I Need the True Ending to Graduate - Chapter 65

He stopped walking in front of the bookshelf closest to the desk where he worked. It was also the innermost of the shelves that lined the wall, packed tightly with books.

‘He said he’d show me to the room, so why is he standing in front of a bookshelf?’

Could it be some kind of secret room hidden behind it?

Just as I was thinking that, a magic circle briefly flared at his fingertips, and then the bookshelf began to move.

“…?!”

The bookshelf slid inward as if guiding us, then shifted to the side to clear the way. Even at night, it moved so softly and quietly that it barely made a sound.

It was like the bookshelf was alive.

‘Seeing something I only ever saw in movies in real life is pretty amazing….’

I stared in awe, and then, suddenly sensing a gaze, I looked over to see Jeran Ennessy watching me with a smile overflowing on his face.

He had clearly seen every bit of my foolishly surprised reaction.

“Is it fascinating to see the door open?”

His question was gentle, but it was the kind that made a person feel embarrassed.

Feeling heat rush to my face, I offered a sort-of excuse.

“I just didn’t expect the bookshelf to open….”

“I needed a space of my own where I wouldn’t be disturbed by other people, so I made this. I paid careful attention so that no one would even notice I was in here. That is why this door can only be opened and closed by me.”

“Ah, I see.” I nodded earnestly at his explanation.

Jeran Ennessy might have prepared this room as his private resting space, but to me, it looked like nothing so much as a place perfectly suited for confining someone.

Now that I had confirmed Ruad’s past and could reasonably assume the other capture targets also had hidden histories, I knew that even if I raised his affection to 100 percent, I wouldn’t end up being kindly locked away.

His kindness was surely rooted in his past connection with the former Lucia. Even so, it was hard to give up on my hope for confinement.

‘It would be nice if we did some confinement play eventually, even if it is later. I even marked that I liked confinement on the survey.’

While I was harboring this modest wish in my heart, Jeran Ennessy stepped aside and gestured inward with his hand.

“Since it is your first time in this room today, Miss Even, why don’t you go in first. There is not much to see, though.”

“Ah, then excuse me.”

I walked past him and stepped into the secret space.

The first thing I felt was the warm air that blew softly against my face.

The heating must have been on, because the room was so pleasantly warm that it felt like I had stepped into an oven set to just the right temperature.

Though the room was smaller than I’d expected, warmed through like that, it felt comfortably cozy.

A narrow, long bookshelf in one corner of the room was crammed full of books, and even that wasn’t enough, so they were stacked in piles all over the floor.

In the middle of the room, there was a single armchair, sized generously for one person, with a footrest set beside it, and next to that, a shaded lamp lit the room.

By the window, a plush couch was set against the wall, big enough for someone to lie down on, and on the small side table sat a horn-shaped gramophone. It seemed he lay there listening to music.

Thick curtains were drawn over the window, making the room feel like a sealed-off space, yet it didn’t feel particularly stifling.

‘It looks like a nice place to relax without being disturbed by anyone. It seems perfect for quietly listening to music too.’

It was quiet and serene, just like Jeran Ennessy.

While I was taking in his secret room, Jeran Ennessy, who had approached me before I realized it, asked with a shy smile, “What do you think? It’s the first time I’ve ever brought anyone else in here, so I feel a bit embarrassed.”

“Ah. It looks cozy and nice. It feels comfortable too. But the room is really warm. Are you sensitive to the cold?”

“I’m not especially sensitive to it, but I thought this would be better than feeling cold. So I turned the heat up a little.”

As he looked at me, Jeran Ennessy gave me a subtle, playful smile.

The moment his light green eyes curved softly, I suddenly understood what he meant.

Jeran Ennessy had warmed the room for my sake. For fear that I might feel cold once I came here.

The reason I was sensitive to the cold was simple.

Because I was the one who would be taking off my clothes here.

In other words, Jeran Ennessy had assumed that I would be undressing in this room and had prepared everything in advance.

As that fact sank in, a shiver ran through my whole body with a feeling I couldn’t even begin to describe.

We hadn’t done anything yet, but all the things we were about to do flashed through my mind, and out of nowhere, an uncontrollable excitement and a strange sense of shame washed over me.

Unable to withstand the rush of emotion, I dropped my gaze to the floor.

Jeran Ennessy took one more step closer to me.

He was standing so near that the tip of my shoe could almost touch the tip of his.

It was the first time I’d ever been this close to him.

Suddenly, a large hand reached out and stroked my hair as it fell down my back. The way his thumb carefully brushed over the ends of my hair felt almost like he was stroking my bare skin, and my face grew hot.

“…Professor.”

“Yes, Miss Even.”

“I’m curious about something. If I had refused your proposal, how were you planning to handle things?”

In the rapidly growing awkwardness, I blurted out whatever came to mind. I wasn’t particularly curious, and it wasn’t a question important enough that I needed the answer right away.

It was just a temporary measure to escape from this suffocatingly thick atmosphere for a moment.

Even so, Jeran Ennessy answered my question sincerely.

“I was planning to shut myself up in this room on a regular basis, at a specific date and time. Even though it’s a secret room, it isn’t built into a preexisting space, so it can be seen from outside. If I just pull back the curtains, they can see that the lights are on.”

“Ah….”

“It’s usually a place that’s always kept dark behind the curtains, so if the lights suddenly appeared on, I was certain people would start to misunderstand in a very particular way. Of course, they wouldn’t be able to find out exactly what was happening inside, but I thought that alone would be enough to shift the flow of the rumors.”

“….”

“It’s a bit of a clumsy plan, isn’t it?”

“No… I think it’s a good plan.”

I barely managed to stammer out an answer to his question. At some point, his hand had moved to gently trace the curve of my ear.

His breath was warm as it left his lips. I folded my hands neatly in front of me and rubbed the back of one hand with my thumb for no reason.

Every time his firm thumb brushed my ear, a strange sensation ran through me, drying out the inside of my mouth.

My heart was pounding so hard that there was no way Jeran Ennessy didn’t notice. He had to know just how nervous I was.

With a voice much softer than usual, Jeran Ennessy asked, “…Are you very nervous?”

He already seemed to know exactly what we would be doing next. Given the atmosphere, it would have been stranger if he didn’t.

“Yes….”

I quietly nodded. I still couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes.

“I think it’s because everything feels awkward….”

“To be honest, I feel a little awkward too.”

“…Really?”

At his honest confession, I felt a strange sense of kinship and slowly raised my head to meet Jeran Ennessy’s gaze, my eyes full of hope.

But contrary to my expectations, there wasn’t even the slightest trace of awkwardness or nervousness on his face.

“But you don’t look that way at all.”

When I added that in disappointed confusion, Jeran Ennessy let out a small laugh.

“I can’t very well show my trembling to my disciple. I’m desperately pretending to be calm.”

“….”

“And since you once mustered the courage to hold onto me when I was trying to run away… this time, I’ll be the one to lead you.”

Then Jeran Ennessy withdrew his hand from me and offered a suggestion.

“So… how about we call each other by different names whenever we spend time here?”

“Different names?”

“Yes. I think the reason you feel awkward around me is because you’re conscious of the fact that I’m your advisor. I’m also conscious of the fact that you’re my disciple. But if we call each other by other names, I think we can step away from those fixed roles for a little while. What do you think?”

“I… think it’s a good idea.”

I nodded as I answered.

Using a different name would definitely feel far better than calling him Professor in the middle of this, and even if this was a game, it seemed like a good way to forget the fact that I was doing this with my advisor.

“Then what should our names be?”

“It should be a name we’d never use in daily life. For example… Ruby.”

“Ruby… I like it.”

It was easy to say, easy to remember, and since it was also the name of a gemstone, the meaning wasn’t bad at all. It even felt a little precious.

“Then for you, Professor….”

Now all that remained was choosing a name for Jeran Ennessy.

‘If I’m going from Lucia to Ruby, should Jeran be Jade?’

His eye color did resemble jade, and among gemstone names that started with J, that was the only one that came to mind.

‘But if we’re calling each other gemstone names… that feels a little tacky now that I think about it.’

While I was lost in my own brief dilemma, Jeran Ennessy suddenly made a suggestion, as if he had already decided on the name he wanted me to call him.

“There’s one, isn’t there? A name you’d never call me by.”

“…Is there?”

When I asked back in confusion, he smiled softly and replied, “Jeran.”

“….”

“My own name.”