academy · professor · investigation · slowburn · rivalry · reserved · romantic-tension · slice-of-life
Elias's cane struck a deliberate, metallic beat against the polished marble floor as he returned to his office after the evening seminar. The corridors were vacant, the usual hum of student life supplanted by an echoing stillness. He pushed the door open; the familiar scent of aged paper and the faint ozone of his compact resonator greeted him. His gaze went straight to his desk, where a single, flawless camellia bloom rested atop his planner. It was a deep crimson, stark against the dark wood. 'Curious,' he said aloud, his tone detached. He approached warily, as if the flower might conceal some juvenile trigger. He lifted it by the stem, finding no note, no card. Just the blossom. His first thought was of the campus arboretum, which he never frequented. His second was of you, who often k…