Chasing You (4)
Zernya let out a short laugh. “You’ve lost your mind.” Even so, graduate school was a step too far. She’d seen people enrolled in the graduate program before. They looked as if they’d been possessed by an Outer God. “You’ve been coming in and out of my hospital room just to deceive me?”
“It’s not deception. It’s a proposal. You’re smart enough to know that.”
Smart. That single word nearly swayed her. Zernya regained her composure and snorted. If she were truly smart, she wouldn’t even consider it. Except for a freak like Eidel, of course.
“If we both go to graduate school, we could even play ‘Who Gets Their Doctorate First.’”
“Don’t provoke me.”
“Weren’t you the one obsessed with winning?”
“Stop testing me.”
Zernya coughed and continued. “I’m not stupid enough to lose my judgment.”
“So you say.”
Eidel let out a long sigh. He sounded relieved. He patted Zernya’s shoulder and smiled. “Let’s hope you keep that state of mind.”
After that day, Eidel kept visiting the health room. He took care of everything. When she asked for food, he brought it. When she told him to tidy the bed, he did. Any complaint was handled immediately. Why was he being so attentive?
Thump, thump. Her heart pounded loudly.
“The deadline is tomorrow.”
Zernya sighed as she looked down at her tattered career survey form.
“What, still stuck?”
“……Why are you here again?”
“I was worried you were still sick. Not doing it?”
Truthfully, her symptoms had eased by the fourth day. She had simply been dragging it out to annoy Eidel.
“If you’re worried about your future……”
“I’m telling you in advance, I’m not going to graduate school.”
“No, I mean just fill it out and submit it.”
Zernya raised her middle finger. The career survey wasn’t that important academically, but she knew it mattered for life. Zernya wanted a perfect life, and to achieve that, she had to settle things with this form right here.
“What if I show you mine?”
“Yours……?”
Eidel grinned and pulled out a clear file. “My career survey.”
“Give it. Let me see!”
Like an orca leaping to the surface for air, Zernya shot up from the bed and reached for the file. But a full forty centimeters of height difference stood between them. Simply raising his hand made the answer sheet unreachable.
“Give it……!”
“Say ‘please’ instead of ‘give it.’”
For a moment, it felt as if her head had been slammed onto an anvil. Please? Please??? She would rather die than say it. No, she couldn’t say it! For the heir of the Adelbein family to utter those words was the same as being told to go die.
“If you’re not giving it, just leave.”
“I’ll give it if you say please.”
“Get out.”
Zernya turned her head. She had no intention of conversing with a reactionary terrorist making empty threats. Yet the merciless flow of time, which leads all to inevitable death, crept closer and tightened its grip on Zernya.
Tick, tock.
“H-hurry up and hand over the file.”
“Say please.”
“A-at this rate the sun will rise.”
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
“I said say it nicely! Quickly!”
“Please.”
“Time is passing—!!”
The sun peeked over the ridge. Only 120 minutes remained until morning assembly.
“Just let me see it once…… please.”
The standoff between the terrorist and the Adelbein officer ended in the officer’s defeat. Grinding her teeth, Zernya bowed her head. She extended both hands as if receiving an imperial edict from the yellow-eyed emperor.
“Damn it, damn it. Why am I doing this……!”
She had never once asked anyone for a favor. She had always been able to do everything herself. Even her parents were inferior to her, so she had never acted spoiled. Yet now she was asking for the first time. Acting spoiled for the first time. And to the very classmate she most wanted to beat.
“You bastard! This is humiliating!!”
With reddened eyes, she filled out the survey while referencing Eidel’s answers. As expected of someone who wrote papers as first author, his responses were outstanding. Two hours passed. Except for one question she had rushed through due to lack of time, she had somehow filled everything in. It wasn’t satisfying, but it wasn’t lacking either. Since she had copied from the best answer sheet, it was second place. If quantified, it would be a second-place survey.
“Good work, cough.”
“……?”
“Huh?”
Eidel began coughing.
***
The positions had reversed. Zernya had recovered, and Eidel had fallen ill.
“Young master. Lady Rustilla and Lady Seti are worried. They said they’ll come visit soon……”
“It’s fine, cough, you’ll catch it.”
The basic symptoms of the flu were similar for everyone. Headache, cold sweat, sore throat. Tiverbell sighed and asked, “Didn’t you get vaccinated?”
“The vaccine costs, cough, how much, cough, exactly……”
“I hate to say this, but the Rheinland family is a prestigious medical lineage. It’s not like you lack money or vaccines. Why didn’t you get one?”
“With that money, cough, I could add it to research funds, cough.”
“The virus has reached your brain.”
Cartesia, who had been enjoying a leisurely tea time in Eidel’s mind, flinched. “Enough. Rest.”
Eidel was confined to the health room.
“Tsk.” Zernya clicked her tongue. It was his own fault. Who told him to nurse a sick person? He wasn’t a medical professional or family. She stretched her stiff body and stepped out onto the small sports field. It had been a while since she’d breathed fresh air, and it felt refreshingly chilly. She walked slowly along the track, intending to loosen up her body first. While Eidel was bedridden, she would study hard and catch up on what she’d missed. She wasn’t worried about falling behind. She had the summary notes and study sheets Eidel had brought. Yes, with those, she could easily catch up—
“……”
Her chest ached. Last time it had been “thump, thump, thump.” This time it was “prick, prick, prick.” It felt sharp and sore, as if needles were stabbing her ventricles and atria. It was strange. Zernya had always lived this way. She took others’ sacrifices for her as a given, and they were merely stage props or spotlights meant to highlight her as the protagonist. So she had no intention of pitying Eidel.
“Ha.”
She rubbed the bridge of her nose and looked down at the field below. A familiar face came into view.
“Master, please let me see Eidel just once. He’s sick, isn’t he?”
“That’s exactly why you can’t go. You’re going to become an Omega-rank knight. You should be able to endure not seeing him for a while.”
“Master! Please……”
“Disciple. It’s not a fatal illness anyway. He’ll recover after a few days.”
It was Rustilla and Naier Clark of the Twelve Constellations.
“That person still hasn’t left?”
She had heard that after the Celestine incident, the Twelve Constellations would return to the military. Yet Rustilla and Naier had formed a master-disciple relationship. A hollow laugh escaped her.
“Lady Adelbein!”
It was Sonia. Whatever the urgency, the android was running toward her with a distorted expression. An android, of all things.
“You need to return that scarf before you go.”
Ah. Zernya looked down. No wonder her neck hadn’t felt cold despite the strong wind. She was wearing the black scarf Eidel had given her.
“Return it, please.”
“I don’t want to.”
“I’ll say it again. Return it.”
“Give me your account number.”
“I told you it’s not for sale.”
Sonia’s eyes glowed blue. So she hadn’t been mistaken that day. This android had feelings for her master. Quite fanatically, at that. There was a way to snatch the scarf and run, but that would be too petty. After doing the calculations, Zernya took a step forward.
“The young master is quite ill. He needs the scarf.”
“……I forgot. I didn’t bring my scarf.”
“Lady, your scarf is right here.”
“……”
“Hand over that scarf.”
The android’s piercing gaze shot straight at her. Sonia followed, radiating killing intent as she slowly closed the distance. Having witnessed Eidel being beaten for a week, Zernya sensed mortal danger. If she didn’t hand over the scarf, the android would ignore the Three Laws of Robotics and beat her senseless. Thus, her conclusion.
“F-fine, I’ll give it.”
“Please do.”
“……”
“You must say ‘please.’”
“……Pl, ple—”
“Say it.”
“You filthy bitch.”
Even so, she wouldn’t bow to an android.
***
“What, cough. Why are you here?”
“This.”
In the end, Zernya came to Eidel herself and threw the scarf. The fluttering scarf landed on Eidel’s face. Zernya realized her mistake too late. It was something she had worn for a full week. He would surely smell her scent just by inhaling slightly. Suddenly, her face grew hot. Sonia shot Zernya a sharp glare.
“……So that’s how it is.”
“Hm?”
But well, since the android seemed displeased, it worked out. Sonia quickly retrieved the scarf and said, “Young master Eidel. Do you not smell anything strange in the room?”
Eidel rolled his eyes. He sniffled and replied, “My nose is stuffy.”
“Oh dear, student! Oh dear!”
At that moment, someone burst through the health room door as if to break it. He was about Eidel’s height but looked a dozen years older. He was tall and handsome, and judging by his suit, he was no ordinary person. The man grabbed Eidel’s hand, which looked as if it might wither away, and cried out, “Why did you catch the flu at this time of year, student!”
“P-Professor Feynman.”
“Student. Are you okay? You’re okay, right?”
“Next, paper, topic, over there…… cough cough!”
Eidel pointed to the side table with difficulty. For him, the next two days would be the critical period.
“There, I have twenty-four ideas written for a new paper. Take them, read them, and, cough, commission whichever one you like……”
“Student……”
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Feynman tightly gripped and shook Eidel’s hand. Zernya’s expression went blank. Sonia leaned in and whispered, “He’s the young master’s advisor.”
“What……”
“Things are about to get interesting. Young master Eidel will soon jump to the graduate program. You’ll probably say goodbye before midterms, so have your conversation and leave.”
Sonia’s next words were even more shocking. Eidel was leaving? And for graduate school? Not college?
“……Student Eidel. Actually, besides me, several others came after hearing you were sick. They want to visit briefly. Would it be all right if I called them in?”
Eidel smiled weakly and nodded. “It’s fine. Everyone, come in!”
The next moment, upon seeing the people who entered, Zernya couldn’t help but be startled.