Don't Feed the Professor! - Chapter 9

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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But the man didn’t give me time to answer—he pulled me along and ran down the corridor.
He was tall, with a stride to match. Fortunately, I had confidence in my own sprinting speed.
A glance over his shoulder. Sure enough, the swarm of infected students was trailing us, their movements jerky and uncoordinated.
Their pace wasn’t particularly fast, but the way they kept their eyes fixed on me while smiling made goosebumps crawl across my skin.
“Here.”
Beep.
The man held something like a Staff ID Card against the wall, and with a short mechanical chirp, an emergency exit to the outside slid open.
“What are you doing?”
“Wait, but——”
He didn’t listen to me—he pushed me outside and shut the door behind him.
Thunk. The man struck the glass window with his knuckles and shouted.
“Run!”
That was the signal. The infected students began to move. The man spat out a curse and disappeared beyond the emergency exit.
Thunk, thunk. Filthy palms pressed against the corridor window. The infected students stared at me with wide smiles, a grayish-white foam seeping from the corners of their mouths.
They didn’t seem to have the intelligence to open the emergency door, but I couldn’t know how long the glass would hold. And besides——
Rustle.
An ominous presence emanated from the direction of the Male Student Dormitory. I had no desire to investigate what it was.
Bang.
……
If I stayed here much longer, I’d only draw more attention. I might even summon more infected students.
I decided to leave the area. The problem was that I’d exited through an unfamiliar door and had no idea where I was.
Rustle, rustle. The presence from the direction of the dormitory grew closer. I turned and ran.
How far did I run, seeing nothing but the path ahead?
“Huff…… ah……”
Ah.
What do I do.
I’m too hungry to keep running.
I stumbled and glanced behind me. The infected students had fallen some distance back, but they weren’t tiring—they continued their relentless pursuit.
Before long, a small garden path appeared. I approached the hedge fence, searching for a place to hide.
I rose up on my toes to peer over the manicured fence.
“Hh.”
Rustle.
I sat down hard where I stood.
Waiting on the other side of the fence was an infected student. So the path I’d fled to led to the west side of the Central Plaza.
‘Could it be……’
Those dark shapes I’d seen through the dormitory window earlier—they were all infected students. Every last one of those dark figures roaming the Central Plaza.
I backed away. The infected student thrashed as if trying to force through the hedge.
“Ugh……”
The Student Center was visible not far off. If I was going to run, at least I should head in a direction where I knew the layout.
As I thought this and turned around, a pale arm thrust through a gap in the fence beneath my feet.
“No, no——!”
Snap. Cold fingers closed around my ankle. I fell hard onto the dirt.
“Let go!”
Smack. I kicked at the infected student’s hand, trying to break free. I’d clearly fallen hard enough that my legs had no strength in them.
“Hee, haha.”
The laughter from beyond the fence made my skin crawl violently.
Rustle, rustle. I heard the sound of brush being pushed aside. They weren’t visible, but they were clearly swarming in this direction.
I thrashed my legs wildly, trying to shake off their hands. Their grip wasn’t particularly strong, but they clung with stubborn persistence—I couldn’t break free.
“Damn it, really……”
What do I do. How do I get out of this. That’s when I spotted a stone not far away, perfectly sized to grab and smash downward. I reached out as hard as I could.
“Ugh……”
Sweat beaded on my forehead.
“Hahaha……”
“What’s so funny……?”
I gritted my teeth. My fingers fell just short.
Then, step, step—the unfamiliar sound of footsteps from behind made me freeze.
I looked up, hoping it might be the janitor from earlier returning.
“Students.”
A voice infinitely gentle yet somehow uncannily cool.
The grip around my ankle loosened. The infected students clustered at the fence began to shuffle backward, their sounds retreating.
“Professor……?”
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Mallo stood over me in a white coat, a Tumbler in one hand. His platinum blonde hair gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
At the rustling sound, I looked past the fence to see the infected students staggering back toward the Central Plaza.
“They’ve…… run away.”
Resolved so easily—I felt my energy drain away.
But Mallo nodded as if it were nothing.
“Undergraduates are naturally afraid of professors. Why, I’m not sure.”
Undergraduates? Those things?
“If you don’t study hard, you’ll end up like them.”
“……What?”
Mallo extended his hand to me.
“Shall I take you to the Medical Office?”
I took his hand without thinking and stood. Both my knees were bleeding freely. It seemed I’d fallen harder than I’d realized.
I decided I would never wear shorts again, and I nodded.
“Thank you.”
Mallo handed me the Tumbler he’d been holding. As I accepted it uncertainly, he bent at the waist and suddenly lifted me into both his arms.
“……?”
While I was still processing what had happened, Mallo began walking, carrying me.
“Wait, why……, Professor, I can walk……”
“At your pace, we’d be here all day. Besides, you’re small already, and now your knees are hurt.”
“I’m not that small, actually……”
But then again, I couldn’t complain. I’d been sprinting all morning and felt exhausted. A comfortable ride would be nice.
I settled quietly in his arms and snuck a glance at his face. Today he wasn’t wearing glasses. Last time I hadn’t had the chance to look properly, but now it struck me how remarkably handsome he was.
His eyes were languid yet deep, his nose bridge sharp and high—like he’d stepped out of a high-fashion editorial.
Of course, I had to actively avoid recalling the dream I’d had last night. No matter how hardy my stomach, a dream about being dissected alive was too devastating.
“Have you thought about it?”
I looked up at the sudden question. Mallo was looking at me.
“Kwon Tae-hyun said there shouldn’t be any administrative problems.”
I quickly realized he was talking about the course.
“You’ve already looked into all that?”
“Registration opens soon. I hear it’s complete chaos—securing one class in advance would be good for you too, wouldn’t it?”
“Well……”
I didn’t know the full details, but getting grades and graduating was certainly part of being a student like Amelie.
There was just one thing that nagged at me……
“Um, Professor, does the course include any practical sessions?”
Like, say, dissection……?
Mallo gave me a surprisingly unexpected answer.
“Would you like it to?”
“Pardon?”
“If you want it, I can include it. You’re the only student anyway, and I’ll be tailoring the syllabus to you, so I can accommodate that much.”
He was saying he’d tailor the course to me……? Surely he was just being polite.
Well, it’s not like I lose anything by asking.
“Actually, I’d prefer not to have practical sessions.”
“Understood.”
“Will you also tailor the course difficulty to me? The assignments and exams too?”
“Of course. We have a Superior-Subordinate Relationship, don’t we?”
“……You’re saying I’m the superior?”
“Yes.”
There was no sarcasm in his tone. He genuinely regarded me as the superior party. As for me, I’d spent nearly my entire life as the absolute subordinate.
‘I don’t…… mind it, actually.’
Gurgle.
“Ah.”
Mallo blinked as he looked at me.
“Hungry?”
“Well…… Professor, is there somewhere ‘safe’ that sells food?”
Mallo tilted his head.
“Safe?”
“You know, food that doesn’t move around alive, that’s normal, that won’t upset your stomach if you eat it.”
Mallo’s gray eyes seemed to contemplate something. Then he asked:
“Want to grab a meal together?”
“…… I didn’t ask for that. Just tell me where I can find food.”
“Well, I could tell you, but student—do you have money right now?”
Right.
“Oh.”
I’d forgotten. I didn’t have enough money to even buy a simple rice ball.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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