The sound in the Communication Pea immediately disappeared, but there was no disconnect; Stern could clearly hear the faint breathing on the other end.
"Stern?" The slender man scratched his hair in confusion. "This kid, could it be that his ears have a problem?"
"No way! Daddy, you got the wrong person!"
Held by the man's hand was a cute blonde little girl, showing a cheeky expression as she said disdainfully:
"How come they didn't hear wrong when they wanted ice cream just now? So, you definitely got the wrong person; he thought you were calling someone else!"
She spoke quickly and loudly shouted afterwards, "Hello, I'd like a chocolate ice cream, and make sure to add rainbow sprinkles!"
——This stalemate can't continue!
Stern quietly took a deep breath, slowly turned around, his expression instantly shifting to a somewhat embarrassed surprise.
He pulled down his hat, revealing a face that seemed somewhat weak, even with a bit of fear.
"Headmaster Fontana..."
Stern's voice carried a bit of tremble, as if a student caught doing mischief by a teacher, his face turning bright red:
"How did you...how did you end up here?"
Fontana's deep gaze lingered momentarily on his cheap casual clothes, a clean but worn ice cream cart, and a slightly tired face, with a flash of understanding in his eyes.
"I brought my child out for a stroll, to have a look...at this world."
His gaze scanned the nearby Muggles and asked, "And you? Why are you...selling ice cream?"
Of course, there are quite a few small vendors in the Magic World, but "falling" to the level of being a vendor in Muggle Society is somewhat difficult for wizards to comprehend.
"Well..." Stern awkwardly rubbed the hem of his clothes, looking down as he said, "Business is easier to do here...there's more people, and competition isn't as fierce..."
Fontana sighed, "But you don't seem to be having an easy time...I remember your grades were very good before, you got N.E.W.T.s in six subjects. If there's no suitable place for you at the moment, Iphamoni is always your home."
After thinking for a moment, he said:
"Let me think...Professor Cranston from the school's Herbology class is about to retire and is looking for an assistant who is careful and dedicated."
"Would you be willing to return to Iphamoni for a position? I remember Professor Cranston always liked you before."
Stern showed an extremely moved expression, seemingly about to agree immediately. But after a moment's hesitation, he said hesitantly:
"Can I...can I think about it, Professor? Because I...I still have something...I can't let go of..."
He said vaguely, with a bit of meaning, "Please don't ask."
Fontana naturally would not pry into others' privacy, nodding with a smile, "Of course, I'll wait for your reply."
Stern suddenly relaxed, smiled and said, "Thank you, sir...Oh!"
He skillfully drew out a cone, filled it with ice cream, sprinkled some candy, and leaned down to hand it to the little girl.
"Your ice cream, Miss Fontana."
"Thank you."
The little girl took it, licking the ice cream while curiously eyeing Stern, her clear eyes seemingly reflecting the hypocrisy and nastiness of adults.
Stern did not like her gaze, he resisted the urge to frown, straightened up, and smiled:
"Sir, I thought I heard wrong just now...didn't expect you could recognize me just from seeing a back view."
"Haha, last time at the Alchemy Competition, I noticed your walking posture was a bit odd but forgot to ask."
Fontana asked with concern, "Did your left leg suffer an injury? Why wasn't it treated in time?"
"This...this is because..." Stern dodged his gaze, saying, "Because I couldn't afford the treatment fee, so..."
Upon hearing this, Fontana fell silent. He looked complexly at this previously very excellent student, his gaze filled with regret and pity, almost becoming tangible.
He quickly wrote down a name on a piece of paper, handed it to Stern, and said:
"Go find Healer Dempsey, and get your leg healed first. I'll tell him all your treatment costs will be covered by me, you don't need to worry about it."
"How...how can this be?" Stern said nervously, "I can handle it myself! I'm about to gather the treatment fees together!"
Fontana glanced at the ice cream cart and asked, "Just by selling ice cream? Don't refuse, at worst you can consider it a loan, and pay me back when you have the money later."
After saying this, he couldn't help but pat Stern on the shoulder, seeing the young man involuntarily tremble, Fontana sighed.
"I remember when you were in school, you were always scared of this and that, even called 'Timid Stern'. Last time we met, I said you've become braver… but how come you're even less brave than before?"
"Be brave, child. Iphamoni's professors should stand tall and be bold!"
After speaking, Fontana nodded slightly, turned around, and left, leaving Stern alone standing under a big tree, his shirt at the back already soaked with cold sweat.
In his ear, Bloren's voice came through: "Did that old man notice anything?"
"...No."
After thinking for a moment, Stern's lips slightly moved, adding:
"Probably not."
"Agilbert Fontana...he has always been a rather careless person."
...
"What kind of luck is this?" Antoine laughed in the coffee shop. "Selling ice cream in Muggle World and even running into your former principal."
"Hmm." Vid casually replied, tapping lightly next to his ear.
The Stonefield Family was heavily guarded, and during stormy weather, it wasn't uncommon for snails to crawl around the estate; once the rain stopped, they were cleared away by bodyguards and servants.
To put his eyes inside, Vid needed to make new arrangements.
For instance... using the surveillance cameras that came with the estate?
He was making arrangements when suddenly he heard someone say, "What's the attraction of this place that you keep running into the same kind?"
Vid looked up, only to see Fontana with his daughter, expressionless, saying, "Or... are you spying on my unpromising student?"
At this moment, Vid and Antoine both almost simultaneously had the same feeling, the same feeling Stern had earlier:
——How on earth did this guy discover it?
Vid was almost suspecting the other had the same eyes as himself!
Even though he and Fontana had interactions during Magic School tournaments, sitting together on the judges' panel at the Alchemy Competition, at this moment Vid had transformed into a youth in his twenties, and Fontana hadn't recognized him.
Because of this, the principal didn't show the same friendly warmth he just had with Stern, his fingers clasped on the Magic Wand, ready to strike.
Just then, the blonde girl left behind suddenly shouted, "Daddy is a fool!"
"What?" Fontana's imposing manner collapsed, looking hurt as he glanced at his daughter.
"That timid gentleman is lying!" the little girl bit her cone and said, "... you said Communication Peas are expensive, right? But the person who can't afford a medical bill just now has one! I saw it!"