Our research defense concluded without much aftermath. With Chapter Two already finished, the group suddenly found itself with more free time than we knew what to do with.
I spent most of it finalizing the remaining sections of the paper.
Anathasia helped occasionally.
Other than that, things settled back into our usual rhythm.
Quiet, predictable, and domestic.
…Aside from Carthanalenia officially moving into our house.
I didn't mind.
She was our daughter, after all.
And she always took on the form of a child, which made things significantly less… cosmically concerning. Anathasia handled her well enough.
Somehow.
By the time the calendar flipped seven days into February, the air outside had already started shifting. Store displays turned red. Couples walked closer than usual.
Just a week left until Valentine's Day.
Not that I cared.
It wasn't bitterness.
It just—
I don't know.
The day always felt exaggerated. Overperformed? Maybe. Like affection needed a scheduled appointment.
Anathasia's opinion wasn't much different.
"Valentine's?" she had scoffed. "The one day people pretend it's the only acceptable time to show affection? I'll pass."
Typical.
Right now, I was hunched over my laptop on the couch in the center of the living room, reviewing citations.
On the floor, for some reason…
Anathasia and Carthanalenia were playing chess.
"Check," Carthanalenia said calmly.
Anathasia blinked.
"…Wait."
A small wooden piece clicked against the board.
"Took Mom's queen."
Carthanalenia's rook stood where Anathasia's queen had once been.
"…How did I not see that?" Anathasia muttered, staring at the board like it had personally betrayed her.
Carthanalenia simply looked at her.
Unblinking.
Patient.
Unnervingly gentle.
I didn't look up from my screen.
I didn't need to.
For once, the balance of power in this household had already shifted.
Well… not that there was any to begin with.
"A-and checkmate," Carthanalenia added lightly, offering Anathasia a small smile after defeating her in just a few moves.
I paused mid-sentence and glanced over.
Carthanalenia tilted her head slightly.
"Isn't it more fun to play without omniscience, Mom?"
Anathasia went completely speechless.
Then she pointed at Carthanalenia as if personally betrayed before turning to me with an accusatory look.
I shrugged.
Then went back to typing.
The days passed like that.
Quiet and uneventful.
Until the following Saturday.
Valentine's Day.
For us, it felt… strangely ordinary.
Now the three of us were sprawled lazily across the couches. Carthanalenia had stepped out briefly, something about checking on a civilization she'd been observing for the past few years.
"They were on the brink of collapse when I found them," she explained a few days ago.
"A catastrophic war. My presence gave them hope to rebuild. However… guidance turned into dependence. And before long, I became their deity."
She had said it the way someone might describe adopting a stray cat.
So now, it was just Anathasia and me in the house.
Cicadas buzzed outside, filling the silence as we stared at nothing in particular.
Then—
"So," Anathasia said suddenly, pushing herself up slightly to look at me. "What should we do today?"
I returned the glance before staring back at the ceiling.
"I'm not sure…"
My eyes drifted toward the closed laptop on the small table.
"Groceries are stocked. Chores are done."
"And I already finished my dailies in all my games," she added casually.
I shot her a look.
"You used my phone again, didn't you?"
She stiffened.
Then she looked away.
"I mean… it's fine, right? You use mine to read webtoons and manga anyway."
I pushed myself up and leaned against the couch.
"Fair… I did finish my favorite series there already."
Silence again.
We looked at each other once.
"Wanna check out campus—"
"Yeah." She agreed immediately, before I could even finish.
We didn't have any classes on Saturday, obviously.
But we also didn't have anything better to do.
After changing, Anathasia teleported us to school.
The hallway was already crowded. Students everywhere.
Most wore red, either to show they were taken, or just to play along.
Anathasia had on a dirty-white blazer over her shirt, paired with a skirt that fell just above her knees.
I kept it simple. Jeans. Light blue open jacket. Cotton shirt underneath.
Music blasted from the PA system, used for blind date games and anonymous confessions.
Then—
"To Kyle Abe from Class 103, Secondary Education English Department—"
We froze.
Both of us slowly looked up at one of the speakers mounted high on the hallway wall.
"What?" I muttered, glancing at Anathasia.
She shook her head immediately. "It's not me."
The announcement continued.
"I've wanted to get closer to you since last year."
The hallway seemed to grow quieter.
"But you already had someone by your side. I couldn't bring myself to step between you and your girlfriend."
Anathasia and I exchanged another look.
Around us, several students who recognized us had already turned in our direction, most of them our classmates.
Their expressions were a mix of anticipation… and unease.
"I always watched from afar," the voice continued. "The way your hair catches the sunlight when you walk down the hallway. The way you present during group activities. The way you carry yourself."
A few whispers started.
"Sometimes I wondered what it would feel like to be that person for you. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get jealous whenever I saw you with Dunaleff."
A pause.
"But who am I to feel jealous? You probably never even noticed me."
The air felt heavier.
"I just wanted to say… I like you. Even if I couldn't tell you personally, I needed to get this off my chest."
Another pause.
"That's all. Thank you for being here."
Silence swallowed the hallway.
Students who hadn't understood at first were now staring openly.
I glanced back at my classmates.
None of them met my eyes.
As if they already knew who had sent the anonymous confession.
Beside me, Anathasia simply folded her arms.
Unbothered.
Or at least—
She looked that way.
Then the voice behind the PA system spoke again.
"Wow… that confession was… loaded."
A brief cough followed.
"For anyone wanting their own confessions read aloud, feel free to visit the Broadcasting Club or the Supreme Student Council. Rechi out~"
The music resumed shortly after. Conversations picked back up. The hallway returned to normal.
Anathasia let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head.
"That girl really doesn't change, does she?"
"What girl?"
We started walking toward the Teacher Education Office, where Professor Wang was supposedly waiting.
"It's Alexandria. Our class president back in first year."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You mean… Alexandria? The one who misunderstood us being in bed during the field trip?"
Anathasia lifted a finger as if confirming a fact.
"Yup. That very same person."
A small laugh escaped her.
"She's liked you since then. You just never noticed. We were always together, and you cared more about academics than dating."
"…Huh. I barely saw her after the field trip. Hard to believe," I muttered, knocking three times on the department office door before stepping inside.
"As expected," Anathasia shrugged, following behind me.
Inside, Professor Wang sat behind his desk.
Dark circles lined beneath his eyes, a rare sight.
He looked up from the stacks of papers in front of him and smiled.
"Mr. Abe. You're here."
I nodded and approached his desk, eyeing the piles on either side.
"Professor… this is…"
"The manuscripts from every class I've panelled," he said, leaning back with a sigh. "As you can see, I'm quite… swamped."
After a brief pause, his gaze shifted.
"Miss Dunaleff is with you? I see."
He leaned forward again, clasping his hands together.
"So, how may I help you?"
"It's about our paper," I said directly. "Your signature is the last one we need, so we thought—"
"Ah, yes." He cut in with a small smile before pulling a folder from his drawer. "I was wondering what I'd forgotten to return. So that was it."
He handed the papers to me casually.
"Thank you, Professor."
He waved a hand dismissively.
"No need. It was my oversight."
"Well…" I glanced at the sea of papers drowning his desk. "With a workload like this…"
My eyes returned to him.
"It's understandable."
He nodded, rubbing his temple lightly.
"I appreciate that, Mr. Abe. You taking initiative makes things easier. I was planning to bring it to you myself."
He leaned back again, folding his arms.
"But I had a feeling you'd come here first. It seems I wasn't wrong."
"Then again, thank you for your time, professor," I lowered my head slightly before turning.
Professor Wang just waved at us goodbye as Anathasia and I walked out of the office without another word.
—
By the time we stepped outside the main building, a small crowd had gathered along the covered pathway, all staring toward the campus gate.
When Anathasia and I walked past them, the reason became clear.
It was Carthanalenia.
In her adult form.
She stood near the entrance, dressed in something far too refined for a university campus, tailored coat, fitted slacks, heels that clicked softly against the pavement.
She looked less like a student and more like someone who had stepped out of a fashion editorial.
Completely out of place.
When she spotted us, she gave a calm wave.
"Mo—" she paused smoothly. "I mean… what took you so long?"
"Research papers," I replied with a shrug.
She hummed in response.
Then her gaze shifted to Anathasia, who was still looking down at her phone as we approached.
Without warning, Carthanalenia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her mother, pulling her into an effortless embrace.
Given the height difference, Anathasia's face ended up pressed against Carthanalenia's shoulder.
Her eyes widened.
"Carthanalenia—"
"Always distracted," Carthanalenia murmured softly, stroking her mother's hair with exaggerated gentleness. "That's not good for you… mom."
The surrounding students froze.
"Okay… we should probably take this somewhere else," I muttered, glancing at the onlookers before looking back at her.
"By the way, are you done checking on that civilization?"
She looked at me and nodded, finally releasing Anathasia.
"Mhm. I'm free for the rest of the day. So I thought…" She tilted her head slightly. "'Why not spend Valentine's with mom and dad?'"
Anathasia stumbled backward toward me, and I caught her instinctively, her back pressing lightly against my chest.
"Ugh… where would we even—"
"I booked a flight to Japan."
She said it casually.
Like she'd reserved a table at a café.
Anathasia and I froze.
Our voices came out at the same time.
"What?"