"One of the elders of the House of Daena, and also the Headmaster of the House of Wisdom at The Akademiya!"
Nahida's powerful voice echoed in the trio's ears, instantly freezing March 7th in place.
As for Stelle and Little Swarm... well, they had no idea what this meant. All they knew was that Nahida, the girl who would cry for hours after being bopped on the head, was apparently some kind of big shot.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have introduced herself with such palpable pride.
"Y-y-y-you... Nahida, if I may ask, how old are you...?"
Though stunned by Nahida's true identity, March 7th's attention had shifted to another matter entirely.
"What's it to you?" Nahida frowned. I just revealed my status, why are you asking about my age?
"Um... Nahida, you're not some kind of ancient monster, are you? Wait, no, that's wrong."
"You're not one of those cutesy, dorky Headmasters whose age completely belies their appearance, right? The kind with a huge gap between their inner self and outward demeanor?"
Whether it was from scrolling through too many short videos or something else entirely, March 7th's waterlogged brain was now, for once, actually churning, spiraling into wild thoughts.
Nahida: ...
As someone who knew March 7th well, Nahida's lips twitched slightly.
"You don't need to know my exact age, nor do you need to know if there's a gap between my inner and outer selves."
"All you need to know is that I'm an adult, and I possess the qualifications and capabilities to serve as both an Elder and a Headmaster."
"Furthermore, you should also know that without financial compensation, I won't accompany you to the back mountains to meet Lady Lumina."
Although Nahida could easily claim she was just born, knowing they wouldn't believe her anyway, she chose to be cryptic instead.
At first, they didn't appreciate riddles, mistaking lies for treasures.
Ah, riddle-masters—they're my absolute favorite~
"Anyway, that's all. Goodbye." Without giving March 7th a chance to reply, Nahida tossed out the parting words and turned to leave.
"E-Eh! Wait, wait!"
But Nahida had barely taken a few steps when the familiar scene unfolded once again. March 7th reached out and grabbed Nahida's wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
"Ha ha ha... Um, even if I can't go, could I at least take a photo of your face?" Sensing Nahida's gaze on her hand, March 7th gave an awkward smile and withdrew her hand.
Then, she pulled out the camera hanging from her waist, her face brimming with genuine sincerity and eager anticipation as she gazed at Nahida's adorable face.
"You're so cute..."
Seeing March 7th's sincere and expectant expression, Nahida—no, Lumina—could barely restrain her hands.
She yearned to press her palm against March 7th's head, stroking her hair gently and reveling in its softness.
But alas, she was currently Nahida, not Lumina. Otherwise, March 7th wouldn't have dared to be so "bold." She would have already fallen into Lumina's clutches long ago.
Sigh...
Shaking her head inwardly, Nahida sighed, looked up, and stared expressionlessly at March 7th. Under March 7th's unwavering gaze, she waited a moment before nodding in acknowledgment.
"Yay!"
Seeing this, March 7th's face instantly lit up with an exuberant smile, her joyous energy radiating outward like sunshine.
You can doubt March 7th's brains, but you can never doubt her beauty or her cuteness, Nahida thought to herself, slightly flustered by March 7th's sudden close-up attack.
"Come on, come on! Let's take a quick group photo!"
March 7th pulled Stelle and Nahida closer, adjusted the camera angle, set the timer, struck an adorable pose, and urged Nahida to do the same.
Seeing this, Nahida felt she couldn't refuse and simply made a peace sign.
Click!
The camera's shutter snapped. The smiles of Stelle, Little Swarm, March 7th, and Nahida were now frozen forever in the photograph...
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Spynote-Doing the dan heng pose lol