Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

After Tina finished giving her instructions, she left the classroom.

When she arrived at room 22D, she had asked Mr. Stiller to print out all the exam papers from Grade 9 to Grade 11, as she needed to collect them.

Just as she stepped out of the classroom, Velma chased after her, “Tina, wait up!”

Tina stopped in her tracks, turning to look at her and said seriously, “Call me Miss Reed.”

Velma’s mouth twitched, but she dutifully said, “Miss Reed.”

Tina nodded and patted her head, “Good girl!”

Velma, “…”

Why do I feel like you’re petting a dog?

Ugh!

I am not a dog!

Velma followed beside her, excitement clear on her face, “Miss Reed, how come you came to teach at the school? You’re only nineteen and barely attended school yourself. How did Mr. Stiller come to find you?”

Velma’s curiosity was ablaze, “Come on, tell me, what’s the situation? I’m simply too shocked, Tina… Ahem, Miss Reed, you’re really amazing. You don’t know, but the whole school, no one dares to mess with 22D, yet you managed to train them so well, I’m really impressed!”

She leaned in close to Tina, grinning, “Did you get in through the back door? Was it the Reed family? Tsk tsk, did they really open the back door for you? But now I really want to know Amber’s expression. That little wretch, always acting so high and mighty, sarcastically belittling you at the last banquet. If she sees you’ve come to Ensford High School and even became a teacher, oh my! Her little face, just thinking about it is delightful.”

Tina, “…”

When had she not realized that this child was so gossipy?

“What if I told you I got two doctoral degrees from Kongham University in Medicine and Biochemistry when I was sixteen, would you believe me?” Tina asked.

“I believe!” Velma responded earnestly.

Tina was taken aback, uncertain, “You believe?”

The same words, if said to the Reed family or to Hugo, probably would not be believed by anyone.

Even the other teachers at this school, probably only one in ten would believe her.

Yet Velma did not hesitate to believe.

“Of course, I believe! To be able to teach at Ensford High School, you either got in through connections or it was your own real talent. Considering how the Reed family treats you, the likelihood that they’d pull strings for you is small, and besides, the Reed family’s influence isn’t that strong.” Velma said seriously, “Apart from that, it’s got to be genuine knowledge and ability, Tina… Ah~~~ I can’t seem to stop calling you that.”

Tina’s mouth twitched, “I was joking with you, call me whatever you want.”

“Okay!” Velma linked arms with Tina, affectionately saying, “Tina, you’re so incredible, earning two doctoral degrees at sixteen, how did you do it?”

“Just-studied hard?” Tina replied.

“You must be gifted too!” Velma mused, “Not everyone can earn two doctoral degrees, especially not at 16. You’re a genius! What am I going to do, Tina, my admiration for you is growing by the second. From now on, you’re my role model!”

Tina had to admire Velma’s ability to lay it on thick!

She could praise someone without batting an eye.

She glanced sideways at Velma, “What are you doing here?”

Velma was already twenty, so she should have been in college by now, right?

“Ugh, don’t remind me, I’ve repeated two years, and this is my third year in Grade 11!” Velma said with a self-satisfied air.

Tina, “…”

Grade 11 for one year, repeated two years.

How could you be proud of that?

“Do you look down on me? A student who has been in Grade 11 for three years, you probably couldn’t find one in a hundred, could you?” Velma’s eyes dimmed, “I actually do want to graduate, but I’m really bad at studying. Truth be told, I didn’t pass the entrance exam for high school after middle school, my dad paid for me to attend.”

“He said, the Lehman family can’t have a child who hasn’t graduated from high school. No matter what, I have to at least get a high school diploma, but… since Grade 9, I haven’t understood what the teachers are saying. I was supposed to repeat a year then too, but my dad donated money, so I didn’t have to.”

“I made it to Grade 11, but a diploma isn’t something you can get by just paying money. At the very least, you have to score 150 points to graduate. Despite everyone being afraid of 22D, they cram before exams, memorize all sorts of test questions-anyway, they can score the 150 points needed.”

“My mom and dad are busy with work, often traveling, and no one takes care of me. They hired tutors for me, but the tutors were irresponsible and I couldn’t understand them. I didn’t dare to tell my dad the tutoring was bad; he just thinks I’m trying to avoid studying.”

Velma spilled out a lot at once, and Tina realized that her mood was quite downcast. This despondency stemmed from her family background. The Lehman family, unlike the Sitwell or Stiller families, had siblings like Albert and Hendrik. Velma was an only child, but she had cousins, all of whom were much more accomplished than her, the pride of the Lehman family, which is why no one wanted to play with her. Because of her parents’ travels for work, Velma was left alone with just a nanny at home. Her personality had formed in this way, partly because no one looked after her; she was too lonely.

Tina looked at her for a long while before suddenly grabbing her by the collar, “Let’s go.”

“Eh, where to?” Velma was confused and then, recalling Tina’s powerful presence in 22D, shrank back a bit, “Tina, you’re not going to hit me, are you?”

Tina, “…”

Did she look like a violent person?

“Come with me to get the test papers. Others start from Grade 9, but you’ll start from Grade 6.”

With that, Tina hesitated and then said, “You’re not going to tell me you’ve forgotten even Grade 6 material, are you?”

Velma, embarrassed, then blushed and said, “Who are you looking down on? Well, Grade 6 knowledge… I should know it… maybe?”

She was somewhat uncertain. The key issue was that she hadn’t been focusing on her studies these past few years.

Tina looked skyward, speechless, and after a long pause, managed to say, “You-start from elementary school.”

Velma, “… Hey, that’s a bit too much! I still know addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.”

Tina, “…”

You really have the nerve to say it.

She didn’t engage Velma any further, but took her to Mr. Stiller’s office. Since the test papers were prepared starting from Grade 9, there were forty-five copies for each subject, stacks upon stacks of papers. Tina and Velma clearly couldn’t carry them all on their own.

So, Tina called Albert, “Bring some people to move the papers.”

She had saved the phone numbers after reviewing the files of everyone in 22D.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

On the other side, Albert stared at the hung-up call, utterly baffled. After a moment, he jumped up, “I knew it! That woman is not human! She even has my number!”

He found her terrifying.

“Quick, quick, go to Mr. Stiller’s office to move the papers!” Albert immediately shouted.