That day, Miranda woke up early, first heading to the dean’s office to register and then to the department to complete her enrollment procedures. The opening ceremony was scheduled for the next day.

Since Miranda didn’t need to move into the dorm, she had one less task to worry about and ended up with a free afternoon. She decided to visit Matthew at the Faculty of Bioinformatics.

“Miranda? What brings you here?” Matthew’s eyes lit up.

“Just thought I’d drop by. Wouldn’t want someone complaining that I never come to see him and then throwing little tantrums by giving me quiz questions that end up on the final exam.”

Matthew cleared his throat, trying to cover his guilt. “I was… just being efficient, you know, making the most of every question!”

They chatted for a while until Miranda received a call from Christine, asking her to stop by the office. She excused herself and left.

“Chris called you?” Matthew asked.

“Yeah.”

Matthew snorted. “I knew it was her. She acts like she’s afraid someone might steal you away.”

Always keeping such a close watch on precious Miranda.

When Miranda reached Christine’s office, she could hear other voices inside before she even stepped in. She paused briefly and then knocked on the door.

“Miranda, you’re here? Come in,” Christine greeted her with a smile, waving her inside. “Just in time, you all should get to know each other.”

Christine had taken on three postgraduate students this year. Miranda was one of them, and the other two were a man and a woman.

The man, Sebastian Landon, was a local from Elgerson, 22 years old, and a recent graduate who had been directly admitted to the graduate program.

He stood at about five feet eleven inches, had a handsome face, and was clearly the campus heartthrob type. However, his expression seemed a bit aloof, giving off an unapproachable air.

On the other hand, Madison Hill, sitting across from him, had an entirely different demeanor. She had a round face with a healthy blush. When her eyes met Miranda’s, she immediately grinned, revealing two adorable dimples.

She was a bit chubby but undeniably cute.

“Alright, you all know each other now, right? I hope you get along well for the next three years. If you don’t, well, that might be a problem because there won’t be anyone else for you to switch with…”

Wait, did that mean…

Christine sighed, “I’m getting older, and my health isn’t what it used to be. I’ve already applied to stop taking on graduate students.”

In other words, they would be Christine’s last students.

She would’ve stopped recruiting much earlier if not for waiting on Miranda.

Balancing her academic pursuits with mentoring students had become increasingly taxing, especially as her health declined. Focusing on students took away from her ability to fully commit to her research. Yet, she held on for Miranda’s sake.

As their eyes met, Miranda pressed her lips together, feeling a swell of emotion. She was a little late, but at least she had returned.

Halfway through, Christine received a phone call and left the office, leaving the three who had just met in an awkward silence.

Suddenly, there was the sound of rustling, and a box of cookies was offered to Miranda.

“It’s chocolate,” Madison said. “I tried them—they’re not too sweet. Want some?”

However, Miranda’s attention was elsewhere. “You’re from Gulsberg, aren’t you?”

Madison groaned. “Is my accent that obvious?”

Miranda paused. “… Maybe I just have a sharp ear?”

“Miranda, you have such a nice way of speaking,” Madison replied, feigning sobs.

At that moment, Sebastian chimed in with a dry tone. “Oh, then I guess my ears are sharp too.”