Chapter 12

Chapter 12

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 12: Private Tutoring (3).

Edward sent an email before it got dark and researched the Reinhardt family. Searching for ‘Aidel von Reinhardt’ on the internet, he was met with a flood of negative articles.

The most recent misdeed of Aidel was causing a disturbance at the Harkus casino. Not only did he lose a significant amount, but it was also revealed that he had used the money without the family’s permission.

Even more shocking, there was a detailed account of him beating someone with a pool cue, demanding the money back, only to be knocked out by security.

‘He is a lot crazier than the rumors,’ Edward thought.

But that isn’t all. Five months back, he tried to force his way into a bar as a minor, and when that failed, he attempted arson but was stopped. Six months ago, the child of the Reinhardt family secretly visited the hospital they operated, spewing insults like ‘crippled bastard’ at the patients before leaving.

Eight months ago, he ordered a bunch of deliveries through an app and then requested returns and bombarded them with one-star reviews, which led to him being sued for business interference. A year and a month ago, he sexually harassed a woman, and when caught by the police, claimed, ‘I am a juvenile, so you cannot punish me,’ almost ending up in the detention center.

The more he scrolled down, the more disgusting articles he found.

“Euk,” Edward almost threw up his dinner.

“How is this guy not behind bars?”

Shockingly, the boy called Aidel, thanks to his family’s backing, got away with just fines and never spent time in jail. Edward couldn’t help but have veins pop in his eyes.

‘No money, then guilty; money, then not guilty.’

People with money don’t get punished for their crimes.

‘Damn Federation.’

The Federation, having expanded its influence across tens of thousands of light-years, had poor law enforcement. There were plenty of police officers and prosecutors who, given money, would stumble around like drunkards and prove innocence.

But even so, it was displeasing that such a notorious piece of shit hadn’t been caught yet. Moreover, from now on, he was to work with that boy in the article. Though it was only for a short time, Edward found even that brief period nauseating.

‘If it wasn’t for the tuition, I wouldn’t have done it,’ Edward grumbled as he packed his bags.

He sought out the Reinhardt family’s spaceship as soon as day broke. This was because the reply to his email said he could come at a convenient time the next day.

Clunk.

As soon as the old-fashioned vehicle docked onto the mainline, this dull ash-colored dock welcomed Edward. Overwhelmed by the vast expanse, Edward couldn’t help but feel intimidated.

“Ah, my professor! Please come in!”

A young man with black hair and golden eyes hurried over and bowed. It was a respectful greeting.

“You…”

“I am Aidel. I look forward to learning from you this month.”

“Y-You… no, you are the student Aidel?”

He looked a lot more decent than expected. His eyes shone with life, and he was dressed neatly. Even the bangs above his eyes were neatly trimmed. It was a first impression that made it impossible to think of him as a troublemaker.

“Yes, I am Aidel Reinhardt. And this friend here is my personal android, Sonia.”

An android with hair bluer than azure tilted her head. She was wearing a headband with frills and an apron adorned with ribbons over a black base.

“… maid?”

It was an outdated outfit. Clothes no one would wear unless they were cosplaying. Edward thought for a moment and then slightly furrowed his brows.

‘Why dress her in such clothes? Could it be… someone has a bad taste in making androids do such things?’

He couldn’t figure it out. Yet, Edward’s thoughts kept drifting in that direction. The article he read yesterday, and above all, the android was excessively beautiful. It was no different from an adult robot.

Edward shook his head. He was certain that one couldn’t judge a person based on first impressions. Despite how Aidel might seem, he would reveal his true colors when it mattered and torment him.

There was no need to talk more than necessary. Edward thought it was best to keep a professional interaction between them.

Aidel led the way to his room. It was very spacious, around 159 square meters, and having lived his entire life in a room of 30 square meters, Edward felt this sense of deprivation.

The room itself was modest and clean. Contrary to being known as a gambling addict, not a single playing card was in sight, and the bookshelf was filled with entrance test workbooks and major-specific books.

Facing the window, this electronic blackboard was sparsely written with equations frequently appearing in physics.

‘What is this…?’ Edward unpacked his luggage and asked, “Is this the room that the student uses?”

“Yes, it is the young master’s room.”

It wasn’t Aidel who spoke but Sonia. She adjusted her headband and continued indifferently.

“Contrary to what is known publicly, the young master is more scholarly than he appears. He is currently working hard every day to get into the Stellarium Academy.”

“… ah, I see.”

Of course, he didn’t believe it. It was possible that they had been instructed to match the story or that this was another family member’s room.

But then, the question arises. ‘Why did they pick me out of the many tutors available?’

Perhaps he was summoned to set an example or as a case study due to his humble origins from the frontier and the affordability of his tutoring fees.

If that happened, the worst-case scenario would be not being paid for the tutoring and just ending up being humiliated. Of course, Edward wasn’t dumb enough to just let that happen.

He secretly turned on the recorder he had brought and began to speak.

“Is your goal to get into Stellarium?”

“Yes.”

Edward snorted inside.

“The most important part of Stellarium’s entrance test is the interview. Even if you do well on the written and practical, it can all be overturned here. Are you aware of this?”

“Yes, I am.”

“The interview is divided into a special interview and a general interview. Since the general asks mostly about your motivation for applying and your future plans, we’ll prioritize that later. You must be more interested in the special one.”

“Right.”

Aidel was surprisingly listening to Edward’s explanation without uttering a single insulting word.

‘I didn’t expect this… as long as it goes well like this, it is good for me,’ Edward thought as he took out the question paper.

“The characteristic interview is almost the same as the major interview. However, there is no such thing as a major in academia. So, you just have to talk about the field that you are interested in and solve the task given by the robot on the spot. After solving it, you write the solution on the board, and the AI will grade it.”

He took out the papers which were printed.

“These are the entrance test questions generated by AI last year.”

The types of questions varied. Language, economics, history, philosophy, biology, military science, etc. All of them were from last year’s actual questions.

“Let us see your abilities. What topic are you interested in?”

“… Hmm.”

Aidel gulped and moved his hand. Soon, his fingertips headed towards the test paper marked with the subject of physics.

‘Physics? He wants to do physics?’ Edward flinched.

Reflexively, he turned his head and looked at the place where the bookshelves were. Upon closer look, the titles of the books inserted there all ended with the words Physics or Mechanics.

Then, he glanced at the blackboard filled with equations. Something about F=ma. Something about the relationship between D’Alembert’s principle and the Lagrange-Euler equation.

‘… eh, it couldn’t be,’ Edward thought as his gaze turned to the desk.

‘Wait.’ Aidel had already picked up the paper for a different subject than physics. It was mathematics. The discipline Edward intended to major in in the future. Also, the subject he had chosen for the special interview because of that.

‘To pick up the test paper I solved.’

There is no need to even check the answer key. Just watching and listening to the problem-solving process and scoring would do. Edward had this smirk as he said, “Shall we do it then?”

“Let’s do it.”

‘Let’s see how well you do,’ Edward thought.

He becomes extremely fastidious when it comes to math. This was true even if the subject of evaluation was a notorious troublemaker from across the universe.

In case of any major incident, Edward had his bases covered. The first was the existence of the android called Sonia, governed by the principles of robotics, and the second was the recording device.

‘If I end up getting hit, I can sue for damages.’

Edward watched Aidel, who had tightly clenched his teeth and picked up a pen. He skillfully twirled the pen, pondered, and then brought the tip to the paper.

Scratch.

The pleasant sound filled the room like tapping on a piano. At this moment, Aidel seemed to have reached a state of trance as he wielded that pen. The saliva was drooling, and every dashed line he drew on the side were traces of contemplation.

Edward gulped at the serious look.

The solving time wasn’t long. Aidel, having put down the pen, said, “I have solved it.”

“… would you like to explain then?”

“Yes, but before that, it is alright for you to speak informally with me. It feels uncomfortable to be spoken to with honorifics.”

“No, I prefer it like this…”

“…”

Aidel nodded and stood up from his place. He took the workbook and headed to the electronic blackboard.

“This problem requires understanding the concept of function substitution derived from permutations. A student who can solve this will later find it easier to grasp the method for deriving generalized solutions to systems of linear equations.”

So, it is important, as he said, and Aidel continued with the explanation in earnest.

The explanation itself was clean and without any unnecessary parts. Why such logic needs to be applied here, what the intention of the questioner was, and if one wants to be more rigorous, what conditions need to be added to solve the problem, etc.

Aidel delivered the entire process without missing a single detail.

‘… this guy, he is not an ordinary one,’ Edward thought.

Just as heroes recognize heroes, geniuses recognize geniuses.

‘His skills are real.’

It was the moment Edward’s thoughts changed.

“How was it? Was it alright?” Aidel asked politely.

Edward smacked his lips to moisten them before answering.

“The solution is flawless. However, there are parts where it drags on. Notably here and this part too…”

Despite the possibility of an easier solution through mathematical intuition, there was a strong inclination to stick to conventional methods. Edward found such brilliant ideas not bad at all.

“The student’s approach is too traditional. By utilizing the decomposability of compatibility here, it’s possible to prove problem number 3 without elongating the equation unnecessarily.”

“Woagh.”

“The same goes for handling set S. When you study set theory, you naturally learn about equivalence classes which are…”

Aidel marveled repeatedly as he listened to the explanation.

“Teacher, you are so smart.”

Is there a saying that praises make even a whale dance?

Edward, amidst Aidel’s relentless barrage of compliments, gradually let his guard down and began to laugh foolishly.

“Student, you… are far from ordinary.”

Edward felt this sense of dissonance. It seemed unlikely that someone who was intelligent and could engage in polite talks would go as far as to sexually harass a passing woman or set a bar on fire.

He wondered if this Aidel might be different from that Aidel.

“You have more than passed. But you see…”