Intermediary

I hastily bowed to her as I was sure the woman standing in the doorway was really Mrs. Olivia.

"Good evening, Mrs. Olivia."

Several lecturers were there, glancing at me unpleasantly. No wonder they were like that considering my attitude that morning must have annoyed them. Unfortunately, most of them were lecturers who taught me and I could smell the collapse of my glory days in the future.

Mrs. Olivia's chuckle brought me back to land. "Hello, Brissia," she said, looked at me as if trying to figure out what I was thinking. "What's troubling your mind? Would you like to talk about it inside?"

"I appreciate your concern, Mrs. Olivia, but I just stopped by for a moment."

When I was just about to pass Mrs. Olivia, a lecturer stood in front of me as if he wanted to leave the room. I immediately got away from the door, covering my face with my hands when I realized it was the lecturer who had called me presumptuous.

After the lecturer went the other way, I heaved a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry you have to face him."

I turned quickly to Mrs. Olivia and said, "It's nothing, ma'am. I should be the one apologizing for just standing still and blocking people from passing."

Mrs. Olivia smiled slightly then said, "How about you come to my room, Brissia? I also have something to talk to you about since you weren't paying attention in my class."

My lips swore in silence when Mrs. Olivia turned away. I should have greeted her and simply postponed my trip to Archtier. But the thing was, I needed my phone as soon as possible. If I have been called, how could I possibly go there or even home?

Eventually, I sat on a brown sofa in a room with wide glass windows. The entire interior was made of teak wood, bringing a soothing luxurious feel to every inch of the room. I've heard that Mrs. Olivia was a remarkable lecturer in my university, but I had no idea what she contributed to that her room looked like an aristocratic study.

I stopped looking around when a cup of tea in a classically carved mug was placed on the side table in front of me. The person who placed it was none other than Mrs. Olivia.

"There's no need to treat me this way, ma'am. I meant to greet you before doing an errand."

"Like what?"

Well, for example, by rushing away from there as fast as I could. My intuition told me that the tea was served on the table 'cause I was neither her guest nor her student. Apart from thin smoke billowed over the glistening surface of the tea and the warmth of Mrs. Olivia's smile, the air in the room felt a little chilly.

"The look in your dim eyes is obvious. How can I just ignore you?" said Mrs. Olivia, making me wince. I had no intention of drinking the cup of tea, even though Mrs. Olivia was walking with her back to me toward another sofa.

"Are you becoming this listless because I suddenly questioned you and threatened you earlier?" asked Mrs. Olivia with a slight smile.

There was only one thing that came to my mind after hearing her words. But even so, I chose to play it safe by shaking my head slowly. Then I replied, "No, ma'am. I'm simply thinking about my lost cell phone."

Right. An answer like that should have sounded so clichéd that any lecturer would assume I was part of indifferent students who only paid attention to their phones during class. That way, the lecturer would let the students left the room.

However, I soon realized that my assumption was a big mistake.

"I see. How about I help you find it so you can focus on the next classes?"

I accidentally snorted, causing my lips to press together in an instant. My mind kept cursing my spontaneous reaction. It was the same as having a death wish by holding back laughter in front of the lecturer who was authorized to use such a magnificent room.

Before straightening my seat and looking at Mrs. Olivia, I cleared my throat. "Even if my phone is in a place that can't be reached by any transportation?"

I waited for her reaction for a few moments, but she remained silent. As I thought, she only intended to assess me like the other lecturers. But when I just got up and was about to walk, she spoke again.

"A place that cannot be reached by any transportation, huh? Have you traveled to another dimension?"

A meaningful smile was etched on her lips, dispelled the calm within me. My confidence in my assumptions collapsed in an instant.

"That seems right. If so, don't worry. I can truly help you get your phone back," said Mrs. Olivia as she stood up, walking toward the window.

I got up from my seat quickly, staring warily at the black-haired woman's back.

"Luca Pacioli, even the mathematician who was obsessed with numbers, believed in the existence of tricks and magic. However, his approach was a quantitative method."

Mrs. Olivia turned to me. "What if mathematically, the equation of the line formed by the presence of two variables in the same case makes the world line we live in now intersect with another world line?"

I winced. "Pardon? Do you mean we are the two variables?"

Mrs. Olivia nodded, making me freeze. I stared at her in disbelief, was feeling ridiculous at the same time. Since Mrs. Olivia was such a clever lecturer, it's no wonder her joke was that great. But the question, was it merely a joke?

"No, thank you. Now... if you let me excuse myself, ma'am—"

"Oh! You haven't tasted the tea yet, have you?" she cut me off. "Though I would love it if you tasted the best chamomile tea I've ever served someone."

When she's done speaking, the doorknob I pressed didn't open. I sighed. Well that's that then. Either complied or disobeyed, there was no escaping. So I turned around, stared for a moment at Mrs. Olivia who smiled graciously, then lifted the cup and poured the tea into my mouth.

Clank!

My head was spinning and throbbing violently. My heart was pounding as if I had just run thousand miles away. I fell on the couch. I saw Mrs. Olivia standing behind her desk, looking at me. I couldn't see her face clearly, although I was sure that she really was Mrs. Olivia.

"I'll see you soon, Brissia."

Then my vision darkened instantly.

Not long after, I woke up to calls from people around me. As soon as I opened my eyes, I was in the typing room of Gabriel's editorial office. I rushed to my feet, ignored the concern looks that surrounded me.

The figure I've been looking for was standing in the doorway of the typing room, looking at me in surprise. I walked hastily toward him, making him step back a little. Quickly, I held his hand and touched his face.

My eyes widened as I felt his skin. He was real. The smell of old papers wafting from this room, the voices of postal staff and visitors behind the door, everything was real!

"So… you guys gonna kiss or something?"

I flinched. I just realized that my face and Harris's were so close, that he even averted his gaze with an expression of … discomfort. Ah, his expression reminded me of the teaching assistant's expression. Therefore, I rushed away from him, walking back toward my desk. I didn't care if I made a mistake while typing. I'd rather change the paper than go to the archives.

"Hey, Brissie! Are you playing with me?"

I glanced up at Harris, who was pushing his way through the crowd of co-workers, toward my desk.

"There you go, back on patrol!" Gabriel suddenly appeared and pulled Harris away from my desk. "Brissia has also regained consciousness so don't disturb the employees."

Hearing Gabriel's words, I believe I came back to Archtier in a stupor. However, that's not what I was thinking when I sat in front of the typewriter for less than a minute.

Thud!

I was surprised when Harris pounded on my desk. Gabriel and the others as well. Harris glared at me, making my guts instantly shrink.

"I almost thought I would lose you, you know!"

I looked up, staring at him unblinkingly. His firm yet worried words echoed not only in the room, but also in my head. I was at a dilemma as to whether to be surprised by his honesty or his unreasonable concerns.

Were we that close?