University of Wisdom. Class 404.
"And that's how we solve Rx. Any questions?"
Charles Brown, with dark circles under his deep gray eyes, raised his hand with the chalk and glanced around the class.
Looking at her notes and comparing them to the professor's result, Hazel could only hold the bridge of her nose with a slight grunt.
It was the same result, but the professor had used fewer steps.
'I knew I didn't need to divide that 36, but I did it anyway... It's not wrong, but it was possible to skip it.'
It was time to go back to the library and read more books on calculus... Great.
Sighing somewhat bitterly, the young Match marked the page with a line and copied the method just shown below hers to review later.
'My charm was what received the biggest increase when I advanced to Swindler, not my calculation ability. I wonder if that will improve when I advance to Cryptologist... Will I be able to do something similar to what Teacher Flora does?' Somewhat absent-minded, the young lady's brown eyes moved to her pencil case.
'...'
Deep in thought, Hazel discreetly opened her left palm toward the pencil case.
'She does something like this...'
Inhaling softly and focusing on her goal with a clear desire in her mind, she turned her wrist slightly.
The pencil case did not appear in her palm, nor did it move a single centimeter from its place.
'…'
Feeling her cheeks warm slightly and her pride take a low blow, Hazel closed her hand and continued writing more notes in her notebook.
'At the next meeting, I'll ask her what sequence I can do that in…'
Ding Dong Dang!
A bell rang in the classroom, and Charles placed the chalk he had been using in its case. Taking out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, he looked at his students.
"You are free to go. See you again at 1 p.m."
The room was soon emptied; some students carried containers of their lunches, while others went to eat at one of the many restaurants near the university.
With an umbrella in hand to protect herself from the drizzle, Hazel moved along the sidewalk at a leisurely pace. Soon, she reached her destination and, without any hurry, placed her hand on the doorknob.
Ding~
One of the workers turned his head toward the door and, seeing a young lady with green hair enter, smiled politely and quickly approached where she had sat down next to a window.
"Good afternoon, miss, welcome to Giano Restaurant. What can we serve you this afternoon?"
Taking the menu from the middle of her table, Hazel glanced through it quickly, stopping at one item.
"Vegetable soup. With a glass of lemon juice."
Even though she was far from home, she had promised her mother that she would eat well.
'Besides, in this weather, any soup is a delight...'
"Excellent choice, we'll bring your meal in a moment." Taking the menu, the waiter gave an elegant bow and left.
Hazel didn't give a second glance to this; she just closed her eyes and inhaled quietly.
Even if her senses weren't heightened, the smell of icing sugar and dough reached her nose without any problem. It was because of this smell that she had decided to make this restaurant one of the several places where she would have lunch or breakfast.
Then, she grabbed her briefcase and, taking out her notebook from today's classes, began to review.
If she wanted to get good grades and learn, this was the least she could do: take advantage of every free moment to study.
It didn't take long for her order to arrive: a deep bowl steaming with the subtle aroma of carrots and a glass filled with lemon juice and several ice cubes—perfect for a young lady who cares about her figure.
Thanking the waiter, Hazel was in no hurry to start eating. The food was freshly made, and the white steam rising from it told her that if she tried to eat it, she would burn herself.
So, grabbing her glass, she took a gentle sip of the refreshing lemon juice while she waited for her lunch to cool down a little.
Ding~
As the bell signaled the arrival of a new customer, the young, green-haired lady closed her eyes and sighed silently.
Discreetly, her finger touched the side of the plate.
'It still needs to cool down...'
"Excuse me, Miss. Is this seat taken?" The voice of a man, quite old from the tone, came from a few steps in front of her.
The young lady immediately tasted the lemon juice turn disgustingly sour.
'Now what?' With a slight grimace that was expertly hidden behind a flat expression, her brown eyes opened slightly.
"It's taken—" Her gaze focused ahead, and just as she was about to send this scoundrel back where he came from, she stopped.
Short curly brown hair, an angular face, and a small nose. Wearing a gray jacket and shirt with gloves of the same color.
If she didn't know better, she would almost think he was little Jerry's grandfather because of those features.
But that similarity wasn't what stopped her justified complaint.
No.
It was those extremely familiar scarlet eyes.
'Teacher?' Her mouth opened for a moment, but no words came out. The young noblewoman realized there was a problem.
'He would never approach me in the middle of the day unless there was a problem! But why is he coming himself instead of a soldier?
Maintaining her composure, Hazel calmly put down her glass and nodded nonchalantly.
"It's free, sir. Have a seat if you like."
'Ah, a star for that.' The corners of his lips curved subtly, and Adryan could only chuckle softly.
"Thank you, young lady. My legs aren't what they used to be."
Taking his place in front of his student, the disguised Reaper sighed wearily to himself, his gaze clouding over for a moment.
'That stench is even worse than before...'
If it had left him feeling uncomfortable before, now it was practically suffocating. Not even the smell of soup and freshly squeezed lemon juice was noticeable to his nose.
'Her role is deepening...' Smiling slightly thanks to Creeping Hunger, Adryan continued with his musings.
"Young lady. Might I know what you are doing?"
"Just reviewing what we covered in my class today." Although Hazel was intrigued by the man's surprise visit, she didn't show it and played along.
She raised her notebook to show him what she was doing, and the 'old man' in front of her let out an interested 'Oh' as he scratched his chin.
'For supposedly being a Victorian era, it's quite advanced in mathematics... Well, this is Lenburg. I don't know why I'm surprised. Besides, there are gods with literal aspects of knowledge in their authorities. The God of Knowledge and Wisdom and the God of Steam and Machinery are the main ones in this... Of course, there's also the Great Emperor...' Putting that curiosity aside, Adryan lowered his hand from his chin and nodded.
Well, he didn't go to college for nothing—even though he hadn't even been there for two years...
He extended his left hand.
"May I?"
'Teacher knows this?' Seeing a new side of the man, the young Match looked at his hand for about two seconds, her eyebrow slightly raised. Finally, at the three-second mark, she carefully handed over her notebook and pencil.
"Go ahead." Hazel didn't hide her interest. She wanted to see if her teacher in the beyonder world was just as good as in the world of normal people.
'This girl is thinking something strange.' Laughing softly as he took the notebook, the old man held it with his left hand while slowly writing with his right.
"This country never ceases to amaze me with its advances. It seems like just yesterday I was in college, racking my brain for exams. Several times I had to pay one of my classmates to do my homework for me because I didn't have enough time." The old man let out an amused laugh.
"A little trick for when you don't have time. Just try not to get caught.
"Sigh... How time flies. One day you're a young college student with your future ahead of you, and the next you're a dried-up old man with one foot in the grave..." Stopping for a moment, he finished what he was writing and looked up, his eyes curving into a crescent moon.
"It's funny, don't you think?"
"...I guess." Suddenly feeling her lips dry and not wanting to continue the conversation, Hazel took back her glass of juice, drinking a little.
This, of course, was an act. In anyone's eyes, the old man in front of her had suddenly arrived and taken a seat in front of her. It was clear that they were not related in any way by their features either.
Suddenly acting as if she had always known him would be strange. So showing a bit of disinterest and discomfort was appropriate.
"Hehe. Sorry, I can't control my mouth like I used to. I say nonsense. But at least I don't think I'm that rusty in math." Sliding the notebook away, the man laughed.
'Did he just come to chat?' Hazel couldn't help but find the situation a little pointless. Still, she knew her teacher didn't do anything without a reason.
'So...' Looking down at what the man had written, her eyebrows rose slightly.
This was the method Professor Charles had used; even the skipped steps were the same.
Before she could inquire how he knew about it, the corner of the sheet caught her attention.
An extra note. Although it was very short, barely reaching a paragraph.
"This..." Hazel froze; a chill rose in her chest and climbed to the back of her neck.
Smear a little of your blood on the snake and go to the bathroom. We'll make a Change.
Change. That was what they had called switching places with one of the Teacher's soldiers in preparation for obtaining information from Ambassador Bakerland.
'Are we going to use that again? Why? And without warning?'
Could it be... Was she in danger? Was that why her Teacher had come personally?
Ba-dum Ba-dum
Ignoring the sudden racing of her heart, Hazel entered a state of semi-cogitation, calming her emotions. Once she was sure she wouldn't stutter when she spoke, she nodded simply.
"It's not rusty, sir; your method is the same as my professor's."
"Oh? You flatter me, little one, but this is nothing." Adryan laughed amusedly, his old face softening somewhat.
Of course it would be the same, he had observed her class through one of his bird soldiers.
Leaving that aside...
Clink
"This is for the inconvenience." Smiling, the old man rose from his seat with a nod, "Have a good day, Miss."
Hazel followed etiquette and bid farewell to the older man, but her brown gaze did not linger on the man's hunched back, but on what he had left on the table.
Several cuprums stacked in a tower. Their brownish-yellow color contrasted nicely with the tablecloth's yellow, but that same color highlighted a silver gleam among the tower of cuprums.
Sighing somewhat shakily, Hazel grabbed the coins and looked at them for a moment, feigning curiosity but making sure to show a bit of disinterest as well.
This was a rather expensive restaurant. If she really wanted to use cuprums to pay for her meal, she would need enough to fill two sacks.
This wasn't even enough to buy the salt that was used in the soup...
'Of course, that was just to deliver this.' Separating the coins in her palm, her gaze focused on one in particular. One of a different color.
A silver coin, with a snake about to bite its tail.
'Smear a little of my blood on the snake...'
Now she understood what the note said.
Snorting, she put the copper coins in her purse, discreetly keeping only the silver coin in her hand.
With her fist clenched, she used the nail of her index finger to make a slight cut in her palm.
Feeling the warmth on her fingertips, she smeared the blood on the snake's face without opening her hand.
As she did so, the noblewoman rose from her seat and, with her hands clasped over her stomach, walked calmly toward the restroom.
There was no hurry in her steps. Since she could be being watched, discretion was vital.
Reaching the restaurant bathroom, Hazel exhaled lightly and opened the door. As she did so, two things immediately caught her attention.
First, another 'her' coming out of one of the stalls. There was not a single difference between Hazel and her.
Second, a white-haired woman in a purple jacket who moved in a blur and grabbed her arm.
Before Hazel could say or do anything, the coin she felt in her hand suddenly disappeared, and a yellowed book appeared in the older woman's hands.
That old book with crude children's drawings opened, and the pages glowed a soft light blue.
The next second, both women disappeared from the bathroom.
The other Hazel put a bloody coin in a hidden pocket and washed her hands.
After waiting five minutes, she left the bathroom and returned to her table.
Without any hurry, her finger touched the side of the bowl and felt that it was warm. She brought a spoonful of soup to her lips.
...
Bubbles with all kinds of dreams passed by so quickly that it was impossible for the green-haired young woman to know what they were.
Up, down, left, and right. Soon, everything became a blur, and Hazel was forced to close her eyes to avoid getting dizzy.
After feeling like she was about to vomit her short lunch, the race stopped abruptly, and the feeling of standing on solid ground returned.
Staggering a little, a hand held her back and helped her regain her balance.
"It's light-headedness now, but when you advance to Sequence 5, you'll have no problem speeding through dreams."
Flora sighed silently, closing Feynapoter Potter Children's Stories and casually tucking it into her jacket.
To think that she would help save someone who was once just a recovery plan... The twists and turns of life.
"Don't move around too much." With that last piece of advice, the white-haired woman let her go.
"What..." Blinking, Hazel held her forehead, her gaze moving around. "What's going on?"
Even though she was still dizzy, she scanned her surroundings as she had been trained.
A simple room, with a few tables, a window, and a small kitchen in one corner. From its appearance, it was clear the room was neither too cheap nor too ostentatious.
Looking at her sideways, Flora didn't mince her words and spoke without haste, "A somewhat special situation has arisen."
"I don't understand..."
"You really have bad luck."
Tensing at the sudden, but familiar, voice, the young lady's attention moved to a corner of the room covered in shadows.
The shadows trembled and seemed to condense into a pool; from among them, two figures emerged.
A tall redhead with his hair tied in a high ponytail and a closed white jacket, accompanied by a pale man with piercing eyes, with barely contained malice. The first had his left hand on the other's shoulder while carrying a paper bag.
Upon seeing him, the young lady couldn't help but smile excitedly:
"Teacher!"
Flora, for her part, raised an eyebrow, noticing her partner's change of clothes: "You're late, what happened now?"
"I wanted to buy a few things first." Adryan winked knowingly.
Understanding what he meant, the woman rolled her eyes.
That only made Adryan smile even more.
It wasn't necessary for his student to know what her teachers did at night, so a change of clothes was welcome.
He let go of Maric's shoulder, but not before giving it a pat. "By the way, Mr. Zombie, good job."
"Mm," grunting in response, Maric simply went to one of the empty chairs and sat down with his arms crossed.
Rolling his eyes at the zombie's attitude, the redhead walked to the kitchen.
Placing the paper bag on the counter, he snapped his fingers, and a red flame appeared in the oven.
"I interrupted your meal, so I'll cook something for your lunch. I saw you ordered soup. I'll make you Vori Vori." Entering his cooking mode, Adryan rolled up the sleeves of his jacket and took off his gloves.
Hazel nodded, her mouth slightly open, words unsaid.
'I've never heard of that dish... And what are those scars?'
On the man's right hand, starting at his fingers and disappearing beyond his sleeves, black cracks like spider webs spread across his skin.
'How did that happen? It's that why he suddenly started wearing gloves?'
Keeping the comment to herself, knowing it was offensive to ask such things, Hazel could only press her lips, her eyes returning to the other occupants of the room.
Zombie Maric remained in the same place as before, while Dream Stealer Flora had taken a seat on the sofa and watched boredly what Reaper Adryan was doing.
With only Miss Sharron missing, the highest Sequences of the team—
The reflection in the window turned cloudy, and a female face was outlined.
Emerging from the glass and floating a few steps in the air, a woman dressed in black robes descended silently to the floor. Wraith Sharron gave a slight nod.
"Good afternoon," the blonde greeted cordially.
"...Good afternoon, Miss Sharron." Hazel was a little slow to respond, but the blonde in black didn't mind.
Taking a seat next to her undead companion, the Wraith closed her eyes and seemed to fall asleep.
With her, the team's strongest members were gathered here.
'...' The young noblewoman pressed her lips tightly.
Turning her attention back to her teacher, who was finishing cutting carrots, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Is the situation that bad?"
"Didn't I say so? You're unlucky." Adryan looked up for a moment before sighing.
Now that he thought about it deeply, his student really was unlucky.
In the original story, Hazel had not only been manipulated by a demigod to be her future food, but she was then traumatized by the little raven, almost lost her entire family, and could barely look at monocles without trembling.
'In fact, Hazel's situation can be considered the dark reflection of Audrey's...'
The Brightest Gem had the divine fortune of being taken under the wing of a benign existence, while Gretel's sister fell into the pot to be slowly cooked without knowing it.
'And now Hazel fell into the script of a useless writer... Although...' Throwing the chopped carrots into the pot full of water, Adryan glanced at his student out of the corner of his eye.
That annoying and uncomfortable stench was completely gone.
'The power of an 'adult' Snake of Mercury is to be applauded. If Will had reset his life to that of a baby, I doubt he would be capable of doing something like replacing a character in an Author's story...'
It wasn't necessary to think too much about it; a child is stronger than a baby, after all.
'Also, the fact that the stench is gone confirms that what I was smelling was the manipulation of Hazel's destiny...
.
.
'What the fuck?' The redhead couldn't understand that.
In the Emperor's diary, in his conversation with the old Hermes, the latter had said that the path of the Hunter is the path that most resists fate. Could this be an early sign of that?
'Is it because of my deeper connection to the City of Calamities as a Reaper? Of course, it could also be because Hunters' Hallow is more active than before. It could also be a combination of the two... Argh.'
This was annoying.
Not wanting to rack his brains over things he didn't have enough information about, the redhead sighed again and lowered the intensity of the flames to simmer the vegetables.
While preparing the corn balls for the Vori Vori, Adryan turned his head boredly to one side.
"You will no longer be going out unaccompanied, nor will you be going out without being disguised. The soldier will take care of all the activities you used to do from now on, whether it's going to college or going out with friends, everything. The soldier will be Hazel Match from now on. At least for the time being.
"Of course, you will continue to study. Just because you are no longer attending university does not mean you can relax, young lady."
'Even in this situation, I can't escape math...' Lowering her head and biting the inside of her cheek, Hazel nodded.
Calmly, she replied, "Understood."
Adryan also nodded, satisfied.
Taking Hangover Time out of his pocket and checking the time on the beautiful jet-black pocket watch, he closed it with a click.
"Lunch will be ready by 2 p.m. at the latest. You can rest on the sofa in the meantime. We brought some books, and there are cards if you want to play."
The Tarot Club was at 3 p.m., so he had plenty of time to cook in peace.
Hazel had been standing there waiting for her teacher to explain the situation better, but he just continued cooking without saying anything else—her mouth hung open a little at that.
Seriously, what was going on?!