“Scarlet!”

Someone shouted her name just as she was wrapping up her morning discussion with her assistants, about to join Maya and Amelia for breakfast. Scarlet looked up to see Alexis running toward her, looking both urgent and nervous.

Noticing the dark circles under Alexis’s eyes, Scarlet could tell the blonde hadn’t slept well. She gently patted Alexis’s back to help calm her breathing. “We’ve got time before class. Relax, take a deep breath.”

Alexis clasped Scarlet’s hands tightly, her voice breathless. “I finished your books last night! Well, not, like, every single word, but I totally skimmed it and got the gist of it.”

“...All of them?”

“Yeah, all five of them.”

No wonder she looks exhausted, Scarlet mused with an amused expression. “You could’ve just taken your time with the first one, no need to rush.”

“I couldn’t help it! You totally hooked me in with this massive cliffhanger!” Alexis exclaimed. Then she quickly lowered her voice, glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “Akahime-sama?”

“...I’m not that honourable.” Scarlet sighed, now completely certain that Alexis Everhart, was a full-blown anime nerd. After all, no one in real life, not even a Japanese person, would call someone “-sama”. It was just too embarrassing.

“Then...Akahime-sensei?” Alexis whispered eagerly. “In your last book, when you introduced that new character, you mentioned Akahime as one of the discipline counsellors at Caster Academy. That means, you were, like, a magic teacher at some point!”

“I didn’t teach, I just disciplined unruly students,” Scarlet replied quietly. “Mostly handled paperwork, too. I got tired of their old, inefficient system, so I left and joined the frontline support team instead. Not strong in any sense, and definitely not one of the famous casters.”

So stop looking at me with those puppy eyes! Scarlet thought as she took a step back, unsure how to deal with Alexis, who clearly seemed to be comparing her to some famous anime teacher, most probably Kakashi.

“But you’ve got a plan, right?” Alexis asked, eyes wide with. “You said last night that you’re planning to hunt the other soul fragments!”

“Yes...but I’m not taking you with me, for obvious reasons.” Scarlet smirked, softening Alexis’s disappointment. “However, I do need your help. I didn’t watch the rest of the series, so I don’t know how the story unfolds. I’ll need you to help me find the other fragments. Could you give me a report on that?”

“Absolutely!” Alexis’s eyes lit up. “I’ll have it for you tonight! Or—no—this afternoon!”

“No, by the weekend is fine,” Scarlet reassured her, patting her shoulder. “Take your time. If I’m right, we’ll be safe for the rest of the school year now that Quirrell’s gone. I need your report to include details – where the fragments are, the backstory of the objects they’re tied to, and, if possible, who dies and how.”

Alexis nodded solemnly. “Yes, I’ll make sure it’s detailed. It’s just...my writing’s kinda awful.”

“I don’t care about your writing style. Point form is fine, as long as the information is accurate. I’m not a teacher grading your paper,” Scarlet chuckled. “And if you’re financially comfortable, why not commission the Weasley twins to make you something useful? Like an auto-correcting quill?”

“...Wait, we can do that?” Alexis asked, surprised.

“I don’t see why we can’t,” Scarlet grinned. “This isn’t just a story anymore. Everything’s dynamic, and we’re living in this world for real. Think outside the box, girl.”

Alexis went dead silent for a long moment, the slowly turned to meet Scarlet’s eyes. “I’ve wasted so many years...I should’ve invested in Google, Apple, PlayStation, Nintendo, TSMC, and NVidia!”

“...Do they even exist yet? Have you done your research?” Scarlet knocked lightly on Alexis’s forehead with her knuckles, “Don’t think you’ve got the upper hand just because of your limited foresight from your previous life. I’ve told you, everything here is dynamic - things might not go how you remember.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Oh...” Alexis replied, nodding weakly.

“Do your research first. Don’t just dive into the stock market blindly.” Scarlet stood up. “Anyway, if you finish your report soon, we can have our first discussion this Saturday. Let me know when it's done, and we’ll get our proposal ready for presentation.”

“...Presentation?”

“I need Professor Dumbledore’s approval,” Scarlet explained. “He’s reliable, don’t worry.”

“Why do you need his approval?”

Scarlet looked at Alexis with affectionate eyes, as though the question was silly. “And you think I’m going to do all this on my own, without any support? Girl, why solo the path on hard mode when you can form a party and make it easier?”

“Oh...” Alexis blushed, “Yeah, right.”

“See you later, Alexis.”

“Bye, Akahime-sensei.”

“...Shut up.”

The next day, as Scarlet settled into her usual seat for breakfast, Maya approached her with a curious expression. “What did you do with Alexis, the transfer girl?”

“Nothing. Why?” Scarlet asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

“She seems...more mentally stable. Is that the right way to put it?” Maya pondered before giving up on finding the perfect term. “She’s not crying all the time or looking depressed anymore. Now, she’s really happy and energetic, scribbling away in a notebook.”

“Oh, I asked her to draft a storyline for me.” Scarlet came up with the excuse quickly. “She’s quite creative, so I thought I might get some inspiration from her story. If she fixes her writing, I might even introduce her to my editor.”

“Wow, another author at Hogwarts?” Maya gasped.

“No sure yet, but at least she’s interested,” Scarlet shrugged. “Keeping her mentally occupied means she won’t have time to spread weird rumors.”

“You’re brilliant, Scarlet!” Maya praised.

“It’s nothing.” Scarlet mused. If you’ve lived for a few decades, with a previous life’s experience, you’d do the same thing.

Scarlet had always felt as though she had a cheat code, an advantage over others. Still, she wasn’t about to give it up, especially when it could help save lives.

Finally, Saturday arrived.

Scarlet was mid-training in her private room when she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find Alexis, looking both nervous and excited.

She closed the door after letting Alexis in. The girl looked surprised to find her dressed in an exercise outfit, holding a spear in her hand. Ignoring Alexis’s curious gaze, Scarlet gestured around the room. “I got permission from Hogwarts to make this my private training space. I’ve set some limitations at the entrance - only those with registered fingerprints and the password can enter. I’m sharing it with the Weasley twins; they use that corner as their invention lab or something. Don’t touch anything over there.”

Alexis stood in awe, “Ho-How did you manage to do all of this? I mean, why Hogwarts let you have your own room? Is this like...a club?”

“No, just a room for my physical training.” Scarlet answered while observing Alexis closely. “I inherited an ancient magic that requires physical training.”

“With a spear? Why not a sword?” Alexis asked, her curious piqued. Her expression was normal, which made Scarlet feel more at ease. Perhaps I don’t need to be wary of her. Maybe she could be an ally, rather than someone who might betray me.

Scarlet still didn’t fully trust Alexis. After all, Scarlet herself wasn’t exactly normal, not with the experience of a past life. And now, there was another reincarnated person. It wasn’t safe to assume Alexis had the same intentions without carefully probing.

The report Alexis held now would determine whether she could be trusted.

“I asked Fred and George to stay out today so we can discuss our plan without interruptions. I’ve prepared a simple meal for lunch,” Scarlet said, “but I hope we can finish quickly - Great Hall meals are better than what I’ve packed.”

Alexis nodded and handed the notebook to Scarlet with a solemn expression.

This girl must’ve had some high school education, or at least experience pitching proposals, Scarlet mused. The report, though written in an ordinary notebook, had a professional layout and conveyed its message with a level of maturity far beyond what her current assistants in Hogwarts could manage.

As Scarlet skimmed the report, Alexis nervously watched, hoping for some kind of feedback that would calm her anxiety. She’d put in her best effort, recalling every storyline detail she thought was important.

Finally, the former caster raised her eyebrows and said after finishing the report, “I suppose we can start by eliminate one of the...Horcruxes? Is that how you pronounce it? Good. We can take care of one today.”

Alexis eyes widened. “You mean...the one in the Room of Requirement?”

Scarlet nodded.

“Can I watch? I promise you won’t even notice me – I'll stay in the corner!” Alexis’s eyes sparkled with eagerness.

Scarlet studied her for a moment before handing her a jade pendant. “Very well. Remember your promise, and take care of yourself. Keep this pendant with you - it can withstand a lethal blow.”

Alexis immediately put the pendant on as a necklace, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “Is this one of those protection talismans I’ve read about in Chinese web novels?”

Her comment surprised Scarlet. “You know about those? You can read Chinese?”

“No,” Alexis shook her head, then smiled sheepishly. “But I use machine translation to get the gist of it.”

“...” Scarlet sighed with a faint smile. “Enough chatter. Let’s head to the Room of Requirement.”

“Aye, aye, captain!”

“...Shut up.”