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After a short midterm exam session followed by a two-week break, the second semester of the first year of Kabru’s master's degree had finally begun. He was off to a rather unimpressive start, a morning lecture dedicated to a subject that he didn't particularly care about, but which would provide the exact amount of points he needed to proceed onto his final year, without requiring too much extra effort from him – that was what he'd heard from people who'd taken the class in previous years, at least. The existence of these perfect “filler” classes was a kind of secret de Polichinelle of every university. It wasn't as if this kind of information was provided anywhere in the description of a particular class, there was not an official list of classes that offered free credit or anything of that sort, and yet people seemed to know about them and come in droves in hopes of claiming their spot on the list. The information travelled entirely by word of mouth, from student to student, an eternal cycle of upperclassmen sharing their wisdom with the freshmen so that they, too, could share it with each other – and the next generation, in due time. Typically, the exchange of information would happen by the end of the semester, when people made plans about classes they would like to take with their friends. Of course, some people jealously guarded the information they possessed, perhaps subscribing to the idea that everyone should fend for themselves, but most people were happy to offer a recommendation. It felt good to be able to say, “I took that class year, you should go for it.” Kabru himself had maintained a carefully curated list of recommendations he'd heard from various people over the years, along with the names of professors who were always a safe bet, as well as those he should avoid at all costs. It had come in handy many times.
Every semester, Kabru would spend a borderline unreasonable amount of time crafting an optimal schedule, with a variety of back-up options in case he failed to secure a seat in any of his preferred classes. What made for an optimal schedule, of course, varied wildly from person to person. The one thing they all had in common, inevitably, was that they had to build the rest of their schedule around the handful of required classes for their major. Otherwise, it was largely a matter of personal preference. Some preferred to have all their classes in the mornings so that they would have the rest of the day to themselves, others would rather be able to sleep in until noon most days, and consequently preferred to start their classes around noon at the earliest. Some specifically avoided classes scheduled for Monday mornings on account of a possible hangover, and Friday afternoons were near-universally unpopular for similar reasons. Others still would frontload their schedule so that they could artificially elongate their weekends, at the cost of having no free time whatsoever from Monday morning to Wednesday afternoon. Many people did not care so much about the composition of their weekly schedule, so long as they would get all the points they needed from each module. Kabru would consider himself somewhat adjacent to the latter category, with the caveat that, being a curious soul, a true scholar, someone who was sincerely invested in learning about a variety of subjects, he tended to choose classes that genuinely piqued his interest.
This particular lecture, Animal symbolism and motifs in folklore and mythology, actually had quite a lot going for it. For one, it was a Monday morning class which, as previously stated, made it significantly less popular than it would be otherwise. For two, it was held in a medium-sized classroom which could easily accommodate a class of forty, fifty, maybe even sixty people, so he didn't have to be particularly worried about securing a seat. For three, being a lecture, it required very little involvement from the students, which was especially convenient in a class that started at nine in the morning, well before one's brain was at its full capacity to process information, let alone form a coherent thought. All Kabru had to do was to sit and listen, and there were very few things he was more skilled at. Last but not least, this class was technically adjacent to his major – anthropology – which made it especially convenient for him. All in all, a pretty good catch.
As soon as they were allowed to enter the classroom, Kabru made a beeline for a seat in the back, right by the door. This was, without a doubt, the best seat in the room. It allowed him to observe everything that was going on in the classroom without running the risk of drawing attention to himself by constantly craning his neck and stirring in his seat. So long as he sat there quietly with an open notebook in front of him and a pen in his hand, occasionally making eye contact with the professor to show that he was hanging on to his every word, he should be fine.
Kabru discreetly stifled a yawn, trying to make himself pay attention to the professor’s speech, and glanced at the clock above the blackboard. Today's class was an introductory one, which effectively meant that the next hour and a half would consist of the teacher reading the syllabus aloud to make sure that everyone understood what they were signing up for by attending the class. A valiant effort, to be sure, but Kabru had doubts about the effectiveness of this approach. Inevitably, at the end of the speech, somebody would raise their hand to answer a question that had been answered an hour ago, and about half of the students would have forgotten everything that was said by the time they left the classroom, and would be in for a shock three months from now when it turned out that they missed a crucial piece of information regarding the final assignment. A majority of the people who came today, only showed up to put their name on the list. That was the truth.
A quick glance around the room told Kabru that he was right in his assessment. Many of the students looked as if they hadn't quite woken up yet – the same, he suspected, was true of himself as well. He recognised a handful of people from his other classes. In fact, his fellow anthropology majors made up a solid fourth of the group, which wasn't particularly surprising. Two girls who were particularly close friends sat two rows in front of him; he noticed one of them whispering something in the other's ear. A popular group had annexed the opposite corner of the room from where he was sitting, chatting amongst themselves in hushed voices and occasionally huffing with stifled laughter. Kabru was on relatively good terms with all of these people. Kabru was on good terms with everyone he'd ever met. Being likeable was another useful skill in his arsenal.
Time passed slowly. Kabru watched the professor write a bullet point list on the blackboard, quietly tapping his desk with his index finger. At times like these, he thought, it was crucial to have someone beside him, just to feel a little less alone with his excruciating restlessness and boredom. Someone to share observations with, someone who would receive a joke with an appreciative chuckle before chiding him for distracting them from the lecture. It would be perfect to have Rin here, but Rin had already graduated. Hell, he would have settled for making conversation with a total stranger. Unfortunately, the person sitting beside him, a tall, pale man with messy hair and dark circles under his eyes, didn't seem too interested in talking to him. The man ignored every attempt Kabru had made at communicating with him, seemingly entirely focused on scribbling something in his notebook. He sat hunched over the desk as if he was trying to shield his writing from view, seemingly unaware of the world around him. Eventually, Kabru gave up on trying to talk to him, but still found himself occasionally glancing in his direction. He couldn't help but find the whole thing rather puzzling. The professor wasn't saying anything worth noting down, and yet it seemed like this man was determined to transcribe his every word. This kind of dedication, while incomprehensible, was also quite impressive. Of course, it was also possible that the contents of his notebook had nothing to do with the class. His attention piqued by the mystery, Kabru attempted to look over the man's shoulder, but the view was successfully blocked by his arm. Bummer.
Heaving a sigh, he turned towards the blackboard again. The bullet point list had grown significantly since he last looked at it. Perhaps he should follow the other guy's example and start taking notes? All of these things were included in the syllabus, but it wouldn't hurt to write them down. If nothing else, it gave him something to do with his hands.
As soon as he picked up the pencil, someone sitting in the row before him clicked their tongue. Kabru looked up from his notebook and there, in front of his eyes, was the list! At last, they made it! He accepted the piece of paper with a grateful nod and added his name, major and year to the list. He then turned to the man sitting beside him, who was still diligently writing something in his notebook, his face buried between his shoulders. As carefully as possible, Kabru tapped his shoulder and slipped the paper in his direction with a light, encouraging nod. The man's eyebrows rode up in surprise when he noticed the list. He picked it up, gave it a cursory glance, and passed it to the next person without writing anything, before quickly returning to his previous activity. Kabru stared at him in awe, his mouth agape, stunned by the absurdity of the situation that had just taken place in front of his very eyes. Worse still, it all happened so fast that he didn't even manage to take a peek at the man's notes. He opened and closed his mouth a handful of times, attempting to voice all the questions that were now buzzing in his head, but for the sake of his own mental wellbeing, he decided to pretend that he didn't notice anything strange. At least for now.
Of course, just because he refused to acknowledge them, it didn't mean that the questions didn't keep nagging at the back of his head. Kabru promised himself that he would confront the man as soon as class was over. He would have to make it all the way across campus in about fifteen minutes, but that should give him enough time. At the very least, he wanted to ask why he didn't add his name to the list. There must have been a logical reason for his behaviour, but Kabru couldn't think of anything that made sense. It was possible that the man changed his mind about attending the class, but if that were the case, he likely would have left along with the handful of other people who excused themselves earlier. Besides, his demeanour suggested otherwise. Maybe it was a misunderstanding, then? In that case, it would be especially important to straighten things out. Afterwards, ideally, he would get to ask him about the notebook. That was the plan, then.
Unfortunately, the plan fell through when Kabru turned towards the man, fully intending to confront him, only to find the seat empty. He looked around the classroom in a state of utter confusion, feeling his body start to tremble, and spotted the man as he slipped out into the hallway. For a moment, he considered chasing after him, but ultimately decided against it. Maybe his impression that the man changed his mind was ultimately the correct one. Perhaps he just waited until the end of the class to avoid being rude. That was a perfectly logical explanation. In any case, whether it was true or not, it wasn't really Kabru's business to begin with. He had no right to confront him about it. Assuming he would come back next week, though, he could ask him about it then.
It so happened that Kabru didn't get to talk to the man the following week, either. The reason for that was as simple as it was embarrassing: he overslept, having entirely forgotten about the class until he looked at the clock and found that he had about ten minutes to get there on time. This, he thought, cursing under his breath as he sprinted across the street towards the campus, was exactly why nobody liked Monday morning classes. Miraculously, he made it to the classroom just before the professor, breathing heavily with his hand over his heart. He was relieved to see that the man was in the same seat as before, hunched over his desk, his face resting atop his crossed arms. Unfortunately, though, Kabru's own seat had been claimed by somebody else. Vowing to set an alarm next week, Kabru took the nearest free seat, quietly hoping to bump into the man on his way out of the classroom. Predictably, though, he disappeared just as quickly as before.
The week after that, Kabru arrived so early that the door hadn't been unlocked yet. He stood with his back against the wall, his arms folded over his chest, his foot tapping on the floor, and waited. People gathered around him, offering high-fives, handshakes and small talk, but Kabru stayed alert, anticipating the moment the mysterious man would arrive. When someone came to unlock the door, he deliberately placed himself as close to the entrance as possible, holding his breath as he stared intently at the key. Click. His body moved on its own, launching him forward through the door and towards his seat. As soon as he sat down, he placed his bag on the other seat to claim it. Only then did he finally release the breath he'd been holding, overcome with relief.
Kabru sat sideways in his chair and leaned back slightly, allowing him to watch the door from the corner of his eye. More and more people poured into the classroom, chatting with their friends, giggling, stretching and yawning. Kabru's heart skipped a beat when he spotted the mysterious man. He slipped in, slightly hunched over, as if trying to draw as little attention to himself as was possible for someone of his height and posture, and instinctively headed towards his usual seat. When he spotted Kabru's bag on the chair, his body instantly froze, his hands closing around the straps of his backpack. He took a deep breath, took a step back, and frantically looked around the classroom, furrowing his brow in an expression of confusion and fear.
“Here!” Kabru blurted out, quickly removing his bag from the chair. “I saved you a seat,” he added, sending the man his sunniest smile as he gestured at him to come closer.
The man hesitated for a moment, but finally took the seat and put his backpack on the floor between his legs. “Oh, thanks! For a moment I thought you didn't want me to sit here, but I guess that makes more sense,” the man said, idly stroking his cheek with his index finger. Kabru realised that it was the first time he'd heard his voice. It was quite pleasant to listen to, low-pitched and husky, but unexpectedly smooth and melodic. “That's really nice of you, uh...”
“Kabru!” Kabru said immediately, reaching out his hand. “I'm very pleased to meet you.”
The man looked at his hand for a moment, as if he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with it, before finally finishing the handshake. His hand was large, warm, and a little clammy. Kabru took it into both of his and gave it another shake. The man briefly glanced into his eyes before looking down at his hands again. “Kabru,” he echoed, as if to see how the name felt in his mouth. “Thanks, Kabru!” he said, a little louder, and gave an eager nod. “That's a pretty cool name. I'm happy to meet you, too. My name is Laios.” Laios, Kabru thought, quietly mouthing the word. “I remember you,” Laios went on, rubbing his chin. “You weren't here last week, though, right?”
He noticed? Kabru thought with genuine surprise. This entire time, he was convinced that Laios wasn't aware of his presence at all. “Aha, actually,” he chuckled awkwardly, poking his cheek with his index finger, “I was there, just a few seats away. It's a little embarrassing to admit, but I overslept. Thankfully, I made it in time, but my seat was already taken by the time I came.”
“Ah!” Laios' eyes grew wide. “Yeah, that makes sense. It's good that you made it, though!” He paused for a moment, glancing down at his backpack. “I guess I should've saved you a spot, huh?”
“Ah, don't worry!” Kabru put up his hands in a soothing motion, fearing that his gesture led Laios to believe that it was something everyone was expected to do and consequently blame himself for not having thought of it. Given his reaction, it certainly didn't seem like he was familiar with the practice. Generally speaking, he didn't seem like the most well-adjusted person. “I wasn't expecting you to do that. It's entirely my fault,” Kabru assured, putting his hand up to his chest. “I certainly would have preferred to sit next to you, though. How about you and I make an agreement?” he suggested, flashing a friendly smile. “Moving forward, we can save each other's seats.”
Laios seemed to consider the proposal, idly touching his bottom lip with his index finger, and finally nodded. “Yeah, all right. I can do that.” He sent Kabru a curious, if not outwardly suspicious, glance. “Why did you wanna sit next to me, anyway? It's not like we ever talked before.”
Kabru gulped. “Ah, well-” This was where he had to decide how honest he wanted to be with Laios about his motives. It probably would have helped if he could understand them to begin with, but he didn't. It would have been one thing to want to keep his spot – it was, indeed, a very good spot – but he also went out of his way to make sure that Laios would be seated beside him. Should he frame it as a self-interested decision, made entirely for the sake of asking Laios to save his seat for him if he were late again? No, that sounded like a pretty bad idea. Perhaps he should go in the opposite direction, convincing Laios that he wanted to get to know him better, even though Laios gave no indication that he was interested in talking to him at all? Agh, he probably wouldn't buy that, though! Even though it was entirely true! He seemed to be on his guard from the beginning of their interaction. Then again, they'd built up some rapport over the course of the conversation... Kabru licked his lips.“To be honest, there's something I wanted to ask you about.”
“Huh?” Laios tilted his head and crinkled his eyebrows. “What is it?”
“Well, for starters,” Kabru said slowly, “I wanted to ask about the list.”
Laios squinted in confusion. “Wha...? What list?”
Kabru rubbed his temple. “Um, the attendance list. You know, the one that goes around the classroom towards the end of the lecture,” he explained patiently, maintaining a gentle smile. Somehow, this appeared to be another thing Laios wasn't familiar with. Had nobody ever explained it to him in all his years of education? Was this some kind of an elaborate prank? If so, who was the one being pranked? “I noticed that you haven't put your name on the list last week and the week before, and I thought that I should ask you about it. If you don't put your name on the list, you're going to be marked absent, and you will not receive credit for the class, which would be a shame.”
“Oh, that's what you mean!” Laios snapped his fingers. A look of recognition and relief passed through his face. “I mean, I figured I don't have to do that, since I'm not a student.”
Kabru blinked helplessly. “You... what...? Then... why are you...?”
Before Kabru could finish his question, the professor came through the door, announcing the start of the lecture. Kabru instinctively straightened up in his seat, fixing his gaze on the blackboard. Laios pulled his notebook out of his backpack and immediately started scribbling something inside it. Kabru went out of his way not to look at him, shell shocked from the impact of his discovery. Laios wasn't a student? Well, that would certainly explain some of his strange behaviours, but ultimately it left Kabru with more questions than answers. If he wasn't a student, then what was he doing here? Who let him in? Why did he choose to attend this lecture? What was it that he was writing in his notebook? Was he even paying attention, or just pretending? Kabru shook his head and focused all of his attention on the lecture. His questions would have to wait.
About ten minutes before the end of the lecture, the attendance list arrived in his hands for the third time. Kabru looked through all the names before adding his own. He glanced over at Laios, hesitated for a moment, and passed the list to the next person over. Laios didn't react.
Kabru spent the last few minutes of class half-paying attention, half-waiting for the cue to stop Laios from leaving before he could ask the rest of his questions. By now, he'd learned to recognise the subtle signs that the lecture was winding down, and he could accurately pinpoint the moment they would be set free. Just as the professor put down his chalk, Kabru turned to Laios and whispered emphatically: “Sorry, I know you're in a rush, but I have to ask. Why are you here?”
“Huh?” Laios looked up at him, surprised, attempting to close his notebook. “Why? I thought I might learn something, I guess. That's why you go to school, right? To learn stuff?” he explained patiently. This time, he was the one speaking to Kabru as if he didn't understand basic concepts, and Kabru didn't like that one bit. “I mean, why else would you go if you don't have to?”
“Well, as a student, it's not so simple...” Kabru murmured, his eyebrow twitching irritably. He cleared his throat to collect himself and sent Laios a deliberately patient smile. “That's not what I meant. I was asking why you're here if you're not a student. I know that our university offers lectures that are open to the public, but I didn't realise this was one of them.”
Laios furrowed his brow, tapping his chin with his index finger. “I dunno... I've been doing this kind of thing for a while and never had any problems,” he said pathetically, seeming a little uneasy, tapping his fingers together as he spoke. “Some of my friends are students here, and you know, they tell me all kinds of stuff about what it's like, so I got curious. It was actually pretty easy to get in. Usually if I sit in the back and take notes, nobody asks me anything. Until, uh, just now, I guess.”
Well, that's probably because they assume that you're a student, Kabru thought soberly, shaking his head in disbelief. What an unbelievable story, and yet, looking at Laios, he completely believed it. Laios was not the kind of person who attracted attention. There was nothing remarkable about his appearance, and his personality, at least on the surface, was borderline repellant. He was a man who didn't want to be seen, and usually would not be seen. It just so happened that his behaviour set off alarm bells in Kabru's head. Rightfully so, it seemed. Evidently, Laios had made a habit of sneaking into random classrooms. Given that he seemed to be motivated entirely by a craving for education, one couldn't exactly hold it against him, but...
Kabru glanced at the clock. “Ah, I should get going. I need to make it to my next class.” He looked at Laios, and then at his bag. “Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone,” he assured. Not yet, at least. “I don't want you to get in trouble. You and I have an agreement, after all.”
Laios let out a sigh of relief, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. “Thanks, Kabru.”
“Under one condition,” Kabru added emphatically, standing over him.
Laios' body stiffened up. He gulped, looking up at Kabru with wide, fearful eyes. “What is it...?”
“I noticed that you've been diligently taking notes from the very beginning. I found that quite impressive. I mean, you didn't put your pencil down even for a moment,” Kabru explained with a straight face. “I imagine your notes must be very thorough. I would like to see them.”
Laios visibly shuddered, immediately averting his gaze. Ah-ha! “Uhh... They're not that good. I don't think you're gonna get anything out of them,” he said defensively, instinctively putting his hand over his notebook. “But... I guess I don't have a choice. Otherwise, you're gonna...”
Kabru put his hands on his hips and let out a sigh. He would have to learn to be careful with his words around this guy. “Listen. I was joking. I'm not going to blackmail you over some notes. What kind of person would do that? I would still like to see them, if you don't mind, but I don't want you to think that I'm threatening you,” he explained patiently, putting his hand on Laios' shoulder.
“Ah... All right.” Laios still seemed tense, but slightly less so. He picked up the notebook, hesitated for a moment, and put it in his backpack. “I'll show you, but not now. You said that you have to get to class, right? I'll walk you there,” he offered, standing up. Now he was the one towering over Kabru. Despite his best efforts to conceal his height, he was still significantly taller. “Okay?”
Kabru nodded in agreement, and immediately took off running. With the time he had left, he would have to jog across campus to make it in time. He heard Laios' heavy footsteps behind him, and by the time they made it out of the building, Laios had nearly caught up to him. He didn't seem like a guy with a lot of stamina, but he was keeping up all right with Kabru's frantic pace.
“So,” Kabru asked, heading into the building, “what kind of classes are you usually interested in?”
“I like learning about animals,” Laios said, sounding a little breathless. “And fantastical creatures and monsters, like youkai and dragons and stuff like that, too. That's why I chose your class. I figured I might learn something new. So far, it's mostly been stuff I already know, though.”
“You're knowledgeable about that topic, huh? I see...” Kabru murmured under his breath. That knowledge could be useful to him later. “Well, my next class is nothing like the last one, but I suppose you can come along with me if you want to,” he added cheerfully.
“What is it about?” Laios asked, tilting his head.
“Civics.”
“Ah... No, not really,” Laios said, scrunching up his nose. “I don't know anything about that.”
“That's what I thought.” Kabru laughed softly, stopping a few metres away from the classroom to catch his breath. Laios stopped a few steps behind him, obviously unsure if he should come any closer. Kabru turned towards him, extending a hand. “Well, in that case, I will see you around. Remember that you promised to show me your notes,” he added with a wink.
“Yeah, I remember.” Laios carefully took his hand. Kabru immediately squeezed it. “I'll show you next week. But it's really nothing special, so don't get your hopes up.”
Kabru laughed. “I'm afraid that I already have.” He glanced towards the door. “I have to go. I'll see you in class, all right? Until next time, Laios.”
“Yeah. I'll see you around,” Laios said softly, feeling Kabru's hand slip out of his grasp. He remained motionless, reaching for the spot where Kabru used to be and no longer was, his fingers twitching involuntarily.