“Hssss!!!”
There were still two days left before the secondary defense officially began.
Greg stood in front of his instructor Alice's room. He had just knocked on the door when a sharp, defensive hiss echoed from inside, sounding exactly like a cat that had its tail stepped on.
Greg quickly called out through the door, “Calm down! Alice-meow, I'm not a bad guy! It's me, your student, Greg!”
There was a brief silence inside, followed by an even more intense reaction: “Hssssssss!!!!!!”
Greg's mouth twitched.
Why does it feel like she's even more spooked now?
Does my voice really sound that much like a bad guy's?
After a long while, the door slowly creaked open a sliver.
Alice, wearing oversized professor robes with her shoulder-length purple hair, peeked out with half her head from behind the door. A trace of lingering vigilance still flickered in her eyes.
Only after she clearly saw that the person standing outside was indeed Greg did she relax slightly, saying with some embarrassment:
“Sorry... I think I had a bit of a stress response just now.”
Greg replied, “I won't forgive you. You've deeply wounded my fragile, innocent heart.”
Alice blinked, looking down helplessly. “Umu...”
“Just kidding. How could a majestic lion with grand ambitions like me be so petty?”
Seeing her like that, Greg didn't have the heart to keep teasing her. He smiled, pushed the door open, and stepped into the room.
He glanced around. The curtains were drawn tight, the desk was piled high with various documents and materials, and several open suitcases lay on the bed. The entire room felt as though it had been completely cut off from the outside world for several days.
He turned back to look at Alice.
“By the way, you haven't left this room in days, have you? Your behavior is really abnormal right now. Even Professor Grace from the first-year division asked me to check if you were sick.”
Alice closed the door, walked over to her suitcase, and knelt down to gently stroke the lid. She spoke with a matter-of-fact seriousness, “Because there is something very important inside. I feel like I have to watch over it constantly.”
Greg knew she was referring to the new belt-shaped magic conduit they had recently developed using the Golden Glow Spider Silk.
It was indeed a highly significant achievement, but Greg still felt there was no need to go so far as to lock herself in her room.
He sighed, walked over to Alice, and squatted down to look her in the eye.
“You really don't need to be this tense. After all, no one else even knows we've made this thing yet. By acting like this, you're practically screaming to everyone that you have a secret.”
But Alice shook her head, her hands still protectively covering the suitcase. Her tone was a bit firmer than before.
“No, this is too important. If anything goes wrong, all our hard work during this time will go to waste. I must guard it myself to feel at ease.”
Looking at her earnest expression, Greg knew she truly valued this magic conduit above everything else.
He remained silent for a moment, then shifted to a more patient, gentle tone.
“I understand how you feel, and this item is indeed crucial. But think about it—if you keep shutting yourself in your room, it'll only make others more suspicious. It's one thing for a professor to stay inside for a few days, but if it goes on for more than a week, what will people think? It'll only draw unnecessary attention.”
A flicker of hesitation crossed Alice's eyes.
Greg pressed on:
“Besides, there's still over half a month before the research presentation. You can't possibly stay cooped up in here the entire time, can you?”
“So instead of wearing yourself out, why not go out for some fresh air while you're still in good spirits? Just lock the doors and windows; nothing will happen to it.”
Alice lowered her head, falling silent for a long time.
Her fingers traced back and forth along the edge of the suitcase, as if she were waging a final internal struggle.
Ultimately, she let out a soft sigh and nodded. “...Um, you make a good point. I'll go out for a walk in a bit.”
Greg nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at the clock on the wall.
“Alright, in that case, I won't disturb you any longer. I have other plans next, so I'll be off.”
Just as he turned to leave the room, Alice's low voice sounded from behind him.
“...Thank you.”
Greg stopped in his tracks.
Alice was still crouching by the suitcase, her head lowered. Her voice was even softer than before, as if she were afraid of being overheard.
“Thank you... both for when we were researching the magic conduit, and for now.”
Greg was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and replied warmly:
“Don't mention it. You're my instructor, after all. If I don't help you, who will?”
Alice looked up at him, a faint smile gracing her lips as she gave a gentle nod.
Greg waved, turned, and walked out of the room, softly closing the door behind him.
He headed down two flights of stairs, passing through a corridor that connected the dormitory area to the teaching area. As he neared the floor of his own dormitory, he spotted two familiar figures standing in the hallway from a distance.
It was Victoria and Silvia.
The “other plans” Greg had mentioned to Alice were, in fact, guiding the two of them in preparing for the secondary defense.
Although Victoria's previous accusation of him secretly grinding was complete nonsense, it had made him realize one thing:
Victoria indeed hadn't had enough time to prepare for the secondary defense during this exchange.
Because he had dragged her into the lab to handle fire safety, she spent almost every day either putting out fires or getting caught in explosions, leaving her with barely any time to sit down and study.
So, partly to make it up to her, Greg had decided to offer some guidance on her preparation before the secondary defense began.
Of course, Greg himself still wasn't very good at theory, but he had the standard answers in his head.
Those test-taking strategies and argumentative frameworks, which had been repeatedly verified by the player community, were more than enough to guide them through the secondary defense.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Greg said as he walked over, greeting them.
Victoria crossed her arms, replying in an annoyed tone: “I knew you wouldn't be on time. I wanted to come later, but Silvia insisted on dragging me here so early, making both of us stand here waiting for so long.”
Greg shrugged helplessly.
“I couldn't help it. I was suddenly called away to check on our instructor's mental health.”
Hearing this, Victoria's tone softened slightly.
“Now that you mention it, I don't think I've seen Alice since we arrived. How is she?”
“She's fine now. I convinced her to go out for a walk. You should be able to see her in the audience during the secondary defense,” Greg answered.
Victoria nodded. Since Greg had a legitimate reason for being late, she naturally wouldn't keep nagging him.
At this point, Silvia, who had been standing silently on the side, finally spoke up.
Her voice carried a hint of apprehension, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.
“Um... Senior Greg, I came along too. I hope I'm not intruding? I-If you mind, I can leave right now...”
Initially, Greg had intended to tutor Victoria alone. However, when he had proposed the idea, Victoria had immediately shot back:
“You want me to stay in a room alone with a scumbag like you? In your dreams!”
And so, she had decided to drag Silvia along.
Greg immediately waved his hand. “If it were anyone else, maybe, but since it's you, Silvia, I absolutely don't mind!”
“I-Is that so...”
Upon hearing his words, Silvia's cheeks flushed slightly. She lowered her head happily, her gaze falling to the tips of her shoes as a soft, gentle smile unconsciously graced her lips.
Rate on N.U.
