CPT 9

Episode 9

Her nose stung sharply.

It felt like the hummus she’d eaten earlier was crawling back up, but Yuha first glanced around. Thankfully—miraculously—no one seemed to have overheard her conversation with Rashid.

Seriously, who says something that terrifying out loud in a public place like this?

Save this poor wannabe nerd!

After a few coughs, she glared at Rashid, who only shrugged casually.

“Your mom’s gonna be disappointed.”

“…Let her be disappointed. I mean, really, what kind of absurd assumption is that?”

“Daisy’s just imaginative. Basic historian’s trait, you know.”

Aren’t historians supposed to deal with facts, not fiction?

Yuha frowned at Rashid’s smug grin—but before she could retort, an explosion of cheering erupted from the corner of the room.

“Hey, hey, if you’re about to set the place on fire, go to your rooms!”

“Free condoms in the student union drawer!”

“Oh my God, they’re leaving—let’s follow them!”

The crowd of passionate kissing ghosts seemed to have rushed outside again. Whether to watch or to stop them, other freshmen also poured out after them—too quickly for the second-years to intervene.

“Ivy! What are you doing, come on!”

At her classmate’s call, Yuha stood up wearily and followed the crowd.

Once she stepped outside the dorm building, the autumn wind whipped around her in a chilly swirl. The sharp air helped scatter the haze of alcohol from her head, and she could finally breathe properly.

Finally… I can breathe again.

Yuha groaned softly, ruffling her own hair. She’d expected the night to devolve into drunken chaos, sure—but not quite like this.

“Hey!”

Yuha straightened up.

In the square courtyard surrounded by three dorm buildings and the library, freshmen from all sorts of majors were gathered, chatting and laughing noisily.

Okay… so where did the statistics department go?

“Hey!”

As she blinked sleepily, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Startled, she turned—and found a girl with long, waist-length blond hair.

Her eyes were startlingly blue, almost glowing in the dim autumn night.

“Hi!”

What startled Yuha even more was how that blue gaze brightened the moment the girl saw her.

…Uh. Have we met?

Yuha forced her foggy, alcohol-addled brain into overdrive, trying to recall. But the harder she searched, the blanker her mind grew.

“Hi.”

She returned the greeting cautiously.

“Wow, it’s so good to see you! I really wanted to meet again, but no one around me knew your SNS or number. How are you tonight? Doing okay?”

“…I drank a bit too much, but yeah, I’m fine. I handle alcohol pretty well.”

“Really? That’s great! I didn’t want to drink much, so everyone let me off easy. I just had a glass of soda and that’s it.”

The girl’s smile widened even further, so bright it almost curved her entire face upward. Yuha, trying not to look too puzzled, nodded along politely.

Even a socially oblivious person would notice the girl’s obvious fondness—and Yuha wasn’t that oblivious.

The problem is… I have no idea who this girl is.

“Guess you’re not much of a drinker,” Yuha said smoothly.

“Yeah. I’m not good with alcohol—and honestly, I hate the way drunk people look. I don’t think I could stand being one myself!”

That’s when Yuha finally realized who the girl was.

Ah. The one from the welcome dinner.

The freshman who’d been harassed by a drunk idiot—and whom Yuha had stepped in to save.

“I get it,” Yuha said softly. “Did that guy ever apologize to you?”

“Oh, uh-huh. I ran into him in the main dining hall two days ago, and he apologized.”

“You didn’t have to forgive him. He was a jerk.”

“I know… but it was hard to ignore him when everyone was watching.”

“Smart bastard,” Yuha muttered.

The girl’s cheerful smile faltered a little, fading into something wistful. After a pause, Yuha added quietly,

“You’re the bigger person.”

“You think so?”

“Definitely.”

“…Oh! I almost forgot—we never introduced ourselves properly. I’m Lizzy. Lizzy Milligan. I study theology.”

“Ivy. Spelled with a Y, not an E. Statistics major. Nice to meet you.”

Yuha was about to excuse herself and go find her classmates when Lizzy, fidgeting with her fingers, looked down for a moment and then blurted out:

“Um, Ivy… are you, uh… single? I mean, not married yet?”

“Uh. Yeah, not yet. Why—should I be?”

“Really?!”

Lizzy jumped on the spot and suddenly wrapped Yuha in a tight hug. Startled, Yuha awkwardly patted her back.

Despite her earlier claims, Lizzy didn’t smell at all of alcohol.

“Oh, I’m so happy! I’ve been wanting to ask you that forever. Let’s get along from now on, okay?”

“Sure,” Yuha replied with a small smile.

“Let’s have lunch together sometime! I’m so excited.”

“Yeah, sounds great… but uh, newlyweds or not, the stats department just left and I should probably catch up. Mind if I go?”

“Of course! Go ahead. I’ll talk to my seniors and then come find you.”

Yuha tilted her head. “What about your theology classmates?”

“Oh, we’re super chill. Everyone scattered, and the seniors are drinking upstairs. So I’m free!”

“Got it. I’ll be around then—come find me whenever.”

“Okay!”

Seeing that Lizzy wanted another hug, Yuha obliged, giving her new “college wife” a brief squeeze before waving goodbye.

Lizzy waved enthusiastically before disappearing into the building.

Yuha took a deep breath, turned back toward the courtyard, and sighed.

The quad was overflowing with freshmen drunk beyond reason—and second-years desperately trying to keep them under control.

…So where did they go?

Frowning slightly, Yuha scanned the area. Even after weaving through several groups, she couldn’t spot her statistics classmates anywhere.

Maybe they’re in one of the side paths.

Every road in the college led back to the quad, and there were half a dozen narrow paths branching off from it.

Yuha headed to the edge and began checking them one by one.

She failed to find them in the first or second. But as she peeked into the third—

A hand suddenly grabbed her arm and yanked her into the darkness.

Miraculously, she didn’t scream.

Because the one who’d pulled her in—was him.

Even before she caught her balance, she recognized him.

That hand gripping her arm—those slender, elegant fingers, the clean white skin, the long knuckles curved just so. It was a hand she’d memorized, unwillingly yet perfectly.

The most beautiful hand I’ve ever seen.

And there was only one man who possessed it.

Just like that night in the dining hall, Yuha found herself staring at it again—tracing its graceful lines before slowly lifting her gaze to meet the eyes of Geoffrey Hester.

Drunk, of course. Thoroughly so.

He was already looking down at her. The moment their eyes met, his Adam’s apple moved in a sharp, deliberate swallow. The grip on her arm tightened slightly.

He was aware.

And maybe that’s why—

She couldn’t help but be aware too.