SAVANNA (VERONICA)
‘MONEY’ I stared at the bold words on my copy.
Even though it was a chemistry copy, money had been the only thing my brain could think at the moment.
Veronica’s seat was in the very back of the classroom, besides, no one really noticed her.
Good, I needed some quiet to think of my ways.
Leaning against the wall, my gaze drifted out of the window.
Outside, the world looked peaceful, but my mind was nowhere near that serenity.
Every thought inside my head circled back to the same problem that refused to leave me alone.
I needed money, and I needed it fast.
Veronica’s younger brother’s leg and stuttering had to be treated as soon as possible.
The image of the boy struggling to walk, even struggling while talking, had already etched itself firmly into my thoughts.
If his condition improved, Veronica’s mother wouldn’t have to exhaust herself working multiple jobs just to afford the basic needs of the family.
It was the least I could do in return for the strange miracle that had allowed my soul to inhabit this body.
Whatever fate had done, whatever strange twist had brought me here, I had accepted it as a debt I needed to repay.
It was not that I lacked any techniques to earn money, however, unfortunately, the methods I used to make money in my previous life were completely useless in this new environment.
Things that had once brought quick profit were either impossible or far too risky here.
Especially with Veronica’s identity and her family being around.
I tried with part-time jobs as well.
But, ordinary part-time jobs were even worse.
Even if I worked every spare hour I had, the money would trickle in painfully slowly.
By the time I earned enough for surgery or proper treatment, the damage to the boy’s leg might already be permanent.
That thought alone made my soul unrest.
Then— what to do?
My fingers tapped on the copy quietly, while I was quietly calculating several possibilities in my mind, suddenly…
“Veronica.” The professor’s irritated voice cut sharply through the room, making me frown at the sound.
I didn’t respond though.
He could bark.
However—
“Veronica!” Again.
And I ignored it as well.
“Veronica Demoor!” This time he barked and that stupid tone hit right into my brain.
Damn it!
With a frown, I lifted my head slowly.
The professor stared at me with open annoyance, his brows drawn together tightly. The source of this chapter is g.com.
“Miss Veronica, If you are going to sit there staring blankly out the window during my lecture, the least you could do is have the courtesy to answer when I call your name.”
All eyes were on me now.
Some even smirked, as though I cared eh?
The professor crossed his arms, looking me up and down with barely concealed disdain.
“Stand up!” He barked again.
A quiet sigh left my chest.
What a disturbance!
However, I rose to my feet.
Students were watching me with amusement.
For them, this was entertainment— a familiar routine where the class’s favourite target became the center of ridicule once again…
It seemed like teachers also liked to participate in it as well.
Professor Robert pointed the chalk toward the board behind him, to a complicated set of equations.
“Since you seem so absorbed, should I consider that you’ve already solved the problem in your head?” His words dripped with mockery.
“Perhaps you want to enlighten the rest of us?
Why don’t you come here and solve the problem on the board then?”
Ah, so he wanted more fun now.
I see.
I didn’t answer immediately, only stared at him and then the problem on the board.
He tilted his head slightly, studying my silence with a thin smile.
“Or perhaps that’s too much to ask?”
“Honestly,” he continued before I could respond, shaking his head, “I don’t understand why some students insist on staying in classes that are clearly beyond their abilities.
If you cannot grasp even the basics, then sitting here, pretending to study is nothing more than a waste of everyone’s time.”
Again, I said nothing.
Professor Robert only waved his hand, “yeah, just what I thought…” Then he looked at other students.
“Let’s not waste our time.
I’ll ask another student…
Miss Amara, why don’t you—”
Before he could finish his sentence, I moved from my seat.
The professor stopped and the students seemed a bit confused.
Bored, I walked toward the blackboard without hesitation.
“Oh— now you want to try?” Professor Robert smirked, then, clearly expecting a humiliating failure, he stepped aside lazily, handing me the chalk with a look that suggested he was granting me a meaningless opportunity.
“Very well.
Go ahead.”
I took the chalk from his hand without looking at him.
Then I turned toward the board…
The problem written there was complicated enough to intimidate most students in the room.
Well, not for me though.
In fact, it was too easy.
These academic studies were way too easy on these students, turning their brains lazy and into bullies.
Without a word, I began writing… This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
A few students who had been whispering earlier suddenly fell quiet.
The professor’s smirk slowly faded, as I continued with the correct solutions.
The method I used was not the clumsy approach most students relied on.
Instead, it was a more direct and elegant solution that simplified the entire problem into a clear sequence of logical steps.
That was how we had been taught in the Abyss…
“Wait…
that’s actually correct!” Amara gasped behind, and a few more as well.
I ignored them.
My focus remained entirely on the board as I finished the final calculation, before I stepped aside.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
The professor stared at the board in disbelief.
Students were stunned.
“That…
that’s the right answer.”
“How did she even do that?”
“Wasn’t she the one who failed the last test?” — The classroom buzzed with quiet murmurs.
Professor Robert finally cleared his throat, but the confidence that had filled his voice earlier was gone.
He looked at the board again, then at me.
“You…” he began slowly, as though unsure of what to say.
“You solved it.”
I met his gaze calmly.
“Yes,” I said simply.
“It’s just a simple solution, what’s there to not do it?”
Dropping the words on his face, I put the chalk back and walked to my seat.
The class was Pin-drop silent.
The professor finally cleared his throat.
“Well, it appears that Miss Veronica has written…
something that resembles a solution.” He threw a tight smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes at all.
His expression carried the same familiar arrogance that teachers often wore when they refused to admit they were wrong.
“Of course, this does not necessarily mean she actually understood the problem.”
“Sometimes,” he added casually, “students are fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of someone else’s answer while walking past their desk.
If you stare long enough, even the most complicated formulas can appear familiar.”
A wave of laughter spread across the classroom.
The teacher’s ego had been bruised, so he was trying to make it up through insults.
However, whether family, classmates, or teachers— I wouldn’t tolerate bullying anymore.
Therefore, I gazed up at the man trying to mend his ego.
A slow smirk twitched at the corner of my lips, as I spoke— “yeah?
Wounded tries any means to heal their bruises, ain’t it, professor?”