Chương 34: Rules

Earth - Tim's Apartment Tim woke up the next day with a pounding headache and a stomach sick with regret. The events of the last night played on repeat in his mind like a nightmare he couldn't escape. The life-and-death battle in the cultivation world, the adrenaline, the kiss between Varek and Lia, and then... his own impulsive decision to kiss Riku. In the shower, he banged his head against the tiled wall over and over, the rhythmic thudding matching the pace of his racing thoughts.

"What the hell were you thinking, FUCK?" he muttered to himself, pressing his forehead against the cool tiles.

"She's your student. You don't just... you can't just.. Fuck, Fuck Fuck" Tim swore in pace with his head thumping against the wall. The hot water cascaded down his back as he replayed the moment. The way Riku had looked so lost in Varek's experience, her lips parted as she concentrated on the kiss from the other side. His own territorial instincts flaring up, the need to prove that he wasn't going to be conquered by his own student's playboy alternate personality.

The soft warmth of her lips, the way she'd frozen in shock before her eyes flew open.

"She probably hates me now," he groaned, letting his head fall back against the wall with another solid thunk.

"I crossed every line there is to cross. Professional boundaries, personal boundaries, common decency boundaries..." He turned the water temperature up until it was almost scalding, hoping the physical discomfort would override the emotional turmoil. But it didn't help. All he could think about was the look in Riku's eyes after they'd broken apart. After a short cuddle she mumbled something about needing to go home and had practically fled his apartment, leaving him alone with his regret and self-recrimination.

"Years of teaching," he said to his reflection in the fogged-up shower door.

"Years of maintaining professional relationships, and you throw it all away for what?" The worst part was that it hadn't felt wrong in the moment. The connection between their cultivation world selves had made everything feel real even on earth. Varek claiming Lia, the battle high, the adrenaline of survival—it had all combined into a perfect storm of poor decision-making. Tim finished his shower in depressed silence, dried off, and got dressed for work with all the enthusiasm of a man heading to his own execution.

Today he had classes to teach, including Riku's English course in the afternoon. The thought of facing her across a classroom made him want to start banging his head against something again. Earth - Riku's Mansion Meanwhile, Riku lay in her luxurious bed staring at the ceiling with wide, sleepless eyes. She'd been in the same position for hours, her mind churning through the events of the previous evening like a broken record.

"What the hell happened?" she whispered to her empty room, her voice barely audible over the sound of her racing heartbeat. She'd replayed the moment a thousand times. The intensity of the battle, feeling Varek's confidence and protective instincts as he fought to save Lia, the rush of victory, and then... the kiss. She'd been so lost in Varek's perspective, experiencing what it felt like to claim someone, to be the pursuer rather than the pursued.

The masculine satisfaction of sweeping a woman off her feet, the possessive pride of making her feel safe and desired. It was all so intoxicating making her drunk on it all. And then Tim had kissed her. Her fingers unconsciously moved to her lips, still tingling with the memory. It had been so different from experiencing Varek's kiss on Lia. Where she had been confident and claiming kissing Lia, Tim's had been hesitant but determined. It took her by complete surprise.

"He made the move on me," she said aloud, contemplating it.

"I was the one making moves through Varek on Lia, so how can I be angry about Tim making a move on me as Riku?" But that was the problem, wasn't it? The twisted logic of their situation made her head spin. She had been pursuing Lia through Varek, but wasn't Lia also Tim. She had also been genuinely starting to feel something for Tim as Riku, drawn to his kindness, his intelligence, the way he'd always kept his cool in crises.

The lines between her different selves, her different desires, had become so blurred that she didn't know what she actually wanted anymore.

"We're both the same people as the cultivation world" she groaned, pulling a pillow over her face.

"Why does it feel okay there, but so forbidden here". The pillow did nothing to muffle her racing thoughts. Part of her the part that had always been attracted to Tim's quiet strength and humor, had enjoyed the kiss more than she wanted to admit. It had been her first real kiss, and despite the complicated circumstances, there had been something undeniably right about it. The way he'd tasted, the warmth of his hands, the careful way he'd held her like she was something precious.

But another part of her was terrified. This was her teacher, a man almost a decade older than her, social conventions told her that it was just too wrong. What did it mean that he'd kissed her? Was it just the heat of the moment, the adrenaline from their other selves' situation? Or was there something real there? Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"And what does this mean for Varek and Lia?" she wondered aloud, finally sitting up in bed. In the cultivation world, things seem so clear. Varek was the confident warrior, Lia the powerful but vulnerable ice queen, and they are meant to be together. But teacher and student? She dragged herself out of bed and began getting ready for school with mechanical movements. Her usual morning routine felt surreal.

Showering, brushing her teeth, choosing clothes, all while her mind remained stuck on the feeling of Tim's lips against hers. By the time her driver arrived to take her to college, Riku had worked herself into a state of nervous energy that made her stomach churn. She had Tim's class today. How were they supposed to act around each other? Should she pretend it never happened? Confront him about it? Make jokes to diffuse the tension? Earth - College Campus The day dragged by with excruciating slowness.

Tim taught his morning classes on autopilot, his mind elsewhere as he went through the motions of discussing grammar structures and essay composition. His students seemed to sense his distraction. Several students asked if he was feeling alright, noting his pale complexion and obvious lack of energy.

"Just tired," he told them, which wasn't entirely untrue. He'd barely slept, his mind too active to allow for rest. Every time he'd closed his eyes, he'd seen Riku's face—the shock, the confusion, the way her cheeks had flushed pink in the aftermath of their kiss. Tim sat in the faculty lounge during lunch picking at a sandwich while his colleagues chatted around him, their voices seeming to come from a great distance.

Professor Nakamura asked him about his weekend plans; he mumbled something about trying to survive the week first, and excused himself to prepare for afternoon classes. Riku's English class was scheduled for 2 PM. At 1: 55, Tim stood outside the classroom door, his hand on the handle, trying to summon the courage to walk inside. His palms were sweating, his heart was racing, and he felt like a teenager about to ask someone to prom rather than a professional educator about to teach a class.

"Get it together," he whispered to himself.

"You're the adult here. Channel your Varek and stop being a bitch." He opened the door and walked into the classroom with what he hoped was his normal composure. Students were filtering in, taking their usual seats, chatting among themselves about assignments and weekend plans. Everything looked normal, ordinary, safe. Then Riku walked in.

Tim's breath caught in his throat as she entered the classroom, looking perfectly composed in her usual college attire—a neat blouse and skirt that somehow managed to be both professional and youthful. But he could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her eyes darted around the room before finally settling on him for just a fraction of a second. Their gazes met across the classroom, and Tim felt his stomach drop.

Riku's expression was carefully neutral, but he caught the slight flush that colored her cheeks before she quickly looked away and made her way to her usual seat in the middle of the room.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Tim began, his voice sounding steadier than he felt.

"Today we'll be working on conditional sentences and hypothetical situations in English." The irony wasn't lost on him. Hypothetical situations were exactly what had gotten them into this mess.

"Let's start with some examples," he continued, writing on the whiteboard.

"If I were in a different world, I would..." He paused, realizing where his subconscious had led him.

"I would... travel more." A few students chuckled at what seemed like a safe, mundane example. Tim risked a glance at Riku, who was studiously taking notes but whose lips twitched slightly—whether in amusement or nervousness, he couldn't tell.

"Your turn," Tim said to the class.

"I want each of you to write three conditional sentences using 'if I were' or 'if I could.' Think about hypothetical scenarios, impossible situations, or things you wish were different." As the students worked, Tim found himself unconsciously gravitating toward Riku's area of the classroom during his usual walk around to check on progress. When he reached her desk, he could see what she'd written:"If I were braver, I would speak my mind more often.

If I could change one thing about yesterday, I would have stayed longer to talk. If Lia accepted Varek's feelings, maybe Riku could accept Tim's." Tim's breath caught as he read the third sentence. His eyes snapped up to meet Riku's, who was watching his reaction with a mixture of nervousness and defiance. The classroom seemed to fade around them as they stared at each other, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavy in the air. It was heavy with meaning.

He would have to accept Varek as Lia if he wanted Riku to accept him.

"That's..." Tim started quietly, then cleared his throat and spoke louder for the benefit of the other students.

"That's a good use of parallel structure in conditional sentences." Riku felt her cheeks burn, but she managed a small nod.

"Thank you, sensei. I thought it was... appropriate for the assignment." Around the classroom, other students continued working on their hypothetical scenarios, completely unaware of the very real emotional negotiation taking place between their teacher and classmate. Tim moved on to check other students' work, but the tension between him and Riku had shifted. It was still there, still complicated, but now it carried the possibility of resolution and perhaps progression.

When class ended, Riku lingered as the other students filed out, pretending to organize her notes while the classroom emptied. Finally, when they were alone, she looked up at Tim.

"So," she said quietly, "about those hypothetical situations..." Tim moved closer to her desk, his voice equally low.

"Some hypotheticals might not be so impossible after all."

"Even the really complicated ones? The ones that break all the normal rules?" Riku asked"Especially those," Tim replied, though his expression remained cautious.

"But they'd need to be handled very carefully. With a lot of talking. And probably some new rules of our own." Riku smiled. It was the first genuine, unguarded smile she'd given him since the kiss.

"I think I'd like that. The talking part, I mean. And maybe... the rule-making part too."

"Tonight, after Dojo Training?" Tim asked.

"It's a date," Riku said, then blushed furiously at her own words.

"I mean... it's a plan. A talking plan. Not a date date, because that would be..."

"Riku," Tim interrupted gently, unable to hide his smile at her flustered rambling. It was rare to get Riku to become flustered these days.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up before you talk yourself out of it." She laughed, the sound bright and genuine.

"Yes, sensei." As she gathered her things and headed for the door, Riku paused.

"Oh, and Tim? Next time you want to prove a point about who's conquering whom... maybe warn a girl first." With that parting shot and a mischievous grin that was purely, devastatingly Riku, she left Tim standing in the empty classroom with a smile of his own.