Ch.79From Now On, This Is My Laboratory (2)

Rustila hadn’t been able to sleep properly for six weeks.

As soon as the tragedy at Celestine ended and vacation began, Rustila found herself essentially confined to her home.

She could go out with permission, but always had to be accompanied by an android.

Even when eating.

Even when bathing.

Even when sleeping.

If she moved without Zermel or Berdia by her side, her parents would scold her.

“Miss. Please give me the knife.”

Zermel, one of her personal androids, skillfully cut the steak with deft movements.

Beside him, Risha, another personal android, was checking the temperature of the soup.

And next to her, yet another personal android was—

“Ah.”

A piece of bread entered her absently opened mouth.

Berdia set down the fork and asked, “Does it suit your taste?”

“…Yes, no.”

“I apologize, Miss. We’re fully aware that our interference is excessive.”

“Then…”

“But it hasn’t been long since that incident occurred. You need to be careful.”

Berdia had a point.

The family’s sole heir had been attacked by an avatar and nearly lost her life.

Some students had actually died.

Any parent concerned for their child would naturally act this way.

She understood. She understood, but…

“Miss, please eat.”

An appetizingly cut piece of steak was held out to her.

Rustila ate it like a baby bird and forcefully held back the tears that threatened to spill.

She was seventeen now.

She was too old to cry.

Above all, Eidel would dislike seeing her weak.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Rustila, I’m coming in.”

It was the voice of her father, Lloyd Kersil.

Lloyd sat down next to Rustila and placed a folder of documents and a tablet PC on the table.

“Are you alright?”

“…”

“The situation with the Rheinland siblings is regrettable. But don’t be so dejected. Your mother is worried about you.”

Lloyd was treating Rustila more gently than before.

It was because he had heard about her achievements during the Celestine incident.

– “Your daughter can use both ‘Multi-Sword Technique’ and ‘Body Control.’ She’s a genius among geniuses. By the time she graduates from the Academy, she’ll be EX-rank, and by the time she graduates from college, she’ll be a Great Omega.”

– “Sir, Madam. I apologize for bringing this up after such an incident, but please entrust your daughter to us. We will certainly raise her to become the Federation’s finest swordswoman.”

Just last week. Two Great Omega-ranked swordsmen came and bowed their heads to the ground.

Saying she had talent that appears once in 100,000 years. Saying it would be a universal loss if she didn’t become a soldier.

Honestly, her heart had wavered then.

Her father had wanted her to become a lawyer because being a swordswoman was dangerous, but his only daughter had fought toe-to-toe with an avatar using raw swordsmanship.

It was a cursed talent.

“Rustila, look at this.”

Lloyd handed the tablet to Rustila, who had been picking at her food for a while.

“You know about the students who died in the Celestine incident, right? I just finished handling their death insurance claims. The public insurance company was trying so hard to back out.”

“Is that so?”

“Those guys were really terrible. They tried to shift all the blame onto the school. The law shouldn’t work that way. It’s like pouring oil on the grief of the bereaved families.”

“Is that so?”

“This shows that enemies aren’t just avatars. Even fellow humans can become enemies. Judging the wicked who create such injustice is precisely the job of those in the legal profession.”

“Is that so?”

Rustila’s eyes remained dull, showing no interest in her father’s words.

What was so important about judging fellow humans?

When a single finger-pointing from an avatar could make Seti close her eyes forever, and one kick could drag Eidel to prison.

In the end, there was nothing she could do.

Her shoulders trembled with helplessness.

“…I’m finished eating.”

Rustila returned to her room in a daze. The androids tucked her into bed.

She began to sob slowly and silently.

She had lost her friend and her freedom. Even holding a wooden sword wasn’t allowed in this house.

She wanted to die.

She didn’t want to live.

She truly wanted to die.

[— The God of Purity and Resolve comforts you.]

How much time had passed?

She raised herself up in the brilliant moonlight pouring down.

Despite crying so much, her eyes were just puffy, with no sense of relief.

Rather, her heart felt numb.

“Seti, Eidel, Eidel…”

Alcatraz was essentially a life sentence once you entered. Unlike Seti, whom she could at least see sleeping at the Spirit Chamber, Eidel had become someone she would never see again.

“I miss you, Eidel.”

She prayed to the moon.

Please let me visit him, just once.

***

And it actually happened.

“Huh?”

When Rustila came to her senses, she had arrived at the Alcatraz planetary system.

“Get off.”

She looked up at the curt voice. It was Sonia, Eidel’s personal android maid.

The situation was as follows:

That day, an email arrived for the crying Rustila.

[I’ve found out that it’s possible to visit Young Master Eidel.]

It was an email from Sonia.

And the next day, Rustila staged a suicide attempt.

‘Miss, please come down!’

When she went for a dawn walk with only Berdia, while the android was distracted, Rustila climbed the zelkova tree planted in the backyard and attempted to negotiate with her own life.

‘If you don’t let me go to Alcatraz, I’ll die right here.’

She really meant it.

Who was Eidel to her?

He was the benefactor who had been the only one to encourage her swordsmanship when no one else recognized her talent.

The tender feelings that sprouted from there were like a double-edged sword. With him, she would be happy to death, but without him, she would be miserable to death.

‘Alright! I’ll let you go! I’ll escort you secretly, so please come down!’

Eventually, Berdia surrendered completely and escorted Rustila along with Sonia.

And.

She met him.

“Eidel…!”

The person she wanted to see the most.

As soon as Rustila saw Eidel, she ran at full speed and threw herself into his arms.

“I missed you.”

“Uh, um…”

Because Rustila clung to him so tightly, Eidel’s hands had nowhere to go…

No, that’s not it. He was holding papers in both hands.

Sonia gritted her teeth and made a gesture of patting her own head.

“I missed you, I missed you.”

Even a nerd like him had some sense of social awareness.

Eidel put down his papers and slowly patted Rustila’s back and head.

His caressing touch was awkward.

“Well, well, look at this.”

Guard Weisel rubbed under his nose as he watched the two.

***

Afterward, Eidel continued to stroke Rustila until she calmed down. Being a fragile child, she cried a lot.

As a result, he hadn’t exchanged DMs with Professor Feynman for six hours.

[Eidel, are you okay?]

[Did something happen?]

[Student?]

[Student?]

[Student]

[If you’re okay, please type anything]

[Are you sleeping?]

[You’re not sleeping, are you?]

[▶(Voice message)]

“…”

Eidel sat at the monitor, choosing his words.

How should he explain this situation?

And when should he explain it?

Their discussion had been delayed for over half a day. He’d even forgotten what they were discussing.

He was afraid to even click on the voice message at the very end.

Eidel turned his head.

After crying her heart out and calming down, Rustila had stolen the blanket Eidel had been using and wrapped herself in it completely.

‘This girl is crazy! Crazy! Crazy!’

No matter how she thought about it, what happened earlier had (by Rustila’s standards) crossed a significant line.

Hug me.

He hugged me.

Having done such a thing with an unrelated man, only a future of her parents furiously scolding Rustila remained. Not being able to get married was just a bonus.

Unaware that Rustila was mentally kicking herself under the blanket, Eidel checked her Pron level.

[Rustila Kersil: 580/1500]

[Note: Decreasing]

Characteristics of Pron levels:

When it rises above 50% of the maximum, one starts contemplating suicide.

And Rustila had been around 750 when they first met.

As Sonia said, it really could have been disastrous.

Fortunately, Rustila had a special buff that made this value drop rapidly when she was near Eidel.

“By the way, how long is the visiting time?” asked Berdia.

Eidel answered, “There isn’t one.”

“?”

“I’m an employee here.”

***

“Let me hit you.”

Sonia pummeled Eidel with avatar-possessed movements. If Rustila hadn’t barely stopped her, he would have passed out with his eyes rolled back.

“Do you know how many people are worried about you? Yet even though your madness treatment is over, not only do you have no intention of leaving, but you’ve completely settled in here?”

“Yep. This space has become my research lab now.”

“Ha, really. Ha.”

Sonia dragged her hand down her face. The headband she was wearing slipped down.

“You’re doing this in the control room and the guards don’t say anything?”

“As long as I meet my work quota precisely, they don’t touch me. The lab atmosphere is really good. A+.”

Eidel gave a thumbs up.

After receiving one more flick on the forehead from Sonia, Eidel finally stopped joking.

Instead, he became serious and looked at Rustila and the two androids.

“I have a favor to ask you.”

“What is it?”

Unlike the two frowning androids, Rustila was actually willing to listen to whatever Eidel had to say.

Because Eidel had protected her dream, she wanted to protect his dream too.

And soon Eidel opened his mouth.

“Become a graduate student.”

Rustila’s thoughts came to a halt.