"Wow, it's starting to get a little chilly." Ace clicked his tongue before crossing his arms over his body.
Deuce, the prefect and Grim all glanced at each other in confusion before looking back at Ace, and in unison asked, "You sure you aren't getting sick?"
Winter indeed was drawing closer, yet summer had just ended a month ago. Many interesting events occurred including Yuu's transportation into a new world and their enrolment. Not to mention, there had already been two overblots. Now that there was a new professor in a prestigious academy that caught everyone's attention, the four couldn't imagine what else would happen during a normal day.
"That's right, Night Raven College barely recruits any professors due to many of them already being old and having experience," Ace said. "Now that we have a new professor, and the first female in an all-male school nonetheless, I wonder how long it would take for the academy to be co-ed."
"Co-ed...I lowkey hope that doesn't happen," Deuce muttered. Exhaling, he glanced across the courtyard to see the professor they were talking about. "Oh, it's Professor Rhodonite. Do you think she could help me with some questions on potionology? Yesterday's class was much more confusing than I thought."
"Hah, that class?" Grim triumphed with his nose to the sky. "What was there to not understand?"
"Grim, you understood it?" Yuu asked. "I was sure that you were nodding off at the beginning of the lesson..."
"We don't talk about that!"
Little did they know, their voices were loud enough for Pandora to listen into their conversation. After the regular quizzes and constant reminders to self-study, it was now Halloween month. It was no surprise that there were students who had difficulty focusing on their workload. The same could be said for the professors themselves who had to attend meetings for the sake of Halloween and other events.
Striding on her way towards a staff meeting, Pandora held in the yawns that continued to desperately kick in. As it was close to the Halloween festival, students had been hyped for designing classrooms and places all over the academy. Unable to recall whether she had that sort of youth when she was around their age, she decided festivities were not events she would personally be looking forward to participating.
No...I probably had fun.
While she only attended a local high school, Halloween was still a prominent festivity that called for prioritised organising. However, the students were allocated to participate in what seemed like a 'school festival'; classes had to work together and provide either a service or event on the last day of October. Furthermore, it wasn't as if she didn't have any friends –– while they were all blurred from her memory, unable to be scavenged, Pandora decided to look towards the present and the future rather than the past.
"I wonder if it's because I've already had an interest in researching back then," Pandora whispered to herself while strolling across the building. "But to think I can't even remember much of what I've done when I was in high school myself..."
She had never thought of it, yet at the back of her mind she felt sets of memories lingering behind –– perhaps she was suffering from some sort of memory loss? However, her ability to pick up content during her studies would have said otherwise. It did not quite make any sense nor did she have any academic knowledge about types of memory loss.
It certainly feels weird, so I should get checked sometime soon.
Switching off her phone when she walked closer to the meeting room, her ears could pick up audible words from other Professors who were waiting for her to arrive.
"Hm... I'm looking forward to organising it, but having to work with..."
"Ah yeah, working with Professor Rhodonite is gonna be tough."
"She's been a university prodigy and was scouted by RSA and now NRC. We, on the other hand, had to submit paperwork and sit through multiple interviews."
"I know she's been here for a while now and I haven't said anything about her, but don't you think the reason why she quit RSA was because of her own attitude?"
"That's what I've been thinking. C'mon, I know that professors like Vargas and Crewel are cocky, but they're fun to talk to. We share similar interests. For Rhodonite, however..."
"Mhm... it's as if she's some sort of robot."
Why am I just standing here? I've done nothing wrong.
Move, hand. Move.
Twist that doorknob.
However, she could only manage to sigh. Hearing the word 'robot' led to her recalling a certain conversation she had with a certain someone at a certain cuisine. After a few weeks of her employment, Pandora had yet to feel remorse for her own breakup.
Since I haven't felt an ounce of sadness or regret for my ex, perhaps I really had no feelings for him at all. I've led him on for a whole seven years...
Even though they had first hit off as great friends, that was it.
Unable to lift her own hand to even twist the doorknob, her eyes widened when she felt the presence of someone looming behind her; a dark glove confidently pushing that very door open.
Her eyes met a fur coat.
"If you all have time to look down upon a fellow professor, I suppose you will all contribute well to this meeting?" A deep voice shook her awake along with the professors in the room guilty of their gossiping. Following behind Divus was Professor Trein, returning to her a greeting from outside of the room. Studying the look of disappointment on his face, she began to finally collect her thoughts and step into the room after finding herself behind the latter's frame.
She caught sight of the other professors flinching at her presence and did not forget to return to them a sharp and menacing glare.
"W-Well about that...we haven't actually been able to come up with any interesting ideas," one of them laughed it off as if nothing had happened. "We older professors don't have time for that, right Crewel? Professor Trein? This was meant to be something that the students themselves should organise. Why should we get involved...and hold a meeting no less? Shouldn't we take time to defrost?"
"Defrost?" Pandora repeated, giving the professor a look as if she had never heard something so idiotic in her entire life. "My, you humour us so. It seems you've woken up on the wrong side of the bed...or correct me if I'm wrong, but did your brain start to rot? The last time we underwent training as professors we were taught to contribute as much as we could for public events such as festivals. Our students and professors are representatives of honouring the academy. If you desire to let others take the initiative for you, then you're no less than dead weight."
Grunting in frustration and unable to afford to say anything else that could tarnish their reputation, they stayed silent as the three took their seats.
"First, we should discuss the budget," Trein suggested. "Since the students were allocated the role of designing their own dorms and the surrounding grounds, we must make sure they aren't spending too much."
"I've been keeping in touch with all of the dorm representatives," Pandora answered. "So far, they're all doing an excellent job at spending as much as they need to. However, as children who like to joke around, they've been suggesting outrageous marketing prices for their services."
"Which are?"
"For example, ten thousand madol for a small lucky bag which contains a 0.1% chance to win something valuable."
Divus sneered and folded his arms, leaning backwards on his seat. "That sounds like Octavinelle."
"It would've been easier to deal with if it was just Octavinelle, yet the dorm leader of Ignihyde has given his support because, quote, '0.1% pulls sounds like today's gacha mobile games'," Pandora continued.
"Ridiculous," Trein exhaled. "Alright, let's focus on something other than the marketing. Are there any struggling with the finances?"
"As you all know, costumes are a vital aspect of Halloween," Divus began. "Pomefiore, due to the nature of their dorm, has prioritised the materials used in their costumes before their services and they've come to ask me for advice. Just as Professor Rhodonite has mentioned, so far none of the dorms has gone over their budget and they've been quite cautious with their spending. We'll do our best to continue monitoring our students."
The meeting persisted with flying colours other than how the gossiping professors had stayed quiet for the majority of the conversations. Pandora, who had briefly yet concisely noted down the minutes of the meeting, decided to prioritise her role as a professor over beefing with her colleagues.
Time had passed, and the meeting was soon over.
Rising from her seat and leaving the meeting room, she heard her name being called from behind. She turned her body around, her device used to take notes held closely to her chest. "What seems to be the problem, Professor Trein?"
"It's about what happened before the meeting started," the much older professor said. "I know you're the type to make sure your personal problems don't get in the way of your job, but Professor Crewel and I hope that you don't dwell on it."
"...I'll try not to," Pandora nodded, wondering why her tone of voice sounded so unsure. "Right. I need to send the minutes to everyone from that meeting including the Headmaster, so I'll need their contact details. Do you suppose I could have them collated sometime before the end of the week?"
"I'll have them sent to you by the end of the day."
"Excellent."
Exchanging their goodbyes, Pandora waited for the latter to leave before heading back to her faculty. It was almost time to head back to the Professors' dorms, yet she had not collected the quizzes her students had given her for marking as it was left on her desk. Stretching her exhausted arms from all the writing during the meeting, she squinted her eyes at a figure from the corner of her eye as she approached closer to the faculty room.
"Professor Crewel?"
Indeed, standing in front of the faculty room was Divus himself who had left the meeting slightly earlier to deal with the science club's issue. Seeing as he was nowhere near the labs or the botanical garden, Pandora assumed he had finished with the business he was called for.
"Ah, you arrived at the right timing," he briefly spoke while readjusting his fur coat. "There was something I just wanted to recheck with what we talked about during the meeting and the stuff I've missed. Do you mind if I borrow your device?"
"Not at all."
Handing him her device where she had written all the minutes, she stood beside him and glanced at the hallway desolate of students. Many of the students have begun heading back to their dorms much quicker than usual due to the preparations leading to Halloween. Glancing back at Divus, she lifted an eyebrow after seeing a peculiar expression on his features.
"Is there something in there you don't understand?" Pandora questioned, leaning closer to the latter to check the minutes she had handwritten on the device. "Personally, I think it's all self-explanatory."
"Yeah, I don't understand any of it," Divus answered with a deadpan tone. He then turned the device to face her and zoomed into her handwriting. "Since all of this is illegible."
"...Hm," Pandora simply glanced at her own device again before looking back at Divus. "I think that's a skill issue."
"HUH? A skill issue? Alright, you tell me if this is a 5 or an S."
"That's clearly an '&'."
"Have you never thought to use your device to type the minutes rather than handwrite them?" Divus asked after inhaling and exhaling several times, calming himself down.
Pandora folded her arms. "I write faster than I can type. What's wrong with being more efficient?"
"This efficiency has led to me trying to decipher some hieroglyphics from an ancient civilisation."
"Oh, you must be exaggerating," Pandora scoffed, the corner of her lips rising. The rare smirk on her face was not left unseen, and Divus returned the look with a teasing smile while pointing at her.
"What's this? Seeing as you're smirking, it seems you're also admitting that your handwriting isn't the best out there and you just want to defend yourself," he continued to mock. Thrown off by how Divus had pointed at her, Pandora gently slapped his finger down to disprove his hypothesis. However, he lifted a finger and pointed at her once again, causing her to slap it once again. Like a children's little game, they had reached the fourth round until Pandora grabbed his hand without any warning, stunning the latter.
Her hand wrapped around his pointed finger, Divus traced his eyes back to Pandora's unfamiliar demeanour and waited for a response.
This is...kind of awkward.
"Professor Rhodonite?"
"I...I don't think I've apologised yet."
Divus furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember what she had done that called for an apology. "For what, exactly?"
"For having you open the door."
"That's just a door."
Pandora shook her head. "It wasn't just a door."
Divus focused on his finger which was still being held hostage by her hand. "It will be. No matter whose life it is, we're all going to be opening doors. The doors might be secured by a lock –– or the door might have already been opened for us. What does matter is when we'll walk through it, what we'll see when our eyes meet it, or perhaps what we'll do after walking through it."
Expecting a verbal response, he instead felt the grip of her hand tighten. At this rate, he wouldn't be surprised if his finger swelled up.
"I guess..." Divus decided to continue speaking to break the silence. "If you ever need help opening a door or crushing it down, you can always come to me. I don't quite prefer it when you apologise, though. A 'thank you' will suffice."
"I see," she finally responded, releasing the poor finger from its hostage. "Then thank you for your assistance, Professor Crewel."
"You're welcome."
Coral eyes then confidently faced Divus, the same eyes he had seen at the cuisine –– shining with intelligence, grace and fearlessness –– now, there was nothing he needed to worry about. Hiding within the throbbing of his finger was his heart which began to act strangely, and he hoped his cheeks weren't hot.
"And for the minutes that I wrote...I'll type them up once I've taken some rest."
"Great. I'll actually be able to read them now––"
Pandora glared at the latter and gestured her wand, zipping his mouth shut with magic. Placing her wand back into her blazer's pocket, she strolled off and waved her hand in a carefree manner to enter the faculty room to collect her students' quizzes.
Leaving Divus outside in the hallway with closed lips, he huffed and removed the spell effortlessly. Realising that the magic she had used wasn't strong at all and that she could channel a much stronger one, he recalled back when she slapped his hand coldly when they had first met.
"Tsk, she's such a tease."
⚗️
"Haaah, it seems our plan to sell the lucky bags isn't working out."
Within Mostro Lounge resided the dorm leader of Octavinelle, a face filled with pity as he read through the school staff's response to his business proposal. Tossing the paperwork onto the glass table, he could only take a single breath as his break time before hearing a commotion from outside of the lounge.
Just what seems to be happening out there? I have no time to listen to other people's inquiries unrelated to Halloween.
"What is it?" He queried, strolling towards the entrance. Upon seeing a familiar figure, Azul's eyes twitched in dread as he placed a hand on his hip. "Ugh, what business do you have here, Leona-san?"
The dorm leader of Savanaclaw snickered, "I'm glad you aren't hiding your distaste in front of me, Azul. However, I have no business with any of your contracts –– I'm here to ask you some questions."
Some questions? How suspicious.
"...Then let's head over to my office."
After a whole two minutes of silence and just walking, Azul could finally breathe the moment they entered the doors of his own office. Closing the door behind him and darting his eyes at Leona who made himself comfortable on the sofa, he finally was able to raise his voice.
"Just what is it that you want to talk about during such a busy time? You do know I have a lounge to run and the Halloween finances to oversee?"
"Of course I know," Leona agreed, his face seemingly calculating a scheme. "That's why I'd rather find some other problem to face than oversee the Halloween event."
Azul knew he couldn't quite handle Savanaclaw's dorm leader as he could with the other dorm leaders. He was sure he could communicate well with Riddle after all they went through at S.T.Y.X, and he was already on great terms with Vil when it came to Pomefiore's beauty products. Despite being on a different wavelength from Kalim, his easygoing nature was enough to make him feel more comfortable talking to and he was always an accepting person. The dorm leader of Ignihyde, while he did have his moments, got along with him due to being in the same club and versing each other in various games. He ignored his thoughts of Malleus.
"So? What do you want to talk about?"
"That new professor who came from RSA...Professor Rhodonite, was it?" Leona hummed. "It was faint, but I smelt it."
Azul knew what was going on in Leona's mind. Not long ago was the professor designated to be the club advisor for the board game club. However, due to their independence and interest in only board games, they did not need a club advisor. After having a discussion with Pandora herself, she had agreed to give them their 'youthful privacy' to enjoy these games themselves.
And what he smelt was...
"She was one of you guys."
From the deep sea, with scales of her own, a mermaid lacking the scent of the ocean as if she had never returned home in many years. It didn't take long for Azul to ignore the professor's origins as there was no need to snoop –– honestly, who really cared if the professor came from the waters or not?
What was more alarming was why the latter had his interests perked.
"What about it?" Azul questioned further, hands folded over the other. "It's not like you to pry into someone else's private life."
"Don't you get it?" He asked. "You see, the Headmaster had been wanting to employ this professor ever since she graduated from university."
"Because of her academic efforts, yes."
"But you see, there's a twist to it."
Snapping his fingers, a sheet of paper materialised and landed on the table separating them. Unable to process what Leona was thinking, Azul casually picked the paper up with his hand, skimming through the paper before understanding what it was.
"This is..!? Are you saying this paper and that professor are related? But other professors have ever only said she's written one proof that managed to be a huge hit."
"That's because this paper is taboo," Leona elaborated, his arms on the handrest of the sofa. "Just think about it, the professor has been employed for years –– yet they couldn't pick up that she was the one who had written this, too."
Azul placed the paper back on the table. "Then what makes you think she was the one who had written this? If other professors couldn't even figure it out, how could you?"
Leona yawned sluggishly before glancing back at the curious Azul. He then lifted a finger to his lips.
"Shh, that's a secret."
--
a/n
i think im alive