Nuriel sat in front of Edward, whose table looked like it had been hit by a hurricane of folders and papers. The lone cup of coffee trembled between his fingers, the only thing keeping him from slamming his head into the desk out of sheer exhaustion.
Despite the overwork and a diet consisting only of caffeine, he looked strangely active, though in a twitchy sort of way.
Edward apologized for the mess, desperately trying to scoop everything into his side of the table to give Nuriel some space.
Nuriel blinked. 'How long has this guy been awake?'
He had just spent an entire day asleep and still felt like a corpse. Watching Edward work made him feel guilty by association.
Catching his gaze, Edward replied as if he had read his mind. "I've only taken short naps. I have to prepare for the upcoming semester."
Only then did his face begin to show how tired he truly was. As he continued organizing his papers, Nuriel stared a bit longer. Despite his half-dead appearance, Edward's features were striking. Chiseled, refined. He looked more like royalty than a professor.
'Am I only meeting pretty people these days?'
After the last stack of documents was pushed aside, Edward finally noticed Nuriel's much better condition.
"Did you sleep through the entire day? You're probably here to eat, right? It's on me. Just order whatever you want. Think of it as part of my debt."
'Edward, you're such a good friend.' Nuriel's heart cheered, but not a single trace of it showed on his face.
After shamelessly choosing the finest meals on the menu, the food arrived much faster than expected, thanks to the quiet dining hall.
While eating, Nuriel noticed Edward stealing glances at his plate, then immediately diving back into his work.
The meals were fragrant. To save Edward from temptation, Nuriel devoured every dish with merciless speed.
"Hey, can I get your opinion on this one?" Edward asked, catching Nuriel mid-wipe with a napkin.
'Opinion?'
He remembered Edward taught magic engineering. As someone who studied the same field in his previous life, Nuriel was confident he could offer expert advice. But that would raise suspicion. He planned to dumb down his thoughts just enough to seem casual.
Edward tossed him a folder. Inside was a list of students.
"Jin Yushin. Have you met otherworlders before?"
Nuriel almost choked on his last bite that was still in his mouth. He expected engineering questions, not this. Edward clearly noticed his reaction and tried not to laugh.
"No, I haven't."Nuriel blurted out, hammering his chest.
Edward tossed a folder his way. Nuriel opened it and paused.
Skimming through the documents. There were four pages. Each page listed a different engineering class section. One name stood out. Jin Yushin. A freshman.
Looking at the other names, his was the most unique.
Otherworlders came from entirely different cultures. He must have passed through the ancient gate to end up here. Nuriel's curiosity deepened.
"Do you remember Yaromech? He talked to me about him. Apparently..." Edward's expression twisted. "He's part of a cultural exchange program. He's a swordsman, but for some reason he chose magic engineering. He came alone. For now, Yaromech is his guardian since he's still young and... obviously not from around here."
Nuriel flipped through the names. None rang a bell.
"Jin is a strange name. Since you'll be introducing him to the class, have you practiced pronouncing it? Surely you won't botch it on your first day?"
Edward chuckled. "Don't worry. But actually, Jin isn't his first name. It's Yushin. Jin is his family name. Or rather, his clan's. I didn't know they followed a different order."
An otherworlder, alone, under the name of cultural exchange. It didn't sit right. Nuriel made a mental note to keep tabs on him. Maybe he could ask Yaromech directly if he ever met him again.
He handed the document back and stood, bowing slightly.
"Thanks for the meal. I'll be heading off."
Before he could leave, Edward called out.
"I forgot to ask, where do you live? I'd love to drop by sometime."
"I'm at the faculty dormitory. Room 121."
Edward paused, then exhaled through his nose to stifle a laugh.
"I live on Deyvind Street. Tell me if you ever need anything. I'm there."
. . .
'This punk.'
That night, Nuriel's ego took a beating.
***
A lavish breakfast sat in front of him. He had just woken up, still half convinced this was a dream or one of the Scepter's illusions.
It was early morning. Vivienne sat across the table. The same breakfast in front of her. Eggs, tomatoes, sausage, bacon, beans. A glass of orange juice.
'Hey hey hey hey, what's this about?' he screamed inwardly.
An act of kindness? A gesture of goodwill? A trap?
Knowing what he did about her, Nuriel couldn't trust any of those explanations. He stared at the food with blank eyes.
This had to be it.
Farmers feed their cattle well before the slaughter. Maybe this was his final meal.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
'Eat what? This? You probably laced it with poison...' is what he wanted to say. Instead, he replied stiffly, "Thank you... but is this really alright? We've only just met."
"As long as you clean the dorm every day."
Nuriel sighed. He hoped this was just a domestic agreement. The law of equivalent exchange governed the way of life. He couldn't just freeload from her. She might actually kill him over it.
He started eating, nearly choking a few times whenever a strange flavor convinced him it might be poison.
An hour passed. Both changed into formal clothes. Nuriel wore his usual suit, simpler this time. Vivienne wore a long white blouse tucked into a dark skirt that nearly reached her ankles.
They stumbled through some awkward moments. Who gets the shower first? Why the formal wear? Where are you headed?
Nuriel broke the tension first.
"I'm going to the library. We'll get our uniforms there."
Vivienne nodded. "After that, I'm going somewhere else. Don't mind me, alright?"
'You mean spying on secret artifacts? I'll be glad to help.' Instead, he said, "Right."
***
They stood in front of the library building. It towered above them like a fortress. It was a completely separate structure from the rest of the university. Connecting it to anything else would have been a disgrace to the architects who built it.
Nuriel entered first. A cool breeze brushed against his face. Magic had allowed air conditioning long before its time.
The interior was a vast circular space. A glass dome served as its centerpiece. Beneath it was a massive hall filled with tables and chairs for study. It had two floors. The second was an indoor balcony that overlooked the entire space.
A flash of memory hit him. He had been here before for the interview and training. If he remembered correctly, the librarian's office was located in a separate section just past the entrance. A secluded room, its door hidden and facing the hall.
All they had to do was walk straight after entering.
Once inside, an old man greeted them. Nuriel recognized the face. Aged, but his eyes were crystal clear. Eyes that had seen more than they ever would.
Custodian Orwell. The head librarian.
Nuriel bowed politely. Vivienne followed with a graceful courtesy.
"I recognize you two... Nuriel, Vivienne, correct? I didn't know you were together."
Nuriel saw where that old man was heading at from a mile away.
"We just happened to be roommates. The world is a small place."
Orwell chuckled, not beating around the bush he said. "You're here for your uniforms, right? I'll handle both of you myself. Follow me."