Ch.177Zernya’s Melancholy (6)

After completing my evening schedule, I opened my contacts. I immediately sent a message to Zernya.

[Are you awake?]

[Yes.]

[I feel like there’s something we didn’t get to talk about earlier. If possible, I’d like to talk face to face. Are you free now?]

[Come to the student council room.]

The student council room at this hour? I wondered if she was studying.

I gathered coffee and other things that would help with late-night studying from a nearby café and convenience store. I also asked Sonia to prepare sandwiches for a late-night snack.

With all these preparations, I entered the room. As I unlocked the student council room door, a stream of bright white light poured through the gap.

My guess was correct.

At one end of the rectangular conference table was a book stand with medical textbooks. Zernya was in the middle of studying.

“…Welcome, Vice President.”

“Why are you studying here instead of the library?”

“The library… I can’t concentrate there.”

She blinked her half-open eyes. Occasionally, a yawn escaped her lips. There was a certain decadent charm to it. The typical appearance of a medical student.

“Good thing I brought these.”

“Brought what?”

“These.”

I set down the coffee and food. Zernya’s eyes trembled as if there had been an earthquake. She looked back and forth between me and the coffee.

“Want some?”

“Is that okay?”

“That’s why I brought it. Here, I got your favorite.”

Zernya has always loved Einspänner, both then and now. Probably because she wants to enjoy the sweet taste of whipped cream while also getting her caffeine fix.

Zernya put the cup to her lips and drank the coffee with a slurping sound. She looked like a baby bird being fed.

How cute. Maybe I should tease her a bit.

“Drinking coffee and studying late is why you’re not growing taller.”

“What are you saying?”

“President, think about it medically. They say your expected height can vary depending on when you go to sleep.”

“I lived regularly when I was young. Still didn’t grow. This is just genetics. Genetics.”

Zernya’s eyelids were trembling. I thought I might need to bring magnesium capsules next time. Anyway, her grumbling was cute too.

“It’s okay. Even at 154cm.”

“Stop spreading false information! I’m 155!”

“Did you grow a bit since then?”

“You!”

Zernya trembled with irritation. If I teased her any more, she might get really upset.

“I’m joking, just joking. Actually, being short is plenty attractive.”

“…Really? Not joking?”

“Of course. And honestly, almost no man judges a woman’s beauty solely based on height.”

I picked up a well-cut piece of sandwich with a fork and offered it to Zernya.

“Here, take it.”

“Hmm, I suppose that’s true.”

My original intention was to hand her the fork. But Zernya seemed to misinterpret my gesture, as she brushed her hair aside and slightly opened her mouth.

The next moment, her lips closed around the sandwich.

Ham, egg, cheese, tomato, and lettuce made a harmonious sound as they were consumed. The soft bread tore gently and melted in her mouth. Add to that the leisure of a warm cup of coffee. It must taste comfortingly warm.

I watched Zernya while recalling that taste I had experienced before. She was chewing with her eyes closed.

“Delicious.”

“Right?”

“Give me another one.”

“Of course, as you command.”

Zernya looked completely happy. Seeing her lips curl upward, it seemed she had regained her energy. I had been worried when I came in because she looked half-dead.

“No matter how I think about it, I should marry a tall man.”

“Where did that come from?”

“That’s the only way to change these cursed genes. Vice President, one more.”

I diligently moved the fork. Despite her small frame, Zernya gulped down the sandwiches with surprising appetite.

It was something I couldn’t have imagined. Who would have thought I’d be feeding a late-night snack to the shadowy mastermind of the College Chapter?

Enough with the random thoughts.

It’s time to get to the main point.

“You said earlier you wanted to discuss something with me, but then you left. Why?”

“Ah, about that…”

Zernya’s expression darkened again. It was a few seconds before her mouth opened.

“I know that what I’m about to do is ethically right. But I’m afraid of what comes after. How people will look at me, whether I can keep this position…”

It was philosophical.

“Even after all this is over, will I still deserve to sit in this seat?”

“I don’t know.”

I answered realistically.

“Zernya, you haven’t committed any crime. If anything, you’re the victim. But not everyone will understand that precisely. No matter how well you handle it, getting some scars in life is unavoidable.”

“Then, what should I do?”

“…If it were me, I would still report it.”

“Why?”

“Just because that’s the kind of person I am.”

I continued.

“Let’s say I accidentally killed someone. But there were no witnesses around. It wasn’t caught on CCTV either. If I played it right, it could be a perfect crime. Even so, I think I would go to the police station and turn myself in.”

“I…”

“You can make a different choice. Whether to dispose of the body or turn yourself in as I said. The former is unjust, the latter is honorable. The former has no disadvantages, but the latter has no anxiety. They’re different.”

“Vice President, I have a constellation.”

“The existence of a constellation doesn’t influence my decision.”

I pulled my chair closer to Zernya. She flinched. Our shoulders touched.

“…There’s no such thing as a choice worth regretting in this world.”

“What does that mean?”

“There are people who regret, but no situations that are inherently regrettable.”

Someone once told me.

You’ll definitely regret studying theoretical physics.

It’s not a field where you can make a living with modest talent.

I ignored it all. In the end, I succeeded. But I could have failed as they said. Even so, I would have been happy.

“We’re adults now. Adults take responsibility for their actions. Not just regret them. If you fail, you should live even harder to make up for the lost time.”

“Live even harder… to make up for the lost time…”

“Zernya, in my opinion, as long as you’re alive, the Adelbein family will remain strong. No, it will become even better.”

I shifted my gaze to the textbook in front of me.

“Just look at you studying hard in the middle of the night. You’ll succeed at whatever you do. You might not be able to avoid failure completely. But in the long run, won’t you be the one who ultimately wins?”

“…Yes, you’re right.”

“You look impressive living with such responsibility. Just for that, you deserve recognition.”

I said it, but felt a bit embarrassed. How awkward it is to encourage someone like this.

It was then that Zernya asked an uncomfortable question.

“What about deserving love?”

My thoughts froze. It wasn’t because of the unexpected question. I couldn’t gather my senses because of the fragrance that followed.

My pupils rolled like unlubricated gears. I felt a sensation on my cheek. A soft feeling.

“I’d like to deserve not just recognition, but love too. That’s what I think.”

“President.”

“Shh.”

Zernya was looking up at me intently while gently caressing my cheek with her microfiber-soft hand. She added in a whisper.

“Don’t say anything.”

“…Zernya.”

“Pretend you didn’t hear what I just said. Cancel, cancel. Yes. Cancel.”

Zernya hastily withdrew her hand and muttered. A faint blush began to appear on her cheeks. Her eyes, which had been fixed on me, were now darting around aimlessly.

Only then did I understand Zernya’s intention and smiled.

“Yes, Madam President. I didn’t hear anything.”

“G-good. That settles our conversation. Thanks for the counseling. Thanks to you, a 19-year-old lump in my chest has gone down.”

Zernya glanced at me once as she closed her book, again as she packed her bag, and once more as she flung open the door. She was rambling quite a bit right now.

“Ah, I’m dying of sleepiness! I have a lecture early in the morning, so I’m going to bed first. Turn off the lights and go get some rest too!”

Slam!

The door closed.

I finished all the remaining sandwiches and returned to the dormitory.

Until I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and got into bed, I could vividly feel the warmth on my cheek.

“Why is the room so hot?”

“Young master, did something happen?”

Sonia, who was organizing the laundry, approached me and sniffed. She frowned deeply.

“…The smell of lip tint?”

“…?”

That night, for some reason, I had to sleep in the same bed as Sonia.

***

When Zernya returned to the dormitory, she threw her book bag on the bed and slid her body onto it. Then, she began hitting the blanket with her arms and legs.

“Aaaagh!”

How embarrassing.

How embarrassing!

So embarrassing!

“Why did I do that?”

Sometimes people lose their minds. At such times, they might act more boldly than usual. Truly, what she did then was not her usual intention.

Zernya fidgeted with the plastic cup Eidel had given her.

“…”

Though she had already finished the coffee, it seemed the warmth of the contents still remained. Otherwise, it wouldn’t feel this warm.

Touching the empty cup made their conversation float compressed in the air.

It’s not situations that regret, but people.

So follow your convictions.

“…He was cool.”

The answer Eidel gave her was clear, and therefore cool. Perhaps that’s why she lost her composure.

Thinking about it, Zernya had become excessively humble since that day. Probably because the terror of her near-death experience still lingered throughout her body. The feeling of powerlessness, of being nothing.

But when you think about it, she was Zernya von und zu Trisha Adelbein.

She was the top student at Stellarium Medical School, the owner of the Five-Star Deneb, and the next head of the versatile Adelbein family.

Yes.

She could afford to have a bit more confidence.

Who cares what others say? She is who she is. Let’s see if others can do what she does. Let’s see if they have the capacity to point out the wrongs of the group they belong to.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it. I can do it. I am not afraid.”

Lying on the bed, she muttered as if reciting a prayer. The anxiety was still there, but she chose to ignore it and move forward.

From the next day, Zernya attended school with a much lighter heart. She emptied her mind of distractions and focused on the tasks at hand. This cleared her head.

After living diligently through the first month of the semester like that.

Zernya ascended to the position of head of the Adelbein family and received the following directive from her parents:

[Bring in Eidel von Rheinland, the third son of the Rheinland family, as a son-in-law to contribute to the family’s honor.]