Otto / Otto YeosM

"Hello, dear students. I'm glad to see you in good health after two months of rest. You're a year older, you've settled in a bit, which means we can continue to gnaw on the granite of science," said the philosophy teacher, placing a book on the table and opening it in front of her.

The school year began as usual and calmly as ever, though not with the best class in the first semester. The second-year students sat quietly, minding their own business, only occasionally listening to the conversations below. Some were catching up on sleep, some were whispering about the latest gossip after a couple of months of summer, and some were simply scribbling incomprehensible scribbles in their notebooks. Tit sat in the fourth row of a long row, twirling a pen in his hand, while his new friend Venera, whom he'd met in his first year, sat next to him. She was telling him about her wonderful summer and where she'd gone, gesturing wildly and smiling a mischievous smile.

Otto's situation was similar. His third year at university began as usual, but he sat in a different classroom for obvious reasons. He listened to the lecture with one ear, while fantasizing about how the class period would quickly end and he would finally be able to get on with his day.

Otto and Titus were not very familiar with each other, as they had only seen each other a couple of times in one year, when their streams crossed on the same pairs.