I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy - Chapter 34

There are various ways for students to spend their weekends at the Academy.

The most common category is those who take advantage of the amenities within the campus grounds, while some apply for leave to spend time with their families or external acquaintances.

Others spend their weekends catching up on sleep, turning into one with their beds, while some choose to spend the entire day in the training grounds, working on their self-improvement.

Since there are no lectures on weekends, the priests and priestesses also have free time to themselves.

-Riiing~♪

An unfamiliar alarm rang through the air, disturbing Claire’s sleep.

“……”

Claire, who had developed the habit of sleeping lightly, opened her eyes to the soft blue light reflected on the ceiling and realized it was still early in the morning.

-Riiing, riiing~!!

The smart watch on her bedside table buzzed annoyingly, grating on her nerves.

“Haa…”

Claire wanted to turn off the power, but knowing from experience that it wasn’t a meaningful solution, she reached out and picked up the smart watch.

[ (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ Are you going to sleep all day?!]

Claire checked the time displayed on the smart watch.

AM 05:47

If it were a weekday, she would have indeed overslept, but fortunately, today was Saturday, the weekend.

“… Do you have any business for me?”

[ (* ￣︿￣) What business could I have at this hour?]

“… ”

If there was no business, then why did you wake me up? Claire suppressed the rising anger and asked again.

“Then, may I ask why you contacted me?”

[ ε=ε=┌( >_<)┘ You’re late!! Late!! You have to go to our professor!]

“… ”

Claire blinked a few times and slowly opened her mouth.

“Today is the weekend. Both I and the professor have the day off, which means I don’t have to go to work today.”

[ (´∀`) I know that!]

I might have to give up my position as an executor soon.

[ (｀Д´) Bad thoughts!! I’ll never let you go, so forget about it!]

“… Then please allow this poor soul some sleep.”

[ (；￣Д￣) With that attitude, you might lose what’s yours.]

Lose what?

[ (¬д¬。) If you keep acting lukewarm like this, I’ll have to take action.]

Claire’s brows furrowed.

It was only then that she realized who the revered god might be referring to.

At the same time, she felt a slight anger.

Lukewarm? I’ve already gathered so much courage.

But Claire couldn’t argue with that.

Soon, another email arrived.

[ (¬◡¬)✧ I’ll tell our professor everything!]

Claire had no choice but to leave the temple early in the morning.

**

-Wooooong!!

“wooth…?”

Baek Hana woke up to the vibration coming from her bedside.

Hana, who had set her alarm for 5 a.m., wondered why the time was closer to 7 a.m. than 6 a.m. as she wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.

Hana quickly got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

The curfew in the dormitory was from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., so it was fine to leave after 5 a.m.

“Hurry, hurry…”

Hana finished her shower in record time and quickly got dressed.

She didn’t mind the clumps of hair that had dried together; she could afford to be a little messy today.

Hana, who had changed into her uniform, quietly left the room and hurried out of the dormitory. Then, she ran towards ‘home.’

‘Ugh…!!’

Originally, she had planned to take her time getting ready and even stop by the mart to buy some snacks. But all of that had been ruined by the challenge she received yesterday.

Last night, she had received an email.

[ Challenge Schedule Notice. ]

Supervisor: Kang Hanna – Professor.
Location: The 1st Sparring Arena.
Time: PM 04:00.

※ To prevent doping and cheating, please arrive at the Sparring Arena by PM 01:00.

From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., excluding the time spent on the challenge, she would have to spend a total of three hours there.

She wanted to challenge anyone she could find yesterday, but since challenges were a tradition of the Arena Academy, using them for simple revenge or as a loophole was strictly prohibited, so all she could do was wait for applications from unknown classmates.

‘The blanket, the blanket…’

Hana entered the maze near the temple, found a secluded spot, and put on the white blanket that Baek Woo-jin had given her. She quickly crossed the maze and soon arrived at the mansion, where she eagerly opened the front door and called out the name she had been longing to say.

“Woo-jin!!”

Just saying his name made her happy.

Hana, who had forgotten the annoying feelings she had felt earlier, hummed a cheerful tune as she took off her shoes.

“Hmm…?”

Hana, who was about to enter, noticed a pair of women’s boots next to her own shoes and blinked.

Black women’s boots.

Hana’s gaze naturally shifted to the coat rack, where she saw a beige coat hanging next to Professor Baek’s black coat.

“Sniff, sniff…”

Through her enhanced sense of smell, enhanced by her abilities, Hana could detect a very familiar female scent on the beige coat.

Then, she enhanced her hearing.

-I don’t know if it will suit Hana’s taste…
-It doesn’t matter; she eats anything.

The conversation coming from the kitchen.

Baek Hana changed into her slippers and headed to the kitchen.

A savory and fragrant smell wafted through the air.

“It’s been a while, Hana.”
“…Yeah.”

Claire, wearing an apron around her neck instead of Baek Woo-jin, stood in front of the pot from which the mouthwatering smell was emanating.

Baek Hana averted her gaze.

“You’re early.”

Baek Woo-jin, looking exactly the same as he did at the entrance ceremony, sat at the dining table and looked at her.

“It’s ready, so please sit and wait for a moment.”
“Okay.”

Baek Hana replied to Claire and walked towards the dining table.

Instead of sitting in her usual seat, she sat next to Baek Woo-jin.

Baek Woo-jin watched her approach without saying a word, and did not stop her from sitting on his lap.

Baek Hana smiled silently and said, “Fix my hair.”
“It’s a mess.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Stay still.”
“Okay!”

Baek Hana turned her head, and Baek Woo-jin pushed her cheek with his finger. She looked forward again and closed her eyes slightly, enjoying his touch.

“Where’s the ribbon?”
“Ribbon?”

Baek Hana quickly pulled down the corners of her mouth and searched her pockets.

“…I must have left it at home. Hehe.”

Baek Hana leaned against Baek Woo-jin’s chest and giggled.

“There should be some spares in your room. We can tie it later.”
“Tie it for me~”
“…Haa.”

At Baek Hana’s request, Baek Woo-jin sighed but nodded.

As Baek Hana sat on Baek Woo-jin’s lap and replenished the nutrients she lacked, Claire, who had come to the mansion under Bwiar’s threat-like suggestion, finally came up with a plausible reason and joined them at the table.

“Wow… You can cook too, unni.”
“Ahem. Of course, I can.”

Claire coughed softly at Baek Hana’s exclamation and placed a plate of beef stew, the only dish she knew how to make, on the table where Baek Hana usually sat, along with a set of utensils.

“I’m not sure if it suits your taste, Hana.”

Although she had to use a bit of magic due to the lack of seasoning and time, Claire herself thought it tasted fine when she tried it.

“It smells delicious already.”
“Well, please taste it and let me know what you think.”

Baek Hana slid off Baek Woo-jin’s lap and walked briskly to her seat. She scooped some stew and asked Claire, “So, what brings you here, unni?”
“… ”

Baek Hana didn’t wait for an answer and took a mouthful of stew.

“Mmm! It’s delicious! The meat melts in my mouth!”

With a blissful expression, she lowered her spoon slightly and turned to Claire.

“So, why are you here?”
“I… I wanted to make breakfast for you, Hana.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you. And it really is delicious.”
“Y-yes…”

Claire could instinctively sense that Baek Hana was truly grateful and that she genuinely enjoyed the stew. The problem was the strong wariness mixed in with her gratitude.

‘He’s being taken away…’

Claire recalled Bwair’s email that had bothered her since early this morning.

Five years ago, on the day she awakened, she had occasionally sensed this strong wariness from Baek Hana. She couldn’t count how many times she had been confused by Baek Hana’s reactions, not understanding the reason behind them.

But now, she finally had a vague idea why.

“More, please!”
“Slow down.”

As Claire served more stew into Baek Hana’s empty plate, she thought about whether the wariness Baek Hana was showing was to protect her family or if it was of a completely different nature.

“Thank you for the meal.”

Baek Hana, who had devoured the entire pot of stew in an instant, licked her lips and got up from her seat. She then ran to Baek Woo-jin, who had been sitting in a chair and looking at his smartphone, and hugged him tightly.

Claire’s eyebrows twitched as she watched this.

“Just this once.”
“Okay~”

What was just this once?

Claire swallowed as she saw Baek Woo-jin, who was looking at his smartphone, allow Baek Hana to stay in his arms, facing him chest-to-chest and face-to-face, instead of pushing her away.

“Hmm~”

Baek Hana, in Baek Woo-jin’s arms, moved her head left and right, sniffing his scent.

Claire, forgetting what she was doing, said, “Umm… Hana?”
“Yeah?”

Baek Hana turned her head slightly to look at Claire.

“Hana, you’re not a child anymore, so… I think it’s best not to act like this.”

After all, others might misunderstand their relationship if they saw them like this.

However, Baek Hana nodded but gave an answer opposite to what Claire had hoped for.

“I’ll only do this at home. Woo-jin gave me permission.”
“…Professor?”

Claire called out to Baek Woo-jin, but it was Baek Hana who answered.

“It’s a promise we made a long time ago. To be spoiled three times a day.”
“… ”

Spoiled three times a day.

She remembered.

Exactly one year after Baek Hana came to this house, on the day she bought Baek Woo-jin a gift with the money she borrowed from Claire and expressed her gratitude, Baek Hana had gotten permission from Baek Woo-jin to be spoiled three times a day.

She didn’t think that promise would still be valid now.

“Hehe…”

Baek Hana’s face was completely relaxed as she snuggled deeper into Baek Woo-jin’s embrace.

Claire thought that what she was witnessing was somehow very wrong.

Just as she decided that she needed to have a serious talk with the people involved separately,

“Woo-jin.”
“…What?”

Baek Hana looked up with a silly smile and moved her lips slightly.

“Aren’t you curious about how I spent my time at the Academy?”
“You did well, didn’t you?”
“… ”
“Aren’t you a little curious?”
“… A little.”
“I’ll tell you about it when we go to bed.”

When they go to bed?

Did that mean they were sleeping together?

Just as Claire was about to open her mouth,

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible.”
“…Huh?”

Baek Woo-jin put down his smartphone and looked at Baek Hana in his arms.

“Did you submit an overnight leave request?”
“Overnight… leave?”

Baek Hana reacted as if she had never heard of it before. Baek Woo-jin continued,

“Overnight and leave requests must be submitted by the weekend or the day before a holiday.”
“B-but…”
“If you didn’t submit an overnight leave request, you have to return to the dormitory before curfew.”
“…Huh?”

Baek Hana’s eyes wavered with anxiety.

“The dorm supervisor must have announced it yesterday. I don’t know what you were doing, but you must have missed it…”

Baek Woo-jin, avoiding her desperate gaze, looked back at his smartphone and delivered his verdict.

“Make sure you’re back before curfew.”