Incident on the Airship (4)
I quietly followed behind the professor, keeping a suitable distance as we left the cabin.
“……”
She had a different air about her than usual. In the classroom, she always guided the students with a cool, composed demeanor. But now… something was off.
“Here. I thought it’d be a good spot for just the two of us to talk…”
We’d arrived at the observation deck. Beyond the transparent walls stretched an endless sky, and the precision instruments placed around the room made it clear this wasn’t just a lounge. In the silent space, we stood wordlessly for a moment. The professor stopped, leaning against the window as she turned to look at me. Her eyes held a troubled glint—not sharp or unfamiliar, but rather demure and hesitant.
“…Nice weather.”
She glanced out the window and murmured that, her fingers slowly tracing the glass. Beyond the chill-seeping transparent pane, pure white clouds drifted endlessly soft. I quietly drew in a breath. It wasn’t my first time alone with the professor, but this atmosphere felt entirely new. Awkwardness and unfamiliarity hung in the air, mingled with a strange tenderness.
“Um, that is…”
She seemed to want to say something but couldn’t quite open her mouth.
“Why did you suddenly bring me here?”
In the end, I spoke first. She stared at me in silence for a while, her gaze appraising. Then, with a slightly subdued voice, her cheeks flushed.
“I just… wanted to talk to you properly. You know, one-on-one.”
“Talk? About what?”
For a moment, I thought she had something important to say—maybe asking me to mediate between Eily, Elisha, and Melina’s constant bickering. But her expression was far from casual.
“Well… in the classroom, it’s always so stiff. With everyone watching and all…”
She continued, head slightly bowed.
“And we both have our roles there.”
“But here… it feels a bit different.”
Her voice was low and soft, carrying a chill yet oddly warm tone. And right now, she looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to.
I drew in a slow breath and asked again.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
At that moment, the professor gave a faint smile. But behind it lingered hesitation and a touch of wistfulness, as if she hoped I’d understand something on my own.
“It’s not anything important.”
She turned toward the window, gazing out.
“What kind of person do you think I am?”
Our eyes met in the reflection on the glass, and she quietly spoke. It was an unexpected question. I furrowed my brow slightly, studying her face again. She wore a soft smile, but an unknowable emotion lurked beneath.
“Why ask that all of a sudden?”
“Just curious.”
I pondered for a moment. The professor was showing emotions I’d never seen before—not the authoritative teacher, not the cool-headed judge, but just a girl who wanted to talk with me.
I let out a quiet sigh and met her gaze.
“Strict, but sometimes kind.”
It was honest. Even in the game’s lore, she was portrayed as stern on the outside but caring for her students deep down.
She gave a light laugh at my answer. But a faint regret shadowed it, as if she’d hoped for a different response—one I couldn’t know, one only she expected.
And then—
“Um, Arnold…”
She turned to face me directly, hesitating before carefully opening her mouth.
“…Do you dislike older women when it comes to dating someone seriously?”
Her voice echoed lightly through the observation deck. But it planted a question mark in my mind. I couldn’t immediately grasp her intent. I’d never really thought about considering someone older as a romantic partner. Vaguely, though, I figured I might prefer it.
“I—”
Rumble!
But just as I started to speak, a sudden vibration rocked the airship. The deck floor trembled faintly, throwing off our balance.
“Eek?!”
Professor Adria lost her footing in the unexpected shake and pitched forward. I reflexively reached out, catching her and steadying her.
“A-Arnold?!”
In my arms, she looked up at me with wide eyes. That gaze held not just surprise, but complex emotions hard to put into words.
I didn’t pull away, meeting her eyes steadily.
“U-uwah?!”
Soon, her face flushed bright red. Clearly flustered, she hurriedly pulled back and retreated.
“S-Sorry!!”
She stumbled away, unable to hide her agitation.
“Professor? Your answer—”
“N-No, I can’t hear it! Sorry, I’m going first!!”
Without letting me finish, she fled the observation deck, face crimson.
“Haa…”
Adria walked down a quiet corridor, then stopped, staring into space. Recalling what just happened made her face heat up again. Ears red, she pressed her forehead and sighed softly.
“Should I not have asked?”
She’d mustered her courage, only to lose to embarrassment. She felt pathetic.
“Who’d like a woman like this anyway.”
A self-deprecating laugh escaped. The cold, strict professor everyone kept at arm’s length. Did she even qualify to harbor romantic feelings?
“And Arnold’s surrounded by women…”
“Especially Elisha. She’s his fiancée, after all.”
No matter her interest in him, plenty of others were already reaching out.
“Maybe… I should give up?”
As she tried to steel herself and let go, a familiar voice struck her ear.
“Professor.”
“A-Arnold?!”
Startled, Adria clutched her chest. How long had he been behind her? He gazed at her with his usual calm expression.
“Wh-What is it—”
“About your question earlier?”
Ignoring her turmoil, he continued plainly.
“Don’t say it! Just, it’s fine—”
“I do prefer older women over someone my age or younger.”
“…Huh?”
His simple words hit her like a blow, leaving her dazed.
“Really…?”
She asked again, disbelieving. Arnold shrugged nonchalantly.
“Yeah. I haven’t thought deeply about my type, but probably.”
With that, he walked past her. Adria stared blankly at his back, then slowly smiled.
“Older women…”
That one phrase felt like a compass for her lost heart. Just minutes ago, she’d denied herself, thinking her feelings wrong. But at least those words gave her hope.
“Maybe… this isn’t mistaken after all.”
A small certainty bloomed in her chest. She clenched her fist lightly. Her slumped shoulders lifted naturally.
“Right. No giving up.”
She whispered to herself—not as the cool professor or strict researcher, but as someone in love.
Adria wore a quiet, certain smile.
“Master’s a bit late.”
“He’s not getting chewed out because of us, right?”
Meanwhile, the cabin had fallen into heavy silence. They tossed out comments to lighten the mood, but the tension of waiting lingered.
“Well, sorry about that…”
“Professor Adria’s not unfair, so it should be fine.”
Eily and Elisha spoke up quietly, followed by Melina and Varis adding their thoughts. But it couldn’t fully dispel the cabin’s odd unease. In the awkward quiet, they exchanged cautious glances.
“Senior, do you know anything about the dungeon?”
Finally, Varis broke the silence, his voice laced with tension and curiosity. With so little info on the dungeon, anxiety gnawed at him—he wanted to ease it even a little. He looked to their senior, Lucy, with expectant eyes.
But—
“……”
Lucy gave no reply. Head deeply bowed, she was unnaturally silent. Like she’d stopped breathing, cut off from the world in eerie stillness. The cabin’s heavy mood sank deeper.
“Senior?”
Varis sensed something wrong instinctively. His throat went dry. Lips pressed tight in tension, he slowly reached out and lifted her hat slightly.
And then—
“Whoa?!”
He jerked back on reflex. A chill ran down his spine, cold sweat trickling along his back.
“What happened?”
Melina hurried over at his reaction, following his gaze—and froze.
“Senior?!”
Her cry tensed everyone in the cabin.
“Senior?”
“Lucy-senior!”
The room stirred in an instant. They rushed to her, but none dared touch.
“……”
Because Lucy stared blankly into space with lifeless eyes, devoid of any spark. No one knew why. But one thing was clear—
“Ugh…”
A chilling emotion dwelled in Lucy’s gaze. Like the frail, helpless eyes of a human confronting primal terror and fear, confronting something unseen.