Chapter 33: (Un)Lucky Draw

Arthur woke up smiling.

A stupid, unstoppable grin was plastered across his face before his eyes even opened, as memories of Iris came rushing back to him. He had completely forgotten about the documents he was supposed to have delivered the day before.

After that great sex and everything, he came back to Amanda’s house, where he would probably stay for one more week.

"Morning, sleepyhead." And speaking of the angel, Amanda approached him with a smile. "I decided to try making one. Japanese style. Rice, some chicken, a little salad. Don’t judge it too hard. I need to leave early today, so I’ll leave it here."

That morning they barely had time to exchange words, as the woman quickly left, she had work to do. Arthur looked at the bento box with a smile, thankful for how kind Amanda was.

He showered, dressed, and washed the dishes. Once ready, he took his newly acquired bike, an old one he had been able to buy.

The ride to campus was quick. Arriving, the man locked his bike in the proper rack and walked toward the entrance, expecting a normal and peaceful first day.

But he didn’t even make it inside the college before any sense of normalcy was thrown out the window. He noticed a large crowd of people stopping to stare at something.

It was a big sword someone had put close to the entrance.

Around it, there was a massive chalk circle covering the pavement of the entrance courtyard. In the center, a cardboard sword stood planted upright, a note taped to its blade.

A small crowd had already gathered, phones out, filming. Someone was reading the note aloud:

"Only a true otaku can draw the sword. The chosen one will be summoned."

Arthur watched for a moment, amused. A line of students was forming, each one trying to pull the sword and failing, the base was clearly weighted or anchored somehow.

Nearby, on the wall, he spotted a pamphlet. He picked it up out of curiosity, and it read:

[OTAKU CLUB — NEW MEMBER SELECTION Take part in a true trial, to prove your worth. The test will be absolutely anonymous and online. Only the true chosen one will be able to complete such a trial.]

Arthur found the whole thing a bit cringey, but he had to give them credit for the creativity and effort. So he scanned the QR code on the pamphlet and signed up for the test, even though he wasn’t particularly interested in it.

He was quite the otaku, after all. Maybe it could be fun?

Anyway, he followed the hallway and easily found his class. He hadn’t taken part in any of the integration activities in the prior week, but he still knew the internal layout well enough.

Getting inside, he scanned the room for a seat and saw a problem...

Kat.

She was sitting near the front, chatting with another girl. It really was impressive how many times they ran into each other by coincidence.

But it wasn’t that bad, it wasn’t like he even needed to interact with her. And she didn’t seem to have noticed him.

He deliberately chose a seat in the back, far from her, and paid her no more attention. Just at that moment, their first class professor walked in.

Arthur blinked in surprise when he realized it was Iris. He hadn’t expected her to be the one teaching his very first university class. Well, it would just be another "first" she would get to experience with him, he thought with a smile.

"Good morning, class. My name is Iris, and I will be your..." As she began speaking, Arthur immediately noticed there was something different about her.

During class, her words were more formal, and she never showed her teasing smile. She was always well composed. Not that she was cold, Iris would still make some jokes, and she easily got the classroom’s attention.

Her lecture was surprisingly enjoyable, but to Arthur, who knew the real Iris, it was obvious that her teacher persona was simply a more restrained and appropriate version of herself.

Even her clothes reflected that. Not only did her blouse show no cleavage, but she was probably wearing some kind of compression bra to make her breasts look a little smaller. Still, her long, tight skirt certainly didn’t make her any less attractive.

Every time she turned around to write on the blackboard, all the men in the classroom seemed to pay close attention to her. Arthur was no exception. He spent the entire class admiring her beauty.

More than once, Iris and Arthur exchanged knowing glances, neither of them letting anyone else notice anything unusual.

Once the first class ended, Iris told everyone that she wouldn’t be taking attendance since it was the first day, meaning everyone would automatically be marked present. She then left the classroom.

As soon as she was out of sight, she headed to the women’s bathroom and pulled out her phone to send Arthur a message.

She took a picture from under her skirt, where her panties were beginning to get soaked. She added a caption: "You better come get me once classes are finished."

The man immediately felt his cock throb, quickly turned his cellphone off, and went off to find his next class.

"I’m Professor William, but let’s not waste time with introductions," the second professor said as soon as he burst into the classroom. "On paper, this will be an Introduction to Design course. But in reality, I’m going to make it so much more!"

He said it so loudly that everyone’s attention immediately turned toward him.

William looked like a cliché mad scientist, with disheveled hair and chaotic clothing. There wasn’t a single matching color in his entire outfit. Even his socks were different colors.

Without bothering to explain much about himself, he launched into a passionate discourse about what design truly was and what it meant.

Then he explained that the entire course would revolve around one major project designed to teach them practically everything there was to know about design.

If they were willing to dedicate themselves to it, he promised they could become some of the best designers in their field in the future.

"You’ll be paired up in duos, and your partner will be your subject. You’ll observe them, interview them, take them apart, and then you’ll have to build them back up using everything I teach you in this class. First, through observational drawings. Then, through semiotic analysis. And finally, I’ll teach you all how to create a 3D prototype."

He continued, acknowledging that some students might think the project was too much. After all, Introduction to Design was supposed to be exactly that, an introduction. They would have plenty of other classes covering these subjects and much more in the future.

"But I don’t agree with that mentality!" William suddenly shouted, jumping over his own desk and nearly falling on the other side. "You should all be ambitious! You should strive to create the best project possible!"

The man slowly climbed back onto his feet and let out a very long sigh.

"I do understand that some of you may be worried," he admitted. "So, for those who lack the ambition — or perhaps the courage — to take on this project, you can choose to do a written assignment instead. Summarize everything you’ve learned throughout my class. I’ll grade it, and you’ll all pass."

He paused, his expression suddenly becoming much more serious. Then he launched into another passionate discourse, declaring that those with the fire for learning should take the risk and do the project.

Finally, he pulled out a box of folded slips. "Partners are decided by draw. No trading, no complaining, no exceptions. Once you arrive at the job market, you rarely get to choose who you work with, so get used to it!"

As soon as he heard that, Arthur felt a bad premonition. And, sure enough, the very first duo the man drew was:

"Arthur and Kat."