
The morning after drinking with a student and having a particular experience that was reserved for more experienced and older teachers, I reached the classroom.
I entered and noticed all the students sitting quietly. As was my usual routine, I placed a basket of cookies for them to eat through the day on a desk—
“Oh?”
There were already quite a few snacks kept on the table. I looked at the students, all of whom were smiling.
"Hah..." I picked one of the cookies that they had brought and left my basket down. As I chomped down on the cookie, a big smile spread on my lips.
"Oh right!" I said. "Can one of you wake up Zacka from the very back?"
There was one student missing from the class. Their eyes widened altogether. Elara, who sat at the back with Atlas, looked to her side and noticed Zacka.
She kicked him awake, how courteous.
"W-what... where..."
"Morning, student Zacka. Take a seat quickly."
Of course, last night I had been drinking with him and he keeled over. It would have been a big issue if he just came late to class! My attendance list was at risk.
So I dropped him in the classroom. You can't wake up late if you fall asleep at the place you need to be.
"Let's begin class!"
***
Needless to say, it seemed that Zacka was royally pissed. Though he didn't show it, he did throw a few jabs at me. Well, that's what you get for being late.
After the first batch of classes ended, I decided it was time to begin looking into the matter. I couldn't hear a lot from Zacka himself, and it didn't look like I could get any more information from him about his current situation either.
Even though he was far more attentive today after being put on spot, and eventually decided to just laugh about the situation along with all the other students, that was just today.
His performance had taken a tip across the board. I wasn't one to worry about scores, how ironic would that be coming from a guy who didn't even attend school?
But if a student was troubled, it was my duty to look at them.
And that is why, I gathered my special task force at a bench near the plaza of the academy.
The Glorenstein Plaza, at the very center of the academy. Hundreds of students and staff walked around the plaza at every moment, making the ones on the bench not very conspicuous.
I sat peacefully, with my legs crossed and a book in hand. Soon enough, a girl with cat ears and a long black tail walked over and took the seat next to me.
"Iaso."
"Professor."
We didn't look at each other, only ahead, as we acknowledged each other.
Soon, the second member of the task force arrived with the click of a camera.
"Professor—"
"Shush!"
I quickly shushed the student. She placed her hands on her mouth and shook her head in worry, as if she had done something wrong. Iaso gestured to the next bench over and Lumine quietly took a seat.
The girl then looked at us.
"Don't look at us, Lumine!" Iaso hissed without turning. "We are secret agents."
"Oh...?"
Lumine was quick to follow instructions. She nodded and did not say anything more. Her eyes usually did the talking—A perfect quality in a secret agent—but she couldn’t follow that this time.
Eventually, the last member of the taskforce appeared as well.
He was not looking this way. It didn’t look like he had even noticed us. Of course, after all, we had not informed him of this meeting.
A small shine appeared in mine and Iaso’s eyes. I pulled out a cloth bag and Iaso a stick.
We began.
Iaso jumped ahead like a cat. Her stealth activated as she slammed the stick on the back of his head and then stuffed it in his mouth.
Right then, I covered Atlas’ face with the bag and yanked him behind to the benches.
Atlas whimpered but his voice couldn’t leak out. Iaso and I covered him from the plaza behind us.
“Alright, Atlas Whisper. You better meet our demands or you’re done in. If you help us, I’ll give you a cookie, ok?”
Atlas suddenly stopped struggling.
“Nod if you understand,” said Iaso and the captive nodded.
I removed the paper bag and the gag and found Atlas looking at us with deep pity in his eyes, as if he was looking at trash.
His gaze stung.
“Just pretend you are a secret agent… and sit quietly.” Even Iaso hesitated at the commands.
Holding back his tears and disappointment, Atlas sat next to Lumine. We too, went back to looking normal, but way more embarrassed this time.
With all the members gathered, I looked ahead and took a deep breath. My book's page flipped. Indeed, it looked exactly like the meeting of a group of secret agents…
"Should we talk at a cafe?" I asked.
"That will be good, yeah."
"Mhm."
"HEY! What was the point of all this then!?"
***
We reached a quiet cafe near the Black Rose grounds. The place where I and Iaso usually found ourselves to fetch cookies. This lady was the only one who made them with catnip.
The manager of the cafe greeted us with a soft smile and asked us to take a seat.
"The usual?" she said.
"Usual please," I answered.
While she walked away, the other three looked at me. Iaso causally stretched her tail and hand as she spread on her chair like a thug.
"So, what is this about?" she asked.
I leaned forward on the table. These three were the ones I wanted to kidnap Atlas again.
But well.
"There is something I need all of your help with," I said. "Can you guys tell me how class has been going on these days?"
"Busy," said Lumine. Just a single word this time.
"It has been busy, yes. But nothing especially troublesome," continued Iaso. "Most of the students have covered all these materials so the exams are not troublesome. The only spot we need to worry about are places where we haven't really paid much attention."
"Iaso, are you secretly very smart?" Atlas asked, he adjusted his glasses as he looked at her. "Even Prince Ier was struggling a little with some subjects."
Iaso scoffed and flipped her hair.
"Skill issue," she said.
Where was she learning all these words from?
"Hmm, even Ier was having a tough time, is it?"
It would have been ok to ask Ier instead of these three, but I was worried that he might be a bit more conspicuous than the rest. He also took a lot of initiative and might have unknowingly pressured Zacka if he knew something was wrong.
"You three, tell me if something is going on with student Zacka."
"Zacka?" It was Atlas who asked. He was the one who was closest to Zacka among these three since Ier's group always pulled him along.
"You have a clique, don't you?" Iaso confirmed it too. "That annoying guy, Prince Ier, Ken, Zacka and you?"
"Hey don't call Argent annoying."
"Is he not, prof?"
"Alright, I should not be involved in matters between students like that."
"Hypocrite much?"
"I call myself an opportunist. Please."
Iaso and I chuckled and then she nudged Atlas again.
"So, is something going on? I don't know why the nosy professor is being nosy again."
Lumine flinched at those words. I was fairly nosy with her case. She stared at Iaso without saying anything. My updated Lumine translator said that she was trying to defend me.
How touching.
"Anything wrong... I guess Zacka has looked a little distracted these days..."
"Can you guys keep an eye on him for me?"
Thanks for the trusted Lumine translator