When the final bell rang for students to return to their dorms, Pandora found herself at the Professors' dorms. It was not recommended for professors to leave the campus grounds while students stay, so professors of such prestigious academies were paid much higher wages to supplement their stay. Before she made her way to the Professors' dorms, she explored the campus a bit more.
"I want to try visiting the other dorms when I adjust to this academy enough."
Wandering around without a clear goal of where to go, she decided to visit the parts of the campus that had nothing to do with her expertise. First, she made her way to the field where students struggled to keep up with the physical health professor, Vargas. With a build like his, Pandora was sure that she would not have already found it exhausting to travel from the classrooms to the grassy fields –- muscles like those, however, would certainly be eye-catching.
Staring for too long had caused her no good. The physical health professor caught her gaze, and he immediately dashed with enthusiasm to her direction while she stood there, frozen in place, wondering whether she should run away from him or pretend his presence had never existed. It only took him a few seconds to catch up to where she was, and his loud voice was to be expected from such a large figure.
"Oho! You must be the new professor, which department?"
"Uh, science."
"So you're with Professor Crewel! Nice to meet you, Professor..?"
"Rhodonite. You are?"
"They call me Vargas, the carrier of such spectacular muscles –– but seeing you in person, how about trying out some body-training workouts to improve your focus seeing how you were looking around earlier..."
Pandora, the logical woman she was, understood the logic behind working out for the sake of a healthy mentality. Despite his enthusiasm for physical activity and his peculiar sense of muscles, she merely agreed with his opinion and promised to tag along with him when she had the time for it.
Now, she had to face the challenge of entering the Professors' dorms.
It was to no surprise that when she pushed open the double doors, the interior was much more comfortable than she had presumed. It gave off an antique vibe the moment her coral eyes glanced upon the lounge in front of her, stepping in to smell the fragrant wood from the bookshelves aligned and organised across the walls. On the side was a grand piano, perhaps for the professors who were more adept in music, and on the other side of her ear did she pick up the cackling of flames from the fireplace.
The scent of strong coffee made her feel less restless.
"Oh, you've arrived, my new colleague!" The Headmaster's voice chirped from the second-floor wooden handrails, peering down from where she stood. Pandora did not quite like the way he stared from above, so her legs carried her up the stairs towards him. "Did that grand piano surprise you? It's Sam's, he's quite the professional with it! Most of the time we gather around to hear his performances while we sip on our coffee mugs, oh, especially during winter."
"Sam?"
"He's the owner of Mr. S's Mystery Shop. Since he stays there all the time, he often doesn't return to the dorms unless it's the school break."
"I see. What about the other professors?"
"Many of our professors are middle-aged, and so they all have young families. You don't really see any Professors at this time because the history and literature faculties all have meetings right now, but most of our staff actually reside in the town further into Crane Port to live with their families. While they have to wake up earlier to travel down here, they say it's worth it~!"
Pandora nodded, then remembered about her luggage. She followed him down the hallway until they reached the next flight of stairs. "Which floor and room should I be staying in?"
"Since the floors are assigned by which faculty you're in, the science faculty will be on the third floor. The second is for history and literature, after all," the Headmaster exclaimed as they walked up. Reaching the third floor, they travelled slightly further until they reached the other side. "That far left room should be yours. Oh, and I also administered much stronger barrier magic on your door for security reasons."
Pandora paused, glancing at the doorknob that had strong traces of magic.
Hm, he's not lying –– this level of magic is so strong that I wouldn't be surprised if all Professors cannot fiddle with it. However...
"Is this on all the dorm rooms, Headmaster?"
"Hm? Nope. Just yours."
Pandora felt her eye twitch, and she stood up from crouching while looking at the spells on the doorknob. "If you had access to such magic, isn't it recommended that you should use it for all the rooms, and not just mine? I suppose cost isn't an issue, but gender."
Unlocking the door, she slipped through and turned around to where Dire Crowley stood, speechless. "Oh, I also just summoned another spell just in case. I'll see you later, Headmaster."
With that, she closed the door until there was a loud locking sound released from the doorknob.
Swivelling to check her room, Pandora studied the plain yet decent-sized room. To the left, there was another door that led to a shower and bathroom whereas to her right was a walk-in wardrobe. Questioning whether this was a Professor's luxury, she began organising the luggage left on the floor that she carried with her when she had first arrived at the academy.
She also could not help but recall her old home, a one-storey block she thought would encase happiness with her ex-boyfriend. Once warm and comforting, Pandora sighed heavily the moment she imagined how cold, isolated and lonely the entire home would be when she ever returned to it during the holidays. Her mind then stretched towards her own family –– their shadows and backs turned. Their faces blurred, her temples began to ache, and she slapped her hands together to stop thinking about them.
"Alright. Let's start cleaning."
Nonetheless, Pandora was the type to overthink. While she waved her wand to embed the wooden organisers onto the wall and the ornaments along with it, what stormed within her thoughts was whether she could truly adapt to the change in the working environment. Even though it was not her first time working for a prestigious academy, the timing of her employment and breakup still lingered. While she was rebuilding her bed frames, she heard another knock on the door.
Glimpsing at the window beside where the bed frames were, the sun was already beginning to set. Unable to notice due to her thoughts, she shoved her wand back into her pocket and made her way to the door.
Gaping the door open, her eyes met with the double-toned hair on the taller figure. None other than Divus with a complicated expression resting on his features, she furrowed her eyebrows and moved to give him more space. Adjusting her glasses, she widened the door. "What are you standing there for? Come in. There's a stool over there which is the only seat."
"It seems I've disturbed you from organising your room," he cleared his throat, awkwardly glancing around as if it was the first time he had entered a woman's room. Pandora continued to stare at him while she rested her bottom on the bed frame, eyes telling him to state his business, and he crossed his arms while thinking about the right words to say. "It really isn't much worth talking about, but..."
"Is it about what you witnessed at the cuisine?" She raised a hand to interrupt him. "If so, then––"
"No, no. Well, there is that, too," he began, unsure of his own words. "First, I just wanted to welcome you to the academy. Of course, what the Headmaster explained to us when he claimed he'd hired you was less information given than the situation held; judging from the Headmaster's personality and yours, I'm sure you were quite uneasy after being swept under his waves."
Pandora recalled when she had met Crowley, understanding that she, too, had been suddenly swept by the Headmaster's pace. "I suppose that's true, I have no words to refute that. However, I do have some suspicions about the Headmaster. I've been thinking about it while cleaning this place up, and I personally think while his carefree nature is a huge contrast to his status as Night Raven College's Headmaster, his sudden appearance when I broke up with my partner seemed more than coincidental."
Divus crossed a leg over the other and swallowed his saliva. Not only was it uneasy to see how she easily mentioned her 'ex-partner', but it also seemed that she was quick enough to notice the Headmaster's schemes. He himself did not know what the Headmaster's true nature was like despite working under him for several years.
Continuing her suspicions, she noted, "Not all, why would he visit the Shaftlands in the middle of the school term just to employ a professor at this moment in time? Strictly speaking, it's as if he was waiting for this moment, or as if he has a major role in what's going to happen in the future."
The latter nodded in understanding. "We've also thought it was out of place when the Headmaster suddenly left and returned with the news, but from what I've seen, he's been eager to take you in ever since you released your research proof from years ago."
"Proof?" Pandora repeated in a questioning tone. "Oh, that? I surely did put my heart and soul into it, but I never presumed so many people knew about it. I'm sure it's only for my university to see."
"Well, that must be because of the redistribution of your work in the education department."
"Pardon?"
Divus folded his arms as he explained the earlier years of his teaching experience. "Usually, a graduate's work wouldn't be so easily distributed across many learning platforms due to privacy and copyright issues without permission. Surely nothing had happened during the first year after you handed it in as your university research task, but the moment you were recruited by the headmaster of Royal Sword Academy, many professors began searching for your worth."
"My worth...and that is my research proof?"
"Precisely," he answered. "It's very unlikely for headmasters to go all their way to employ a graduate for their work, after all. Not to mention, it's happened twice for you now. Your worth being what you've submitted had logical, succinct and only the truest content –– and because you've unveiled a new side of magic and its application, many Professors across Twisted Wonderland wanted a copy for themselves."
Pandora tilted her head and rested her chin on her palm. "Because I correlated the characteristics of magic into more general properties that can allow researchers to extract data more specifically?"
"I had a read of it when the Headmaster gave it to me. Not only does it distinctively draw how different types of basic magic can generate new affinities, but your entire proof would also basically become a..."
Suddenly stopping his sentence, Pandora raised an eyebrow. "Why did you suddenly stop? What would it become?"
"E-Excuse me, no pun intended...but your entire proof will become something of Pandora's box."
Pandora blinked before mouthing an 'oh', contemplating the situation. "I can definitely see where you're coming from. Just like you've said, Pandora's box lets out everything inherently positive and negative into the world. My proof can become a weapon for ethically inconsiderate researchers. I didn't quite think about this being an issue because I was just a student back then, but after hearing how far my work has travelled these past few years, this might be a stronger problem than I've imagined."
Clearing his throat for the n-th time, he deduced the Headmaster's aim. "What I presume the Headmaster is doing is that by keeping you occupied as a Professor with more responsibilities, you might not have enough time to complete a perhaps more game-changing proof about magic that will consequently lead to higher risks of magic use."
Taking this in, Pandora immediately retorted his words. "Well, that might be quite the difficult task."
"Hm? Why do you say so?"
"Because I'm already midway through planning my next proof."
Choking on his own saliva, Divus patted his own chest out of utter shock, almost slipping off the small wooden stool supporting his bottom. "A-Already!?"
"Yes."
Sighing, he placed a hand on his temples, preventing him from gaining any wrinkles for his age without saying a single word. Pandora continued to stare at him with a blank, unfazed expression on her fair features. Divus discerned that it was mayhaps because she was used to people telling her not to write her proofs and theses.
"Professor Crewel," she suddenly spoke.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Do you prefer it if I do not write anything?"
After hearing such a responsible inquiry, he instantly straightened his back and glanced at the latter, giving her a confused look. Surprised that she asked him such a question, he sincerely thought about it by placing a hand on his chin. "Professor Rhodonite, you want an honest answer from me, right?"
"Of course. As honest as possible."
"Alright," he began, looking at Pandora's sharp, coral eyes. "If there's anything that interests you, write about it. In my opinion, there's nothing in this world that is inherently all light and no shadow. Proofs have been timelessly published to our growing society not to bring harm, but awareness and long-term benefit. So if anything, your proofs can be huge contributions to uncovering the more specific and dangerous aspects of magic that we can perhaps acknowledge in the future."
Once he ended his reasoning, he caught sight of an expression on Pandora's face that he had never seen before. Before he was able to study her face, Pandora simply stood up and dusts off her dress pants and returned to her normal stoic features. "I see. Thank you for your response. I figure it's time for me to continue organising this room."
"So it's this late already," Divus motioned a nod and stood from the stool to make his way out the door. However, before he left, he turned around to meet the latter. "Oh, that's right. Thanks for the sandwiches earlier. They helped me a lot before I went to the science club."
"I'm glad to hear that."
Without batting an eye, Pandora began closing the door between them and before Divus was able to process his mind, his arm moved sooner. Stopping the door from closing, Pandora blinked and glanced at him once again.
"Is there anything else you would like to address?"
"W-Well..." He stuttered, wondering why he had lost his composure. "The sticky note..."
"What about the sticky note?"
"Your handwriting. It's kind of messy."
Pandora blankly stared at Divus, blinking twice, before slamming the door shut and leaving him outside alone. Rather than thinking about how he had gotten locked out, Divus leaned on the wall across the door, recalling the look she had given him when he told her to continue writing her proofs.
A soft smile with pleased, warm eyes.
"What? So that pup can smile."
⚗️
After that evening, they had barely met each other around the campus and in the Professors' dorms for the next few days. Perhaps it was because she heard decent words from Divus, causing her to be pumped up to continue her research. Of course, she did not prioritise her personal matters before her students –– she had made sure to complete days worth of lesson plans for each of her classes, along with the mock exams she had stayed up late completing in order to jog her knowledge.
Perhaps this academy is not that bad after all. I see barely any fights lately, and the canteen food is always cooked well––
Before she had finished her internal monologue, she heard shouts from the cafeteria and rolled her eyes.
Not.
"Boys!" She called, walking over to them with her clacking heels. "What seems to be the problem? There's been some loud noise coming from you all."
"Oh, the female professor––!" The students gasped, staring at her as if she were a specimen. Aggravated, she decided to clench her fists behind her back rather than throw her sharp tongue.
"A reminder that the cafeteria is a public area for anyone to use," she warned, pushing her glasses up and sending them a glare. "Any ruckus that can decrease a student's satisfaction with the cafeteria and its service is unacceptable."
With that, the group of male students left for another area, whispering to each other about her strictness loud enough for her to hear.
Goodness me, students are lacking quite the manners lately. The cafeteria is the best place to monitor the number of kids acting out, yet the worst possible place for professors to rest.
"Hm? Professor Rhodonite?"
Hearing a familiar voice behind her, Pandora swivelled her head to meet another group of students, this time, faces she had seen around campus before.
"It's you, Roseheart-san," she greeted. "Any questions you're having trouble with?"
"Rather than troubling, there is something I'm curious about," the red-haired dorm leader elaborated. Pulling out a smaller notepad from his pocket and his pen from his blazer pocket. Behind him were students from the same dorm, scrunching their faces at the sight of Riddle asking questions during their lunch break.
"Heeyy dorm leader, we'll head off to get some food first, okay?" One of them groaned, seemingly his junior. With a heart by his eye, his stride carefree, Pandora noted that the Heartslabyul student was the type of student she would not like to deal with. Focusing back on Riddle's question, she read a question off the notepad and hummed in thought.
"This is quite the open-ended question," she commented. "Currently we're all very unsure about the concepts of other worlds. Of course, we've all only ever seen the world we're currently in right now, however, if we're talking about world jumping, perhaps you'd like to start by think about whether it's possible for us to be accessible to other planets through magic."
"Other planets, you say?"
"It's possible for other worlds to not have access to magic. This means that worlds without magic would have little chance to be able to enter worlds that do have magic. If so, wouldn't you think about whether it's this world that reached out to the world without magic?" Pandora questioned. "This is about the mysterious prefect who came from 'another world', right?"
"How did you know?"
"Well, the news does spread –– especially about someone who came from a world without magic," Pandora answered. "I've heard quite lately, though, from the headmaster who said he was focusing on this matter as a high priority. Something as bizarre as this definitely sparks my interest, but I assume you're researching this not out of genuine interest, but because you want to help."
Feeling as if he had been read like a book, he glanced at his group of friends who were chatting in their seats from a distance. "Despite their untidiness, they've all helped me a lot. In order to return the favour, I wanted to help the prefect with my abilities –– unfortunately, I've found nothing much to work off of."
"Hm, but during moments like these, isn't it better to treasure their presence a little more?" Pandora suggested. It was quite out of character for her to mention such thoughts, yet by wearing the shoes of a person with a friend who could disappear by any day, perhaps the motives of finding clues to send them home would be regretful. "When you look at them, they look so human –– but the fact that they came from another world, experienced such different memories than we had, it makes them feel quite alien. This is why I'm suggesting that rather than indulging yourself in research at such a young age, remember to share some memories before sending them off."
Riddle stayed silent, then asked another question. "Then, may I ask, why you've been aspired to research magic?"
"That's because I research to find the truth and only the truth."
"The truth? Is it something that makes you feel like you've understood the world a bit more?"
"Somewhere along those lines, I suppose," Pandora exhaled before adjusting her sleeves. "The truth is something that's reassuring, for me at the very least, because you can accept it at any moment in time."
You who have been saved by your friends, to be able to be reassured by them must be a blessing.
And for me, who's still left in the darkness...I will continue to search for a new truth.
-----
A/N
FINALSFINALSFINALSFINALSFINALS
okay I will study >:)
maybe after a few more chapters I have too many ideas for stories right now
for those who are confused about crane port:
It's within sage's island, but not really sure what to call the further area where the buildings are so I just called it 'further down crane port'. This is screenshotted from the current jp server 'Portfest'!