Zeyn sat near the window in class A43, head resting on one hand, eyes unfocused. The board up front was a blur... again.
He had forgotten his glasses. Again.
Born with impaired vision, you'd think he'd be used to this by now. But forgetting the one thing that helped him see clearly? That was becoming a habit.
He let his gaze drift outside the window, away from the lecture that never quite managed to hold his attention. History class wasn't the problem. But today, something felt…off. The air in the room had a weight to it, like the walls were pressing inward. And maybe it was just his own paranoia, but he hadn't been able to shake the fog in his thoughts since yesterday.
Still no sign of his wallet either. That added an extra layer of unease.
From across the aisle, Kriss nudged him with a whisper. "Hey… Zeyn. Stop daydreaming."
He knows that his seatmate can't see due to the glasses that were mentioned yesterday. But he's also wondering why this person forgot them again. Choosing to ignore the professor's explanation in front is also a foolish decision.
As expected, this man gives a slightly sarcastic look towards one of the students who wasn't paying attention to his explanation.
"As I have said, you are welcome to conduct literary studies in a disciplined manner by searching and reading various references from various sources. It is to increase your knowledge and understanding of the material I have explained," said Mr. Garry.
A long pause. Then his eyes locked onto Zeyn.
"However, perhaps some of you who came to Grimhour Institute already feel like a skilled instructor, so confident enough to Not-Paying-Attention!!"
Instantly, the class falls silent in fear. There he is... a tall, well-built male wearing a black suit and a nametag with "Garry Cahyadi" on his chest. This man gazes at the young man with a stern expression.
Zeyn's attention is immediately drawn to something surrounding the him. There's some kind of aura emanating from... the ring he's wearing.
Is it called a gemstone. It makes the atmosphere in the class feel slightly unsettling in gray color. Although the aura is not too strong, it's enough to make everyone feel pressured. On the positive side, the aura is enough to increase his character and make him look quite fierce at the moment.
Even so, this terrifying aura was not as strong as his elder sister's.
"Your name is Zeyn, right? It looks like there's something you want to say," Mr. Garry walks casually towards his seat while tapping the book he's carrying in his presentation.
"Huh? Uh... no, sir. Sorry."
"Then I shouldn't have to hear your excuse for not paying attention, right?"
This professor is still speaking in a flat tone with an intimidating gaze. Although he is only talking to one student, the others also seem scared.
"No... no, sir. Sorry."
"Good, now please pay attention!" Mr. Garry adds and returns to his table.
* * *
"Haah, I'm tired," Kriss sighed in relief.
"Wow, can you believe that just happened? It's only been a week since we started, and we already have a teacher who can't relax," complained some of the students.
They were still inside the classroom, beginning to vent about what had happened earlier.
"But isn't it strange? I felt like the atmosphere in the class became a little spooky and uncomfortable when he taught us," added a student named Andre.
They all agreed that the learning atmosphere just now was not enjoyable. Not because of how Mr. Garry presented in the class, but... it did seem like there was something that made their hair stand on end.
But isn't that strange?
"Relax, maybe it's just because we're not familiar with him yet, so it looks spooky like earlier. Zeyn seemed calm anyway, even though he was the one who caused it," Damian as class president tried to think positively.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Anyway Zeyn, why didn't you just explain earlier that you forgot to bring your glasses?" Kriss asked, trying to change the subject to the young man who was leaning on his chair in the corner.
But it turned out he wasn't there anymore.
"Well, Zeyn has been gone since the end of the class," someone said.
"Okay, uhm..., maybe I'll go to the canteen and try to find him. Anyone want to come?" Kriss asked.
Unfortunately, they all shook their heads.
"Nope, I'm too lazy!"
"I don't have any money."
"I just want to play games."
"Really? What's wrong with you guys?" Kriss could only shake her head and decide to go alone.
* *
Along the way Kriss was lost in his own thoughts, it was about this guy named Zeyn. Until now, he felt strange about that classmate. He still lightly concluded that the person was an introvert. But after a while he was even interested in his personality.
"Someone who forgets to bring his glasses twice even though he has a visual impairment? Interesting... Huh?!"
The excuse about going to the canteen was because he was hungry. But apparently, fate had other plans because the young man he was looking for was standing still, just a few meters away from him, silently looking at the view outside.
Kriss tried to get closer to him, intending to greet him directly. But seeing Zeyn lost in thought, he also turned his attention to the view outside the window. As usual, the view of other buildings on campus could be seen with a cloudy background.
"Again, this city looks like it's always going to cry. What do you think?"
"Hmm..."
"Oh yeah, by the way, did you remember to bring your glasses today? To be honest, your appearance is a bit different from yesterday. At least your eyes don't look as scary as before Hahahaha~"
Zeyn clenched his fists tightly at those words, which he had heard again and again. It was a classic excuse that he always heard from people he didn't know very well.
"Are you afraid of me?"
"Huh? What? Why should I be afraid of you hahaha?"
"You said that my eyes were scary... so..."
Kriss suddenly realized what he said. He quickly tapped his lips softly, afraid that he might have offended Zeyn. Although he was joking.
"Ah! No, not at all. That's not what I meant! I just think you look better this way. But for some reason, people who don't wear glasses always squint their eyes, so they look scary."
"Oh...?"
"Yes! So, it's normal. But... um~ sorry, your two red pupils. I'm not trying to insult, but to me, it looks cool. Like an anime character or something."
Kriss's answer sounded so strange to Zeyn's ears. For the first time, someone said something like that. But was that good? Was it a compliment? Or was it just a form of sarcasm? It looks cool, he said?
"Ani...me?"
"That's a two-dimensional animation that's usually used in films, artwork, manga, and so on."
"Oh... I see"
Although he still didn't understand, pretending to understand was always Zeyn's approach when talking to others. Or did he actually understand, but pretended to just understand it?
"By the way, speaking of scary, did you also feel something strange during the lecture just now? According to the others, the professor was too scary."
"Hmm?"
"I don't know, it's hard to explain, but it feels like there's a heavy feeling, right?"
"Yeah, you're right" Zeyn replied with just a nod.
They had been like this since earlier. Although often answered with short answers, the blond guy still stayed close to him.
"Oh, by the way, are you hungry? we can go to the canteen together, it's my treat, hehe."
"Uh, sorry, but I have to go now."
"Oh okay, too bad. Well then, be careful on the way. Don't forget that we have a class in room number 9 this afternoon!"
With a small nod, the guy slowly left. On the other hand, Kriss managed to talk to him and have his own judgement. Little did Kriss know the fact that Zeyn was just lying because he wanted to find his lost wallet again.
* * * *