Chapter 28

Chapter 28

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 28: Passing (2).

[‘The God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ places the highest value on knowledge and wisdom. With a hint of regret, she genuinely congratulates you on your Stellarium acceptance as an apostle.]

[Notice: Please accept your quest reward!]

As soon as the message window appeared…

Woong.

…a watch vibrated.

“It seems it’s here.”

Zelnya was the first to react, shifting her focus from us to the screen as if the argument that had just occurred was of no consequence.

[Acceptance Notice]

[Name: Zelnya von Unt zu Adelwein]

[Student is hereby notified of their acceptance into our Academia’s program.]

Though mirrored, one word was clear in the projection:

Acceptance.

It was expected.

“Could it be, already…?”

Rustila, catching on late, widened her eyes in surprise. Truthfully, I hadn’t known the acceptance announcement would be today either.

“Ah!”

Rustila’s face lit up.

[Name: Rustila Kersil]

[Student is hereby notified of their acceptance into our Academia’s program.]

She too had passed.

“The written test was a close call…!”

Rustila, tapping my shoulder repeatedly, beamed a radiant smile. Her face was as fresh as a flower blooming in a field.

With this, Rustila had taken the first step towards realizing her dream.

“You’ve put in a lot of effort.”

I had a great fondness for people like Rustila.

Because I was one of them too.

-Jinsu, graduate school, you say? What does that mean?

-I’ve passed!

-Jinsuuuuu!

Uh, is this a slightly different story?

Anyway, the attitude of achieving one’s goals despite distractions around is indeed commendable.

Seeing Rustila’s smile made me feel uplifted too. It seemed she could finally show a bright face.

However, a gap remained.

[Note: Honors Scholar]

Such a word was additionally present on Zelnya’s acceptance letter.

Honors Scholar.

An honorable title available to those ranked from 2nd to 10th among the numerous academy freshmen.

In other words, it signifies that her entrance test scores were exceptionally high.

Indeed, Zelnya might have a challenging personality, but she excels academically.

Yes, academically. In fact, she is outstanding in everything except her personality.

But what does this mean?

“Uh…?”

Zelnya’s eyes, scanning the note, dimmed.

Swish.

She quickly turned off her screen, then alternately looked at me and Rustila with a look of bewilderment in her amethyst eyes.

Zelnya focused her gaze on me for a long time.

“…You, what about you? Did you pass?”

Silence fell.

The corners of Rustila’s lips drooped. Zelnya’s eyes filled with cunning. Having checked the pass/fail status on my phone instead of a watch, I found myself sighing between the two of them.

[Name: Aidel von Reinhardt]

[Student is hereby notified of their acceptance into our Academia’s program with excellent grades.]

[Remarks: Top Scholarship Student (Valedictorian)]

Should I tell them or not?

After a moment of thought, I decided against it. I didn’t want to be stuck with Zelnya any longer than necessary, especially in this stifling atmosphere.

Eventually, Zelnya would find out. There was no need to inform her now. I gave a bitter smile.

“You failed?”

Zelnya asked with a sneering smile. Anxiety and doubt. I could sense both emotions in her gaze.

“Looking at your face, you must have failed.”

Step.

She took a step closer.

“W-who are you?”

It was Rustila who intervened.

“Why are you approaching my friend and spouting whatever you please?”

Rustila, uncharacteristically, snapped at her. Her sense of justice had come to my defense.

“I have no interest in losers. Move aside.”

“…Aren’t you being too harsh?”

Zelnya’s offensive and Rustila’s defense.

An awkward situation.

I just wanted to slip away and take a break, but the two seemed likely to argue longer than expected.

I decided to collect the reward from the Outer God to sort out my thoughts.

[Congratulations, You can now use the SAN Parameter!]

SAN Parameter.

SAN, derived from the first three letters of Sanity, signifies mental strength.

In other words, the SAN parameter is an additional feature of the status window that allows viewing a character’s mental strength.

It’s an ability the protagonist acquires in the latter half of the story. The acquisition of this ability marks the point where a sliver of hope appears in the novel.

Characters who should have gone mad don’t, and characters who should have died, don’t.

It’s an important measure. A module that can change the future.

The Outer God, Cartesia, has granted me this function early in the story.

[Using SAN Parameter (Lv.1).]

Rustila Kersil

160/1500

Characteristics: Mental strength maximum is about 500 higher than that of an average person.

Mental State: She is happy with the situation given. She is feeling a slight affection towards you.

Zelnya Adelwein

340/1000

Characteristics: Possesses ‘Distorted Self-Esteem’ (Lv.2 required to check additional information)

Mental State: She is unable to accept the current situation. She is feeling considerable curiosity towards you.

The SAN Parameter uses the same scale as the Pron Number (PN), with a higher value indicating a greater likelihood of mental breakdown.

Currently, at level 1, it allows for understanding only simple characteristics or mental states.

The level can be increased somehow.

Then, more detailed information can be obtained, such as detailed emotional lines or specific methods to reduce stress levels.

Of course, all these processes come at a cost.

[Notice: 100 Prons have been spent for 1 minute of viewing.]

The longer you view information, the more characters you want to see, the more detailed information you seek, the more prons are consumed.

In other words, this is where paths diverge.

Will you take the ‘Monopoly Route’ and use all the earned Prons for self-enhancement?

Or will you take the ‘Companion Route’, where everyone tries to protect each other’s mental state and help one another?

“…”

There’s no need to see this.

I turned it off and looked at the two of them. They had already left me out and were arguing amongst themselves.

“Don’t pick a fight with Aidel.”

“Why are you interfering?”

“Because you are picking on my friend for no reason.”

“Ah, this is picking a fight? I didn’t know.”

“You look like you have no friends.”

“That’s none of your business.”

In the original work, the two of them had bad ties.

And reality was following that.

“Sorry, Aidel. Were you waiting? Let’s go.”

Thinking further argument was futile, Rustila grabbed my arm and tried to leave the park.

And then.

“Where do you think you are running off to?”

Seeing this, Zelnya quickly followed us with an irritated face.

“Did you pass or not? Just tell me that.”

“Run.”

Rustila walked even faster, turning into a straight run.

My heart and lungs felt like bursting. My veins screamed. Rustila’s speed was beyond imagination.

While running at full speed, Rustila asked me softly,

“…Aidel, I am curious too.”

Whispering softly.

“I will tell you… when we get back.”

“When we get back…?”

I nodded.

[‘The God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ nods at your wise choice.]

[You have received 100 Pron!]

“Yah! Where do you think you are going!”

Rustila and I finally managed to shake off Zelnya and returned to our lodgings.

It happened just as we were about to step into the first-floor lobby.

“Miss!”

Androids tasked with guarding Rustila swarmed around us like a cloud.

“Oh my, Miss. Where have you been?”

“More importantly, look at the sweat! You must go and shower immediately. You might end up sick if you don’t!”

“What exactly did you two get up to… perhaps?”

[100 pron used to use ‘SAN Parameter (Lv.1)’]

Rustila Kersil

200/1500

Mental State: Annoyed by the interference of the androids.

Even as harsh words were exchanged with Zelnya, the mental strength score barely fluctuated. However, now it surged by 40 points.

This is not good.

As Rustila’s mental strength status became visible, her expression turned somber.

I stepped forward to speak on her behalf.

“Do we really need permission to exercise?”

“For Miss Rustila, yes.”

Zermel responded.

“Miss Rustila is the sole heir to the Kersil family. We must protect her at all costs. It’s an order from the family head…”

“And yet, you were completely bested by me.”

“That—”

“If you’re going to strike, do it with the refreshing vigor of Sonia.”

The androids were taken aback.

“Rustila has already passed the Stellarium entrance test.”

“Ah, Miss did…?”

Shock registered on the androids’ faces, their artificial muscles tensing. There was something peculiar about these 4th generation models.

“Yes, now Mr. Zermel has no obligation to protect or care for her.”

“Even so, to suggest we have no duty to protect her… isn’t that a bit extreme?”

“In the Stellarium, students must learn to be independent. One might collapse from exhaustion while studying, catch a cold due to failing to adapt to climate changes, or even bleed from sword practice.”

“T-that cannot be permitted!”

“Then should she decline her acceptance?”

Faced with my argument, the androids fell silent. They recognized this was not a decision within their purview. The Stellarium was too prestigious an institution to turn down.

“Please step aside, we need to bathe now.”

Covered in sweat, I longed for a wash with water and some rest.

I waved my hands, parting the androids as I made my way through.

At that moment…

Rustila Kersil

150/1500

Mental state: Due to the recent events, she is experiencing significant… (additional input needed)

Just before the minute was up, I checked Rustila’s mental strength score and deactivated the parameter.

“Let’s go.”

A moment ago, it had been Rustila holding my wrist.

Somehow, this time, I found myself gripping Rustila’s wrist, leading the way.