It was around 10 AM, when the lecture hall was quiet and Mrs Juri had been giving the class notes, that the first crack in the peace surfaced.
A student's eyes widened slightly as they read the headline on their phone.
Then another.
And before long, half of the class was already simmering beneath the quiet.
Juri noticed it.
Not the whispers—
she paid no attention to them—
but the subtle undercurrent beneath them.
Brief shifts in sitting positions. Eyes caught glaring at her. The uncomfortable tension in their posture.
She stopped projecting the golden constructs in front of them as she crossed her arms.
"I understand lectures can be boring to some of you, but do not let that get in the way of the lesson." She said, her tone direct, but not sharp. Not yet.
It was only when she took a good look at the class that she finally noticed it.
Her arms loosened.
"Mr Kinma."
The young lad to the far left of the class stiffened.
"Yes ma'am?"
"I assume you're aware your aunt doesn't take your distractions lightly, yes?"
Half the class rippled in amusement, but some of them came out wrong.
That made Juri's eyes narrow behind her glasses.
He shook his head. "It wasn't me this time, I swear."
"Then explain to me why the class seems to be glued to their phones. If this isn't you, then what's gotten them so excited?"
She glanced at the students.
Some of them looked away. Others didn't bother hiding their phones.
And when her eyes landed where Yui was supposed to be, her brow twitched.
"It's because..."
One student, small and petite in stature, began.
"...of the new girl."
Juri's eyes darkened immediately.
Only those who knew her could tell.
"And what about the 'new girl' is so appealing to you all?"
One student in the front row finally stood up, phone in his hand. "They blurred who it is, but..."
Juri took the phone, eyes slicing through each paragraph and phrasing.
Until she landed on it.
{ "...the unidentified Hybrid has been brought into custody for further questioning." }
Her irises shimmered.
She glanced at Yui's empty seat.
Her fingers found that piece of dirt again.
Sharp.
Jagged.
Worse.
"...dammit."
"M-Mrs Juri—?"
"Kinma."
Direct.
The man straightened instantly. "Yes ma'am."
"Call Mr Watkins." She said, already walking out, hands in her pockets. "He will carry on with the rest of the lecture."
She didn't wait for a response.
The moment she left the hall, she immediately had one name in mind:
Alexander Graham.
...
The young professor was in the middle of his own lecture, though being young came with a lack of respect.
The room erupted into laughter and chaos once again.
The young lad turned around slowly, eyes too gentle for his position.
"Hey, guys, can we just—Mr Senma, you know I can't allow you to use your phone during the lecture."
Senma, a much older and, quite frankly, bitter version of the young professor, glared daggers at Graham.
"I'm doing this so I can get more information about the topic you're talking about, Alex."
The blonde sighed softly.
"It's Mr...Graham—" he murmured to himself.
The doors flew open.
All eyes landed on the woman walking in.
Alex's eyes widened, his body instinctively tensing as he inched a few centimeters to the left while she walked in.
One of the students, sitting atop the bench incorrectly, sat up properly.
Someone's feet lowered from their bench.
Senma breathed heavily through his nose as his broad frame adjusted in his seat.
"Mrs...Juri..." Graham muttered. "I-I thought we were supposed to start after hours like Mr Yamada said..."
She didn't stop walking.
Graham swallowed, hands sneaking underneath his table.
"That won't be necessary."
His finger hovered over the small pin underneath the table. "W-What?"
The Essential stopped directly in front of him, hands never leaving her pockets.
"We have work to do, Mr Graham. Meet me outside."
"I—uh, Mrs Juri, I'm in the middle of a lecture, you know how these guys are—"
She stopped right in front of the fifteen students.
"You will all sit here quietly while Mr Graham and I have a quick discussion."
One student let out a small scoff.
Another rolled their eyes.
The dirt dug deeper into her skin.
She took a single step forward.
Just.
One.
Then—
Bang.
A deep hollow thud resonated within every student's body as the air suddenly crushed them into their seats.
The gravity felt thicker.
The particles in the air slowed.
And a certain human professor gripped his table for support as he fell onto one knee.
Juri's eyes arrived at the students on the furthest benches ahead.
"I understand your professor, Mr Graham, is lenient and patient..."
Another step.
Denser.
Too dense.
His glasses nearly fell off his face as he weakly pushed them back up his nose.
"Mrs...Juri..."
"But I am not Graham." She declared.
Her pockets began to bleed.
"I am Mrs Juri, and I do not negotiate with children." She commanded. "You are all young adults. You understand instructions as they are given."
Some students gasped desperately for air.
Someone's phone screen kept cracking.
Even Senma's menacing expression melted into a suffocated scrunch for air.
"You will all remain quiet until I am done with my discussion with Mr Graham. Do I make myself clear?"
They tried to speak.
Her foot shifted forward.
"...Juri..."
It stopped halfway.
Over her shoulder, she saw the young professor nearly collapsed on the ground as his skin paled.
The blood dripped from her pocket.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Then...
She stepped back.
Gasps flooded the room.
Some fell unconscious.
Graham nearly followed if it wasn't for the older woman's voice approaching the door, snapping him back to reality.
"Mr Graham."
Her heels echoed through the now quiet hall.
"...a word with you."