24. His

With that thought, she continued her proactive performance, placing the large cup of soy milk—straw already inserted—directly in front of him.

Killian: "???"

Tara’s expression was innocent. "It’s too much; I can't finish it either. Help me drink half of it first, okay?"

Killian: "..."

"Tara, are you a cat?" He gave a light laugh, but he sounded exasperated.

Tara didn't quite follow his train of thought. "Huh?"

Looking at her dazed and innocent appearance, Killian swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. Forget it; a cat’s appetite would probably be bigger than hers anyway.

"It’s nothing."

"Just give me whatever you can't finish."

After saying that, he began flipping through the class roster, preparing to take attendance.

"Oh." Tara realized he had accepted.

She was secretly happy, yet she didn't touch the soy milk at all. After all, it had been prepared for him from the very beginning.

This interaction left the observant students in the room stunned.

Damn, was this really the "Great Demon King" class monitor? The cold and unapproachable school idol?

Was he freaking possessed?

"I can't take it anymore!" Shaun suddenly rubbed his arms in an exaggerated manner.

"I can't take it either!" Beside him, Sam was squirming like a maggot, wailing, "Damn it, this sour stench of romance... when will I finally get to experience it for myself!"

In the internet age, many things might be slow, but gossip definitely flies the fastest. Within ten minutes, the news that the school idol had a girlfriend had spread like wildfire across the university's forums, confession walls, and various gossip group chats.

Tara, however, remained completely unaware of all this.

Once Killian finished taking attendance, the advanced mathematics professor arrived, and the class officially began. The rowdy students fell completely silent.

Having finished her piece of purple potato cake, Tara began to feel drowsy.

She hadn't coaxed Killian to sleep last night, so he had suffered from insomnia and stayed up very late again. Right now, he was stoically enduring it, but Tara couldn't handle the sympathetic migraine at all. She slumped onto the desk listlessly, hoping to numb the throbbing in her head with sleep.

"I'll pick a student to answer this question!" One-third of the way into the lecture, the old professor at the podium suddenly spoke up.

The entire class grew tense.

"Holy crap, here we go again!" Sam murmured a prayer beside her. "Don't pick me, don't pick me... my participation points aren't enough to be docked anymore, damn it!"

Just as he finished speaking, the old professor spoke: "The female student to the right of the class monitor, please stand up and answer."

The classroom fell dead silent.

Killian’s expression stiffened.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the half-asleep Tara reflexively opened her eyes. The moment she looked up, she met the professor's stern, authoritative gaze.

"This female student, please answer this question," the old teacher repeated, watching her eyes.

Tara’s sleepiness vanished instantly. She pointed at herself in disbelief. "Me?"

The professor's expression was already showing a hint of displeasure. "Who else?"

Tara’s heart tightened. She was just about to stand up when Killian suddenly rose to his feet and smoothly answered the question for her.

"Mhm, not bad. Sit down."

Hearing this, Tara breathed a sigh of relief. She was about to thank Killian, but the old professor spoke again: "That female student, you stand up and answer the next question."

Tara: "..."

Sam and Shaun cast sympathetic looks at her, while the other students tried their best to stifle their laughter.

Tara felt helpless; she knew the professor was clearly refusing to let her off the hook. She had no choice but to stand up.

Unexpectedly, Killian stood up again. "Professor, I'll—"

"You sit down!" Before he could finish, the professor cut him off sharply, his gaze heavy as he looked at Tara.

"Anyone who dares to sleep in my class must already understand everything and have no need to listen. So, this student, why don't you help answer everyone's doubts?"

The professor finished, his oppressive gaze fixed on Tara.

Looking at the math problem on the electronic whiteboard, Tara’s face fell. As an art student, she didn't study advanced math; she couldn't answer even a little bit. Besides, her math skills had always been poor.

"Don't be nervous," Killian spoke up beside her just as she was feeling lost. His low, magnetic voice was steady and pleasant, making her feel exceptionally at ease. "Just say you don't know. It’s okay."

Hearing this, Tara indeed felt a bit better.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I don't know how to do it," she replied honestly, lowering her head slightly.

The professor frowned.

"Professor, don't make it hard on her. She’s an art student, not a student from our class—she’s just a family member!"

A student chimed in from the crowd.

"An art student?" Hearing this, the professor's irritation vanished instantly. "No wonder."

Asking an art student to solve an advanced math problem was indeed a bit much. However...

"Whose family member are you?" the professor suddenly asked.

"The class monitor’s!"

"Yeah, Professor, we can vouch for that!"

Several students enthusiastically helped answer the question, while others joined in the teasing, clearly enjoying the chaos.

"The class monitor’s, eh?" The professor's tone sounded surprised.

Tara’s face had turned as red as a cherry. She lowered her head and bit her lip tightly, her ears feeling as if they were steaming. This was way too embarrassing!

But a second later, the professor suddenly said, "His girlfriend is quite pretty."

Tara was stunned. She carefully looked up.

The professor glanced at Killian and then back at her. His serious voice was noticeably gentler than before. "But since you're here, listen as much as you can. Even if you don't understand, don't slump over and sleep, right?"

Tara blinked and reacted immediately, nodding her head like a little chick pecking at grain. "The Professor is right; I know I was wrong."

Seeing her soft and obedient manner, the professor nodded slightly and said warmly, "Sit down."

Tara sat down as told. Her round eyes were wide open, her back was ramrod straight, and her hands were placed neatly on her lap, as disciplined as an elementary school student.

Killian watched her in silence. After a moment, he couldn't help it; his eyes curved slightly, and the corners of his mouth tilted up, unable to suppress his reaction to how cute she was being.

"Professor, I protest! Is this the special treatment for the monitor's family? You're being too biased!"

"Exactly! When my family member came last time, it wasn't like this at all! You even told me to get out with them! I'm truly heartbroken, sob..."

The entire classroom erupted into laughter.

Tara’s face was as flushed as could be. She quietly turned to Killian, her expression full of guilt. "I'm sorry, Killian, I made you lose face."

"Don't overthink it." Looking at her tense body, Killian’s voice softened involuntarily. "No need to be so nervous. Relax. You can draw, just don't slump over."

"Oh."

Hearing this, Tara’s stiff posture relaxed a bit. She took out her art supplies, truly intending to start drawing.

However, just as she was about to reach for her sketchbook, an idea popped into her head.

She glanced at Killian, hesitated for a moment, and then carefully pulled his hand toward her.

Killian was listening to the lecture seriously. Seeing this, he acted as if he hadn't noticed and let her do as she pleased.

A moment later, a cool and slightly itchy sensation spread from the space between his thumb and forefinger.