Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

In late December, due to the arrival of the winter festival holiday, the atmosphere in Academy City became much more relaxed. Many students finished their intense studies and planned to take this time to unwind. The number of pedestrians on the streets significantly increased and various events followed one after another.

"Boss, what album is this?"

In a private coffee shop beside a university, a male student pointed with curiosity at an album placed inside a frame on the bar counter. On its cover was a girl with black hair and a cool expression, her fair skin contrasting sharply with her black swan-like dress, exuding a special charm.

"Oh, this one? It's a treasure I recently found," said the artistically inclined and slender coffee shop owner, angling the frame for the young man to see better.

"It's 'Miss Black Angel' Hexia Tilan's first official album. What do you think? Has quite a dark and novel style, doesn't it?" He commented on the album like a connoisseur, reviewing the style of the music, the instruments, the melodies, and the themes and artistic conception expressed.

"All in all, it seems Miss Tylan, who looks serene and cute, has quite a profound and rebellious soul. An album that completely disregards the market can both take people by surprise and cause deep concern for her."

"Concerned about what?" The student was curious and puzzled, as he only wanted to know about the songs in it since he was hearing about this songstress for the first time.

"Worried she won't be popular but also afraid she'll become too popular," explained the shop owner with a smile.

"Even as a songstress not lacking money, one still cares about feedback and adulation from others. If no one likes her music, it's likely Tylan won't continue with this style for her next album."

"But if her album becomes a hit, it will get vulgarized by many people, and then the overall appraisal will become warped."

"It's quite complicated to explain. To put it in perspective, it's like introducing a movie to a friend, marveling at the touching spirit and artistic elements expressed in it, while he and many other ordinary viewers only notice a few scenes where the male and female protagonists get intimate. Subsequently, the media's portrayal also dwells on that level," he said.

"That is quite regrettable, but there's nothing to be done, as public opinion is still an opinion after all."

"Alright, Uncle, lend it to me for a listen, would you?" After such an endorsement from the uncle, the student couldn't help but become intrigued.

"Hahaha, I'm not lending it out. I treasure this commemorative edition I bought since Tylan did no promotion and there weren't many commemorative editions made."

"If you want to listen, it's actually quite simple. Just go to Tylan's official website; the album is available for free download there."

"Huh, it's free?" The student was puzzled.

"Mm-hmm, apparently Tylan is quite special, not signing with any major company and being very independent. Usually, even if songstresses aren't short of money, they wouldn't set their albums to be free because it would disrupt convention, and companies would struggle to price new albums later on," he explained.

"The more I hear about it, the more interested I get. Somehow I feel like Tylan, this songstress, is really unconventional."

"Hehehe, that's right, very unconventional. If you just look at Tylan's life photos and her past academy videos, you'd think she's that kind of serene, gentle, and sweet girl. But, well, if you listen to her songs you'll feel a completely different side of her."

"Especially profound, ethereal, obscure, yet so real and dark—a true black series songstress."

"Okay, Uncle, stop there, you're making me even more curious. Now be honest, have you recently fallen for this songstress?" the student retorted playfully, taking the coffee handed to him by the uncle.

"How could I be obsessed? No, no, no, that is called liking and passion. Obsession is a reaction of hormonal rush and mental confusion, while I rely on intelligence and heart to choose my affection." The uncle waved his finger, indicating he was not that kind of low-end fervent fan.

To this, the boy had no power to rebut. He took his coffee to a seat nearby, then pulled out his headphones, ready to listen and discover exactly who this songstress recommended by the uncle, Hexia Tilan, was.

The album included Tilan's previous performances in dimly lit singing halls, fairy tale songs in collaboration with Audrey, as well as several new compositions she created recently. And the first track to play upon opening the album was the one Tilan sang that day in the concert hall, "Magic Mirror".

In the dark environment, the beat started to rise with the rhythm, and then came that gentle and ethereal voice. Just a few seconds were enough to fully immerse the listener into another world, slowly falling into that dark and indulgent dream.

One song after another, by the time the boy finished the whole album, when the music stopped, he came back to his senses, not realizing that the coffee in front of him had long been cold, and the sunlight outside was gradually slanting to the west.

Had it been that long? The boy realized, and then he picked up the cold coffee and drank it all in one gulp before standing up to leave.

Walking on the bustling streets of the city, with the continuous stream of cars and horses and various noisy sounds passing by, the boy instinctively dodged obstacles and moved forward along the streets.

However, it seemed as if the melodies were still lingering in his mind, unfolding slowly like history spanning several centuries. The emotional ups and downs, from the birth of passionate beliefs to the grandeur slowly cooling and dimming, only the vast and endless starry sky remained the same, with humans as an incredibly small part of the universe, walking in the darkness, slowly facing the creeping cold and loss.

It was sad but not painful, just a sense of regret and wistfulness.

Just as the uncle said in the end, these were not tunes that made one burst into laughter, yet they had a sort of magic power that immersed people in them, inevitably bringing tears to their eyes.

Because the emotions within were so sincere, and the cruel reality revealed by such truths resonated with many.

It wasn't until after the boy had his dinner, returned home, took a bath, and had a short rest that he emerged from the lingering immersion of these sounds.

"It's too enchanting, like a poison." The boy commented feelingly.

He turned over, starting to search for the album by Hexia Tilan, preparing to own a collector's commemorative edition as well.

Unfortunately, this dark songstress didn't have high expectations at the time, so there weren't many albums produced, and the commemorative editions were even scarcer.

Consequently, the boy could only look up second-hand websites or go through intermediate shops to obtain one.

The once obscure album, with the arrival of the holidays, finally spread its popularity slowly. Perhaps also because the songstress was indeed special, which aroused curiosity in many. Legends about Hexia Tilan began to circulate, like her stunning performance during the Four-leaf Crystal winter festival, a gentle tranquility in her everyday photos, and dark style songs that contrasted against reality, which felt like discovering a treasure with endless surprises layer by layer.

The many stories about this black songstress only then slowly entered people's field of vision. The ordinary sister in the shadow of her talented elder sister, the difficult life after her family fell apart in childhood, the high school years that shone brightly, among others. These twists and turns were rare for other songstresses.

Moreover, the commemorative albums from Tilan's winter festival competition in those years fetched high prices online. If they bore Tilan's own signature, they could easily sell for hundreds of thousands of Federation Coins, underscoring just how many wealthy people there were in the Central Star Domain.

However, Tilan herself was unaware of these subsequent developments, she rarely went out, preferring to sleep at home, and after a week since the album's release, she no longer paid attention since future sales would only dwindle.

Such was the situation until a week later, when the four songstresses went out together.