During the last class on Friday afternoon at Tongzhou City No. 1 High School, Class 1 of Grade 1, Xiao Yan was excitedly pitching the latest magical girl anime to Lu Yue.

She claimed the protagonist was based on a once-famous magical girl special response team.

“Oh! Lu Yue, look! Little Sun just pinned Little Moon against the wall!”

“Oh! Lu Yue, they’re about to kiss!”

Lu Yue remained unmoved, quietly playing Magic Kill on her phone.

Ever since she awakened as a magical girl, her rose-tinted view of the group had shattered completely.

Weekend theoretical training at the Bureau of Magical Affairs, quizzes every two weeks, major exams monthly—the workload rivaled a core school subject.

Plus, she had to write daily reflections until she passed the theoretical assessments.

And in the coming days, spellcasting and combat training would be added.

Busy—busy was good, right?

Lu Yue shed weary tears in her heart.

“Lu Yue, look—” Xiao Yan tugged at Lu Yue’s sleeve, causing her finger to slip.

Oh no! Damn it!

She accidentally ended her turn.

On Lu Yue’s phone screen, her “God Yuehua” with one health point discarded nearly all her cards, leaving only a magic crystal core.

Her opponent, “God Corona,” swiped everything, even “God Yuehua’s” last defenses, and finished her off with a single, ordinary Kill card.

“Damn it, Xiao Yan!” Lu Yue said, grabbing Xiao Yan’s neck and shaking her playfully.

Just then, their homeroom teacher, Qiao Zhi, waddled into the classroom with his protruding belly.

Lu Yue immediately stopped.

Qiao Zhi smoothed his greasy, sparse hair, adjusted his glasses, and spoke slowly.

“Today, it’s the last class of the week.”

“I’m here to introduce your new teacher.”

“Come in, Teacher Lu.”

A gray-haired, green-eyed woman stepped into the classroom and stood at the podium, raising a hand to the students.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Lu Ming, your teacher for the new alchemy course you’ll take in Grade 2.”

“I earned my PhD from the Central Republic Magic University. I look forward to working with you all.”

A wave of shocked gasps rippled through the room.

This was their first time having a teacher with such high credentials, from the nation’s top university no less.

Was the job market really that tough?

Masters as common as stray dogs, and now PhDs teaching high school?

Lu Yue started worrying about her future.

But magical girls had natural advantages—guaranteed university admission, monthly stipends just for registering, far surpassing traditional mages.

“Ahem, everyone, settle down,” Qiao Zhi said, rapping the podium sharply.

“Next, we’re welcoming a new student to our class.”

“Come in, Liu Lian.”

A white-haired, red-eyed beauty entered the classroom.

She wore a short-sleeved floral dress and held a sunhat in front of her, bowing to the class.

“Hello, everyone,” the girl said with a smile.

“I’m Liu Lian.”

“Where would you like to sit, Liu Lian?” Qiao Zhi asked.

“I’ll take the back row there,” Liu Lian said, pointing to an empty seat by the window behind Xiao Yan and Lu Yue.

“Will sitting in the last row affect your view of the blackboard?” Qiao Zhi asked.

“No problem, Teacher.”

“Then go ahead and take your seat.”

Liu Lian sat by the window, propping her cheek with one hand, her striking red eyes gazing outside.

“Hey, Lu Yue, check out the new girl,” Xiao Yan said, nudging Lu Yue’s arm.

“She’s a beauty.”

“She can hear you…” Lu Yue said, exasperated.

Xiao Yan always failed to read the room, diving headfirst into awkward situations.

“Thanks for the compliment,” Liu Lian said, her bright eyes turning to Xiao Yan with a wink.

“Oh, hi, hi, beauty! I’m Xiao Yan,” Xiao Yan said, introducing herself loudly, prompting giggles from nearby classmates.

“Hello, I’m Lu Yue,” Lu Yue said, her introduction far more composed.

“Nice to meet you, Lu Yue,” Liu Lian said, smiling at her.

“Your eyes remind me of an old friend.”

“Really? That’s such a coincidence.”

“Yeah, quite the coincidence.”

Lu Yue and Liu Lian started chatting.

For some reason, Lu Yue felt Liu Lian gave off a parental vibe—warm, like her mother.

What am I thinking?

Lu Yue shook her head.

Liu Lian was a soft, fragrant girl—how could she be anything like a mother?

“Ahem!” Qiao Zhi cleared his throat from the podium, ready to move on.

“Hey, snap out of it,” Liu Lian whispered, nudging the two.

Xiao Yan straightened up first.

“Okay, Mom,” Lu Yue said absentmindedly.

Realizing her mistake, she buried her head on the desk like an ostrich.

Liu Lian hadn’t expected the slip but, thinking it over, didn’t mind.

She patted Lu Yue’s back, leaning closer and whispering, “It’s okay, good girl.”

Lu Yue couldn’t bury her head any lower.

“As for why we’re introducing your alchemy teacher now, I’m sure you’ve guessed,” Qiao Zhi said.

“To give you more time for exams in Grade 3, we’re starting this course, meant for Grade 2, early.”

Groans erupted from the students.

“Other classes are doing it too, so quit your whining!” Qiao Zhi said, slamming the desk.

“You lot have no student spirit. Truth is, your music and PE classes are canceled.”

“Your music teacher’s gone for further training, and your PE teacher’s sick. Those periods will now be used for alchemy.”

The students didn’t dare make a sound.

Qiao Zhi, pleased with the quiet classroom, nodded and continued.

“For the last few minutes, Teacher Lu will introduce the basics of the alchemy course.”

“I’ll step out to grab your weekend homework.”

Qiao Zhi’s rotund figure slipped out of the classroom.

“Alright, everyone, let’s talk about the basic principles of the course I’ll be teaching,” Lu Ming said, clearing her throat.

“I’m confident that after these few minutes, you’ll all be intrigued by this subject.”

“A discipline that points to the truth of the world.”

Over the next few minutes, Lu Ming maintained her cool, detached expression.

Yet her lecture was far from the dull slog most students expected—it was lively and engaging, a subtle contrast to her stoic face.

“In short, alchemy is divided into two clear categories.”

“One is the ‘classical alchemy’ you see in anime.”

“The other is ‘modern alchemy,’ which studies the composition, structure, properties, interactions, and laws of change in microscopic particles.”

“We’ll mainly focus on ‘modern alchemy,’ with occasional bits of ‘classical alchemy.’”

“Those interested in ‘classical alchemy’ can pursue it in university—some programs offer it.”

“The two are independent but can influence each other in certain areas.”

“And then…” The bell rang, cutting off Lu Ming’s lecture.

“Time flies,” Lu Ming said regretfully.

“I won’t hold you up. See you next week.”

She waved goodbye to the students and left cleanly.

After Lu Ming’s departure, the classroom buzzed with chatter.

Most of it was male students gushing about how gorgeous Lu Ming was.

Of course, they’re more interested in the beautiful teacher than alchemy, Lu Yue thought, tempted to give a thumbs-up.

She even noticed a girl during class…

The world was too crazy.

“I’m off too. See you next time,” Liu Lian said, patting Lu Yue’s shoulder and slipping out before anyone else.

“See you,” Lu Yue called after her.

“Let’s go,” Lu Yue said, tugging Xiao Yan’s elbow as she lingered on her phone.

“We’ve got overtime tonight.”