Chapter 2

The next afternoon, the library was crowded with the usual wave of students trying to survive deadlines and upcoming exams. Quiet conversations blended into the soft tapping of keyboards while pages turned somewhere between the tall shelves. Sunlight filtered through the large windows, warm against the wooden tables despite the cold air conditioning.

Santa was already there. Same seat near the window. Same perfectly straight posture. Same carefully arranged notes spread across the table with impossible precision. Highlighters lined beside his laptop. Textbooks stacked in order. Everything about him looked prepared. Like he had decided this session would stay efficient, controlled, and strictly academic. No distractions.

“Miss me?”

Santa recognized the voice immediately. He finished writing the last line of his sentence before finally lifting his gaze.

“You’re late.”

Perth dropped into the chair across from him without a trace of guilt. “Five minutes.”

Santa glanced briefly at the clock displayed on his laptop screen. “Ten.”

Perth smiled lazily. “You were checking?”

“I value my time.”

“That sounds incredibly serious.”

“It is.”

Santa pushed one of the notebooks toward him before Perth could continue.

“Open your textbook.”

Straight to work.

Perth let out a quiet laugh under his breath but obeyed anyway, flipping through the pages carelessly until he found the chapter.

“You always this strict with people?”

“Yes.”

The answer came so fast that Perth looked up in amusement.

“Damn. No hesitation either.”

“When people waste time, I don’t see the point in pretending otherwise.”

Perth rested his chin briefly against his hand, watching him.

There it was again. That calm composure that somehow sounded sharper than actual anger.

“Good thing I’m here to improve your afternoons, then.”

Santa ignored him completely. “Page 142,” he said while tapping lightly against the textbook. “Show me what you understand so far.”

Perth stared at the page for a few seconds before looking back at him. “…That feels like a trap.”

“It’s not.”

“I understand absolutely nothing.”

For a moment, Santa simply looked at him in silence. Then he sighed softly and closed his own notebook halfway.

“…Fine. We’ll start over properly.”

He turned the textbook toward himself and leaned slightly closer to explain what was on the page. The movement brought him near enough for Perth to notice details he hadn’t before. The faint crease between Santa’s brows when he concentrated. The way he tapped the pen lightly against the paper while organizing his thoughts.

“Integrals aren’t supposed to be memorized mechanically,” Santa began. “You need to understand what they represent first.”

He paused briefly before grabbing his pen and sketching a quick curve beside the printed example.

“Think about accumulation,” he continued. “Like measuring everything gathered under a function over time.”

His voice shifted while explaining. Still composed, but more animated underneath. More invested.

Perth found himself paying attention immediately. Not just because Santa was smart. Because he explained things like they genuinely mattered.

“…Wait,” Perth interrupted after a moment, leaning closer to the notebook. “Say that part again.”

Santa frowned faintly but repeated himself more slowly this time, breaking the concept apart step by step.

And suddenly it clicked. Perth blinked once in surprise before leaning back slightly in his chair.

“That actually makes sense.”

Santa paused. A faint flicker crossed his expression before he looked back down at the page. “…Obviously.”

But Perth caught it anyway. That tiny trace of satisfaction hidden beneath the calm answer.

“No, seriously,” Perth said. “Nobody explained it like that before.”

The teasing tone disappeared entirely. For the first time since approaching Santa, he sounded honest without trying to provoke a reaction.

Santa noticed immediately. His grip around the pen loosened slightly.

“…Most people focus on memorizing formulas,” he said more quietly. “That’s why they struggle.”

Perth laughed softly. “Yeah. That sounds exactly like me.”

A small silence settled between them afterward. Not awkward. Just different.

Perth tilted his head slightly while studying him. “You’re really good at this.”

Santa answered automatically before thinking. “I know.”

The words slipped out so naturally that he froze right after saying them.

Perth stared at him for half a second before smiling. Not teasing this time. Just warm. “I can tell.”

Santa looked away almost immediately and adjusted the edge of his notebook unnecessarily, pretending to reorganize papers that were already perfectly aligned. Still, the stiffness in his shoulders eased little by little after that.

“Continue solving this part,” he said quietly.

And somehow, they fell into a rhythm. Time passed faster than Santa expected. Perth still interrupted occasionally with comments or sarcastic remarks, but less than before. He listened carefully now, following each explanation with real attention instead of pretending. Whenever he got something right, there was a brief flash of satisfaction across his face that looked unexpectedly genuine.

Santa noticed himself relaxing without meaning to. At some point, he stopped anticipating interruptions and stopped measuring every sentence before speaking.

“…So you apply the same logic here,” Santa finished eventually, tapping the final equation with his pen.

Perth followed the page carefully before nodding. “Got it.”

Santa narrowed his eyes slightly. “You’re sure?”

“…Mostly.”

“That’s not reassuring.”

Perth grinned.

Santa hesitated for a second before sliding another exercise toward him. “Do this one alone.”

Perth groaned dramatically. “Already?”

“You said you understood.”

“I said mostly.”

Santa almost smiled. Almost. “Do the problem.”

Perth shook his head but lowered himself over the notebook anyway, muttering complaints under his breath while starting the calculations.

Several minutes passed quietly after that.

The atmosphere between them had changed somewhere along the way. Softer now.

“Hey.”

Santa looked up. Perth met his eyes directly.

“…Thanks.”

The sincerity in his voice caught Santa off guard again.

“You’re welcome,” he answered softly.

And surprisingly, Santa didn’t feel impatient for the session to end.

*

By the time Santa finally closed his notebook, most of the library had emptied. The low buzz of conversations had disappeared almost entirely, leaving behind only the quiet hum of ceiling lights and distant footsteps between shelves. Outside the windows, the evening sky had darkened into deep shades of blue.

Santa checked the time on his phone and blinked slightly. “…It’s late.”

Perth stretched back in his chair, rolling tension from his shoulders. “Didn’t realize we stayed that long.”

Santa started gathering his things immediately, stacking papers neatly while sliding books back into his bag with practiced precision.

“We’re done for today.”

Perth stood too, though instead of leaving, he stayed beside the table watching him for a moment.

“You eaten yet?”

Santa paused halfway through zipping his bag. “…No.”

“You were planning to go back to your dorm and survive on instant noodles, weren’t you?”

Santa frowned slightly. “That’s efficient.”

“That’s tragic.”

“It’s practical.”

Perth shook his head while grabbing his own bag. “No. You’re coming with me.”

Santa froze. “…What?”

“There’s a restaurant nearby,” Perth explained casually. “Cheap food. Good portions.”

“I didn’t agree to that.”

“You haven’t refused either.”

Santa straightened immediately, instinctively defensive again. “I still have work.”

“You’ve been studying for hours,” Perth replied. His tone remained easy, but he stepped slightly closer, enough to keep Santa’s attention fully on him. “Take a break.”

“I don’t need one.”

“You do.”

The interruption was firm this time but not harsh, just certain.

Santa wasn’t used to people insisting like this. Most classmates stopped the second he showed resistance. Perth didn’t. And somehow, that made refusing harder than it should have been.

Perth studied him for another second before speaking again, quieter now.

“You helped me today,” he said. “Let me buy you dinner.”

Santa searched his expression instinctively, trying once again to find some hidden motive behind all this attention. But Perth only looked sincere.

“…Fine,” Santa said at last. “But I’m not staying out long.”

A satisfied smile appeared instantly on Perth’s face. “One hour.”

Santa slipped the last notebook into his bag. “I’m only going because it’s nearby.”

“Obviously.”

Santa shot him a flat look.

Perth only smiled wider.

*

The restaurant Perth chose was small but lively. Warm lighting reflected against the windows while quiet conversations filled the space around them. The smell of grilled food drifted through the air, mixing with the soft sound of dishes clinking together. It felt strangely comfortable.

Santa sat across from Perth with his hands loosely wrapped around his glass, posture still slightly rigid from habit. Meanwhile, Perth looked entirely at ease, leaning back casually while glancing through the menu.

“What do you usually order?” Perth asked.

“Anything is fine.”

Perth looked up immediately. “You’re one of those people.”

Santa frowned faintly. “What does that mean?”

“The ‘anything is fine’ type. Impossible to feed.”

“I’m not difficult.”

“That’s exactly what difficult people say.”

Santa ignored him and reached for his water instead.

Perth laughed quietly before ordering for both of them without much hesitation.

Once the food arrived, most of the conversation came naturally from him. Stories about soccer practice. Complaints about teammates forgetting drills. A professor nearly catching half the class cheating during a quiz.

“…And then one guy blamed the wind,” Perth said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Santa blinked. “Inside the gym?”

“Exactly.”

A brief pause passed before Santa asked quietly, “…Did it work?”

Perth looked genuinely delighted by the question. “Not even remotely.”

Santa nodded thoughtfully before taking another bite.

The conversation continued little by little after that, not forced, just gradual.

“You always study that much?” Perth asked eventually.

Santa shrugged lightly. “Depends how much work there is.”

“And you actually enjoy it?”

Santa considered the question for a moment. “…I like learning and understanding things.”

Perth watched him more carefully at that answer. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I noticed.”

Santa glanced up briefly before lowering his gaze back toward his plate. For some reason, hearing that made warmth rise faintly behind his ears.

By the time they finished eating, the earlier tension between them had softened considerably.

Santa checked the time and reached for his bag. “I should go.”

Perth stood immediately. “I’ll walk you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know.”

Santa hesitated. “It’s close.”

“Great,” Perth replied easily. “Then it won’t take long.”

The automatic refusal sat briefly at the edge of Santa’s tongue before disappearing. “…Fine.”

They walked through campus side by side beneath the glow of streetlights. The night air felt cooler now, carrying distant sounds from students still gathered outside dorm buildings. Their footsteps echoed softly against the empty pathways.

There wasn’t much conversation this time. Oddly, the silence didn’t feel uncomfortable. When they reached Santa’s dorm building, he stopped near the entrance.

“…This is mine.”

Perth nodded with both hands tucked into his pockets. For a moment, neither moved.

“Thanks,” Santa said quietly. “For dinner.”

“You helped me first,” Perth replied. “Fair trade.”

Santa gave a small nod. “…Goodnight.”

He turned toward the entrance.

“I’ll text you.”

Santa paused and glanced back over his shoulder.

“For the next study session,” Perth added casually.

“…Alright.”

Their eyes met for another brief second before Santa finally stepped inside the building. Perth stayed outside a little longer after the door closed. Then he pulled out his phone and looked at Santa’s contact with a small smile. Everything was going according to plan. At least that was what he kept telling himself.

*

Santa barely had time to set his bag down before his phone buzzed loudly in his hand.

Incoming group call.

He answered immediately.

“You took forever,” Phuwin complained the second the call connected.

“I just got back.”

“From the library?” Bonnie asked suspiciously.

Santa paused briefly.

“…Yes.”

“Liar,” Phuwin replied instantly. “We already heard.”

Santa sighed quietly and sat down on the edge of his bed. “Heard what?”

“That you were seen with someone,” Bonnie answered, clearly entertained.

“…People really need hobbies.”

“So it’s true?” Phuwin asked immediately. “You were with him?”

“…Yes.”

“With Perth?” Bonnie added.

“Yes.”

Silence. Then both voices exploded together.

“Since when?”
“How did that happen?”

Santa rubbed lightly at his temple.

“He asked me for help with Advanced Maths.”

“Randomly?” Phuwin asked.

“Yes.”

“And you agreed?” Bonnie sounded genuinely shocked.

“Not immediately,” Santa corrected. “He insisted.”

Phuwin laughed softly. “That sounds like him.”

Santa frowned slightly. “…What does that mean?”

“It means he’s used to getting his way.”

Santa stayed quiet at that.

“We also heard you left together,” Bonnie added carefully.

Santa hesitated. “…We got dinner.”

“That’s already huge for you,” Phuwin pointed out immediately.

Santa ignored the comment.

“He just…” Santa stopped briefly, searching for the right explanation. “…acts like we already know each other.”

“And what do you think of that?” Bonnie asked.

“…I don’t get it,” Santa admitted instead. He leaned back against the wall behind his bed and stared toward the ceiling.

“We never talked before. Then suddenly he walks up to me, asks for tutoring, acts comfortable immediately…”

“And talks nonstop?” Phuwin guessed.

Santa exhaled quietly. “…Yes.”

Bonnie laughed softly. “That definitely sounds like Perth.”

“It’s easy for him,” Santa murmured after a moment. “Talking to people, approaching them, I mean.”

“And for you?”

Santa stayed quiet briefly. “…Not at first,” he admitted honestly. “But it wasn’t terrible.”

The line fell silent for a second.

“That’s new,” Bonnie said more softly this time. “Maybe he just wants to get closer to you.”

Santa didn’t answer.

Before he could think further, his phone buzzed again in his hand.

Perth: Sleep well, genius.
Perth: Sorry. Santa.

Santa stared at the message longer than necessary. “…He texted me.”

Bonnie reacted immediately. “What did he say?”

Santa hesitated before reading it aloud.

Another silence followed.

“That’s actually kind of cute,” Bonnie admitted.

“Shockingly normal for him,” Phuwin added.

Santa looked down at the screen again, thumb hovering above the keyboard.

“Don’t overthink it,” Phuwin said gently. “Just see where things go.”

Santa exhaled slowly. “…You’re right. It’s probably nothing serious.”

The conversation drifted naturally after that toward classes, exams, and other campus gossip. Around Phuwin and Bonnie, Santa relaxed back into familiar habits, answering more easily, speaking without analyzing every sentence beforehand.

Still, every now and then, his eyes returned to the message sitting at the top of his screen.

A simple and casual message. And yet somehow it lingered in his thoughts far more than it should have. And even after the call ended, Santa kept staring at it for a little too long.

——
Hi✨
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