Chapter 44: The Gathering Storm

Tuesday morning arrived with a heavy sense of dread hanging over the university campus. With the midterm exams officially starting on Thursday, the hallways were packed with anxious students burying their noses in thick textbooks, muttering formulas under their breath.

Leo walked through the busy main corridor, his tall body moving easily through the crowd. He spotted Soren and Gideon leaning against a row of lockers, both looking thoroughly exhausted from pulling all-night study sessions.

"Hey, Leo," Soren groaned, rubbing his dark eye circles. "Tell me you're ready for the mid term exam. I feel like my brain is about to melt."

Gideon nodded in agreement, holding up a stack of messy flashcards. "Yeah, man. Give us some hope. How is your preparation going for the midterms?"

Leo offered a relaxed, casual shrug. "It's okay. Not too good, honestly. I've been a bit distracted over the weekend."

"Leo~!"

A sudden, cheerful shout echoed down the hallway. Before Leo could even turn around, a soft weight slammed right into his back. Slender arms wrapped securely around his neck as Stella hugged him tightly from behind.

Leo gritted his teeth, his arms reaching back to pull her off. "Stella, let go. We're in the middle of the hallway."

"No way!" Stella whined loudly, burying her face into his jacket and sticking to him like glue.

Soren and Gideon stared at the display in absolute, jaw-dropping shock. They shook their heads, letting out heavy sighs. They were completely used to Leo’s absurd luck with women by now, but it still hurt their pride to witness it firsthand.

"You are mine today!" Stella begged loudly, looking up at him with wide, watery emerald eyes. "You have to teach me, Leo! I joined the university later than everyone else, and I am way behind on the lectures! I’m going to fail if you don't save me!"

"Get your hands off him right now, you shameless woman!"

A furious voice cut through the air as Chloe came running down the corridor. Her crimson eyes flashed with immediate jealousy. She aggressively grabbed Leo's left arm, trying to yank him away from Stella's grip. "Leo doesn't have time to fix your bad grades, Stella! Let go!"

"No! Leo has to help me first!" Stella yelled back, tightening her grip around his neck.

"Enough, both of you," Leo growled, his deep voice easily cutting through their shouting as he firmly pried them apart.

Nearby, Soren and Gideon slumped against the lockers, their expressions filled with deep sadness as they muttered about the sheer injustice of Leo’s life.

"What is all this noise in my hallway?"

A sharp, commanding voice caused everyone to freeze. Professor Genevieve stood just a few feet away, her clipboard tucked under her arm. Her beautiful face was twisted into a look of absolute annoyance as her eyes scanned the rowdy group.

She fixed a cold glare straight on the silver-haired girl. "Miss Stella, the university is already holding mandatory extra classes in the afternoons for everyone who transferred in late. You don't need to bother other people. You will be attending my special review sessions starting today."

Chloe instantly let out a wide, triumphant grin, silently celebrating Stella's defeat.

Professor Genevieve’s eyes snapped sharply over to Chloe. "And you can wipe that grin off your face, Miss Chloe. I just reviewed the latest journalism test scores, and you are currently failing my class. You will be joining Stella in the afternoon session as well."

Chloe’s grin died instantly. Both she and Stella slumped their shoulders, their faces turning into matching pictures of utter misery.

Professor Genevieve adjusted her glasses, her eyes shifting to Leo as her tone became professional. "Leo, I need your assistance with some documents. Please follow me to my personal office right now."

"Sure, Professor," Leo said calmly.

He stepped out of the crowd and followed Genevieve down the long hallway. Walking just a step behind her, Leo's gaze naturally drifted down. Even in her formal outfit, her mature, hourglass figure moved with a beautiful, striking elegance as she walked. A sudden warmth rushed to Leo's cheeks as a vivid flashback of the steamy night he had shared with her flashed through his mind.

They reached the faculty wing, and Genevieve opened the door to her private office. The moment Leo stepped inside, she closed the heavy wooden door, turning the lock with a distinct click.

She took off her glasses, setting them neatly on her desk, before turning around to face him.

Leo offered a relaxed, teasing smile. "So, Professor, what exactly did you need my help with?"

Genevieve didn't answer with words. She stepped directly into his personal space, her hands sliding up to wrap firmly around the back of his neck. She pulled his tall body down toward her, her mature lips forming a cute, thoroughly jealous pout. "You've been completely surrounded by those noisy women all morning," she whispered, her voice laced with possessive frustration. "You haven't paid attention to me at all, Leo."

Leo’s smile widened. He wrapped his powerful arms around her narrow waist, pulling her voluptuous frame tight against his chest. "Is that so? Let me make it up to you then."

He leaned down and captured her lips in an intense, deeply passionate, and possessive kiss. Genevieve let out a soft sigh into his mouth, her fingers tangling into his chocolate-brown hair as she completely melted into his embrace.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

The sudden, loud banging on the office door caused them to break the kiss instantly. Genevieve’s eyes widened in panic, her face flushing bright red as she frantically smoothed down her blouse.

"Genevieve? Are you in there?" a female professor's voice called out from the corridor. "I need to grab the midterm session notes from your desk before the afternoon session starts!"

Leo’s dark eyes flashed with a mischievous spark. Before Genevieve could step away, he casually slid up behind her tall figure, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind in a tight back hug. He leaned down, planting a soft, warm kiss right against the smooth skin of her neck.

Genevieve’s breath caught sharply. She gritted her teeth, desperately trying to suppress a soft moan from escaping her lips as Leo's touch sent a wave of heat through her body. She forcefully cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice steady as she shouted toward the door. "Y-Yes! I am just organizing the files right now! I will be out in just a few minutes!"

"Alright, see you in the lounge," the female professor's footsteps finally faded away down the hall.

The moment the coast was clear, Genevieve flusteredly pushed Leo away, her entire face glowing a deep crimson shade. She grabbed her glasses from the desk, her stubborn pride rushing back to cover her intense shyness. "You... you absolute troublemaker! Get out of my office before someone actually catches us! And you better get good grades on exams! Good luck with them!"

Leo let out a quiet chuckle, waving his hand as he unlocked the door and stepped back out into the main building.

.....

By the time lunch arrived, the campus cafeteria was completely packed. Leo sat at a corner table, quietly eating his lunch opposite Cynthia.

The double doors of the cafeteria swung open, and Nicole walked inside, her dark navy bag slung over her shoulder. Scanning the room, her violet eyes locked onto Leo. She walked over smoothly, pulling out a chair and sitting down right at their table.

Before Cynthia or Nicole could exchange a single word, the cafeteria doors slammed open again. Stella and Chloe dragged their feet into the room, still completely miserable about their mandatory afternoon sessions. Seeing Leo sitting there, they immediately marched over and sat down on the remaining chairs.

Cynthia, Chloe, and Stella all fixed their eyes directly on Nicole, the atmosphere at the table instantly growing heavy with tension.

Leo cleared his throat, offering a casual wave of his hand. "Everyone, this is Nicole. She's my childhood friend. Her family moved away years ago, but she just came back to town recently."

The response was instantaneous. A wave of profound jealousy and frustration washed over the faces of the other three women.

Chloe’s crimson eyes narrowed into a fierce, dangerous glare as she aggressively stabbed a fork into her salad, her yandere energy practically radiating across the table. Stella let out a loud, dramatic whine, crossing her arms and crossing her legs as she pouted fiercely at the new woman. Cynthia maintained her elegant posture, but her amber eyes flashed with a deep, quiet frustration as she tightly gripped her teaspoon, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Across the cafeteria room, Soren and Gideon were sitting at a small table, chewing on their cheap sandwiches. They stared blankly at Leo’s crowded table, watching four of the university's most attractive women radiating absolute sparks of jealousy over him.

"Man..." Soren muttered, his face melting into absolute, tearful sadness. "His circle just keeps getting bigger and bigger every single week. It's not fair."

Gideon let out a heavy sob, covering his face with his flashcards. "Don't look at them, Soren. It only makes the revision hurt more."

.....

When the university classes finally ended for the day, the sunset had painted the sky in a deep, beautiful amber twilight.

Outside the main gates, Chloe and Stella stood near the courtyard walkway. They offered Leo long, thoroughly pathetic waves before turning on their heels to head back toward the dorm buildings for their extra study sessions. Cynthia stood beside Leo, watching them go. She offered a polite wave, though her amber eyes carried a visible hint of jealousy as she looked at Nicole. "Let's meet up and celebrate after the midterms are finished, Leo," she said softly, before turning to walk toward her car.

Finally, Leo and Nicole were left completely alone on the quiet pedestrian sidewalk.

They began walking down the familiar avenue leading toward the residential blocks. Leo moved smoothly, lowering his large hand until his fingers gently wrapped around her small, soft hand.

Nicole froze for a fraction of a second, her face instantly turning a bright, beautiful shade of pink. Memories of the intense, passionate night they had shared at her house rushed through her mind, making her heart hammer wildly against her ribs. She looked down at her boots, but her tiny fingers tightened their grip firmly around his big hand, refusing to let go.

She cleared her throat, trying desperately to pull up her haughty tsundere defenses, though her voice was trembling with extreme shyness. "H-Hey... Leo?"

"What's up, Nicky?" Leo asked casually.

Nicole violently snapped her head to the side, biting her lower lip as her face flushed even redder. "Since the midterms are starting on Thursday... and since you're supposedly a smart university student... I guess I can allow you to help me do some revision for economics as it is this exam's common subject for all the students across different profession. Don't get the wrong idea, okay?! I just... I just don't want my childhood friend to look stupid if I fail my economics tests! That's the only reason!"

Leo offered an effortless, warm grin, his fingers squeezing her hand gently. "Sure, Nicky. I'd be happy to help you study. Let's head straight back to my apartment."

"F-Fine! But stop smiling like that, you giant dummy!" Nicole squeaked out flusteredly, her short chestnut-golden bangs bouncing as she walked close by his side, their hands locked tightly together under the evening sky.

(The first Volume of this novel is coming to an end soon. And I will organise a Poll to choose your favourite heroine, the heroine with the most votes will get a personalized roleplay costume and illustrations based on their tier, you just need to join my patreon as a free or paid member and vote. Thankyou for supporting me this far, it means so much to me.)