Chasing After You (3)
Sometimes the film just snaps. A complete cut. Zernya had no memory of why she had been face-down asleep at her desk. The next thing she knew, she was being carried on someone’s back. The height was familiar. The sensation even more so.
“Ack!”
Zernya sank her teeth hard into Aidel’s shoulder.
“…Ugh. What the—? You’re awake?”
“Put me down.”
“Sorry, did you just say put you down?”
“Do I have to repeat myself, cough, or are we doing this the hard way?”
Aidel ignored her entirely and kept walking at a brisk pace. By the time they reached the infirmary, roughly a dozen fresh bite marks decorated his shoulder.
The school nurse, Tierbel, clicked her tongue as she withdrew the thermometer.
“Thirty-nine degrees. That’s a serious fever.”
It was beyond the help of mere pills. Fortunately, the health teacher position at Stellarium Academia was no ordinary post, and the facilities surpassed those of a standard hospital. Tierbel inserted an IV with practiced skill.
“Your body is completely wrecked. Studying is fine, but you need to rest while you do it.”
“But…”
“Rest. While you do it.”
Tierbel leaned in with a mischievous grin. “Yes, yes.”
“Good girl.”
She turned her attention to Aidel next. The bites had been through clothing, so the punctures weren’t deep, but bruises bloomed across his skin in several places.
“Good heavens, who did this to you?”
“I’m not sure. They just… happened.”
Even through her foggy consciousness, Zernya understood that Aidel was covering for her. She still had no idea why.
Whoooosh. A wind like a knife rattled the windowpanes. The infirmary wasn’t especially warm. Despite the medicine, another sneeze escaped her.
“Why did the temperature drop so suddenly…”
Tierbel sighed, sucking on an unlit tobacco leaf as if it were candy.
After a string of misfortunes, Zernya offered, “Could an Outer Deity from the Maxwell faction have slipped inside?”
“An interesting theory. Unlikely, though. The scientists just finished repairing the Ether Belt.”
Tierbel gazed at Aidel with open fondness. Even the school nurse looked at him with respect. I want eyes like that on me too.
Zernya sighed and closed her eyes. All strength bled out of her, the way it does with a lazy cold.
…Of course, it was a real cold.
“No, ma’am. Zernya might actually be right,” Aidel said, breaking his thoughtful silence. “If it’s an Outer Deity that was already inside the belt, it’s not impossible.”
“Hmm. That’s true.”
Tierbel accepted the idea at once. Zernya let out a small laugh. See? I’m right too.
That night Aidel tended to Zernya with absolute devotion. Even after the nurse left past midnight, he remained at her bedside, reading by the soft light. He was too worried to sleep.
“…Why are you even here?”
“If something happens to you in the middle of the night, no one else would be around to help.”
“Cough. Hilarious. What, are you my parent now?”
Her tone was curt, but her heart hammered with joy. The arrhythmia was getting worse. Life really was exhausting.
As night deepened, the temperature plunged further. A single blanket wasn’t enough. Aidel asked Sonia to bring extra blankets and hot packs. He also confiscated Zernya’s sweat-soaked scarf.
“Ah—no! That’s—!”
“I’ve already seen everything anyway.”
The hideous barcode-like pattern of her Artificial Constellation. She had never shown her nape to anyone except her parents; the shame was unbearable. She wanted the scarf back immediately, but she lacked even the strength to reach for it.
Aidel sat her up and gently wiped away her sweat.
“Cough, this is… cough, pathetic.”
“What is?”
“Why are you doing all this for me?”
Aidel gave a small laugh. “Is it not allowed?”
Zernya had no answer.
“Young master, I have brought the blanket and hot packs for Lady Adelbein. I also prepared ginger tea—excellent for a cold.”
“Thank you, Sonia.”
“It is nothing. I placed it in a tumbler, so please drink it slowly as it cools.”
Zernya accepted the small cup and sipped. The sharp yet sweet flavor perfectly mirrored her current state. Her body was miserable, yet her heart felt strangely light. What was this feeling?
“Zernya. Use this.”
Aidel unwound the black scarf from his own neck and draped it over her shoulders. Though smaller in surface area than hers, the fabric was thicker and far warmer.
“Young master, that was the one I knitted for you…”
“Sorry. Let her borrow it for a little while.”
“…Understood.”
Sonia clutched the hem of her skirt and lowered her head.
Of course. Even a tin can can suffer from arrhythmia!
“I’ll go fetch the assignment.”
Sonia shot Zernya a piercing glare. A belated tsk followed. Oh? Zernya had already found the android irritating and had been planning to mess with her at least once.
While Aidel was in the bathroom, Zernya spoke in a hoarse voice.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
Sniiiiff. Zernya buried her nose in Aidel’s scarf as though inhaling the scent of flowers. Sonia’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Wh-what exactly are you doing…?”
Sniiiiff. Haa.
“The material is nice. I should buy one.”
“You may not. That belongs to the young master.”
“What a coincidence. I want to treasure it too.”
Sniiiiiiiiff.
She genuinely liked it. She had expected a musty smell, but the scent clinging to the scarf was strangely addictive. She pressed half her face into the fabric and inhaled like a cocaine addict.
Unable to bear it any longer, Sonia shot to her feet.
“Your behavior is no different from a pervert. Return it at once.”
“I’m a patient.”
“Even so, do not use the young master’s belongings in such a vulgar manner.”
“No, cough. Why are you phrasing it so strangely? How much? I’ll buy it.”
“It is not for sale!”
“In a world where even human hearts can be bought, where is there an item that cannot be sold?”
She wrapped the scarf tighter and inhaled again. The body scent that entered with each breath melted into her lungs like snowflakes.
“The scarf you made is incredible.”
Having executed the legendary “your-scent-is-amazing” maneuver, Zernya wore a victorious smile. In mental warfare, the first to show emotional agitation always loses.
Sonia stepped closer, eyes blazing.
“Listen here.”
Her irises changed color—from white to amber.
“It would be wise to stop, human.”
“Wow. Terrifying.”
It was slightly startling to see the usually polite android suddenly wear such a sharp expression, but she was still just a tin can. An android would never strike a person.
Luckily, footsteps sounded from the hallway.
“I’m back. Sonia, why are you standing there like that?”
“…I was merely adjusting Lady Adelbein’s posture.”
“I could have done that.”
Creak, creak. While Aidel’s head was lowered, Zernya flashed Sonia a triumphant, venomous smile.
The next day her condition had improved somewhat. She wasn’t fully recovered, but she could at least walk a little and hold a pen.
Even so, Aidel continued to wait on her like a devoted servant.
“Why are you doing this?”
She asked the same question as the day before and received the same answer: a gentle smile.
“Write a sick note and rest again today.”
“But school—”
“Rest.”
“That’s not what I mean. I should go back to the dormitory…”
“Rest here.”
Under Tierbel’s pressure she could neither advance nor retreat. After the IV bag had been changed four times and the sun began to set, Aidel returned carrying an armful of materials.
“These are the organized notes from today’s classes. This is the supplementary material—I filled in the blanks. Oh, these are the math and literature assignments due next week, and the announcements from the end-of-day homeroom were…”
One precious piece of information after another poured out. There was almost too much to absorb.
Zernya fell into confusion. What Aidel was doing was the equivalent of handing a fish to a cat. It benefited only her and cost him. After all, she could sexually overpower him any time she—
“…”
Zernya groaned, clutching her throbbing head.
“Later. Tell me later. I’ll look at them myself.”
“All right. Talking about studying while you’re sick must be exhausting. Sorry. Rest well.”
“That’s not what I…”
Thank you. The simple words refused to leave her mouth. She was afraid. Once she said them, she feared she would never be able to return to her old self.
“Nurse. Zernya is acting strange.”
“Has the cold reached her brain?”
Her energy drained away completely. Fine. The idea of the Adelbein bloodline—the most prestigious in the universe—bowing to anyone was ridiculous.
“Just… cough. Give me the career survey.”
“Yes, miss. Here it is.”
Aidel handed it over with a playful flourish.
Name: Zernya von Adelbein. Future aspiration: Doctor. Planned major: Pre-medicine. Particularly good at: Nothing. Because she was good at everything.
But beyond that…
“…Isn’t this ridiculous? Asking someone to fit all their dreams and ambitions onto such a tiny sheet of paper. They should at least say something that makes sense, cough.”
“Actually, you don’t have anything to write?”
“N-no.”
“Then you should fill it out. It’s due next week.”
“Sigh.”
“Rustilla and Seti have already completed theirs.”
“…”
“I submitted mine already.”
“Give me the pen.”
Zernya wrote the first few lines with crisp precision.
Career Aspiration Survey
Q. Why do you want to become a doctor?
A. Because I can earn money and build prestige. Because the college entrance record for this department ranks first every year. Because entering Stellarium’s pre-med program means I am the most outstanding among my Academia peers this year.
Q. Do you have a specific goal you wish to achieve?
A. Next.
Q. Name one person who influenced your career path in childhood and describe how they helped you.
A. Next.
Q. What values do you consider important, and what efforts have you made to uphold them?
A. Next.
Q. How might these values help you achieve your career goals? Please reflect.
A. Next.
It was strange. The further she went, the more questions she couldn’t answer. Her hazy mind made the survey feel like torture. Her head spun like a top.
“This can’t be…”
Impossible. She had prepared so thoroughly for the essay section. She had mastered structuring, chosen timely vocabulary, learned to match tone to occasion. She had done all the preliminary work in tutoring and academies.
“How…”
Why couldn’t she solve them? Had she lived so pointlessly? Had she studied carelessly? Neglected swordsmanship?
Zernya pressed a hand to her forehead, dizzy.
Come to think of it, if she was going to be a doctor, why had she bothered diving so deeply into swordsmanship? She wasn’t pursuing literature, so why had she composed proverbs and recited haiku? Because they appeared on school exams? Well, yes.
“No.”
That couldn’t be right. A heat rose from the depths of her heart.
“Zernya.”
“…”
“Don’t cry over something like this.”
“…Be quiet.”
She set the pen down and lay back. Aidel sighed and opened a thesis. Come to think of it, she couldn’t recall ever reading medical texts with genuine depth. Meanwhile Aidel sat there, clearly enjoying his studies.
Zernya asked softly, “Is it fun?”
“Yeah.”
“Must be nice. I’m jealous.”
She surprised herself. She had believed she had never envied anyone in her entire life. Before her mind could filter the words, her tongue had already spoken the truth.
Belated embarrassment flooded her. Zernya pulled the scarf completely over her nose and mouth.
Aidel chuckled and set the thesis aside.
“You’re jealous of me?”
“…”
“Want to come to graduate school with me?”
Only then did Zernya finally understand the advice the Avatar had given her that day. To be born with heavenly talent and yet willingly become a slave, gladly bending one’s body. Perhaps that was the true meaning of humility.