episode_0195

Episode 195. Christmas Carol

****

Amy petted the calico cat.

The cat purred for a moment. Amy’s cat had grown quite large, perhaps because people had fed it lots of treats over the holidays.

Like a bear preparing for hibernation.

Winter is already half over.

“I wish the professor could communicate this well. Asterix. Right?”

“Meow.”

Asterix answered shortly, though he had no idea what the cat meant.

“That’s right.”

Amy ate the cookie again. Asterix looked at Amy with an aggrieved expression. As if to ask why she was the only one eating it.

“No, I said I’ll bring it?”

Amy said. The calico cat eventually got down from Amy’s lap and looked at Amy from in front of the chair.

Amy ran into the kitchen and came back with a piece of dried fish. As Amy sat down on the chair with the piece of fish, Asterix climbed onto Amy’s lap again.

“Okay?”

“Meow.”

Perhaps because it was named after a professor, it was a very picky cat. Amy fed the cat dried fish pieces one by one.

“They gave him the professor’s name for nothing. That’s what they’re saying, his personality is even more strict. The cat is actually ordering its owner around… … .”

“Meow.”

“Oh my.”

Only then was Asterix satisfied. The cat sat on Amy’s leg, curled up, and licked his lips as if satisfied.

The cat’s fortune is good, you know.

Amy picked up the cat.

Asterix nodded as if he understood. With the indifferent expression characteristic of a cat.

It makes me even more angry because he looks a bit like the professor. His indifferent expression makes me wonder if that’s the best.

“On the topic of cats. Follow the professor.”

I’ve heard that cats find this expression pleasurable, but I don’t know if it’s true.

Amy put the cat down again.

****

The end of the holiday.

The Academy is a luxurious space used by noble students, but compared to the Imperial Palace, it looks a bit shabby. If I had to make a comparison, that is.

I thought it would be hard to return to my busy daily life, but I had to save people.

“Did you have a good holiday?”

The expressions on the graduate students’ faces already gave the answer. It was the first time in a long time that I saw their faces looking genuinely comfortable.

Maybe it’s because you ate well and rested well, but your face looks a bit rounder. I’m glad you got some proper rest, even if it’s just for a few days.

“Oh, yes.”

Amy spoke first. Istina nodded from one side of the lab.

“Did you receive the gift?”

“Yes!”

I’m glad you got it. I felt bad for working the graduate students so hard over the past few months, so I treated them generously at the end of this year.

It was a Christmas carol, right? It was in there, where Scrooge bought turkeys for his employees, that kind of stuff.

Oh, right.

“A gift came to the lab?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s split that. It’s a bit tricky to deal with.”

Amy looked at me with surprised eyes.

“I’m so sorry about that.”

People send me so many weird things. At least… … . no one sent me another piano to the lab, right? Or maybe not?

****

This is the warehouse next to the lab.

“Wow. There’s someone who gave me a piano as a gift?”

Even, it’s a different piano than the one sent to the palace. What should I do with that?

Only a very small number of gifts were presented to the imperial family.

Most of the gifts that came to me arrived at the laboratory in the Academy. The smaller gifts from the Imperial Palace were also brought here.

It was funny when the royal carriage came.

I feel like a noble lady in a romance novel. She travels with a carriage full of gifts. She’s no different from Marie Antoinette.

I tried to experience what it felt like to be a celebrity, but it wasn’t as enjoyable an experience as I had imagined. I don’t know why.

But I guess it’s fortunate that there are no anti-fans.

If there were dozens of gifts in the imperial palace, there were hundreds that arrived at the lab. Handling the gifts must be a lot of work, really.

There is an overwhelming feeling of being surrounded by hundreds of boxes.

At first glance, there were hundreds of gold worth of gifts piled up in the warehouse. I sighed. I was grateful, but…

That’s all for the complaints.

Istina, Amy, and I stood in front of a mountain of presents.

“Okay. From now on, I will specify the problem and establish a solution.”

“Yes.”

“The gifts are divided into two types: one for you to take and one to donate to a nearby orphanage.”

The graduate students nodded.

“Let’s get started.”

“Yes!”

It’s a good thing there’s a storage room next to the lab. I drew a line on the floor with chalk. We’re taking things on the left, we’re donating things on the right.

The piano is on the right.

It would have been better if I had donated on Christmas Day, or rather on the winter solstice, but I was too busy to do that.

“Briefcase. Can I have this?”

“Yeah.”

Amy put her briefcase on the left. I looked through the pile of presents a little more. Oh, this-

A ballpoint pen that is really hard to find in this world.

A ballpoint pen uses a metal ball smaller than 1mm as its nib. It’s not impossible in a world where there is magic, but it’s something that almost only nobles use.

I have to have this.

“Oh, there’s something like a seed?”

Amy showed me something that looked like black granules. And I saw that it was enclosed with a red flower, so I guess it was poppy seeds. Opium.

It even came with a pipe.

“It’s opium. Take it to the hospital.”

“Yes.”

It doesn’t seem to be sent for medicinal use, but it could be used as an ingredient in anesthetics.

I don’t even smoke. What about opium? What kind of kid would send drugs as a gift?

I took out the pipe separately and moved it to the left. There must be many people who need a pipe.

“Sending drugs. How bold.”

“Okay.”

It’s a pipe made of amber, so it’s going to be quite expensive. I just don’t smoke.

****

There is a daycare center near the academy.

It was near the imperial palace and the academy, so there were people who did good deeds, but… … .

It takes a village to raise a child, right? To be honest, their good deeds weren’t enough to make a village.

It was always lacking.

There were many people who offered help, but the number of children who had lost their parents continued to increase, and the number of children who came to find them was increasing… … .

It shouldn’t be there.

Especially in this weather. It’s the kind of weather where a child would die if he were to sleep out. Even if he didn’t face the world’s evil against the odds.

Orphanage director Raphael had a tough winter’s day. For some, it might be a day of celebration, with gifts and promises of love exchanged.

“It’s a festival everywhere.”

For some, it was the coldest day, the darkest day. It was a day to remember everything they couldn’t enjoy.

Raphael sighed.

There are a lot of children who didn’t receive presents this year either. What about presents? The children will probably freeze to death in their moth-eaten blankets and starve to death.

Raphael thought that if he closed his eyes and opened them again, the front of the orphanage would be filled with presents. It was impossible.

The orphanage director sighed and closed his eyes.

Then I opened my eyes to the sound of horse hooves.

Let’s open our eyes… … .

Several fancy carriages had arrived in front of the orphanage. I must have fallen asleep too late last night after reading the ledger, because I was seeing things.

“What is this… … .”

A moment later, a man in a black coat got out of the carriage. Raphael held his breath.

“Hello.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Professor Asterix. I’m here to deliver a gift to the orphanage. ”

Oh dear. Raphael immediately ran forward, bowing his head. It seemed that the nobles of the zodiac had decided to do a little more charity than usual.

“Are you a doctor?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my, a special guest has arrived. I am Raphael, the director of the daycare center here. I will use the gift well for the children. I was worried because this winter was unusually cold-”

I nodded absentmindedly.

****

The director of the daycare continued explaining for a while.

This time, there was a festival on the winter solstice, but it was difficult because there was less support and more children than usual, and the children were suffering because there were no blankets or potatoes, etc.

“Isn’t that too much charity? Donating the money you earned by saving people to children. It’s enough to worry the professor.”

Raphael, you say? I felt a strange sense of responsibility from the old man’s fuss. A sense of responsibility to feed the children?

It’s as if the lives of dozens of children are resting on this man’s shoulders.

I’m glad I could help, huh?

“There are some mixed gifts. Sell them and use them or give them to them. The second wagon was filled with their gifts.”

I felt bad about giving back the gift I received, so I took another gift with me.

“I don’t know if the gifts only contain items needed for the daycare center. The director can use them or sell them to cover the costs.”

Director Raphael nodded.

“Thank you.”

“Do you need a piano?”

The director of the daycare looked like he had no idea what that meant. I scratched my head.

“Piano?”