I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

-Ta, time!! Water in my nose… Glug?!
-Die.
-Edyn. You brought this upon yourself.
-Ilya~!

There is a splash and a roar as the water splashes against Clare’s frozen back. I stare at Clare for a moment as she stiffens, tidying up her stray hair, then quietly turn away.
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I entered the study, drank instant coffee I made myself, and watched the children through the window.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I knew who it was without checking, so instead of answering, I used my magic to open the door and turned my body.

“Ah…”

The study door opened wide, and Claire appeared in her swimsuit, shaking off the water.

‘How unexpected.’

She had already shown me her swimsuit several times, but now she was showing embarrassment. I glanced at her as she moved her lips, then sat down.

“Go inside and change your clothes.”
“Y-yes.”

She answered in the smallest voice I had ever heard in the eight years I had known her, and quietly entered the bedroom.

‘Is it because of the swimsuit?’

To be precise, it was a new swimsuit that I had never seen before.

Previously, she wore a pure white swimsuit that matched her skin tone, almost like a shirt and shorts, but today’s swimsuit was black and had a larger exposed area.

Considering that she usually avoided revealing outfits, it wasn’t difficult to guess who had given her the swimsuit. Above all, the only person who gave her civilian clothes was Yesol.

‘I guess that’s what the kids were sent to deliver.’

The existing pool was already quite large, but the new one installed in the yard was slightly smaller than three times the size of the old one, closer to a swimming pool than a pool.

“Well, as long as they don’t bother me, I don’t care what they install.”

I watched the kids splashing in the still-blue sky after six o’clock, then turned my chair around and sat down.

Click-

As I finished the last of my coffee and started writing in my journal, Claire, who had gone into the bedroom, came out.

“Claire.”
“Y-yes…?”

Claire, who was about to leave the study without saying anything to me, turned her head with a start.

“Come here.”
“…”

I tapped the armrest of the chair with my finger, and she blinked for a moment before slowly moving her feet and coming to my side.

“A little more.”
“T-this is enough…”

She stuttered, but when I looked at her quietly, she finally bent down and lowered her posture. Only then did I extend my left hand and brush her wet hair.

“Make sure your hair is completely dry.”
“Thank you…”

I used my magic to shake off the water and neatly arrange her wet hair, just as I had done for the children.

“After you’re done, please make me a cup of coffee.”
“Yes…”

Claire, with a slight red tint under her neck, turned her back with an empty teacup.

“Claire.”
“Yes…?”

Claire, with one foot in the half-open door, turned her head cautiously and looked at me.

“About that answer I’ve been putting off…”
“Putting off… Oh.”

Claire’s blue eyes widened as she realized something important.

“I’ll answer after the festival is over.”
“…”

She tilted her head for a moment, her eyes widening.

“Oh.”

Her tilted head straightened with a short exclamation.

“I understand.”

She replied with a stiff expression.

“If you have nothing else to say, I will take my leave…”

As I nodded, she bowed her head slightly and quietly left the study. I stared at the closed study door for a while, then continued writing in my journal.

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.

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After the festival…
After the festival…
After the festival…

Ssssssssss!!

“Hmm?”

As the unpleasant sound and a faint burnt smell reached Claire’s nose, her dazed eyes regained focus.

“Ah…”

She sighed at the sight of the boiling pot lid, its contents bubbling. She turned off the fire.

Whoosh!

As she opened the lid, hot steam and swollen bubbles slowly subsided, revealing a half-reduced stew and chunks of meat stuck to the bottom of the pot.

“Sniff, Sister?”

-Feed me!!

Just then, Baek Hana and the fairy entered the kitchen after their shower, followed by Maria and Edyn.

-I’m hungry!!

“Why do you speak informally only to me?”
“Hahaha.”

The fairy, sitting at the table, offered chocolate to Edyn, who sat next to her, grumbling as she unwrapped it.

“Sister, what’s wrong?”
“Hana…”

Claire, looking at the contents of the pot, spoke to Baek Hana, who had come to her side, with a sense of apology.

“It seems we’ll have to replace dinner with instant food.”
“Instant food is fine, but it’s unusual. You failed to make the stew.”
“Hmm…”

Claire couldn’t respond properly to Baek Hana’s concerned question, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Is something wrong?”
“Well, um… I’ll tell you later…”
“Okay. I understand.”

Claire’s earlobes turned slightly red.

Baek Hana, sitting right next to her, didn’t miss this subtle change and realized that the reason for Claire’s failed stew was Baek Woo-jin.

“Hoo.”

Baek Hana, whose eyes briefly filled with complex emotions, sighed and playfully stuck to Claire’s side as she cleaned the pot.

“We’ll take care of the cleaning. You go and call Woo-jin.”
“No, but…”
“Hurry.”
“Yes.”

Claire put down the pot she was holding and left the kitchen.

-Tonight’s dinner is frozen food.
-Creamy udon!!
-Do we even have frozen food?
-Hmm…?

Claire’s steps faltered at the sound of the children’s voices coming from the kitchen. The reason was that while she had mentioned instant food, the only instant food in the mansion was the coffee that Baek Woo-jin drank.

‘Cereal…’

The cereal that Baek Woo-jin occasionally bought when he left the mansion, providing a quick meal when he was away. That was all the kids could eat right now.

“As expected…”

As she turned to quickly prepare something easy to eat, she heard the sound of a door opening in the hallway where the study was located. Soon after, Baek Woo-jin appeared.

“Professor…”

As Baek Woo-jin approached with silent steps, Claire’s gaze naturally lowered to the floor.

“Claire.”
“Yes…”

Her heart was beating unusually fast.
Even when she had to kill another human for the first time, it didn’t beat like this.

She worried that her heartbeat might be audible, but Baek Woo-jin’s low voice brushed past her ear.

“The coffee is taking a while.”
“…”

That’s right.

She remembered that she had promised to prepare fresh coffee after finishing dinner preparations.

“Ah, um, well…”

She wanted to apologize, but he didn’t allow it. So, she was confused about what to say when…

Swoosh.

A hand, not her own, entered her field of vision, which was directed downward, and lifted her chin.

“I can’t even make a joke about this.”
“Huh?”

Joke?

Claire was confused by the unexpected word. As she tilted her chin slightly, Baek Woo-jin removed his hand and walked past her.

“Dinner will be coffee.”
“Ahh!!”

Claire, startled by his heart-fluttering voice, quickly turned and followed Baek Woo-jin.

“Woo-jin.”

Baek Hana, who was just about to put Claire’s cereal in a bowl, noticed Baek Woo-jin entering the kitchen and smiled brightly.

However, Baek Woo-jin, sensing something different about her smile, silently sat down without saying a word.

Soon after, Claire placed instant coffee in the cup Baek Woo-jin usually used and set it in front of him. After taking a sip of coffee, Baek Woo-jin spoke.

“It’s fine to install the pool, but it’s interfering with training. Clean it up properly in the morning.”
“What?!”

Baek Hana, pouring milk into her cereal, frowned.

Baek Woo-jin added, “I won’t stop you from setting it up again after training is over.”
“Can’t we just take a few days off?”
“No.”

Baek Woo-jin’s attitude was firm.

At that moment, Baek Hana’s gaze shifted from Baek Woo-jin to Claire.

In case something like this happened, everyone except Baek Woo-jin had already agreed on what to say. But…

Swoosh.

“…”
“…”

Claire, standing next to Baek Woo-jin, quietly turned her head away, avoiding Baek Hana’s gaze.

Baek Hana was speechless at Claire’s betrayal, who had cooperated with them every summer.

“Baek Hana.”
“Why?”

Baek Hana, whose lips had turned into a duck’s beak, replied in her characteristic sulky tone.

Baek Woo-jin, holding his cup, set it down at Baek Hana’s attitude.

“Why?”

Baek Hana, who knew Baek Woo-jin better than anyone, quickly corrected herself before he could speak.

Baek Woo-jin looked at her for a moment, then sighed and spoke.

“Just endure until the festival is over. Then, for the remaining time, you can stay at the mansion instead of the dormitory. Of course, there will be no training, and you can play as much as you like.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The same goes for you. Tell Yesol to lift the restrictions.”
“Wow!!”
“Oh my…”

Baek Hana, Edyn, and Maria all stared at Baek Woo-jin with wide eyes. This was because even after the festival, there was still a whole month left until school started.

“If you understand, don’t complain and work hard.”
“Yes!! I love you!!”

Baek Hana threw herself at Baek Woo-jin.

Usually, he would have used his magic to smack her on the forehead, but for some reason, today he accepted her hug.

“Hmm?”
“What is it?”
“Oh, no.”

Baek Hana blushed at Baek Woo-jin’s gentle caress of her head, in addition to accepting her hug. Startled by her pounding heart, she quickly pulled away from his embrace.

-Blush!!

“Hahaha, that’s right~”
“…”

The fairy, munching on chocolate, pointed at Baek Hana, and Maria, sitting next to her, grinned and offered the fairy a new piece of chocolate.

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After the children returned to the dormitory…

-Goodbye!!

The fairy, with her cute little belly sticking out, bowed to Baek Woo-jin and entered the bedroom with Claire.

“Good night.”

“Okay~ I’ll sleep~”

The fairy giggled as Claire gently stroked her head, then curled up in her basket.

Claire carefully placed a red blanket over the fairy’s chest as she heard the even breathing.

‘So far away…’

The fairy’s presence was so faint that it wouldn’t be strange if she disappeared right before their eyes.

But the one she held in her heart had said that the farewell with this child in front of her was farther away than she thought.

The old Claire would never have believed it. She only trusted what she saw and felt herself.

But for some reason, she couldn’t help but believe his words. So, the anxiety she felt every time she saw this little child disappeared after that day.

It was an inexplicable change, even to herself.

She had just heard a single word…

Claire’s face suddenly flushed.

The touch from that time, which she had tried to forget, naturally came to mind.

“Ahem…”

Claire took out her tablet, which she had hidden under her pillow. Although her activities had officially stopped, her work hadn’t, so she was dealing with it by checking and approving the documents Yeseol sent her every night.

Ding!

“Hmm?”

In the midst of her work, a new email popped up.

It was from Maria, who had returned to the temple a few hours ago.

This was the first time Maria had contacted her directly since the incident with Baek Hana and the apprentice priest of the God of Luck.

“It’s not an incident, is it…”

Claire opened the email from her beloved child.

[Maria: (Photo)]

The email contained only a single photo with no special content.

As Claire enlarged the photo, her eyes widened slightly.

[Who is the professor you want to spend time with?!]

Please vote in the event section right now!

The photo was accompanied by a brief description, and below it were photos of some professors from each grade. And in the center.

‘Hmm?’

Baek Woo-jin’s photo was the largest.