Ch.174169 – Dormitory Life

*click*

“Wow, amazing…!”

Everyone in the cramped hospital room held their breath, focusing on the girl.

*click-click-click*

“You’re a real genius, aren’t you?”

The clicking sound wasn’t from a camera shutter.

*click-click*

*tap-!*

“Done.”

“Wooooow!”

As soon as NoName completed the dodecahedron cube and placed it on the desk, the children erupted in thunderous cheers.

“Hey, try this one too!”

“No way, I asked first!”

“A regular cube seems too easy for her. Bring something harder!”

The children were squabbling over the cubes in the hospital room, each wanting NoName to solve theirs next.

This was the scene Seol Yoon-sul witnessed as soon as she woke up.

NoName shooed away all the children who were a head or two taller than her and sat down beside Yoon-sul’s bed.

“Hello, good morning. You slept for exactly 12 hours.”

“What is this, a dream?”

Yoon-sul pinched her cheek hard. Apart from the stinging sensation, she didn’t feel anything unusual.

“Are you in pain?”

“No, I’m not… except for my cheek…”

“That’s good.”

Yoon-sul looked NoName up and down and asked:

“What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t virtual reality.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Then why…?”

Yoon-sul’s mind was filled with confusion.

She was so confused that rather than believing NoName was actually 7 years old, she first wondered how someone could bring a virtual reality avatar into the real world.

After much contemplation, Yoon-sul finally realized the truth.

“You… you’re really NoName? For real?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have some disease that prevents you from growing—”

“Not at all!”

NoName puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

“Now that you’re awake, I’ll get the doctor. Wait here a moment.”

A doctor with exhaustion written all over his face came and gave her a brief examination.

Afterward, the attending physician asked Yoon-sul when she wanted to be discharged.

“I can leave anytime…?”

“Yes, there’s nothing wrong with your health. If you feel your strength hasn’t fully returned, you can stay another day.”

“Oh… no. I’ll discharge right away…”

Yoon-sul stared at her palms.

She was certain she had suffered burns, but her hands were as smooth as ever, without even a blister.

“Do you have somewhere to go, sis?”

“I need to go home…”

“Your home is in terrible condition right now.”

NoName recalled the state of Yoon-sul’s home.

Sleeping there for just one night would expose her to a lifetime’s worth of carcinogens.

“Or your parents’ place—”

“No!”

“Why?”

“Because… I don’t want to.”

Yoon-sul pulled her knees toward her body and buried her face.

“I don’t want to go to my parents’ house.”

Yoon-sul’s fingertips trembled slightly, as if insisting she absolutely must not return home.

“Then would you like to come to my place?”

“Huh?”

“I can let you stay for a few days. We have a spare room.”

NoName had just picked up a wild honey badger.

* * *

*pat pat*

“Sis.”

*squish squish*

“Yoon-sul sis.”

*pinch*

“…! Seol Yoon-sul!”

“Eek! What?”

“Stop touching me.”

“Sorry…! It’s just fascinating.”

There are boundaries, you know!

Stroking my cheeks? Okay, that’s somewhat acceptable.

Among my elementary school friends, some have chubby cheeks that stick out when viewed from the side, and it’s really hard to resist the urge to touch them.

I’ll tolerate the touching. After all, we’ve built up some internal rapport in VR.

But suddenly pinching me is going too far, isn’t it?

“Hahaha. I guess NoName is just too cute.”

“If you keep doing that, I won’t let you stay at our house.”

“That’s fine because it’s not your house but mine. I, the homeowner, give permission.”

“Professor Cheon, that’s so unfair…!”

You’re not taking my side here?

We stopped by Kariri’s place to pack only the essentials into the trunk before heading to our home.

“Our homes were really close…”

Yoon-sul murmured as she watched the scenery quickly passing by.

It was only three subway stations away.

Apparently feeling awkward around Professor Cheon in the front seat, Yoon-sul kept her mouth tightly shut afterward.

He certainly gives off an intimidating impression when you first meet him.

I wonder if he ever plans to dye his hair.

Professor Cheon was the first to break the silence.

“So you’re the friend who’s entering the gaming competition with NoName?”

“Y-yes…!”

“I’ve heard about it. How did such a worthless scum find you… you must have gone through a lot.”

“Oh… no…”

“Don’t be so formal. Think of this as your home and make yourself comfortable. NoName will help you with the rest.”

According to Professor Cheon, the perpetrator had confessed during questioning, and the police had immediately applied for an arrest warrant on attempted murder charges.

Since he had also recklessly used magic, the charges were irrefutable. Naturally, any claims of diminished capacity would not be recognized.

Still, judging by his achievements, he seemed like a well-educated person, so I wonder why he left his schizophrenia untreated.

“I’ll go back as soon as my place is fixed… Thank you…”

“Go back? What if someone else comes looking for you?”

The perpetrator was a madman who had taken a train all the way from Busan to harm Yoon-sul.

This meant it wasn’t just persistent stalking that led him to discover her address.

“Your home address has been compromised. It’s dangerous.”

“It’s okay… It’s not like this is the first time someone’s come looking…”

Yoon-sul seemed to be downplaying the incident as if it had happened before, but she couldn’t hide the slight trembling of her hands.

After getting out of the car, we each carried bags in both hands and left the parking lot.

I was relieved that I no longer had to endure Yoon-sul’s palm pressure.

“39th floor. That’s really high…”

“It’s annoying having to wait for the elevator every time.”

“That’s okay. If I’m with NoName, I like waiting…”

Yoon-sul placed both hands on my shoulders while saying something incomprehensible.

What does that even mean?

* * *

[You can use this toothbrush. Is it okay if we share toothpaste? Mysophobia… yeah, you don’t seem to have it.]

NoName ran back and forth down the hallway, helping Yoon-sul organize her belongings.

[Was it always this messy? This room hasn’t been cleaned, so there’s dust…]

[For tonight at least, we’ll have to let you sleep in NoName’s room. Is that okay?]

[Then tomorrow when we have time, let’s all come and clean together.]

A fluffy blanket was laid out on the carpet, and a pillow with a cute teddy bear print was placed on top.

Yoon-sul had struggled even going to public places.

Yet now she was living in someone else’s home.

But for some reason, Yoon-sul felt as comfortable here as if it were her own home.

And above all, she had a mountain of questions she wanted to ask NoName.

Though her mind was a jumble of questions, she felt too awkward to stop NoName who was busily darting around.

Yoon-sul crouched in a corner of the room and replied to her brother’s message.

Seol Tae-yang had gone on a three-day school trip and only belatedly learned about Yoon-sul’s situation.

At times like this, she didn’t mind having a brother who worried about her.

“I’ve finished organizing.”

“Oh… Ah! Thank you so much…!”

“Make yourself comfortable. Or would you like to watch TV?”

“I… I don’t mind! TV sounds good.”

“Professor Cheon went out shopping for a bit. So don’t feel too awkward.”

NoName hopped over the back of the sofa and landed precisely in the middle.

She picked up the remote from the floor with her toes, brought it to her hand, and turned on a random channel.

Yoon-sul, sitting demurely at the edge, carefully began to speak.

“Hey NoName, what’s your relationship with that person—”

“Professor Cheon is my adoptive father. I’ve been adopted for 4 months. I’m in 2nd grade at Cephiron Academy Elementary Division. Anything else you want to know?”

Information came out like rapid fire before Yoon-sul could even finish her question.

Through multiple experiences, NoName had become adept at explaining her situation.

“Yes… a lot… an enormous amount…”

Starting with the fact that you’re seven years old…

Yoon-sul still needed explanations.

* * *

“QBS 6 o’clock News Talk Talk, our final top story is about a ‘genius mathematician’! Here’s an adorable voice paired with some not-so-adorable savage mathematical proofs! The video you just saw was one of seven proofs that internet broadcaster NoName uploaded to her VTube channel. How old is this friend?”

“Yes, this is news that’s been heating up the internet recently. According to netizens, NoName is fourteen years old this year, meaning she was born in 2037.”

“So you’re saying a fourteen-year-old student solved these difficult math problems that look challenging even at first glance?”

“These aren’t just simply difficult problems. Let’s take a look at the list.”

[#1 ABC conjecture and Brocard’s problem (1876)] – 6 days ago

[#2 Erdős–Straus conjecture (1948)] – 5 days ago

[#3 Weaire–Phelan structure optimization (1993)] – 4 days ago

[#4 Collatz conjecture bound further to n^0.737 (1937)] – 4 days ago

[#5 Moving sofa problem upper bound improvement (1966)] – 3 days ago

[#6 Twin prime conjecture (1849)] – 3 days ago

[#7 Strong Goldbach conjecture (1742)] – 2 days ago

“These terms might sound unfamiliar. But the notable part is these numbers here.”

“1876, 1948. At a glance, they look like years?”

“Yes, the numbers represent when these problems were first presented. Looking at the last one, 1742, we’re talking about a mathematical problem that has remained unsolved for 309 years—truly a historic challenge in the field of mathematics.”

“It’s hard to believe. I mean, people who’ve dedicated their entire lives to mathematics couldn’t solve these problems, and she solved not just one but seven! Is this even possible?”

“That’s why some netizens are suggesting that NoName isn’t an individual but some kind of organization.”

“How has the mathematics community responded?”

“The mathematics community is equally shocked. The European Mathematical Society immediately sent documents to universities across countries to form a task force for verification. Next, we have an interview with ‘Graham Curwen Kronheimer,’ an honorary professor at Cambridge University.”

[I’ve been getting constant messages from my students. ‘Professor, my world collapsed yesterday!’ they say, haha. When I first saw the proofs, I was suspicious, then quickly became astonished, and now I’m thrilled. I can’t immediately tell if the proofs are true or false, but just by looking at the novel and sophisticated techniques she employed, I can tell how deeply versed she is in mathematics. At the very least, I can guarantee she’s not someone trying to scam with mathematics.]

[Professor, if all of these are proven true, could she win the Fields Medal?]

[Oh, why all of them? Just one. Even proving just one would be an amazing advancement. Especially if she succeeds in proving the Twin Prime Conjecture or Goldbach’s Conjecture, she’ll make history. Oh, and the ABC Conjecture and Collatz Conjecture too… let’s just say all of them, hahaha.]

[That’s incredible.]

[This might be the first Fields Medal winner from Korea since Ms. Ham. Congratulations in advance.]

[Thank you for the great interview.]

The program continued to introduce NoName’s footsteps.

How she showed tremendous performance in World of Arsheria,

And especially the recent news that she would be participating in a gaming competition, which concluded the talk show.

Yoon-sul, who had watched the program without distraction, looked down at NoName using her lap as a pillow.

The girl lying on the sofa, scratching her soft belly, was far more extraordinary than she had thought.

“This definitely smells like bell peppers. Professor Cheon! Can you leave them out of mine?”

“What flavor would japchae have without bell peppers?”

“It’s delicious enough with just meat…”

A 7-year-old at the age of making a fuss about side dishes.

“Sis, can you eat my bell peppers for me?”

Yoon-sul was starting to become a little afraid of her.