Back at Haku's temporary home, a whirlwind of activity had taken over the small space. Yue, dressed in her plain daywear that helped her blend in like a local, was pacing restlessly.
"Boring, boring, boring!" she complained, arms flailing dramatically. "Do you know how long it's been since I sparred or practiced my fan arts? I need to move!"
Haku stepped in just in time to catch the tail end of her rant. He set down his notes and red teacher's coat with a tired sigh. "Patience, Yue. Blending in means acting normal. We'll find you an outlet soon. Once this whole situation wraps up, you'll have a whole forest to go wild in, I promise."
Today's lecture went better than expected. Haku was managing to hold his cover as a professor barely, and now had to prep Alex for his enrollment, which was just days away.
Alex, meanwhile, was methodically organizing a small stack of pristine textbooks on the dining table. His freshly pressed uniform fit him perfectly, scholarly, clean-cut, and a little too serious.
"Everything has to be perfect," he muttered, adjusting his collar for the fifth time. "First impressions are everything."
Haku chuckled softly. "Relax, Alex. You'll do great. Just be yourself."
"Easy for you to say," Alex muttered, his voice anxious. "You're... well, honestly, I don't even know what you are. I've never even been to a real school before. What if I don't understand anything? What if they all laugh at me?"
Before Haku could respond, Yue appeared beside Alex like a flash of lightning and slapped him on the back.
"Don't worry, Alex! If anyone messes with you, just tell me. I'll convince them to be nice." Her dazzling smile didn't fool anyone.
Haku raised a brow. "Yue, we talked about this. No broken bones."
She pouted. "Fine. But if they ask for it..."
Haku sighed deeply. 'She's like an overpowered puppy, one that needs walks or starts chewing on the furniture.'
He clapped his hands. "Alright, team. Focus time. Alex, I'll teach you everything I went over in class. Yue, help him study, but pretend you're a very slow student."
Yue's expression turned sour. "That sounds... painful."
"Exactly," Haku replied. "Perfect practice for blending in."
Alex dove into the basic spellbooks with Haku guiding him, while Yue listened in with the occasional dumb question ones that were so obviously fake they made Haku wince. Still, as he watched them, something about the scene warmed his heart. These moments, however brief, felt real.
Sure, he was lying to everyone. Borrowing knowledge, he barely remembered. But he was teaching, and his students were learning. That counted for something.
Later that night, the city outside grew quiet. Alex was fast asleep, his head buried in a book he hadn't meant to finish. Yue sat beside him, gazing at the night sky from the open window.
"Haku," she said softly.
"Hm?" Haku looked up from his notes, eyes tired.
"I'll always support you. I know you're doing your best."
He smiled faintly but said nothing.
Yue could tell he was stressed. "You're not alone."
Haku laughed under his breath. "You're still as naive as ever."
"I'm serious."
He looked away, then finally nodded. "I know. Thank you. I owe you both... more than I can say."
"We help each other," Yue said gently. "There's no owing anything."
With that, she quietly walked to her room.
Haku leaned back, staring at the stars.
'If the day comes when they learn the truth, I'll protect them no matter what.'
He closed his notebook, exhaled, and went to bed.
The next day belonged to Haku.
Dressed in his professorial robes, the fabric now felt heavier than ever. He returned to the Red Tower, the towering spire casting a long morning shadow. Near the entrance stood Sofia, who greeted him with a wave and a bright smile. Haku returned it awkwardly, hoping his illusion would hold for another day.
In the classroom, Ricardo was already seated, polishing the family crest on his ring with meticulous pride.
'Didn't expect him to be this eager. Guess you really can't judge a book by its cover.'
Isabella was, as usual, seated at the back with arms crossed, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. Haku took a breath and began.
"Today, we'll explore the properties of manipulated ice, uh, I mean, solid H2O," he said, carefully avoiding the term "magic."
He launched into a half-remembered explanation of hydrogen bonds and crystalline structures, trying to spin basic science into something that sounded mystical.
Sofia was completely absorbed, taking rapid notes and firing off questions. "Professor, how do impurities affect the melting point of ice magic?"
Haku's heart skipped.'Impurities… melting point… come on, brain, don't fail me now.'
"A great question, Sofia. Impurities disrupt the molecular structure of ice, weakening the bonds and lowering the energy needed to change phases. That's why the melting or freezing point shifts when substances are impure."
He prayed the explanation made sense.
Off to the side, Lyra watched with quiet intensity. Haku was used to her presence by now, but her silence and constant note-taking still unnerved him.
Then Ricardo raised a hand. "Professor, since this is a practical course, could you demonstrate the difference? Maybe… create a golem from pure ice and another from tainted ice, then apply heat to compare how they react?"
Haku froze.'A golem? I can't even summon a snowball, let alone two magical ice constructs.'
He paused for a few seconds longer than was comfortable. Then:
"A brilliant idea, Ricardo. But such a demonstration requires careful preparation and the right equipment. We'll schedule a lab session next week for it."
Ricardo nodded, clearly intrigued and not at all finished testing him.
As the class ended, Professor Elena approached with thinly veiled disdain.
"Professor," she said with a mocking bow, "I found today's lesson… creative. What arcane text, exactly, did you consult for this 'impurity-lowers-the-melting-point' theory? I've never seen anything like it in the Red Tower archives."
Haku's stomach dropped.
"I... draw from a variety of sources," he said cautiously. "Historical records, mostly."
Elena sneered. "Really? Which history books? Or are these ancient bedtime stories from some run-down village?"
Haku didn't flinch. He simply looked at her with an expression of calm and responded:
"Have you ever heard the story of the frog in the well?"
Elena scoffed. "No, is that some backwater folktale from your mysterious homeland?"
"Not exactly," Haku said. "You see, there was a frog that lived its whole life at the bottom of a well. To it, the circle of sky above was all that heaven had to offer. The puddle it lived in, just a few feet wide, was all the water in the world. It truly believed that. But beyond the well, there were oceans. Lakes. Skies so vast the frog could never imagine them. That's what happens when someone mistakes their small world for the entire universe."
A few students snorted, trying to suppress laughter. Elena's face flushed crimson.
"You... you ...!"
But Haku had already turned back to his notes, as if she were a child throwing a tantrum.
Lyra watched him from the corner of the room. being reminded of the book she saw.
'Why can't I get that image out of my head?'