Professor Ryu encourages everyone to grab a beanbag and get comfortable, and Hattie and I camp out in the back, as usual.

“All right, class, I know you’re all on summer break from saram school, but how lucky that you still get to come to Saturday School. A whole summer of learning! Oh, how fun. Would anyone like to start us off by suggesting a topic? Remember, there’s no such thing as a bad idea. We’re all here to feed our brains and, as I always say, everyone all together now—”

“There’s no food like knowledge,” the class chants back.

I glance over at Hattie and she nods. This is it. This is our chance.

“I have one.” In my excitement, my hand shoots up before I have the chance to fully form the question in my mind. “So, um…how exactly would you go about opening a lock enchantment? Like on a safe or something?”

As soon as the words are out, I realize I should have been 1000 percent more subtle. “That is, hypothetically,” I hasten to add. “Not for, like, really opening the safe—because there is no safe—but I mean, if I wanted to open a purely theoretical safe, one that doesn’t actually exist. Like, academically speaking…” Ugh. Total facepalm.

My cheeks go hot, and I mouth a quick Sorry to Hattie. Why didn’t I just let her do the talking? She’s the smooth operator, not me.

Hattie smiles back, though. Don’t worry, you’ve got this, her eyes say.

Professor Ryu taps her chin. “Well, that’s a very specific question, Riley, but as I’ve said before, curiosity is the foremother to knowledge, and knowledge is the most powerful gift of all. So thank you for your contribution.” She scans the room. “Before I provide my thoughts, does anyone else want to volunteer an answer? Remember, this is a safe space”—we all groan at her pun—“where everyone’s opinion counts. Within these four walls, we all have a voice.”

“Except for the wannabe witch.” Jennie sneers over her shoulder at me.

“Just ignore her,” Hattie whispers. “We have more important things to worry about.”

I nod, but my eyes sting. Jennie is officially the worst.

David Kim, a rosy-faced infuser from the Tokki clan, pipes up first. “My mom has one of those safes. She keeps it at the restaurant for her really potent potions and tonics. Once, one of the waitstaff came into the kitchen and accidentally drank a triple dose of confidence potion, thinking it was juice. He then robbed a bank, because he was convinced he wouldn’t get caught. Mom keeps all her stuff locked up now.”

I think of David’s family restaurant, Seoulful Tacos, and immediately feel saliva pool in my mouth. They have the best bulgogi tacos in the city. Which makes sense. Tokki witches have the ability to infuse food with magic.