Chapter 47

Chapter 47

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 47: Affection.

The homeroom period resumed after a week-long pause. Kendra banged her head on the podium. “T-teacher?” a student asked nervously.

“I am sorry, kids. Not once, but twice, I have put you in danger. And right from the start of the semester at that… I fully acknowledge my responsibility as a teacher.” Thud. Thud. Thud. Kendra continued to bang her head on the podium as if performing the ancient Chinese three-bows-nine-kneels ritual of apology.

Kendra’s apology was merely a formality instructed by her superiors. Nevertheless, she appeared genuinely desperate. “I am sorry, really sorry…”

Known for her over-involvement and care for the students, it would be absurd to claim she wasn’t distressed, considering they all could have died. As she showed her sincerity, the students’ complaints faded like water dousing a fire. Even Christine, who usually loved to criticize, merely scratched her head. After all, what would seventeen-year-old minors know?

But this didn’t apply to androids. “Why didn’t you take proper measures?” a sharp critique followed from directly behind me.

Fluttering frills. A black dress with a stark white apron. A headband. An android in an unmistakable maid outfit spoke calmly to Kendra. “For a world-renowned prestigious academy, you have repeated the same mistake twice. At this point, it wouldn’t be strange if the school were shut down.”

“No, that…” Kendra stammered.

“What is the chairman doing now? Did he go to play golf? Why hasn’t he come up with a specific response plan?”

“We have already created a response plan…”

“You mean leaving us here? If that’s a response plan, then I suppose it is. The androids here could operate several times better than the current board of directors… eukkk!” I covered Sonia’s mouth.

Since morning, she had been sharp-tongued, addressing people with a biting manner that was characteristic of her. The android, needing to handle Aidel, had adapted by becoming fiercely assertive herself. Given that most of her machine-learning samples were derived from Aidel, her manner of speaking was less than ideal. Nonetheless, there was some truth in Sonia’s criticism.

Regardless, all the students’ attention was inevitably drawn to her maid outfit and manner of speaking.

“…What’s with that maid?”

“Ooh, so he’s into that kind of thing?”

“Dirty, dirty, dirty…!”

“I just got a headache.”

It was so embarrassing. Originally, androids could not be brought to the Academy unless there was a special reason, as it was intended to promote the students’ independent development. But after the incident, following a suggestion from Rustila’s parents, it became permitted to bring one android as a guardian during class time. For Ceti, it was Donna. For Rustila, it was an android named Verdia. And for me, it was Sonia.

Sonia pushed my hand away and continued speaking. “I will report the findings from analyzing the dataset on the Academy’s planet. According to the data, a section of the Ether Belt in this vicinity has been breached.”

The Ether Belt. A barrier 80,000 light years in diameter that protects humanity from the invasion of Outer Gods. Originally a product of nature, humanity later modified and reinforced it until it took its complete form. The region within this barrier is called the ‘Golden Zone,’ serving as a safe living space for humanity. The boundary is known as the ‘Intermediate Zone,’ while the area beyond is referred to as the ‘Outer Zone.’

Stellarium was inside the Golden Zone, but according to Sonia, it was breached just before this incident. An unknown fact. Kendra exclaimed in surprise, “E-Ether Belt got breached? But that should still be under investigation…?”

“Isn’t it obvious just by looking that you are still investigating it?” Sonia clicked her tongue, walked up to me, wrapped her arms around my torso, and leaned in, mumbling angrily. “I almost lost my young master. The way this school handles things, I really don’t like it.”

Why was she acting like this all of a sudden? Fearing we might miss the morning assembly, I covered Sonia’s mouth again. She accepted the gesture and went silent. Kendra nodded and sighed, a sign she would accept what Sonia said and report it to the higher-ups.

Meanwhile, the gazes of the students watching Sonia and me were far from kind—they looked at us as if we were trash. With a sigh, I noticed everyone glaring, so I responded in kind and glared back. Some averted their eyes, while others, bolder, engaged in a staring contest with me.

As soon as the assembly ended, only two students stayed by my side – Ceti and Rustila. All the classmates I had managed to talk to a little over the past two weeks had come to avoid me. It was all because of Sonia…

Since the entrance ceremony, Sonia hadn’t even properly greeted me, but suddenly, she started being overly protective. She would follow me to the bathroom, stare at me intently while I studied, and wouldn’t let me eat unless she had prepared the food or tasted it first.

“Stop it. Aidel doesn’t like it,” Rustila said, frowning as she scolded Sonia. At the moment, Rustila also had an android named Verdia sticking to her like a remora. Could it be a feeling of shared suffering?

Sonia tilted her head in confusion when I didn’t say anything. “I am obligated to protect the young master. I cannot trust this school. It’s not too late to recognize and prepare for disasters.”

“That may be true, but… this is too much!” Rustila knew all too well how annoying interference could be, more than anyone else could understand. Anger was rising in her eyes. Without intervention, she was on the verge of having a serious confrontation with Sonia.

Then Verdia stepped in. “Young master, is it? I suggest you refrain from unnecessarily approaching our miss.”

Sonia responded bluntly. “Your miss should not lay a finger on my young master.”

“Are you implying that our miss is a dangerous person?”

“I saw the record left in the video during the reassignment test. It could indeed be considered dangerous if that’s the standard for danger.”

“You…”

Lightning sparked between Verdia and Sonia. The two androids glared at each other in silence for a while. Communication between androids didn’t require much. They simply needed to look at each other and share information wirelessly. Usually, this process would be over in a few seconds, but oddly, the two androids frowned and faced off for nearly a minute. What was the matter? Was the Wi-Fi not working?

“…As I thought, I cannot trust your young master,” Verdia said.

“I, too, cannot trust your miss,” Sonia retorted.

Rustila and I sighed simultaneously.

“It’s suspicious. The actions of your young master have been quite peculiar, almost as if an Outer God possesses him,” Verdia continued.

“Are you done talking now?”

“And your interference is even more severe than my involvement with our miss. Unlike other androids, I am granted a degree of autonomy by humans, and I try to ensure some autonomy for Miss Rustila as well. What about you?”

“I warn you. Do not insult my young master any further.”

The nerve battle between the two androids was escalating. Sonia appeared to be losing ground, the very Sonia who seemed unbeatable in verbal confrontations. I scanned her expression. She looked flustered. An android with a subtly human-like expression.

After a moment of thought, I was able to identify the reason. Sonia’s mind held a decade’s worth of information about Aidel. Verdia, through her probing, had accessed this data and consequently came to know about me as well. The ten years of misdeeds committed by Aidel. I had unwittingly created a situation where Sonia couldn’t help but be at a disadvantage in this verbal exchange.

Verdia, meeting me for the first time, was cautious because she had accessed Sonia’s database and knew of my close association with Rustila.

“Please step back, Miss,” Verdia commanded.

“Young master, please step back too,” Sonia pleaded.

While I was contemplating how to separate the two androids, Rustila extended a hand. “Come.”

“…?” I didn’t immediately understand why Rustila was extending her hand to me. Sonia and Verdia were also taken aback, frantic to pull us apart. But Rustila only extended her hand more resolutely. It was a clear signal to seize it without delay.

So I took her hand. It was surprisingly calloused for a girl. How often must she have wielded a sword? Especially under her parents, who denied her dreams. The marks of her hard work were palpable.

“M-Miss!” Verdia cried, so flustered she fell into a state of panic.

“Young master…” Sonia’s eyes dimmed like those of someone heartbroken.

We fled, still clasping hands. “Ehh…! Wait!” But shortly after we started running, Rustila pulled her hand away. We hadn’t gone far, yet she was already gasping for breath.

“Th-this isn’t what it means! You get that, right? I just saw you were having a hard time and…!” Her cheeks turned red. “Really, really, there’s no other meaning behind it! Yes!”

Why on earth was she so flustered? I entertained a brief romantic thought but soon shook it off. For your information, I have never been in a relationship. Meaning, I’m forever alone. I’ve had my share of flings, but conversations with women always turn awkward, whether on blind dates or otherwise.

A prime example happened in the final year of my Ph.D. at a ski resort. While riding up on the ski lift, a beautiful woman sat next to me and started a conversation, probably out of boredom. After some small talk, the topic of occupations came up.

“What do you do?” the woman asked.

“I’m a graduate student in physics.”

After that, the conversation died. Damn, I should have said I was a drama scriptwriter.

Anyway… Based on numerous experiences, including that, I almost lost interest in romantic relationships. I even stopped counting my chickens before they were hatched. Women are enigmatic, even when you think you understand them. And it’s still the same now.

In front of me was a flustered Rustila. I couldn’t decipher her intentions… Fortunately, I possessed a skill that allowed me to read others’ psychology and had accumulated a modest amount of Pron over the past few days. There was no clear reason for the accumulation of my Pron. I hadn’t done anything that would please the Outer Gods, nor had I engaged in any madness-inducing actions.

Anyway, it turned out to be a good thing. Driven by my insatiable curiosity, I continued to run and activated the SAN parameter. And then, I was faced with an unbelievable result.