T.A series Volume 7: Feathers of Fury

Chapter 49 - Colorful Flock

"So you knew all along..." Professor Shibuya muttered, his gaze fixed on the ground.

"I did," Professor Hoga admitted, his tone was filled with bitterness. "I thought it was odd that you were able to get a job in NASA, let alone, happen to be good in your studies when we first met during foundation. After you left to work at NASA as soon as you graduated, as soon as I started out as a lecturer, I heard from my colleagues at Teitan University."

Ranran, Shinichi, and the rest of the children watched, as Professor Hoga lamented, "While I was struggling day in and out juggling university life and trying to keep the roof afloat alongside my parents who were alive back then, you were simply breezily scoring your exam as if life was a game of solitaire." Professor Hoga's bitterness was palpable. "And there you were, jet-setting off to the States while I was stuck here, grinding my way through academic drudgery."

"But that shouldn't excuse what you did!" Takuma told him off.

"Exactly!" Junko added, her tone unyielding. "Jealousy is no excuse for betraying someone's trust."

"At the beginning, I tried to brush that chapter of his life off," Professor Hoga's face contorted with frustration. "I told myself that I would eventually get out of my lecturer job by doing everything by myself. Yet....the more I tried, the more I realized how deep I was sinking into a pit of envy and resentment."

Emiko's eyes widened, taking in the raw emotions pouring out of Professor Hoga.

"I pitched my ideas in multiple tech conferences, hoping for a breakthrough," Professor Hoga continued, his voice growing more desperate. "But the funding never came through. No matter how groundbreaking my research was, it never seemed to catch the right eye. It was always you, Shibuya, with your effortless success."

The bitterness in his voice was like a sharp blade, slicing through the air.

"And then, to add insult to injury, you come back with tales of your exploits at NASA whenever you texted me photos of your adventures, while I'm here, barely scraping by," Professor Hoga's voice cracked, revealing the depth of his pain. "I couldn't bear it. The resentment festered, gnawing at me day after day."

Ranran, Shinichi, and the children listened in sombre silence, the weight of Professor Hoga's words sinking in.

"Around a year ago, the last straw was when I was lecturing nuclear physics lessons, Teitan University decided to have a motivational speech coming from you.

"Seriously?!" Michio interjected, his surprise evident. "You couldn't even escape his success in your own lecture hall?"

"Nope, not at all," Professor Hoga sighed deeply. "There he was, standing in front of my students, captivating them with his stories of NASA and space exploration, while I was relegated to the background like an afterthought."

"I would've loved to hear that speech," Emiko chimed in, her tone dripping with irony.

"Oh, it was a real showstopper, let me tell you," Professor Hoga replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. "He even brought some meteorites from space as props. The students were practically eating out of his hand."

Shinichi couldn't help but smirk. "Well, it sounds like he knows how to make an entrance."

"You do know that the administration is the one who brought me over, right?" Professor Shibuya reminded him.

"I know," Professor Hoga gave a downcast bitter look on the ground, "But what made me agitated around that same day, was that when a party was thrown in your honour, my colleagues were busy whispering as they were drunk over how ironic is that both of us started foundation around the same year, and that we ended up on vastly different paths. It was like some twisted cosmic joke. They talked about how you were the golden boy, the prodigy who soared to the stars while I was stuck in the mundane world of academia."