Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Emerald Moon Star Domain, Academy City.

Blanchi sat quietly in the room, with the arched window in front of her half-closed, a few tender vines crawling on the glass, reaching slightly inside from the window, making the whole room somewhat dim, only this window brighter.

It has been a month since she returned to school, but the feeling it gave her was exceptionally cold and lonely.

Before, she, Shui Yanqing, Tilan, Ores, the four of them would attend classes together every day, later, Prin and Audrey often joined in on their actions too, the joy of those bustling times now starkly contrasts with her solitude.

They have all left, now leaving me alone.

Sitting in the room, Blanchi thought for a moment, then went to the piano and sat down, placing her fingers on it, trying to press lightly and slowly getting familiar, then she looked at the sheet music placed there and began to play slowly.

She didn't learn many musical instruments, with piano being the only one she was somewhat good at, thanks to Evelyn's meticulous and patient guidance, her foundation was excellent, one of the few projects where she felt content and confident.

Her fingertips slowly danced on the keys, the gentle tune quietly conveying Blanchi's heartfelt emotions.

Time slowly flowed, as she played this familiar piece, the simple melody repeated over and over again.

Her fingers seemed to develop muscle memory; slowly, she stopped consciously remembering each beat and key, just following inertia to play it completely.

What was initially a careful, cautious performance, became increasingly relaxed, and this simple tune gained more liveliness, she could even make slight changes with her fingers to make the melody more to her liking, adding personal touches.

Again and again, the piano sounds did not cease, tinkling and echoing, crisp and clear.

As the sky gradually darkened, the world outside turned to dusk, the room also became darker, yet Blanchi remained seated, closing her eyes, playing the piece over and over.

The chirping of insects started outside at some unknown time, the room was now pitch black, in this world where no figure or light was visible, Blanchi continued playing that sole piece, recalling Evelyn's instructions, every movement and expression, and the hidden grace emanating from it.

Gradually, the insect chirping outside ceased, the sky outside grew even darker, and the time slowly reached midnight.

After finishing another playthrough, Blanchi's fingers finally trembled to a halt, as she slowly slumped over the piano keys.

There were no tears, just a slight warmth at the corners of her eyes slowly dampening her sleeves.

Her fingers were sore, head fatigued, and discomfort arose from various parts of her body, yet Blanchi felt a sense of release.

In that case, perhaps I could fall asleep.

Dragging her weary body, she returned to her bedroom, collapsing directly onto the bed and falling into a deep sleep.

In the following days, Blanchi was in poor mental condition, occasionally lost in thought while reading in the library, not wanting to see anyone, often staying alone in her room.

This poor state naturally aroused the concerns of those around her, and upon reporting from observing Star Cluster members, the school arranged for Ores, who was active in the Central Star Domain, to comfort her.

"What's been going on lately, Blanchi?" Ores arrived at Blanchi's mansion with a paper bag containing a gift.

"Nothing really," Blanchi sat on the sofa opposite, her gaze slightly dull as she stared at the table, avoiding eye contact with Ores.

Seeing Blanchi unwilling to talk, Ores didn't have a better approach; she seldom comforted others, and although familiar with Blanchi, they weren't close, so she didn't know how to proceed.

"Really? If you're feeling down, why not come to the Double Tree Star Domain with me for a stroll? The environment there is excellent," Ores suggested.

"Double Tree Star Domain?" Blanchi closed her eyes, and for some reason, was suddenly reminded of the scenes she saw in the Shattered Stone Star Domain, where people worked hard amidst an environment with very few trees, where vast expanses of the earth stretched with bare rocks, dry soil, and flying dust.

As she unconsciously juxtaposed the immense contrast between the two scenes, she lost the thought of traveling, only feeling the world's inconsistencies.

Seeing Blanchi uninterested, Ores spent a lot more time talking with her, but unfortunately, they shared little common language, and the conversation remained somewhat cold.

"Thanks for coming to see me, Ores, but I really can't get my spirits up today." Blanchi comforted Ores with a word, and then the two parted.

...

Blanchi became increasingly dispirited, while Tilan faced new challenges in the Ziqiu Star Domain, specifically that as the length of Dragon Vein construction increased, it did not proceed as smoothly as before, starting to show certain degrees of disorder.

"So, we need to consider the role of the hidden realms in storing and regulating within the Dragon Vein?"

As its name suggests, Dragon Veins and hidden realms should be used together; now that the issue with constructing the Dragon Vein is initially resolved, the problem of constructing subspace hidden realms is before everyone.

For example, the "Cave Heaven and Blessed Land" of Ancient East, the "Heaven" where the Angel Legion slumbers, and the "Dimensional Rift" where some Extraordinary Creatures conceal themselves, these are all considered subspaces, with many scholars in the Federation studying them, but there are still many challenges regarding how to develop such spaces.

Space-related abilities and technologies have always been highly difficult, and in past eras, humanity also relied on the power of the Crown to maintain those large subspaces; if attempting to develop them alone, the space is often narrow, only useful for storing personal items.