Chapter 315 Join Me, Sebastian
In late December, Imperial City welcomed its second snowfall of the winter—far heavier than the first. For two consecutive days, snow fell relentlessly, transforming the entire city into a pristine white landscape.
Early morning, Camilla knocked on Sebastian's door with a slightly apologetic expression.
"Sebastian," she said hesitantly.
Sebastian appeared in his pajamas, hair still disheveled. His heart tightened at her tone. "Is something wrong?"
"Not at all!" Realizing how early it was, Camilla's embarrassment deepened. "Did I wake you?"
"I was getting up anyway," Sebastian assured her. "What can I help you with?"
"Do you still have those snow toys from last time?"
Sebastian paused, glancing toward the window. The snowfall had indeed stopped.
"You want to play in the snow this early?" he asked, somewhat bemused.
Camilla's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Yes! If we go early, the snow will still be pristine—untouched."
Sebastian couldn't help but smile. "You're like a child sometimes, you know that?"
"Snow doesn't discriminate between adults and children," she replied cheerfully.
"Give me a moment."
Sebastian disappeared inside, returning shortly with a small bucket containing the duck, dinosaur, and teddy bear snow molds from before, along with shovels and rakes.
"Thank you! I'm heading down now!" Camilla grabbed the bucket and dashed downstairs.
Ten minutes later, a fully dressed Sebastian appeared outside. He spotted Camilla among a group of children, her white down jacket and bright red hat standing out vividly against the snow-covered landscape.
"Sebastian! Come join us!" Camilla called out with a smile.
Sebastian shook his head. "You all carry on."
Camilla gave a playful huff before crouching down to scoop something from the ground. Seconds later, she stood up and threw a snowball directly at Sebastian.
The snowball caught him by surprise, hitting his shoulder before crumbling into powdery flakes.
"Why didn't you dodge it?" Camilla asked, looking slightly horrified.
"Didn't react quickly enough," he admitted.
"I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine. Carry on with your fun."
Just then, a child tugged at Camilla's hand. "We haven't finished the snowman yet!"
As Camilla was pulled away, Sebastian watched her help complete the snowman, carefully placing the carrot nose in position.
"Perfect!" she declared, dusting off her hands with satisfaction.
Suddenly, Sebastian called out, "Camilla!"
"Yes?" She turned instinctively.
A snowball flew toward her face, which she narrowly avoided as it whizzed past her neck.
"Sebastian!" Camilla exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.
Sebastian laughed. "Almost got you."
"I thought you weren't playing!" she protested, stamping her foot.
"I decided it might be fun after all," he replied with a smile.
At the end of the month, the department held its summary meeting with all faculty and students gathered, department heads seated on the stage.
Research groups presented their reports one after another.
Notably, Ignatius from Calliope's team had published a paper in a prestigious SCI journal, while Bronte also had a publication this month. Though not in an SCI journal, it was still in a well-respected national publication.
"Professor Ross's team is simply outstanding!"
"Ignatius never disappoints."
"Didn't Bronte just publish an SCI paper last month? Her productivity is remarkable."
"I often see her at student club activities too. Balancing social life and academic publishing—truly impressive."
"Some people just excel at everything they do."
On stage, Otis cleared his throat to quiet the murmurs. "Which research group is next?"
Camilla stood up. "Due to fire safety renovations in our laboratory this month, our experimental progress was delayed. As a result, we don't have any substantial research output to report."
She was about to sit down when a derisive laugh cut through the silence.
"An entire month with absolutely nothing to show?" Noe scoffed. "One has to wonder whether it's truly because of laboratory renovations or simply a convenient excuse for your team's lack of capability."
Hestia fired back immediately. "Your team knows exactly why our lab was flagged for fire safety violations! You have some nerve bringing this up!"
"What are you implying?" Noe retorted. "Your lab failed the safety inspection because of your own negligence. Don't try to shift blame onto others. Just because you throw your weight around doesn't mean you can bully everyone."
"Exactly," Bronte added with a cold smile, arms crossed. "When you fail to maintain proper safety standards and it affects your research output, how is that anyone else's fault but your own?"
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