Chapter 3

Now that I was done with the library act, it was time to set my sights on Illya, who always spent Wednesday nights fiddling with his precious robot in the lab. I held a stack of automated weapon files in my arms and slipped in at the right moment. I timed my move perfectly, reaching out for an old power strip in a corner and pretending to yank the cords by accident. With a sharp crackle, some sparks flew out and fell onto the back of my hand. A sharp pain shot through me, and I inhaled sharply. Almost immediately, Illya stopped typing. He got to his feet and crossed the room in a few strides. He immediately bent down to check red marks on my hand, which weren't a big deal. "Don't move." Illya dragged me to the sink and ran my hand under cold water for half a minute. Then he led me to a nearby chair and went to fetch a first-aid kit. The lab lights shone from above, illuminating his handsome face. We were so close that I could catch the faint metallic disinfectant smell on him. Not wanting to let this intimate moment go, I stared at Illya's determined face from the side and asked softly, "Illya, do you believe in the Grandfather's Axe paradox? If all its parts are gradually replaced, is it still the same axe?" Illya stopped applying the ointment to my hand. Although he didn't look up, I knew he had heard everything. For someone with his engineering mind, such a philosophical question was like a fatal attraction. Illya fell silent for a few moments, seeming lost in thought. Then he suddenly looked up to see me right in front of him. Without realizing it, he had brushed his lips against mine. Illya froze on the spot, his hand holding the cotton swab still in midair. I saw him widen his eyes slightly. Then his ears flushed visibly, the redness spreading down to his neck. He stumbled back so fast that the chair almost fell backward. He looked away, his Adam's apple bobbing. All we could hear in the lab was our slightly ragged breathing. It seemed like my teasing tactic had worked a little too well on this aloof yet sensitive Marcosian. A few seconds later, Illya finally turned back. He tried to regain his composure, but he was clearly still taken aback. He sounded tense as he awkwardly changed the subject. "Why did you suddenly decide to study in the lab?" I met Illya's gaze. "Compared to hanging out with Alex, being here makes me feel better." Even though I had muttered those words, I was certain Illya understood what I meant. Without waiting for his response, I rose to my feet and gave my hand, still covered in ointment, a little shake. "Thanks for the ointment. It's really effective." With that, I gathered my things and left without looking back. As I closed the door, I saw Illya frozen in place from the corner of my eye, staring blankly at the computer screen. I returned to my dormitory. I slowly washed my hands, rinsing off the smell of the ointment. Then I picked up my phone. I went to my alternate Instagram account and posted a story only Illya could see. It was a picture of the night sky outside the lab. "Some existences are like a paradox. Attractive, yet deadly."