Ch.154Unexpected Bedmate (3)

Brain waves are broadly divided into five types. Zernya was showing theta waves, which indicate drowsiness, before quickly transitioning into delta waves, which indicate sleep.

Eidel was the complete opposite.

“What the hell is that crazy guy doing?”

“He appears to be reading.”

“Isn’t that a research paper?”

The alpha waves commonly known as the “awakened state” rose to beta waves of the “cognitive state,” and finally reached gamma waves, which show the highest frequency band. The graph displayed on the screen narrowed instantly.

“What’s wrong with his brain waves? Did he get possessed or something?”

“This waveform appears when one is extremely tense, excited, or in a state of deep concentration. The young master has chosen to study through the night rather than sleep. It’s fine. There won’t be any health issues.”

“…Really? That’s a relief, I guess.”

“I share the same thoughts as Miss Seti. The young master isn’t the type to harbor malicious intentions.”

The maximum threat that could occur would be Zernya’s sleepwalking. It would be problematic if Zernya were to hit Eidel in her sleep.

Even without going that far, risk factors existed. For instance, if Zernya mistook Eidel for a cushion and embraced him. From that moment, the control room would be on fire.

“Aren’t you going to sleep, Miss Seti?”

“I’d like to keep watch, but… I should sleep. Sorry, but please take care of this, Sonia.”

“Not at all. It’s my duty.”

With a heavy mechanical sound, the sliding door closed automatically. Soon, silence fell over the control room. Sonia closed her eyes tightly and rubbed her face.

“Ah.”

She quietly murmured.

“Oh ho ho.”

When she opened her eyes again, her pupils were glowing blue.

***

That night, Zernya slept comfortably. She didn’t have nightmares, and consequently, there was no disaster of sleepwalking.

She did dream, though.

It was a dream of walking on a red carpet wearing a white silk dress under bright sunshine. There, Zernya delivered perfect steps like a model dominating the runway.

Rather, it was disappointing after waking up. The opportunity to have such an exhilarating dream might never come again.

Or so she thought.

“One day isn’t enough to be certain. How about sleeping together for a few more days?”

“What?”

“Father?”

Eidel scratched his head as if perplexed, and Seti was on the verge of passing out. Sonia moved her lips before sighing.

Only Zernya was blinking repeatedly, sending a Morse code of approval to Arnold.

Of course, she knew she wasn’t qualified to lie in the same bed as Eidel yet.

But last night’s sleep was incredibly comfortable. It might be excessive greed, but she wanted to feel that sensation once more.

“Precise examination is important. I’ll trouble you for a week.”

“Father!”

“It’s for medical purposes. Everyone, comply without complaint.”

Arnold was adamant. Thus, the examination was extended for a week.

To cut to the conclusion, nothing happened during that period. Zernya showed no symptoms of sleepwalking, and no physical contact occurred between the two.

All they exchanged were each other’s breathing sounds and body scents.

“Fascinating.”

Arnold muttered.

“Many causes of sleepwalking are fatigue and stress. Perhaps the symptoms improved because she slept soundly.”

This was the opportunity. Seti spoke up.

“Then that’s it. Sleep enough and it’s over. No more diagnoses, examinations, or prescriptions.”

“I agree with Miss Seti’s words, Master,” Sonia chimed in.

“Please send the two back to their respective rooms. If this continues any longer, it might become something the Adelbein main house could find fault with in the future.”

“Hmm, Sonia has a point.”

Arnold knew exactly when to strike and retreat. He reluctantly chose to back down.

Thus, Zernya moved back to the room next to Seti’s.

Seti’s expression of dislike remained, but it seemed less intense than before. Or more precisely, it was better than when her brother and Zernya shared a bed.

The two Adelbeins faced each other.

“…Sigh, fine. I don’t have the energy to say more because of entrance exam preparations. If you’re sorry, just don’t disturb me and go to your room to sleep.”

“Are you studying for entrance exams?”

Seti’s expression turned sulky.

“Are you picking a fight now?”

“No, that’s not it! If you’re preparing for college entrance exams, I thought… maybe I could help.”

“No thanks.”

There are many difficult problems, but she doesn’t need help. It would hurt her pride.

“Studying is something you do on your own. What does it matter to you whether I pass or fail? Just go to your room and stretch out your legs to sleep—that’s how you can help me.”

Zernya was intimidated by the cold rejection. Just as there was a barricade when she slept with Eidel, there was an equally significant barrier in Seti’s heart.

“Go in.”

“Alright…”

The door closed weakly with a soft sound. Seti repeatedly folded and unfolded her arms. Soon, she went into her room and settled down.

College-level problems are challenging. There are also various subjects, making them difficult to solve at once. Even if you’ve studied considerably, you still need to rack your brains.

Today’s subject was biology.

“Boring.”

Seti disliked chemistry and biology. The concepts were fine, but the problems were stupid. To think they would set such exam questions—the examination committee must be insane.

“Ugh.”

She gagged as soon as she saw the complexly twisted genetics problem. They say it’s for discrimination, but this is too much. She’s not going to become a doctor, nor is she going to establish a pharmaceutical company, so she doesn’t understand why she needs to solve this.

But what can she do? It’s on the exam.

Seti solved the problems while twirling her pen, placing it on the bridge of her nose, or drawing worms in the margins. Then, a high-difficulty question that even her clever mind couldn’t solve appeared.

“Ugh.”

She just groaned endlessly. Even looking at the answer key didn’t help. In the first place, if such a question appeared on the exam, could she solve it? Even if possible, time would be tight.

[“…Hey, wouldn’t it be better to ask someone else?”]

The voice she heard now was a suggestion from Reti, the “God of Wealth and Investment.” She was a shy constellation and was Seti’s backing star.

[“Doing this… might be a bit inefficient.”]

As a constellation related to economics and management, she calculates everything economically.

“You’re right.”

Seti immediately agreed. She got up from her seat.

“Brother, brother!”

The place she invaded was none other than Eidel’s room. In response to his sister’s invasion without knocking, Eidel reflexively closed the computer window he had open.

“…What were you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“You were looking at research papers again, weren’t you?”

“N-no. I was watching porn.”

“Tsk. Your brain will rot that way.”

Eidel rolled his eyes.

“Don’t say that and spare me some time. I don’t understand this.”

She handed him a biology workbook. Eidel’s expression turned limp like someone who had been beaten. Biology. Xenobiology. Irregular polyhedron. Ah, he didn’t even want to recall it.

“You’re good at studying, brother. I don’t understand this problem. Teach me.”

“You were so stubborn during Academia days.”

“So what! Hurry up and teach me!”

“I don’t know biology either.”

“You’re lying.”

When he still refused, Seti brought an unopened bag of potato chips and dived onto Eidel’s bed. Eidel opened his eyes wide like someone who had received a marriage proposal from an alien.

“Wow, are you crazy or what!”

“If you don’t teach me right now, I’ll turn your bed into a potato field. Coward.”

She was about to tear the packaging while lying on her side. As the ‘rip’ sound grew louder, Eidel’s scream became shriller.

In the end, he had no choice but to comply with Seti’s demand. But…

“Hey, I really don’t know this one.”

“Huh?”

That’s impossible. The paper-writing genius who’s called a prodigy by the whole world gives up so easily?

“As you know, it’s not my major. And it’s been a while since I studied it. If you don’t keep up, you forget.”

While saying that, Eidel added:

“They make really nasty problems.”

In fact, studying for university entrance exams and studying at university are very different. The former is for entrance exams, while the latter is for academic pursuit. And Eidel was someone accustomed to the latter.

“I think I could solve it if I relearned the concepts, but not now. Go to Academia tomorrow and ask your biology teacher. Or ask an android…”

“I can’t wait until tomorrow because I’m curious. And if I show this to an android, they’ll just explain it in a complicated way.”

“Argh!”

Seti threw a pointless tantrum.

After pondering for a moment, Eidel came up with a brilliant idea.

As it happened, on this ship, there was the best biology teacher to help his sister.

***

Top student of Stellarium Medical School’s first year.

This title wasn’t something just anyone could achieve.

One had to be well-versed in entrance exams, good at memorization, diligent, and skilled in both orthodox methods and shortcuts.

Zernya was such a person.

That’s why Seti gritted her teeth and knocked on her door.

“Do you have time now?”

To be precise, Eidel knocked. Seti resisted stubbornly, but the potato chips were already spilled.

“What’s the matter?”

“My sister doesn’t understand this. Can you teach her?”

“This… I might be able to solve this.”

Seti, who was sticking close behind Eidel, barely swallowed a curse. She was unlucky. It was clear that Zernya would make her eat crow after solving it.

And indeed, she did eat crow.

Because Zernya solved it too easily.

“It’s slightly beyond the curriculum, but if you know this concept, you can cut the solution process in half.”

“Huh?”

It can be solved this simply?

Calm down. It’s just a shortcut.

“Of course, it might feel like a shortcut, but solving it properly takes time. Now, the orthodox method goes like this. You need to set up a complex system of equations.”

“…”

“This method might be difficult to use in an actual exam. Since the options are always the usual ones, if you use that to your advantage instead…”

“Is this how you solve problems?”

“That’s why I also showed you the proper way to solve it.”

Seti was also among the top students. That’s why she didn’t quite trust Zernya, who advocated for shortcuts.

“It’s just an entrance exam anyway. Not important in life.”

“What are you saying?”

“I mean, being good at studying isn’t everything.”

“…”

Seti was at a loss for words. Zernya continued in a rather serious tone.

“Don’t get hung up on whether you can solve one problem or not. Getting one more right doesn’t make you superior to others, and getting it wrong doesn’t make you inferior.”

She was surprised.

The biggest characteristic of Zernya that Seti had known was her desperate attachment to test scores. Because of that, she would compare herself and others extremely every time there was a test.

Seti had been a victim of this many times. It started from the day Eidel disappeared. Zernya, who had reclaimed the top spot, persistently tormented Seti.

It was a kind of superiority and inferiority complex.

Having lost to her brother Eidel, she had a firm resolve to humiliate Seti by stepping on her.

But now, she couldn’t find any of that resolve in Zernya’s eyes.

What replaced it was humility.

A humility that bows one’s head even when doing well and doesn’t disparage others when they don’t.

She definitely seems to have changed.

Seti, afraid of this gap, fled to her room as soon as she received the workbook.

***

As soon as she separated from Eidel, Zernya had a nightmare. The symptoms of sleepwalking came on instantly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Zernya. Zernya!”

“…Hic, ah!”

Dramatically awakened from sleep, Zernya trembled like a wet mouse. Pitiful. She still doesn’t seem to have stabilized mentally.

“I’m, sorry… I’ll go back to my room.”

“No. You can stay here tonight.”

Eidel patted his bed.

“I heard from father. If it’s simply sleepwalking, I shouldn’t be able to wake you up immediately by calling your name like this. So there’s something else. If it’s really hard, it might be better for you to sleep here tonight.”

“…Really, is that okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I, sleep with you in your bed?”

“…If you’re okay with it.”

Eidel answered in a cautious tone. Zernya is like a daughter to him. That’s how he must think.

The next moment, Zernya pounced on Eidel’s bed.

Just one more day, just today.

“Is it excessive greed?”

“Hm?”

“…I mean, becoming friends with your sister.”

“A few days isn’t enough. But you tried hard today. What you said in front of Seti earlier was also impressive.”

“R-right?”

“Yes.”

Eidel soon yawned. In the past few days, his sleep pattern had been quite disrupted because of Zernya.

“I’ll sleep first.”

“Okay.”

Eidel lay down in the opposite direction from Zernya. As usual, the two were divided with a long cushion between them.

Zernya stared at the ceiling with wide-open eyes, pondering for a long time.

When the succession ceremony for the head of the Adelbein family would be.

How much more she needed to accomplish to feel comfortable in this position.

Whether the current me, today’s me, truly lived properly.

Time passed quickly.

A wheezing sound came from beside her.

Zernya sat up.

“…!”

Then she was startled and backed away. Eidel had turned over. Because he had rotated nearly 180 degrees, his face was now facing Zernya’s direction.

Not good for the heart.

“…Are you asleep?”

“…”

There was no response.

Seeing that he was completely asleep, Zernya quietly whispered into Eidel’s ear.

“I like you.”

Words too early to convey when he’s awake.

“I like you.”

Words she can’t hide now because she hasn’t achieved anything.

“I really, like you.”

Reciting it repeatedly, her earlobes turned bright red.

“…Sweet dreams.”

After covering Eidel with the blanket, Zernya resolved once more.

To remove the shadow of the Adelbeins with her own hands.

But was it arrogant to make a cowardly confession of love while the other person was asleep, without resolving anything?

[“You must have a death wish.”]

That night, Zernya had two nightmares.