Chapter 201

Chapter 201

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 201: Bigamy (6)

Ire headed to work at dawn.

Each step triggered another yawn; she was severely sleep-deprived.

“This is driving me crazy…”

Studying physics was still challenging but rewarding nonetheless. As she persisted, she gradually gained momentum.

It was currently vacation—a period designated for independent study and research. In a sense, it was both the most comfortable and the most uncomfortable period. Fully immersing oneself in research was never an easy task.

Ire quickened her pace and soon arrived at the lab.

“Aidel? I’m here.”

She immediately sensed something unusual.

He wasn’t there.

The research fanatic, Aidel, was nowhere to be found in the main lab.

“Where did he go?”

Had he vanished into thin air? Disappeared into the ground?

“Did he go to meet the professor?”

That seemed the most plausible explanation, yet it didn’t fit Aidel’s character. He always left a note or sent an email whenever he stepped out.

Could he have overslept? She tried calling him, but there was no answer.

“……”

A sense of unease began to settle over her.

Every morning, when she opened the lab door, it was always Aidel who greeted her first, asking, “Has our prospective graduate student arrived?” Starting her day by sipping the coffee he made and reading through research papers had become her daily routine. Breaking this rhythm was always unpleasant.

Ire put down her textbook and quickly exited the lab.

She searched through every classroom and faculty office in the physics department before finally heading toward the large shared laboratory.

There, she found Aidel collapsed on the floor.

“Huh?”

For a moment, she couldn’t comprehend the scene before her.

Why is he sprawled out and sleeping here?

Sensing something was seriously wrong, she immediately rushed to his side.

Only then did she realize…

“Oh no, this can’t be happening.”

Aidel’s eyes had rolled back.

“Wake up! Hey, get a hold of yourself!”

Initially hesitant to touch him, Ire finally mustered the courage and shook Aidel gently.

If he dies, everything is over.

Overcoming embarrassment and reluctance, she carefully touched his face, hands, and back.

Cold.

“Damn it…”

His condition was far more serious than she’d anticipated.

Ire quickly removed her cardigan, laid it on the floor, and carefully placed Aidel on top of it. She knew what she had to do next.

“Hello? Is this the hospital?”

Fortunately, the natural sciences building was located near the campus hospital. Paramedics would arrive within a few minutes. Until then, she needed to provide immediate first aid.

Despite it being summer, his body was dangerously cold, suggesting hypothermia. Sure enough, the air conditioner had been running continuously to maintain temperature and humidity control.

Turn off the air conditioner and share body heat.

“Sigh…”

Switching off the air conditioner was easy, but sharing body heat was incredibly difficult.

Still, it had to be done.

Resolutely, Ire turned off the air conditioner and embraced Aidel closely, warming him in her sleeveless top.

The rescue team arrived promptly and provided immediate treatment. Aidel was quickly transported to the hospital, where he was admitted and placed on an IV.

However, he did not regain consciousness.

“How is he?”

“We’re not sure yet. It could simply be exhaustion from overwork, or it might be something else entirely.”

The doctor explained that a detailed examination was necessary to determine the exact cause.

“His body temperature had dropped significantly. Fortunately, your quick actions prevented his condition from worsening. Truly remarkable.”

Ire twisted her lips slightly, feeling both embarrassed and uneasy at the doctor’s praise. The memory of snuggling close to a man made her skin crawl.

Ugh…

If it hadn’t been for Aidel, she would never have done something like that.

“For now, we’ll let the patient rest and monitor his condition closely before deciding on further treatment. You’ve done very well.”

“Thank you.”

After finishing her conversation with the doctor, Ire returned to Aidel’s hospital room. Pulling a chair closer, she sat down and released a deep sigh.

Yeah… it’s probably just overwork again.

This wasn’t the first time Aidel had collapsed from pushing himself too hard.

It was just unnecessary worry. Before long, he’d be up again, whining about his thesis. A small smile tugged at the corners of Ire’s mouth.

“Whew.”

Yet, for a brief moment, her heart sank.

If Aidel were to die, humanity would be doomed. Moreover, Ire would lose the only person who truly understood her in this cycle.

If this cycle failed, there wouldn’t be another chance. Even if returning were possible, a world without Aidel would likely collapse.

If Aidel died, what would she do?

“He really should take better care of himself…”

She grumbled softly, watching Aidel lying unconscious, receiving an IV drip.

“Young Master!”

A woman’s urgent voice echoed in the hallway.

Turning her head, Ire saw Sonia rushing toward her. As soon as Sonia spotted Ire, she raised her voice sharply, like a detective interrogating a suspect.

“How is Young Master Aidel? Is he alright?”

“They said it’s probably due to overwork.”

“That’s… ha, I see. A relief amidst the misfortune, at least.”

Sonia moved closer to examine Aidel’s face and noticed how pale and thin he appeared. Biting her lip, she lamented bitterly.

“I’m such a worthless piece of junk. I should be sent straight to the scrap heap for this. The young master is in critical condition, yet I, his assistant and robot, didn’t even notice it first…”

At that moment, footsteps echoed from down the hall.

Rustila and Zelnya appeared together.

Upon hearing that Aidel had been taken to the emergency room, both women immediately postponed their schedules and hurried over. They walked side by side, each glaring at the other.

Ire was genuinely surprised.

Not only was it unusual for them to arrive together, but even more shocking was that they weren’t openly fighting this time.

Despite having repeated the cycles hundreds of thousands of times, this was the first time she had seen such good behavior between the two girls.

“Aidel, is he alright?”

“What’s wrong with him now?”

Despite the anxious questions from the two women, Aidel remained silent, deep in sleep. Ire calmly explained the events of that morning.

“It seems like he’s just exhausted.”

“I think so too,” Zelnya agreed, offering her own diagnosis.

“He’s been getting less than three hours of sleep every night because of his research. His body just couldn’t handle it anymore. Besides, lately, it seems he’s been under additional stress because of a certain someone.”

Zelnya cast a pointed glance at Rustila. Rustila flinched slightly, turning her head away in a sulky manner.

“Aren’t both of you busy? I’ll let you know the moment Aidel wakes up, so please return to your duties.”

“Wait a minute.”

Zelnya interrupted sharply, glaring at Ire.

“I need to stay here.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m his wife.”

Zelnya waved her left ring finger slightly as she sat down on a nearby chair.

Rustila’s expression immediately darkened into a sulk.

“I want to stay, too.”

“Oh, please. Who exactly are you? Are you even family?”

Zelnya’s gaze was icy, but Rustila was no longer the timid girl she once had been.

“Then why does someone who’s merely a fiancée pretend to be his wife?”

“Because it’s a contractual marriage. It’s already a given that Aidel will be my husband. Remember, I have more legitimacy than you.”

“But—”

“And I’m a medical student.”

Rustila furrowed her brow.

“If anything happens, I can immediately inform the higher-ups. I studied at this hospital in the first place. It’s practically my second home, so wouldn’t it make sense that I’d handle things better than you?”

Unlike the previous day, Zelnya had returned fully rested. With a clear mind, she presented nearly flawless logic, skillfully cornering Rustila as if yesterday’s defeat had never happened.

“Anyway, having more than two people here will only distract Aidel. I’ll stay, so everyone else—except the android—should go about their business.”

“You…”

“What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be diligently training with that ‘sword’ you received as a gift?”

Rustila lowered her head, biting her lower lip anxiously.

At that moment, a sharp voice cut through the tension.

“If you’re going to argue loudly, both of you should leave.”

The stern words filled the recovery room, instantly capturing the attention of both women. The voice belonged to none other than Ire Hazlen herself.

“What?”

“If you’re going to be noisy, please take it outside.”

Ire continued calmly.

“If you truly care about Aidel, you shouldn’t raise your voice in his hospital room. Especially you, Adelwein. Why behave in a way that harms your husband while claiming to be our lab leader’s spouse?”

“…Ha.”

“And Rustila, the same goes for you. Don’t react to every trivial provocation. What’s important right now is Aidel’s recovery, not your power struggle with Adelwein.”

“Yes… You’re right, Ire.”

Both Zelnya and Rustila fell silent. Ire pulled up two chairs and gently guided the women to sit down. Then she picked up her bag, preparing to leave.

“If you’re going to stay here, you might as well cooperate in caring for him. Ah, right—if something unusual happens, Zelnya, you should call for help, and Rustila, you should quickly find a doctor.”

“Where are you going, sister?”

“My presence here won’t be helpful anyway.”

Having already concluded that Aidel’s collapse was due to overwork, Ire decided there was no point in dwelling further. She reasoned that studying physics would be a more effective way to save the universe than worrying helplessly about Aidel’s condition.

Above all, Aidel had gotten himself into this situation by handling all the research alone.

Suppose she could rapidly improve her own skills enough to assist him. In that case, the likelihood of him collapsing from exhaustion would significantly decrease.

As Ire crossed the threshold, she paused briefly to offer one last piece of advice.

“That flirt keeps whining about marrying both of you anyway. Instead of constantly bickering, try working together at times like this. If he actually dies, all of this would have been for nothing, wouldn’t it?”

“…….”

Both women nodded simultaneously.

Ire smiled faintly and left the hospital room.

Watching her leave, Zelnya quietly reflected:

Ire Hazlen…

She’s quite a reasonable woman.

He hadn’t realized that the sin of trying to love two women at once would be so grave.

“Pathetic. Truly a pathetic brat. Wasting your time on mere love affairs…”

A formless space shrouded in darkness.

Long navy-blue hair scattered like petals in the faint light.

Slowly, I lowered my gaze.

Tentacles. Tentacles. And even more tentacles.

My entire body was firmly bound by them, rendering me completely immobile.

Though this was a space detached from reality, the vivid sensation of suction cups gripping my skin indicated that something unusual was about to occur.

“Hey, rookie kid.”

A familiar voice echoed through the void.

Cartesia. It was her.

“Answer me.”

“Yes, yes, Outer God.”

“How do you think I feel right now?”

“You seem very angry.”

Naturally, I spoke politely. Why? Because standing right behind Cartesia were the ‘female’ Outer Gods, lined up in a daunting row.

She was a monster who could turn even the most violent male Outer Gods into that. There was no guarantee I wouldn’t end up the same.

Damn it…

“Yes. And why do you think I’m angry?”

“You asked me to create a Graviton Bomb, but I started doing other research instead.”

“And?”

“I took equipment from your lab without permission.”

“What else?”

“You told me to write a paper, yet I wasted my time fooling around with women and made no progress.”

“You know exactly what you’ve done.”

Cartesia lifted my chin gently with her finger, forcing my gaze upward.

“So, did you do something wrong?”

“Yes, I did something wrong.”

“What will you do from now on?”

“If you release me and let me go back, I’ll behave properly.”

“No, there’s something you must do before that.”

“In return for your help with my research, right?”

“You know very well.”

Cartesia replied with a sly smile.

Slowly, her finger slipped between my lips.