Ch.143I am the Chairman and You are (6)

Determine the number of satisfactory ways to seat two female friends who don’t get along at a 4-person rectangular table.

Answer: 0

***

Rustila was not in a good mood.

She had finally met Eidel after a long time and expected to spend time alone with him. She thought they would eat delicious food together, talk about recent events, and take a walk in the park.

That expectation vanished in an instant.

“Why are you glaring like that?”

Zernya von und zu Trisha Adelbein was by Eidel’s side. She elegantly speared her salad with a victorious gleam in her eyes and munched on it.

“Adelbein, switch seats.”

Rustila said through gritted teeth.

“Why should I?”

“It’s too uncomfortable here.”

“If you’re uncomfortable, why don’t you adjust your posture?”

One man and two women at a four-person table. The two women don’t get along. It was literally a maddening combination.

When Zernya and Eidel sat together, Rustila’s mood turned upside down.

When Rustila and Eidel sat together, the frequency of Zernya’s provocations increased exponentially.

And if Zernya and Rustila sat together, the flames of conflict would grow uncontrollably.

Eidel alone was going crazy over the situation.

“Come on, you two, can’t you get along?”

“I’m trying, but she keeps…”

“Ha, this is ridiculous. Who started the argument today?”

The tension between the two girls was escalating. Eating a meal in this state would upset everyone’s stomach. Eidel decided to take drastic measures.

“If you’re too stupid to even get into college, you should just keep your mouth sh—eek!”

“Madam President, please be quiet.”

“D-did you just hit me…?”

“It was just a light tap on the head.”

It wasn’t a hard hit, just a simple knock. But that alone was enough to make Zernya look dumbfounded. The corners of Rustila’s mouth turned up involuntarily.

“I’m the president and you’re the vice president! The vice president hitting the president, are you in your right mind?”

“If you’re the president, maintain your dignity. And how long are you going to use that same repertoire?”

“You really…!”

Eidel stood up from his seat. Then he moved to sit next to Rustila.

“What, what are you doing?”

“It’s too embarrassing to sit next to you.”

Zernya was always the one raising her voice. Rustila, on the other hand, spoke calmly and articulately. That was the difference between the two girls. Knowing manners versus not knowing them.

Rustila silently mocked Zernya. Now the situation had completely reversed.

Then Eidel lightly touched Rustila’s shoulder.

“What?”

“Can you check if she has a foreign god?”

“Foreign god…?”

It was an unexpected request.

He probably wanted her to use <Inner Sight>. One of Rustila’s abilities, Inner Sight, could determine whether a foreign god was present in someone’s mental landscape.

After using her spiritual vision, Rustila frowned.

“Have you ever communicated with a foreign god?”

“Huh?”

Zernya, who had been cutting her steak, furrowed her brow.

“Setting aside our relationship, I’ll tell you objectively. I can detect foreign gods and constellations residing in other people.”

“So what?”

“You have several scratches in your mental landscape. It seems like a foreign god has touched you slightly. Have you been experiencing headaches?”

“What nonsense.”

Rustila spoke with sincerity. Disliking someone and foreign gods were separate matters. But Zernya wouldn’t listen.

The content of the statement was absurd enough, but it was coming from the girl she despised most in the world.

“…Let me give you one piece of advice. If you think a spiritual entity approaching you is a foreign god, don’t hesitate to contact the nearest Spirit Office or Alcatraz Rehabilitation Center. That’s the only way you can survive.”

“Who are you to tell me what to do?”

“Zernya, Rustila is right. I told you about this before, remember?”

“…Hmph.”

She couldn’t argue against Eidel. It was because of the fundamental premise Zernya had accepted: Eidel was a rising supernova in the field of foreign god studies—an authority.

“Ha, I’ve lost my appetite.”

Zernya, glancing at Rustila, speared a bunch of onions with her fork. Eidel’s expression darkened in an instant.

“Eat it.”

“Ah, here we go again.”

“…Again?”

Rustila was startled like a cat fallen into water. Zernya began passing vegetables like onions and bell peppers one after another.

At times like this, Eidel would sigh. It was almost the only moment when he showed discomfort. Because she liked seeing that face, she would hand over her leftovers whenever they ate together.

To Rustila, it looked like a stray cat wagging its tail.

“If you’re going to leave it, give it to me instead. I’ll eat it.”

“I don’t want to. I’m taking care of our vice president.”

“Then rather…”

Rustila cut off a piece of meat with clumsy skill. What she would do next was obvious.

Zernya, a talented swordswoman, was also skilled at cutting meat. She cut her steak faster than Rustila and speared it with her fork.

“I’ll specially give you this too today.”

“Eidel, I tried this menu before and it wasn’t good. I’ll give you mine, so have two pieces of this instead.”

The psychological warfare between the two girls continued for a long time.

And Zernya was the one who lost here. It was because Eidel ate all of Rustila’s meat. It was a silent discrimination.

Taking this as a green light, Rustila asked:

“Eidel, do you have an ideal type?”

“A woman with a graduate degree.”

His guard was still up.

***

After the uncomfortable meal ended, Eidel began to worry about how to treat Zernya.

It was difficult to fully understand Zernya’s psychology. He could read her mind, but it was hard to predict her behavioral principles. Was this how Newton felt when he was investing in stocks?

Anyway, he needed to handle her carefully.

It was a kind of push and pull.

So far, he seemed to have managed fairly well.

“Let’s meet again later.”

“Sure. Want to have a party at my place after the entrance exams?”

“Oh? Yes, I’d love to!”

He parted ways with Rustila midway. Zernya’s nuisance was gone. But those few words exchanged at the end stabbed her heart like a dagger.

What was this discomfort all about?

On her way back to the college, Zernya pondered deeply. It didn’t take long to find the answer.

“Hey, cancel that promise you made with her during the vacation.”

“No.”

“We don’t have that much time, you know? Do you think student council activities are easy?”

“We can take a day off to rest…”

“No way. We need to work. I’m the president and I’ll be working, so how can the vice president take a vacation?”

“I don’t care. I’m taking that day off anyway.”

She didn’t know which day it was, but it absolutely couldn’t happen. Zernya tried a few more threats disguised as threats. Eidel didn’t fall for them.

“Actually, I’m going to minimize student council activities during the vacation, not just that day.”

“What?”

Zernya’s pupils dilated so much they almost consumed the whites of her eyes.

“I need to research. Non-resonance method research. Remember what I told you before? I’ve already scheduled everything with the professors.”

Of course, dealing with the foreign god attached to Zernya was also important.

However, if it was from the Darwin system, there was no immediate solution. If signs of madness appeared, he would immediately knock her unconscious and put her in a Spirit Office.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow…”

She couldn’t stop him. The sun was already setting. So Zernya blankly stared at Eidel’s back as he returned to the dormitory.

Zernya also returned home. After washing up hastily, she lay down on her bed. She was tired. A corner of her heart felt empty.

“…This doesn’t make sense.”

She needed to keep a close watch to prevent him from revealing the Adelbein secret. Otherwise, her family could be wiped out at any moment. Zernya felt a strange threat.

He was just a boy she had known for two years. Although he was a friend… they didn’t seem particularly close. She couldn’t fully trust him.

“Vacation means two months, no, three months…”

[“Isn’t it clear now?”]

“…!”

She had been lying in bed but quickly sat up.

It was this constellation again.

[“It’s clear he’s planning to gather evidence during the vacation and expose you.”]

A nameless star. Whether it was a main sequence star, a red giant, a white dwarf, a supernova, or a black hole—she didn’t know.

It had been whispering sweet words to her constantly. And strangely, they were persuasive.

[“Of course, it’s certain your family did something wrong. But you’re a victim, aren’t you? You’re not at fault for problems caused by adults. Yet they say you must equally bear the consequences.”]

“I…”

[“If he had a conscience, Eidel would ask for your opinion. Whether it would be okay to report your family to the prosecutors. But he didn’t. Because he sees you as an enemy, not a friend.”]

“N-no. That’s not…”

Although the doubt was deep.

There were also good feelings.

Even if the present was fake, it was fine. Even if the friendship was just a shell, it was fine. She wanted to cherish the first worthy opponent she had met in her life.

[“But still.”]

“…”

[“As someone who has been a constellation for a long time, I’m telling you this. People like the Rheinland boy are the most dangerous. You’re still innocent, so you might not understand…”]

“…Please leave for today.”

Zernya brushed off the hand and lay down on her bed. She hugged her teddy bear, which had been her only friend until she met Eidel, and closed her eyes.

She was tired.

For now, she would think about it again tomorrow.

***

That night, Zernya had an ominous dream.

A dream of being betrayed by Eidel.

A nightmare where her home disappeared, her wealth vanished, she lost everything, and was exiled to a frontier planet.

“Ha, ha, haak.”

The sheets were soaked with cold sweat.

Her condition was poor.

She couldn’t stay like this.

Today was the start of the major experience fair. Her first public activity as the college student council president. She had to make it a success.

Zernya turned on the news and splashed water on herself.

[Breaking news. The parliament has proposed a special law for the investigation into the Adelbein Group and the Southern Foreign God Life Research Institute.]

“…?”

[Twenty-three individuals directly involved in the creation of the right-angled irregular polyhedron, including Director Angela Hueritia, have been arrested urgently.]

Wait, what?

Zernya quickly turned off the shower and listened carefully to the announcer’s continuing words.

[…Meanwhile, Kashu von Adelbein, the president of Adelbein Bionics who was identified as the main person responsible, was found dead at his residence.]