Chapter 34: Stalker
Professor Kanna Merfal is becoming increasingly entangled in her feelings for Strauss Wagner. At first, she tried to deny them. Their relationship is immoral, scandalous, and shameful. She's a professor, and he's a student with nearly half her age. She would prefer not to feel anything, but on sleepless nights when she seeks comfort and tries to calm her libido, the only thing that can give her relief and make her truly climax is thinking about Strauss. Is it love? Or just base physical attraction? No, it's something more. The woman joyfully recalls the moments spent with the young man.
The sight of the man inside the academy shakes her world. Yet, a certain fear prevents her from approaching him or sharing her feelings with him. The fear of being seen flirting with a student or the potential damage to her professional reputation due to gossip holds her back. However, the desire to observe him up close, to know every detail of his life, is stronger.
She finds herself in a sort of contradiction with herself, aware that her behavior can be compared to that of a stalker. Yet, she is incapable of resisting this strange feeling of jealousy that courses through her veins every time Strauss gets close to a girl. And the man seems to be literally surrounded by women. Kanna Merfal can't help but wonder if he might be making fun of her. If when he declared his love, he was lying. Playing with her and her feelings. It can't be! Strauss would never do such a thing; he's not that kind of man.
Every encounter between Strauss and a girl unleashes a mix of emotions within Kanna. It's as if her peaceful and orderly world has suddenly been disrupted by an emotional storm. The first of these moments is when she sees him approaching Welze Juble, the shy girl she often sees studying in the library.
The girl wears glasses, and her blue hair is tied in a ponytail. Does Strauss like that kind of girl? A bit of a plain girl-next-door, a bit of a nerd? Kanna looks at herself in her smartphone camera, feeling somewhat insecure.
The professor flinches. Is that a wrinkle? Or just a sign of tiredness? The woman turns off the camera in terror. She absolutely must buy a quality cream.
Strauss, with his confidence, approaches Welze. The nerdy girl greets him cheerfully as soon as she sees him. Welze Juble is clearly delighted to see Strauss. Kanna can't help but click her tongue in annoyance at the sight of this scene. Their voices blend into a confidential whisper as they talk about books. She observes the camaraderie between them, the way Strauss's eyes seem to light up as he listens attentively to the young girl. What does he find so fascinating about her? A plain and unremarkable girl?
Strauss even brought her a coffee! At this moment, Kanna thinks some unpleasant thoughts about Juble. But he doesn't prepare his special tea for her, Kanna consoles herself. It's true: she and Strauss share special moments that the blue-haired girl can only dream of. Despite this, she envies the fact that they are sipping a drink together in the sunlight.
They exchange books, an apparently innocent excuse. She notices the kindness in Strauss's manners, the way he smiles when Welze walks away with the newly acquired book. Kanna thinks the worst, believing that at that moment, Welze has won a piece of Strauss's heart. And this thought torments her, making her feel out of place in this situation. If only she were a few years younger. If only she had met Strauss when she was a student here at the academy.
Then there's Luysia Camclair, a student famous at the academy. Considered one of the school's top students, she recently found herself at the center of a scandal. It seems that the church has excommunicated her. Since then, the professor has seen her hovering around Strauss Wagner.
Kanna observes them as they work out together in the academy's gym. The artificial LED white light highlights their sculpted bodies. She watches as they help each other with stretching, their flexible bodies moving in harmony. Strauss's hands touch Luysia's skin, creating an intimate connection between them. Then it's Luysia's hands that touch Strauss with a familiarity that fills Kanna with jealousy. Every touch is charged with tension and repressed desire, and Kanna can feel the electricity in the air. Their breaths are synchronized, and the observation makes them seem even closer than they actually are.
Luysia Camclair, with her icy demeanor and mysterious nuances, always maintains a neutral expression. But Kanna knows that every glance from the blonde is always directed at Strauss, as if he were the center of her world. It's as if Luysia's entire universe focuses on him, and the thought of it gives her chills. Yet, despite the time they spend together, Strauss seems distant from Luysia. He doesn't pay her particular attention, as if lost in his thoughts. He seems somehow detached.
This reassures Kanna Merfal; she thinks he doesn't see Luysia that way. In a romantic way. Despite this, at this moment, the professor wishes she could be in Luysia's place. Perhaps she should ask Strauss to go jogging together early in the morning? This shouldn't cause any particular scandals at school.
The worst among her rivals is undoubtedly Rero Sansanti. Every day, Kanna witnesses helplessly as she constantly besieges Strauss Wagner. Watching Rero is like witnessing a teen romance, a script that the girl seems willing to perform to attract Strauss's attention.
Rero rotates around him like a constant orbit, a persistent presence that insinuates itself into every aspect of Strauss's daily life. The brunette student is the epitome of unrequited love, always clinging to Strauss like an affectionate shadow. Any excuse is good for her to show up in front of him, although Kanna knows very well that her presence is never random.
Kanna's careful observation captures the details that jealousy amplifies. Every time Rero looks at him, she does it with adoring eyes, eyes that shine with affection and desire. The purity of Rero's affection is disarming, and Kanna feels her heart tighten every time she witnesses one of those moments.
Strauss seems almost affectionate towards Rero. Although he never does anything compromising, and even though their gestures never cross the boundary of friendship, Kanna cannot help but perceive a special connection between them. There's a closeness that goes beyond mere friendship, a complicity that Kanna wishes for with all her heart.
Every time she sees them together, Kanna feels a punch in the stomach, a cold spike of jealousy assails her. She feels like an invisible observer, as if she were distant from a love story that doesn't belong to her. It's as if the world narrows down to the two of them, while her role becomes increasingly marginal.
Her confusion is palpable, and every day, jealousy undermines her confidence, growing the fear of never being enough for him.
Lately, another female figure has emerged within Strauss Wagner's gravitational attraction sphere. A silent and unsettling presence, different from his other rivals in that this woman observes Strauss from afar without ever directly interacting with him. Kanna wonders if she might be some kind of stalker, but she can't help but feel a strange connection with her due to her own obsession with the young man.
The mysterious woman's short silver hair sets her apart from the other students, creating an aura of eccentricity around her. It's her expression when she gazes at Strauss that troubles Kanna the most. The woman seems like a psychopath, with a look that contorts into a perverse form of desire. It's as if the simple act of observing Strauss is a kind of ecstasy for her, a secret vice that makes her thrill with excitement.
However, the silver-haired woman's expression changes dramatically when she comes into contact with other people. She suddenly becomes kind and cordial, her face lighting up with a smile, and she appears as a completely different person, like an emoticon ^_^ in real life. This dual nature of the woman adds another layer of mystery to her figure.
Kanna observes her like a shadow, a constant observer who follows Strauss from a distance. Her presence becomes more evident as Kanna herself gets closer to Strauss, and for a moment, she wonders how ridiculous their behavior might be.
The main question tormenting Kanna is who this woman is and what her connection to Strauss might be. She can't help but speculate about her intentions given her ambiguous behavior. Is she attracted to Strauss like Kanna is, or does she harbor dangerous intentions? Kanna wonders whether she should warn Strauss about this enigmatic figure or whether it might only add further complications to the situation.
Kanna had never imagined that the man would have so much success with women. But is it really that surprising? Those deep, dark eyes are like a magnet, drawing people in.
She's not immune herself; it's as if the young man had cast a curse spell on her. This thought amuses her, considering she's an expert in curses.
The youth and beauty of her love rivals are clear seductive weapons. She realizes that if she wants to maintain a relationship with him, she must act swiftly. Her maturity and experience compared to her rivals could be her ace in the hole, but without taking action, Strauss Wagner might slip through her fingers.