Episode 23

“Yah, look at that. He’s bowing his head to the president.”

“It seems the chairman is there too, doesn’t it?”

“It looks like they’re both bowing.”

“Right.”

Ceti and I were chatting as we watched the news.

At the moment, we were all on edge.

The hellish scene from the practical evaluation, the sudden postponement of the schedule, the interrogation during our detention—all of it had come crashing down on us like a tidal wave, causing immense stress.

The situation was far from ideal.

With the entrance test schedule shrouded in fog, predicting even the immediate future had become impossible.

Moreover, the attacks by the monsters had added a tangible sense of unease.

Perhaps the only silver lining was that Ceti and I had grown a bit closer.

Beyond that, I wasn’t sure.

On the TV screen, the president and chairman stood side by side, announcing the revised entrance test schedule.

[…therefore, Stellarium has decided to urgently pivot its admissions process this year.]

[The results of the written test will be maintained without adjusting the ratio.]

[However, we will completely remove the practical skills test and place a greater emphasis on the interview test.]

So, it had come to this. As expected.

Ceti clapped her hands upon hearing the announcement.

“Wow, I wasn’t confident in the practical test, but this is a win for me.”

I nodded in agreement, silently echoing her sentiment.

I felt sorry for the others, but it couldn’t be helped.

We siblings were terrible with physical tasks. Losing the practical skills test, which would have been a disadvantage for us, was a gain.

But…

“Ugh.”

“Why the groan?”

“What about Rustila?”

At the mention of ‘Rustila,’ Ceti’s expression turned ashen.

“Ah, right. Sis…”

Students who gain admission to Stellarium are broadly divided into two categories.

First, those who excel in everything.

Second, those who show specialized talent in one area.

Rustila was the latter. Despite her parents’ opposition and harsh persecution, she steadfastly practiced swordsmanship.

Had she taken the practical test, she would have received a significant bonus.

But now, that practical test had disappeared.

Her trump card had vanished.

I would have been devastated too.

Imagine how much worse it must have been for Rustila, who was gentle and sensitive by nature.

While I pondered this, a knock came at the door.

As Ceti tilted her head at the sound, I didn’t hesitate to rise from the bed.

“Hey, you should at least check who it is before opening the door…!”

Before she could finish her warning, I had already flung the door open.

There stood Rustila, her expression sorrowful.

Behind her, three androids were lined up, tasked with both guarding and monitoring her.

[The interview start date is in three days from today. For more details, please check the admissions office website…]

The announcement flowed from the news just as Rustila spoke.

“Pl-Please, just help me this one time…”

Tears began to form in Rustila’s crescent-shaped eyes.

“What? Who…”

Ceti, peeking out, was shocked.

“Sis!”

We quickly ushered Rustila inside.

“What’s happening?”

While Ceti calmed her down, I headed to the kitchen, followed by Sonia.

“She seems to be under a lot of stress.”

“Chamomile tea is good for that.”

“Then let’s go with that.”

“I’ll brew the tea. You have some, right?”

I gently pushed Sonia’s hand away.

As I reached for the pot, Sonia pushed me aside again.

“It’s better if I do this.”

“I can handle it too.”

“Young master should go and prepare for the interview.”

“It’s okay, really!”

“Even so.”

I sighed and replied.

“Sonia, you’re assigned exclusively to me. Usually, you only need to make tea for me. And in situations like this, it’s about people treating each other with kindness.”

“… If the young master insists.”

Sonia stepped back reluctantly. As she did, she subtly licked her lips.

Was it because she was a 5th generation android, close to humans?

That small detail nagged at me.

Nevertheless, I boiled water, added a tea bag, and brought it to Rustila. When I offered the tea, she accepted it with a surprised but grateful look.

Meanwhile, Ceti wore a dumbfounded expression.

“…what’s with you? Why are you doing something you’ve never done before? Did you hear something from an Outer God?”

I pressed my forehead, disbelieving.

Ah, it was true that I had heard something from an Outer God. But somehow, I was still keeping my sanity.

It was such a strange occurrence, that someone as ordinary as me was handling Cartesia…

After taking a sip of the tea, Rustila’s expression improved.

“I had planned to prepare thoroughly after the practical test. But now, all hope is lost. No matter how well I perform in the interview, I’m going to fail. And then, the bet I made with my parents will be lost…”

“Bet?”

I was curious about that.

“Yes, we made a bet. If I proved skilled enough to get admitted into Stellarium, they agreed I could have just one android with me… that was the bet.”

Rustila’s expression darkened as she spoke, and Zermel’s face stiffened at the mention of androids.

Rustila had been attacked by a monster when she was young.

Since then, her parents had been overly protective. Though it was called protection, it was more akin to surveillance.

No, she would have been more accepting if it had been just surveillance.

The Kersil couple was even meddling in Rustila’s future.

“The interview… Honestly, I am confident. But that is only if it’s about a topic I want.”

In the Stellarium interview, they ask questions like:

- What do you want to do after joining our academy?
- What is your dream?
- How do you plan to achieve that dream?

They are questions asked by the recruiters every year, and failing to answer them means you’re out. Ceti and I, of course, had prepared for this.

However, Rustila was…

“… During the personality interview, if the recruiters ask ‘What is your dream?’ I’ve promised to answer ‘To become a lawyer.’ This is something I can’t change.”

This was a serious problem.

“That is shitty.”

I mumbled without realizing it. Then, Ceti smacked the back of my head.

“Again, with that temper. No matter what, don’t curse someone else’s parents, okay?”

“I’m not cursing; it’s really shitty.”

“Again!”

Ceti was cautious about these things. Perhaps she was trying to defend the parents of her closest friend.

From what I could see, that wasn’t it. Ceti too seemed uncomfortable.

Rustila continued after taking another sip of tea.

“…My parents said that even if I pass the interview, they won’t pay my tuition if I say anything strange during the interview.”

This was serious.

I remembered reading in novels about ‘excessive interference’, but I never dreamed it would be to this extent.

“Anyway, no one knows what conversation will take place in the interview room, right? They even check for eavesdropping devices and all that.”

“They said they would send a sensitive android outside the waiting room to secretly listen.”

“Wow…”

“But you know, I don’t want to lie in front of the interviewer…”

Rustila’s eyes were shaking wildly.

After all, the interviewer wasn’t a fool.

A student who, due to parental pressure, chooses a path that doesn’t align with their aptitude will not be considered talented and will be filtered out.

“…….”

“There’s no helping it.”

Ceti stayed silent, and Sonia stated the facts plainly.

In the midst of this, I felt something odd.

Somehow, I had the feeling that I was involved in the incident during the practical test.

Normally, wouldn’t Rustila have failed the interview even after following her parents’ advice?

Stellarium properly recognizes talent.

I, too, had not been so concerned, expecting Rustila to easily pass the practical test until the trouble occurred.

But now, because of me, things had turned out like this…

I thought it was right to take responsibility.

“It’s better to think after passing than to fail.”

I laid out a logical argument.

“But I can’t go against my parents.”

This was clear gaslighting.

But it didn’t matter.

Because the person who could break Rustila’s mindset was right in front of her.

“I lived well even after committing unfilial acts.”

Ceti’s eyes whirled around.

The expression seemed to say, ‘What is this jerk talking about?’

But this wasn’t just the story of Aidel. I also didn’t have great ties with my parents.

- Go to medical school.
- I’m going to physics school, vroom, vroom.
- Jinsu!!!!

Reflecting on it, my situation back then and Rustila’s now were almost identical.

As someone six years her senior, I couldn’t help but give her advice.

“People, you know, if they have something they want to do, they should live their life doing it. Otherwise, if they let themselves be swayed by others, they’ll end up regretting it, stomping their feet in frustration, right?”

In fact, it was the most ordinary advice anyone could give.

But, depending on who says it.

And depending on who hears it, the impact of those words can vary greatly.

“There’s a saying, ‘If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha; if you meet your master, kill the master.’ It’s the same principle. If you meet your parents, ‘kill’ your parents.”

Upon hearing my words, Ceti widened her eyes in shock.

However, Rustila, seemingly grasping the hidden meaning in my words, began to have a sparkle in her eyes.

Sensing this, I intensified my words.

“…if you can’t even do that, you’re not really human. You lack free will. It’s as if you’re being controlled by an Outer God.”

It might not have been my place to say this, considering I coexisted with an Outer God, but still.

“That eavesdropping robot or whatever it is, I’ll handle it for you, so go ahead and say what you want to say and then come back. Understand?”

I was merely encouraging Rustila.

Eventually, Rustila nodded, and by that time, a faint blue glow was swirling in her eyes.

On the day of the interview, Rustila arrived at the location, reflecting on the eloquence she had honed over the past three days.

‘Did I arrive too early?’

The interview room area was empty, perhaps because she had arrived earlier than expected.

She was a bit nervous, but it was alright.

-Say what you want to say and then come back.

That single sentence from Aidel stayed in her mind.

Rustila clenched her fists.

“I will say what I want to say and come back. Whether I pass or fail, I will think about it later.”

Rustila and Aidel hadn’t known each other for long.

Yet, for some reason, Rustila felt energized every time she reflected on the precious words he gave her.

He was the only one.

The only person who could speak such powerful words to her.

Contrary to the common misconception of him as a troublemaker, Aidel had (albeit somewhat aggressive) his own philosophy on life.

-If you meet your parents, kill your parents.

From that statement alone, one could get a glimpse of Aidel’s values.

It couldn’t literally mean to kill the parents.

It meant to not be deceived by the false honor of the position called ‘parents’ and to live an active life without losing oneself.

However, it was difficult for Ceti, who had just turned sixteen, and other kids her age to grasp the subtle principle behind it.

Only Rustila, who had experienced excessive interference from her parents, could understand the true meaning.

‘So that is why Aidel might have a bad reputation within the family.’

Given Aidel’s personality, it was clear he must have had conflicts with his parents.

But Rustila decided not to think too much about it now.

Instead, she was oddly concerned about the location of the eavesdropping robot her parents had sent.

‘Where exactly is it?’

Even looking around, it didn’t seem like such robots were wandering around.

Additionally, what Aidel said came to her mind.

‘Aidel said not to worry about the eavesdropping issue. Honestly, it seemed like something to reassure me….’

It was while Rustila was thinking this.

In the distance, a person wearing oddly shaped sunglasses was coming closer.

“Let’s go.”

The boy was dressed in a blazer, giving the appearance of wearing a suit.

In his left hand, he was holding the calipers she had seen him use during the fight with the monster last time.

ED/N: Changing Foreign Gods to Outer Gods as it is the more common translation. I will be editing the previous chapters to reflect this :)