Himeko noticed that the professor standing on the podium was none other than Lucian, the handsome young man who had helped her out of an awkward situation yesterday.
For a brief moment, she almost thought she was seeing things.
'Did he really just become a lecturer?'
Lucian had told her yesterday that he was going to teach here, and today he was already standing at the podium, leading a class.
Honestly, the speed at which everything had happened felt almost absurd.
No wonder he could attract so many female students.
"Hm? Himeko, didn't you say you weren't coming? Weren't you supposed to have no interest in men?"
Several girls walked over together and stopped in front of Himeko.
"I'm only interested in the course."
Himeko's calm response immediately earned a few eye-rolls from her classmates. None of them clearly believed her explanation, and they all assumed it was nothing more than an obvious excuse.
"Just admit you're here to check out the hot professor. Why pretend you're here to study?"
"Exactly. We're all adults here."
Just like that, the girls laughed among themselves before walking away together.
Himeko did not bother explaining herself any further and instead quietly found an empty corner and settled there on her own.
One had to admit that Lucian was simply too handsome, his uniquely captivating temperament only adding to his appeal, while the calmness and mystery forged through countless years gave him an irresistible charm that was practically lethal to college girls experiencing their first stirrings of romance.
At this moment, the girls in the front rows rested their chins on their hands and stared at the new professor on the podium with sparkling eyes—the admiration and affection in their gazes were practically overflowing.
Judging by the dreamy smiles on their faces, what they were writing in their notebooks was probably not lecture notes at all, but things like 'Professor is so hot' or 'I want to have his babies.'
Compared to the front-row girls, however, the girls in the back rows were even more outrageous, as their whispered conversations revolved entirely around Lucian, causing the lecture hall to buzz with excitement before the class had even officially begun.
"What type of girl does Professor Lucian like?"
"He looked at me just now! He totally looked at me!"
"Bullshit! He was obviously looking at me!"
Meanwhile, Lucian, who had already noticed their behavior, remained completely calm, clearly accustomed to scenes like this.
Honestly, what hadn't he seen before?
Which one of the stunning wives back home wasn't a peerless beauty capable of toppling kingdoms in the mortal world?
Needless to say, the admiration of these girls, who had not even fully matured yet, was nothing more than a light drizzle to him.
Most importantly, none of them were script protagonists.
*Tak!* *Tak!*
Lucian tapped the blackboard lightly, and the crisp sound immediately drew much of the lecture hall's attention back toward him. He casually swept his gaze across the hall before it briefly settled on Himeko in the corner.
"Today, we're going to talk about an interstellar civilization known as the Xianzhou Luofu..."
As he spoke, his voice was gentle and pleasant, carrying a uniquely magnetic quality that naturally drew listeners in.
A chorus of impressed 'wow~' immediately erupted from the female students, even though most of them probably had no actual interest in the subject itself.
Lucian paid no attention to their reactions and continued speaking at his own pace since, to him, this lecture was meant for Himeko, while everyone else was irrelevant.
He spoke about the organization of the Xianzhou Luofu's Cloud Knights, then moved on to the masterful craftsmanship of the Artisanship Commission.
He spoke of the vidyadhara's cycle of rebirth and molting, and the coexistence of the foxians and humans.
He even mentioned the strategic brilliance of General Jing Yuan, as well as the mysteries of the Divination Commission's Matrix of Prescience Ultima.
As the lecture progressed, the bustling lecture hall gradually quieted down.
Among those present, only a minority were truly listening, while the most attentive was definitely Himeko.
From her perspective, the civilization Lucian described was simply too vast and fascinating.
In fact, she had initially come with nothing more than a casual willingness to listen, yet the more she listened, the more engrossed she became, and her eyes gradually grew brighter with excitement.
In her eyes, this knowledge was fascinating because it completely overturned everything she thought she knew.
Long-life species, starskiffs, mara-struck, Denizens of Abundance—these terms alone filled her with excitement, as if she were touching a vast, boundless real universe beyond her reach. Every concept Lucian introduced seemed to open a brand-new door before her eyes.
For the first time, the stars above no longer seemed like distant points of light, but gateways leading toward countless unknown civilizations.
Beyond the stars, there truly existed such magnificent planets.
She wanted to explore them.
She wanted to witness them with her own eyes.
Over time, the desire gradually took root in her heart and began growing at an astonishing speed.
Unable to hold herself back any longer, Himeko raised her hand.
As soon as Lucian saw those eyes filled with curiosity, the corners of his lips couldn't help but curve upward ever so slightly.
"Himeko, do you have a question?"
Lucian's tone was remarkably gentle and patient, completely different from the polite yet distant attitude he had shown toward the other chattering girls.
"Professor."
Himeko stood up, her voice carrying a hint of urgency.
"How does the propulsion system of the Xianzhou work? Can Imaginary energy really be used as a power source for propulsion?"
"How can a spaceship be built on the scale of an entire planet?"
"And could technologies like spatial engineering and jade abacus systems be replicated locally?"
Her questions came one after another without pause.
They were surprisingly sophisticated and immediately stood out from the usual inquiries one might expect in an introductory lecture.
Unfortunately, they also struck directly at Lucian's blind spot because, when it came to the Xianzhou Alliance's engineering technologies, he knew absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, Himeko was an enthusiast in exactly that field—a future scientist whose interests naturally gravitated toward such subjects.
"Mm... We can explore those questions privately later. I mean, there are too many of them to cover during class."
Lucian chose to brush them aside with remarkable decisiveness, which couldn't be helped, as admitting that he didn't know the answers in front of so many people would destroy his reputation as a professor.
"???"
All the female students exchanged glances, their faces filled with envy, jealousy, and confusion.
Someone was actually listening to the lecture seriously?
And the professor had actually invited her to discuss it privately?
And he was smiling so gently?
Why?
Just because she was pretty, or because her red hair was unusual?
Some girls even glanced at Himeko's striking red hair before silently looking down at their own, as if comparing the difference.
And so, with all those questions filling most of the female students' minds, when the class ended, Lucian was immediately surrounded by bold female students who had been waiting for their chance throughout the entire class.
"Professor! Are you free tonight? I'd like to invite you to a movie!"
"Professor, Professor! I can't solve my math problems. Could you come to my house and tutor me one-on-one?"
"Professor, Professor, what color do you like?"
Question after question came from every direction, one after another, leaving him almost no room to breathe. As he listened to the constant barrage of questions, Lucian even began to develop a headache.
In the end, he maintained a polite expression throughout the entire ordeal, but his refusals were swift, firm, and merciless.
"No."
"Not interested."
"Maybe next time."
"Thank you, but I'm busy."
"Ask academic questions during class. I don't provide private tutoring."
"I've already eaten. Not interested."
Lucian's tone remained calm throughout as he answered one question after another, barely sparing them an extra glance.
Yet despite his repeated refusals, one girl squeezed her way through the crowd to the front and boldly imitated Himeko's earlier approach.
"Professor, I'm also very interested in the culture of the Xianzhou Luofu. Could you—"
Before she could finish speaking, however, Lucian interrupted her and pointed outside the window.
"Being interested is a good thing. When you visit the Xianzhou Luofu someday, you'll be able to satisfy that curiosity."
Hearing that, the girl instantly fell silent.
'I just wanted to talk to you a little longer. Who actually wants to go to the Xianzhou Luofu anyway? Besides, with today's technology, who knows how many years it'd take before humanity could pull off something like that?'
In the end, with those thoughts in mind, the girl quietly retreated with a defeated expression on her face.
Lucian's gaze, however, passed over the crowd of girls and accurately found Himeko, who was in the middle of packing up her books.
"Himeko."
"Hm?"
Himeko immediately looked up when she heard her name being called.
Lucian walked over, picked up a document file from the podium, and handed it to her.
"I noticed that you're very interested in extraterrestrial civilizations."
"Here—these are some introductory materials on the frozen planet Jarilo-VI and the Planet of Festivities, Penacony. I'll be covering them in future classes, so you can take a look through them beforehand."
"And here's my contact information. Feel free to message me if you have any questions."
Surprisingly, the stack of materials was quite thick.
Not only did it contain detailed descriptions and illustrations, but it also included neatly organized notes and supplementary references attached throughout.
Clearly, a considerable amount of effort had gone into preparing it.
The moment everyone saw what was happening, the surroundings instantly fell silent.
Every girl's eyes locked onto Himeko and the document file in her hands, as though they wanted to burn holes straight through both of them with their stares.
Why?
They could not even get his contact information despite asking repeatedly, yet the professor was personally giving Himeko special treatment. Not only had he prepared extra study materials for her, but he had even voluntarily given her his contact information.
No matter how they looked at it, the difference in treatment was so obvious that it was almost impossible to ignore.
Himeko, on the other hand, was momentarily stunned.
Feeling the burning gazes around her, her cheeks grew warm, but she still accepted the materials anyway.
Moreover, without even realizing it, a small sense of happiness quietly blossomed within her chest. It was the subtle, secret joy of being treated differently from everyone else.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Lucian smiled at Himeko's thanks.
"If you have any questions, you can come to me anytime."
Right after saying that, Lucian casually left the lecture hall, leaving behind countless shattered maiden hearts and countless gazes overflowing with envy.
For a brief moment, the entire hall remained silent before it suddenly exploded into an uproar.
"Himeko! I'll pay three grand for the professor's contact info!"
"I'll pay five grand!"
"Ten grand! Don't even try to compete with me!"
"Himeko! We're classmates! Good things should be shared!"
A swarm of female students immediately descended like hungry wolves.
Realizing that she had become the sole owner of the one thing every girl in the lecture hall desperately wanted, Himeko's expression immediately changed as she snatched up her materials and hurriedly turned to flee before anyone could react.
If she stayed any longer, she genuinely suspected she might be swallowed alive.
===
From the day of Lucian's first class onward, the situation gradually became rather subtle.
Even though his classes remained popular for a while, the atmosphere slowly began to change.
At this point, the female students eventually realized that no matter how much they dressed up or tried to flatter him, his eyes seemed to contain only the campus beauty named Himeko.
He only answered her questions.
He only smiled at her.
He only gave her extra materials.
Anyone could obviously see the difference in treatment.
As time passed, even the girls who had originally come just to admire his face or test their luck gradually lost hope.
"Hahh, forget it. Just looking at him is enough."
"Yeah, it's not like we'd ever have a chance with him anyway."
"Besides, the stuff he teaches is way too weird. I can't understand any of it. I'd rather go shopping or watch shows."
"Seriously, the only one who can actually keep up with him is Himeko."
Just like that, the number of female students attending the class visibly decreased with each passing week, causing the lecture hall to gradually grow more deserted as the bustling atmosphere from the beginning slowly faded away.
Now, the enormous lecture hall that had once been packed with female admirers became increasingly empty and quiet.
Yet one red-haired girl always occupied the same seat in the front row, listening attentively while occasionally lowering her head to take notes.
On the podium, Lucian continued explaining complex subjects simply and engagingly, though most of the time, his gaze rested on only one person.
Himeko gradually changed as well.
What had begun as slight discomfort slowly turned into familiarity.
Eventually, she even found herself looking forward to this elective course that she had casually joined every afternoon.
Without the noisy gossip and admiring stares surrounding her, she was able to focus more fully on absorbing the fascinating knowledge of other planets and civilizations. Every class left her feeling as though her horizons had expanded tremendously, and her longing for the stars grew even stronger.
Even after class ended, she often approached Lucian on her own with questions.
Lucian always answered patiently, sometimes expanding the discussion into even more fascinating topics that extended far beyond the scope of the lesson itself.
From the Xianzhou Alliance to the Antimatter Legion.
From the Aeons who governed the Paths to the countless civilizations scattered throughout the cosmos.
Every conversation seemed to reveal an entirely new corner of the cosmos.
Gradually, their relationship evolved from simple exchanges between teacher and student into something more like discussions between friends who shared similar interests.
Sometimes, their conversations even lasted until evening without either of them noticing how much time had passed.
===
One evening, inside one of the lecture halls, seeing that the sun had started to set, Lucian turned toward Himeko.
"It's almost time for dinner. I know a pretty good restaurant near campus. Wanna give it a try?" Lucian asked with a faint smile. "We can keep talking while we eat."
In fact, that was exactly why he had scheduled his class in the afternoon—to have a private dinner with Himeko afterward.
Thankfully, she always agreed.
It was only natural, considering she still had many questions she wanted to ask, and talking with Lucian was also genuinely enjoyable. More importantly, every discussion with him seemed to bring her one step closer to the dream she held deep within her heart.
Before long, as the evening sunlight stretched their shadows across the campus pathways, Lucian, handsome and tall, walked beside Himeko, who was radiant and beautiful. Both of them carried books in their arms as they discussed stars, civilizations, and the mysteries of the cosmos.
Together, they looked remarkably well-matched.
Occasionally, passing students noticed them and cast curious or envious glances their way.
"Look, it's Professor Lucian and that girl who's always with him!"
"They really get along well..."
"Tch, no wonder the professor doesn't pay attention to the other girls. Turns out he already likes someone."
"A teacher-student relationship, huh? Honestly, that's kinda thrilling."
Himeko naturally had heard some of those rumors herself.
As a result, there were times when her heartbeat would skip a beat, and her cheeks would warm slightly.
Yet before long, she would once again find herself drawn into whatever new topic Lucian introduced, immersing herself completely in those grand and captivating stories of the cosmos.
Truth be told, none of those rumors really mattered.
At this moment, she simply felt that meeting someone who understood her dreams, encouraged her curiosity, and could guide her toward the future she sought was truly an incredibly fortunate thing.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]