Chapter 21 - Bring the Koboko

After a while, Haoyu let his hand fall weakly onto the black couch, freeing Tejumole's mouth from bondage.
"Professor…"
"Hmm?" Tejumole answered a little puzzled. The child was acting so strange.
Is he at that age? The book said that kids undergo several changes at a certain age. That's probably what's wrong.
"Professor…"
"Hmm."
"Professor…"
"Hmm."
Haoyu called out to Tejumole in a hoarse voice that got deeper every time he spoke. Though Tejumole felt it strange, she still responded every time he called her. There was a brief silence before Haoyu continued.
"Tejumole." He articulated every letter in her name.
"… Yes."
Tejumole answered after a pause.
If she recalled correctly, this was the first time Haoyu had ever said her name. The way he said her name was breathy and filled with emotion.
It was different, but not in a bad way.
She could feel his breath hitting her face every time he spoke. It was fresh and minty. His voice was also deeper than usual, and it sounded even better than a song, however that was possible.
Just listening to him speak made her ears itchy as she waited for the child to come out of the state he was in.
'Little one's voice…has changed. It's so… nice.'
Haoyu held Tejumole's face and leaned his head back. This way they could see each other clearly.
He saw the blatant questions in her eyes, but she was still so patient and let him do as he pleased. It was so adorable. He felt a certain urge to go further…
"Little one, what happened? Did I say something wrong?" When she thought about it, Tejumole realized that Haoyu only started acting strangely after she spoke.
Haoyu stared into the brown eyes that curved in mild distress.
"…no you didn't. I was just, shaken."
"Oh."
They remained quiet for a few seconds before Tejumole spoke again, breaking the silence.
"Then, how much do you like high jump?" She questioned as she rested her back on the couch, causing Haoyu to release his hold on her face.
Haoyu glanced at his empty palms and followed suit.
"I like it a lot. As much as I like pole vault." He answered honestly.
"I see." Tejumole replied and said nothing else.
Haoyu didn't mind. He was used to her taciturn nature. Instead, he took her hand and held it up before laying down and resting his head on her legs.
Tejumole allowed his actions and used her spare hand to stroke his hair.
'My child is so beautiful.'
They both stayed on the couch for a while before Tejumole shook the child and asked him to get up.
Haoyu was feeling a bit drowsy. His hair stuck to his face, covering his pitch-black eyes. Tejumole stretched her hand to remove the stray hairs while Haoyu watched her quietly. Her actions were gentle. She treated him with so much attention like he were a fragile piece of jade that needed to be protected. He found it so pleasant that he wanted to keep Tejumole to himself forever. Just lock themselves up and throw away the key. Whenever he thought of Tejumole treating someone else the way she did him, Haoyu would be filled with an uncontrollable irritation that caused his emotions to go awry.
"Let's go in. Come, I'll take you to your room."
"Okay." Haoyu pushed his thoughts aside and took Tejumole's hand. He chose not to think about such uncomfortable things. It wouldn't happen anyway. And if the professor really became this close and gentle with anyone else…
'I'll get rid of the problem. She's mine…' Haoyu said to himself as he followed Tejumole. His gaze darkened and at that moment, he excluded an intimidating aura. Like that of a beast who would protect its treasure by all means.
"Good night, little one." Tejumole said to Haoyu when they reached his room.
"Good night professor." Haoyu leaned on the door frame and watched Tejumole leave with a smile hanging on his lips.
•••
Pa!
"Eat, eat, eat! That's all you know how to do! I've said before that you are a useless child. Book, you didn't read. Work you didn't learn! You and Mama Bayo's son grew up together and went to the same school. But why can't you be like him, ehn?! Now, look at this. Look at this!"
Yelling furiously was a beautiful woman in her mid-thirties. Her face was livid as she shouted at the person in front of her.
Kneeling on the ground with a hand on her cheek was a teenage girl dressed in a blue and wine school uniform.
There was a school bag by the far end of the spacious room, apparently flung away.
She held her head down and listened to the older lady's admonishments while she read from the paper that was thrown at her face.
"Can you see? After everything, you come out of school with such results? Haha, six C's and three B's in useless subjects. No school would ever accept you. Or do you expect me to waste a fortune by enrolling you in a private school? Ehn?!"
The lady felt exasperation wash over her. Looking at the girl who remained kneeling without saying a word only pissed her off even more. She yelled at the girl and kicked her side, causing the girl to grunt in pain and bend her body forward.
"I'm… sorry mother." The teenager whispered breathily as she straightened herself.
She gazed at her mother, who looked even scarier than ever. Her mother was not the friendliest person, and she hardly concerned herself with her matters. The only thing she demanded from her was to be obedient and excellent. So far, she had lived up to her mother's expectations, but she had a weakness.
Ifeoluwa had never been able to excel in academics. She was well versed in every aspect. Be it sports, arts or creativity. However, no matter how much Ifeoluwa tried. No matter how much effort she put into studying, her hard work always failed to yield the desired result.
Ifeoluwa's average performance in academics disappointed her mother, but she had never punished her for it. At most, she would yell and scold her harshly. But tonight…
Ifeoluwa glanced at her mother, who had gone to sit.
Priscilla held a bottle of alcohol in her hand and gulped down the content with no sign of stopping. She placed the bottle down and looked at her daughter again. Her eyes were filled with disappointment, disdain, and even loathing.
'I've failed mother. She's right. I am useless…' Ifeoluwa lowered her eyes, unable to look at her mother directly. She felt ashamed and blamed herself for this tense atmosphere. Ifeoluwa thought that even if her mother were to hit her with the whip again, she deserved it.
As Ifeoluwa sunk deeper and deeper into self-hate, she spoke weakly to her mother, who appeared dizzy from the alcohol.
"I'm sorry for disappointing you, mother. I deserve to be beaten." Ifeoluwa didn't know what else to do except apologize. She looked at her mother with her dark brown eyes and hoped in her heart for Priscilla to forgive her for failing.
"Beaten? You deserve to be beaten?" Priscilla spoke with squinted eyes. Her eyes held disdain and mockery for Ifeoluwa. It was a kind of look one would give anyone else but their flesh and blood.
Priscilla stood up and walked slowly to the kneeling girl. She crouched down and clasped the smooth chin with her fingers. Her nails pierced Ifeoluwa's skin but, didn't draw blood. It was agonizing for the girl but instead of crying out, Ifeoluwa looked back at her mother, well-behaved.
"You really like punishment?"
"Along as mother is happy."
"Ha!" Priscilla chuckled lightly. She seemed amused by Ifeoluwa's words. The alcohol was slowly getting to her and as she looked at the young, beautiful face a sudden thought crossed her mind.
"As long as I'm happy… How obedient. If only you weren't so dense. But yes, I will not let this failure slide. Naomi…"
"Yes, madam." Naomi responded immediately. She had been here the whole time, watching the madam take her anger on the child.
As she was only a maid, Naomi didn't dare to say anything. If she uttered as much as a peep, then she would have to suffer with Ifeoluwa.
Naomi could not risk getting scolded or beaten by the madam. And that was only the best scenario. If the madam was really pissed, then she could say goodbye to her job.
'Kid, this is your cross you have to carry it…'
Smiling, Priscilla stared at Ifeoluwa. Her smile was strange, and it gave people an ominous feeling that something bad was about to happen.
"Bring the koboko. There's a naughty child who needs discipline."