Something That Shouldn't Exist Has Been Created
Your Student is Amazing (7)
Something that should never have existed had been created.
Utilizing the Quantum Gravity Resonator for the Constellation Containment Phenomenon
The title alone was monstrous. Looking inside was far worse. From basic principles to final conclusions, it laid out a rough blueprint for how to thoroughly thrash a Constellation. Publish it as-is, and it would be branded a religious forbidden text long before it ever received approval.
I stopped revising mid-sentence, crumpled the paper, and hurled it into the trash. Nothing but net. Goal.
“Let’s not turn this into a paper.”
“Why not?”
“I have a feeling the Holy Spirit Church will stab me.”
The Holy Spirit Church was a religious group that worshipped Constellations as gods. If we announced that we had kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured one, we would become their target in an instant. Fighting Outer Deities was already exhausting enough. I had zero interest in an ending where I got sliced apart by religious extremists.
I rose from my seat without any real purpose. As I walked, I stopped in front of the resonator. From beyond the wall came a faint but unmistakable wail.
It’s too dark here. Save me. Please let me out.
The plea echoed like a child trapped in an elevator.
“Just release it already. Before this gets any bigger.”
The grumpy voice belonged to Zernya.
I nodded and turned around.
“Professor.”
“I understand.”
With every precaution in place, I disengaged the pressure-release mechanism. A deflating hiss sounded as the structure split in two. Soft plasma leaked through the gap, followed by sparks that streaked out in brilliant arcs.
The waves transformed into particles, and the phenomenon coalesced into a Constellation.
Click. Thud.
Virgo emerged slowly, bracing against the entrance. His eyes were hollow as if drilled through, and his complexion was deathly pale, like a cholera patient. Naturally, the esteemed Constellation was furious.
And so we received the beating of a lifetime. Professor Stranoff, the one ultimately responsible, was made to bang his head on the floor. The bastard who had suggested trapping a Constellation received an electric massage. It was… more bearable than expected… ha… ha… ha… de-de-de-de-deh.
I broke off a piece of the leftover crystal and handed it over. Virgo grumbled about the cramped accommodations before slipping inside. Once the possession was complete, the crystal vanished with a soft pop. Everything else was perfectly clean, free of impurities.
“What a shame. We could have run more experiments with that.”
“That’s exactly why it ran away. What the hell is going on inside that head of yours?”
I scratched my head. Still, the troublesome element was gone, so real research could finally begin. All that remained was an endless series of all-nighters.
The resonator designed to trap Outer Deities was completed far more easily than anticipated. The experience of imprisoning a Constellation proved invaluable. Having built one already, the second attempt went smoothly for everyone. Whenever theoretical calculations produced errors, Idel would cling to the computer day and night without rest.
Zernya, who had watched this scene for two full weeks, began to feel something. Defeat? Humiliation? No. It was similar, yet somehow different.
Here, she could only stand by and observe. She was neither a graduate student nor an intern—just stuck in an awkward in-between position. Meanwhile, Idel stood at the center, the one who generated ideas and carried them out. Never mind whether such behavior was acceptable in another lab. Never mind that Idel was an unreachable genius.
That face. That expression of pure happiness while creating, revising, and measuring something, even without any reward. Watching it made something rise inside her chest.
Having somehow become the beverage shuttle, Zernya handed Idel a black coffee and asked, “Why are you working this hard? Will you literally die if you stop researching?”
“Yeah.”
Idel flinched. It was a reflexive reaction.
“Without this, I’m basically a corpse.”
“You say the strangest things. How can anyone live doing only this? I couldn’t do it even if it killed me.”
She knew Idel had uploaded a paper to Universe. At the time it hadn’t moved her much. Ghostwriting was a common enough academic sin. Even Zernya had used her middle-school connections to slip her name into a college paper once. It was research misconduct. So she had assumed Idel had done the same.
“Ha… haa.”
Zernya staggered back from the trembling thrill. Her heart hammered like a dinosaur was rampaging inside her ribcage. It had been happening more and more lately.
Why am I even here? Why am I wasting precious time? What about next semester’s coursework? The practicum? Building a solid academic relationship with Professor Lainrant to pave my path as a proper doctor?
Why am I doing none of that and simply watching this guy’s research instead?
I just… don’t know. For no reason at all, I wanted to pester him. I wanted to see him flustered when I picked fights.
How much time had passed?
“Lainrant-kun, take a short break.”
It was Professor Stranoff. She set a plate of cookies on the desk—chocolate chips with perfectly baked bases and melty chocolate on top. The savory aroma tickled the nose.
“Thank you, Professor.”
“Now that you’ve been researching here a while, what do you think? Does the lab suit you?”
“Yes, I like it very much.”
Idel turned to gaze at the equipment, eyes sparkling. “Huk, heok, heeeok.”
“There he goes again,” Stranoff chuckled softly. “I baked those cookies myself. Would you try one and give me your honest opinion?”
Idel bit into a cookie with a dazed expression. The crisp snap rang out. At that moment, his eyes flew wide.
“This is…”
“A fortune cookie. Want to see what’s inside?”
Idel carefully unrolled the tiny slip of paper. Zernya rose on tiptoe behind him to peer over his shoulder. A string of incomprehensible numbers was printed there.
“It’s a DOI. Professor, does this mean…”
“Your next research topic.”
“Huk… May I look it up?”
“Of course!”
Idel frantically opened a search window. He typed the number from the slip into the Scalar academic database. The top result immediately caught the eye.
Contribution: Beyond the Horizon of Graviton Discovery
“Wow.”
“Once this project is finished, I intend to attempt the discovery of gravitons. It will be difficult, but it’s a study I’ve wanted to tackle for a very long time. It may take quite a while.”
Zernya felt a chill run down her spine. Both Idel and Professor Stranoff had the same unhinged gleam in their eyes.
“Lainrant-kun.”
“Y-yes, Professor?”
“Will you continue working with me from now on?”
The words were sweet as honey and warm as fresh cotton—exactly like a devil’s whisper. Zernya watched as Idel’s cheekbones rose so high they looked ready to split his face. He had already fallen.
Even so, Professor Stranoff pressed the attack.
“Stay in my lab. I’ll grant you a master’s—no, a doctorate—right away. You have more than enough talent to be recognized as an independent researcher. Look at how important your role has been in this current project.”
“Professor…”
“Salary? I’ll pay you generously. Research funds? Name any project you want and it’s yours. I can scale things up even larger than what we’re doing now.”
“Professor……”
“So, Idel.”
Thud. Professor Stranoff planted her hand on the desk. Idel shrank into the corner like a cornered animal. Zernya was inwardly screaming.
A brief silence fell. Professor Stranoff’s gentle gaze met Idel’s wandering eyes perfectly.
Idel spoke first.
“I-I’ll do it.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll do it. I’ll join your lab, Professor.”
“R-really?”
“Yes! I promise!”
“Just a moment! Please wait just a moment!”
Professor Stranoff dashed out like a fluttering butterfly and returned with a thick stack of documents. And so, with Idel’s signature and an official seal, the paperwork was completed. Its title was Employment Contract.
They went one step further.
“Vlog! Let’s shoot a vlog! We’re throwing an early welcome party for Idel student’s entry into the lab! That’s fine, right? Here we go…!”
Thus began a frenzy of a party. Videos were recorded, photos were taken, arms were linked with lab colleagues. Zernya stood apart from the lively scene. Professor Stranoff approached her with a sly smile.
“Well, Adelbein lady? Doesn’t Lainrant-kun look genuinely happy right now?”
Zernya said nothing.
Even while hosting the banquet, Idel never stopped researching. On the contrary, the construction of the resonator accelerated. The party stretched deep into the night.
Idel student.
Is it very difficult for you to come again this week as well?
It’s been a while. I’d like to see your face once.
Staring at the unanswered direct messages, Professor Feynman let out a long sigh. He pushed the messenger aside and returned his focus to the paper he was writing—the one on graviton discovery. Progress was slow. Naturally. This was a theoretical lab; there was no way to produce experimental data.
“Idel student…”
He had said there would be time once summer break arrived, yet two weeks had passed without a single sighting. Research was stalling, the budget was drying up, and the only reliable asset they had was the FR model completed under Idel’s leadership. If only Idel had been here during these difficult times, they could have supported each other by drafting proposals to the government at least.
It was summer, yet the office felt cold. Feynman pulled on his coat.
“Who on earth set the air conditioner to eighteen degrees?”
The room grew warm again. That was when it happened.
“Extra! Extra edition!”
A young woman burst into the lab in a clamor. It was Sophia, the reporter from the Interstellar Daily. She slid across the floor as if skating on ice and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Hooooooo—!!”
“I heard you the first time. What did you find out?”
“Of course I have something!”
Sophia twitched the corner of her mouth and explained.
“The truth is, I’ve been secretly tailing Mr. Lainrant for some time! Naturally I used the Stealth skill so I wouldn’t be noticed. I learned every single detail! Every move! Every action!”
“I get it, I get it already…”
“Behold!”
With a dramatic flourish, she covered the long meeting table with photographs. The people lined up in the images were Idel, and—
“Isn’t that Professor Stranoff?”
Feynman, who had been blankly reading his paper, stood and walked over. After scanning the photos, his face hardened like stone.
“Th-this is…”
Idel riding the shuttle. Idel heading toward Iryuel Academy. Idel meeting Professor Stranoff. Idel conducting research with her. Idel sharing meals with her. And.
The stolen graduate student.
“Mr. Lainrant has been working as an intern in this professor’s lab at Iryuel Academy. From then until now, continuously. Your inference was correct, Professor Feynman!”
“N-no way…”
“He was leading the research quite proactively. They were building something round, though I couldn’t figure out exactly what. It was too difficult for me. Still, it was clear he played a crucial role… Professor? Professor!”
Feynman collapsed right where he stood. Yes, this had to be a dream. A dream with an exceptionally bad omen…
“Professor, you’ve received an email from Professor Stranoff.”