Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Chapter 24: 16 Scattered Flawless Ice Pearls

"I'm back."

Pushing open the front door, Hexia steadied herself against the wall with one hand and slipped off her shoes with the other, switching into comfortable slippers. Her feet, wrapped in white socks, stepped into the soft slippers, bringing a relaxing and comfortable sensation from the soles of her feet.

Better take a shower first, Hexia thought, as she made her way upstairs.

"Hexia is back," Grandma He exclaimed as the young girl reached the staircase, emerging from the kitchen.

"Yes, I found a job today, so I only got home just now."

"You seem to be in a good mood, so the job must have gone smoothly," Grandma He said cheerfully.

"I'll go change first. Dinner will be ready soon, and He Cheng and Lisha will be coming over to eat as well."

"Mhm," Hexia nodded and ascended to her bedroom upstairs with ease. She picked out a set of clothes to change into before descending to the first-floor bathroom to shower.

Compared to her own home, Grandma He's house was much larger, even boasting a dedicated bathroom, unlike the narrow shower stalls in standard homes.

It was said that Grandma He bought it when she was young, around 50-60 years ago when prices weren't so high and the residential area had just been developed.

Since dinner was imminent, Hexia didn't opt for a bath but instead went for a shower.

The hot water that carried steam filled the shower space, and the water droplets cascaded from the showerhead. After undressing, Hexia stepped barefoot under the showerhead, wet her hair with water, then squeezed some pale blue shampoo into her palm. She lathered up briefly before applying it to her hair.

Her fingertips massaged her scalp and hair strands, producing a faint rustling sound that was soothing to the ear.

After washing her hair, the girl stood under the shower to let the hot water rinse off the thick foam from her head, occasionally tying up her hair to allow the droplets to cleanse more thoroughly.

As the foam was washed away, Hexia felt refreshed. She wiped the steamy mirror with her fingers, revealing a clear portion of the mirror's surface where her own figure was sharply reflected.

She closed her eyes and gently shook her head to shake off some droplets, then her gray hair slowly turned pitch black, and when she opened her eyes again, a pair of dreamily azure eyes appeared in the mirror.

It really is...

Hexia closed and reopened her eyes, taking a moment to adjust to this appearance of herself.

It always felt like the change was more than just a simple alteration of hair and eye color. Hexia keenly felt the changes in her body and consciousness—ever since she had come back from the brink of death that day, she sensed many things about herself had changed.

Firstly, the hair and eye color. Although surprised by her hair color, Hexia found it within the realm of expectation and acceptance, since her mother and sister both had black hair; her previously gray hair had been the exception.

As for the color of her eyes, that was the exceptional part. Her mother had the common black irises, just like Hexia normally did, while her sister possessed a pair of magnificent purple eyes. Both had inherited aspects of their mother's features, but her sister's uniqueness was especially striking.

In contrast to Hexia's unremarkable childhood, her sister's life had been dazzling and unforgettable—an existence like that of a meteor, despite having passed away at the age of 18, still left a profound impression on many.

Her sister was six years older than Hexia. When Hexia was 12, she had the good fortune to attend a winter festival with her parents at her sister's high school.

At that prestigious school frequented by the wealthy and talented, her sister still shone brightly. Famous for her unparalleled beauty and proficiency in the Transcendent Sequence, as well her natural talent in music that left people in awe, she had countless admirers. By the age of 18, she had reached Sequence 5 in the Natural Sequence, a rare Perfect Level Transcendent Profession, breaking many records and sparking both surprise and envy.

Unfortunately, due to an accident, her sister died suddenly, and thereafter, grieved by the tragic loss and in poor health, their mother passed away when Hexia was 14.

Do the different eye colors represent a different Talent that I have? Hexia pondered.

Even though an unusual inspiration seemed to swirl within her consciousness and body, it was elusive, as if the thread she sought to grasp was nowhere to be found.

Forget it, just continue showering.

Hexia picked up the shower gel next to her, pouring some into her palm and began rubbing her body.

Several minutes later, the thin pitter-patter of the shower stopped, and Hexia dried off her hair and body with a towel, preparing to put on the clean clothes beside her. As she looked down, a few more droplets rolled off the tips of her hair and slid down her neck, providing a slight coolness.

Ah...

The girl shook her head, hoping the droplets would fall off quickly.

Being damp was quite troublesome, it would be nice if she could suddenly become dry, she thought as she wiped her ear with a towel pinched between her fingers.

Suddenly, a faint sound arose within the bathroom.

Tiny ice grains and beads clinked as they fell, scattering and rolling on the floor.

It was a strange sensation, from her hair, her back, a continual coolness spread, her magic power roamed lively and restless within her, her consciousness sharply clear in that instant. Even without turning around, Hexia could 'see' everything behind and around her.

What is this? She hadn't time to get dressed, turned around to look, and the floor everywhere was strewn with crystalline beads and grains of ice, their form supremely transparent, quite different from the common but opaque white ice.

Not only that, but those places that hadn't yet frozen began to condense rapidly as Hexia focused her gaze, and transparent, sparkling ice beads tumbled down the walls, covering the floor.

Fearing to step on the round ice beads and fall, Hexia had no choice but to carefully move with the support of the wall, returning to the mirror.

This is... the blue in her eyes was more vivacious than before, seemingly alive, even possessing a strange attraction that one could not help but be pulled into.

The girl blinked her eyes at her reflection, and only after several seconds did she finally confirm that this was indeed herself.

A manifestation of Talent? She began to search her memories and learning for descriptions of this phenomenon.

There have been many unrivaled geniuses in the history of the Rose Federation, but few depicted the scene of their Talent awakening, so Hexia could only guess her situation was normal, if somewhat rare.

But what should be done to conclude this?

Looking at the transparent ice beads covering the bathroom floor, Hexia changed into her clothes and sat on a small stool in the bathroom, helplessly gazing down at these shiny little fellows.

Her fingers brushed over the transparent beads on the floor, picking one up, and observed it closely under the light. This frozen droplet was flawless and rounded to perfection, devoid of any air bubble or impurity during crystallization, presenting a pure and transparent beauty.

How to restore them? Melt them? Hexia thought silently, but it seemed ineffective, as her Talent Ability did not relate to concepts of high heat or combustion.

Break them down? That didn't seem right either.

Restore? At that moment, a wave of slight fatigue washed over Hexia's mind, and immediately, the ice beads on the floor melted away, turning into tiny rivulets that flowed into the nearby drain.

At last, the matter was resolved. Hexia lifted her head to see herself in the mirror, the azure in her eyes slowly faded, returning to their usual black, and her hair also reverted to its fine gray.

Phew, that's better.

After resolving the issue, Hexia let out a sigh of relief and then opened the bathroom door.

"It's time to eat, Hexia," Grandma He's voice called from upstairs.

"I'll be right there."

Putting the clothes she had changed out of into the washing machine, Hexia stepped lightly up the stairs.