When Ren opened the room's door, the first thing he saw was Min standing on his hands, Taro flexing his arms in a strange pose, and Liu trying to imitate what appeared to be a battle stance... all shirtless.
The three froze upon seeing Lin and Selphira.
"AAAAHH!" the collective scream resonated through the hallway.
Ren closed the door immediately, his face a mask of perfect expressionlessness. His mushrooms, however, pulsed fast with what could only be secondhand embarrassment.
Behind him, Selphira hid a smile behind her hand while Lin blinked in confusion.
"Should we...?" Lin began to ask.
"Let's give them a moment," Ren responded, his voice completely flat.
From inside the room came sounds of frantic movement, several falls, and what suspiciously sounded like Min shouting "My shirt! Where's my shirt?"
After what felt like an eternity but was probably only thirty seconds, Ren opened the door again.
The three boys were sitting on their beds, fully dressed and wearing expressions of absolute innocence, as if nothing had happened.
"Welcome," Taro smiled with such artificial calm it was painful to watch.
"What a beautiful day, isn't it?" Liu added while smoothing down a shirt with clearly misaligned buttons.
Min simply smiled, though his shirt was inside out.
Ren observed his friends and sighed deeply. "Did I really give transformation potions to these clowns?"
Selphira laughed openly while Lin tried to maintain a serious expression and failed miserably.
"Potions don't cure foolishness in men," Selphira commented cheerfully. "In fact, some cases make me believe they double it."
Ren approached the small table where the four remaining potions rested. Selphira's eyes opened slightly upon seeing them, a spark of recognition and something else crossing her gaze.
Without ceremony, Ren took one and turned to Lin.
"Teacher," he said simply, extending the potion.
Lin remained motionless for a moment, her eyes fixed on the glowing crystal.
"Ren," her voice was barely a whisper. "I..."
She couldn't finish the sentence. Instead, she caught Ren in a hug that made his mushrooms pulse with surprise. Small tears rolled down her cheeks while Ren held the potion against her chest.
Selphira observed the scene with a small smile, something soft replacing the usual cunning in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment someone knocked on the door.
Ren's mushrooms pulsed with curiosity while Lin quickly dried her eyes.
"More visits so soon?" Selphira murmured, her expression turning cautious.
"Come in," Ren responded to the knock.
Wei poked his head in cautiously, as if fearing to find something dangerous inside. Upon seeing Selphira, he seemed to shrink even more, but forced himself to enter completely.
"I... uh..." he cleared his throat nervously while holding a rune that glowed with a whitish tone. "I came to deliver this."
Lin, still with moist eyes, shot him a look that could have frozen a volcano. Wei audibly swallowed.
"The bronze rank 2 light rune," he hurried to explain while advancing with rigid steps toward the nearest table. "As agreed."
He placed the rune with as much care as if it were a bomb about to explode, making sure Lin could clearly see he was fulfilling his part of the deal.
"The debt is settled and recorded for the month's report," he added quickly while backing toward the door. "I'm leaving... I have to... there are things that..."
He didn't finish any of his sentences. He simply made an awkward bow and practically fled from the room.
Selphira waited until Wei's hurried footsteps were lost in the hallway before letting out a giggle.
"Well, well," she smiled looking at Ren. "It seems you have Wei completely dominated."
Ren let out a nervous laugh. "Not really, just..."
"Just defeated him in his own specialty, proved him wrong, and got one of the most expensive runes out of him?" Min suggested with a smile.
"And he runs every time he sees you," Taro added.
"Like a fire mouse before a water cat," Liu completed.
"Shut up," Ren looked at them reproachfully, though his mushrooms pulsed with amusement.
Lin resumed the hug, taking Ren by surprise. "Thank you so much, Ren. I…"
"It's only fair," Ren shrugged. "After all, you..."
Another knock on the door interrupted his words.
"Has everyone decided to visit you today?"
"Fame has its disadvantages," Selphira commented with an enigmatic smile while observing the door with renewed interest.
"Come in," Ren responded again.
The door opened revealing Liora, who peeked in timidly.
"Excuse me," she smiled softly. "A guard told me my grandmother was here..."
"Ah, my little one!" Selphira brightened upon seeing her. "Just in time. I was thinking of going to find you."
The elderly woman turned to Ren with a mischievous smile. "I'll leave you with Lin to finish your 'loving embrace', those moments are important."
The effect was immediate.
The boys' cheeks blazed like embers, Ren looked like he wanted his mushrooms to absorb him and disappear. Min, Taro and Liu blushed by pure proximity to the situation, and Liora, who had no context of what had happened, reddened at the insinuation.
"Aunt, you're going to confuse the children!" Lin protested weakly.
Selphira laughed, clearly enjoying the chaos she had created. "Oh, come on. I'm just pointing out the obvious. After all, not every day does a student give their teacher something so valuable..."
Ren's mushrooms pulsed with embarrassment while Lin seemed to debate between gratitude and mortification.
"By the way, Ren," Selphira continued while heading toward the door. "I'll be watching your development. I'm very interested in seeing how someone with your... peculiarities evolves."
Her smile turned more calculating. "And of course, you'll always be welcome in my faction once you achieve your noble appointment. Someone as interesting as you has potential."
With a final laugh at everyone's flustered expressions, Selphira left to the hallway with Liora.
Once outside, her expression turned more serious.
"Now, dear," she addressed her granddaughter as they walked. "Tell me exactly what happened in that seed."
"I don't know much," Liora admitted. "I was unconscious most of the time."
"But Larissa told me some things," Liora lowered her voice. "She said Ren was... crucial. That he saved us."
"Oh?" Selphira arched an eyebrow with interest. "Did she mention how?"
"Not exactly," Liora shook her head. "But the way she said it... I've never seen Larissa so impressed by someone."
"Fascinating," Selphira murmured. "You know? I think you should pay more attention to that boy."
"Yes," Selphira smiled. "In fact, I'd like you to report directly to me about him from now on."