Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

"Maybe she's on a break from filming, or perhaps she's finished."

"Her outfit is so dazzling—she really is a professional star."

"Should we go get an autograph? I kind of feel embarrassed."

"Hahaha, go for it, there shouldn't be any problem."

Students crowded around curiously, some approached to greet their star classmate, but the closer they got, bodyguards and agents stopped them.

"Hello everyone, I'm back~☆" Ruby lightly tapped her cheek with her index finger, then swept the finger 90 degrees through the air, waving towards the front, sending out little twinkling stars to respond to the people around her.

"About the autograph, I heard you, but I don't have time right now, once I stop and get surrounded by everyone, I might not even get to eat dinner." Saying this, she put on a pitiful expression, making the surrounding students instinctively feel sympathy for her.

"So I'm sorry, I won't be signing autographs today, but if you want one, I actually have a few pre-signed in my car, and the guards will distribute them later, though in limited quantities—hope there won't be any quarreling~"

"Now, Ruby is going to have dinner first, we can chat more later~"

With an ease that captivated her audience, the star girl, escorted by several bodyguards, walked away with light steps, waving at people and flashing her flawless smile all the while.

When they passed through the crowded areas and entered an independent elevator, everything finally quieted down.

Her agent, who seemed to be in her thirties and dressed in a black professional suit, exhaled with relief, loosening her collar slightly to breathe.

"Ruby, you're amazing, always able to maintain such enthusiasm and a smile. I couldn't handle it; this must be what talent is all about. It seems I was never meant to be a star."

The girl by the elevator, reflecting on her own image in the glass, seemed relaxed.

"I don't feel pressured at all, it actually makes me happy to see so many people like me. If no one paid attention to me, that's when I'd feel sad."

"Compared to the heated scenes in the Lengbei Star Domain, the students here in the academy are very polite and friendly." As she spoke, she bent down slightly to adjust her hair in the reflection, making sure she was immaculate from every angle.

"Perfect~☆" After fixing her hair, she made another gesture, but this time only her agent was looking at her, the other guards remained as alert and impassive as statues.

Ruby was used to all this by now, having long regarded these guards as nothing more than stones and inanimate objects.

The elevator swiftly ascended, soon arriving at the penultimate floor, which had no restaurants or cafeterias, but rather several academy club activity rooms.

This floor was quieter and more spacious compared to other club areas.

"Let's see, this should be the place Deloris mentioned." Ruby flipped through her newly purchased personal terminal to find Deloris's earlier message.

The two of them had known each other previously; Deloris's 'Incense Workshop' occasionally sought stars for promotion and advertisements, and Ruby had participated a few times. Because she and Deloris were close in age, they became friendly with each other easily.

"We're here." Having said so, she and the guards stopped in front of a club activity room.

"Twilight Orchestra—sounds a bit mysterious and interesting." Ruby blinked then knocked on the door.

The door opened quickly, and a slightly noisy sound came from inside, where around seven or eight people were gathered around a large table, with various cards laid out on the table.

"I summon three 'Bone Warriors' 1/1 and then use 'Burial Moon Ceremony', which activates when over twenty minions have died in the duel, boosting my necromancy minions' ability by +2/+2 on the field." A young man in a plaid shirt said with a smug look, moving quickly.

After that, I'll summon 'Witch Tielansha, the Heart-Piercing Slayer'; all necromancy minions gain +2/0 and 'Assured Strike' 'Rapid Attack', turning the three 'Bone Warriors' into 5/3, each bearing two special effects."

"Now, I'll attack the 'Golden Giant Treeguard' 4/7 that has a guardian effect with one of the Bone Warriors, ignoring its damage reduction effect and using the 'Assured Strike' effect to kill it instantly; then the other two Bone Warriors will attack the main combatant."

"-5, -5, one side's main combatant's health drops to zero, and the battle is over." The fan-shaped screen nearby displays the AI's automatically calculated results and then declares the card duel concluded.

"It's another win for Kinsenke. Could he really be a card duel master?" The onlookers in the activity room buzzed with discussion, but it wasn't until someone walked in that they turned their attention elsewhere.

"What's this? Are you playing a card duel? I'm quite interested in that, too. I thought it would be boring after joining the club~" Ruby approached with a jaunty step, while the others were still dazed and hesitant, trying to remember who this vaguely familiar person could be.

"Ruby's here." Deloris walked over from the other side of the activity room, waving at the girl with the purple-red hair highlights.

"Hey, Deloris, I'm back." Ruby jogged over, intending to give her a big hug, but was subtly avoided by the young lady, who then grasped her hands instead.

"Take a seat for now, are those your bodyguards?" She glanced past the girl, looking at several men in black standing outside the door.

"Yes. I'll talk to my agent about it, have them wait outside." Ruby nodded.

After Ruby had given her instructions, she returned to the activity room, greeted the few people in the living area with a wave, and then followed Deloris into an adjoining room, which contained a desk, an empty circular space, and a sofa by the window.

However, there was already a black-haired girl napping on the sofa. She was dressed in Dailan-colored clothing, holding a gray plush pillow, leaning to one side, with her legs clad in black stockings slightly together, curled up on the sofa, with a pair of shoes with simple bows placed underneath.

"Shh, keep it down, Tilan is still napping." Deloris motioned quietly and then they sat down at a distance from the black-haired girl. Deloris poured some tea for her companion.

"How come you're back so soon? I just got the news and thought you were joking." Deloris sat down opposite Ruby.

"There's been an incident. The production company I was filming with got sued, accused of tarnishing a minority group in the script." Ruby shrugged helplessly, then stirred her teacup with a spoon. Not that it made the tea any better, but her hands just couldn't keep still, a subconscious action.

"This kind of thing..." Deloris shook her head slightly, aware of more of the inside story than most.

These so-called 'minority protection organizations' weren't really concerned about those people, but used this as leverage to extort money from large corporations for their own profit.

Many good intentions were compromised by these organizations, sometimes even becoming more disgusting. Yet, they held the moral high ground, making it harder to publicly oppose them.

"What about other companies? I've seen some bold plots in recent movies and TV series, seemingly unrestrained."

"That's about the different situations in each Star Domain. Some domains, like our Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain, being an Industrial Star Domain, are traditionally conservative and disinterested in these topics. The situation in the Lengbei Star Domain is more complex. They have a number of historical issues, so the local Federal Government avoids being too tough, needing to consider most people's feelings."

"Politics is always so complex and boring. I have no interest in getting involved." Ruby sighed as she spoke.

"If only I had the Songstress Talent, I'd be able to call upon countless fans with a wave of my arm. I'd be a living faith, and no little organization or person would dare mess with me."

"These people are just bullies; they're afraid of toughness. Look at those Songstress stars; they also occasionally take part in dramas, but no one dares to criticise them. That's because the fanatical fans of those Songstresses are really ready for a fight offline. Tell me, isn't that scary?"

"Songstress Talent, huh..." Deloris shook her head, her gaze inadvertently returning to the black-haired girl sleeping on the sofa.

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but if Tilan had Songstress Talent, she would have been snatched up by the Academy for special training long ago.