First Paper (4)
The biggest obstacle to publishing a paper is time. Considering the review schedule, everything had to be finished before summer break at the latest. Unfortunately, final exams were only two weeks away. I decided to resort to my last option.
“Little sister.”
“What?”
“Lend me ten million credits.”
Seti, who had been trading stocks on her phone, looked up with a blank expression.
“Ten million credits?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think ten million credits is some stray dog’s name?”
Fortunately, she didn’t kick me out on the spot. She looked like she wanted to hear me out. All those positive interactions we’d built up were finally paying off.
“I’m going to publish something.”
“Publish? What?”
“Something.”
I hadn’t told anyone exactly what paper I was writing. There were three main reasons: one, in case it got rejected—embarrassing. Two, secrecy—to minimize the chance of Outer Deities noticing. Three, surprise. So I had to appeal to her emotions.
“You’re a Stellarium student. If you really need money, just tutor like Meyer did.”
“Meyer?”
“Don’t tell me you forgot? The senior who tutored you in math.”
Ah, right. My future graduate school colleague. If I graduate early this year, we’ll be entering college in the same year next year? Whatever. That wasn’t important right now. Money was.
I begged Seti.
“Sorry, but I don’t even have time for part-time work. I’ll pay you back all at once once everything’s settled. Can’t you just close your eyes and lend it to me?”
“Pay back all at once later…? Don’t tell me you’re planning to borrow more after this?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you insane?”
Borrowing money was like poking at Seti’s trauma—especially when it was me doing the borrowing. So I took drastic measures.
“I’ll write a promissory note. If I don’t pay you back, you can castrate me.”
[+10,000,000 credits have been deposited.]
Somehow, I managed to get the money interest-free. The power of a contract was that strong. Who would refuse when I’d signed a note saying “If I don’t repay by this date, feel free to beat me senseless”?
Of course, writing a promissory note just to borrow money from family wasn’t exactly normal.
“Young master, have you taken on debt again?”
Sonia sighed as she looked at my now-thicker account balance.
“I feel terribly guilty toward Miss Seti on your behalf.”
“I’ll put it to good use.”
“How shameless.”
“Sorry for being shameless.”
Sonia glanced at me sideways. Her expressionless face made it easy to predict what she would say next.
“Gambling?”
“Not even if I die.”
“Then what exactly do you intend to use it for?”
I waved my hands to signal I wouldn’t tell her. Even after that, Sonia kept following me around asking, but I didn’t say a single word.
“I am your exclusive attendant. Yet these days I have no idea what you’re doing, and it’s driving me mad.”
“……”
“Please tell only me. I promise not to report this to the family head.”
“……Really?”
“Really, I promise.”
“No. I’m not telling you. Go away.”
Sonia puffed out her cheeks slightly, looking sulky.
“You really are a scoundrel.”
“Think whatever you want.”
Before I knew it, the sun was beginning to set. While I was thinking about how to allocate the ten million credits, Sonia approached and spoke.
“I’ll prepare dinner for you.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m going out to eat.”
“You even borrowed money, yet you have the luxury of dining out?”
“I do.”
As long as I didn’t spend a single credit on the meal itself.
“Young master, I’ve drawn your bath…… Where are you going!”
I barely managed to shake off Sonia, who had become excessively overprotective lately, and escaped the dormitory. I boarded the shuttle heading for the college planet.
Graviton-Ether Theory Research Lab
Knock knock.
I straightened the creaking lab sign and knocked on the door. Inside, a young researcher was staring intently at his monitor.
“Professor, I’m here.”
“Welcome.”
We exchanged only a brief nod. There was no time for pleasantries.
“The draft is better than I expected. Quite polished for something written by an academy student.”
For an academy student…… In other words, it was a mess. I’d expected as much. There was a specific format the journal required, and I hadn’t followed it at all. Of course, if I had enough time, I could format it properly. But then preparing for finals would become difficult. That was exactly why I’d borrowed the ten million credits.
“Professor.”
I fiddled with the phone containing the funds and said,
“Let’s hire someone. An editor.”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s hire an editor. Someone to proofread and format it.”
***
After afternoon classes ended, the academy students scattered to pursue their own activities. Some studied more, others trained their swordsmanship further. They could play to their hearts’ content or take part-time jobs. The choice was theirs.
James Hendleton, a first-year elite class student, chose part-time work.
“James!”
“Coming!”
The senior editor he was assigned to pointed at the monitor.
“A new proofreading request just came in. Can you handle this one?”
“Understood.”
James was working as an intern at an editing company. Thanks to his diligent and reliable personality, he got along well with everyone. Becoming an excellent editor had been his long-time dream, ever since he was young and loved reading.
“That kid could go full-time later.”
The employees at Mentee and Mentor Editing had their eyes on him. After all, at just seventeen, he had an extraordinary work ethic.
“This is insane! Jackpot! It’s a total jackpot!”
One senior editor was making a huge fuss, practically spitting as he shouted. James’s gaze naturally turned toward the commotion.
“Miss Molly, what’s going on?”
“Look at this! We got a paper proofreading request, and the advance payment is three million credits. Three million!”
“You mean three hundred thousand, right?”
“Team leader, really. Have you ever seen me lie?”
Every employee wore a shocked expression.
“It’s…… really true.”
“An advance like that has to mean something huge, right?”
Mentee and Mentor Editing didn’t only handle regular publications. With the rise of proofreading androids, the traditional publishing editing market had stagnated. To survive, editing companies had to pivot to a different business model. That model was academic papers. Papers required the utmost secrecy and accuracy—areas where androids still had limitations. Human hands remained the standard.
The employees marveled as they double-checked the advance amount.
“Paying this much…… definitely means they want absolute confidentiality, right?”
That wasn’t all.
“The larger the amount, the more it signals they want priority treatment. We should treat this as our top priority.”
“……”
“What are you all standing around for? Form a team right now!”
A proofreading team was quickly assembled for the request. James was included. It was unexpected.
“Is it really okay for me to proofread a paper?”
“You’re smart, James. You don’t need to look up technical terms—just handle the flow and formatting. Oh, and issue the plagiarism check report and proofreading certificate too. You can do it, right?”
“……Ah, yes! Understood!”
James swallowed unconsciously. He still felt inadequate for handling something as difficult as a paper. But he had to do it. It was his job. His superiors were deliberately giving him challenging work to help him gain experience. Moved, James clenched both fists. He would do his absolute best to return the finished product to the client.
Thus, with only one week left until finals, James spent his days studying and his nights immersed in editing, successfully completing the three-million-credit project.
“I’m so happy.”
Finishing a task always brought a sense of fulfillment. James stretched his chest wide and flung open the company door.
“Whoa, jackpot!”
Spittle flew straight at his face.
“Th-they added another three million!”
“What?”
“We got six million credits for a single round of proofreading?”
James, equally shocked, rushed over to his senior.
***
The paper that returned after one week was quite satisfactory.
“The format is properly followed…… At this level, there shouldn’t be any rejection, right?”
“Hmm. As long as the idea is solid, it’ll be published immediately.”
Professor Feynman was confident. This research was going to be a massive success. Hiring a proper service really did save time and reduce stress. Money really was the best.
You need money to do research!
I sent an additional three hundred thousand credits to the editing company as thanks. In total, I’d spent six million credits just to write a twenty-page paper.
“Are you sure this is wise? Spending six million on a single paper…… and on theory, no less.”
“It’ll be worth it.”
I spoke with confidence. Professor Feynman still looked puzzled. He seemed to be thinking it would have been better to invest that money directly into research funds. I understood. But I knew something he didn’t.
Mentee and Mentor Editing
There was an extremely capable colleague there. Slower than AI, perhaps, but accuracy was guaranteed. He was so meticulous that I could trust him without even checking. And that colleague was in the same class as me right now.
For now, I’d commissioned the work so he wouldn’t find out I wrote the paper, but I planned to recruit him later.
“Kuk kuk.”
My mouth was already watering at the thought.
[“I’ve never seen such a deranged human in my life.”]
[— ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ feels profundity from you.]
[— You have received a 3,000 Fron donation.]
I wiped the drool from my chin with my sleeve and came to my senses. This wasn’t the time to be spacing out. I immediately submitted the paper together with Professor Feynman.
And the moment finals began, a major turning point arrived in my life.
The first major obstacle to the Graviton Bomb development plan had appeared.