"Uh? What’s this…"
The boy was staring with his eyes wide open, watching an open box that contained a piece of jewelry.
"I-is this gold?!"
"Of course not, it’s fake"
"Ah."
The boy remained silent for a few seconds before asking:
"And why are you showing them to ?"
The woman in front of him replied without a hint of emotion:
"They’re for you, it’s your birthday isn’t it?"
….
"I an, earrings are for won, and you shouldn’t have gone out of your way to get a gift, we are not in a position to spend what we want…
Every cent counts towards the amount of ti we have left, if you could save up a bit more that’d be the greatest give you could give "
"Sigh… Sotis I wonder if you’re really your mother’s son.
All you do is nag like a granny, while your mother was as careless as a kid"
The boy’s serious gaze couldn’t be avoided, and the woman couldn’t do anything but find an excuse:
"Co on, you know we’re not that tight on ti, and the tattoo shop has been doing quite well for the last few weeks, at this rate I might even have enough money to sustain the hospital expenses forever"
Hans, who at the ti was still young, couldn’t help but think that it was a waste of money…
’If instead of buying this thing she had kept the money, they would have a few more minutes to live…
Whatever, I’ll take it and resell it in a couple of months’
Hans accepted the gift and walked towards one of the two beds in the apartnt.
"Hey… I know what you’re thinking.
Don’t you even dare try and sell those earrings, they’re fake anyway so they won’t give you anything for them.
Also…
Hans, you cannot live all your life like this, you should do sothing else, and maybe…"
"Are you suggesting I should move on? Move on and let them pull the plug on my family? What would I even do then? What aning would my life even have then? I would rather die… than live in a world where I’m alone for the rest of my life"
The woman watched him with eyes full of pity…
At the ti, she did not have the courage to tell him that what he was doing was wrong, she did not have the courage to tell him that by walking down that path, he would just cut himself off from the outside world… She could not, since just like him, she hoped for that impossible wish to co true.
The boy tossed the earring on the bed just beside him and slid his hands under the pillow before resting his head on it.
’Whatever she says… they look like a woman’s, I won’t wear them even if they paid to do it…
No, actually, maybe if they paid I would’
That is how Hans thought at the ti, and yet, just a couple of months later, when his aunt passed away, those earrings were the only thing he had that could remind him of her.
Hans, the young boy who had always regarded pleasure and everything other than work as a waste of money and ti, for the first ti after the Catastrophe, spent a few bucks to get his ear pierced.
’From that day on… I have never taken these off… they’re the last mory I have of the person who could be crowned as my savior, and the last birthday gift I have received…
Well… it’s not the last one anymore…’
After hearing the doorbell ring, Hans opened the door, and he found all his students in front of him.
The ones in the middle held a cake with a ’Happy Birthday’ white chocolate giant tag on it.
"Happy birthday!!"
They all said in unison as so of them blew into a couple of party horns.
Hans remained shocked by his student’s surprise, standing still in front of his open door.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, he chuckled a bit and replied:
"Thank you…
What are you waiting for? Co, follow .
Hans’s apartnt wasn’t big enough to host a party with more than forty people, so he instead led all his students to the nearby little garden…
"You…"
Hans said with an intimidating tone as he watched the students of the second class.
"You should be in another class right now, was this plan organized just to skip a few hours of school?"
"N-no, obviously not"
Ryan replied sweating.
"Oh… is that why you’re drenched in sweat…
Mia!"
"Yes?"
The girl imdiately replied.
"What subject should you be listening to right now?"
"Today’s the mandatory physical education lesson"
"Hahaha, that’s good!! I am friends with Caleb, I should call him and thank him for sending you here"
The boy in front of him frowned:
’H-he’s friend with Caleb, does that an that he’ll tell him everything? That ans he’ll find out we skipped his class because we went to a birthday... If that happens… We’ll get beaten to death during the next lesson.’
"N-no!!"
Scread the boy while Hans picked up his phone.
"Why? What’s wrong"
"T-t-t-that…"
"Pfffthahahah"
Soone laughed out loud, it was David Miller, from the first class, and as soon as he busted into laughter, all the other students beside him did the sa, even the ones from class two…
One of the only exceptions was Ryan, who, shaking his head left and right to understand the situation, was wondering what the hell was going on…
"Wh-why are you also laughing?!"
He asked screaming at his classmates, and Mia replied by saying:
"Hahaha… haha, ha… we all went to Caleb to ask for permission before coming here, you’re the only one who didn’t show up at the start of the lesson"
Another student from class two added: "Hehehe… you should’ve seen teacher Caleb’s eyes, he’ll for sure ’train’ you properly next ti"
"W-what? You all! How could you-?"
The boy looked at Hans to confirm what he had heard, and he saw the teacher laughing.
"Caleb called a few minutes earlier and told that he would stop by later because he had sothing to do at the mont, he also told to send you his regards, and that next ti you should fake being ill again because otherwise, he’ll make you regret enrolling into this academy"
"Th-this can’t be… you are all traitors!!"
He scread watching his classmates before running away"
Everyone enjoyed the play they had organized for the latecor, even Hans laughed nonstop.
However, as his evil laughter once again took over his face, a student from class two approached him…
Evelyn, the emotionless student from his second class…
Just like last ti, she got closer to him and then said, in a simple and low tone of voice:
"Teacher… you’re cruel"
’Ah… I might be a little bit too cruel’
Hans reflected heavily on his responsibilities as a teacher, and concluded he was just aiding his dear student with his ’character building’.
The day passed fast with the students telling stories about their past and enjoying their free ti, the fact that their age gap was not much also helped in making the party less awkward.
A couple of hours later, Caleb and so other teachers passed by, and with them, even other students like Aiden and his mates joined the party.
When they all got back to their dorms, the sun had already begun setting.
Hans closed his apartnt’s door and threw his tired body onto his bed, watching the wooden staff in his hand.
"Haha… to think my birthday gift would be a staff"
A couple of hours earlier, the students had given him a gift to open.
Handing it over to him was Claire, but Colton specified that they didn’t have ti to buy anything, and even though they would like to gift him sothing themselves, that was sothing they had received from the dean.
Hans unwrapped the gift and inside the expensive-looking box, he had found the item he now held in his hands.
"I don’t really need it, but it might be a different story in the future… I should thank Ava next ti I see her, I can’t believe she disappeared right after showing up just to tell all the students it was my birthday…
Ah, I almost forgot about it… I still have to call out Caelan today.
Hans connected his mana with the little star, and just a few seconds later, Caelan spoke:
"I feel like it has been a long ti since you’ve last summoned "
"It’s evening right now, but I assure you I haven’t skipped a single day"
"If you say so…
Wait-
What’s with this energy I’m feeling?!
T-that stick… what the hell is that?"
[item na: Holy branch
Item rank: dium (rare)
Item description:
A branch of a holy tree, it has acted as a dium of faith and prayers towards a certain god for hundreds of years.
Item effects:
While holding it-
mana recovery 20%,
Wisdom 50,
Increased mana control,
Nature’s path spells 30 % efficiency.]
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