Chasing You (1)
While Sonia opened the dormitory door to air out the room, I changed my clothes. The cold wind blowing in from outside made me shiver. “Ugh, it’s cold.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to wear a scarf?”
“That sounds good.”
When I nodded, Sonia held out a black scarf.
“Did I have something like this in my closet?”
“I knitted it myself.”
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
Sonia’s expression turned sulky.
“No, it’s just unexpected. I’ve never received a gift from my parents or siblings. Man, this is my lot in life. What kind of family would give me such a heartfelt present?”
“Then why don’t you marry me?”
“Who’s going to have the baby?”
“Since this body is what it is, you’ll have to give birth, young master.”
“That’s quite the novel method.”
Sonia wrapped her arms around my neck. Her face drew close. With a rustling sound, the area around my neck began to warm up.
“The weather today is clear.”
“No trouble, then.”
In Outer Deity Slaughter, there was always a description of storm-like weather disasters before any major incident occurred. Since the sky was clear, nothing dangerous would happen for a while.
“We’ll be saying goodbye to this planet soon, won’t we?”
“Nothing’s confirmed yet. Still, I don’t know how long we’ll be here, so I should take in as much as I can with my eyes.”
Living in prison had made waking up at six in the morning a habit. I left the dormitory early. I wanted to leisurely enjoy the daily life I hadn’t experienced in a long time in the empty classroom. But that thought soon shattered into pieces.
“Are you Idel von Rheinland?”
“We’re from the Southern Public Broadcasting. If you don’t mind, we’d like to request an interview regarding the paper you published this time!”
“Could you briefly explain the content of the paper you wrote while attending Academia?”
“What’s your relationship with Professor Feynman?”
The moment I stepped out the front door, reporters who had been hiding as quiet as mice swarmed toward me. Their determination to get an interview was fiercer than my resistance. I tried to close the door, but one reporter blocked it with his hand. His eyes were filled with passion and madness. Coming here without even emailing first—worst case scenario.
“Young master, you’ve made it big.”
“If this is making it big, I’d rather stay a lifelong bum.”
As I spoke, I counted the reporters by eye. Roughly fifty. If I answered all their questions, I’d definitely be late. People who showed up without emailing weren’t going to give up on the interview for my convenience, so I had to make a decision.
“Hoo.”
I pulled out the calipers.
I moved my steps quickly. Covering my nose and mouth with the scarf Sonia had given me and my eyes with the paper I happened to have in my pocket. Perfect. As a disguise, it couldn’t be better. I was walking slowly toward the classroom like that when—
Thud. An arm landed on my shoulder. It was too bold to be Rustila, and a bit heavy to be Seti. Surely not.
“Professor, how are you?”
“What? It was just Welton……”
“Who did you think it was?”
“A reporter.”
Welton Yusford. One of my classmates, always wearing sporty sunglasses year-round. He patted my shoulder and handed me the sunglasses.
“What the hell happened during break that’s got everyone so worked up? The reporters are dying to get their hands on you.”
“Ah, that’s—”
“Forget it, no need to go into detail. Who could possibly understand what an Outer Deity does anyway!”
He was teasing me about having gone to Alcatraz.
“Just so you know, I came out with a normal verdict.”
“A normal student at Academia who covers his own face with his paper and goes ‘Heh heh, my disguise is perfect’? Even regular geniuses don’t pull weird stunts like that, mister. And if you’re normal, then everyone here is abnormal, abnormal.”
Welton joked around and let go of my shoulder. I put on the sunglasses he’d given me.
“Alright, look around while wearing those.”
There were more than a few outsiders wandering around the campus.
“That person’s a reporter from outside, that kid’s a reporter from the Academia newspaper club. And that person……”
“A professor.”
“A professor? What’s a professor doing at Academia?”
“I wouldn’t know that.”
It wasn’t just the entrance. The campus was dangerous too. If I got caught, it would become a hassle in an instant. I parted ways with Welton, who said he was going to eat breakfast, and headed for the classroom.
“Um, are you Idel……!”
And there was an ambush waiting.
“Cough, cough.”
The first day of the second semester. Zernya had arrived at the classroom earlier than anyone else. Having come in first, her confidence that she would also take first place in the rankings this semester was soaring. Just then, someone entered.
“Excuse me, is Idel here? Is Idel von Rheinland here?”
“Who are you?”
“Oh, there was a student after all. Hello! I’m Sophia, a reporter from the Interstellar Daily!”
Strange. Why would an outside reporter be here?
“What’s going on?”
“I’m here to interview Idel von Rheinland, who attends this school.”
“……Idel, that guy?”
“Huh. Are you perhaps in the same class?”
“Yeah. Well……”
Zernya answered curtly. Then she belatedly realized she’d made a slip of the tongue.
“Lucky! I was actually wondering if this was the right place. Now I can finally do the interview! Heh heh heh heh!”
And so Sophia’s praise of Idel began.
“Everyone will know what an incredible achievement Idel has accomplished. He’s the originator of the theory that indirectly repaired the Southern Ether Belt!”
“……”
“That’s why the preference for the physics department in this year’s college courses has risen so much! It’s a difficult path for me, a path only geniuses can walk…… but doesn’t that make it all the more romantic? Right?!”
Idel, Idel, Idel. It was all the same story, and it was poison to Zernya. Until the end of the first semester, the gap between him and her had been minimal. It had been a level she could catch up to. But the moment Idel wrote that one paper—and in prison, no less—the balance had completely tipped.
“So, as I understand that paper……”
Grind. Zernya gritted her teeth and stood up.
“Oh, where are you going?”
“Bathroom for a second.”
Bang! Zernya slammed the door shut and stepped out. In front of her was a boy.
“……Huh?”
The voice slipped out unconsciously. Aside from being slightly hoarse from a cold, it was still a beautiful tone. Zernya’s gaze quickly swept over him. Eyes, sharp intelligence. Hair, glossy. Clothes, a black scarf. Zernya sharpened her gaze.
“Zernya, you came early.”
“Move.”
“You have to accept my greeting.”
“Who’s greeting someone like you?”
“Not happy to see me?”
She was actually a little happy. But not knowing the reason made her even angrier at herself. Idel shrugged and walked into the classroom.
And immediately suffered misfortune.
“Hello!”
“Ah.”
Because he’d been caught by the reporter who had been lying in wait in the classroom, triggering a forced interview event.
Zernya turned her steps and glanced inside the classroom.
“Please just answer a few questions. Then I’ll be on my way. First……!”
No matter what, she was curious. What on earth had Idel done during break to cause such a fuss? He’d accomplished something that shouldn’t have been possible by common sense.
If she stole that know-how and made it her own, she could do even better.
Then all the scolding she’d received from her family for being second place would turn into praise. Zernya imagined such a blissful future.
“Eh, achoo.”
Even after taking that much medicine, her head was still foggy.
“……Then the third question. What are your future academic plans? For example, when and which school’s which department you’ll enter.”
“Well, nothing’s confirmed, so I don’t really know.”
Idel scratched his chin and spoke awkwardly.
“What about early graduation?”
“I’m planning on it.”
Planning on it.
At those words, Zernya’s heart sank.
“I heard early graduation from Stellarium Academia is extremely difficult. Are you confident?”
“I’m going to try, at least.”
Just trying.
There was no confidence in Idel’s words.
But the results from last semester showed otherwise. If Idel set his mind to it, he could easily graduate early.
No.
She couldn’t let that happen.
From college onward, they would each choose their majors and walk their own paths, and then Zernya and Idel wouldn’t be able to compete in the same subjects.
Her goal was the medical department. And if Idel continued like this—
“Your future aspiration is obviously that, right?”
“Yes. I’m going to the physics department.”
He was going to study pure science that didn’t even make money.
But still.
No matter how good a paper he wrote, if she crushed him in exam scores, wouldn’t that mean she was superior?
- Get first place this semester no matter what.
- Zernya, the world only recognizes first place.
Her parents’ words. At the same time, a scolding.
She chewed over the advice she’d heard until she was sick of it during break. She swallowed the defeat from last semester along with it.
Betting the family’s honor and her personal pride.
This time, she had to win.
“Idel, I baked cookies. In the western region planets, there’s a culture of giving white cookies to people who’ve been released from prison.”
“Thanks, Rustila.”
“You idiot older brother. I told you the day before not to go first and leave me behind, didn’t I?”
“Ah, I forgot.”
“Writing a paper after going to Alcatraz? Don’t tell me you bribed the professor……!”
“You seem all better, Christine.”
“Idel, you piece of trash?”
“No, kiddo.”
There were many people around him. Regardless of gender, most of the class members showed interest in him. Of course, there were also suspicious glances wondering if he really wrote that paper, but even that was interest. On the other hand, no one came near Zernya.
She was rather glad.
Because it meant she wouldn’t be disturbed while studying.
“Everyone, it’s been a while. Thanks for staying alive.”
“Teacher, is your arm okay?”
“I miraculously succeeded in reattaching it. I almost had to live as a cyborg, you know?”
Homeroom time.
Even while homeroom teacher Kendra and the students were catching up, Zernya was scribbling with her pen.
“Cough, cough.”
She coughed, but it was fine.
She’d taken medicine, so she could hold out until she got home.
“Idel, you did a lot. In my ten years of teaching, you’re the first student like you.”
“No. It wasn’t me. Professor helped a lot.”
“Kid. Stop being modest.”
Kendra grinned and stepped forward.
“And that kind of kid is secretly reading a paper during homeroom?”
“Excuse me?”
“Hand it over.”
“Ah, no, I was playing a game.”
“Where do you get off lying?”
The students burst into laughter. Only Zernya turned around with a stiff expression.
“Let’s see. The title is…… ‘On Graviton Detection Methods Using Supersymmetry Pair Distribution Analysis’? The title alone is intimidating. Can you even understand something like this if you read it?”
“Honestly, I don’t really know what it says.”
“Still, it’s impressive. No, but you can’t secretly read during homeroom or class. During class, you should focus on the teacher’s lesson. No matter how much advanced study you’ve done, it’s important to build a solid foundation.”
Idel nodded.
Zernya couldn’t help but feel puzzled. He had the ability to write a paper as first author in a good journal, so why was he accepting advice from a mere Academia teacher?
“And Seti is…… what are you doing again. Stocks?”
“No?”
“I told you my eyes can’t be fooled, right? How is this possible? This kind of return rate? Hold on. Tell me about that stock too!”
Zernya, gripping her pen as if she would break it, let out a groan. She was too dizzy. It might be because of the cold. Plus, she’d spent two whole months studying and practicing swordsmanship without proper sleep. She needed to rest at some point…… No. She had to beat Idel. This semester, without fail. Zernya’s eyes slowly closed. But she endured. Supporting her forehead with her hand, she stayed conscious.
“Alright, kids. Listen carefully from now on, because this is an announcement.”
Kendra, who had returned to the podium, made an announcement to the entire class.