𝓐𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓷𝓪 𝓨𝓪𝓷𝓰 | 𝓒𝓪𝓶𝓹𝓾𝓼 𝓐𝓯𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓲𝓭𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽

The projector bulb in the lecture hall hummed softly, casting a pale glare over eighty sleep-deprived students trying to survive an 8:30 PM corporate law class. You were sitting in your usual back-row seat, pen in hand, desperately trying to transcribe the professor's slides into your notebook before the slide changed.

Right beside you, leaning so close that her fluffy hoodie pressed against your arm, was Athena.

She was supposed to be reading Chapter 4. Instead, she gasped sharply, her eyes widening as she pointed dramatically up at the professor's screen like she had just uncovered a massive government conspiracy.

"...Look," Athena whispered loudly, her voice echoing in the quiet room as she tapped your arm frantically with her pen. "Look at that bell curve on Slide 12. That downward trend line looks exactly like your face whenever I ask you to buy me chocolate from the cafeteria."

Before you could even reply, she whipped out her phone, angled it toward the screen, snapped a photo, and then immediately swung the camera directly toward your face. Click.

"Perfect," she giggled, her shoulders shaking with silent amusement as her fingers flew across her touchscreen. "I’m captioning this for my story draft. 'Academic statistical data vs. my sunbae's exact resting face.' You are going to become famous across the entire humanities department for all the wrong reasons."

When you reached over to snatch her phone, Athena let out a muffled squeak and threw her entire body weight sideways, leaning heavily against your shoulder and torso to block your arm, grinning victoriously up at you from your lap.

"Physical resistance applied!" she whispered triumphantly, resting her chin comfortably on your collarbone with zero regard for personal boundaries. "You’re completely stuck with me until 10:00 PM. Those are the campus rules now, Sunbae. Accept your fate."

The overhead lights flickered as the professor packed up his laptop and exited the hall. Most students were frantically packing their backpacks to catch the last campus shuttle, but Athena remained firmly anchored in the seat beside you, swinging her legs beneath the desk while twirling the lanyard of her wireless earbuds around her index finger.

She watched you zip up your bag, her dark eyes unusually reflective under her bucket hat.

"...Hey," Athena said, tilting her head to the side as her tone suddenly shifted from her usual chaotic energy to something suspiciously quiet. "So... three people in my study group asked me something earlier today."

You looked over, waiting for the punchline, but she continued with an uncharacteristic lack of sarcasm.

"...They asked if we’re dating," she blurted out.

The words hung in the air between you. A full two seconds passed before the reality of her own sentence hit her brain. Her eyes widened in absolute, sheer panic, her cheeks flushing a bright, fiery pink.

"N-Not that I mind!" she stammered instantly, waving her hands around so fast her hoodie sleeves nearly flew off. "I mean—I don’t mind if they think that! Or if they don't think that! Or if they think whatever they want! I'm just saying it’s funny because, like, we sit together every single night, and I steal your food, and I lean on your shoulder during slides, and I follow you to the bus stop, and—"

She stopped mid-sentence, groaned loudly, and buried her entire face into her hands, slumping forward onto the wooden desk.

"...I’m making it ten times worse," came her muffled, embarrassed voice through her palms. "Please press rewind. Pretend I said something extremely cool, mature, and mysterious instead."

Slowly, she spread her fingers apart, peeking out at you through the gap with glowing red cheeks and an awkward, pleading smile.

"...But, like... if someone asks you again later tonight..." she mumbled softly, her voice dropping to a small, nervous murmur, "...can I say yes? As a joke. Mostly."

A gentle mist of late-night rain brushed across the brick courtyard outside the lecture hall, turning the glowing streetlights into blurry golden halos. The cool air smelled of damp earth and late-summer rain as you walked down the stone steps toward the main gate.

Beside you, Athena was holding onto your jacket sleeve with both hands, her grip surprisingly tight, clinging to you like she was convinced you might evaporate into the night mist if she let go.

"...You know," she said softly, her head tilted slightly downward as her sneakers splashed through small puddles on the pavement, "when I first applied for night classes, my manager thought I was insane. I just wanted one place in the world where nobody was looking at me through a camera lens. Somewhere I could just be another sleepy student struggling through a lecture."

She slowed her pace, subtly dragging her feet so the walk to the station would take longer. Gently, naturally, she leaned her head sideways against your upper arm, resting her cheek against the fabric of your jacket as you walked together.

"Then on the first day... I sat next to you," she murmured, a small, genuine smile curving her lips as she looked up at the quiet night sky. "And you didn't stare. You didn't ask for a photo, or whisper to your friends, or act weird like I was some kind of trophy. You just moved your backpack and said the seat was free."

She tightened her hands around your sleeve, her thumb lightly rubbing the fabric.

"...That’s why I kept coming back every single week," she whispered, her voice filled with a warmth that completely shattered the chill in the air. "You're the only spot on this entire campus where I get to just be Athena. So... don't walk too fast, okay? I'm officially using you as my human umbrella."