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Professor Rudger’s class was bubbling with excitement and chitter-chatter like usual. His classes always aroused excitement among the Ceorn students, who quickly came to love and trust him upon witnessing his incredible techniques and rising fame.
He was always on time to arrive at the class, however, today seemed to be the sole exception. About five minutes had passed, and that was long enough to arouse suspicion of his whereabouts. His assistant, Sedina, as Flora recalled, quietly stood in the middle of the room. She knew the reason for the delay, so she was filled with excitement even though she didn’t show it or announce the reason for it.
“It’s unlike Professor Rudger to be this late. Don’t you think so, Flora?”
“Eh. I’m sure he’ll come soon.”
Flora acted indifferent to Cheryl’s question, yet her brain was filled with so many questions. Did something happen to her favourite professor that she would not admit to be the one? Sedina didn’t bother to explain anything either, so she was annoyed to be left waiting.
As she pondered and pondered, the door finally opened with a loud thud, and the sounds of steady steps filled the room, quieting down all the noise from before. Her head snapped at him, and then at the boy walking right behind him with a small smile. He had good looks and a confident stance, which surprised everyone.
“Who’s that?”
“He’s wearing our uniform.”
“Yeah, but I’ve never seen him around.”
“Oh, he’s so cute.”
Everyone questioned the existence of the boy while Rudger stood in the middle with him.
“As you might guess, we have a new student in this classroom. It’s quite unusual but he has President Elisa’s special permission. Make sure to treat your new classmate well and be welcoming.”
Rudger’s sharp eyes scanned the classroom as he spoke. Nobody knew the reason why, but his aura seemed scarier than usual. Rudger was quite anxious on the inside for Arpa’s future at the academy, but his face showed a completely different emotion as usual.
“Now, introduce yourself to your classmates.”
“Yes, thank you. My name is Arpa, and I will be attending Mr. Rudger’s classes from now on. Please take care of me.”
Arpa confidently smiled and introduced himself as he was taught by the Owens. They went over several points on how to act normal and look confident, which seemed to work well.
“Woah. Joining in the middle of the semester?”
“Why did the President allow it personally? Is he that good?”
“Pfft. We’ll see about that.”
“It’s unlike Mr Rudger to tell us to treat someone well. Is he a noble in disguise, maybe?”
“Huh. No idea.”
“Don’t be stupid. Mr Rudger doesn’t discriminate among nobles and commoners.”
The noise rose from all around until Rudger sent them a glare and Arpa found himself the only empty seat available in the class. His vision was quite literally perfect, so it didn’t matter if he sat in the far back, anyway.
Just like that, the lesson started and Arpa officially became a student at the prestigious Ceorn Academy. And an incredibly talented one at that, too. Maybe too incredible for his own good.
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Flora was mad. Renei was a bit irritated. Aidan felt miserable. On a normal, sunny day, these students never cared to spare a glance at each other. Today, though, was a day they all felt a bit…odd. They all went through different emotions, however, they had one thing in common: Jealousy.
Why, you might ask.
Because a certain newcomer was way too fucking good at stealing the spotlight. Why was that Arpa boy flawless and brilliant at everything he did?! And why did Professor Rudger, who barely praised two people in a single lesson constantly send compliments his way?!
Before, Flora used to watch Renei steal all the praises from Rudger. Now, even she didn’t get any of those. However, Flora would rather see the girl steal her spotlight than that boy who kept smiling down on everyone as if he was better than them. That was Flora’s job, for fuck’s sake.
“Brilliant as always, Arpa. Flawless execution once again.”
While everyone was gawking at him in amazement, Flora was annoyed. She was annoyed that Rudger’s words were right, and that was indeed a flawless execution. Even better than hers. Ugh.
“Professor Rudger seems to love him, no?”
“Huh. See if I care.”
Cheryl could see her friend sulking and had to stop herself from saying but you do care. Meanwhile, Renei suffered like never before. She was used to Professor Rudger constantly checking up on her, worried she might hurt herself or get something wrong, but now her spot was filled by someone else.
Rudger constantly had his eyes on Arpa, and the favouritism was getting on her last nerve. She felt so reassured and safe whenever Professor Rudger came to her rescue, but it seemed he was too busy with Arpa to notice her now. Okay, she was jealous of him, and that sucked.
Aidan didn’t even have any thoughts in his brain. At the end of the lesson, all he could do was watch as he was dragged out of the classroom by Leo and Tessy.
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It was early morning, the students were a bit sleepy, and there was still some time until the first lesson. Rudger took that chance to question Arpa to see if he was fulfilling his responsibilities for the mission well, and getting along with everyone. He knew the boy shone through all his classes, and that could get some unwanted negative attention.
“Were you comfortable during the lessons?”
“It’s impossible for me not to be.”
“You know what I mean.”
Arpa grinned as Rudger sighed in relief. He knew the boy could not be bullied or looked down on, but it’d cause a huge problem if he were to fight someone and tackle them in a second. He ruffled Arpa’s hair before his final words.
“Be careful not to get into trouble. If anything happens, you come directly to me.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Good. Now attend your lecture before you’re late.”
They parted ways, but Flora could only gasp in shock at what she heard behind the wall she had discreetly been hiding. The newcomer just called Mr. Rudger his dad. What the hell? How could he have a child at his age?! Did he also have a wife? Was that why he favoured him over everyone?
Her mind was once again buzzing with questions as she attended her next lecture, which she shared with Arpa, after all. At break time, when Cheryl asked what was on her mind to keep her frowning, she could not keep the information to herself any longer.
“You know that new boy, Arpa?”
“Yes?”
“Apparently, he’s Professor Rudger’s son.”
Cheryl gasped at the unexpected information and almost dropped the spoon in her hand. Flora sent her a knowing look; this was the first time in her life she wanted to gossip about something so badly.
“No way! Mr. Rudger is married?!”
Her nosy question echoed through the dining hall, and all the other students stared at the two in complete silence. That was the moment both Flora and Cheryl knew they fucked up.
“Cheryl asked that.”
“So, Flora must have told her.”
“Flora doesn’t speak nonsense.”
“Two plus two…”
“Holy fuck!”
After a brief moment of getting over the shock, the students who attended Rudger’s classes or were unable to ignore gossip ran over to the duo’s table hurriedly. This was too good of a gossip to be missed. Even the nobles who usually had their noses up high in the sky ran like maniacs and begged for more information. Flora didn’t speak as she continued eating, and that only left Cheryl as the sole victim.
“Elaborate!”
“Who’s the mother?”
“He’s married to whom?!”
“There goes my marriage plans down the drain.”
“Stop being delusional. What else do you know?!”
Cheryl was too overwhelmed at that moment, and the only thing she could do was scream out the final piece of information she was holding onto.
“I, I don’t know! I just know that the new kid is his son!”
“Who?”
“Arpa! That Arpa boy!”
“No wonder. He’s good-looking too.”
“Genes are everything these days.”
“But when did he marry and have a child when he’s still young?!”
Thus, the rumours snowballed into a big pile of bullshit in the span of a few hours, and everyone at the academy gossiped about the same topic.
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“Hey. You wanna eat with us at lunch? I don’t ever invite commoners, so be grateful.”
Arpa looked up at the person speaking to him with his little clique on his tail. What did these people want, exactly? He knew the answer already as he gave them a bright smile.
“I will have to refuse as I have other plans. Thank you for the invite.”
The noble’s face turned into a colour of red as he stuttered and tried to convince him again.
“Y-You can’t refuse! Do you know who I am?!”
“Ugh, stupid nobles.”
Leo called out and the nobles standing before Arpa all turned their attention to him.
“Huh? What does this filthy commoner want, now? Don’t you know who I am?”
“So what? Do you know who he is? Mr. Rudger would kick your sorry ass if you were to bother him.”
The nobles could only frown at the hard truth. They tried to get close to Arpa, but would Ruger approve of that? They quietly went back to their seats without looking back, after that.
“Would you like to sit with us?”
Aidan asked Arpa with a huge smile. He had no bad intentions, but he also got turned down with a bright smile. Arpa had no reason to form connections with the others.
“I’m good here, thank you very much.”
Meanwhile, everyone watched the scene and continued to gossip.
“Woah. Senior, do you think he really is the Professor’s son?”
This time, Renei asked Erendir in amazement. The Professor was her role model and he was always kind to her. Imagining someone else having his favour in multiplied amounts made her feel a bit…jealous, even if she didn’t want to admit to it.
“I guess so. Why else would he be accepted so late to the academy?”
“Right? And he’s so talented, too.”
She also dived into deep thoughts with a deep frown. She knew her thoughts were unreasonable but she couldn’t help herself.
Soon, Rudger arrived at the classroom, and all attention was on him once again. He continued his lecture like usual, not even sparing a glance at Arpa. That surprised the ones watching him like hawks until Rudger showed them something incredible once again.
It was quite fun until it wasn’t. Rudger showed them how to do the magic and they did it. Flora was amazing as always, yet she couldn’t be happy since just like the previous few lessons, someone had properly bested her.
“Woah.”
“That…Wow.”
“His magic circle is bigger and brighter than even Flora’s!”
Flora’s eyebrows furrowed upon hearing the exclamations. So what, just because this guy was Mr. Rudger’s son, he was better than her?!
“Flora, don’t divert your attention. You’ll cause a mess.”
Flora’s annoyed expression dissipated as she lost control of her magic. Professor Rudger came to her rescue as always, but her pride had already taken a hit by the harsh voice.
“Where’s your mind these days? You never seem to be focused.”
His voice was soft while he asked that, yet Flora could not make sense of it. Instead, she was reminded of all the past lectures of Arpa shining before her.
“Not everyone can focus like a…like a damn machine like your son!”
“Eh?”
“Woah! She said it!”
“She really said it!”
“I’d never heard Flora yell like that.”
“Is she jealous? I knew it, heh.”
Several gasps and whispers were heard in the large room. Rudger, shocked by the words your son, tilted his head to the side in an attempt to understand whatever the hell she meant by that.
“My son?”
Flora was ashamed of her outbursts, but she decided to carry herself with dignity and confront her teacher in the end.
“Yes. Your son.”
“…And who’s my son?”
Okay, Rudger was genuinely confused. Last time he checked, he did not have a secret child, and even if he did, he certainly didn’t have one at Ceorn.
Every student looked at him weirdly, and that only fired up his confusion even more. Seriously, what son?
“Teacher, are you joking? It’s okay, we won't judge you for having your son here.”
Flora looked him straight in the eye and Rudger’s quick-thinking skills disappeared into the void.
“Yes, Teacher. It’s okay, everyone knows it now.”
“It’s the hottest rumour today.”
“And probably tomorrow, too.”
Huh. So, the reason why he wasn’t informed of this rumour by Sedina yet was because it was quite fresh. Yet it still reached every student’s ears in this classroom, it seemed.
“I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about. Explain.”
At that question, all eyes turned to one place as everyone shook off their previous confusion. Rudger followed their gazes only to find Arpa smiling innocently at him, and something clicked in his head right there and then.
“Oh, you mean him.”
“Yes.”
“But Arpa isn’t my son.”
The students could only stare at Rudger. Was he lying? Their teacher who always had a confident stance, was he lying right now?
“How-How can that be? I heard him call you dad!”
The exact moment she was talking about flashed before Rudger’s eyes. He chuckled slightly, his stoic face relaxing and offering the students a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.
“Oh. You mean that. You heard that, and spread the rumour?”
“I- It’s not like that! It was an accident!”
Being confronted with that fact embarrassed Flora incredibly. She could only stutter in her defence.
“I see. Well, Arpa is not my son. It’s true that he sees me as a parental figure and sometimes jokingly calls me that. Did you jump to a conclusion so hastily?”
Arpa spoke before Flora could, after Rudger. He already heard the rumours, of course, but didn’t think of them to be a big deal before.
“That’s true. I was just joking. I guess I was misunderstood.”
The students started whispering among themselves while checking the two out. The explanation was plausible enough, but there was one thing missing.
“Teacher! Teacher!”
Julia got up and asked for permission to speak like a restless toddler. Still, she spoke before Rudger could say anything.
“Does that mean you’re not married?”
“Married?! Me? Me and marriage?!”
Rudger was flabbergasted. The students were also flabbergasted by the reaction he showed. He almost looked terrified of marriage.
“Yes.”
“No. God, no. I’m not married, what the fuck? Oh, uh, sorry.”
Watch your language, Heathcliff.
Simultaneous sighs of relief were heard from some girls and boys. Great, their teacher didn’t sound like he’d marry anytime soon!
“Just to be sure. You don’t have any other children, do you, Teacher?”
“What? No.”
“And you don’t intend to make one?”
The only thing Rudger could do was stand like a frozen statue upon hearing the audacious question. When did his students get so bold?
“Okay, let’s stop right there. Study more if you have so much free time to think about my love life. Now, back to work!”
Rudger was frustrated, and the students could properly see his emotions for the first time. He couldn’t even focus well on the rest of the lesson so he finished it a bit earlier than usual. The questions he heard from the students were unbelievable. How could rumours spread so fast?
The rest of the day, Rudger got asked the same questions by his fellow teachers, especially Selina. These people didn’t stop at asking him whether Arpa was his son but also kept asking whether he had a partner or not. Why did it even matter to them?!
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The certain three students felt relief wash over their distress. They once again had a chance to rise to the top of Rudger’s favourites, and they intended to use that chance well. If Arpa was indeed his son, they wouldn’t stand a chance. But after the revelation, the tables had turned.
“I kinda feel bad for spreading rumours, Flora.”
“It’s not a rumour if I said exactly what I heard.”
“Still…I’m glad Professor Rudger looked too shocked to punish us.”
Flora agreed to that. It would suck if she lost points, but it’d suck even more if the Professor were to get mad at her for it.
Aidan’s group kept checking Flora out, just like Renei and Erendir. She was, as always, bold enough to speak up and clear any misunderstandings. However, the real deal came right after that. They had to study damn well for this class now, even better than before.
Two days later, Sedina struggled to keep the three out of Rudger’s office with all her might. The vicious trio didn’t have any intentions to back down, though, and Sedina thought this wasn’t her problem anymore. When she briefly stood straight with unfocused eyes, giving up all attempts to block the trio’s way, they all looked at her with questioning eyes.
“Huh? Why are you giving up now?”
“Meh. I don’t even get paid. Do whatever you want!”
She whistled a song and made her way to the assistant’s office without a care. The trio stared behind her for a few moments, and then immediately rushed inside. They all sat in silence waiting for Rudger to arrive.
“Could you please stop glaring at me?” asked Aidan.
“I’m not glaring at you.”
Flora was in fact, glaring at both Aidan and Renei even if she claimed not to. The atmosphere was awkward enough as it was, and Aidan felt too weak under her belittling gaze.
Thankfully, the door opened right at that moment, and a surprised Rudger made his way inside as the trio all stood up.
“Hm? Why are you three here at this hour?”
“I need help with my practice!”
“I need consultation!”
“I need to ask about some theories!”
They yelled simultaneously, leaving Rudger perplexed once again. What was up with these kids these days?
“Huh. I see. And Sedina is…”
Sedina left the assistant’s office upon hearing her name, but it was only for a few seconds to smile and wave, and she locked herself inside after that. She truly couldn’t be bothered with it.
Rudger moved toward his desk and took off his coat in the meantime. They all looked determined enough to persist if he asked them to leave, so he guessed the best option was to entertain whatever they wanted from him.
“Who wants to go first?”
“Me!”
“But I arrived first!”
“And I arrived second!”
“Well…I’m the top of the class!”
“That doesn’t count.”
“No way.”
Aidan and Renei received Flora’s sharp gaze. So, they decided to bare their teeth now?
“…There goes your solution. Aidan, come inside. You two, wait for your turns here.”
Just like that, Rudger dealt with the students, and it was Flora’s time at last. She didn’t even seem to have anything of importance to ask, though, so Rudger didn’t know whether to laugh or to scold her.
“Since you’re always brilliant at everything, I’m guessing you couldn’t find a topic you’re struggling with to ask.”
“…No.”
“Then, why come here? I don’t understand what’s going on with you three.”
Flora looked at her teacher like he was dumb. How could a person be such a smartass yet still couldn’t read the room?
“May I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why does Arpa call you ‘dad’?”
“I thought that topic was over with.”
Rudger sighed at the unexpected question. Why was it such a big deal that Arpa saw him as his dad? He couldn’t understand the commotion it caused since two days ago. Be it the students or the teachers, everyone kept gossiping about it as per Sedina.
“Imagine this, Flora. You know a person for enough time to trust them, and you see them as a parental figure. It relaxes you to sometimes refer to them as your parent, and they’re also perfectly alright with that. See? It’s pretty normal, no?”
“So, anyone can do that?”
“Sure, I guess.”
Flora’s question had a different purpose, but Rudger was too dense in that area to understand the intended meaning. Still, her face lit up and she smiled brightly in an uncharacteristic manner.
“So, I can call you dad, too?”
“Eh?”
For a moment, he couldn’t find the right words to speak. Did he hear that right? That cold Flora asked him that? How does he respond, then? Turning her down means disappointing her, and accepting her means…Well, he did not know what that meant. What was the worst thing that could happen from an innocent little event?
“I guess…I guess you can...”
“I see. Heh. I see. Yes, Professor Dad.”
The girl didn’t even let her finish his words before interrupting enthusiastically. Did he accidentally adopt a child? He watched as Flora exited the room without saying another word, and a perplexed Sedina left her hermit cave to stare at Rudger silently. He stared back, and they both tilted their heads in confusion.
“…If you’re adopting now, I’m the next in line.”
“Uh. Sure. I guess.”
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Rudger was a kindhearted man who looked stoic on the outside. When a child with family issues wanted to find warmth, he couldn’t help but act like a parent. But he was also stupid. Because this many children could not all have family issues. Right?
He didn’t understand how or why all his students decided to call him dad at random times. Some did it once to get it out of their system while snickering at Arpa as if they just won a point over him, some did it a few times to get accustomed to it, and some did it more than others because they truly saw him as a parent.
Of course, most started this as a little joke to see how long Rudger would last without screaming at them to stop, but he never did. So, it gradually became more serious, to everyone’s surprise.
But why the hell was he getting presents on Father’s Day?
He stared at the students who indifferently looked at him as if this was just a casual moment. The students stared back, urging him to take the damn presents before they shoved it into his arms.
“You guys know I’m not qualified to be a father in any way, right?”
“Professor Rudger. Not to disrespect you or anything, but my arms kind of hurt. Do you know how much I paid for this?”
“Yes. Please just accept and thank us!”
“I didn’t even get my own dad a present just to get Mr Rudger one.”
“I don’t even have a dad.”
“Don’t trauma dump in the middle of a conversation, Renei.”
“Sorry.”
Rudger was flabbergasted once again. These children truly astonished him. Well, what could he do? Presents were presents. They were meant to be accepted.
“Thanks, I guess. I’ll go through each of them.”
No, I will make Sedina go through them. Heh.
After that day, everyone truly embraced the idea of Rudger being their dad. They acted like they were just joking, but deep down, seeing Rudger answer them more softly each time they referred to him as dad made them feel a bizarre form of happiness and satisfaction combined.
Any time the students earned themselves a scolding, Rudger told them he had the right to do that as a parent. That shut them up pretty quickly, so it was a sweet deal, after all.
“I don’t want anyone else to call you dad.”
“I thought you couldn’t feel jealousy, Arpa.”
“I programmed myself into feeling a similar sensation. Not my brightest moment.”
“Sure is not.”
Rudger promised Arpa to always prioritize his number one child, and Rudger’s fame as a single dad of many, many children spread quickly. The U.N. Owen’s members cracked up at the events Arpa personally told them about, and Rudger fell into a vortex of endless teasing. Not that he complained, though. Life was pretty sweet as a parent, it seemed.
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