episode_0042

Episode 42. Graduate Student Diary (2)

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“Teacher.”

Princess Mint was sitting in my lab today too. It seems she has given up on sitting in my chair though. Anyway, that’s fortunate.

“Princess. What’s going on?”

“Isn’t anything changed?”

“No, what else.”

“Answer.”

Oh, the princess with her long hair.

What the hell is this?

I don’t know.

Her hair is tied back in a half-updo with a ribbon that goes down a little below her shoulders, just like usual. There are a few hairpins in her hair.

The expression was still the same, a playful gaze that strangely ignored her. Mint blinked.

Hmm.

The clothes were the same as usual, the Academy uniform: a crisp white shirt, a black tie, and a black robe decorated with yellow thread.

She sits with her legs crossed, wearing a black skirt that reaches mid-knee and brown shoes.

Oh, I see.

“The hairpins are different.”

“Teacher. I’m not crazy. How can I wear the same hairpin every day?”

“But it’s different, right?”

“Perfume. I changed my perfume.”

“Oh, yes.”

It was a bit absurd. No, perfume wasn’t something you could guess just by looking at it in the first place. It didn’t seem like it was information that could be obtained from this distance.

Mint laughed at me.

“Teacher. Are there any graduate students?”

“Miss Istina?”

Mint nodded.

“Yeah, him.”

“Why Miss Istina?”

“Do you usually harass graduate students?”

What is the princess’s intention in saying this?

I don’t think Mint would be the type of person to say something like that because she’s worried about other people. I wonder if Mint has grown as a person.

“No, I have never bullied anyone.”

“Really?”

Have I ever bullied Istina? I don’t think so. I guess I just had a little more trouble than other professors’ graduate students.

And put your name on the paper.

The princess looked at a pair of human femurs next to my desk. Did they look a bit gross to the sensitive Mint? Maybe I should put them away.

“Just in case, you’re not dating Miss Istina or anything, are you?”

“How could that be?”

“Thank goodness.”

I answered briefly. I don’t know why I’m suddenly talking about this, but let me guess.

That’s it.

Could it be that Mint has finally become someone who cares about others and even considers morality? … … !

Now Mint has friends and is talking to me like a normal person, and this could be the start of a positive butterfly effect.

‘It turned out well though.’

Although I didn’t bring the princess to the academy as a part of it, it seemed to have had an effect.

Could it be that Mint’s sociality has improved? Of course, I’m not in a position to judge, since I’ve always been called crazy. Anyway.

“That’s a bit of an unpleasant question, Your Highness. Isn’t Istina my disciple, like a daughter to me?”

“That, I’m sorry. But you send your disciple, who is like your daughter, to buy pieces of a corpse?”

Could that be the case…?

I’ve been wondering how to explain this. It seems like the princess doesn’t know very well.

“Princess. I also learned that way from a professor who was like a father to me.”

“It’s a vicious cycle.”

“What graduate students cannot do is what humans cannot do. There is nothing that graduate students cannot do. If it is impossible, they will do it well regardless.”

The princess looked at me with a slightly pitiful look. Still, it was a really positive sign.

You’re talking to people other than yourself, and even worrying about them! It’s a huge improvement from when I first saw Mint.

“Are you kidding?”

“Half.”

“Teacher has the advantage of being honest.”

“Thank you.”

Praise is praise. I nodded.

“Be nice to Miss Istina.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The princess scratched her head for a moment, then took out a crumpled paper envelope from her robe pocket.

“And. I bought cookies!”

Mint carefully placed the rustling paper bag on my desk. This was something I would have never imagined in the past.

It was a real cookie.

Be moved.

“Oh my gosh, are you giving it to me?”

“Yeah. I’ll go eat too.”

I opened the paper bag, and the princess held out her hand to me. I handed Mint a few cookies, and Mint munched on them.

“Let’s hang out together after the test, teacher.”

“I can take my time, but why?”

The cookies were sweeter than I expected.

“I’m bored. I don’t have any friends.”

“Um… ….”

The princess’s jokes have become familiar now.

I don’t know why Mint thinks that’s humorous, but let’s just accept it. Just think of it as a kind of boss joke.

“Do you still have some exams left?”

“Yeah.”

“Good luck on your exam. Go study.”

The princess bit the cookie she was eating and quickly gathered up her bag and went out. Creak. As she was opening the door, the cookie she was biting fell to the floor.

“Eight.”

The princess kicked the cookie piece out of the lab as if she was annoyed and left. Well, her personality wouldn’t change easily.

Istina will have to clean that up.

What a pitiful thing.

****

A few hours later.

“Oh, Professor. What fell on the floor?”

“Really?”

Istina picked up a broom and swept up the cookie pieces that had fallen on the floor in front of the lab.

“Oh, someone dropped a cookie in front of the lab. It’s okay, I cleaned it up.”

Istina is the best.

This really clears things up.

“Cookies? There are cookies in front of the sofa.”

“Oh my, thank you.”

Istina’s mind was in a state of confusion, as if she couldn’t connect the cookies on the floor with the cookies on the desk.

Maybe she wasn’t thinking about anything. Istina sat down and munchied on a cookie with one hand.

With his other hand, he was looking at something that looked like a script. A script for an imperial announcement, I guess?

“Professor.”

“Yeah.”

“Is it hard to give a lecture at the palace?”

I guess you’re worried about the lecture. If I were a graduate student, I would be extremely nervous.

If you told me to give a lecture at the palace right now, I would probably just say something in front of the prince and Violet.

“I don’t know. If you were to give a lecture on healing at the palace, the people who would come to listen would mostly be palace healers.”

They’re just a bunch of idiots.

Just look at Violet. She plays cards all day long, and she only thinks about how to hide the cards in her hand and how to count them, but when someone comes over, she pretends to work.

Besides, he always sits in my class and mumbles under the pretense of being on a business trip. I can understand that from an office worker’s perspective.

anyway.

“If it’s the palace healers who are asking questions, it won’t be academically difficult. The palace officials and politicians are the problem.”

Those people are not experts.

A part that can be easily overcome with words.

“What if I get caught somewhere?”

“That won’t happen. Because you’re going with me.”

Most of the people in the palace are people I know. So I’ll take the blame.

From Istina’s perspective, it couldn’t be better. If there’s a problem, she’ll say, “Oh, that idiot is talking nonsense again.” If there’s no problem, she’ll say, “The young friend has a bright future.”

You don’t even have to look at the future to know what it will be like.

“Where did you get the cookies? They’re delicious.”

“I don’t know either. Mint gave it to me.”

“Ah, you are the princess.”

Istina took a cookie out of the paper bag and ate it. The paper bag rustled noisily.

“I wanted to buy this at the Academy bakery, but it was strangely expensive so I couldn’t eat it.”

“Really?”

weird.

Istina gets a teaching assistant’s allowance from me every month. Why doesn’t she have money to buy cookies?

“I’ll buy you coffee next time.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Istina closed the paper bag and muttered while staring at the script again.

****

Anyway, let’s take a look at Istina’s presentation. The topic of the presentation is epidemic dysentery. More specifically, it’s about public health and the proof of germ theory.

“Look.”

“First, let me start with the table of contents. First, I will explain the method we implemented in Lapis Territory, second, why it worked, and third, the germ theory.”

I nodded.

“The parentheses are good. I will explain the applicable method first, and the theoretical background later.”

“That’s right.”

“The reason the prince is interested in our thesis is this. First of all, it is because it can be helpful to people.”

“Yes.”

“Secondly, if the miasma hypothesis is wrong and the germ theory is right, then there is a possibility of controlling epidemics and diseases. The role of the state in health and medical care can increase.”

“What is the role of the state?”

“Yes. Under the miasma hypothesis, diseases were natural disasters without any means of control. But through the germ theory and the case of controlling infectious dysentery.”

“Ah, I think I know what you mean.”

“Perception may change.”

Istina thought for a moment and then opened her mouth.

“You mean I have to tell you the conclusion?”

“Right.”

Since this lecture is for civil servants, I have to adapt it to their level.

Public health is necessary, so please review this policy because it may lead to these results.

We need to draw conclusions and state our arguments. That’s what they called us to do.

“What should I say?”

“I don’t know. Tell me what you think.”

I guess you can speak a little more comfortably. Istina nodded.