The Handsome and the Beast

It was late at night, but Rae was still in the library.

"Damn it." He turned the book over to the previous page because he didn't understand what was explained.

It is a book about how to be a good teacher. There is a lot to be learned. A teacher doesn't just deliver lessons. For example, the book also discusses how to control a noisy class.

He then wrote down the things he thought were important from the book, following Anneth's advice.

"You wrote it to the table, Rae." Anneth came from behind the elf.

"Ah…." Rae froze for a moment, then shifted her pen to the book and scratched her head. "What was I going to write about again?"

"Looks like you really need some rest." The witch monster sat next to the elf. "You can't concentrate anymore."

Rae took a deep breath. "But we have very little time, Ann. I don't want to make a bad impression on my students."

The witch frowned. "A moment."

She turned the book over to check the cover and stifled a laugh. "This is a book for experts, Rae. Sorry, but you shouldn't be reading this yet."

"Why?" The elf raised an eyebrow. "I read this book because I want to become an expert."

"That's…." Anneth grimaced, got up from the chair, took another book with a brown cover from a shelf, and put it in front of the elf. "Before becoming an expert, you start from beginner, then intermediate."

The title of the book is 'Becoming a Teacher for Beginners.'

The elf froze again, then his hand moved up and squeezed his head. "I'm a stupid idiot. No wonder there are many terms I don't know."

"It's okay." Anneth patted her coworker's shoulder, still holding back her laughter. "It's no big deal."

Rae let out a bitter laugh. "I've spent over four hours trying to understand this book."

"That's why you need rest." Finally, Anneth chuckled. "Or how about we step outside to freshen up your minds…. Well, there's nothing, though. But at least the air is fresh."

***

A ball of light the size of a baby's head hovered above Rae's palm. She used it for lightning on that cloudy night.

"Do you think we need to build a stable?" Rae muttered in an area of vacant land outside the school. "Horse is a means of transportation that I'm sure is widely used in those worlds. And archery while riding a horse is a lot of fun, you know?"

"Well, you can request that from the principal." Anneth smiled. "I'm glad to see you like this. You are so excited to be a teacher that you think of such things. Even though I told you to relax your mind, don't think about being a teacher for a while."

"You're right….." The elf scratched his head again. "But I only realized it now, Ann. It's like when I want to hunt a certain target animal. The journey to find it is gratifying, and when we find one, we are satisfied."

"To be honest, I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm glad you seem happy to be here."

Rae walked again with slightly unsteady steps due to exhaustion. "Yeah…. And I didn't expect to be on this career path. A long time ago, I felt all teachers were boring and not fun. So, I was always lazy to go to school."

"Interesting…." The monster witch walked next to the elf.

"That's different from me. Since entering the magic academy, I've decided to become a teacher. I admire those who can transfer knowledge to others. Come to think of it, that's the only reason, though…. Ah, seeing students improve also gives me joy."

"Hopefully, I'll enjoy it that way too." The elf glanced at Anneth with a smile. "Then what if you find many idiot students like me?"

Anneth chuckled. "It was indeed a challenge, but I'm fine with it."

They then fell silent, continuing to walk through the night wind, which blew slowly this time, only accompanied by silence.

"I'm glad I met people who push me to be better." Rae stopped in her tracks. "I haven't had anything like that since long ago. Yes, my parents or butler would occasionally talk me down when I was lazy, but back then, I was stubborn. Unfortunately, they always gave up, and I had no more motivation myself."

Anneth showed her smile again. "It's just starting, Rae. Get ready."

"Yeah, I'm sure, with people like you, I can get through this."

Their gazes fell on each other, enveloped in silence again. Then, slowly, their faces drew closer.

"Aaachooo!!!" And Anneth let out a thunderous sneeze.

The sneeze was so hard that Rae was thrown back a few feet, rolling on the ground. He staggered as he stood up and immediately froze when he saw what had happened to Anneth.

The woman's skin turned green, and her enlarged muscles began to tear at her clothes. Her hair also looks like it goes inside her head, replaced by four horns.

"Arrrghhh..." The witch groaned in pain. Her eyes that stared at Rae were filled with black and looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. Then, in a deep voice, she said. "I'm sorry you saw me in this form."

"Why do you have to say sorry?" Rae put her hands on her hips, apparently unfazed by that. "You only changed to your original form. But I have to admit. Your sneeze surprised me quite a bit."

"Huh?" Anneth was still in pain because her transformation was still not perfect. "You are not afraid of me?"

"Some of my friends can change into other forms too, you know? I don't just hang out with other elves. Some of my friends are just like you, such as a werewolf, a man who can change form into a giant snake…. Even my ex can morph into a gorilla-like creature with a pink butt."

Anneth, already in complete monster form, could only stay still with the torn clothes around her legs.

"I'm so curious. What could trigger you to change shape?" The elf folded his arms across his chest. "Because of the sneeze like just now?"

"Errr…. Sneezing will just turn me into this form. I need to eat a lot of cabbage to use my human form or drink high concentrations of its extract, but that tastes horrible."

"Those are unique ways of morphing." Rae stretched his body. "Well, I guess this is enough. My head has been refreshed. It's time to study again."

Anneth raised her right palm, making two types of light–blue and yellow–alternately envelop Rae in seconds.

"I give a buff to reduce your sleepiness and tiredness." The witch revealed.

"Wow! Thank you very much, Ann! I feel much better!" The elf examined his body. "Why didn't you do it earlier?"

"I can't do it in my human form." Anneth shrugged.

***

Inside the principal office, Eiji and Kyoko use long binoculars in front of the window. The idea to spy on Anneth and Rae did not come from the principal. However, the kunoichi forced him, even though he was still reviewing the candidates for a healer.

"I think they suit each other," Kyoko commented. "What do you think?"

"Maybe?" Eiji was not interested in such things. But the moment Anneth sneezed almost sparked his laughter. And what made him even more curious was how Rae could act so normal?

Anneth asked Eiji not to tell about her other form to the elf yet. Rae should have screamed in fear and run. He wasn't like Eiji and Sienna, who already knew about Anneth's condition before they met.

"I think they make a perfect couple," Kyoko muttered. "Ah, if only in this school there is someone who wants to be my lover, surely my days will be better."

Eiji remained in his position, still using the binoculars. This time, the female ninja uses satire, not seductive technique anymore. The principal realized that.

"As long as they can still carry out their duties properly, I don't mind them having a relationship." Eiji chose to talk about things that had nothing to do with Kyoko's words.