TPCF 49

CHAPTER 49……………..

Could it be that Rutger had brought it back? Wasn’t he just taking it to mess with her? How did he even know her schedule?

Ah. She had put her timetable inside the bag.

Amazed at her own stupidity, she pulled out her book. When she opened it without much thought, a slip of paper fluttered down.

What on earth are you studying? Why do proteins even need things like primary and secondary structures?

The corner of Anita’s mouth lifted slightly. She could imagine his sullen expression without even seeing it. She gave a small laugh, but when the student beside her shot a sharp look, she quickly composed her face as if nothing had happened. Then she folded the note back in half and tucked it inside the book.

The professor ended class by assigning homework that would take several sleepless nights to finish. Anita rubbed her forehead with a weary face.

Even after the other students who shared her class had left the lecture hall, Anita didn’t move an inch from her chair. Walking while trying not to put too much weight on her right leg had drained her strength completely.

The thought of crossing the campus again already made her tired.

Propping her chin on her hand, she flipped through the book halfheartedly, skimming the dense lines of text.

She had intended to stay in the empty classroom and study until her next class. But the words on the page refused to sink in.

Her eyes ached after staring at black print for so long. As she pressed her dry eyes, a breeze from the window flipped the pages. When she looked back, a different page was open.

It was the one where she had tucked the note.

Just then, another gust blew. Before she could catch it, the slip of paper fluttered away. Afraid it might fly straight out the window, Anita leapt to her feet, forgetting all about her injured ankle.

The paper darted away like a living butterfly. Anita chased after it, ignoring the pain in her ankle, and finally stretched out her hand to grab it.

“…Huh?”

Her view was suddenly blocked by someone. Her grip loosened, and the paper she’d been holding slipped from her hand, fluttering to the floor. Anita awkwardly lowered her arm, but even then, all she could see was a broad chest in front of her.

Her gaze slowly lifted upward.

“Uh, what are you doing here?”

Anita opened her mouth awkwardly.

Rutger was standing in front of her, staring down at her with a dazed expression. His blue eyes moved from her face to her lowered arm, then to the scrap of paper on the floor.

Because he said nothing, Anita grew self-conscious. She nudged the paper aside with her sore foot. His gaze, which had been on the paper, traveled up along her ankle.

She was wearing a skirt long enough to cover it, and besides, he knew nothing about her injury. Still, Anita deliberately shifted her right foot out of his line of sight.

“The wind suddenly blew it away. I just thought—even if it’s nothing, you shouldn’t leave trash lying around in the classroom, so…”

As she stumbled through her excuse, Anita wanted to slap herself. She could have just stopped at “blown away,” but by calling it trash, how must that have sounded to him?

“I didn’t mean your note was trash, I just meant—something useless in other people’s eyes—”

Her voice trailed off, growing weaker and weaker until it finally disappeared.

Her unsteady gaze fell to the floor. She wished he would say something, anything, to break the awkward air.

“I came to get it back.”

At the cryptic words, Anita raised her head. When she had been making a fool of herself earlier, he had looked spaced out, but now his expression was back to normal.

“Get what?”

Surely not that note? Her eyes darted to the slip of paper still on the floor.

“Not that. My books.”

“Why would those be here…”

Trying to make sense of his words, Anita’s mouth fell open. Was he claiming her books as his own? His manner was so confident that if someone overheard, they might believe she was a thief who had stolen them.

“You said you needed them, so I lent them to you. But I was still studying.”

“…Are you sick?”

“I’m fine.”

“What if you take them back like that?”

“You study every day anyway. Take a day off for once.”

With that, Rutger picked up Anita’s bag and walked out of the lecture hall. She could only stare blankly at the door he left through.

Yet despite his words, when Anita entered her next classroom, her bag was sitting there waiting for her. This time, there was no note.

She hadn’t expected anything, but for some reason she felt disappointed.

And the same thing happened again and again throughout the day.

Anita could not guess at his intentions. Surely he hadn’t realized she was injured.

It must just be whim.

Anita decided that Rutger was simply being capricious again. Rutger Vailan was always like that. Nothing new.

When Anita was finally walking down the corridor after finishing her scheduled classes,

“Anita. Will you be attending?”

Startled by the sudden voice, she flinched. After calming herself, she turned to the side.

It was Liliana, with curly brown hair adorned with a cascade of golden ornaments. She was always dressed extravagantly, but today especially so.

Ignoring Anita’s resentful glance, Liliana asked again.

“We’re making a list of attendees for the freshman welcome party.”

“……”

Was that really such an important event?

Perhaps noticing her doubt, Liliana tucked her perfectly styled hair behind her ear and replied,

“Of course it’s important. Not only freshmen and current students attend—it’s a party where big names like the chairman and the minister show up. And that’s not all.”