That Grumpy Teacher's Good Idea

Many unanswered questions circled around her head. Ever since Klump decided to sit beside her, she couldn't really focus on the lesson the teachers were teaching. Her head was floating around somewhere as the teacher had been scolding the so-called good model for a few times now.

"Mala Ou! This is the second time now! Daydreaming won't help you to get smarter, right?! What's so boring about this chemistry class that you can't even focus for a second?!" Mr. Antshel said in an annoyed, stern tone.

He is quite a sensitive man, especially if a model student like Mala joins in with her classmates, not focusing on the lesson he was teaching. Of course, he wouldn't mind bearing the responsibility of scolding in front of everybody. It is annoying, but it's no wonder. Mr. Antshel after all was one of the list of killer teachers in her school.

A way to handle it was to follow his orders and be a good student.

"Yes sir, I apologize. I was reminded of something important." Mala spoke out, creating reason out of thin air. Unfortunately, that only triggers questions from the sinister man. "Oh, what reason? What reason could be sooo important, than to think of what I'm teaching right now?!" The man shouted loudly, not letting the issue go.

Mala only hummed, hiding her annoyance and embarrassment. Eyes from her classmates watching her, staring at her. It was actually surprising that Mala was like this, getting scolded from the teacher several times now, not as usual.

"Ehm, really important.. But your lesson is also important as well sir so now I'll be listening and paying very close attention to it."

Mr.Antshel only snorted, "Well, if it is that important, then you should excuse yourself! Clean that damn business of yours quickly so it won't stay in your mind and disrupt other's concentrations!"

"Yes sir," Mala's eyes stare directly at his eyes, trying her best to not make her stare look rude or challenging. "so..., could I be excused to go to the administration room, sir?"

Mr.Antshel's blood boiled, rising to the top of his head, looking indignant. Yes, his patience is quite thin like tissue, but students like Mala who answered with such an attitude pisses him off and, frankly, he can't stay patient much longer. His words entangled by itself. He's giving advice to his student about skipping class and he realized that now.

"Shut up! Sit down!" He held himself to his stern tone, trying hard not to snap. The classroom was silent. No one dared to whisper, talking about both of them in this situation. Mr. Antshel was a fierce and grumpy dude, while Mala's family were quite the influence with money that flows pretty strong.

She sat down, releasing her breath. Then focused back to the continued lesson of the grumpy man. Today was such a hard day, but, why hasn't Mr.Antshel's plan ever popped up in her head? The business about Bartender K was and is important, she should finish it.

But, if she done that, she will missed the whole lesson and get far behind from the rest of her classmates. And asking for Isela's help to take pictures of her notes won't be much useful. She's the type of student who's smart, writing less in her notebooks but absorbing the lesson when it was being taught. Between all three types if learning—visual, kinesthetic, and auditory—she's the girl who could studies only by listening.

Suddenly, an idea crossed into her mind. What if she asked for Klump's notes? She took a glance at his work beside her.

Nevermind, cross that idea. Even his sheet of paper is still white and clean, not a single ink were found there. Mala saw it and furrowed her eyebrows.. Staring at his side profile, she stared curiously and wondered.

Klump, noticing her stare, took a glance back at her, raising an eyebrow as if he was asking, "What?" with relaxation. Quickly, he turn his attention back to Mr. Antshel's teaching, ignoring Mala's gaze.

Yeah, no. Mala is going to fight for herself, even if this lesson is her least favorite subject—except if they were allowed to do chemistry experiments in the laboratory of the school, experiments are fun!

***

After Mr. Antshel's class, Mala had received permission from the next teacher to manage her permit to leave school grounds in the administration room. She had two letters, one for the teacher and the other for the security guard to let her off school grounds. Mala had to fill it out, it felt like handling for tickets.

Finally.. Mala could be free. She didn't have to bury her anxiousness, sitting next to Klump who she suspects to be bartender K. Mala was scared, terrified that her identity as a daughter of the Verrel family would be uncovered.

Mala left school, her reasoning being urgent family schedule on that day, exactly at that time. She rode her electric bike down to her residence.

Back at home now, she quickly swapped her uniform with more casual yet fashionable clothes paired with a mask and circle frame glasses. To complete her disguise, Mala puts her make up as different as she possibly could compared to her usual aura.

She looked at her smartphone, the store should have opened by now. It was almost three in the evening. The application on her smartphone shows that the bus will arrive at its destination in two minutes. There is not much time left!

Mala jogged towards the station, she arrived on time, as a couple of passengers exited from the opened bus door. Mala passed over the first two intersections, the bus stopped in the next two pickup stations, then the disguised Mala got off the bus at the third station.

Mala entered narrow passage in the smallest residential area, going into a large area that hid behind abandoned looking buildings. It felt like a ghost town, there was no sign of a bustling city.

Mala walked across the labyrinth of narrow passageways until she arrived at that gigantic field, on one side was a shop, named L' Arc Tu. Preparing to slide her mask on, she entered the shop.

Kling

"Is Bartender K available?"