chapter 19. the rude teacher.

Chapter 19 – the rude teacher.

---

The hallway was silent.

The only sounds were the faint murmurs coming from classrooms, where teachers were still lecturing their students.

The academy was huge, clean, and intimidating, with its sleek, futuristic design.

And standing awkwardly in the middle of it all…

Was me.

I was completely lost.

Where was I supposed to go again?

I glanced at the large glass windows along the hallway, reflecting my own face back at me.

Silver hair, grey eyes, slightly ruffled uniform.

For someone who just arrived at one of the academies in the city's capital, I looked too calm.

Maybe it was because I was still clueless.

I had no idea what was considered normal here.

Were transfer students rare?

Was showing up late a big deal?

Should I have gone to the teacher's office first?

I had no clue.

So, I just stood there, watching my own reflection, thinking, "Huh. I do look pretty good in this uniform."

And that's when I heard a voice.

"Hey, student!"

I turned around.

A woman in her twenties was walking toward me, her expression unreadable.

She had a well-proportioned figure,slightly chubby. Though,soft curves that gave her an authoritative presence.

But what stood out the most—

Was her makeup.

Thick, layered foundation and bold eyeliner tried to mask the faint scars on her cheeks, likely from past acne marks.

Her hair was tied neatly, and her posture was stiff but confident.

She looked like someone who spent too much time perfecting her appearance but too little time actually caring about people.

"Are you Orien?" she asked, her voice firm, professional, but slightly impatient.

I blinked.

…How does she know my name?

I tilted my head slightly, confused but warm.

Finally, someone who could tell me where to go.

She didn't seem friendly, but at least she seemed competent.

That was good enough.

---

Assistant Teacher Nozel's POV –

"Where the Hell Were You?"

Nozel was irritated.

She had been waiting all morning for this so-called "special transfer student" to show up.

She didn't know much about him, and she didn't care.

She just knew:

His name was Orien.

He had silver hair and grey eyes.

He was a last-minute transfer, which never happened in this academy.

That meant one of two things:

1️⃣ He was some rich noble brat who used connections to get in.

2️⃣ He was a problem student being dumped here.

Neither option impressed her.

She wasn't fond of privileged students who thought they were above the system.

And she wasn't fond of troublemakers, either.

And now, after wasting her entire morning waiting—

This kid just casually wandered into the hallway like he was sightseeing.

---

She had stepped out of the staff room, already frustrated.

And then—

There he was.

A silver-haired boy, standing in the hallway, staring at his own reflection in the glass window.

Like an air-headed noble admiring himself.

Her eye twitched.

Was he seriously lost?

Nozel sighed, rolled her shoulders, and put on her business-like mask.

She called out—

"Hey, student!"

The boy turned around, blinking at her.

And then—he just stared.

Nozel felt even more annoyed.

Was he distracted? Confused? Just stupid?

With a polite but forced smile, she walked closer.

"Are you Orien?" she asked.

He had a blank face and looked cold and detached.

Oh great.

An 8th grade syndrome kid.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ ____

I nodded.

"Yes," I said.

The woman studied me.

Her gaze was calm but sharp, like she was analyzing my existence.

Then, in a smooth but rushed tone, she spoke:

"I am Assistant Teacher Nozel."

"Professor Ryen asked me to assign you to a class. Starting today, you'll attend it regularly."

Oh. That's convenient.

But then—

She sighed, crossing her arms.

"But unfortunately…"

She shot me a look of disappointment.

"You're late."

I frowned in inside.

Wait.

"It's almost break time."

She glanced at the hallway clock, as if confirming it.

I opened my mouth to explain myself.

To tell her about the janitor incident, the gardener disaster, and my survival sprint around campus.

But—

She didn't give me a chance.

"Come with me," she said.

She turned on her heel and started walking away.

I stood there for a second.

Then, sighing, I followed her.

___

The staff room was filled with teachers chatting, drinking coffee, and flipping through digital reports. They didn't give me much attention just on their own.

I was relieved.i was no attention seeker. Better be low key.

Nozel led me to a desk, pulled out a tablet, and handed it to me.

"Here," she said.

"Your class details. Just sign it."

I stared at the tablet.

She blinked at me.

Then sighed.

She picked up a stylus pen and shoved it into my hand.

"This will make it easier."

I hesitated.

Back in the countryside orphanage, we never had fancy tech.

Whenever we got new supplies, we confirmed it with a thumbprint signature.

But I wasn't completely clueless.

I had seen fancy signatures before.

So, with careful strokes—

I wrote 'Orien' in cursive and added a tiny sparkle drawing at the end.

I nodded in satisfaction.

"Perfect," I thought.

I handed the tablet back.

Nozel took one look at it—

Her eye twitched.

She sighed.

"…Good enough," she muttered.

I wasn't sure if that was praise or disappointment.

She handed me a printed schedule.

"Did you read the details?" she asked.

I just looked at her.....as if what details.

"You're in Class 4C, on the third floor."

I nodded.

"After this break, you'll have Physical Training."

I froze.

"Your training uniform is in the locker room on the fourth floor."

"Choose an unoccupied locker—the ones with a green glow on the handle are free."

"Set up a personal lock code for privacy."

"That's all for now. You can go."

---

Processing Too Much Information…

I stood there.

Silent.

Staring at her.

The sheer amount of information she had just dumped on me in one go…

It was like being hit by a moving carriage.

Before I could even process what was happening—

I found myself standing outside the staff room.

Wait.

What just happened?

I blinked.

Was everyone in the capital like this?!