After Anathasia planted a gentle kiss on Carthanalenia's forehead, we teleported behind one of the buildings on campus.
Bags were slung over my shoulders, both of them. (She makes me carry hers. She's low-key abusive.) From there, we headed straight to where the rest of our group was waiting.
The cafeteria.
As we approached, Arianne noticed us first and stood up, only to pause mid-step once we got closer.
"Um…" she hesitated. "That's a… cute matching hair clip, you two."
My expression flattened as I took a seat beside Robert, who shot me an awkward glance.
"Yeah…" he added, nodding before quickly looking away, clearly holding back laughter. "That's a cute hair accessory…"
With a sigh, I pulled out my laptop and the printed copies of our manuscript, handing them out around the table.
"Eight forty-five," I said, glancing at the time. "We've got about fifty-five minutes left."
Across the table, Anathasia sat beside Arianne. She nodded once.
"That should be enough time for everyone to review everything, right?" she said, holding up her copy.
The moment her tone shifted, calm, focused, her phone placed face-down on the table. Robert straightened in his seat. Arianne followed suit, and the two of them immediately began reviewing their sections.
Anathasia observed us briefly before flipping through her manuscript.
"For the introduction and background of the study, I'll handle both," she said evenly.
"Everyone else, focus on justifying our methodology if the panelists point anything out."
She paused, eyes scanning the page, while I worked through Chapter Two on my laptop.
"And if a question falls outside the scope of our study," she continued, "don't hesitate to clarify what our research actually covers."
She looked up.
"I can't answer everything for you if the panel requests one of you specifically. So please review the material properly."
At her words, the others nodded and returned to their copies, occasionally raising questions about certain sections of the paper.
Just like that, thirty-five minutes slipped by before we even noticed.
"Mhm, I think I understand the premise and content well enough," Arianne said, placing her copy on the table.
I glanced up from my laptop and nodded.
"Good work."
I closed the laptop with a soft thud. "Everyone else?"
My gaze shifted to Robert, then to Joseph, who was muttering possible questions under his breath while scanning his notes.
Robert leaned back in his chair, arms folded over his chest, eyes closed. Also muttering to himself.
Then there was Anathasia.
Calm. Silent. Scanning her pages with steady focus as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
Effortlessly beautiful as always…
—
With only ten minutes remaining, the five of us walked down the hallway.
Other groups from our class were scattered around the campus, some clustered near the defense room, chairs pulled close to the door.
Low murmurs and hushed revisions filled the air as we passed.
The group scheduled after us had already taken their seats outside. Their eyes landed on us immediately.
"Good luck, you guys," one of them called.
Arianne smiled warmly.
"Thank you," she replied.
Anathasia and I entered first.
As I began setting up the laptop on the center table, I glanced toward the doorway. One of the second group's members was hugging Arianne while she gently rubbed their back.
Knowing Arianne, she probably said something that struck a nerve, in a good way.
Across the room, Robert and Joseph were practically inseparable, throwing possible panel questions at each other in quick succession.
After connecting the laptop to the TV mounted above the board, I looked up.
The three chairs at the front remained empty.
"It's still five minutes early," Anathasia said quietly, stepping beside me with her arms crossed.
"The panelists won't be here just yet."
I shot her a glance before taking a seat beside the small table.
"Well… I just hope we don't have too many holes in the paper or anything."
"We won't," she replied almost instantly. "I think you're underestimating Rania and Roselia a little too much."
She crossed her arms.
"They're professionals, you know. Aside from being pillars of existence."
I let out a quiet laugh, shaking my head.
"That's true…"
And yet—
Despite my words, a cold sweat slid down my back.
The air felt colder by the second.
When I glanced at Anathasia, she was discreetly wiping her forehead with a handkerchief.
Her fingers were trembling.
My expression flattened.
"So it's not just me… huh?"
She stopped mid-motion and shot me a sharp glare.
"It's not what it looks like."
She casually grabbed my wrist—
And paused.
Her skin was freezing.
Just like mine.
"I'm not nervous at all," she said calmly.
Then I remembered.
"Oh… right. Professor Wang is one of the panelists, isn't he?"
Anathasia stiffened.
Completely.
She didn't move for the next four minutes.
With one minute remaining, the panelists began filing into the room, professors I barely recognized, faces I'd only seen printed on banners around campus.
Then—
He entered.
Professor Wang.
Our literature major.
And, apparently, Anathasia's personal nightmare.
His gaze swept across the room before landing on me. He offered a polite smile.
I returned it instinctively.
But when his eyes shifted past me, toward Anathasia, his expression flickered.
Confusion.
Anathasia immediately looked the other way.
Professor Wang approached and extended his hand. I stood and shook it.
"I'm looking forward to your paper, Mr. Abe," he said, voice calm and professional.
"I hope we're up to your standards, Professor," I replied. "Everyone's excited… or maybe a little intimidated. Our panelists are among the top professors on campus after all."
He chuckled softly.
"That's quite the exaggeration. I'd say otherwise."
He placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm sure your group will do fine."
His eyes moved around the room. Robert and Joseph reviewing in the corner, Arianne speaking to classmates outside, and Anathasia standing just behind me, pretending to be very invested in her phone.
"Especially with such members," he added, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Quite the group you have, Mr. Abe."
He withdrew his hand and gestured dismissively before walking toward his seat. A little over a minute remained before the start.
Then, without looking back—
"With you there, I'm certain your group won't fail."
I paused.
Trying to decipher what he meant.
But with only seconds remaining before the start, I gestured for Arianne and the others to come in. Once all five of us were in position, Anathasia stepped forward without hesitation.
"In governance, authority is often measured through policy outcomes. However, before implementation takes place, authority is first established through language."
Her voice was calm. Measured.
"In urban local government units in the Philippines, policy communication does not merely inform the public. It frames responsibility, signals transparency, and constructs legitimacy."
The room stilled. One of the panelists adjusted his glasses. Professor Wang simply watched.
"This study examines how language operates as a discursive mechanism in shaping institutional authority within selected urban LGUs."
A brief pause.
Then she smiled, soft, controlled.
"Good morning to our esteemed panelists. I am Anathasia Dunaleff."
She gestured slightly toward the others lined in front of the board.
"Arianne Auclait."
"Robert Santos."
"Joseph Cruz."
"Kyle Ruzen Abe," I followed.
Her eyes flickered toward us for a fraction of a second.
Approval.
Then she faced forward again.
"We are here today to present our thesis, 'Language and Legitimacy: A Discourse Analysis of Policy Communication in Selected Urban Local Government Units in the Philippines.'"
—
The discussion took a little over fifteen minutes.
Questions were asked. Clarifications were given.
At some point, the coldness I had felt earlier slowly began to fade.
Outside, our classmates crowded near the tinted windows of the classroom, their silhouettes nearly pressed flat against the glass as they tried to catch even a glimpse of what was happening inside.
The panelists didn't request a deliberation.
Instead, they exchanged brief looks before lowering their gazes to our manuscript, pens moving in quiet strokes across the margins.
Professor Wang spoke first.
"It seems you truly did take my advice."
His eyes shifted to me, then to Anathasia.
A faint smile curved at the edge of his lips.
"No revisions necessary."
He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms.
"This paper is approved."
The air shifted.
After a brief bow, our group stepped back. The others moved toward the table to retrieve the marked copies of our manuscript.
As always, I found myself standing across from Professor Wang.
Anathasia was a few steps away, offering polite smiles to the other panelists.
Then—
"So, Mr. Abe," he began, meeting my gaze evenly.
"Tell me."
He gestured lightly toward the manuscript resting on his desk.
"Who did you ask to help you make something… this refined?"
My smile didn't falter.
"It was Anathasia's effort, Professor."
I paused briefly, glancing at her as she continued speaking with the other panelists.
"She may come across as mediocre at times. Even irresponsible."
I met his gaze again.
"But when she decides to take something seriously, she moves through it effortlessly."
A beat.
"I can guarantee," I added evenly, "Anathasia is far more capable than she lets on."
For a fraction of a second, Professor Wang's eyes widened.
Then he exhaled quietly, shaking his head as he picked up our manuscript and handed it to me.
"Truly… you both deserve each other."
I didn't respond.
I simply returned his smile, accepted the papers, and walked out of the room.