TRS 1

Chapter 1

It wasn’t long after Rosia Willen opened her eyes that she realized she was late.

Through the slightly open window, the sound of birds chirping drifted in. The lukewarm March sunshine was shining deep into her dormitory room. It was a perfectly peaceful morning. Except for the fact that today was the first day of the new semester.

She had been lying still, trying to gather her wits, but reflexively bolted upright. It was past 9:30. Even if she got ready now and ran like hell, it would take at least fifteen minutes.

To be almost an hour late on the first day of her graduation year, a day she should be greeting with reverence? It didn’t feel good. Perhaps because of that thought, her preparation process was a disaster. Misbuttoning her blouse and having to start over from the beginning was just the start.

She hastily shoved her notebooks and writing implements into her bag and barely grazed the ink bottle, but it tipped over as if it were a lie. Blue ink gushed out, instantly soaking the edge of the desk and the white carpet. It seemed she hadn’t closed the lid properly when she last used it.

Shoving one arm into her uniform jacket and crushing the backs of her shoes as she put them on, she formed a hand seal to cast restoration magic. In the process, her foot caught on the bag she had tossed aside. Fortunately, she managed to grab the bed and avoid falling, but by then, the back of her neck felt cold.

Rosia swept back her messy, wheat-colored hair and muttered internally. Her acorn-colored eyes blinked blankly.

That day when bad luck sticks like glue and it feels like the whole world hates me… Just imagining it sent a chill down her spine, and she quickly shook her head. she took a moment to take a deep breath and compose herself.

It was.

As she locked her door, she took out her schedule and looked down, her eyes widening.

*

So, what kind of class was ‘Understanding Others’?

It was a common elective subject that every student attending Genios had to complete to graduate, regardless of their faculty.

The class involved pairing up students for a Group Project aimed at fostering exchange and friendship. It was notorious for birthing many couples. She had heard that after the first day, instead of gathering in the lecture hall, partners just had to meet up and do activities to get to know each other.

Whether studying together, exploring restaurants, or even doing nothing and taking a nap, it was fine. Provided that when presenting the results on the last day of class, there was enough evidence to persuade the professor.

Since it just needed to be taken before graduation and was easy to pass as long as the rules weren’t broken, students with demanding majors tended to save it for their very last year. For example, those in the Faculty of Magic.

So, like others in her faculty, Rosia had put it off until now to secure time for graduation exam studies. Now, she had finally registered for it.

Her plan had been this: Pair up with a student in a reasonably similar situation. Then, spend time as solid study mates in the library, doing their own work. If only she hadn’t overslept, it would have been a picture-perfect scenario. Although, that was all ruined now.

The decent people would have already been snatched up, and she had no idea who would be left. No, would there be anyone left at all?  Goosebumps rose along her arms.

She ran with quick steps and passed through the teleportation gate next to the dormitory entrance. As soon as her vision flashed white and then cleared, a familiar building came into view.

Its official name was Bertich Hall, but because of the gaudy sunflower painting taking up an entire wall on the first floor, it was commonly called Sunflower Hall. Since all the school’s elective classes were held here, students drifted in and out of this place like it was their own home throughout their five years at Genios.

Because students from all faculties gathered here, the building was large, and the lounges and student cafeteria were well-built, so many people loitered around even if they didn’t have class. In other words, it meant the place was teeming with people chattering and occupying the middle of the hallways and stairs while she was busy as hell.

“Excuse me, just passing through!”

The students, chattering in groups of threes and fives, glanced back at her with annoyed expressions and moved sluggishly to make way. Not only was she late for class, but she was also treated like a bothersome nuisance. She felt inexplicably sorrowful.

Furthermore, the classroom was on the 5th floor, the very top of the building… At least it became quieter as she went up each floor, allowing her to speed up from the middle onwards. Rosia rummaged through her bag’s front pocket and pulled out her pocket watch.

9:50 AM. Even if she arrived now, it would be over in ten minutes.  Soaked in skepticism, she let out a deep sigh and was just turning the corner to enter the hallway.

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, a solid object appeared out of nowhere and blocked her path. Her eyes were dyed with panic. But by the time she realized it, it was already too late. Her body, which had been running at full speed toward the nearby classroom, slammed straight into the object in front of her, and she subsequently tumbled to the ground in an unsightly manner.

At the same time, the bag slipped from her hand and crashed to the floor, spilling its contents. Among them was the problematic ink bottle. Seeing the lid open again despite having definitely closed it properly, it seemed it wasn’t her fault after all.

 Oblivious to its owner’s frantic heart, the spilled ink not only stained the hallway blue but also splattered heavily onto someone’s shoes.

“Excuse me, I’m really sorr…”

Rosia rubbed her stinging nose and slowly lifted her head. When she saw the beige pants past the ruined shoes, she thought it was a professor. After all, the Genios uniform was black. However, the moment she looked past the neat shirt and checked his face, her breath caught in her throat.

Firstly, it was because of his rarely seen appearance. A sharp jawline and sleek nose bridge, as if God had spent a long time carefully carving them, and mysterious golden eyes sparkling in the sunlight coming through the window.

Contrasting with his smooth white skin was black hair that resembled the night sky. There wasn’t a single place that wasn’t perfect. It was her first time seeing such a beauty this close up.

Rosia inadvertently marveled at God’s aesthetic sense.  However, unfortunately, the man was not a statue on display, and the more she stared, the more ferocious his expression became.

Only then did she snap out of it, averting her gaze and swallowing dry saliva as if she hadn’t been staring. The man tilted his head crookedly with his arms crossed. So, if asked what the second reason for her surprise was…

“You.”

While she stood frozen blankly, not even thinking to use restoration magic, he opened his shapely lips and spoke in a voice thick with irritation.

“Y-Yes?”

“Rosia Willen?”

 Startled, she glanced up at the man who looked extremely displeased. This Senior was a famous figure that everyone in the Faculty of Magic knew (in a negative sense).

However, she was just an ordinary undergraduate longing for a safe graduation. She hadn’t caused any particular trouble, and while her grades were good, they weren’t top-tier. Above all, she had absolutely no contact with him. So it would be normal for him not to know her…

“That is, me…”

Fearing she would freeze under that cold gaze if she stalled any longer, she gave a hesitant answer, causing his expression to crumple dramatically.

“Insincerity shown by being late from the very first class of the Group Project, and running in the hallway like a five-year-old.”

“Your deficient aspect of not knowing how to properly close a single bag is the same. You, how on earth did you pass the entrance exam for our faculty?”

“Well, there are kids who pass by luck occasionally. Though it’s obvious they’ll be filtered out at the graduation exam. It’s not the first or second time I’ve seen airheads like you fail three times and pack your bags crying.”

“I wonder what I’m supposed to do with such a half-wit.”

A neurotic gaze swept over her neck area. Specifically, the green ribbon symbolizing her affiliation with the Faculty of Magic. Then, as if he didn’t want to deal with her anymore, he moved his steps and went down the stairs.

With a crunching sound, a couple of writing implements were crushed under his foot. Of course, the Senior didn’t look back. He merely walked away arrogantly, looking only ahead.

Only after confirming he had disappeared down below did she exhale the breath she had been holding.  He was famous for having a nasty personality, but it felt even worse than the rumors. Experiencing firsthand what she had only heard about left her bewildered.

Rosia stood up, roughly dusted off her clothes, and gathered her belongings scattered in the hallway. She repaired the broken writing tools with magic and cleaned up the ink pooled on the floor.

Even though the pens were neatly fixed, her mood was still foul. She glared toward the stairs with a furrowed brow.

She didn’t even expect him to help her up. But treating her like some inferior being was just too much. Even if he was an exceptional genius.

That was what she thought.

“Ah, Miss Rosia Willen? I was worried you wouldn’t come until the end. What a relief. I was worried about what to do with Mr. Hayworth.”

“Pardon?”

“You don’t know Mr. Noah Hayworth? I thought all students in the Faculty of Magic knew him well. The two of you are partners for this class.”

“I felt a bit bad leaving him alone, so I gave him permission to leave first. Did you perhaps not run into him on the way?” Professor Suzanne Lorfin, who welcomed her with delight, added nonchalantly.

Cold sweat trickled down her spine. They said people can’t speak well momentarily when they are too flustered, and it was true.

“Um, Professor. That Senior isn’t an undergraduate but a researcher… How is he taking this class?”

She tried to pretend to be calm, but she couldn’t hide her trembling voice. Professor Lorfin, flipping through the attendance book, glanced back at her.

“It’s difficult to discuss his personal circumstances. If the number of students had been even, I would have thought about it more, but just before class, it became an odd number, so I happened to need one more person…”

Her blue eyes busily read down the names written in the attendance book.

“I’m actually regretful that you two are from the same faculty. In my class, I usually encourage exchange between different faculties. But the groups are already set, so what can we do?”

“Still, as Miss Willen said, since it’s a meeting between a researcher and an undergraduate, it will have its own meaning as an academic mentor and mentee.” Professor Lorfin smiled benevolently at her.

However, Rosia couldn’t smile. The darkness clouding her vision seemed to foreshadow her future. It had been strangely ominous since morning, and this wasn’t just a regular screw-up.