Lana started to walk towards the classroom, fixing her wig and taking out the lens to wear when she heard Mr. Crow speak.
"Why did you let him off easily? You should have kicked him hard! Didn’t you see how he was staring at you?"
"But you too didn’t do anything to him, Mr. Crow." Lana’s words were laced with a teasing edge.
Mr. Crow almost snorted when he heard Lana’s words, his feathers ruffling in obvious indignation.
"Who said that I didn’t do anything?"
Lana burst into laughter, the sound echoing lightly down the corridor.
"I’m the one who said it," she replied teasingly. "It’s not my fault, I didn’t see you do anything."
Mr. Crow clicked his beak sharply. "There’s sothing I haven’t told you yet."
Lana’s laughter faded into curiosity. She leaned slightly toward him, her fingers brushing against the fabric of her sleeve. "What is it?"
His voice dropped, carrying a strange weight. "I gained the ability to curse."
Lana blinked once before laughing again. "Everyone can curse. I’ve been doing that my entire life."
Mr. Crow: "..."
Mr. Crow frowned deeply and raised a talon, tapping lightly against her forehead.
The faint pressure made her flinch. "Not that kind of curse. I can make curses... and they co true."
For a brief second, Lana froze. The air around them felt heavier, colder. Her expression darkened. "Did you use it on Quinn?"
Mr. Crow let out a sharp laugh, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
"If that bastard dared to stare at you so shalessly while you were fixing your clothes, why wouldn’t I curse him? He deserves it."
A strange warmth spread through Lana’s chest, soft and unexpected.
’I only teased him to shut him up... but he actually did sothing for ,’ she realized. Her curiosity deepened. "What kind of curse did you place?"
Mr. Crow clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
"My ability is still weak. I could only manage a simple one."
He puffed his chest slightly. "I cursed him so that he’ll stumble every ti he walks. Ten steps in, and he’ll trip."
Lana laughed so hard she nearly bent over. "You really know how to take revenge."
Mr. Crow rolled his eyes dramatically. "If my ability wasn’t limited, I would’ve done far worse."
Hearing that, Lana felt an odd surge of pride. She looked at him thoughtfully.
"I never expected you to gain any advantage just because I broke through."
Mr. Crow suddenly paused. His gaze sharpened. "That’s because the contract we made is very special."
Lana stopped in her tracks and stared at him. "Contract?"
Her brows knitted together. "What kind of contract did we even make? When I woke up, it was already there. I don’t know the details or the benefits."
Mr. Crow laughed lightly. "It’s a spiritual contract, and it’s very simple. As long as your cultivation increases, I gain benefits as well."
Lana nodded calmly.
Mr. Crow looked at her in disbelief. "Don’t you think that’s unfair?"
She paused, then burst into laughter again.
"Being stuck with is the biggest punishnt you could ever receive. If I called that contract unfair, it would be the most shaless thing I’ve ever done."
Mr. Crow studied her expression carefully before replying in a quieter voice.
"I don’t think you’ve ever mistreated . Even with all our banter... I can’t deny that I enjoy it."
Lana chuckled softly and reached up to scratch his head gently.
His feathers were warm beneath her fingers. "You really know how to cheer up," she said lightly. "But you still have to wear the big pink bikini I bought for you."
Mr. Crow scoffed and turned his head away. "Empty threats."
Then he added, more seriously, "I’ve never seen anyone remain this calm after learning their contracted beast gains power while they gain nothing."
Lana smiled faintly.
"There’s nothing unfair about it. From the mont we bonded, you’ve tried your best to protect . You helped solve mysteries I didn’t understand. You could’ve abandoned and left... but you didn’t."
Her voice softened. "That alone proves making a contract with you was the best decision."
She paused, her gaze lowering slightly. "I don’t even know how to express how much you an to ."
’After being reborn, there was a ti when I was constantly on edge,’ she thought. ’Anxiety clawed at every day. I didn’t even have anyone to walk beside .’
Her chest tightened. ’If Mr. Crow hadn’t been there... things might have turned far worse.’
Even though she was still a little angry that the contract was ford without her knowledge, gratitude outweighed everything else. She needed soone during those lonely monts.
Mr. Crow was no longer just a contracted beast. He was her friend. Her family.
Soone she relied on and soone she wanted to protect in return.
Mr. Crow looked at her, emotions flickering in his eyes. Lana didn’t realize that he could read her thoughts now. And as he listened to them, he felt an unexpected warmth bloom within his chest.
’I made the right decision,’ he thought. ’The best one.’
They entered the lecture hall, only to find it completely empty. The air slled faintly of chalk and polished wood.
Lana tapped her forehead. "Right... the principal told to take the day off." She exhaled softly. "Looks like everyone else decided the sa."
Without hesitation, she turned and left, her steps resolute.
Soon, she arrived at her mission location.
Before her stood a solitary villa, massive and silent, with no visible guards. It wasn’t a residential district, nor did it have obvious protection. Yet Lana felt a faint pressure in the air, subtle but undeniable.
’Anyone who owns a place like this in Xila City... isn’t ordinary,’ she thought, her guard rising.
Mr. Crow’s voice turned serious. "There’s a formation protecting the villa."
Lana’s eyes narrowed.
Formations were no longer rare in this era. Unlike Arrays, still shrouded in mystery, formations relied on talismans. And a formation made entirely of talismans ant only one thing.
The owner was powerful.
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