Rivals at the Bedside
Rustilla had no female rivals worth mentioning when it came to Eidel. Sonia was an android, and Seti was his little sister. Aside from those two, there simply weren’t any women close to him. She had been confident that even if she revealed her hidden feelings after entering college, it wouldn’t matter—until some thieving cat tried to snatch him away.
“Get away from Eidel,” Rustilla said coldly.
“Who do you think you are?” Zernya replied, unfazed.
“Young Master.” Sonia couldn’t hide her discomfort.
A heavy silence settled over the infirmary. In that tense, explosive atmosphere, Eidel suddenly covered his mouth.
“Cough, cough, cough, cough!”
“……!”
“Young Master!”
“Eidel!”
It was a long, violent coughing fit that sounded like he might choke. The three girls flinched in shock. Eidel, who had been quietly eating his stew, rolled his eyes back and collapsed backward.
“Eidel, Eidel!” Rustilla screamed and rushed forward. Sonia’s eyes widened as she froze in place.
“Stay with me, Eidel!”
“Miss, look at the IV line!”
“Blood… there’s blood……”
Blood was flowing backward through the tube. Zernya frowned. He’s faking it. Still, the backflow needed to be handled.
The main bag and antibiotics are both empty. The regulator’s open too. Air’s already reached below the flow controller, so I can’t replace the IV with my current skills. In that case……
“Bring me gauze!”
The only option was to remove the needle. Zernya wiped her hands as clean as possible, peeled off the tape, put on gloves, pressed gauze to the site, and carefully withdrew the needle.
“What are you doing?”
“Go get the school nurse. Hurry!”
“Where is she?!”
“In the cafeteria next door!”
Zernya barked the order. Rustilla, thinking only of saving Eidel, bolted outside. Once she was gone, Zernya tidied up the lunch basket and set it aside.
“Hey. Get up.”
Zernya poked Eidel. After three minutes of rolling his eyes, he grinned and sat up as if nothing had happened.
“Young Master, are you all right……?”
“Cough. Yeah.”
Sonia sank to the floor.
“Prepare yourself for a serious scolding once you recover.”
“Oof.”
Zernya set down the stew spoon and packed her things.
“I can’t stay any longer today.”
She felt a twinge of regret. After listening to Eidel’s gentle warning to take care on the way back, she gave him a crooked smile and returned to the dorm.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.
Her heart was pounding belatedly.
“Haa.”
She had seen through the act immediately, yet she had nearly turned pale along with the other two. Making accurate judgments while treating a patient—even if she was still an outsider to the field and it hadn’t been a real emergency—shook something deep inside her.
After all, while everyone else had panicked, she alone had stayed calm and done what needed to be done.
“This…… is kind of fun……”
A smile crept across her face without her realizing it. She was already looking forward to next week’s major exploration fair.
Zernya von Adelbein: 30/1000
Psychological State: She is developing feelings for you.
This girl’s affection is skyrocketing.
“Young Master, why exactly did you pretend to faint earlier?” Sonia asked, her dissatisfaction clear.
“Because Rustilla and Zernya can’t be allowed to fight.”
“Lady Adelbein has a terrible personality. She is not someone you should keep close. If she fights with Lady Rustilla, just let them.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“Sonia.”
“Yes.”
“If I enter the graduate program this semester, who do you think will take first place in our class?”
“Lady Adelbein, most likely.”
“What do you think Zernya will do if she regains the top spot in this condition?”
“Well…… she’ll act the same as before.”
“Seti and Rustilla will have a hard time. No matter what, Zernya will torment the two of them, and if things go wrong, she might even act rashly toward the professors. She’s outstanding in many fields and has her family’s backing, so she’ll definitely try something.”
“Ah……” Sonia sighed and nodded.
“Currently, the only person who can keep Lady Adelbein in check is you, Young Master Eidel. You’re the same age and overwhelmingly superior.”
“To put it bluntly, yes.”
“Before that, we must…… discipline her.”
“……Thoroughly.”
Sonia bowed her head.
“As expected, Young Master, you see far ahead. You are not only excellent at research but also at politics.”
“Politics, huh……”
I burst out laughing. My lungs stung like they were pricked by thorns, but I ignored it.
“I’ve never done politics at this age.”
“Wherever there are people, there is politics. Mastering the art of personnel management and the study of kingship is something the head of the Rheinland family, where power struggles exist, must be capable of…… Ah.”
I waved my hands frantically.
“Young Master, don’t tell me……”
“Sonia. Do you know how much our family’s assets are worth?”
“A little over two quintillion credits, I believe.”
“If we poured all of that in, could we build a Graviton Bomb?”
“……Probably not.”
“What about three quintillion?”
“……No.”
“Then what about five quintillion?”
“……No.”
“So how much would we need?”
I got up from the bed and slipped on my slippers. Meeting Sonia’s flustered gaze with my weary body, I asked,
“H-how much…… about ten quintillion, I suppose.”
“Really?”
I pulled Sonia into a hug. The embrace felt impossibly soft and warm for an android.
“Sonia.”
“Ah, y-yes. Please speak.”
“When I’m gone, tell my sister what I just said. Keep saving money diligently, and between siblings……”
“Eidel?”
“Cough, cough!”
Of all times, Rustilla chose that moment to return. I grabbed Sonia and pretended to collapse sideways.
“Your cough is quite severe. We’ll need to give you an expectorant and let you rest more.”
Professor Tiervel replaced the IV and handed over medicine. Rustilla’s eyes were red-rimmed.
“What about that Zernya girl?”
“She left.”
“She’d better not come back. I’ll give her a proper scolding.”
It seemed their relationship would take time to improve. That day, Rustilla stayed by my side until dawn, watching to see whether Zernya would return or not. I nearly burst from eating all the lunchboxes she had brought.
***
The next day, Zernya came to see me while Rustilla was away.
“She’s not here, right?”
She glanced around like a wary wolf before stepping inside. She had brought a basket filled with medicine, wet towels, heat packs, and various other items.
“Since you nursed me, it’s only proper that I nurse you. You’re not stupid enough to not understand that……”
Psychological State: She wants to stay with you.
“The bet has already begun. You’d better be prepared.”
Psychological State: She hopes you recover quickly.
How had things ended up like this? Every single one of Zernya’s actions was making Sonia uncomfortable. Because Zernya had taken over every task Sonia was supposed to do—including feeding him and changing his clothes. Her care was so devoted that there was nothing to be done about it.
“I acknowledge your skill in nursing. There’s no room for me to intervene.”
“Well, isn’t that obvious?”
“Zernya. In times like that, you just say ‘thank you.’”
I taught the smug Zernya how to use polite language. Most of it would probably go in one ear and out the other, but at least some of it would stick.
“It would be nice if you were a little more careful with your words.”
“Don’t lecture me.”
“You’re cute, so all you need is humility. Then everyone will like you.”
“I told you not to say pointless things.”
“I don’t know if I should say this, but people need to be humble.”
“……”
Psychological State: She is shaken.
“Have you ever heard the saying ‘an open mind leads to understanding’?”
“Are you looking down on me right now?”
Psychological State: She is greatly shaken.
“If you’ve been harsh until now, you can afford to be warmer from now on. Then something will definitely change. It’s awkward for me to say this myself, but think long-term about life.”
It was the kind of bland advice that would make people call me an old man. Thanks to Zernya’s devoted care, my symptoms quickly subsided. The fever broke on the second day, leaving only a lingering cough, tongue ulcers, tonsillitis, and pharyngitis. My head felt slightly foggy. All symptoms had eased by the fifth day.
The moment I heard Professor Tiervel say I could be discharged, Zernya puffed up her chest and declared,
“I lasted a week. You only five days.”
“So what?”
“I win.”
“At what?”
“It means my medical talent surpasses yours. If you’re still thinking of switching to the medical department, you might as well give up now. I’ll be better than you there.”
“I’m not going. I’m not going.”
“……”
As I packed my things, I asked,
“Isn’t today that major exploration thing?”
“It’s the Major Experience Fair, Young Master. It’s an event where college and graduate students from Stellarium come to let us experience each department’s major.”
“Sounds fun.”
We left the building and climbed the hill. From early morning, people were bustling about, setting up tents.
“I heard it runs all weekend. You can take your time and look around whenever you’re free.”
“Let’s go check it out now.”
With Sonia in tow, I slowly descended the hill.
“The medical and engineering departments are already swarming with students.”
“Because employment rates are high.”
“But that alone doesn’t explain the phenomenon.”
Sonia pointed to a booth tucked away in the corner. Dozens of people were gathered beneath a sign that read Department of Physics and Astronomy, deep in conversation.
“Honestly, we’re at a disadvantage.”
“What exactly do you mean?”
“We never even got the chance to introduce our lab to that student. If someone’s interested in cosmology, they could just as easily be interested in our solid-state theory lab, couldn’t they?”
“Student Eidel came to me. He’s been my disciple from the very beginning.”
“That’s just your opinion, Professor. He’s still a young student. We should introduce him to the various fields of physics and give him the opportunity to experience different labs.”
“Excuse me!”
“Professor Frederick is right. At the very least, there should be time for lab rotations so it’s fair for everyone.”
It was an argument. Yet strangely, every face looked familiar. More than that, there were no undergraduates—only professors.
“That aside, why have professors from other academies come? Student Eidel has already decided to enroll at Stellarium!”
“That assumes college and graduate school are the same place.”
One female professor spoke with a brain-cell-melting smile. Her gaze held even more venom than Zernya’s.
“Professor Stranoff, why are you doing this to me?”
“Who knows, Professor Feynman.”
Leaving them like this would only sour the atmosphere, so I stepped forward. Approaching Professor Feynman, I greeted him.
“Hello, Professor.”
“Student Eidel!”
“Lord Rheinland!”
“Student!”
“Student, is your cold better?”
Why did a dozen people answer when I only called one?
“What brings you professors here?”
“Because we knew you’d come this way.”
So they had been openly waiting for me? A chill ran down my spine. Looking closely, the professors’ eyes were ominous—sharp and fierce, like wolves eyeing prey.
“Slurp.”
What was that sound just now?
“Student. I’m sorry, but there’s something I must tell Student Eidel.”
“Please speak. What is it?”
“That is……”