The Top Scorer
Acceptance (3) Rustilla and I agreed to meet in one room after washing off the sweat in our respective lodgings. Since I finished drying my hair faster than she did, I came out first, set the table, and put out some carbonated drinks instead of alcohol.
While we were ordering delivery, Seti stared at me intently. It wasn’t that she disliked the menu in the cart. For a daughter of a wealthy family, Seti was the kind of kid who ate whatever you ordered without complaint.
“Honestly, I can’t believe this.”
“What now, little sister?”
“You got first place?”
I told Seti and Rustilla about passing the exam.
To cut to the chase, Seti had passed as well. Like Zernya, she had been accepted as an honor student. All her hard studying had paid off.
In the end, all three of us had passed, but Seti didn’t seem particularly pleased about it.
“No matter how I look at it, it just doesn’t make sense. How did you pass… and even take first place?”
Her glare was sharp, as if she suspected I had used some underhanded trick.
Of course, I hadn’t resorted to any cheating or forgery.
“Don’t you trust your big brother?”
“Who are you?”
“The pasta will be here in thirty minutes. Keep setting the table.”
“If you had any conscience, you’d do it yourself.”
“Aigoo, I’m too disgusted to touch it. I’ll do it alone.”
I laid out chopsticks, plates, and everything else on the table with a clatter. Three servings. Tonight, the three of us—my little sister, our newly made friend, and I—were planning to eat and drink to our hearts’ content.
The picture didn’t quite feel right, but what could I do? Eating alone with Rustilla would be awkward, and eating alone with Seti would probably kill the conversation. The more people at a party, the better. Especially a celebration for passing an exam. For the record, everyone else in this hotel had failed.
“Little sister.”
“What.”
“You know I feel really sorry toward you, right?”
Seti pulled a bread knife from the drawer and pointed it at me.
“W-what the hell. Who are you?”
“Hey, hey. Put that down and talk!”
“Who are you?!”
Seti lunged at me with the knife again and again. The plastic blade mercilessly pierced my collar…
“You’re still not getting angry?”
“Do I look like the kind of person who’d get mad over something like this?”
“Yeah.”
Seti nodded firmly.
“You used to swear at me the moment you saw my face.”
“……”
“Why aren’t you acting up like before? Now that you’re the top scorer, are you worried about your reputation?”
“Your sarcasm is an art form.”
“You still have a long way to go before you’ve paid me back with interest.”
She was telling me that if I was sorry, I should just stay still. I knew that, yet I let her vent anyway.
Though Eidel and Seti were close in age, there was a seven- or eight-year gap between me, Lee Jinsoo, and Seti. When siblings are only a year or two apart, they often fight like cats and dogs, but when the age difference is five or six years or more, the older brother usually ends up looking after the younger sister.
“Rustilla should be here soon.”
“I know. Since you got first place, you’re paying for everything today, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Hold on. Where did you even get the money?”
I had already taken care of that.
“Check the family account.”
“Huh?”
Seti, who had checked the account like a ghost, blinked in surprise.
There would be exactly sixty million credits in there—no more, no less.
“Where did you get this?”
“I won it gambling.”
“You crazy bastard! Really?”
“No. That was a lie.”
“This little—!”
I nearly passed out from the barrage of Rheinland-style swordsmanship that followed.
“Where did you really get it?”
“My room.”
“What about your room?”
“I sold all the furniture.”
Seti’s expression went blank.
“W-what? You sold the furniture? Are you insane?”
“No. I’m perfectly sane.”
“That much money?”
“It’s my bed brand. The used price is a hundred million. Even with the gold leaf on the corners, it was still expensive.”
“A-anyway, then where are you going to sleep?”
“I probably won’t be going home much anymore.”
“What kind of nonsense is that…”
“The academy is my home now.”
Thud. The bread knife fell to the floor.
“Bullshit. Why, are you going to grad school or something?”
“Yep.”
“You’re just as much of a lunatic as ever.”
“That’s harsh, little sister. You just insulted every grad student in the universe.”
“So what.”
“I can’t stand people badmouthing scholars, even if I let everything else slide. You’d better watch your mouth, little sister.”
Seti responded with sign language. The mountain range she depicted was quite beautiful and profound.
“Hey, I’m here.”
Rustilla arrived at that moment. She had brought over an armful of chicken she had ordered to her own room.
Soon after, the rest of the food we ordered arrived one after another. The party preparations were in full swing.
“Eidel got first place…”
Rustilla muttered in disbelief, still unable to accept it.
Seti, who had already devoured both chicken legs, pointed at me with her pinky finger and replied nonchalantly.
“Now because of this guy, next year’s Stellarium admission scores are going to drop? Just you wait.”
“Huuuh…”
“Seti, you shouldn’t say things like that, even as a joke.”
When Rustilla mediated, Seti couldn’t say anything more. As expected, the three of us having the party together was the right call.
There was also the calculation of building rapport this way.
Seti and Rustilla. Both were important talents. Building relationships little by little like this was necessary work.
Of course, the moment I started thinking of it as work, any chance of treating them comfortably had already gone out the window.
Anyway, while we were chatting, Rustilla suddenly started sniffling.
“What’s wrong?”
“……Sniff, it’s spicy.”
My gaze dropped downward. On Rustilla’s plate was pasta mixed with chopped cheongyang peppers, garlic, and olives.
Judging from the distinctive spicy aroma of the pepper, it must have been quite hot.
Even so, Rustilla seemed to cry easily.
“I heard you cried while reading the literature passage during the written exam.”
“Hey, I told you not to bring that up…!”
Rustilla’s cheeks turned as red as carrots. Seti was busy teasing the blushing Rustilla with a giggle.
Indeed, even without alcohol, minors could get drunk on atmosphere alone.
“Anyway, here’s some water.”
“Ah, thank you…!”
I sucked up the remaining pasta while thinking about what came next.
I had repaid the debt I owed Seti, and I had grown somewhat closer to both girls. Especially Seti—she had acted like she wanted to devour me at first, but now she was joking around and showing a much more relaxed side.
Family relationships were more important than anything. At least for now, gaining the trust of my family members was my top priority.
I had restored my relationship with Seti to some extent, but there was still a long way to go.
Now it was time to pay attention to Eidel’s father, Arnold von Rheinland.
The southern galactic front was a space of death.
Beyond the Ether Belt where humanity could live safely, in the lawless zone, that place was the domain of monsters.
The monsters grew by feeding on the darkness beyond the galaxy. And one by one, they flew toward the spiral arm, toward this place.
It was the duty of soldiers to monitor them.
Even now, countless soldiers stood guard with plasma swords. The moment battle broke out, they threw their lives away like straw and fought against the despair of the universe. In the process, some fell, while others rose again.
Those who became heroes by stepping over their comrades’ corpses were granted two privileges. One was a new insignia, and the other was high-quality equipment.
Rank and equipment.
It was a story that didn’t matter much to the medical officers.
“Teacher Rheinland, good work.”
A large man patted Arnold’s shoulder as if massaging it. Three stars were clearly pinned to his shoulder.
“Lieutenant General Wolfgang.”
Arnold bowed his head to greet his superior. Though the Rheinland family held higher status, rank took precedence in the military. Even though Arnold had no official rank, he was treated as a field-grade officer.
The lieutenant general looked around and expressed his admiration.
“Thanks to your medical skills, many soldiers were able to keep their lives today. I offer my respects on their behalf.”
“This much is nothing.”
“Someone like you should be at the front lines more often… I wonder what everyone else is doing. Tsk tsk.”
Arnold could only manage a bitter smile.
Not carelessly agreeing or disagreeing with others’ words. That was the virtue of a social person. The higher one’s position, the more careful one had to be with their words.
“How is the madam these days?”
“My wife? She’s stationed at the S1104 planetary system.”
“She’s not too far away.”
“It’s not exactly close either.”
“Then why don’t you go together? If a married couple works together, they’d be in sync and it would be more convenient in many ways.”
“Haha.”
Arnold gave a wry laugh.
“Well, I suppose you have your own circumstances. When you stay in a place like this for too long, even a loving couple tends to grow apart. Whether it’s because the work is grueling or because of those Descartes bastards’ mind manipulation.”
“My wife and I are getting along fine.”
“That’s a relief, then. Oh my, look at the time. I should be going now.”
“Loyalty. For the Federation.”
After the high-ranking officer left, Arnold continued to walk around, counting how many soldiers needed surgery dates scheduled.
Even with several bodies, it wouldn’t be enough.
Medical personnel were severely lacking.
There was no time to rest.
While thinking about his busy schedule, the phone he had shoved into his pants pocket rang loudly.
It was a report from the family androids that his child had been accepted to Stellarium.
Arnold focused on Sonia’s report.
Young Master Eidel has been accepted to Stellarium. He is the top entrant.
Attached below the message was a photo of the acceptance notice. Along with Eidel’s exam number and password.
Sonia’s report left no room for error.
Arnold’s eyes widened.
The condition he had set, believing it to be absolutely impossible—that condition had been admission to Stellarium.
Not only had Eidel passed, but he had firmly secured the title of first place.
It was hard to believe, but the evidence was right there. Eidel’s acceptance certificate, which appeared on the academy homepage, was proof of that.
Wiping away the cold sweat, Arnold continued reading the email.
The young master has defeated the child of the Adelbein main family. This is a remarkable achievement.
Head of the family, this is Sonia. As promised, the young master’s expulsion from the family must be canceled or at least postponed. Additionally, you must attend the entrance ceremony together with the madam to grace the occasion.
A promise was a promise and had to be kept. However, Arnold was having difficulty accepting the current situation. No matter how he thought about it, the Eidel he knew didn’t have that kind of ability. At the very least, he needed to confirm it himself.
He shook off his thoughts. Arnold looked around once more. Groaning sounds. Voices calling out parents’ and lovers’ names. Voices desperately searching for doctors and nurses. Moans filled with decay and illness intermittently burst out from here and there.
If he had to choose between his children’s entrance ceremony and the lives of frontline soldiers, the latter was obviously the priority. But if he didn’t devote any more energy to his children, another major incident could erupt within the family.
After much deliberation, Arnold made his decision.