Celeste took one last glance at her reflection, satisfied that her systems had stopped flickering.
Her amber eyes shimmered faintly before stabilizing, and she quickly smoothed her cyan hair back into place.
Then-
DING! DING! DING!
The sound of the class bell echoed through the halls, sharp and punctual. Celeste straightened immediately, her tone switching from quiet frustration to composed professionalism.
"Oh. class time already," she muttered, tucking away her tool and adjusting her jacket. "Can't let Miss Mila's students start without their 'energetic' Absorption Magic instructor."
She hurried out of the restroom, her steps quick but graceful. The hallways were bustling with students, some whispering excitedly about the upcoming combined lessons.
As she approached the F-Class training field, she could already hear Mila's distinct voice shouting motivational commands from a distance.
"COME ON! YOU CALL THAT A STRETCH!? EVEN A DRAGON TURTLE COULD DO BETTER!"
Celeste smiled faintly. "Still loud as ever…"
She arrived just in time to see Mila standing proudly with her whistle in her mouth, hands on her hips, the early sunlight reflecting off her silver-white hair.
Milly turned her head slightly at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Oh, Celeste! You're right on time."
Celeste gave a polite nod. "Of course. I wouldn't dare make the students wait."
The F-Class cheered jokingly, "Miss Celeste's back!"
Milly smirked and crossed her arms. "Good. Because you'll need to help me with today's combined stamina-and-magic circuit. They think they can slack off when I'm not looking."
Celeste chuckled softly, stepping forward beside her. "Then let's give them a reminder."
The students groaned collectively, but Milly's grin only widened.
As the two instructors began the session, Celeste couldn't help but glance at Mila from the corner of her eye the faint golden spark in her eyes, the tone of her voice… it was all too familiar.
And though she hid it well behind her calm demeanor, her processors quietly logged the observation.
"Energy fluctuation detected… similar to pre-incident readings… Observation continues."