Don't Feed the Professor! - Chapter 36

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Momo and I scattered in opposite directions as if we’d made a pact. We absolutely would not run. Just walked at a brisk pace.
We couldn’t speak, couldn’t let our breathing become ragged.
When the Signal Music plays, enjoy your shopping! Your mind won’t collapse! Nobody will die!
Whoosh, whoosh—shadows darted past. Large and small silhouettes slipped between the baby supplies section and the kitchenware aisle.
[Come along with the shadows! Sing the song! Twelve, twelve, twelve, twelve, twelve, twelve….]
[Come on and hold me……. Closer, closer, a little bit closer…….]
‘What wasn’t mentioned in the flyer—Corridor 8 and Corridor 11.’
In other words, the Safe Zones were the second shelf in Corridor 8, the ninth shelf, and the first shelf in Corridor 11.
But while the Signal Music played, we couldn’t count any numbers at all.
Which meant our only chances were the shelves we could gauge without counting—the second shelf in Corridor 8 and the first shelf in Corridor 11. Just two.
[……the night is falling…….]
I looked up to check the sign.
Corridor 7. My head turned instinctively to the right—toward Corridor 8.
Beep.
Whoosh—I dropped my head fast. Thud, thud—blood dripped down my hoodie. Red.
‘That was close…….’
[Stars are dimming, the night is falling…….]
I kept my head down and felt my way into Corridor 8 by instinct alone.
—Close your eyes!
I opened them. I was standing in Corridor 8, but everything on the shelves had vanished.
“Ah……, huh…….”
Where……? Which one is the second shelf?
That’s when it happened.
—Amelie!
What was that?
Without thinking, I almost stopped moving.
A young man’s voice. A voice I’d never heard in my entire life. He kept speaking.
—Maybe……, maybe it’s better if I’m here instead. I can’t really live properly without you anyway.
Who is that?
—Amelie…….
Who is he talking to?
—Come with me, Amelie.
I strained to hear the voice.
“Ah……, ah…….”
—You said you loved me.
Beep.
My nose throbbed.
“Hey!”
The moment I lifted my head at the sound of running footsteps, something slammed into me—Bibi tackling me from behind, pinning me against the wall.
[Darling, let me in…….]
At last the music ended, and Bibi let go of my mouth.
“Phew…….”
I was rubbing my still-aching shoulder when Bibi apologized, a bit sheepish.
“Sorry, I was in a hurry.”
“No, thank you.”
I’d bruise, sure. But better than a burst eardrum.
“……Why are you looking at me like that?”
When I asked, Bibi laughed as if baffled.
“Why are you always so okay with everything?”
And what he handed me was a handkerchief.
“You could’ve wiped it on your sleeve…….”
I took it and dabbed at the blood trickling from my nose.
Being okay or not okay doesn’t change anything anyway, I thought.
* * *
A non-stick fried egg that doesn’t stick to a stainless steel pan does not exist.
Should you discover such an egg, immediately erase its existence and vacate the premises.
Sizzzzle.
“Ugh, I messed this up…….”
I gave up scraping at the stainless pan and just dumped the half-cooked yolk onto a plate.
The break room on the first floor of the Female Student Dormitory had a small kitchen with a refrigerator and a tiny gas range.
Thanks to our trip to the Welcome Discount Mart, I didn’t have to worry about food for a while. Momo said we should shop together whenever we wanted from now on.
Shopping was fun, just as Momo said. When I’d been in the real world, I’d only ever bought scraps and cheap ingredients a little at a time. Now I’d cooked with those.
I’d had to leave in a rush at the end, but even so, I’d gone shopping with a full cart for the first time in my life.
Instant rice, cup noodles, a whole box of cereal, an enormous roll of white bread, a whole block of ham, juice, plenty of sterilized milk, all sorts of canned food, snacks Momo recommended, vitamins, daily essentials…….
‘This should easily last me two weeks, shouldn’t it?’
And to think I could throw away slightly burnt fried eggs without a second thought—I’d really come up in the world.
Beyond the window left open for ventilation, lilac petals still fell in a steady stream.
Once the semester began and student Survivors returned to the Campus, the number of undergraduates wandering the grounds visibly decreased.
‘Maybe I should take a walk for once.’
Of course nothing was actually solved, but I could at least enjoy a brief moment of peace, right?
I washed the pan and dishes, took off my apron, and hung it up. With an odd flutter of anticipation, I left the dormitory.
Bibi called the endless petals “refillable garbage,” but walking through them didn’t feel unpleasant.
The white and pale-purple petals were soft and fragrant. Though there wasn’t actually a single lilac tree on the entire Campus.
‘But is this……, is this because of something I said back then?’
〈I wish the wind would blow and the petals would scatter like crazy. Something like lilacs?〉
Maybe Mallo had summoned me to the Greenhouse to comfort me.
But why? Why would Mallo show such kindness to someone who’s never given an offering?
It had been my philosophy since childhood that there’s no such thing as unconditional kindness in this world.
If all Mallo wanted was a “student” to listen to lectures, I was simply replaceable.
In other words…….
‘If Mallo doesn’t replace me even when I become bothersome, there must be some reason. A reason why it has to be me.’
As I was thinking this, I arrived in front of the Student Union Building. The café doors were open. The part-timer working the counter today was…….
“……Russell?”
It was unmistakably Russell greeting me, dressed in a black shirt and yellow apron. A White Eye Patch covered his right eye, and bruises still colored his cheekbones.
“You……, you’re working here?”
“…….”
Russell looked down at me quietly, then let out a short sigh.
“I work Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Can I help you with an order?”
Momo would’ve teased me endlessly if he’d seen this.
“Hmm…….”
I looked at the menu, but the characters weren’t ones I could read. I glanced at Russell, but he showed no sign of helping.
I’d never received an apology from him for attacking me in the Maze. But since he’d paid for it with a beating too, we could call it even, couldn’t we?
“Any recommendations?”
Russell answered before I’d even finished asking.
“How about a Lychee Smoothie perfect for spring weather? I’d recommend it iced—refreshing and bright.”
Saying something like that was practically telling me to go to hell.
“I’ll have a cappuccino.”
Russell shrugged, warmed a cup, and began grinding beans. His hands moved with surprising skill—this was clearly more than just a day or two of work.
“How’s your professor?”
He asked without even looking up.
“What?”
Russell glanced at me, then tapped out the portafilter with a sharp sound.
“Speaking from experience—don’t let your guard down. Favor is as easily lost as it’s easily gained.”
“……Are you jealous?”
At my question, Russell let out a bitter laugh.
“Point is, don’t get too comfortable. I threw myself into it for years, and look what happened to me.”
He sounded like he was talking about a long-term relationship gone wrong. But I’d been fighting pretty hard too, in my own way.
Oh, that’s right.
“Russell, you said you drifted through the Fortress for quite a while, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Then you must know pretty much all the other Survivors?”
“Sounds like you’re looking for someone.”
I am.
All I had about the missing person was that he was a young man.
But since learning my new memory technique, I’d been able to dredge up some useful information.
Who would’ve thought that the careless chatter of loan sharks would’ve sunk into my subconscious?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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