The rain continued its relentless assault on the world outside. Late at night, the sound of each drop striking the windowpane echoed with startling clarity.
Simon waited, sitting on the floor with his arms crossed. A moment later, the bathroom door creaked open.
"I’m sorry to impose on you like this."
Bahil’s head TA, Chehekle, emerged, drying her hair with a towel.
"Oh, not at all, TA Chehekle! Please, make yourself comfortable," Simon insisted.
"The rain came on so suddenly," she apologized, bowing her head before sitting down in front of him. The air filled with the faint, metallic scent of rain and a hint of perfume, diluted by the water. She had washed her hair, but her clothes remained soaked through.
"You’re drenched," Simon observed. "You should take a shower..."
"No."
Chehekle shook her head, offering a faint smile.
"I have to go back out soon anyway. I’ll shower at my own place."
"Ah, I see."
Simon tried his best to appear nonchalant, but a storm of anxiety was brewing inside him. He had broken the ultimate taboo: bringing a woman into his dorm room. It didn’t matter that she was a TA and not a student. If the dorm supervisor found out, he’d face the maximum number of demerits, possibly even expulsion.
There would be no excuse. His gaze darted around the room nervously, finally landing on the bed.
"Toto is..."
"I put him into a deep sleep," she explained. "He won’t wake up unless we’re too loud."
It seemed Chehekle had already handled it. Blissfully unaware of the tense situation unfolding just feet away, Toto was fast asleep in his underwear, scratching his belly. Simon pulled a blanket over him, preserving what little dignity his friend had left.
"Anyway," Simon began, deliberately avoiding her eyes. "W-What brings you to my room, TA Chehekle?"
"I’m here to ask a favor of you, Simon. Or rather, of the Student Council President."
"P-Please, just call me what you usually do," he stammered. "Is this favor about Professor Bahil?"
"Yes."
As they spoke, Chehekle blinked, noticing something odd about Simon. His face was flushed, his words were clumsy, and he couldn’t seem to meet her gaze. Her eyes drifted down, and she realized why.
"Ah."
The thin fabric of her shirt, soaked through by the rain, clung to her skin, making the outline of her undergarments visible. Chehekle quickly folded her arms over her chest, a self-conscious laugh escaping her lips.
"My apologies. I shouldn’t be so careless in front of a student."
"N-No, not at all."
Finally finding a safe place to rest his eyes, Simon regained a sliver of his composure, his expression turning serious once more.
"Is Professor Bahil back on Roc Island?"
"Yes. We managed to find him hiding out in his villa. It took mobilizing professors from other departments and even the Crows, but we finally persuaded him to come back to Roc Island, at least for now."
Simon’s expression hardened slightly. ’For now.’ The words hung in the air with unsettling weight.
"To be honest, the professor is in a terrible state," Chehekle confessed, sighing as if the world were ending. "The heartbreak was too much for him, it seems. He has no motivation for his classes, he’s not spouting his usual strange nonsense... He’s just mentally broken, staring blankly at the ceiling. I’ve never seen him so lifeless."
A pang of guilt struck Simon.
"Could that be because of..."
"Yes," she confirmed. "It’s probably because of what happened with you."
Simon was bewildered.
"I hesitate to say this, but it seems strange that someone like Professor Bahil would fall apart over a single student. Are you sure there isn’t another reason...?"
"It ’is’ because of one student," Chehekle stated, her tone leaving no room for doubt. She added bitterly, "You probably have no idea just how powerful his obsession with you was."
"...Ah."
All Simon had ever seen were the various masks Bahil wore. Of course, he knew he was treated differently—Bahil had taught him ‘Compellonia’ and the ‘Four Great Curses’ exclusively. But he never imagined that his rejection would leave the professor so utterly shattered.
"...What a pathetic man."
The mention of Bahil brought a flicker of anger and irritation to Chehekle’s eyes. She ran a hand through her damp hair, muttering under her breath as if chewing on the words. As she did, Simon’s face flushed again, and he whipped his head away.
Realizing what had happened, Chehekle let out a small, awkward laugh.
"Ahaha, my apologies," she said, covering her chest again.
"N-Not at all."
Simon turned back, clearing his throat.
"But TA Chehekle... it doesn’t seem like you have entirely positive feelings for Professor Bahil, either."
"...No, you’re right."
She heaved a deep sigh.
"To be honest, it’s more resentment than anything else."
"What happened?"
In a calm, measured tone, she began her story.
"Back when Professor Bahil was still new, I was a student here at Kizen. He took a great interest in my talent. He wanted me for himself."
Her eyes met Simon’s, her meaning clear. ’Just like he wanted you.’
"In the end," she continued, "his constant interference forced me to drop out before I could even finish my second year. The moment I took off my uniform and packed my bags, he offered me a position as his teaching assistant."
At the time, she explained, she’d had no choice but to accept. Her parents were gravely ill, and she desperately needed money for their treatment. Bahil not only covered all their medical expenses but also guaranteed her the next Cursology professorship. She had accepted her enemy’s offer and become his subordinate.
"But my resentment only grew," she said, her gaze drifting toward the ceiling. "While I was stuck fetching things for the professor and preparing materials for students, my peers were living their best lives, racing toward brilliant futures. I was the one sweeping floors, bowing and scraping whenever my former classmates or juniors walked by. Can you even imagine how that feels?"
A troubled look crossed Simon’s face as he rested his hands on the floor.
"So you’ve endured all this, rising to the position of head TA, because..."
"That’s right. I wanted revenge."
A wry smile touched her lips.
"I tried countless times. I leaked important information to his rivals, even published a paper refuting his thesis. But as time went on, I only came to realize one thing: I was no match for him. He’s a true genius. There was no way an ordinary person like me could ever defeat someone like that."
When she accepted that she could never surpass him in skill, Chehekle switched her strategy to direct sabotage, at times causing enough damage to jeopardize his entire career. But no matter what she did, Bahil never blamed her.
"You may do as you please. Just... stay by my side, Chehekle."
He never once accepted her resignation.
’So it’s not a simple professor-TA relationship,’ Simon realized. ’It’s far more complicated.’ He could see a storm of conflicting emotions on Chehekle’s face. Love and hate. It was the only way to describe their twisted bond.
"Of course, I still haven’t given up on my revenge," she said, her voice dropping low. "But I don’t want to claim victory over a man who has become so... empty."
"TA Chehekle..."
"I’ve been rambling. Let’s get back to the matter at hand. I have a favor to ask of you, Simon."
Chehekle, who had been sitting with her legs tucked to one side, shifted, bringing her knees together and bowing her head low. The posture was so close to kneeling that Simon panicked and mirrored her position.
"T-TA Chehekle!"
She looked up, her expression deadly serious.
"Tomorrow is course registration. I’m not asking for anything unreasonable. I just want you to make Professor Bahil’s Cursology the first general subject you sign up for."
"What?"
Simon blinked. He had already planned his entire schedule with the other student council members. He was going to take Bahil’s Cursology, but it was his second choice. His first was set: Jane’s Jet-Black Dynamics.
"...B-But will that really be enough?"
"He may be an adult, but in some ways, he’s still a child. It’s a common trait among geniuses and eccentrics."
She sighed.
"You may have chosen Professor Aaron now that you’re a second-year, but if you can give him a reason to believe that he is your next choice..."
A strange light flickered in her eyes.
"It might just be enough to bring him back from the brink."
The next morning, the torrential downpour had finally subsided to a light drizzle. Fortunately, the course registration could proceed as planned. Four hundred second-year students, clad in school-issued raincoats over their uniforms, gathered at the starting line just outside the second-year campus.
"Yaaawn’."
Among the adults standing before them was a familiar face: Endolas Bordeville, the Necromancer of Cards. Along with Nephthys, he was one of the continent’s Ten Great Mysteries and the very man who had overseen the BMAT during Simon’s first year. He rubbed his eyes, his face a mask of exhaustion.
"Pulling an all-nighter on a rainy morning... I feel like I’m going to die," he grumbled.
"Oh, you’ve worked so hard, Lord Endolas!" a Kizen staff member gushed.
While they chatted, the students buzzed with nervous energy, discussing their registration strategies.
"What? You’re changing the order now?!" Meirin shrieked.
Simon had just finished explaining the situation to the other student council members. As Meirin stomped her foot, he scratched the back of his neck.
"Yeah. I’m really sorry for making such a selfish decision on a whim."
In the end, he had accepted Chehekle’s proposal. His personal feelings about Bahil aside, Simon genuinely enjoyed his Cursology class. The professor’s teaching ability was undeniably brilliant, and he had helped Simon immensely. The ‘Compellonia’ curse he had taught him had literally saved his life.
He couldn’t just stand by and watch his lifesaver fall apart. If simply switching his registration from second to first could help, he was more than willing to do it.
"It’s okay, Simon! Don’t worry about it," Kamibarez said with a bright smile. "We only changed the order slightly. The four of us are still taking Professor Jane’s, Professor Bahil’s, and Professor Hongfeng’s classes together, right?"
"Yeah, that’s right."
"I’m sure we’ll all be able to take classes together, just like before!"
Her encouragement was a balm to his conscience. Dick, meanwhile, was stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm, in that case, should we all just follow your lead and make Cursology our first priority?"
"No, no. You guys shouldn’t have to suffer because of me."
Dick had secretly snuck out of the dorms the previous night to map out the shortest routes and pinpoint the locations of the cards Endolas had set up. Changing their plans now would not only waste his efforts but also introduce too many variables.
"Don’t worry," Simon said confidently, clenching and unclenching his fist. "It’s easier for me to move alone anyway. I’ll make sure I get into all three classes, no matter what."
Just then, the Kizen staffer and Endolas stepped forward.
"Alright, second-year students! I will now explain the rules for course registration!"
Simon already knew the gist of it from Dick. Endolas had used his powers to transform the second-year campus into a chaotic wonderland teeming with monsters and warped spaces. The professors were waiting in their labs, and registration would be complete once a student reached them with a form and got their signature. Of course, once a class was full, it was closed.
Any time and Jet-Black spent fighting through monsters and traps to get there would be for nothing. Split-second decisions were everything.
"All of you will enter wearing these protective suits!" Endolas announced, holding up a protective vest. "This suit converts the attacks from my card monsters into numerical values that deplete a ‘Barrier Gauge.’ The moment that gauge hits zero, you will be trapped in a barrier on the spot and must remain motionless for thirty minutes."
A collective gasp of horror rippled through the students. Thirty minutes was more than enough time for the most popular classes to fill up completely.
"Whoa, gotta play it safe," Dick muttered.
"With this level of competition, being frozen for thirty minutes is a death sentence," Meirin added, then turned her head. "And Simon?"
"Yeah?"
"Listen, there are more students who chose Professor Jane’s class as their first choice than there are spots available. Do you understand what that means?"
Simon nodded grimly.
"It means I have to get to Professor Bahil, get his signature, and then reach Professor Jane before any of them do."
"Exactly."
Meirin’s expression softened with genuine concern.
"I’m not going to try to stop you, but can you really pull it off?"
Simon met her worried gaze with a grin.
"Yeah. I’ll make it happen, no matter what."
"That’s our President!" Dick cheered, handing Simon a map. "Fortunately, the Cursology and Jet-Black Dynamics buildings are close to each other! If you move twice as fast as everyone else, it’s just barely possible!"
"Okay."
"Well then, are all the students ready?" Endolas’s voice boomed across the starting line.
"Yes!" the students roared in unison.
"The course registration season will now begin! May you all get the classes you desire!"
His cape billowed as he swept his arm down.
"Begin!"

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