Your Student Is Awesome (4)
Final exams were over.
“That can’t be right. Why is my answer marked wrong?”
The Creative Engineering Building, one of Stellarium’s landmarks, was packed with students filing grade grievances. The first to suffer from their complaints were, naturally, the graduate students.
“If you look at the answer key, you’ll see your response is completely different. That’s why it was marked—”
“So why is that the only correct answer? Couldn’t mine also be valid?”
The teaching assistant scratched his head, clearly at a loss. I dragged Zernya away as she threw a real-time tantrum.
“Either regrade it or call the professor—mmph! Mmmph!”
“I’m so sorry, truly sorry……”
Better to shut her up before she said anything else ridiculous.
“Nngh, ow!”
She bit my hand. I was seriously about to lose it.
“Are you a child? What’s wrong with you?”
“I definitely got that question right. The TA just graded like an idiot because he doesn’t know anything!”
I pressed a hand to my forehead, dizzy. She looked like a spoiled brat whose milk teeth hadn’t even fallen out yet. Where had the charismatic Zernya from the novel gone?
“If you’d only gotten that one right, your math score would’ve matched mine exactly. It was that close. But the TA ruined it.”
“Whether I got everything right or missed one, it’s still an A+. What’s the difference?”
“The ranking is different, that’s what!”
“We’re in different departments.”
“……? Ah.”
Oh, for crying out loud, this idiot. I’d told her not to obsess over grades so much.
“Still, there’s such a thing as subject-specific results. This was my chance to prove I could beat you in calculus, and now my mood’s ruined. What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Good grief.”
I was exasperated, but I had nothing to say. Second place never gets genuine comfort from first place. The moment that “second place” label sticks, an inferiority complex filter comes bundled with it.
“Give it up. The professor won’t change something like that unless it’s really serious.”
“Wait. If I use the power of the Adelbein family, I could—”
“Cut the crap.”
I flicked Zernya’s forehead. She let out a cute little “Ow!” and belatedly floated a question mark above her head. Guess she hadn’t expected to get flicked out of nowhere.
“Just enjoy the break. We’ve got three months off.”
“Medical students only get two weeks.”
“……Hmm.”
“Be honest. You’re doing this to mess with me, aren’t you? Huh? You planned it. Answer me.”
“No, I really didn’t know……”
“Want to die?”
Zernya kicked my shin with all her strength.
“Agh, my shin!”
“Yeah, it’s the end of the semester. Let’s celebrate by throwing a few punches. How dare you flick the future head of the Adelbein family? You picked the wrong person to mess with today.”
I had no good options left. I ran for it with everything I had.
“Where do you think you’re going? Get back here!”
She chased after me at an absurd speed. Zernya’s face was bright red. She must have been really upset about scoring lower than me. To survive, I bolted toward the most crowded area.
“Coward, running into a café.”
Zernya followed me inside. Once we sat down, we entered a temporary ceasefire. The air between us was icy. So I quickly ordered tarts. And a sweet latte to go with them. It was the exact combination the novel’s Zernya was crazy about. Should drop her rage gauge by about thirty points.
……I should buy Seti something when I have time.
“Eat, Zernya.”
“Why should I?”
“Semester’s over. Celebration.”
“Hmmm.”
As Seti’s rage energy rose, Zernya’s expression softened. This was the law of conservation of energy in action.
She devoured the egg tart, cheese tart, and carrot tart one after another, then sipped her sweet coffee with a satisfied smile.
“Sweet things really are the best when you’re tired. Not great for your health, though……”
Thud. The medical student collapsed.
***
When my father, who was both a university professor and a specialist at the university hospital, examined her, we learned Zernya’s condition.
“Overwork.”
That was the diagnosis. The consultation fee was zero credits, of course. That’s what you call the dad advantage.
“Let her rest properly for a few days. Don’t push her. Make sure she goes to bed and wakes up on time.”
“Father, do all medical students go through this every semester?”
“Only the ones with weak constitutions. If she wants to endure it, she’ll have to build up her stamina.”
My father declared that Zernya was to stop drinking sweet coffee and to keep bread out of her mouth entirely. Her expression crumbled instantly. The childlike reaction was a little surprising.
The next day, Zernya came looking for me, her body still sluggish.
“What are you doing over break?”
“Having fun.”
“Then I’m having fun too.”
“Be my guest.”
Just then, messages arrived from both professors at the same time. Professor Feynman had asked to meet, but I turned him down and sent an OK to Professor Stranoff’s DM instead. I was about to board the shuttle to Iryuel Academy when—
“Why are you following me?”
“Our paths just happen to overlap.”
I looked at Zernya. Zernya looked at me.
“I’m about to take the shuttle.”
“What a coincidence. So am I.”
“Which shuttle are you taking?”
“Why would I tell you that?”
I started walking again. By pure coincidence, Zernya went the same way. By pure coincidence, she boarded the same shuttle, got off at the same stop, and walked with me all the way up to Iryuel Academy. Our destinations overlapped completely. What an incredible coincidence.
“Hey, didn’t you say you were going to play around?”
“This is my vacation spot.”
“It’s a college!”
“It’s a college, but I’m still going to have fun here.”
Buffering appeared on Zernya’s face.
“I-I see. The night view here is pretty nice, actually. The old-style architecture has atmosphere too. Perfect for wandering around and soothing the mind and body.”
“What are you talking about? I’m going inside the building.”
“What?”
“There’s a nightclub inside.”
Second round of buffering: ON.
“Is there something wrong with your head? Or did you fall down the stairs on your way here? A nightclub in a college? At least say something that makes sense……”
Seeing is believing. I answered with a shrug and headed toward the Science Building, where the lights were on. Zernya, who had been hesitating, followed after me.
“It’s cleaner inside than I expected.”
“Of course. It’s a club.”
[Quantum Gravity Resonator Development Lab]
“So…… this is supposed to be a nightclub?”
“Night, as in nighttime. Club, as in a gathering of people with a shared purpose. Put together: nightclub.”
“It’s just a research lab!”
Zernya started backpedaling. But it was already too late.
“Damn it, why won’t this open!”
The last door we’d come through had a fingerprint lock installed on the inside, so unless you were an authorized club member, you couldn’t leave freely.
“Why the hell would they put the lock on the inside!”
“That’s just how graduate school works.”
“What does that have to do with graduate school!”
Clack, clack! After desperately rattling the doorknob, Zernya was completely exhausted.
“It’s no use. It won’t open.”
She’d realized that no matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t get out on her own. I never thought I’d witness “learned helplessness” from psychology textbooks play out in real time. Either way, the result was quite satisfying. I’d lost yesterday afternoon, but I’d won tonight.
“Oh my. Has the Rheinland boy arrived?”
Professor Stranoff emerged from the lab, greeting us with a bright expression. I pulled out a neatly organized stack of papers from the bag I’d brought. Three hundred pages in total. It was the result of my research on how to optimally arrange the “Virgo” crystals obtained from the southern processing facility.
“You finished all this while preparing for finals?”
“It was so interesting that I got carried away.”
Thanks, Cartesia. I’m always in your debt.
“The Rheinland boy always exceeds my expectations. Like when you snatched away my thesis topic…… though that was a joke, of course. No need to look so serious.”
“……Please review it, and let me know if anything seems off or incomplete. I’ll assist with your research throughout the summer break.”
“Oh my. That was a little cool just now.”
Professor, you really are good at joking around. The person you have your eye on is someone else, after all. Which is exactly why I’m going to play Cupid for the two of you from now on.
***
Zernya was witnessing a very strange sight.
“Now, say your name and student ID for the camera.”
“Idel von Rheinland, Stellarium College, Class of 2024. I’m interning at Professor Stranoff’s lab here at Iryuel College.”
“How many months have you been interning?”
“Hmm, about four months.”
“That should be enough time to get a feel for the lab atmosphere. How do you like our lab? Fun?”
“It’s fun. Though I think I’ll need to do more research before I can be certain.”
“Good. Then let’s build the gravity resonator together with Mr. Rheinland. Now, would you take off your clothes?”
“Yes, Professor……”
This was supposed to be a vlog? My mind went blank. Even more absurd was the fact that I was the one holding the secondary camera. Zernya felt a strange sensation as she filmed Idel removing his coat.
“Cleanroom change complete.”
“Excellent. Let’s head inside.”
I swallowed the nausea. Even though my body wasn’t in great shape from overwork, I couldn’t run away now that I’d come this far. Idel von Rheinland. The only rival I’d ever acknowledged. When that rival was doing external activities in a place like this, how could I not be curious?
“Just what the hell did they make that’s got everyone so worked up?”
Zernya, now roughly suited up in a cleanroom suit, followed Idel into the research area.