"So what do you think of the new prof?" Yuka asked. Kagome could tell she was grinning even without looking up from her notebook, choosing not to answer.
Not that she needed to; Ayumi and Eri were giggling too much for her to get a word in edgewise, anyway. No one would know they were in their final year of university instead of high school, with how they never stopped gossiping about boys.
And Professor Taisho was no boy.
She was surprised her friends were passing the class, considering how often they talked about him. She understood why. The professor was over six feet of toned muscle, clad in thin-rimmed glasses and a sweater vest, and there was a neverending conversation about how they wanted to corrupt him.
Kagome had signed up for his class because he was the leading historian in Japanese mythology. She wanted to write children's books, to turn real legends into stories that would capture their imagination. But she needed a degree in history first.
Looking down at her notebook, she made a face. She'd drawn him again. She retraced the line of his jaw, adding a bit of shadow behind his ears. Her friends were the ones who talked about him, but she was the one who was distracted.
It was the eyes that did it.
Kagome had always been curious as a child, but there was something about Professor Taisho's eyes, something about his knowledge of deities and demons that went beyond simple studying. It drew her in again and again, to the point where her hand had a mind of its own, filling her notebook with sketches of him from all angles.
"Would it kill you to take a break from studying for five minutes?" Eri whined.
Yuka scoffed, nudging her in the ribs. "Yeah, right. You could offer her a million dollars to get naked with him, and she'd turn it down."
Hiding her doodle, Kagome leaned back with a grin. "A million dollars? I'd fuck him for a plate of spaghetti and a mismatched pair of socks." Their jaws fell open at her confession, squirming in their seats as she laughed. "Wasn't that what you wanted to hear?"
A cough sounded from behind them, and Kagome whirled around, coming face to face with the subject of their discussion. His vest was lavender today, and he placed her most recent essay on the table next to her. She swallowed a groan, attempting to slam her notebook shut as her friends scrambled away in embarrassment.
"I would advise you to spend more time on your studies, but I cannot deny your expertise in the subject matter."
Kagome flushed. "Thanks, professor. I kinda like your class."
"So I have noticed." He leaned closer, tapping her notebook. "Your notes are meticulous." The heat increased as she realized she hadn't shut it fully, landing on a sketch of him half turned away from the board, coiffed hair covering one eye.
"It helps me focus," she said lamely. She'd never pass his course now. He'd probably report her for harassment.
He turned the book around, inspecting the lines of her drawing, and Kagome swallowed thickly, able to smell his cologne at this proximity. Something flashed in his eyes, the edge of his lips twitching. "You will likely find a better angle during my office hours," he said, tone smug.
Kagome gaped, certain she'd misheard him. "What?"
The twitch turned into a smirk. "I am not a fan of spaghetti, though, so you will have to find another type of cuisine to entice me."
Her mouth snapped shut, the heat in her face returning for a different reason, and he closed her notebook, then tapped the 100 on the front of her essay. "Keep up the good work, Higurashi." He continued on his way, handing out the rest of the assignments, but he didn't linger with anyone else, and she was left wondering if she'd imagined the entire thing.
As he made his way to the front of the room, he caught her eye again, flecks of gold shining through hazel, and he tilted his head to match the drawing he'd been looking at.
Apparently, Professor Taisho was not only tempting but a tease, and Kagome wasn't sure she would survive the semester.
