Chapter 117

Chapter 117

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 117: Love And Thesis (1).

Ten years ago.

Richard, I love you.

And just yesterday.

You bastard.

Professor Stranov’s face turned crimson as her direct message history was laid bare for all to see.

“Hey, you! Turn that off now!”

“Why should I?”

Feynman smirked, his usual polite demeanor tinged with mockery.

Stranov gritted her teeth.

“Pfft!”

A few graduate students couldn’t stifle their laughter. Professor Stranov shot them a fierce glare, making a slicing gesture across her neck. Behave if you want to graduate.

“Sigh.”

I paused my pacing and peeked into the kitchenette. Popcorn. I needed popcorn.

By the microwave, Zelnya stood with her arms crossed, lifting and lowering her heels. Our eyes met briefly, and I noticed her shiver.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Is it a growth plate stimulation exercise?”

Zelnya, who had burrowed into her arms, suddenly punched me in the lower abdomen.

“Ugh!”

“Shut up.”

I must have hit the mark.

“In my opinion, by the time you’re eighteen, your growth plates are already closed. So, don’t be too disheartened if things don’t work out. You have other attractive qualities, even if you are a bit short.”

I almost became a eunuch for saying that.

“Kuh-huh-huh-huh!”

“Shut up, I said shut up.”

Just then, the familiar popping sound of popcorn filled the air, providing a welcome distraction from the impending beatdown.

I slipped out of the kitchen, concealing the steaming popcorn behind me. There was no way I could let the hyenas discover my stash.

We settled down a bit away, nibbling on popcorn one kernel at a time, careful to stay out of sight of the seniors. Luckily, they didn’t seem particularly interested in us either.

Zelnya and I watched the movie for a while. It was titled ‘Love and Thesis.’ In the second cutscene, the male lead barged into the female lead’s house, creating complete chaos.

“Anyway, from now on, we will conduct our research here.”

“What? Are you crazy? This is my lab!”

“Student Aidel is in this lab. Since Aidel is our student, this lab is naturally ours.”

A shift in perspective.

“Unless Aidel returns to Stellarium, we’ll be here for days if necessary.”

“Are you out of your mind? Don’t you have work to do in your own lab?”

“We don’t have any assignments at the moment.”

Another shift in perspective.

The male protagonist nodded slightly, prompting the extras behind him to spring into action. They quickly pitched a tent and set up a desk, hauling in camping cookware and toiletries as if preparing for an extended stay. They seemed to have thought of everything.

“You maniacs!”

The female protagonist exclaimed, grabbing the back of her neck in disbelief.

But this was only the beginning.

The male protagonist placed a small box on the desk.

“We will now start charging a toll.”

On the front of the box, the words ‘10 credits per entry’ were boldly displayed. Below that, a phrase read, ‘All toll fees will be used for the Quantum Gravity Theory Research Lab.’

Upon closer inspection, it became clear they had set up a guard post at the only entrance. The entrance featured double doors, and if the male protagonist chose to lock them, no one inside would be able to enter or exit. It was a clever use of the terrain.

Meanwhile, on another side of the box, a phrase caught her attention:

Aidel von Reinhardt – Free

Does that mean… no toll fee for Aidel?

“Richard! I’m disappointed in you. How can a person be so shameless?”

“The shameless one is you. Trying to sever the bond between Aidel and me for a paltry sum. This is an event that will shake the galaxy and leave the Outer Gods gasping in awe!”

The God of ‘Wisdom and Curiosity’ nods in agreement.

“If you just return Aidel, I will withdraw quietly.”

“Stop spouting nonsense and vacate the room! Vacate the room now!”

Professor Stranov shouted, her eyes wide with rage as she hurled a triangle ruler across the space. Professor Feynman caught it effortlessly with just two fingers.

“Oh.”

Zelnya exclaimed in awe, munching on popcorn.

“Isn’t all this because of you?”

“If you look at it that way, yes.”

“You really have been up to all sorts of things without me knowing.”

Two hours had passed since the Feynman-Stranov War broke out. As the bombardment subsided, both armies took the opportunity to reorganize.

I sat in a separate room as a prisoner. Martial law had been declared throughout the lab, and Zelnya and I were idly chatting while I was munching on hazelnuts.

“Hey, you could leave, you know.”

“I don’t want to waste money.” Zelnya clicked her tongue, fiddling with her wallet.

“Isn’t your time valuable?”

“Not really. If it were, I would have escaped long ago.”

Professor Stranov was still negotiating with Professor Feynman. Meanwhile, Zelnya finished the last of the popcorn, and I focused on revising my thesis. There wasn’t much else we could do.

We need an Outer God—one that can perfectly fulfill the role of research data in the resonator.

In that case, should I volunteer for the experimental table myself?

The God of ‘Wisdom and Curiosity’ flinches.

Just kidding. Actually, due to the effect of , I can’t.

If we were to trap Cartesia in the resonator, I’d spend my life calling her master in a cramped black hole. Such an ending is absolutely unacceptable.

In the end, we have to bring Ire.

However, there’s a significant chance that Ire will go mad the moment she leaves the Holy Spirit Hospital. The Outer God Safaul is relentless in his determination.

Should we then relocate the resonator to the south? That would be sheer madness. Setting aside the costs, it would take two months just to replicate the environment of the Holy Spirit Hospital. By the time those two months are up, summer vacation will be over, leaving us with fewer days to commute to Eruyel Academy for research.

“No way.”

I need to execute the plan as soon as possible.

Just then, Professor Stranov burst through the door, her expression twisted in disgust. I couldn’t tell what had happened, but she was sweating profusely.

I stood up and handed her a handkerchief.

“How did it go?”

“Aidel, you shouldn’t come out of here.”

It was clear that things hadn’t gone well. Stranov was cursing Feynman with a fury that hinted at both regret and despair.

“I’m sorry for keeping you here, but there’s no other way. As a quick compensation, take this and buy something delicious for you and your girlfriend later. Okay?”

She handed me a check worth 100 million credits. This person is out of her mind right now.

Moments later, she pulled a bottle of whiskey from the refrigerator and began drinking straight from it.

“Sigh. Just one more bottle…”

Two bottles, three bottles, four bottles—how much more does she have?

Before long…

“Hic, you foolish man.”

The drunken ranting began.

“Am I really such a flawed woman? Do I have a personality problem? It’s not like I locked him up at home like those lunatics on the news or chased him around with a knife!”

The only way to survive a superior’s drunken rant is to nod along and wait for them to pass out.

“I just… I just followed him to graduate school. What’s so terrifying about that? Am I wrong, Aidel?”

“Professor, you’re so beautiful that he must feel pressured.”

“Then—sniff—that’s a relief… It’s not a relief at all!!”

Ah, I’m so happy. My eardrums feel like they’re going to burst.

“Should I just get some plastic surgery? Or should I ruin my figure?”

There’s a Japanese term for this kind of thing, but I can’t quite remember it. Yandere? No, it’s something different.

“Oh! Right, the family! If I abandon them, it would be fine. They say birds of a feather flock together, so if I throw away the name of one of the top ten families, I could be with him…”

Stranov fell silent, lowering her head.

“The smell of alcohol is overwhelming in this private room.”

“Ventilation, ventilation.”

After hastily tidying up the mess, I peeked out the door. Zelnya subtly leaned in beside me.

With Professor Stranov here, the graduate students’ guard was down. If I played my cards right, I might slip past the surveillance and get to the exit.

I glanced at the opposite side of the room. Professor Feynman and the other seniors were absent. Only Senior Flance stood resolute in front of the double doors, like a sentry on duty.

That was a good sign.

“The situation looks favorable. Even an idiot could escape now.”

“Sorry, Zelnya, but I don’t plan to run away.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because I need to see the big picture.”

“Senior. Senior Flance.”

“Whoa, you scared me…!”

I quickly covered his mouth and pressed my finger to my lips. After a moment of struggling, the Senior nodded in understanding.

We ducked into the tent, eager to avoid being seen. Once we locked the inner door and zipped up the entrance, a sense of safety enveloped us.

Aside from me, Zelnya, and Senior Flance, we were completely alone.

“Where is Professor Feynman?”

“He’s a busy man. It’s just me here right now.”

“I see.”

This was the perfect situation.

Senior Flance took my hand, wiping away his tears. I thought I heard him mumble, “I can finally graduate,” but I decided to let that slide.

“Just a moment. I’ll contact the professor right away…”

“Wait a second. There’s no need for that.”

I calmed him down while feeling for the check tucked in my pocket. Senior Flance tilted his head in confusion.

Zelnya stood with her arms crossed, observing me and Flance. She was curious to see how I would navigate this conversation.

“Senior Flance, do you know what kind of relationship exists between Professor Feynman and Professor Stranov?”

Flance nodded thoughtfully.

“Professor Stranov is still in unrequited love with Professor Feynman. What happened today was just a lovers’ quarrel.”

“But Professor Feynman doesn’t seem particularly fond of Professor Stranov. He’s fundamentally a free spirit, more interested in reading papers than starting a family.”

“True, but that doesn’t mean he’s completely uninterested.”

“I don’t really know about that.”

A wise answer. The probing had reached its limit, so I shifted the topic.

“The reason I thought Professor Stranov’s lab suited me better is because of the funding. I love being able to explore ideas without budget constraints.”

“…Really?”

“I’d like to suggest a collaboration to you, Senior.”

Flance raised an eyebrow, slightly out of breath.

“So, you’re telling me to switch professors now?”

I offered a subtle smile.

“Junior, do you really not understand how small this field is? You might not care since you’re still an undergrad, but once you’re in grad school, switching labs without a valid reason can lead to some pretty nasty rumors. I absolutely can’t betray Professor Feynman…”

“It’s not switching rides, Senior. It’s carpooling—carpooling.”

“What do you mean?”

“Professor Feynman is bursting with ideas, while Professor Stranov has the funding. Their fields are even similar. I can’t fathom why they haven’t collaborated even once.”

As Flance had pointed out, this field was already small. If researchers within the same discipline didn’t collaborate, high-quality papers would be hard to come by.

“I hope you understand the real reason I came to this lab, Senior.”

“The real reason, ha.”

Hesitation flickered across Flance’s face. This was my chance.

“Please, take it, Senior.”

“No, this! This money is…!”

“It’s part of the ‘snack money’ the professor gave me. You seem to have lost quite a bit of weight lately, Senior.”

“But I…”

“…Ah, I’m sorry. It must be too little.”

I added the other half to what I had originally given him. Flance’s face turned pale.

“Do the top ten families spend this much on snack money?”

“Yes, most of them do.”

In moments like this, having the backing of a wealthy family is incredibly useful. It changes your perspective on money entirely.

“Still, I can’t accept this much money personally.”

“As expected of you, Senior. Then please use it for research expenses.”

“…Junior.”

“Well then, I shall take my leave.”

I stood up confidently and brushed myself off. Just as I was about to unzip and exit the tent with Zelnya, I felt a firm grip on my right wrist.

“How much are they paying you there?”

The bait had been taken.