Ch.94Chasing After You (4)

Zernya snickered.

“You’ve gone mad.”

Even so, graduate school was going too far.

She had seen people attending graduate programs before. They looked like they were possessed by spirits.

“Have you been coming to my hospital room to deceive me?”

“Not deception, a proposal. Because you’re smart.”

Smart.

That one word almost swayed her heart. Regaining her composure, Zernya snorted.

If one were truly smart, they wouldn’t even think of entering.

Excluding oddities like Eidel.

“If we enter graduate school together, we could play games like ‘who gets their doctorate first.'”

“Don’t provoke me.”

“Weren’t you the one so obsessed with competition?”

“Stop testing me.”

Zernya coughed and continued.

“I’m not stupid enough to lack judgment.”

“I see.”

Eidel let out a deep sigh. Somehow, he seemed relieved. He patted Zernya’s shoulder and smiled.

“I hope you maintain that state.”

After that day, Eidel continued to visit the infirmary regularly.

He came and took care of various things. If she asked him to bring food, he brought it; if she asked him to tidy the bed, he tidied it. If she mentioned even the slightest discomfort, he addressed it immediately.

Why was he being so nice?

Thump thump, her heart was racing.

“It’s due tomorrow.”

Zernya sighed, looking down at her tattered career survey form.

“What, still not solved?”

“…Why are you here again?”

“Wondering if you’re still sick. Not doing it?”

In truth, her symptoms had subsided by the fourth day. But wanting to annoy Eidel, she had been stalling until now.

“If you’re worried about your career…”

“Let me tell you in advance, I’m not going to graduate school.”

“No, I mean just finish that much and submit it.”

Zernya raised her middle finger.

The career survey wasn’t that important for academics.

But she knew it was important for life. Zernya wanted to live a perfect life, and to do so, she needed to settle things with this survey right here, right now.

“Want to see mine?”

“Yours…?”

Eidel grinned and pulled out a clear file.

“My career survey.”

“Give it, let me see!”

Like an orca leaping above the sea surface to breathe, Zernya shot out of bed and reached for the file.

But there was a height difference of a full 40cm between Eidel and Zernya.

Just by raising his hand slightly, the answer sheet became out of reach.

“Give it to me…!”

“You should say ‘please give it to me.'”

It felt like her head had been struck with an anvil.

Please?

Pleeeease???

She would never do it, even if she died. No, she couldn’t! For a pillar of the Adelbein family to say such words would be tantamount to telling her to go die.

“If you won’t give it, just leave.”

“Just say ‘please’ once and I’ll give it to you.”

“Get out.”

Zernya turned her head away.

She showed her strong will to never speak with this reactionary terrorist who made such ridiculous threats.

However, the flow of time that leads us to inevitable death approached Zernya cruelly, tightening its grip.

Tick tock.

“Q-quickly, hand over the file.”

“You have to say ‘please.'”

“W-we’ll be here until dawn at this rate.”

Tick tock tick tock.

“I’m telling you to hand it over while I’m still being nice! Quickly!”

“Please.”

“Time is running out—!!”

The sun peeked over the ridge of the mountain.

120 minutes remained until roll call.

“Please show me just once…”

The standoff between the terrorist and the Adelbein police officer ended in the officer’s defeat.

Zernya gritted her teeth and bowed her head. She extended both hands, receiving the yellow imperial decree like a subject.

“Damn it, damn it. Why am I doing this…!”

She had never once asked anyone for a favor before. She had always been able to do everything herself. She even thought her parents were less capable than her, so she had never acted spoiled.

But for the first time, she asked for a favor. For the first time, she acted spoiled.

And to the classmate she wanted to beat the most.

“Damn it! This is humiliating!!”

With reddened eyes, she filled out the survey using Eidel’s writing as reference. As expected of someone who writes papers as first author, his survey answers were excellent.

Two hours passed.

Except for one question she had to rush through due to lack of time, she managed to fill everything out. It wasn’t satisfactory, but it wasn’t lacking either.

Since she had referenced the best answer sheet, yes, it would be a second-place survey. If quantified, it would be a second-place quality survey.

“Good job, *cough*.”

“…?”

“Huh?”

Eidel started coughing.

***

The positions were reversed.

Zernya had recovered, and Eidel had fallen ill.

“Young master. Miss Rustila and Miss Seti are worried. They said they’ll be coming to visit soon…”

“No need, *cough*, the disease is contagious.”

The basic symptoms of influenza are similar for everyone.

Headache, cold sweats, sore throat.

Tierbell sighed and asked.

“Didn’t you get vaccinated?”

“Do you know how much, *cough*, vaccination costs, *cough*…”

“I hate to say this, but the Rheinland family is renowned in medicine. It’s not like your family lacks money or vaccines, so why didn’t you get vaccinated?”

“With that money, *cough*, I could add to research funds, *hack*.”

“The virus has invaded your brain.”

Cartesia, who had been leisurely enjoying tea time in Eidel’s head, flinched.

“Enough. Rest.”

Eidel was confined to the infirmary.

“Tsk.”

Zernya clicked her tongue.

It was all self-inflicted. Who told him to nurse a sick person? He wasn’t a medical professional or family member.

Stretching her stiff body, she went out to the small field. The fresh air she breathed after a long time felt so good it made her body shiver.

She walked slowly along the field. She intended to warm up her body first. Now that Eidel was bedridden, she just needed to study hard and catch up on the missed progress.

She wasn’t worried about not being able to keep up. She had the summary notes and worksheets Eidel had brought. Yes, with those, she could easily catch up—

“…”

Her chest hurt.

Last time it was “thump, thump, thump,” but this time it was “prick, prick, prick.” It felt numb and dull, like someone was stirring her ventricles and atria with a needle.

It was strange.

Until now, Zernya had lived like this. She took others’ sacrifices for her for granted, and they were merely stage props or spotlights meant to illuminate her, the protagonist. So she had no intention of sympathizing with Eidel.

“Ha.”

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she cast her gaze down the field.

She saw a now-familiar face.

“Master, please let me meet Eidel just once. He’s sick, right?”

“That’s why you shouldn’t go. You’re destined to become an Omega-grade swordsman. You should be able to endure not seeing him for a while.”

“Master! Please…”

“My disciple. It’s not a fatal disease anyway. He’ll be sick for a few days and then recover.”

It was Rustila and Naiere Clarke of the Zodiac 12.

“That person still hasn’t left?”

After the Celestine incident, she had heard the Zodiac 12 would return to the military. But to think Rustila and Naiere had formed a master-disciple relationship.

She couldn’t help but laugh.

“Miss Adelbein!”

It was Sonia.

She came running with a distorted expression, as if something was urgent. Despite being an android.

“You need to return that scarf before you leave.”

Ah.

Zernya looked down.

She wondered why her neck didn’t feel empty despite the strong wind. She was wearing the black scarf she had received from Eidel.

“Please return it.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I’ll say it again. Please return it.”

“Tell me your account number.”

“I told you it’s not for sale.”

Sonia’s eyes turned blue.

So she hadn’t been mistaken that day.

This android had feelings for her master. And quite fanatical ones at that.

She could run away with the scarf, but that would be too petty. After calculating, Zernya moved her feet.

“The young master is very ill and needs his scarf.”

“…I forgot. I didn’t bring my scarf.”

“Your scarf is right here, miss.”

“…”

“Please give me that scarf.”

The piercing blue gaze came straight at her. Then Sonia, radiating killing intent, slowly closed the distance.

Having seen Eidel being beaten up for a week, Zernya felt her life was in danger. It was obvious that if she didn’t hand over the scarf here, she would be beaten regardless of the principles of robotics.

Thus, her conclusion:

“J-just take it.”

“I will take it.”

“…”

“You should say ‘I will give it to you.'”

“I-I’ll g…”

“Say it.”

“I’ll give it to you, dirty bitch.”

She wouldn’t bow to an android, no matter what.

***

“What, *cough*. Why are you here?”

“This.”

In the end, Zernya went to see Eidel herself and threw the scarf at him. The fluttering scarf landed on Eidel’s face.

Zernya belatedly realized her mistake.

It was something she had been wearing for a whole week. He could surely smell her scent just by taking a small breath.

Suddenly, her face felt hot around the cheeks.

Sonia shot Zernya a sharp look.

“…Let’s see about that.”

“Hmm?”

But well, since the android seemed to dislike it, that was good.

Sonia quickly gathered the scarf and said:

“Young Master Eidel. Don’t you smell something strange in the room?”

Eidel rolled his eyes. He sniffled and answered.

“My nose is blocked.”

“Oh my, student! Oh my!”

Just then, someone burst through the infirmary door.

Similar in height to Eidel but about a dozen years older. Tall and handsome, wearing a suit, he seemed to be no ordinary person.

The man grabbed Eidel’s withering hand and cried out:

“Why did you catch the flu this season, student!”

“P-Professor F-Feynman.”

“Student. Are you okay? You are okay, right?”

“Next, paper, topic, over there… *cough cough*!”

Eidel pointed to the bedside table and spoke with difficulty. For him, today through the day after tomorrow would be the critical period.

“Over there, I have 24 ideas I wrote about for the new paper. Take them and read them, *hack*, and please commission whichever ones you like…”

“Student…”

Moved, Feynman gripped Eidel’s hand tightly and shook it.

Zernya’s expression turned dumbfounded. Sonia stepped forward and whispered:

“He is the young master’s academic advisor.”

“What…”

“This will be interesting. Young Master Eidel will soon jump to graduate studies. You’ll probably say goodbye before midterms, so you should talk here and leave.”

Sonia’s next words were even more shocking.

Eidel is leaving?

To graduate school?

Not college?

“…Student Eidel. Actually, there are a few more people who came to see you after hearing you were sick today. They say they want to visit briefly, is it okay if I call them in?”

Eidel nodded with a haggard smile.

“It’s fine. Come in, everyone!”

The next moment, Zernya couldn’t help but be surprised at the people who entered.