"Now, add the core of the shifting mantis to your mixture and stir clockwise exactly three times," Professor Mia instructed, demonstrating the motion at her own workbench at the front of the class.

"The color should shift to a light blue as it dissolves," she added, lifting her gaze from the cauldron. Her silver-rimmed glasses had fogged up, prompting her to remove them and wipe them with her robe.

Meanwhile, Michael watched his own bubbling mixture as Lilly carefully added the core and stirred. For a moment, the potion shimmered a promising blue—but then the color dulled, turning a murky brown, thick and viscous like swamp water.

He let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head. They had followed the instructions to the letter, yet something had still gone wrong.

His eyes drifted to Melody's station. Her cauldron glowed with the intended light blue hue, and a hint of satisfaction played across her face. She sat tall, proud of her success.

Beside her, Rudy looked utterly unamused. Every time he tried to offer assistance, Melody deftly changed the subject or distracted him. After a few failed attempts, he gave up entirely and resigned himself to silent observation.

The two boys locked eyes and shared a knowing look.

"How's yours going?" Rudy asked, standing and peering into Michael's cauldron.

"Pretty good. The porridge should be ready in a few minutes," Michael replied dryly, smirking.

"Ah, it looks great… Too bad I'm not hungry," Rudy quipped, grinning. "At least you got to contribute to your… concoction." There was a note of quiet frustration beneath the joke.

"Mmm. Maybe we can partner up next class—if they even let us touch the cauldrons again after wasting ingredients," Michael muttered.

Rudy nodded with enthusiasm. "Though that means we'll need to find someone willing to team up with Melody…"

Michael scanned the classroom, eyes flitting from student to student in search of a potential candidate—someone who might gladly work with Melody, thus freeing Rudy.

His gaze lingered on Braydon for a brief second before quickly discarding the idea. While the guy met the criteria in theory, Michael couldn't stand him—and neither could Melody.

Randolph and Jakob were dismissed just as quickly. He figured offering up another boy would probably backfire.

"Oh yes, wonderful," a voice chirped nearby, snapping Michael back to the present.

He turned to see Professor Mia inspecting Melody's cauldron with a rare look of approval. "Although it's a little dull, it will make a satisfactory mana potion," she nodded, her tone somewhat impressed.

Her fogged-up glasses obscured her eyes again, and she took them off to clean them before moving on to Michael and Lilly's station.

Lilly, already pale, turned ghostly white as the professor approached. She clutched her hands tightly in front of her, clearly anxious.

Their potion didn't just look unfinished—it resembled sludge scraped from the bottom of a marsh.

Sure enough, Professor Mia frowned deeply as she inspected it. She placed her glasses back on her face, which promptly fogged up again—but evidently, she'd already seen enough to pass judgment.

"A waste! An utter waste of time and precious ingredients!" Professor Mia shouted, her fogged-up glasses aimed squarely at Michael and Lilly. "I told you to add a pinch of the stoneskin powder and stir five times counter-clockwise!"

"AND YOU DID IT FOUR TIMES!?" Her voice rose to a shrill screech, startling several nearby students.

The outburst hit Michael like a thunderclap. He hadn't expected such an explosive reaction from someone meant to be an educator.

But Lilly's reaction was even more visceral. Her hands flew up to her face, and she began to sob—her muffled cries echoing in the now-silent room, rising above even the bubbling cauldrons.

"Professor, I think you're being a little harsh," Michael said, surprising even himself. He hadn't planned to speak up—certainly not to defend either of them—but seeing Lilly break down stirred something in him.

Surprisingly, Professor Mia didn't lash out again.

"Ahem… you're right," she muttered, removing her glasses and cleaning them on her robe for what felt like the hundredth time. "I suppose my expectations were too high for a class full of incompetents."

With that, she strode further down the aisle of benches, sparing only brief glances at each station. Yet each time her eyes landed on a failed brew, her expression twisted tighter, as if their mediocrity physically pained her.

Michael turned to Lilly, reaching out with a hesitant hand. After a second of uncertainty, he gently patted her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. It's not the end of the world," he offered, trying to sound comforting.

But Lilly slowly lowered her hands, her eyes red and teary—and fixed him with an accusing glare.

"This is all your fault… You were the one who stirred the cauldron after adding the stoneskin powder."

Eh? This girl…

Michael blinked, momentarily speechless. Technically, yes—he had stirred the mixture. But he could have sworn it was five times. Or… was it four?

Before he could respond, Lilly brushed past him and Rudy without another word. She made a beeline for Melody, the tear stains still glistening on her cheeks.

"Please let me be your partner from now on!" she begged, grabbing Melody's hands with both of hers.

The sudden touch made Melody recoil slightly, but Lilly's grip held firm. For a moment, the blue-haired girl studied her, then let out a resigned sigh.

"I'll give you a chance," Melody said coolly. "But if you mess up… my reaction will be worse than the professor's."

Lilly nodded with almost comical enthusiasm. "I won't let you down!"

Michael watched the exchange with a mix of disbelief and mild offense. Before he could even process how to feel about being replaced, Rudy leaned in and elbowed him with a knowing grin.

"Nice work, man. I can't believe you found her a new partner so quickly," Rudy said, clearly impressed. "Be honest—did you mess up the concoction on purpose?"

Michael shook his head and sighed, choosing not to dignify the question with a response.

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