Ch.27Acceptance (1)

“Sonia, breaking news.”

“What is it now?”

“I have nothing to do.”

Sonia sighed and kept poking me.

“Isn’t it about time?”

“Well, yes…”

Until the acceptance announcement, Rustila and I had decided to do some light exercise.

Of course, Seti had given Rustila a stern warning not to “be alone with him”… but that’s not my problem.

What matters is that my relationship with Rustila isn’t bad.

At least she doesn’t have preconceptions upon hearing my name.

Or scream and run away.

Or spit and curse before taking off.

…She wasn’t that type of person.

A person without prejudice.

How wonderful is that?

Even if I didn’t need her as a colleague in a task force to prevent the universe’s destruction, she’d be my number one pick for a friend based on personality.

Anyway, that aside. After exercising, I’d still have nothing to do.

Graviton bomb research?

I’m doing it bit by bit.

But calling it research is generous—reading other people’s papers doesn’t magically create a graviton bomb.

First, I need to join a scientific community and conduct experiments, tinker around. Even with good ideas, without the ability to experiment, they’re just delusions in my head.

Considering all that, I’m bored.

Moreover, I’m anxious.

Honestly, no matter how tough a mindset I maintain, seeing those three words “not accepted” would make my eyes roll back.

Anxiety about uncertainty is human instinct. It’s encoded in my DNA, impossible to completely shake off.

So I had no choice but to focus on other things.

I dressed lightly and headed to our meeting place.

***

Even at Stellarium Academy, not the entire artificial planet is used as an educational institution.

Some parts are commercial districts.

Some are industrial zones.

Others are residential areas.

Among them were areas concentrated with military facilities or medical facilities. Therefore, it wasn’t strange that there were parks everyone could use comfortably.

“…Eidel!”

I heard someone calling me from somewhere. When I turned my head in that direction, I immediately felt my breath catch.

A girl in a white training suit was standing there.

Though her upper body was completely covered, her figure was clearly visible. She seemed to be wearing something one size too small.

The lower part was even more serious.

Tight-fitting light gray leggings. Her leg lines were fully revealed. Elegant. Graceful. Enough to stimulate the base desires of most men.

Rustila usually wore loose clothing like cardigans. So I hadn’t noticed, but she was extremely mature for her age group.

“Over here, over here!”

I couldn’t easily look at the girl waving her hand in such attire. So I looked up at the sky. It felt like the Korean police might come looking for me from beyond that space. Would I be able to return to Earth then?

Meaningless thoughts kept flowing.

I took a deep breath. Erased distracting thoughts. Calmed my mind and body. Water as water, fire as fire. Instead of the Heart Sutra I didn’t know, I recited pi digits to disconnect myself from the world.

[— The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ sighs.]

Whoosh.

It was then that a good fragrance swept in like a tide.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

Her voice came from this side, then that side.

Rustila was circling around me with a worried face. I shook my head and returned to normal.

She soon smiled. She seemed to be in a very good mood today.

It was strange. To see that Rustila showing a smiling face.

Come to think of it, her dark circles had disappeared, and her skin seemed more beautiful. She must have slept a lot after the entrance exams ended.

But there was a smile that couldn’t be explained by just such biological changes.

I asked out of curiosity.

“Thanks to you.”

Rustila said that with a grin.

“I did well in the interview.”

“…Really?”

Seems like the android-breaking show worked well.

“Yes. Did Eidel do well too?”

Rustila asked back. I could only give a bitter smile.

“Let’s talk while walking.”

It’s none other than Rustila. The girl with Vega as her backing. Lies won’t work on her.

It’s better to tell the truth.

“I messed up.”

“Messed up? How badly?”

“Well, I ended up talking too much in front of the interviewers.”

I briefly told her what happened during the interview.

Even as I spoke, my face was burning. It’s not because Rustila in workout clothes looked pretty.

“Ah, that’s embarrassing.”

“It’s not worth feeling embarrassed about. Oh, by the way, ahead…”

Rustila naturally changed the subject. She probably thought there was a possibility I wouldn’t be accepted.

“…I heard there’s a famous pasta place over there.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And I heard the steak house over there is good too. They say they fry the potatoes they serve on the side really well.”

During our lap around the park, we mostly talked about restaurants.

It makes sense. If accepted, this whole area would be our commercial district. Even I could see there were many delicious-looking places.

I thought about bringing my sister here someday. To start resolving the resentment built up with Seti, I’d need to begin with such small things.

So, matching Rustila’s pace, one lap, two laps, three laps…

“…I’m, getting, tired.”

I said, gasping for breath. Rustila, who was walking comfortably beside me, tilted her head.

“It’s only four laps.”

“Wait, I feel, like, dying…”

“We need to do at least ten laps.”

Ah, damn it.

By the time we completed five laps, I started feeling severe pain in my legs. By the sixth lap, it became completely impossible to converse with Rustila.

By the seventh lap…

“Hey, how can a man be this weak?”

Rustila pushed my back from behind. I didn’t even have time to feel hurt pride. It was just, fucking hard.

“It’s the eighth lap. Just a little more effort.”

Strange. When I was blowing off the heads of monsters, it wasn’t this difficult.

“Ninth lap. Just one more.”

My head is now completely white. Sweat poured down like rain. My stamina was already depleted just from jogging.

In fact, this was the first aerobic exercise with this body.

“Ten laps!”

“Huff, huff… Is it really done…?”

“Your stamina is good for a first-timer. Let’s do one more lap, no, two more.”

“…Ah.”

I saw a demon.

Right. Come to think of it. Rustila was. By nature. A soldier.

If she’s a soldier. When exercising. She treats people. Like recruits. And pushes them hard. Huh?

Shit, did I make a mistake…?

“Fifteen laps! Amazing! At this rate, you could do twenty!”

About 10 minutes per lap. Repeated fifteen times. That is, running at a speed of 8km/h for two and a half hours without rest.

My heart feels like it’s about to burst. My internal organs are twisting. A cool sensation filled my lungs. Neck, back, forearms. There’s no place that isn’t damp.

Save me.

Was it because I had such thoughts?

“Hey, you, what are you doing?”

A voice of salvation was heard.

It was the voice of a woman jogging from the opposite direction.

She strode up in front of me and Rustila and stopped. Silver hair danced before my dimming vision.

“What are you doing here?”

A familiar voice. A tone that feels vicious just by hearing it. I slowly raised my head, looking only at the ground while walking.

There stood a girl in a sports tee and dolphin pants.

She was on the shorter side, but her proportions were perfect. As if crafted by God. Enough to give anyone who met her a sense of nobility.

Zernya von Adelbein.

I tried to call her name, but no voice came out. My vocal cords were parched. There was a metallic taste inside my throat.

“…Who are you?”

“Who are you?”

Meanwhile, the confrontation between the two girls began.

“You don’t actually not know who I am, right?”

Zernya was the first to attack.

“…Really, who?”

“Ah, you… Right. That’s how it was. I know you. The girl who was in the same exam room as this guy.”

She pushed even Rustila, whom she was meeting for the first time, with a disrespectful tone. Well, looking down on others is Zernya’s biggest characteristic.

But Zernya wouldn’t know.

Who she’s messing with right now.

“Anyway, I don’t need to explain who I am…”

“……”

“…What? Why aren’t you answering?”

“……”

“Impressive. Not showing a single surprised expression even after seeing this hair and these eyes.”

“……”

“Don’t you know I’m a direct descendant of Adelbein?”

1 second, 5 seconds, 7 seconds.

The time it takes for Rustila to turn on her ‘Inner Eye’ and ‘Mind’s Eye’ and completely analyze the opponent.

“You’re a nasty kid.”

Rustila counterattacked. A cold and heavy blow. Zernya’s face turned stupid as if she’d been hit with an uppercut.

“What?”

“Let’s go, Eidel. I think we’ve had enough jogging.”

Rustila grabbed my arm and pulled me. Like this, Rustila tended to immediately leave when encountering evil people.

“Hey, wh-what? Are you ignoring me now? Well, I never…!”

Behind us, the sound of running, pitter-patter.

Zernya stuck close to me and spoke provocatively.

“Looks like you got yourself a girlfriend in the meantime? So carefree when you haven’t even been accepted yet!”

A girlfriend, she says.

I was too exhausted now to tackle such comments. Anyway, nothing good would come from getting involved with Zernya.

Chapter boss, stay away.

I’ll take a short break…

“Hey, you. You do know the results are coming out soon, right?”

“Eidel, should we have an early lunch?”

“Oh my! Look at this? Completely ignoring me, huh?”

“That ‘Le Carbonare’ we talked about earlier might be good.”

“That pasta place? It’s disgustingly bad.”

“It would be better to wash up before eating since we’re hot.”

Zernya seemed irritated and kept picking fights with everything Rustila said.

By this point, my thinking had cleared somewhat.

And I couldn’t help but find it strange that Zernya was more passionate and aggressive than her original personality.

Yes, it’s strange.

Was she always this persistently clingy?

[— Notice: Claim your quest reward!]

…As I was thinking this, such a message appeared before my eyes.