A leisure read discovered in the Library of Philia in the Grove. In terms of classification, it would be considered... young adult romance?
My Professor Can't Possibly Be This Shy
"Sorry I'm late!" I used the power of a Cognos Bloom to climb over the vines, rushing to the classroom and nervously pulling open the door, only to make eye contact with the person I had an appointment with. The professor, barely over thirty, was leaning casually against the stone lectern, loose and relaxed. The scholar's robe gleamed bright in the dim light of the Evernight, giving off an almost divine aura.
"Hmm? The first class, and already late. Looks like someone is eager to meet Thanatos..." In other words, this was our first one-on-one lesson and I just totally blew it from the start. Probably even Cerces would've felt embarrassed looking at such a sorry scene. Luckily, I had already come up with a plan—
"Sorry, professor! I'll do anything to make it up to you!" "Anything?" "Well... please, I hope you'll be lenient..." At these words, the professor's face broke into a charming smile.
"Then, I want you to teach me." "Wait, Professor...?" "I want you to break down the points in this paper, word by word, and explain them to me slowly." Although there was no mirror here, I could guess that my face had turned red from the sudden and direct request.
"Um, but... Professor... I'm still just a student intern. Isn't it... a bit too... early for me to do something like this?" "Hmph... I finally worked up the courage to say it! Do you want me to waste the lesson I prepared? You fool!" "At least... at least wait until after class!" "...If that's what you'd prefer, then fine. But don't forget, I still haven't forgiven you... So, what should we study first today?" "Why don't we peruse this academic journal? I think they recently published a paper on the patterns of natural numbers." "Sounds good. Come on, let's have a look."
The research paper was immensely valuable, but I couldn't even grasp the basic arguments, as I was too deeply engrossed in the professor's sharp gaze. He looked so rational when he was immersed in numbers. Nothing less than I'd expect from the professor I cherished so much.
After that, we experienced an enriching lesson. We wandered through the classical literature exhibition, eagerly absorbing the newly compiled Titan Faith Studies. Finally, we lingered in the dreams woven by the latest works of the Erythrokeramism School, so much so that we completely forgot.
The bell signaling the Curtain-Fall Hour rang, and we looked at each other. Class was over. More than once, I had resented time for its seemingly linear flow, yet I remained powerless to interfere with it. The professor looked at me and paused for a moment, as if making some kind of decision, then muttered:
"Take out your paper... I'll help you revise it." "Really? You mean it?" "Yes. You are a student I take great pride in. I've been considering this for some time." "Professor..." "Let me understand, your thoughts, your research, your... everything." No further words were needed. Two seekers of knowledge, driven by instinct, began their deep exploration of ideas. At that moment, we had yet to realize that after this lesson, another name would appear in the acknowledgments of the paper. And in the end, this would be the very spark that led to the founding of our academic symposium.