Perhaps it was last year's Christmas Ball that awakened the gender consciousness of more first-year students.
The surging undercurrents hidden within Valentine's Day were even more obvious than those during Christmas.
Although the exact date of Valentine's Day was Wednesday, February 14th, because Traveler Street was only open on weekends, most students had already prepared their gifts, waiting only for the time to come to gamble on their destiny!
And during this waiting period, their minds naturally drifted away, to the point where their state during class was far worse than before.
In the first class on Monday, Professor Silf keenly perceived the absent-mindedness of some students. She sneered and, through the method of "classroom questioning," gave some students a harsh lesson! Thus, the atmosphere of wanting to confess right there in class was ruthlessly curbed!
But some things can be suppressed for a moment, but not for a lifetime.
As soon as Professor Silf's Summoning Class ended, the little magisters were suddenly liberated, once again having the illusion that "the wide sea allows fish to leap, the high sky allows birds to fly."
Immediately following was the second period, Magic Guide Theory. Professor Kazel's amiable style turned the students into wild horses running loose. Even during class, people were gathering together, whispering discussions about "Valentine's Day, chocolates, and flowers."
But love was inherently an extremely private matter; few people were willing to share their wishes with others. Yet, the entire class was still filled with rustling sounds like mosquitoes and ants.
Therefore, just as Magic Guide Theory was about to end, Professor Kazel announced a massive amount of homework without any warning! One could only say that you reap what you sow.
...
Even so, the students' behavior did not show much restraint.
It wasn't until the Potions class started on Monday afternoon that everyone suddenly focused their attention, throwing thoughts other than the class to the back of their minds as much as possible.
...
Potions Class.
At the beginning of the class, Professor Thompson took a test tube storing a pink liquid from the rack. The test tube was stopped with a cork, and the pink liquid inside swayed slightly, emitting an eye-catching, eerie sensation.
"[Honeyed Words Potion]."
Professor Thompson spoke the name of this potion in an extremely flat tone.
Some students thought they had misheard for a moment. But upon asking their deskmates, they all received an affirmative answer. Professor Thompson had indeed brought out a bottle of [[Honeyed Words Potion]] in the Potions class!
The moment they realized this, the students suddenly erupted in commotion.
"It's actually really the [[Honeyed Words Potion]]!"
"Why would Professor Thompson have the [[Honeyed Words Potion]]? Could it be that he wants to..."
"Impossible, who would teach that kind of thing in class?"
...
"Professor."
While the students were buzzing with discussion, Emma Metis abruptly raised her hand! Her arm was held high, straight as always.
Professor Thompson called her name as usual: "Emma, what is the question?"
Emma immediately stood up and said, "Professor, isn't the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] a banned drug?"
Professor Thompson, however, smiled and said, "Very good. It seems you have carefully read the list of banned drugs. But I have to tell you, just at zero hour on January 1st of this year, the banned drug list was updated, and the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] has been removed from it."
"How can that be?" Emma said in astonishment, "This kind of potion should be permanently banned!"
...
"Yeah!"
"Emma is right!"
"How could the people from the Alchemist Association do this?"
"I'm going to report this to the Women's Association!"
...
The girls were filled with righteous indignation. The boys whispered among themselves.
Professor Thompson pressed his hand down slightly and said, "There is naturally a reason why the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] was removed from the banned drug list. The most intuitive explanation is that, after careful research, the people at the Alchemist Association believed it was not sufficient to be listed as a banned drug."
Immediately after, he added, "Impression bias is very terrifying. We often view a person, an object, or an event based on old impressions. But in reality, if we discard those impressions and use dialectical thinking to think objectively and view it anew, we will find that the past impressions were wrong."
"This bottle of [[Honeyed Words Potion]]... Who can tell me what its medicinal effect is?"
Professor Thompson's gaze swept past Emma in the front row and looked at the other students in the classroom.
Although the students' previous commotion suggested that everyone seemed to know about the [[Honeyed Words Potion]], when it truly came time to solve the problem, not a single person raised their hand. The classroom thus returned to silence.
After quite a while, someone raised their hand in the back row. It wasn't Dark, but Virt on the other side!
When Virt raised his hand, Robert, who was beside him, couldn't help but look at him in surprise. 'Where did Virt learn about this? How come I don't know anything about it?'
But Virt paid no heed to his inner thoughts and said on the spot, "Professor, if my memory serves me right, the effect of the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] recorded in books should be a secret medicine that makes the opposite sex fall in love with oneself?"
"Virt Gold, plus five points!"
Professor Thompson clapped his hands, gesturing for him to sit down.
Virt breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly sat down. He had occasionally seen popular science regarding the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] when looking up knowledge related to [[Forbidden Love]] at some point. He didn't expect it to actually come in handy now and earn him a precious five credits!
Virt was already short on credits; after his excessive spending in the past two days, the deficit in credits had grown even larger. So, he was practically forced to actively participate in answering questions.
However, after granting him the credit reward, Professor Thompson immediately denied his argument: "Student Virt provided popular science on the [[Honeyed Words Potion]], but in reality, the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] cannot make the opposite sex fall in love with you. The past records were wrong, incorrect, dregs left over from the old era! Today, the removal of the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] from the banned drug list is the best proof."
Dark couldn't help but raise his hand.
"Dark Demon." Professor Thompson called his name.
Dark stood up and asked, "Then Professor, what is the true effect of the [[Honeyed Words Potion]]?"
"I was just about to get to that," Professor Thompson said with a smile. "I personally believe that the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] has no function of controlling emotions at all; it should be renamed the [[Charm Potion]]. The [[Honeyed Words Potion]] does not take effect on others, but acts on oneself. By increasing one's own external charm, it makes it easier for the opposite sex to notice them. Essentially, it is no different from cosmetics."
Dark keenly perceived the problem within and raised his hand again. When Professor Thompson nodded, he stood up and said, "Professor, judging from your wording, could it be that the true effect regarding this [[Honeyed Words Potion]] is from your own research?"
Professor Thompson: "A small project."
That is to say, the true effect of the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] had not actually been conclusively settled.
Just as Professor Thompson himself said, one cannot view a matter solely based on old impressions. Professor Thompson's own research could also be wrong and incorrect.
But most of the students didn't have the time to care about old impressions and current research. Especially the girls; upon hearing Professor Thompson say that the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] could enhance charm, they immediately perked up.
Following that, Professor Thompson explained some knowledge related to the [[Honeyed Words Potion]], and then picked up that pink liquid again. He asked, "Is there anyone who wants to experience it?"
The students below, who were just chattering, instantly shut their lips tight, silent as cicadas in winter.
After a while, Professor Thompson turned his head toward the corner of the classroom again.
"Dark Demon, you come."
Dark stood up with a pained expression. He certainly didn't want to become a test subject for this uncertain potion. However, Professor Thompson's roll call was not so easily refused. He could only bite the bullet and walk up to the podium.
"Very good." Professor Thompson expressed appreciation for Dark Demon's bravery. He shook that [[Honeyed Words Potion]] in front of Dark: "Observe carefully."
Dark concentrated his mind, certain that he had observed very carefully, but sure enough, he couldn't observe anything.
According to normal logic, the "careful observation" just now should have been just going through the motions.
Dark thought for a moment and asked anyway, "Professor, is this [[Honeyed Words Potion]] for internal use or external application?"
Professor Thompson: "Internal use has good effects, but external application is also feasible."
Dark: "Then let's go with external application!"
"Of course, I will respect the student's wishes." Professor Thompson grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
Dark suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. And to think he had previously considered Professor Thompson the only normal professor in the first year!
"Next, everyone must watch carefully!"
Professor Thompson tilted the mouth of the test tube and waved it lightly at Dark. The pink liquid within the test tube poured out, immediately turning into droplets of sweet nectar that sprinkled onto Dark's body.
The effect of the potion was immediate!
It wasn't a case of "external application is also feasible" at all.
At first glance, Dark Demon didn't seem to have changed, but his external temperament gained a mystery that made people desperate to unveil it. He was like the center of a black hole, attracting all things. Whether male or female, anyone who stared at him involuntarily became addicted, feeling a sense of being sucked in.
Dark looked up slightly, his star-like eyes clear and limpid, making people even more unable to stop wanting him.
In the classroom, the students attracted by him couldn't help but want to rush onto the podium. Emma, in the very front row, was attracted the most; she left her seat right then and went up to the podium, her gaze looking at Dark filled with infatuation.
But just as she was about to turn into a cheetah and pounce on her prey, the effect of the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] suddenly disappeared.
Dark's charm was still off the charts, but it was no longer as uncontrollable as before. Emma's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt; her whole person was like she had been petrified, instantly stiffening.
Professor Thompson's voice came clearly at this moment: "If the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] is used externally, the duration of the effect will be drastically reduced."
Emma: "Ha, hahaha."
Professor Thompson: "In addition, if you feel carefully, you will find that the [[Honeyed Words Potion]] does not possess a mandatory charm effect. Just as I said earlier, it only increases a person's charm, and will not force people to like them. If you hate him, you will hardly be affected. Even if you are affected, you only need to look away to break free from the influence."
Emma: "Hahaha!"
...
Dark, who had perfectly cooperated with the performance, returned to his seat and continued listening to Professor Thompson explain the detailed effects of the [[Honeyed Words Potion]], as well as the method of brewing it.
The [[Honeyed Words Potion]] was considered a relatively practical potion, and the brewing method wasn't too difficult.
However.
For Professor Thompson to suddenly teach this kind of thing two days before Valentine's Day, what exactly was his motive?
...
"Ding-ling-ling!"
The dismissal bell for the Potions class rang amidst Professor Thompson's voice. The professor immediately stopped his explanation and switched to assigning homework. Then he strode out of the classroom!
"Dark, after you used the [[Honeyed Words Potion]], you became super charming!" Diana suddenly turned around and praised.
Dark was truly stunned for a moment, then asked back without skipping a beat, "So in Diana's eyes, I was originally the type without charm?"
Diana: "Ah!"
Rose couldn't help covering her mouth and chuckling softly.
Dark said helplessly, "I have something to do next, I'll be going first."
After saying that, Dark finished packing his books and returned to the tower dormitory. Then he emptied his schoolbag and put in the teaching materials he had been compiling until now.
Regrettably, he hadn't been able to finish compiling the first-year teaching materials last night. Therefore, he needed to make persistent efforts tonight. However, there was Arithmetic Class tomorrow, so he needed to deliver the portion of materials to be used tomorrow to Professor Lily's hand in advance.
Soon, he arrived at Professor Lily's office.
"Knock, knock."
After merely knocking on the door twice.
"Coming, coming!"
Professor Lily's slightly hurried voice came from inside the office.
Dark stood and waited. Yet he only heard the voice and didn't see the person. So he knocked twice again.
"Knock, knock."
"Coming, coming!"
"Bang, bang, clang, snap, clatter!"
Two minutes later, still no one opened the door. Dark stopped knocking.
Another two minutes passed before the office door opened smoothly. The little fairy with dragonfly wings flew lightly in the air, looking at the blond youth with a dry laugh: "Coming, coming."
Dark stepped inside with an unkind expression. The office was filled with a sickly sweet fragrance. But other than that, it was surprisingly tidy. If it were anyone else, they might have been deceived.
It was a pity that the little fairy was not someone who would tidy up the office for no reason. Dark's heart was like a clear mirror, but he didn't expose her.
He sat down on the sofa and took out the teaching materials: "Professor Lily, I brought the things. But per the old rules, you are responsible for the exercise section yourself."
Professor Lily immediately pulled a long face: "Eh? Do I have to work overtime again tonight?"
Dark: "You can also choose not to work overtime."
Professor Lily's eyes lit up instantly: "Really?"
Dark nodded and said, "Roll up the bedding, kick the legs, and never work overtime."
Professor Lily: "Ahhh!"
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