No, no… I'm just busy with my thesis; that's all. It's giving me a mighty headache, to be honest," Mia said, pointing at the half-completed thesis.

This was mandatory for all sorcerers that reach the Legendary level. A refusal to do it was akin to forfeiting the benefits and privileges provided by the Sorcerers' Association. As the year's end drew closer, Mia, who was only halfway done with her thesis, panicked even more.

"Oh! Now I remember… Mordred! I'm supposed to go out with Mordred!" Mia wailed and buried her face in her hands. "Noooo! My head! It is already begun spinning!"

"There, there, drama queen; don't be like that… If Modred heard you, her feelings would be hurt," Vidomina cooed, and then her lips curled into a sly smile. 

"I prefer a partner who can take care of people. I mean... Taking care of the kids will be taxing on its own, and now I would have to take care of Mordred too…?" Mia grumbled. "I'm so jealous of the Attie-Nota team-up! Those students will definitely have a blast with them."

Their topic of conversation was none other than an important part of Baiyi's system of education: excursions. According to Baiyi, going on excursions was the best way of educating the young. This was why Da Xue had its students take theoretical classes in their first two years, while their third year will be spent on excursions and other external activities. Every month, students of different faculties went out on excursions. 

The class of students was led on these excursions by their class instructor; this was especially the case for students in non-combat related classes. Professors of Mia's level were tasked with leading combat-related classes on excursions. These excursions were overseen by two professors at or above the Legendary level, in order to ensure the class's safety and take care of issues concerning their journey. 

This has been the case since Da Xue was founded. Mia had been taken care on until three years ago, when she had successfully entered the Legendary Level, earning her the acknowledgment required to protect others as her sisters did.

Babysitting was a grueling job. Although Mia complained about it sometimes, she did not shy away from it; after all, it had always been a dream of hers to protect those weaker than her.

The ladies continued to chat for a while. Low beeps suddenly rang out beside Vidomina's ear. Vidomina pushed back a tuft of her disheveled and said, "What was that? Again? Those Northerners are fighting again? God dang it, these little squirts! Can't they go a day without fighting?!"

Without giving Mia a chance to say goodbye, Vidomina turned and ran. All Mia could see was Vidomina's pink hair flutter as the lady raced out of her office, hurrying to wherever she was needed.