The next second.
Li Miao was also kicked out.
She and Jia Yunwan stared at each other in stunned silence until the Husky's loud "woof" snapped them out of it.
"Teacher, should I leave then?"
Jia Yunwan retorted, "And go where?"
Li Miao replied expressionlessly, "Back to the dorm."
"And what exactly would you do there?"
Li Miao answered seriously, "Aren't you going off to pursue love, teacher? I was thinking maybe I should just stay here and activate the Husky. It's closer, after all."
Jia Yunwan caught the sarcasm in her words and could only force an awkward chuckle.
"Just kidding. Do you really think I can't get any handsome guy I want? Alright, let's get going. If we hurry, we can probably make it there in about five hours."
By now, Li Miao had completely lost any awe for her homeroom teacher.
In fact, she had thoroughly come to realize just how unreliable the woman in front of her was.
"Teacher, did you forget something?"
"What?"
"Your car got impounded."
Li Miao said calmly, "Just now, that guy reminded me your license was also revoked. Unless you safely deliver me back, you'll never be able to get another driver's license again."
Jia Yunwan: "...Damn."
There was no way that guy had come up with that on his own.
Without a doubt, it was something Jia Yunwan's father had asked him to relay—except she interrupted him, and he nearly forgot.
At that moment, Jia Yunwan felt like a helpless little chick, staring blankly at the training field outside the interrogation room.
"So, teacher, how are we getting there?"
Li Miao asked the question with an innocent, earnest expression.
Jia Yunwan patted her pockets.
Great.
She'd lost her phone too.
The woman sighed.
"Fine. We'll just have to go with the ultimate move."
Li Miao and the Husky tilted their heads in near-perfect unison.
"Huh?"
"Woof?"
"Contract Beast summoning!"
Jia Yunwan raised a hand toward the sky, and a summoning array at her feet flared to life—bright enough to be seen for kilometers.
People nearby even stomped on it curiously until, with a brilliant flash, a massive bird emerged from the array. Its ethereal form quickly solidified, and with a single beat of its enormous wings, a gale-force wind nearly sent the Husky flying.
Luckily, at the last second, Li Miao grabbed the dog, while Jia Yunwan pinned her to the ground—
"Scree—!"
The colossal avian beast let out a cry, melodic and light as a hymn. Its long tail feathers shimmered like a peacock's, but under the sunlight, they gleamed with iridescent glory—crimson flames, gold-veined plumes, a majestic crown atop its head, and an elegant body.
That was unmistakably a phoenix.
Li Miao was once again struck speechless by her homeroom teacher's extravagance.
Even though she'd already seen Jia Yunwan's Contract Beast before, she couldn't help feeling a pang of envy.
Wuwu.
I want one too.
Even if it's not a dragon or phoenix, anything remotely connected to them would be a win.
Sadly.
This one belonged to someone else.
With that thought, Li Miao cast one last longing glance at the phoenix before calmly picking up the trembling Husky. She silently followed Jia Yunwan, climbing onto the creature's back via one of its massive wings.
"Let's go, let's go!"
Jia Yunwan planted her hands on her hips triumphantly. "You can revoke my driver's license, but I still have my Aerial Permit! As long as I have my Contract Beast, I can fly wherever I want!"
"Nobody's stopping me now! Hmph!"
Just then, the handsome guy stormed out of the interrogation room.
"JIA! YUN! WAN!"
"God* damn it! You can't fly in a restricted airspace!!!"
Before he could finish, the phoenix leapt into the sky with an exuberant cry—
"Scree!"
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
"AWOOO OOOOO!"
Li Miao squeezed her eyes shut and screamed.
The Husky howled with its eyes wide open.
The sight of the human and dog clinging for dear life made Jia Yunwan burst into laughter.
"What're you so scared of? Fengfeng's back has a barrier—you won't fall!"
Li Miao's screaming quieted slightly.
She cautiously cracked one eye open.
"...Huh?"
Wait. She actually wasn't falling?
Realization dawned on her. Sitting on the phoenix's back was like sinking into soft grass—there wasn't even the faintest sense of instability.
And the wind that should have been whipping past them at high speed now felt no stronger than a gentle breeze, barely grazing her face.
She glanced at the Husky and saw it had already opened its eyes the moment Jia Yunwan spoke. In fact, it had adapted so quickly that it was now bouncing around excitedly on the phoenix's back.
"Woof!"
This is amazing!
The Husky's tail wagged fast enough to drill into the ground.
Noticing Li Miao's stare, it tilted its head before wiggling its butt at her.
"Woof woof!"
Play with me!
Li Miao: "..."
"Play what?! You think this is a playground?! Stay still! Shut up! Quit running around!"
A light smack sent the Husky flopping to the ground, pouting miserably.
Sniff.
You hit me. I won't play with you anymore. Hmph!
Li Miao's eyelid twitched, but before she could say anything else, a soft, lyrical voice whispered in her ear:
"It's alright."
"Let it play."
The voice was definitely not Jia Yunwan's.
Li Miao froze for a second before realizing: "Fengfeng?"
"Yes, it's me."
The phoenix didn't turn its head, but it still opened its beak to answer, letting out another cheerful cry.
"The little one is adorable. Don't be too harsh—it's only natural for children this age to want to play."
Li Miao glanced at Jia Yunwan.
Jia Yunwan lazily met her gaze. "What? You heard her. If Fengfeng says it's fine, then let it go wild. It's not like I'm some kind of monster."
Li Miao: "..."
Not a monster?!
Try saying that in front of the entire class and see what happens.
Unfortunately, Li Miao could only keep that thought to herself. She was thousands of meters in the air—she didn't have the guts to test her homeroom teacher's limits.
So she kept quiet and wordlessly signaled the Husky to do whatever it wanted.
The dog's eyes lit up.
It bolted away with an excited awoo!
It rushed back with another awoo!
It started tugging at Li Miao's pant leg with its teeth.
After getting scolded, it redirected its attention to Fengfeng's feathers.
It chomped down on one with a determined awoo!
Then promptly awoo-ed in frustration—
What gives?!
Why won't it break?!
So mad!
The Husky barked incessantly at the feather while Li Miao pretended not to notice the display of stupidity.
And, of course, Fengfeng chose that exact moment to sigh affectionately in both their ears.
"What a lively child."
"Very cute." Jia Yunwan nodded in agreement.
Li Miao thought back to her past life—and all the times this dog had destroyed her home.
"...Maybe."
Fengfeng's speed was incredible, but the ride was perfectly smooth. It was like lounging on a warm spring day, bathed in sunlight with the temperature just right.
More than once, Li Miao nearly nodded off—only to be startled awake at the last second by the Husky stepping on her.
Yep.
She got stepped awake.