The pen in my hand twirled around my thumb as I blankly stared ahead, my eyes barely trailing after the pacing professor. The person at my side had seemingly given up long ago, both their hands occupied by a racing game on their phone. 

"...took this photo on the beach. It was so sad to see, just one leg!" He moved to the other side of the wide projected screen, seemingly not minding the rather large distance. "But, the seagull still stood! On one leg. Perfectly fine. Does anyone know why?" Professor Something used his laser pointer to circle the one-legged seagull on the screen, and ten seconds later, like clockwork, he moved to the other side of the screen. "It really only had one leg. I checked and rechecked by walking around it when I took this photo. It didn't even fly away. So, anyone?" 

I pursed my lips, soundlessly popping them and pursing them and popping them again as I lowered my gaze back down to my near-empty physics notebook. The college-ruled paper was titled 'Lecture 2' in red ink, but there was nothing after that. An hour of class had passed but I had written nothing. Yesterday's notes, titled 'Lecture 1', weren't much different. 

Am I a bad note taker?

"No one? Well, it's okay. I will explain. So this bird has only one leg, but it can stand perfectly fine. The reason is..." Professor Something froze, his laser mindlessly circling the bird as he mumbled. "The reason is...I'll tell you." He took a step, beginning his trek to the other side of the projected screen again. "Here, let me remember and I'll tell you..." 

...I'm definitely not a bad note taker.

I vehemently deny that it was my fault. An hour of lecture had passed after I had first enthusiastically whipped out my brand-new notebook and pencil case, but I hadn't had a chance to use my fancy gel pens for one unfortunate, frustrating, unavoidable reason: the professor lectured, but he didn't teach. 

"I remembered! The reason this bird can stand so comfortably on one leg is...-,"

I leaned forward, my pen lowering to the first line right beneath the title. It seemed like I wasn't the only one: the sleepy air in the dim lecture hall had stiffened, an alert tension taking its place. 

"-...because birds are built differently from people! Their bones are lighter!" 

...I hate this class.

***

My briefcase weighed my arm down as I walked out into the corridor, students pouring out of the lecture hall around me. Some individuals were meandering by alone, others fast-walking, and still more were taking slow steps with their friends. The general atmosphere was more lively than it was during lecture, although it was definitely more toned-down than usual. I wouldn't be surprised if many weren't quite awake yet. 

"What a waste of time," The muttering unstoppably escaped me as I thought back to the last two hours. 

Looks like physics will be a self-study class. 

The recollection that I was paying tuition money for this only worsened my mood. 

I should think about something else.

I slowed my footsteps as I took my phone out of my chest pocket, inputting the five-digit passcode and watching the standard lock screen transition into a standard home screen. I opened an app, looking at the smooth short bubbles of text I had sent hours ago - the smooth short unanswered bubbles of text. 

'Unread'...Was he the type of person that didn't even peek at their phone during school hours?  

Bai Yul hadn't appeared at today's first class, so I had tentatively sent him a few topic suggestions regarding the presentation. He hadn't read them yet; he must be busy. I inadvertently thought back to our first meeting, and my eyes narrowed as a twinge of doubt pricked my heart. 

He better be busy. 

I returned to the home screen, opening a new app: FastGram. A flurry of pictures showed up, mostly of buildings with happy people posing in front of them. Every one of my added contacts was seemingly showing off their academies and universities. Yesterday was the first day of all schools nationwide, so I suppose it wasn't much of a surprise. My scrolling paused as a photo with a familiar face popped up. 

Anita. Should I message her?

"Is that your friend?" 

I jumped at the unexpected question, my head turning towards the sudden presence at my side. 

"Oh!" The red-head briefly covered her mouth with her palm, her brows rising. "Did I scare you? I'm so sorry!" 

Yes! 

"No, it's alright." I shot her a tight smile, my eyes darting around as we turned a corner. More and more people were overtaking our pace, most likely rushing to the dining hall for lunch. 

Why is the main character here?!

"This..." My gaze finally returned to the picture on my phone, and I looked back at Elinka. "Yes, she's my friend. We were in the same group in high school." 

"Woah, I see, I see!" The girl switched her briefcase to her other hand and stepped closer to me as we walked, leaning in to seemingly take a closer look at the photo. "She seems really happy!" The heroine straightened out with a grin, although she didn't step away to her earlier distance. 

"Yep." 

A majority of the students around were gone now, only stragglers left behind in the expansive corridor. I wasn't quite sure where we were walking to, but Elinka hadn't made any move to leave yet. 

My short response might have given her a certain impression because, in the next second, her countenance shifted into an expression that I had seen twice already.

"Was I being nosy? Sorry, I didn't mean to look at your phone. I just," She awkwardly twisted, her body turning with her as she pointed towards the long hallway behind us, "I saw you in lecture earlier but you left before I could say hi. Sorry if I was being intrusive!" 

"Oh," I tilted my head, taking my time to turn my phone off and place it back into my pocket as I searched for a proper response, "No, I didn't think you were intrusive. You...," 

"Yes?" She asked with an everpresent smile. 

You apologize a lot. 

"...You're in that class too?" 

"Yep! This level of physics is a requirement for most majors, isn't it? I heard lots of first-years take it!"

"That's true." I nodded, and then glanced at the heroine. "What did you think about it? The class we just had." 

The in-game protagonist was known to have mild speaking options, even in situations where it would be perfectly reasonable to be explosively angry. I guess the best way I saw it was this: the protagonist was a pure little snail that forgives a falling stone that crushed its home. The stone hurt of course, but all was forgiven because it wasn't actively aiming to crush the shell. The naive snail still feels grateful that the stone occasionally blocks rain and falling leaves as well. 

Essentially, it would be a lie to say that I didn't have expectations from Elinka's response. 

"The class we just had?" The girl lowered her eyes, her shy smile forming dimples on her cheeks as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I think it was...interesting." 

'Interesting' was one of the nicest things anyone could say about it. 

"Ah, really?" I nodded, my expectation confirmed. 

Must be 'interesting' to go through life and eat all sorts of dissatisfactions without a single complaint. Or does she just not feel dissatisfaction? 

Whatever it was, I think if I didn't know that she was the blessed protagonist of this love game, I might've felt sympathy. 

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please comment as you go, would love to hear your thoughts! I read your comments, promise!