Please, I'm Trying to Study, Your Highness! - chapter 40

Trouble.

Big trouble.

A cold iron door, steel-reinforced concrete walls that block all signals.

In this “iron box” wrapped in the scent of old books and dust, the concept of time grows blurry.

All I can do is repeatedly unlock my phone screen.

Relying on those constantly ticking numbers as my only reference, I check what time it is.

Sitting on the floor with my back against the bookshelf.

Every few minutes, I bang on the iron door, producing a dull “thud, thud, thud”.

This is currently the only way I can send a distress signal to the outside world.

Based on my estimation of the teaching building’s layout,

Although the storage room is in a remote location, it’s right next to the main road on the west side, where teachers on duty or patrolling security guards often pass by.

As long as I keep making noise, rescue is only a matter of time.

But right now, the most troublesome thing isn’t that the iron door is jammed and won’t open.

It’s… the soft, warm body pressed tightly in my arms.

At first, she was weakly leaning against my back because of a bout of claustrophobia.

But as time ticked by, her actions gradually “escalated”.

From simply leaning, she slowly nestled completely into my embrace.

Her cheek buried deep in my chest.

Her arms locked tightly around my waist.

Those slender fingers even dug into the flesh of my lower back through my school T-shirt.

The elegant scent of cedar was so strong,

it almost drove away the musty smell of old book pages in the air.

My nose was surrounded by this fragrance, until it completely took over, leaving only her scent in my world.

Faced with such intimate contact, far beyond the safe social distance,

I tried several times to remind her, as gently and non-confrontationally as possible, to keep a basic distance.

“Shen Classmate, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

“Men and women shouldn’t be so close, we…”

“Could you loosen up a little?”

But each time, all I got in return was her hugging me even tighter, like a drowning person clinging to driftwood.

“S-sorry, I… I feel awful…”

“Just a little longer… just a little longer…”

“It’s so dark… so cramped… I’m scared…”

Her muffled pleas sounded intermittently.

My brain couldn’t analyze her current state effectively.

Mainly, my understanding of claustrophobia was limited to a few dry textbook definitions:

Patients feel oppressed, anxious, and physically uncomfortable in enclosed spaces.

I’d never heard of it being so severe that someone would cling to another person, completely disregarding the boundaries between men and women.

Is this how it is for a few patients, or is she… just special?

I really want to escape.

Being entwined and trapped by a girl’s soft body didn’t stir any physical desire in me at all.

Thanks to the effect of the “Absolute Defense: Holy Virgin Barrier” title, as a “modern bottom-tier Goblin,” my instinct was only to hide back in my dark lair when faced with danger.

But there’s no escape.

Cold walls at my side, her burning warmth in front.

I’m trapped in a cage formed by both physical and emotional barriers.

If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come to the math competition group’s classroom today.

I was just trying to avoid Xia Shiyu’s entanglement, but ended up in an even more complicated situation.

Now, any “hindsight” regret is meaningless.

I’d better stabilize the situation first.

After another fruitless attempt at banging the door,

Listening to the suppressed breathing of the girl in my arms, I realized that simple verbal comfort wasn’t enough to ease her symptoms.

Hesitating, I raised my hand and placed it on Shen Ruanruan’s smooth, long hair.

Clumsily and awkwardly, I began to gently stroke her hair.

My other hand lightly patted her back.

It actually worked.

The soft body in my arms gradually stopped trembling.

Her ragged breathing returned to a normal rhythm.

Her fingers, which had been gripping my lower back, relaxed a little.

She no longer made those distressing whimpers, just quietly leaned against me.

Like a frightened little animal finally finding a safe harbor.

Silence filled the air.

In the cramped space, only our intertwined breathing and my rhythmic patting on her back could be heard.

I don’t know how much time passed.

“I’m sorry…”

Shen Ruanruan’s voice came from my chest, thick with nasal congestion.

Her words were soft and fragmented, full of self-blame, as if all the fault was hers.

“Letting you see me like this… must be such a bother…”
“I even dragged you into this… being locked up in a place like this.”

“I’m really so useless…”

“Shen Classmate.” I interrupted her, sensing she might continue apologizing.

“Calculating whose fault it is doesn’t help at all with solving the core problem of ‘the door won’t open.'”

“Lin Classmate, I…”

“Instead of wasting energy on meaningless self-blame, it’s better to conserve our strength and wait for rescue. Don’t you think so, Shen Team Leader?”

As my words fell, I felt the girl become much calmer than before. I took the opportunity to bring up another topic, shifting her attention.

“Speaking of which, I saw you like this once before, back in fifth grade.”

Shen Ruanruan, buried in my arms, stiffened.

It was several minutes before her muffled reply sounded.

“…So, you still remember.”

“After entering high school, academics got really intense,” I offered a reasonable explanation. “When you asked me at the stairwell that day, I just didn’t recall right away. Sorry.”

She didn’t say anything more, just buried her face deeper.

As if digesting some emotion brought on by my words.

To break the heavy silence, I asked her softly in a half-joking tone.

“So, now… is the sheet music enough to tear up?”

The person in my arms trembled twice.

Then, a sound like a kitten hiccuping-“pfft”-escaped.

Next, her shoulders began to shake with uncontrollable laughter.

Her laughter dispelled all the fear and oppression in this space.

Bringing a hint of bright, girlish energy.

Good.

It seemed the negative effects of claustrophobia had been greatly reduced.

Just as I slowly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking we could finally separate.

Shen Ruanruan suddenly propped herself up, her chin resting on my shoulder.

“Shen Classmate, what are you…”

The rest of my reminder about her posture was abruptly cut off.

My right ear was suddenly enveloped by something warm and moist.

Her lips!

The sensation of biting was neither too light nor too heavy, grinding against the cartilage.

Her tongue then began to sweep over the bitten spot, sending waves of tingling like faint electric currents through my body.

I froze.

All my senses focused on the earlobe on one side of my brain, being invaded.

A few seconds later, Shen Ruanruan released her mouth.

That patch of skin was left wet with her saliva.

“Sorry…”

Shen Ruanruan’s gentle voice was right by my ear, sounding like a sigh, or perhaps a murmur.

“Lin Classmate, when my claustrophobia acts up, I just like… biting something to ease my emotions.”

She paused, then added,

“Besides, this counts as… a punishment for you.”

Punishment?

My brain rebooted successfully,

Quickly processing this illogical new keyword.

Punishment?

Why?

Just because I forgot some trivial thing in the stairwell that day?

I was just politely apologizing-did you really take it seriously?!

Claustrophobia patients needing hugs and physical contact is understandable.

But biting things? What is that about?

Isn’t this a bit too much?!

If she’s lying, what’s her motive?

I can’t figure out the essence,

Can’t grasp the reason.

Damn, it’s so annoying!

Suppressing the irritation threatening to erupt inside, I forced a calm tone and asked, “If that’s the case, Shen Classmate, why don’t you bite your own finger?”

Shen Ruanruan laughed softly.

“If that worked, I would’ve done it long ago.”

As she spoke, her lips were almost pressed against my ear.

Her warm breath kept teasing that sensitive area.

“Seems like… I want to bite again…”

Her tone grew even softer and stickier than before.

But beneath this gentle surface, there was a kind of domineering assertiveness unlike anything before.

“This time… can I bite your Adam’s apple?”

She didn’t wait for my consent. That light “Sorry, it’s really unbearable” was already drifting in the air.

Shen Ruanruan’s lips moved downward,

Heading for the most vulnerable protrusion on my neck.

“!!”

Just as my pupils widened and I was about to turn away, refusing her excessive request-

“Why is there a key stuck in the door? Which student is inside?”

A familiar middle-aged voice sounded from outside the door, like a heavenly melody.

It was Teacher Zhang!