14 – Mock Exam (2)
Two days later, I boarded a spaceship for the first time in my life.
I was heading to some Ergos General Academy or something to take the mock exam.
There was just one problem.
“Sonia.”
“Yes?”
“How do I control the spaceship?”
Sonia grabbed the back of her neck, looking down at me with a disgruntled expression for the first time in a while.
“Why is an android pretending to have high blood pressure?”
“I think my hydraulic pressure is rising.”
“You’re so ridiculous.”
Sonia patiently explained how to operate the ship. Thanks for your kind explanation, Sonia!
By the way, most spaceship functions are automated. Unless you need to operate it manually, no license is needed.
It was a fascinating experience. In the era I lived, autonomous driving was just beginning, but a license was still mandatory.
I turned into an overexcited orangutan. Seeing unfamiliar things made me want to touch or press them immediately.
“Please do not touch anything recklessly. If there’s any more trouble, the master will get angry.”
“I won’t do that.”
“It seems like something you would do, Young Master. Let’s not risk it. I will join you.”
Sonia hastily hopped aboard as well. The spaceship wasn’t big. It was about the size of a compact car and only had one seat, so I had to squeeze in with Sonia.
This brought up the question of whether I should hold Sonia or have Sonia hold me.
“Young Master, you should sit in front.”
Due to Sonia’s strong insistence, I had no choice but to sit in the front. After getting scolded so many times, I was averse to showing my back to Sonia, but there wasn’t much I could do. It was also more convenient for me to do this.
“Lie back comfortably.”
Sonia grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back. I felt a soft touch on the back of my head.
“Hmm.”
Silicon, huh?
Yes, silicon.
[– ‘The God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ sighs.]
I’m not human if I blush at a mere silicon mass. That would be disqualification as a person.
“Don’t think strange things.”
“I didn’t.”
“Tell me what you were thinking about just now.”
“What is a semiconductor.”
“Your bullsh*t is plentiful.”
“Do you talk like that to your master often?”
Living with Sonia for so long, we had come to exchange such jokes. This blurs the boundary between master and servant.
Or maybe there never was one from the start.
“Speaking of which….”
A 21st-century Korean was dropped into a space opera universe, setting sail through space with an android in a maid outfit.
“What kind of situation is this.”
“The engine has started. Stay still.”
Vroom!
Not long after, my body was pulled forward. From a stationary reference frame to an accelerating one. The world’s scenery fell behind me.
When departing from the track space where gravity (actually centrifugal force) works, a vast canvas spread out.
A space where someone had already drawn thick lines with black crayon. It had a different aspect from the night sky seen from Earth.
“We will reach Ergos, our destination, in 10 minutes. And just a little further from there is Stellarium.”
Sonia, possessed by the GPS, rattled on and on, but I didn’t really listen.
What I was worried about was today’s mock exam.
Am I not exposing my weakness like this?
[─ ‘The God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ advises to recall what happens if it does not pass.]
Failing is equivalent to destruction. The mock test will be the only indicator that can predict my destruction.
I couldn’t help but tremble.
600 seconds were faster than I’d thought.
Sonia and I were correctly docked to the cylindrical spaceship. The smoothly cleaned grey dock greeted us.
[Ergos Comprehensive Academy]
[Mock Exam Outsider’s Reception]
“You can go over there.”
“Let’s go together.”
Everywhere we went, Sonia stuck closely to me and followed.
Frankly, it was embarrassing. It makes me look like I can’t even do my own thing properly.
Moreover, Sonia’s outfit stands out. Usually, off-the-shelf androids wear lacklustre suits, not outfits like this.
– Who’s that guy?
– They made an android wear an old maid’s outfit.
– Isn’t that used for other purposes?
– Really? Ew, disgusting. He was completely crazy!
My ominous assumption did not miss. People lined up at the entrance of the academy were whispering as they stared at us.
Oh, God. Why do you put me through this ordeal. I cannot bear the oncoming gazes sober.
At times like this, just make me go crazy…!
“Sonia, take off the headband and take out the ribbon. Then, at least you will look somewhat okay.”
“I can’t. The frills and ribbons are a serious matter.”
“Why?”
“It’s cute.”
Oh God.
I swallowed my embarrassment and stood in line at the crowded waiting area. There were a lot of staff as it was a super large academy.
Thanks to them, the line moved quickly. I registered for the mock exam and transferred 80,000 credits to the designated account.
“The deposit has been made… Ah, Eidelle Von Reinhardt?”
The assistant’s eyes were as big as a 500-won coin when they checked the account holder, so I entered before the situation got bigger.
“…Hmm?”
A familiar voice came to my ears.
“Why, what are you doing here…?”
It was Seti appearing before me. She almost dropped her cup of coffee. She looked that surprised.
I was just as surprised.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, because I’m attending this academy. . . ”
To think there would be such a coincidence. I didn’t pay attention to what Seti was doing outside, so I didn’t know.
Wait. That means Seti might know Edward …
“God, how unlucky. Why do I have to see this guy just before a mock exam…”
Seti glared at me and went on a swearing spree. It’s a treatment I’m used to by now. I asked without minding.
“Do you know a teacher called Meyer?
“What?”
“Or should I call him assistant professor? Anyway, a person named Edward.”
“What are you going to do knowing?”
“You know him?”
“…….”
“He’s the one who tutored me for my interview.”
“What?”
Seti’s face darkened. Before she could say anything, Sonia intervened.
“Come to think of it, you two have never met at home.”
“Sonia, don’t you know anything?”
“I didn’t know that the two of you were acquainted. I didn’t know that you were attending here until today.”
“Even if I didn’t know, why didn’t you?”
I asked. In response, Sonia stared at me directly with her neck craned.
She licked her lips.
“I am exclusively yours.”
“My sister doesn’t care even if you’re mine.”
“One master is exhausting enough.”
Fine, fine. It was my fault for talking too much with the blue-haired beast.
Following the teacher assistant’s guidance, I entered the classroom. There, Edward was seen teaching mathematics to the students.
His face looked truly happy. On the other hand, most of the students listening to his lecture looked as pale as dying people.
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“Oh, is that Idel who’s come?”
Edward heartily greeted me. Seti’s face crumpled like discarded paper. She seemed quite taken aback by Edward’s attitude towards me.
Edward approached me with a casual stride and said,
“Hey, Seti. You’ve managed to survive thanks to your brother, huh? Now you can even afford to pay the tuition for the next semester.”
“No, that’s, with my money…”
Seti was about to say something, but she sighed and gave up.
Sonia went aside and waited. I sat down on the assigned seat. The students began to gather noisily.
Seti and Edward continued their conversation at the front of the blackboard for a while. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about; it was too noisy around.
Ending the conversation, Seti approached me with a glum face and…
“You should know that if you take money out of my account without permission again, I am really going to kill you.”
…and then she went to the back seats.
“……”
Wasn’t that too threatening?
But I thought it was fortunate that her face seemed to relax quite a bit compared to earlier.
Sure, she looked fine, even if only for about 10 seconds.
“Hi, Seti. Good to see you today too?”
Until such a voice was heard.
Looking back at the crafty sound, Seti was again showing her temper.
“…You said you weren’t going to take the test. Why are you here?”
“Well, I thought it looked kind of interesting after all. It’s a pleasure to see how foolish guys struggle.”
“If you’re going to take the exam, go sit in your own seat.”
“You’re cold.”
Seti responded curtly, but the girl did not leave her seat easily.
She had platinum-like white hair. She wore a white scarf around her neck and contrasted it with a black cardigan. The pink pin on her bangs revealed her forehead clearly.
She resembled Seti in overall appearance. Their atmosphere was almost identical. They could have been called sisters.
But there was a difference.
A difference in presence that’s hard to describe.
Her eyes, as purple as ripened grapes, glared at Seti, and then glanced at me. Despite her adorable stature, her eyes were as intimidating as a wolf out for a hunt.
“Hmm, yellow eyes. Golden eyes are rare. Could you perhaps be from the Linlandt family too?”
The girl giggled and started a conversation.
I rolled my eyes to read Seti’s facial expression.
Don’t talk to her.
Don’t get involved.
It seemed to always say so.
I feel the same way.
I know exactly who this girl is.
After all, I remember the main villains who betrayed humanity very clearly.
If I had run into her under regular circumstances, I would have immediately fled. She’s that dangerous. And she’s only going to become more dangerous.
But there’s a different issue here right now.
A very serious issue that she’s disrupting my sister’s exam life.
“Why aren’t you responding? It’s not fun.”
“…Zelnya Adelbaran.”
“Ah-ha, do you know my name?”
“‘How could I not know? They even highlight on the news as ‘Adelbaran’s star.’”
The house of Adelbaran is my friend Seti’s maternal family, and it’s also the immediate family of this girl sitting in front of me.
My friend Seti’s maternal family and my maternal family are different, so in the end, we’re like relatives, but not quite.
If you had to single out one significant characteristic of the Adelbaran’s house mentioned in the novel, it could be this.
They have bad temperaments.
“Well, it’s not unusual. The number of people who recognize me are as many as the stars in the Milky Way.”
Zelnya squints her eyes whilst speaking.
She’s sitting right next to me. Tough luck. This was exactly her designated seat. Nevertheless, misfortune soon turned into fortune.
Without delay, I opened my mouth.
“Did you bully my sister?”
I asked her directly. Zelnya seemed taken aback for a moment, but then soon began to smirk.
“Ah, I see. So, you’re that troublemaker from Rheinhart. No wonder.”
“….”
“Oh, I see. I didn’t mean to make fun of you. So, you shouldn’t get angry, okay?”
Get angry, why would I?
Rather, I was relieved.
Whether in the novel or in reality, Zelnya always has a way of making things the same. When she sees someone who she deems inferior, she picks a fight with them, just like any rich villainess from drama series. Moreover, she’s exactly the same in reality.
The test proctor walked in just in time. Seti had already returned to her seat, and the assistants including Edward began distributing the practice exam test papers.
I received my exam paper and electronic writing pad in silence. As the rustle of paper filled the room, the melodious voice of the girl next to me slipped in.
“Aidel von Rheinhart.”
Zelnya called my name.
“You were called the scourge of Rheinhart, it seems you still wanted to get into the academy though?”
“………”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to speak with ill intentions.”
What would the original Aidel have done in this situation?
Maybe he would have smacked Zelnya on the back of her head. Or, perhaps he might have done something even more drastic.
But I’m not that kind of maniac. As any sane person would do, I quietly opened my exam paper, while Zelnya picked at me relentlessly.
“Please check if there are any wrongly printed parts.”
“It’s easy. All of them are solvable.”
Jernia flicked her head and smirked. She did not turn her head, but twisted her mouth while keeping her gaze on me.
She’s ignoring me.
She held her pen and scribbled a few times to get used to the writing sensation. She subtly lifted her head to check the time. There was not much time left until the mock exam started.
When I didn’t respond, she distorted her smile even more.
“Try your best as well.”
She whispered beside me.
“I’ll step on you.”
I had only one response to that.
“Sure, step on me.”
[The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ is appalled.]
“…Wait, what?”
Ding-.
At the same time her haughty expression stupidly distorted, the bell rang, signalling the start of the mock exam.
