Ch.97Chasing After You (7)

The long-awaited major experience day had finally arrived.

“Hmm, hmm-hmm.”

Zernya von und zu Trisha Adelbein hummed a tune while looking around the booths.

Literature, natural sciences, social sciences, arts and physical education, and so on.

It seemed like every possible major was gathered here.

Among them, the medical field stood out as the best. The proof was in the students crowding around that booth.

“It’s Adelbein.”

“Shh, don’t make eye contact.”

“What if she finds something to criticize again?”

Students retreated hesitantly. Thanks to that, she didn’t have to wait in line, which was convenient.

She felt smug.

When you have good abilities and excellent grades, everyone naturally bows their heads like this. In such circumstances, why bother learning humility?

It’s absurd.

Ignoring Eidel’s advice lightly, she walked confidently into the booth.

“What can I try here?”

“You can experience CPR, and try using an electrocardiogram and magnetoencephalography. From a doctor’s perspective, of course.”

Following the guidance, Zernya stood in front of a mannequin.

CPR practice.

Any doctor should naturally know how to do this.

“Is this your first time, student?”

“Yes, well.”

She had received education on it, but since it wasn’t essential for entrance exams, it was knowledge she only knew theoretically.

Trying it directly would be a good experience.

“Here, press this part and compress about 80 times per minute. Yes, hold your hands like that…”

The key was to put your upper body weight into it.

Zernya drew on knowledge from safety education long ago and pressed firmly on the mannequin’s solar plexus.

The LED attached to the mannequin’s body would light up if the procedure was being done correctly.

But no matter how hard she pressed, the light wouldn’t turn on.

“Try putting more weight into it.”

Beep, beep, beep.

All she heard was the sound of air escaping.

Though her arm strength was weak, which was why she only used lightweight types of Plasma Swords, this was ridiculous!

She glanced around nervously.

Others were doing just fine, and she felt like she was the only one falling behind.

Students watching from outside gave her sharp glances.

Cold sweat formed on her brow.

“Ugh…”

Zernya straightened her shoulders and raised her hips high. Maximum compression with three-quarters of her body weight.

Only then did the light finally start to flicker.

“Well done.”

“Ha!”

As expected, I’m someone who can do anything when I try.

Brimming with confidence, Zernya’s next target was the electrocardiogram.

“At our booth, we’re conducting practice sessions where same-sex pairs learn how to use the ECG machine.”

A plain-looking girl stood in front of Zernya.

“H-h-hello…”

“Hi.”

Medical students explained how to use the device, and then the real practice began.

Zernya first attached the device to the female student and pressed the buttons as instructed.

A graph showing heartbeats appeared.

“This graph represents the electrical signals of the heart. As you can see here, there are sharp, repetitive patterns, which indicate normal heartbeats.”

“Oh…”

This was actually interesting.

Though she heard unfamiliar terms like PQRST graph and ventricular polarization, it was still enjoyable.

After the female student, it was Zernya’s turn to be examined.

“Your results are normal too.”

That can’t be right.

“Can arrhythmia also be diagnosed with an ECG?”

“If it’s chronic arrhythmia, yes, immediately. If it’s intermittent, you’d need a Holter monitor test.”

“Holter monitor test?”

“It’s a 24-hour ECG test.”

“I think I might need that test.”

The medical students looked at each other blankly.

One of them answered with a serious expression.

“Arrhythmia in your teens is a really bad sign. You should visit a general hospital as soon as possible.”

“Oh no.”

She didn’t want to die before even entering college.

It seemed like she would need to visit the hospital today.

Just then, she saw doctors moving busily beyond the booth.

“What’s happening?”

“Someone fainted on the street!”

“What? Who?”

Zernya poked her head out.

“I’m not sure who, but it happened in front of the physics department booth…”

***

An unfamiliar ceiling.

“Where… am I?”

“You’re in the hospital. Don’t worry.”

A warm sensation was felt in my hand. Sonia, who was holding my hand, looked at me with a blank expression.

Plop.

The headband she was wearing fell onto my face.

After retrieving her headband, Sonia spoke bluntly.

“Who in the world faints after getting scolded by professors?”

“…I fainted?”

“Seeing that you don’t even remember, you must have been really shocked.”

I sat dazed, trying to recall my memories.

I couldn’t remember.

Just then, professors rushed in, wailing loudly.

“Student Eidel!”

What’s going on now?

“We’re truly sorry, student! We wanted to send you to graduate school, but there was no other way…”

“What did you just say?”

Wanted to send me to graduate school.

There was no other way?

Could it be.

“The government wouldn’t allow it. The only option is early admission to college, student.”

“What… is this?”

“We’re truly sorry. We won’t be able to keep the promise we made through email with Alcatraz.”

This makes no sense.

If I could follow the graduate course here, I could become not just a doctor at twenty-two but even a professor.

My ambition.

My grand ambition…

“Ah, aaaah.”

“Student…?”

“Nooooooo!!!”

***

“How is Rheinland doing?”

“He’s refusing to eat and is focused only on research in the recovery room.”

Hearing the professors’ conversation, Zernya couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“That’s just a hunger strike.”

She had never seen an Academia student cry over not getting into graduate school. Probably neither had Zernya, nor the professors.

Rustila Kersil was shedding tears along with Eidel, simply because he was sad, engaging in an unlimited empathy operation.

On the other hand, Seti was laughing so hard she nearly died of hyperventilation.

Zernya was feeling both emotions simultaneously.

Which tune should she dance to?

As Zernya was peeking into the recovery room, Rustila blocked her way.

“Why are you here? You thieving cat.”

“Thieving cat?”

A strangely cute nickname.

Zernya chuckled and retorted.

“I haven’t stolen anything, yet you call me a thief. Really, I find myself amusing.”

“What about what you did with Eidel last time?”

“Is Eidel yours?”

“What?”

“I mean, are you dating or have you promised a future together?”

“T-that’s…”

Rustila fidgeted with her hands, her face turning red.

She was straightforward to a fault. A pure demeanor with no sense of improvisation. Just the type that’s fun to tease.

Zernya twisted her lips and said.

“If not, I might snatch him away?”

“No!”

“Fine. I wouldn’t take someone like him even if offered.”

As she said those last words, Zernya felt a slight sting in her heart.

Another arrhythmia!

She needed to end this pointless argument quickly and hurry to make a hospital appointment!

Rustila spat out her words.

“If you have no business here, just leave. Eidel needs rest.”

“But I do have business?”

Zernya brushed off the restraint and entered the recovery room.

She had heard that Eidel had merely fainted briefly and there was nothing physically wrong with him. However, he was deeply disappointed about going to college instead of graduate school.

Anyway, this was good news for Zernya.

She asked.

“Hey, what are you going to do now?”

“…I’ll go.”

Eidel sat up.

“I’ll go to college. It will delay my graduation timeline… but I’ll humbly accept it, thinking of it as reinforcing my foundations once more. Come to think of it, it was self-deception on my part to think I could go straight to graduate school. It was arrogance.”

His broken mental state was clearly visible.

His tearful, pitiful appearance was so wretched that even Zernya, who couldn’t empathize with Eidel’s situation, felt sad.

Zernya said.

“I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I’m going to follow you.”

Zernya looked up at Eidel with her arms crossed. Rustila, who had been standing blankly, exclaimed in shock.

“You, what are you saying…!”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m saying I’ll graduate early and follow Eidel.”

She had made up her mind.

In the first semester, the two of them had fiercely competed for first and second place. Having competed, she knew.

If she didn’t compete with him, at least in required liberal arts or common major courses, she wouldn’t be able to alleviate this boredom. So even if they went, they had to go together.

“Everyone else here is too boring.”

Zernya openly mocked Rustila. Taking it as a declaration of war, Rustila’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“You. Want to face me with a sword before talking?”

“Sure. Without a sword, you have no talent, and if you lose even that, how pitiful would you be? You might as well give up on being a soldier and go farm in the southern planets.”

“Are you done talking?”

“I am, why? Ah, my tongue hurts from arguing after so long. What a fate I have.”

“…”

“What? Want to grab my hair and fight?”

Rustila’s expression was ominous. She was like a swordsman facing a cosmic monster. She was gradually releasing controlled anger, pressuring Zernya with just her gaze.

“Sigh.”

Eidel sighed.

“Rustila.”

“…Yes, what?”

“You shouldn’t emit killing intent. If your goal is to be a swordsman, how can you harbor ill will toward Zernya, a fellow citizen of the Federation?”

“That’s…”

“And Zernya. Stop saying mean things to your friend. How long will you act like a child?”

“…”

Eidel’s words were similar to an adult’s scolding. Like forcing two children fighting over trivial matters to reconcile.

Still, he had a point.

Zernya reluctantly nodded.

“I’d like you two to make up.”

“Alright. I’m sorry.”

Rustila apologized first.

“Now, Zernya should apologize too. Say you’re sorry.”

The word “sorry.” She had never said it in her life.

But it wasn’t like she had committed a grave sin; they had just quarreled over something trivial. Apologizing hurt her pride.

So Zernya…

“S-s-s…”

“Come on, don’t hesitate.”

“…Meow.”

And she subtly moved closer to Eidel.

It didn’t take long for Rustila to explode.