"Ding-ling——"
The bell signaling the end of class rang at the most inopportune moment, like a bucket of cold water that completely washed away the ambiguous atmosphere.
Russell exhaled in relief, as though he had been granted permission, while Mary calmly straightened her slightly disheveled collar.
The girl tucked her fallen hair behind her ear. The blush on her cheeks had faded slightly, and she once again put on the mask of a model student.
She stood up, clasped her hands behind her back, and turned to face Russell.
"Class is starting. Let's go."
Seeing her decisive change, Russell couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yeah."
He took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and stood up.
"Let's go."
The two left the empty classroom, as if returning from a dreamlike fantasy back to reality.
They returned to the classroom, and the afternoon lessons began in an indescribable atmosphere.
At first, Russell remained preoccupied with what had happened at noon, occasionally losing focus.
But gradually, the fatigue from staying up late overpowered his heightened emotions, and his eyelids grew heavy.
In the end, after battling the Sandman, Russel was defeated—utterly defeated.
Not long after he lay down, the classroom seemed to fall silent.
At that moment, someone called out, and a gentle voice accompanied by pushing and shaking reached him.
"Russell. Russell."
Mary softly poked his arm and spoke in a low voice tinged with a hint of happiness.
"The professor is calling you."
Hearing this, Russell, still half-asleep, furrowed his brows and tried to lift his head. Red marks from where his sleeve had pressed against his face remained.
Then he saw the silent face on the podium and furrowed his brows as well.
Dozens of pairs of eyes from the entire class turned around in unison to watch the scene.
Russell's drowsiness vanished almost instantly.
"Mr. Watson," the professor adjusted his glasses at the bridge of his nose and spoke in a calm yet pressured tone.
"Today's lecture seems a bit too hypnotic for you, doesn't it?"
A faint wave of laughter rippled through the classroom.
"Um… sorry."
Russell scratched his head. "I didn't sleep well last night, Professor."
"Actually, I didn't sleep well last night either…"
The professor suddenly wore an enlightened expression.
"Were you investigating another terrifying murder case again?"
Laughter once again spread through the classroom, louder than before.
"...Someone really did die."
Russell glanced at the students watching the commotion, then looked up at the professor and spoke.
The moment he finished, the laughter in the classroom abruptly stopped.
Even the professor was momentarily stunned.
"I only got back to Baker Street from Scotland Yard early this morning. By the time I washed the blood and alcohol off my body, it was already quite late."
Russell added, "So… I really didn't mean to, Professor. I'm truly sorry."
His voice was quiet, his expression calm, with just the right amount of fatigue seeping through. His tone was sincere, without a trace of jest.
The entire classroom was enveloped in an eerie, deathly silence.
The professor stood at the podium, staring at the guilt-ridden young man in the back row, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
As an experienced professor with over ten years of teaching experience, he could confidently say he had encountered almost every type of student.
The intelligent, the foolish, the diligent, the lazy…
Similarly, he had dealt with almost every kind of classroom emergency.
But today, he had never encountered a situation like this.
What did it mean that "my student went to investigate a murder case last night"?
Where was he supposed to even begin complaining about this?
If he handled it poorly, tomorrow's Times headline might read—
[Unqualified Teacher: Who Made the Hero Bleed and Cry?]
No, it would be his teaching qualification!
After a brief brainstorm, he finally found his voice.
"Um..." He cleared his throat. "Well..."
"Watson."
"Yes."
"If something like this happens again... please let me know in advance, alright?"
"Understood, Professor."
Russell nodded.
"..."
"Sit down."
The professor pressed his palm down, signaling for Russell to sit.
After a pause, he added,
"Get some proper rest."
"Understood, Professor."
Russell obediently sat down.
The professor turned around, faced the blackboard once more, and took a deep breath.
"...Let's continue the lesson."
His voice returned to calm, but the hand holding the chalk trembled slightly.
The sunlight outside the window was beautiful. Birds hopped on the branches. Everything was ordinary.
Except for the classroom.
When Russell slowly woke up again, the classroom was already bathed in a golden hue.
Almost everyone had left. The only one remaining beside him was Mary.
The girl was holding a pen, humming a Mother Goose lullaby while drawing something on a piece of paper.
When she noticed Russell was awake, she stopped, closed her notebook, and naturally bent down to tuck it into his backpack.
Her silver hair brushed against Russell's cheek, carrying a faint fragrance to his nose.
"Lights on?"
"Mm." Russell lifted his face sleepily.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Hmm… Thanks to you, the professor delayed class by ten minutes."
Mary teased.
Russell fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
"Let's go."
He said.
"Yeah."
The girl nodded and quietly followed him.
Just as the two were about to leave the classroom and head toward the school gate, Mary suddenly grabbed Russell's sleeve.
"Hm?"
Russell stopped. "What's wrong?"
"There's no need to rush home today."
Mary said this and pointed toward another path.
"So... want to come with me?"
Hearing this, Russell raised an eyebrow. "Walk together?"
"Mm."
Mary nodded and pulled his sleeve without letting go.
"It's still early, and Father won't mind," she said. "Besides, the weather's nice today."
Russell looked up at the sky.
The sun had already begun to set in the west. Only streaks of golden afterglow remained on the horizon.
The breeze was gentle, carrying a hint of early winter chill. It wasn't strong on the face—rather, it helped clear his head.
"Indeed. Not bad at all."
Russell nodded and didn't refuse.
"Then let's go."
A smile appeared on Mary's lips. She let go of his shirt and walked ahead at a brisk pace.
Instead of taking the shortcut to the school gate, they strolled slowly around the lake on campus.
The lake was quiet, like a giant mirror reflecting the color of the sky.
The two walked leisurely along the lakeside path, their steps rustling through thick fallen leaves.
"By the way," Mary suddenly spoke again. "This is the first time we've taken a walk together."
"Yeah."
Russell nodded.
"It feels like a lot of firsts happened today."
The first time becoming famous.
The first walk.
The first...
Hug.
…
…
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