One Day, My Dad Disappeared - Chapter 22

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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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Episode 22
“Ugh, dust.”
It was the first time I’d been home in ages, so the moment I stepped inside, the stale air made me throw open a window.
This must have been what Father meant about not leaving the house empty for too long.
“I’d better start cleaning.”
I wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed, but I’d learned long ago that these things only get worse if you put them off, so I rolled up my sleeves right away.
I beat the quilts and pillows, hung them in the sun, wiped dust from every surface and piece of furniture, and sorted through the luggage I’d brought back from my Southern Region assignment. By the time I finished, the sun was already sinking low.
“Ah, I’m exhausted.”
I was just about to lie down when my stomach made an alarming sound.
“……Is there anything to eat?”
I checked the kitchen, but it was bare as expected.
Since I hadn’t known when the assignment would end, I’d emptied everything to keep it from spoiling.
“Just when I thought I could rest.”
Out I had to go. But since there’d be nothing to eat tomorrow either, it made sense to move now.
So I got right back up and headed out to buy groceries.

Actually, it’s nice to browse the Market again after so long.
Fresh vegetables, seasonal fruit, eggs for protein.
The rustle of the paper bag brimming with food felt almost comforting, as if my heart were being filled along with it.
“Did I buy too much, though?”
I’d grabbed everything in sight because I was so hungry, but what would I make? Anything time-consuming was out of the question with my stomach like this…….
“I picked up store-bought tomato sauce, so maybe I’ll do Eggs in Tomato Sauce with the eggs and vegetables?”
Ah, that sounds delicious. It’s simple to make and comes together fast—perfect for right now.
“But it really should be eaten with Baguette.”
I stopped walking and turned back. The question was whether to make a detour to the Bakery for the perfect meal, or just head home because I couldn’t be bothered…….
“When I do eat, I should do it properly.”
That’s what Father always said—that every meal deserves your full effort and care.
“To the Bakery!”
As I passed the Academy and arrived at the Bakery, the owner greeted me with a smile—it had been a while.
“Well, Cynthia! Long time no see.”
“Do you have Baguette?”
“Of course. Want me to slice it?”
“That would be wonderful, thank you!”
The sound of bread being cut never gets old.
The crisp, rhythmic slicing made my mouth water.
While he worked, I glanced around idly—and something caught my eye.
Rustle—
A plastic bag printed with a cute rabbit design, tied with a red gingham ribbon, holding adorable animal-shaped cookies studded with chocolate chips.
“Here you go. Want those too?”
“Ah…….”
The Animal Farm Cookie Set. The Bakery had created it to appeal to cute-loving female Academy students, but I never would have guessed that Aidan liked it.
“Heh.”
Remembering the flustered expression he’d worn when he came in before, I laughed.
“What? Why are you laughing?”
“Oh, haha, it’s nothing. Um, I’ll take these.”
Since I’d be stuck in the Laboratory all day with Aidan starting tomorrow anyway, I might as well pick up a snack.
“That comes to eight Silver.”
“Here.”
When I gave him these cookies tomorrow, would his ears turn red again like they did before?
Just thinking about it, I felt my lips twitch upward.
“I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

* * *

That was what I’d said yesterday—I was certain of it.
I would have loved to slap yesterday’s me right across the mouth.
“Are you listening to me?”
I straightened up under Aidan’s contemptuous gaze, his arms crossed.
“Yes, I am. I’m listening carefully.”
The Laboratory that Aidan had prepared for me—or rather, for this research paper—was extraordinary.
Perhaps it was because it bore the name House Winslow, but the laboratory was far more spacious and modern than any at the Academy.
A wide desk tailored to my height, a chair comfortable enough for hours of sitting, even a whiteboard for writing and erasing — it was the kind of perfect environment that would make any scholar’s eyes pop.
I could hardly believe it had all been prepared in just a single day, yet the shelves were densely stacked with materials essential for the research.
At first, it was wonderful. Truly wonderful. There was joy in actually conducting the experiments I’d only conceived of while at the Academy, and happiness in how Aidan supported me with such wholehearted commitment, just as he’d promised.
“And about these experimental results — the sample size is far too small. Can we really call this a statistically significant result?”
“Is that so? The margin of error is indeed too wide, isn’t it?”
“Let’s run it again. And for this section here, what if we repeated the experiment while maintaining a consistent length for the platinum wire? The wire length keeps varying each time. If the variables aren’t controlled, the judges will be all over it.”
I nodded readily. Everything he said was right. I was confident in coming up with new ideas, but proving them in a way others could understand was an entirely different skill.
In that regard, Aidan was far superior to me. As the sole heir of House Winslow and a friend of the Crown Prince, he’d been educated with systematic rigor and strictness since childhood.
“And I’d like to see one more reference added to this section. Here too.”
Aidan had marked the parts needing revision in red ink, and the volume of corrections kept growing. At first I answered each one, but at some point, I fell silent.
Some pages had more red than black.
“You can do this, right?”
“……I have to.”
But it was for Father.
Whether the Cubic Zirconia attached to that fountain pen was truly a core or not remained uncertain, but if there was any possibility at all, I could manage anything.
I pulled my hair back tightly and picked up my pen. Once I’d started, I had to give it everything.
And so the endless cycle of revision began.
Experiment, failure. Revise, experiment again.
The platinum wire snapped countless times, and the glass sphere shattered more than once. The paper was rewritten from scratch several times over.
“Theoretically, it’s perfect.”
I spun my pen absently, then collapsed face-down onto the desk. Aidan grumbled at the unrefined sight, but seemed worn out himself and began stretching his neck.
“Phew, there’s really nothing more to polish. What on earth is the problem?”
“Exactly. The initial experiments were clearly successful, and yet……”
The platinum wire kept snapping. I’d tried other conductors, but all metals failed without exception.
Unable to find any breakthrough, I noticed that it had grown dark outside.
The sun had already set.
I hadn’t eaten a single meal today.
“Hmm, what if you tried approaching this part like this?”
Aidan revised the formula on the whiteboard as he spoke.
Does he not feel hungry? Am I the only one suffering here?
Since arriving, all day long, the only thing I’ve had was black tea to stay awake.
“Um……”
I felt too embarrassed to say I was hungry first, but the hunger was making it harder to think clearly.
“Wouldn’t it be better if we ate something first?”
“Eat at a time like this? Food won’t go down when nothing’s been solved.”
“But you have to eat to survive! That’s how we can research and find answers.”
He didn’t bother hiding his look of exasperation at my response, but then glanced at the clock and his eyes widened in apparent surprise.
“Now that you mention it, we haven’t eaten today.”
Exactly, we’ve been starving.
“But if we eat too much, we’ll get drowsy. The brain only needs an adequate amount of glucose to function anyway.”
With that, he dropped a single sugar cube into the freshly brewed black tea.
“There, this way we get both the glucose and satisfy our stomachs.”
“……”
I just wanted to solve this problem as quickly as possible and go home to grill that meat I’d bought yesterday……
Wait, meat I bought yesterday?
Now that I think about it, why had I forgotten?
I opened my bag. In the black document case, there was one incongruously adorable item sitting alone.
Rustle—
The Animal Farm Cookie Set.
“Here.”
“……?”
I pulled out a bear-shaped cookie from the set and held it out to Aidan.
“A snack.”
“……”
“This much is an appropriate amount of sugar, isn’t it? Without being too filling. Right?”
His hand reached out to take the cookie with surprising speed.
If he was going to grab it that quickly, he could at least stop being finicky about it.
“Why are you like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re smiling right now.”
“Smiling? I’m not. You’re imagining things.”
She pressed her lips together, trying to suppress the laugh that kept threatening to break through—even as Aidan made a show of appearing composed, his ears flushed red as evidence of his own amusement.

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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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