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Stelle’s unlocked phone shines brightly on her desk, the timer ticking down one agonizingly long number at a time.
“C'mon, prof,” her brother mutters from next to her, his hands tightly gripping the edge of the table. “Just 10 more seconds and we can--”
“Good morning, everyone!~” Groans echo around the classroom the second Professor Aventurine waltzes through the door. Even though Professor Aventurine is the most fun teacher both she and Caelus have ever had, the thought of a free hour is one hell of a drug for a room full of exhausted college students.
The professor giggles as he walks over to lean against his desk, oblivious that he just ruined Stelle’s plans to nap for the next hour, as he’s done at least once every other week since the start of the semester. “I bet you’ll never guess what just happened to me!”
“Did you win the lottery, professor?”
“Or maybe he finally got a jackpot…”
“Professor! Did you win another bet?”
Professor Aventurine laughs good-naturedly and shakes his head before dramatically pulling off his glove and holding out his left hand. It takes Stelle a second to notice, because Professor Aventurine always has an assortment of rings on his right hand, and it takes her a second to even get over the fact that he took off his glove.
Embarrassingly, Caelus is the one to point it out, making it look like he saw it first. (Which is not true; they’re identical twins and therefore identically unobservant!)
“Oh my Aeons, professor, you’re married?!”
“Close,” Professor Aventurine winks as he pulls his glove back on. “Just engaged!”
“To who?!” Stelle doesn’t normally care about her teachers' love lives, but this doesn’t line up with the image she has of her bet-making, numbers-obsessed, bachelor-of-a-finance professor.
“There’s no fun in just telling you guys, is there?” The class, previously leaning forward in anticipation, slumps back on their chairs together in disappointment. That’s Professor Aventurine’s ‘bet voice.’
As fun of a teacher as he is, Professor Aventurine is also notoriously competitive, and as he likes to remind his classes all the time, “I’ve never made a deal that didn’t pay off.” Making bets with his students is almost definitely against multiple school rules. Still, no one cares or dislikes Professor Aventurine enough to report him.
Sure enough, Professor Aventurine soon lists out his ultimatum. “I bet none of you will be able to figure out the identity of my fiance before our wedding date! And to up the stakes,” he adds, leaving the entire class with bated breath, “whoever does will be instantly exempt from semester finals.”
Exempt from semester finals. Stelle turns and locks eyes with her brother, an identical determined look reflected back to her. They’re not doing particularly badly in the class, per se, but like their mom always said, ‘work smarter, not harder.’
We’re going to find Professor Aventurine’s fiance.
“I’ll give you all one hint only, so listen carefully! They’re a professor at this university. Good luck… and I hope you don’t disappoint me.”
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Rate My Professor: Stellar University
Aventurine Stratagems
Professor in the Business and Economics department(s) at Stellar University
3.0/5 Overall Quality based on X Ratings 2.0 Level of Difficulty
Study25hrsADay 2.0 Quality, 1.0 Difficulty
Professor Aventurine is a decent teacher, but he gets distracted a lot during lectures. He also talks about gambling a lot more than I think a university professor should? Decent class overall, but not as much content coverage as I would have liked.
NoMoreNightOwl 3.0 Quality, 1.0 Difficulty
easy class, teacher was late a lot so i had time for an extra nap before class
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Caelus and Stelle turn the corner to see March 7th and Dan Heng already sitting at a table in front of the campus teahouse they agreed to meet at.
As soon as she spots her, Stelle nearly trips over herself running towards March 7th, wailing. “March!!! Please, please, pleaseeeee tell me you know who Professor Aventurine is engaged to.”
March 7th catches Stelle in her lap as she collapses dramatically. “Woah, hey Stelle? I can check on the school forum for it, but no promises.” Stelle quickly stands back up and starts a dramatic reenactment of the past hour they’ve spent in Professor Aventurine’s class.
Caelus rolls his eyes at his sister’s antics, before falling into the seat next to Dan Heng just as dramatically. His head falls forward towards the cafe table, and Dan Heng pats his back sympathetically, sliding an Immortal’s Delight across the table to him.
“Aeons, have I told you how much I love you?” Caelus brightens, catching the cup as March 7th cuts off Stelle with an identical drink.
Dan Heng hums in acknowledgment. “You might’ve mentioned it a couple of times. What’s this about Professor Aventurine?”
“He challenged us to find his fiance,” Stelle responds through a mouthful of tapioca pearls.
“And we’re not gonna back down!” Caelus declares, hands slamming on the table, Stelle nodding in solidarity.
He quickly sits back down after he sees an employee glare at him from inside the teahouse. After a moment of silence, where the employee turns back to the counter, Caelus leans in conspiratorially.
“March, you got anything on the fiance?”
March 7th clicks off her phone and sighs, shaking her head. “Your class was the first to hear about his fiance, so no one knows anything yet. Maybe give it a few days?”
“But what if he gets married before then!?” Stelle says, panicked, and Caelus nods, agreeing.
Dan Heng shakes his head. “Unless they were planning the wedding before being engaged, the wedding won't be ready for at least a few more months.”
Caelus pouts skeptically, finally stabbing a straw into his drink. “There’s no way Professor Aventurine would give us that much time for one of his bets.”
“I’ve never had him,” Dan Heng admits, “but even so, no one can plan a wedding that fast. And from what I’ve heard, he doesn’t seem the type to plan ahead.”
“Either way, we’re not gonna learn anything just sitting here, so how about we investigate this ourselves?” March 7th says, interjecting. “It’ll be fun; we can be like a mystery-solving team! What do we know about the fiance?”
“They’re a professor here… and that’s about it.” Caelus thinks he’s starting to learn how Professor Aventurine wins so many bets. A high reward that tempts anyone into accepting, before they realize just how low their odds are.
“That still narrows it down a lot,” Dan Heng muses, pulling out his phone. “Which administrator does he report to? We can check the staff directory and see which teachers he’s in the same department with.”
“Professor Qlipoth, I think,” Stelle says, nodding.
“That means he works with… Professor Gepard Landau and Professor Fu Xuan.”
March 7th snaps her fingers. “That’s perfect! Stelle and I have Prof. Gepard next, so we can ask him.”
“Why does she always get the good teachers,” Caelus grumbles to Dan Heng. “She gets student favorite Professor Landau while I’m stuck with the terror that is Professor Ratio.”
“Professor Ratio isn’t that bad,” Dan Heng replies as Stelle sticks her tongue out at Caelus. She heard him. She actually likes Professor Ratio’s class. Dan Heng makes sense because he generally likes picking up new skills, but Stelle is just as chaotic as he is and he can’t understand how she can enjoy a class with a professor he despises so much.
He sticks his tongue right back at her. He wasn’t trying to hide it anyway.
“Speaking of Professor Ratio,” Dan Heng continues, standing up, “Caelus and I should get going before we’re late to his class. We’ll try and talk to Professor Fu Xuan afterward.”
“You guys will be fine,” March 7th laughs and waves at them as they leave. Easy for her to say , Caelus sighs. She’s the lucky one who’s never gotten Professor Ratio before.
“Don’t get kicked out!” Stelle calls out gloatingly, which is a much more appropriate response to a class with Professor Ratio.
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Doctor Veritas Ratio
Professor in the Medicine, Philosophy, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Engineering, and Biology department(s) at Stellar University
3.5/5 Overall Quality based on X Ratings 4.5 Level of Difficulty
Mould_in_Uni_Vault 5.0 Quality, 5.0 Difficulty
I'll admit he was a good teacher, but he's too harsh. I learned a lot in the week I had his class, but honestly, I couldn't handle him calling the entire class idiots every other breath. Good teacher if you have thick skin, I guess, but I can't imagine sitting through that class for an entire semester.
MathsSchoolSmartypants 2.0 Quality, 4.0 Difficulty
is there any STEAM class this guy doesn’t teach??? i swear i’ve gotten him like 4 times already
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If someone had told Stelle at the start of the semester that Professor Gepard would become one of her favorite teachers, she would have looked at them like they were crazy. She had only signed up for his introductory Criminal Justice class because March 7th had, and she wanted to be in as many classes together as possible. But here they are, weeks into the middle of the semester, and Stelle feels a little disappointed that the class is ending.
On the first day, he had told the entire class to call him Professor Gepard because between him and his sisters, there were enough Landau’s on campus and he didn’t want anyone to get confused. When describing more complicated lessons, he attempted to draw out scenes of what he was describing, and while there is a reason that Professor Gepard was not an art teacher, Stelle had always appreciated the effort and gotten a good laugh out of the drawings.
“C’mon, before he leaves!” March 7th tugs Stelle out of her seat to catch Professor Gepard before he leaves the classroom. “I don’t have his office hours memorized and I really don’t want to go find them!”
As they run down the stairs to the front of the room, Stelle really regrets sitting near the back of the class because now she’s not quite sure if they’ll make it to Professor Gepard in time. Before she can regret it too much, Professor Koski appears in the doorway, blocking the exit.
“Professor Gepard! Wait, before you leave!” Both professors turn to look at Stelle and March 7th, panting from running all the way down the stairs of the lecture hall.
“Stelle, March, what can I do for you?” Professor Gepard asks, smiling.
“Make it quick, though! Geppie and I have a movie to catch,” Professor Koski interjects, fluttering his eyelashes at the other teacher, and Stelle exchanges an awkward look with March 7th.
“Not in front of the students, Sampo,” Professor Gepard reprimands, before turning back to the two students. “Don’t worry about him. What can I help you with?”
“Uh, nothing that serious, Professor. We were just wondering if you knew which professor here is the closest to Professor Aventurine? Since you guys are in the same department and all.” March 7th asks, Stelle nodding to corroborate.
Professor Gepard looks contemplative. “Professor Aventurine? I’m not quite sure, but I think he gets along well with Professor Topaz.”
“Definitely,” Professor Koski cuts in. Stelle had honestly forgotten he was there. “They’re childhood friends.” He faces Stelle and March 7th, “Why do you ask?”
“Professor Aventurine bet that we couldn’t figure out who his fiance is,” Stelle responds, ignoring March 7th’s panicked whisper of ‘ That’s so blunt! ’
Professor Gepard seems taken aback. “I would not encourage digging into your professor’s love lives-”
“Aww, live a little, Geppie!” Professor Koski laughs, patting him on his back. “Aventurine was the one to challenge them anyway.” He then winks at the two students. “Let us know if you figure out who it is, I’ll give you extra credit for it.”
The two professors walk out the door together, hands interlocked. “That was not the relationship I was planning to uncover today,” March 7th mutters, then frowns.
“Wait. Do you think Professor Koski knows that neither of us has his class?”
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Rate My Professor: Stellar University
Aventurine Stratagems
Professor in the Business and Economics department(s) at Stellar University
3.0/5 Overall Quality based on X Ratings 2.0 Level of Difficulty
SleepToFaceProblems 4.0 Quality, 2.0 Difficulty
learned a lot from his class! super engaging lectures and he always has funny stories related to the topic we’re doing in class. really bad office hours though, i swear he’s not even in there half the time he says he is
Lowering_The_Average 3.0 Quality, 1.0 Difficulty
I loved Prof. Aventurine, but his teaching left something to be desired. Pros: He was just so real with us all the time, none of that uptight stuff you get from older professors. If he couldn’t answer a question he was honest about it instead of pretending he knew the answer. Easy grading system too, super huge curve. As for cons, he could’ve taught better. Went off-topic a lot, but he did go back on topic eventually. And for a business/economics teacher, he sure liked gambling a lot. Overall good experience though
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Professor Ratio is the most intimidating teacher Caelus has ever had. The one highlight of this class is that he shares it with Dan Heng, who is a saint and always gives Caelus his notes when he falls asleep in class. He’s exactly the kind of star student Professor Ratio seems to prefer.
In fact, Caelus is pretty sure that Dan Heng is the only reason he hasn’t been thrown out of class yet. He’s seen better students kicked out for less.
As if on cue, a student in the middle row is walking out right now, a scowl on his face.
“Zero points!” Professor Ratio yells towards the door as the student leaves the classroom, before turning back to the rest of the class. “I do not appreciate any distractions in my class, especially from fools who do not respect the subject matter. Should anyone else choose to do the same, now is the time to walk out.”
Caelus winces. And there lies the core of why he’s so terrified of Professor Ratio’s class.
Being the son of legendary engineer and Stellar University Professor Himeko means he’s no stranger to expectations. Still, Caelus had never taken to engineering as well as his sister did. Of course, Ma had never pressured them into taking an engineering class, but to pay homage, Stelle and he agreed together to sign up for it anyway.
Back then, if Caelus had known he would have been placed into Professor Ratio’s class, he wouldn’t have been so quick to agree. There isn’t anyone on campus who hasn’t heard how much the eight-doctorate holder dislikes students who don’t care for their education.
He doesn’t want to know what the professor would say if he learned that Caelus has no real passion for engineering.
Sometime during the lesson, Caelus must’ve fallen asleep again because the next thought he has is after Dan Heng shakes him awake as the class is being dismissed.
“Feel free to come to my office hours if you have any questions,” the professor is saying, but his voice is faint as Caelus rubs the sleep from his eyes. Dan Heng leads him down the stairs, but before they can leave the classroom, Professor Ratio stops them.
“Caelus. A word, if you will?”
Caelus feels like someone has just doused a bucket of ice water on his head, and shakily turns around to give Profesor Ratio a nervous smile. “Sure, professor.” He shares a look with Dan Heng before walking back to the desk, Dan Heng at his back.
“I’ve been noticing that you aren’t doing very well in my class, and I’ve contemplated removing you,” he starts, and Caelus can feel his palms sweating. Before he can interject, the professor continues. “However, after evaluating your answers in class, I’ve realized that it is not educational zeal you lack. Rather, you take after Kafka, more than you do Himeko.”
Caelus stops. It’s not really something he’s considered before, but he and Stelle spent just as much of their childhood discussing philosophy with Kafka as they did engineering with Himeko.
Professor Ratio continues, seemingly oblivious to Caelus’ personal revelation. “I have filled out an application to transfer you from this class to my modern philosophy course. Sign it and take it to your counselor if you decide you are interested. And I do highly recommend this transfer.”
“Thank you, professor.” He feels a little at a loss for words, but can’t stop himself from asking, “Why me, though?”
The professor scowls, arms crossed. “I despise watching students flounder their potential most of all, and in this class, you are doing nothing but floundering your potential. Any other questions?”
Caelus nods. He feels he can understand why Stelle and Dan Heng like Professor Ratio so much, and why his moms rarely have bad things to say about him. He’s the harshest teacher on campus, but he’s undoubtedly passionate about the craft.
“Just one more follow-up question, professor. Why so far into the semester?”
“I prefer to be fully prepared before making any huge commitments. This decision was nothing more than a personal preference of mine. Is that all?”
Caelus nods. It’s not the answer he was expecting, but he wasn’t sure what kind of answer he was expecting either. Maybe Dan Heng wasn’t the only reason Professor Ratio didn’t kick him out of class.
“Good. Now, I’ll be going. If you need me, you know when my office hours are.” The professor walks towards the door, but before he leaves, he nods at Dan Heng. “Good work in class today. Five points.”
Never mind. Dan Heng is definitely still the favorite.
------------------------
Doctor Veritas Ratio
Professor in the Medicine, Philosophy, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Engineering, and Biology department(s) at Stellar University
3.5/5 Overall Quality based on X Ratings 4.5 Level of Difficulty
10yrRatioHater 1.0 Quality, 5.0 Difficulty
If you have Prof. Ratio on your timetable, you need to drop his class now. He is an absolutely abhorrent teacher! He calls the entire class stupid for not understanding freaking complex quantum physics after just one lesson, and his grading system is horrible. Throughout my entire semester, no one has gotten over 80%, and he has some arbitrary point system that I still can't wrap my head around. All his assignments are insanely difficult; it’s like sometimes he forgets the rest of us don't have 8 doctorates. If you need to yell at your students to get your point across, you're not a good teacher. Every single good review on this site is only because he's conventionally attractive.
LowKey 0.0 Quality, 5.0 Difficulty
He threw his chalk at me and told me to get out.
-----------------------
“Does Professor Ratio usually go this much over time?” March 7th asks, swinging her legs from the bench she and Stelle are sitting on. They’d been waiting outside Professor Ratio’s classroom for the past twenty minutes for Dan Heng and Caelus, and even though the rest of the class had walked out earlier, there was no sign of the two men in question.
“No. He prefers leaving after-class questions to his office hours.” Stelle frowns in response. She’s not sure what they could even be doing in there.
“I just hope they come out soon- wait, is that Professor Topaz?” March 7th jumps up, suddenly energized, and runs towards a woman with a white bob and red streaks. Stelle had never had Professor Topaz, but she shrugs to herself and runs after March 7th.
“Professor Topaz! Wait up,” March 7th calls out, and the professor turns around and smiles.
“March 7th? Is that you? It’s been a while, how are you doing?” Professor Topaz says, and after seeing her face, Stelle vaguely remembers her while waiting for March 7th to finish her introductory finance class last year.
“I’m doing great, professor, thanks for asking!” March 7th smiles, before continuing. “We just wanted to ask, is it true that you and Professor Aventurine are childhood friends?”
“It’s true, we went to high school together, but what's with this sudden interrogation?” Professor Topaz responds, amused.
“Are you Professor Aventurine’s fiance?” Stelle asks. She doesn’t know Professor Topaz very well, but from what she’s seen so far, she seems like she would get along well with him. If nothing else, it’s not an unbelievable question to ask.
March 7th looks at her a little appalled. “Stelle! You can’t just ask that so bluntly!”
Stelle frowns, then looks back at Professor Topaz. “She doesn’t seem that upset. Right? I’m sorry if that upset you.”
Professor Topaz laughs, “To answer both of your questions, I’m not. Aventurine is like a brother to me, and I appreciate the honesty. Stelle, was it? I’d be happy to teach you if you were ever interested in a finance class.”
March 7th sighs in relief. “Thanks for being cool about it, Professor. Say, since you and Professor Aventurine are close, do you happen to know who his fiance is?”
“I don’t think that’s my place to tell,” Professor Topaz answers, smiling apologetically. “Besides I’m always getting on him for cheating his bets. He’d never let me live it down if he learned that I helped two students do what I’m always telling him not to do.”
“That’s fair,” March 7th sighs, “It was worth asking though.”
“How did you know it was a bet?” Stelle asks, confused. “We didn’t mention anything about that.”
Professor Topaz winks at them. “When dealing with Aventurine, it’s always a bet. What else would it be?”
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Rate My Professor: Stellar University
Aventurine Stratagems
Professor in the Business and Economics department(s) at Stellar University
3.0/5 Overall Quality based on X Ratings 2.0 Level of Difficulty
ImmaDelusional 3.0 Quality, 1.0 Difficulty
such a fun guy, dresses like hes from the roaring 20s but still a cool dude. kinda gatsbycoded mixed with chronic gambler vibes
AAASitInErrandBoy 3.0 Quality, 2.0 Difficulty
Not a bad teacher, but not a good teacher. Don’t be surprised if he makes some sort of bet with your class, he does that a lot. Ran into him in Penacony once on vacation though, that was really awkward.
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Caelus and Dan Heng exchange glances. After leaving Professor Ratio’s class, they got a little lost trying to find Professor Fu Xuan’s office. After running around and asking for a lot of directions, they finally found themselves in the right place, but it wasn’t until they were standing right in front of her office that Caelus realized: Neither he nor Dan Heng had ever taken one of Professor Fu Xuan’s classes. Out of their entire group, only March 7th had been interested in psychology.
Their eyes meet, and they come to a silent agreement. It’s his bet, so he’ll ask. Caelus takes a deep breath, and his fist is floating over the door when suddenly, it swings open, and Professor Fu Xuan standing there.
“How long are you two going to just stand there for?” She sighs and ushers them into her office.
“Thank you, professor,” Dan Heng starts politely, “but we just want to ask a quick question.”
“Neither of you is taking my classes, the two of you are trying to figure out who Aventurine’s fiance is, and you are wondering if I know who Aventurine is close to because he’s in my department. The answer is yes, I do know, but you’ll find out soon anyway and you should stop forcing the answer.” Professor Fu Xuan says this all in one breath, then calmly takes a sip of her tea.
Caelus blinks, dumbfounded. “How-”
“March 7th sent me an email in advance,” she starts, putting down her tea cup. “She talks about her friends a lot. It’s nice to finally meet you. As for how I know about Aventurine’s fiance, they aren't as discreet as they believe they are.” Professor Fu Xuan looks at the clock, and then towards the door. “Speaking of March 7th, she should be here soon-”
“Professor Fu Xuan! Have you- Dan Heng! Caelus! There you are!” March 7th pops through the door, Stelle following close behind.
“March,” Caelus starts, dazed. “Since when did you talk about us to your professors?!”
March 7th flushes, fumbling. “It’s only with Professor Fu Xuan, I just spend a lot of time with her since she’s my thesis advisor!”
“It was nice to meet your friends, March,” Professor Fu Xuan smiles. “I would say good luck with finding Aventurine’s fiance, but you won't need it. You will find him.”
“How is she so confident about that,” Stelle whispers to Caelus. He can only shrug in response.
Dan Heng, polite as ever, ushers them out of the office. “Thank you for your help, Professor.”
“It’s no problem,” Professor Fu Xuan says, waving them off. “March, I’ll see you next week to work on your memory research.”
“Thank you again, Professor!” March 7th calls as they leave the office.
Outside of Professor Fu Xuan’s office, the four find a table and bench to sit at.
“Alright team,” Caelus starts, clapping his hands together. “What do we have?”
“I’ll go first!” March 7th volunteers, raising her arm. “Stelle and I talked to Professor Gepard, and Professor Koski was there too. By the way, did you know they were married? Or at least dating or something, they were almost flirting-”
“March,” Stelle nudges her, “Stay on topic.”
“Right! Sorry, so they told us that Professor Aventurine is actually childhood friends with Professor Topaz, so we went to ask her, but then she said that it wasn’t her place to tell. After that, we went to find you guys.”
Caelus drops his head into his hands with a groan. “I can’t believe we have nothing! Dan Heng and I only had time to talk to Professor Fu Xuan, so we didn’t learn anything either.”
Stelle flops forward on the table dramatically. “We’re never gonna find out who this mystery fiance is.”
March 7th pats her back comfortingly. “It’s alright Stelle, it’s only the first day. We’ve only been searching for a few hours. There’s still time.”
“Perhaps we need a new strategy,” Dan Heng says pensively. Caelus shoots up in his seat, a lightbulb going off in his head.
“That’s it! A new plan! And I’ve got just the idea.” He can feel his heartbeat begin to rise, and he pushes himself out of the seat and begins walking down the hallway, leaving Dan Heng, Stelle, and March 7th scrambling to follow him.
“What have we been doing so far?” Caelus asks as they walk, scanning all the doors along the hallway.
“Trying to find Prof. Aven’s fiance?” Dan Heng.
“Walking around a lot?” March 7th.
“Talking to teachers- oh my Aeons.” That’s Stelle, and Caelus smirks the second he realizes she’s come to the same conclusion she did.
“We’ve been wasting our time-”
“Why were we talking to teachers-”
“When we should’ve gone straight to the source-”
“Guys!” March 7th waves her arms around as they stop in front of an office door. “What are you two talking about! Dan Heng and I don’t have twin telepathy.”
“If we’re looking for Prof. Aven’s fiance,” Caelus starts, “fiance implying a long-term relationship, then why haven’t we been looking for photos? Or a calendar for anniversaries? Where would all that stuff be?”
“His office!” Stelle picks up where Caelus left off. “So, we should go to his office hours-”
“And look around while we’re there!” March 7th finishes. “Sounds like a plan.”
“There’s just one problem,” Dan Heng’s voice calls out, and they all turn to look at him. He jiggles the doorknob. It doesn’t budge. And on closer inspection, all the lights in the office are off.
“Well, shit,” Stelle says, and Caelus has never found himself so in sync with his sister before in his life.
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Doctor Veritas Ratio
Professor in the Medicine, Philosophy, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Engineering, and Biology department(s) at Stellar University
3.5/5 Overall Quality based on X Ratings 4.5 Level of Difficulty
HaftaGraduate 1.0 Quality, 5.0 Difficulty
The worst teacher I’ve ever had in my entire life, and I once had a teacher who got arrested for being a serial killer. He once let it slip that he was in a committed relationship, but I can’t imagine anyone who could possibly handle someone like Professor Ratio.
PassInOneGo 4.0 Quality, 5.0 Difficulty
great class if you actually want to learn something! with that being said, this class is not the class to go to for an easy A. Professor Ratio single-handedly dragged down my GPA.
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When March 7th first told Stelle that she had a surprise, she was not expecting to find herself at a casino. But that’s where they are.
March 7th claps her hands together. “Okay you two, you need to calm down. You’ve both been obsessing over Professor Aventurine’s fiance way too hard at this point. Let’s relax tonight! Penacony is famous for its nightlife. Drink, gamble, have some fun! And~ Look what Professor Himeko gave me!” In her hand is a purple credit card, the name Kafka Hunter indented across the front.
“Oh my Aeons,” Caelus exhales. “She took Mom’s credit card.”
“And gave it to us to party for a night?!” Stelle whisper-shrieks in disbelief.
“Plus…” March 7th continues, then tosses her car keys to Dan Heng. “We got a designated driver!”
“One of us has to be the responsible one,” Dan Heng says, catching the keys. “And it's definitely not going to be March.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know I’m perfectly- wait, is that Professor Ratio over there?”
Stelle turns around, and sure enough, that’s the unmistakable figure of her engineering teacher.
“Let’s just go the other way,” Dan Heng starts, already turning around. “Running into teachers is awkward-”
“Professor Ratio!” The man in question turns his head in time to see Stelle and Caelus run toward him.
March 7th laughs. “It’s a little too late for that.”
“Professor Ratio, what are you doing here?” Stelle looks at his outfit and gasps. It’s an all-white suit, prim and pressed and much fancier than anything should be at a casino. “Oh my Aeons, professor, are you getting married?!”
“I never expected you to be the type to have a wedding in a casino,” Caelus adds, shock coloring his voice.
“Yes, well, my fiance insisted,” Professor Ratio replies, “and I suppose I find myself loathe to refuse him.”
“Wow, professor,” March 7th starts, “it almost sounds like you’re getting married to-”
She’s cut off by a slurred voice as a figure enters the room. “Veritassssssssssss, I finally found us an officiant!”
A familiar blonde man with pink-tinted sunglasses stumbles towards them.
“Professor Aventurine?!?!”
“Oh hey, students…” He smiles, grinning cheekily and obviously drunk. “Crashing my wedding to find my fiance is cheating on the bet, you know.”
Professor Ratio sighs and catches the other man as he stumbles. “We’ve already been legally married, Aventurine. This is the reception. There isn’t even anyone with you.”
“Reception?!” Stelle blurts out, pointing. “What do you mean reception?!’”
“You’ve only been engaged for, like, a day! How are you already getting married!” Caelus’ voice is as indignant as her own.
Stelle turns her head back to where Dan Heng and March 7th are catching up. Dan Heng is trying his best to look uninterested, but failing miserably, while March 7th isn’t even trying to hide her curiosity.
Something in their expressions must phase him, because Professor Ratio exhales, acquiescing. “While we were only engaged recently, I have been planning the ceremony for months prior. I dislike accepting or making proposals without all the details laid out, as Mr. Caelus Stellaron would know.”
“Oh. I guess I would know,” Stelle hears her brother say, dazed, and she whips her head at him, betrayed.
“We’re sorry for interrupting, Professor. We’ll be on our way now,” Dan Heng says, cutting through the shock as he pulls Stelle, Caelus, and March 7th away from the couple. “Have a nice night.”
“No need to concern yourselves over it. You all have a nice night as well,” the professor replies, and the four rush out of the casino.
“Professor Aventurine… married to Professor Ratio… this isn’t real…” Caelus mutters, pacing at the entrance of the casino.
“At least the mystery is solved, right guys?” March 7th pipes up. “The casino isn’t really our scene anyway. How about we head to a karaoke bar?”
They walk back to March 7th’s car, albeit with a bit of leftover shock. It isn’t until Dan Heng revs up the engine that the earlier scene fully sinks into Stelle’s mind.
“Wait, does this mean we still have to take the final?”
------------------------
epilogue
“What’s the point of even posting his office hours if he’s never in his office during them?!” Stelle hisses, pulling at her hair. She and Caelus had missed one of Professor Aventurine’s classes the other day and needed the makeup work, so they went to his office hours to get it, with March 7th and Dan Heng tagging along.
Stelle feels like she shouldn’t be surprised that Professor Aventurine is never in his office, considering how common knowledge that is at Stellar University, but she still feels a sense of betrayal every time. She turns to look at Caelus, and they’re wearing identically pained expressions.
Since Professor Aventurine wasn’t in his office though, Dan Heng asked them all to accompany him to Professor Ratio’s office hours, and they all complied. Nothing better to do after all.
The four stop in front of the office and Dan Heng knocks lightly on the door.
“Come in!” A voice calls from inside soon after, and Dan Heng opens the door.
“Sorry to bother you, professor, but I was wondering if-” Dan Heng freezes in the doorway.
“Dan Heng? Why did you stop?” March 7th asks, trying to see over him.
“Professor Aventurine?”
“Professor Aventurine?!” Stelle and Caelus call in unison, and they practically shove Dan Heng and March 7th through the doorway to see.
Sitting in a chair in front of Professor Ratio’s desk is, in all his glory, Professor Aventurine.
“Hey, kids,” he says, waving.
“Is this why you’re never in your office during office hours?!” Caelus stammers out, pointing.
Professor Aventurine laughs. “They’re still office hours. I just never said which office I would be in.”
Stelle turns to look at Professor Ratio, whose face is looking more and more stony by the second.
“Aventurine. You are to tell me that you have been missing your own office hours?” Professor Ratio’s voice is stone-cold, and Aventurine laughs nervously.
“Haha, so, I can explain-”
“Go back to your office,” Professor Ratio snaps, then sighs. His next sentence is much softer. “Office hours are important supplementary resources for a proper education.”
“But I miss you at work, Veritas~” Professor Aventurine pouts. The overconfident, smug, finance professor with an impeccable poker face. Pouting.
Stelle feels like a third wheel. Looking at Caelus, Dan Heng, and March 7th, she’s not alone in this sentiment.
“If you miss me so bad, you can text me. Or visit me outside of your office hours.” Professor Ratio responds, voice leaving no room for argument. He ushers Professor Aventurine towards the door, but Stelle hears Professor Ratio say one last thing right before he leaves.
“I’ll see you at home.”