Ch.232Graduate School (4)

As I entered the cafeteria, I saw a side of Ireh Hazlen I’d never known before.

“Is that really true?”

“I’m telling you it is!”

There was Ireh, taking care of Rustila and Zernya as their older sister figure, leading them.

Ireh, showing a smile she’d never shown me.

Ireh, blowing on drip coffee instead of cheap canned instant coffee, engaging in girl talk.

This was a side of her I didn’t know.

She was gradually changing into someone I didn’t recognize.

[— Intimacy has reached a certain level.]

[— Acquired ‘Great Triangle (Lv.02)’]

Today was just another example.

She came back late, obsessed with forming this Great Triangle.

I had carefully chosen a research topic manageable at her level, but you’ve become negligent in your research.

[— You have completed a meaningful conversation with three people about a common interest.]

[— Acquired ‘Great Triangle (Lv.03)’]

I was bitter.

I resented my wives.

I felt so disappointed with the wives who stole my graduate student’s time.

If Professor Feynman and I had taken Vega and Altair instead, we would have easily reached level 100 and beyond. I resented Vega and Altair for not coming to me.

“Young master.”

“…What.”

“Please come to your senses.”

I didn’t budge even when Sonia headbutted me. My heart had turned to stone.

Sonia sighed, then suddenly patted me and said:

“Why are you acting like this when you haven’t even been rejected?”

“I have been rejected.”

“…Could it be that you have feelings for Ireh?”

“I’ve lost a research partner. If that’s not rejection, what is?”

Sonia silently stared at me.

Yes, you don’t understand me either.

After all, who could sympathize with the frustration of watching a promising research project fall apart?

[— The God of Wisdom and Curiosity feels sorry for you.]

Damn it, even a foreign god sympathizes with me…

With a surge of emotion, I contacted my seniors. I drank water instead of alcohol while complaining. Water complaints. Physics complaints. Physics is like alcohol. The more you do it, the more intoxicated you become.

“…Sigh.”

After hanging up, I felt somewhat refreshed. Talking with my PhD friends always sparked new ideas.

I wish I could have such conversations with Ireh soon.

No sooner had I thought this than the door to the lab dormitory opened.

“Rheinland, I’m back.”

Speak of the devil.

“You finished earlier than expected today?”

“Getting to level 4 was quicker than I thought.”

Great Triangle level 4. The level where three people can finally call each other “friends.” Light jokes are possible, and they feel comfortable with each other.

The side effect is a 20% increase in basic stats like health, strength, agility.

And.

“…Increased resistance to Fron?”

“It’s an essential ability when fighting foreign gods. It also helps with stress management.”

In other words, Ireh had returned with significantly stronger mental fortitude.

“This level is enough for the upcoming major invasion.”

“Then we can spend more time writing papers, right?”

“Huh, what?”

“You need to make up for lost time. Have you forgotten why we’re doing research? You said level 4 for the Great Triangle is sufficient, right? So now we can work on our paper, right?”

“Ah, well. That’s true, but…”

Ireh hesitated and backed away.

Sorry, but it’s too late.

Once the door closes, the lock activates.

Click.

“W-why won’t this open suddenly?”

“Because it’s locked from the inside.”

“This isn’t Professor Feynman’s lab! It’s just a visiting research lab on the outskirts…!”

“I modified it the day before yesterday.”

“You did? I, I never saw anything like this!”

“That’s why you should come to the lab every day.”

With the cooperation of the researchers, I replaced the worn-out door lock. It’s more secure than the one in the main lab. You need to enter a 30-digit random number.

And the time limit for entry is just 15 seconds.

In other words, Ireh can’t leave unless I tell her the password.

“Welcome to the room you can’t leave until you write your paper.”

“T-this is a bit extreme!”

“It’s not that difficult, is it? You still have the dataset, right? Just organize that one thing. I’ll help you.”

“O-okay, fine…”

That night, I didn’t let Ireh sleep.

It was only natural that she should work overtime to make up for her absence.

***

“So she collapsed after writing papers for two days straight without rest and couldn’t come today?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, really…”

The last day of the week. Rustila had finished her training, and Zernya had completed her volunteer work for the evening.

My wives seemed surprised to see me instead of Ireh.

“What, have you grown tired of me?”

“Of course not! It’s just that…”

“Talking with big sister Ireh is quite fun too.”

Zernya sighed as she put down her teacup.

I was surprised.

I never expected to hear Zernya call Ireh “big sister.”

“How did the three of you become so close so quickly?”

“We talked about various things. Ireh is especially good at listening to our stories. I really liked that.”

“Can I hear more details?”

“No.”

Rustila and Zernya brought their hands to their lips. Then they made a “shh” sound that couldn’t help but raise questions.

“It’s a secret among women.”

This is sad. I feel left out. I’m doing research and got married for this? I feel self-loathing and miserable.

Seeing my gloomy face, Rustila worriedly grabbed my hand. She opened her chest wide and whispered:

“…If you’re feeling bad, um, you know. Do you want to touch here?”

The substantial weight catches my eye.

But today I wasn’t in the mood. I shook my head. Rustila, who had been slightly flushed, let out a long sigh at my rejection.

“Ah…”

“Eidel won’t be satisfied with just that. Here, let me try. Darling, do you need any help with your research?”

“No, it’s fine.”

I patted both wives’ heads and stood up. They gaped at me with their mouths wide open.

“…S-serious condition.”

“W-what should we do?”

“Darling, are you sick? There’s nothing wrong with your mind, right? Wait here, don’t leave.”

“Are you upset with us about something? I-I’ll apologize if that’s the case…”

I reassured my wives that I was really fine. Even though I was being direct, they all seemed to think the fault was theirs.

It took some time for the misunderstanding to clear up.

Eventually, after sufficient conversation, we each returned to our positions. Rustila to the military camp, Zernya to the medical volunteer corps headquarters.

To be honest, I’m feeling down.

But I couldn’t blame my wives for it. My complaints about resenting them were just a husband’s whining.

What really worried me was the result of the paper.

I checked the new dataset received from the astronomical observatory today.

[— U-991956 & DNT-8452 additional collapse confirmed. A total of 14 southern low-energy black holes have been destroyed. 12 of these black holes were observed to have massive bulges.]

Three months have passed since then.

Despite all this time, the invasion hasn’t begun.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that the foreign gods were planning something bigger.

“Sigh.”

As I was sighing while looking at the data results, I felt a soft touch on my shoulder. It was Sonia.

“Young master, I’m back.”

“Ah, yes. Did you enjoy your shopping?”

“Thanks to you.”

Today I gave Sonia her first paycheck. I gave her a generous amount, including a bonus for taking care of me all this time.

And she had changed… quite beautifully.

A prettier and cuter maid uniform. She must have changed some facial modules as her face looked cuter and rounder. Of course, Sonia’s characteristic expressionlessness remained the same.

“You, you’ve changed a lot?”

“Have I?”

“Yes, you seem more human somehow.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

Sonia rubbed her slightly reddened cheeks while answering flatly. That blush must be a new module too.

“These humans are crazy about money. Selling modules like that.”

“…Hey, you shouldn’t be saying that.”

“It’s a joke. I was trying to cheer you up, young master.”

Sonia made a V-sign with both hands and waved them.

“Young master, there’s no need to fear the foreign gods’ invasion. The Department of Defense has already stationed five Great Omega inspectors here. With Lady Rustila, that makes six. Plus, traps and antennas have been installed everywhere, and the elite units have completed their sword enhancements.”

“…Right, that’s true.”

“These are all achievements you made possible as the central figure. So I believe we can win no matter when they come.”

I nodded.

It was needless worry.

Although I was a bit nervous about experiencing my first large-scale invasion, I felt relieved thinking it wasn’t an insurmountable obstacle.

“Thank you, Sonia. I’m glad you’re my exclusive android.”

“It’s nothing.”

I smiled as I patted Sonia’s head.

I thought about what a wonderful android my father had gifted me.

***

A gloomy alley filled with pipes.

Opening an old iron door reveals flickering incandescent lights.

Even in the great cosmic age of warp travel, traces of ancient civilization remain.

Such places are inevitably undeveloped regions, and the reason they remain undeveloped is the consistently rippling madness. Yes, because of madness.

Beer cans rolling around.

Grayish tissues scattered about.

And an old-fashioned television.

[Eidel von Rheinland, head of the Rheinland family, has officially published three papers on Crystalline. Each forms the basis for research on traps, backlight wind antennas, and improved plasma swords…]

Crash!

A crowbar pierced through the television screen.

“Even a rat-dick nobody like him calls himself a scientist?”

The man chewed gum like a thug living in a sewer, hurling insults into the void.

“…Not a chance.”

He thought.

In this world, no scientist better than himself should exist.