Walking down the long maid's hallway past the hall, Tilan arrived at the open space in front of the principal's office of the Academy of Five Colors and Seven Injuries and stopped.
"Hello," she began with a slight nod in thanks before continuing.
"There's really no need for such pomp."
"Not at all, not at all. It's a rare pleasure to have Miss Hexia visit," the portly principal chuckled.
"Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Paluk, the principal of the Academy of Five Colors and Seven Injuries. You can call me Uncle Paluk." Having said that, he turned slightly, signaling the people behind him to follow.
"Miss Hexia, hello. I am Weina, the head of the planning department of the academy."
"I am the head of the security and defense department, Sustan."
"I am Jiali, the head of the medical and health department."
They each introduced themselves in swift succession, after which Paluk clapped his hands, and the female servants scattered evenly. Then, the long dining table was quickly set up in the hall, followed by golden candelabras placed on it along with a variety of fine foods and drinks.
These maidens were not only pleasing to the eye but also moved with orderly precision. They were neither too hurried nor too slow, and after completing these tasks, they lined up in two rows again behind the chairs along the dining table.
Since the host had prepared a lavish dinner, Tilan, as a guest, couldn't well refuse and took her seat at the head of the table as arranged.
The table was wide, and Tilan sat side by side with the principal, with the high-ranking officials of the school seated down below. Although the welcoming roster was substantial, it also felt a bit constrained.
Luckily, Tilan was now accustomed to such environments and quickly adapted, dining according to etiquette and responding to some ceremonial greetings.
In the meantime, the two rows of maidens behind everyone periodically took away used plates, replenished drinks and food, and provided napkins and water as needed, serving with extreme attention to detail that bespoke their well-trained nature and professionalism.
The paths taken by these maidens and Tilan's past work at 'Dream of Glazed Glass' were quite different. These were genuine attendants, a reflection of the master's presence, whereas the maidens at 'Dream of Glazed Glass' were more like mascots with distinct personalities, not particularly uniform in their behavior.
Although just a guest this time, Tilan was curious about how these maidens were trained. Having done similar work in the past, she could discern many details that demonstrated these maidens were not a hastily arranged group.
After dinner, Principal Paluk took Tilan to the comfortable circular table and chairs on the second floor of the hall, which seemed to be typically used for consultations and meetings. However, compared to some conference rooms, the atmosphere here was much more relaxed and leisurely, suggesting that the person advocating this style was not one who preferred a somber and oppressive environment.
"Come, come, Miss Hexia, you can sit here for a bit, drink some tea, enjoy some music and the night view. There's no rush for serious matters; there will be plenty of time tomorrow." Paluk beckoned Hexia, then chose a place for himself and sat down. His satisfied belly coupled with his chubby figure sprawled on the circular chair like a lump of dough.
Afterward, two maidens holding air coolers gently blew a quiet breeze on Paluk's body to cool him off, while the principal himself leaned back in the chair, eyes half shut, looking relaxed.
Soon after Tilan and Mel sat down, a few maidens came by, one with the same type of air cooler and another with a thick, beautiful album she placed on the table in front of them.
"Good evening, Miss Hexia. Please allow us to introduce the academy to you. You just need to sit back and rest," said the maiden, appearing to be around 18, dressed in a black-and-white maid uniform made of high-quality fabric that was neither thin nor lacking in texture, well-fitting and figure-enhancing. The wider shoulder area tapered to snug wrists, revealing a portion of white frills below the black cuffs. With her slender fingers gently pressed against her chest, she bowed and opened the album on the table, which then projected a three-dimensional image above it.
Just as she was about to begin, Tilan interrupted.
"Wait a moment, please."
"Certainly, you can start whenever you wish," she nodded.
"It's not that; I'm just a bit curious. Are you employees of the academy?"
"Strictly speaking, no, we are students of the academy," the other replied.
"Huh?" At that moment, Mel expressed surprise as the grey moon cat she was holding took the opportunity to slip out, jump onto a nearby table, and curiously look up at another maiden who was blocking its path.
"But how did students come to serve as maidens?" Mel inquired.
"Well, it is actually part of our learning process," she explained frankly.
"Not only the work related to maidens, but we also have to learn a lot more, such as musical instruments, performance, singing, body shaping, psychological soothing, simple dances, firearms use, AI and electronic technology applications, urban warfare, and so on."
"That sounds quite demanding," Tilan couldn't help but massage her brow, intrigued by what she heard.
"I remember the academy didn't use to have this style, right?"
"Yes," replied her conversant, understanding what Hexia was curious about, and then flipped open the album on the table.
"Let's start with the most recent change then, which was five years ago..." The maiden manipulated the projection on the album, revealing scenes from that time.
"Five years ago, Mr. Paluk returned from the Central Flying Feather Star Domain and took over the duties of the previous principal to begin his leadership. At that time, considering the scarcity of future opportunities for students and the long-term languishing state of the academy, Principal Paluk undertook sweeping reforms."