Chapter 57

Chapter 57

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 57: The First Paper (2).

Engineering research labs are broadly categorized into two types: theoretical labs and experimental labs.

In theoretical labs, research is conducted primarily through the development and analysis of theories. This can involve anything from solving equations by hand to running complex computer simulations.

Conversely, experimental labs focus on conducting physical experiments. This involves creating prototypes, mixing chemicals, and analyzing materials.

“As you might know, Aidel, our lab is a theoretical one,” Professor Feynman explained.

“Does that make it more difficult for us to secure financial support?” I asked.

Professor Feynman rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.

“Currently, Black Spheres are being discovered one by one. I believe about twenty have been found in total.”

“That’s encouraging news.”

“Indeed. However, analyzing the physical properties of these Black Spheres isn’t within our lab’s purview.”

Our role as theoretical scientists is to identify data that existing theories cannot explain and to develop new theories that can encompass these anomalies.

“Is there anything else we can do in the meantime?”

“Actually, the analysis is already complete,” Professor Feynman chuckled, handing me a thick bundle of papers.

“Read this,” he said.

It was a report summarizing the ether belt and black sphere, along with the problems they presented. The report was a hefty 60 pages, but I read it in an instant, thanks to my thought acceleration.

“Have you finished reading?” he asked.

“Yes”.

Professor Feynman smiled, clearly pleased. “Which part did you find most noteworthy or interesting?”

I quickly reviewed my calculations. There were theories in the latter part of ‘SOG’ that would have been useful to know earlier. One of the clues was included in this report.

“The phenomenon of duplication,” I answered, then elaborated.

“After feeding the Black Sphere with ether, it absorbed everything and then re-emitted it. But as you can see from the emission capability, it’s not in the form of electromagnetic waves as one might expect. Something else is being replicated.”

“Wait. You can see that?” he asked, surprised.

“Yes,” I nodded. “The pattern indicates gravitational waves.”

“You understand that much?” he asked, clearly impressed.

“I have a keen interest in such topics,” I said, hinting at my doctoral degree.

“But these aren’t ordinary gravitational waves. There’s noise mixed in.”

“And we have to explain that noise,” Feynman said, nodding in agreement.

Our task was now clear.

The four fundamental interactions that exist in the universe are Gravity, Electromagnetic force, Weak force, and Strong force.

Among these, the electromagnetic force and the weak force have been unified into what is known as the “electroweak force.” This means that, contrary to popular belief, the fundamental forces in nature have effectively been reduced to three.

Further advancements have led to the integration of the strong force with the electromagnetic force. As a result, the forces in nature can now be classified into two categories.

What remains is gravity.

Gravity stands apart, refusing to integrate with the other forces. Despite numerous theories, including string theory, no experimental evidence has yet supported its unification.

Why is this? The reason is quite obvious.

To verify a grand unified theory that includes gravity, we would need a particle accelerator at least the size of the solar system. In other words, we can’t experiment because we simply don’t have the resources for it.

All humanity can do is receive scraps falling from the Outer Gods.

The Black Sphere, a miniature version of a black hole, emitted radiation similar to, yet entirely different from, Hawking radiation.

If only we could understand why this radiation behaves the way it does, it would be a groundbreaking breakthrough in the development of Graviton Bullets.

This discovery absolutely had to be shared with the world.

With that mindset, I hadn’t been to school for a week and had been commuting straight to the lab. (Of course, I’d been sending survival reports to Ceti and Rustila via DM.)

I surely woke up in the morning, but before I knew it, it was evening. I was that busy with work.

“How does it look when you execute it on the computer?”

Skipping meals for lab meetings had become routine.

I sipped my coffee and answered the question.

“The radiation pressure drops sharply after a certain range. It’s completely different from what we predicted until now.”

“What’s the pattern like?”

“It’s decreasing inversely proportional to the sixth power of the distance.”

“Do you understand what that means?”

“It must mean that the Outer Gods live in the seventh dimension.”

“Oh-ho.” Professor Feynman let out a sound of admiration.

“Your intuition is incredible, Aidel. The more I see, the more fascinating you are as a student.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Even for a Stellarium status, seeing an Academia student this outstanding is a first for me.”

Despite his words, the professor seemed less surprised than I had expected.

Naturally. This person is a genius.

Only a genius would think, or rather, could think of employing a high school student as a research lab intern.

Thanks to this, research that should have started during my college years got started right during my Academia time.

A high school student as the first author in an SCI journal? At this rate, I might be able to receive my doctoral degree by the time others graduate college.

The result came soon enough.

“Student Aidel… This seems to be correct.”

It’s been a month since I stopped going to school. After researching to the point of our underwear rotting and getting holes in it, the professor and I finally completed the Hamiltonian describing the gravitational-ether entanglement of the Black Sphere.

This theoretical model would later become the signal flare for the development of Graviton bullets in the future.

It was the emergence of the “Feynman-Reinhardt Model (FR Model).”

“He’s not coming?”

Zelnya gritted her teeth.

Ceti just shrugged, while Rustila could only exhale.

“Why? Do you miss my brother?”

“Miss him? My ass.”

“Then why are you looking for him?”

“That is…” She was at a loss for words.

Right. Why am I looking for him?

“You also didn’t show up for the midterms last week. It must be a similar reason, I guess.”

Ceti’s blunt sarcasm made her widen her eyes.

Immediately after the midterms, Zelnya, unable to bear the embarrassment of her results, had skipped the entire week’s classes. In truth, there wasn’t much to learn from school, so missing them wasn’t a big deal for her.

But that didn’t mean she slacked off at home.

She holed herself up in her room, devising a plan to defeat Aidel. She reviewed her study methods and examined how to allocate her time.

After all, the difference in scores wasn’t that big. If she did well, she could completely turn things around during the final tests.

Having fully recharged her pride, she returned only to find Aidel gone.

Why, exactly?

It was clear she was being mocked.

“……”

Zap. Zelnya glared at Rustila with sharp eyes.

If it weren’t for that woman, she might have been first. The points she lost at the end were too significant to lose the rank.

“Sigh.”

What’s the point of getting angry at someone who’s not even in the first place? Zelnya shook off the thought of picking a fight with Rustila.

What she was really curious about was the whereabouts of Aidel. Why in the universe hasn’t he been coming to school?

Even if she wanted to find out, she had no choice but to ask Ceti and Rustila. The homeroom teacher only mentioned that he was absent due to illness, without knowing where he had gone.

However, her meager pride wouldn’t allow her to ask the two of them for further details.

And it turned out to be a stroke of luck that she didn’t have to ask.

“Kids, starting today, Aidel will be returning to school.”

At the words of Kendra, the homeroom teacher, Zelnya kicked her chair and stood up abruptly.

“Adelwein, why did you stand up?”

Oh, damn it.

“…I need to go to the bathroom.”

“O-okay. Go ahead.”

She heard the giggles of a few people, including Ceti. Zelnya left the classroom as if fleeing.

“Annoying, annoying, so freaking annoying…”

She clenched her teeth. Somehow, ever since she met that guy, nothing has been going right.

Ending the semester in second place was a huge humiliation for her.

She could go to medical school, but that’s a different thing.

After all, all the smart kids go into medicine. Aidel will definitely enter the pre-med program, and she’ll have to face him there, too.

“Hmm, hmm.”

It might not be as bad as she thought. Having someone to compete with, even if she is just a bit behind, could help boost her ambition.

She had realized that having a rival is a joyful thing for growth. But… she always had to be the one who came out on top.

There’s no need to be discouraged by one or two losses. She just needed to reclaim it.

With Aidel’s face popping up in her mind, she wandered the hallway.

“What are you doing here?”

Black short hair. Golden eyes. Tall for his age.

Aidel himself appeared.

Caught off guard for a moment, Zelnya responded calmly.

“What are you doing here?”

“Going to school.”

“Really, I can’t believe it. It’s time for the morning assembly, right? You’re late.”

“Class hasn’t started yet, has it?”

“So what if it hasn’t?”

“Then I am not late.”

Zelnya’s mouth fell open. Who is this irresponsible person?

Not even in uniform. Just a dress shirt and slacks. The plain sweatshirt didn’t give off a delinquent vibe, but the important thing was the attire was different from usual. It was provocative enough for her.

“Student, come on in now.”

“No way…”

Aidel, carrying only a lightweight laptop, confidently opened the back door. After bowing to the dumbfounded student and the homeroom teacher, he went and sat next to Ceti.

“I’m sorry for not being able to come to school for a while, Teacher.”

“No, it’s not that… Are you okay now? Are you still sick?”

“No. I’m all better now.”

Others might not notice, but Kendra, who liked to meddle in her students’ business, could tell. Aidel’s eyes were not looking good. There was a faint shadow under his eyes. He hadn’t fully recovered from his illness yet.

As soon as the morning assembly ended, Kendra approached Aidel’s seat and asked him.

“Aidel. If you’re tired or not feeling well, how about going home and resting today as well?”

“I’m okay.”

“Really? You look pale, though.”

Aidel tapped on his laptop and smiled faintly. An exhausted smile.

“I might have to take a medical leave in the second semester as well. Since there are course hours, I need to come to school for a proper graduation.”

“Even so…”

Only then did it start to become visible to Zelnya’s eyes as well.

Aidel’s voice was softer than usual.

Even after Kendra left, Aidel was still clicking away at something on the laptop screen.

Zelnya pretended to go get some water as she secretly followed Aidel.

[Stellarium Academia Homepage]

[Graduation – Early Graduation]

Wait a minute.

What exactly are you looking at…?