Chapter 21

020. Give me wings

Aira exceeded her own limits by twenty minutes.

I tried drinking coffee, but it wasn't as effective as I had hoped.

"If you brew the coffee very weakly, it tastes similar to barley tea."

The level of alertness it provided was about the same as drinking barley tea cold.

"…But maybe my body just doesn't respond to it well. I should try other methods."

In short, since the sample size is too small with just me and Aira, we should conduct a clinical trial.

And the subjects for that clinical trial were already decided.

Graduate students, who are more familiar with experiments and dislike variables.

***

Since the freshmen welcome party, one of my daily tasks has been to sell things a few times a week in front of the graduate school building.

I can't do it every day, but I go when I have the chance, and a few of the graduate students who I've gotten to know greet me or chat with me.

Early in the morning.

After frying doughnuts, I prepare to make a fish soup by boiling water and adding fish broth and sliced radish, then load everything onto a cart.

I pull it roughly to the front of the graduate school building, where the graduate students come to meet me.

"Ugh... grrr... grrrr."

"Hmm. I received the 10,000 rin well. Drink up."

"Grrrr. Yes, yes."

The state of the graduate students, who are in a terrible condition—...that is, extremely 'ordinary'—is improved with a moderately warm fish soup.

"Ugh, ughhhh. I'm alive. The strength to live! My life! My existence!"

After their bodies regain some vitality, they regain their ability to speak and return to the lab with a candy.

Can they even be called human? Anyway, they are pitiful, so let's stop mentioning them. Wolfram, tormenting graduate students is bad. They just made the wrong choice.

Anyway, the graduate students who are in better condition—...that is, those with dark circles under their eyes, trembling hands, and mumbling to themselves—look for something else when they see me.

"Do you have that?"

"That thing. Hmm. Do you know the price?"

"Of course, I have the money."

I subtly looked at him, and he gleefully took out a banknote.

"Alright. Of course, I have it."

"Heh. Hehehe. As expected, Prince. I knew I could count on you. That's what our Prince is like."

"An out-of-shape prince. Flattery won't get you anything."

"No, no. To us, you are a far greater savior than your sister."

"......Tsk. Don't say things you don't mean. Just buy what you want and go back."

"Yes. That's right. Hehe."

He said this, and what he desired was a doughnut that was still slightly warm.

Filled with plenty of cream beans, it would send his blood sugar levels to the moon.

The graduate student took it and trembled.

"Heh, heh. This is it. This. One set for 50,000 rin, right?"

"Right."

"Hehe, he he he he he!! I bought it! I bought it today! Completely, w-w-completely bought the doughnut!! I'm the winner today, he, hehe!!"

Holding a set of five doughnuts, the graduate student's laughter was terrifying, but the royal bloodline skill doesn't allow for any panic in any situation.

"Hey. I have a question."

"Yes, Prince. Hehe. Ask away. Anything, anything. Do you want the research results?"

"Recently, more people have been looking for doughnuts. Where did it spread from? There isn't enough supply for me to openly sell, so it's problematic if too many people come."

I need the beans for research, so it's important to keep it moderate.

"That's the thing. One of my lab mates ran away during the freshmen welcome party."

"......?"

Why did that come up suddenly?

"The fool wanted to go back seven years and enjoy the welcome party with the freshmen, so he fled the lab."

Oh, such a sad story.

"Wait, so one of the guests then—"

"Yes. One of the students at the academy tasted the Prince's doughnut. They said it was heavenly. We share information secretly among ourselves and try to keep it from spreading too much. Today, the others were caught by the professor, but I managed to escape and get some. Hehe, hehehe!!"

"I see. That's settled, then."

"Actually, it was lucky. The Prince doesn't sell here often these days. Heaven guides, and the earth leads, allowing us to survive, right?"

That's because I don't have the stamina.

"Thanks for the good information. It seems the students view me positively."

"We're not as young as to get involved in undergraduate politics, and we're not as mature to be independent."

"Hmm."

Why do you say such things to make me feel emotional?

"Anyway, I'll eat the doughnuts and write my thesis. Hehe!"

Emotional, indeed.

Anyway, I spoke to this graduate student to get feedback on a new product, not from Aira but from someone else.

"......Anyway, take this and eat it with the doughnut. I'd like to hear your thoughts by tomorrow."

"What is it?"

"It's called coffee. It's a new drink. It has a slight alertness effect and might make it hard to sleep at night, but the alertness effect is definite. It's bitter, so you can add sugar, or rely on the sweetness of the doughnut."

"Okay, I'll try anything the Prince gives me!"

He said this, took the doughnut, and disappeared.

"......Graduate school. I'll probably never go there in my life."

Why did they make such a choice?

It's a mystery.

***

The feedback on the coffee-like drink came back faster than expected.

"It was bitter. If the flavor was stronger, it might have been edible, but the alertness effect was minimal."

"Figures."

It wasn't made from coffee beans, and the beans I had only produced a 'bitter' taste.

There are bitter beans deeper in the eastern forest, but I might have to pass on coffee until I can get them.

"Beans come in all sorts of varieties."

From my memory, there are hundreds of types of beans, each with a different appearance.

I memorized them all, which is why I understand why there's no research on beans in this world.

"Most beans that are described as bitter are for treating severe status effects. It's inevitable."

9-tier beans treat minor status effects. 8-tier beans restore health or treat moderate status effects. 7-tier beans provide buffs. 6-tier and above have magical effects or can even be used as attacks.

Of course, classifying and roasting them would be quite tiring, so I'll put my desire for coffee on hold for now.

Thinking this, I pondered how to mix sweet beans with bubbles or aqua beans and energy beans while walking to the magic building.

While calculating the effects of beans and preparing for the next class, I encountered something walking confidently with many attendants.

"Tsk."

"Ts."

The moment we made eye contact, we clicked our tongues, showing that we truly are siblings.

Isn't that right, Eve?

"Clicking your tongue at someone's face is not very broad-minded for a student council president, I think."

"Only if you were a regular student."

"Thanks to the president's consideration, I'm a regular student."

"Consideration? Then behave properly. Tsk."

"Who do you think behaves properly? Ts."

We exchanged barbs and frowned at each other.

Eve's attendants tried their best to pretend they didn't see our conversation. In Jefrin, who would stick their neck out when the royal family is talking?

"So, where are you going? Regular student?"

"Showing so much interest in a regular student's movements, Eve, you must be a good candidate for student council president for seven years after graduate school."

"Really, how can you say such things?! How, how can you say such things!"

"The students are watching. Maintain your dignity."

"Ugh..."

I could hear the students behind me muttering things like, "Did he just tell her to be student council president in graduate school?" and "He's really harsh," but I must be imagining it.

I must be.

Anyway, I feel a little guilty, but once I decide to go all out, I have to see it through.

"Hmm. Anyway, if you have time to wander around, study hard. A little. Why did I hear a report that a regular student was heading to the Sleeping Mountains? Do you know how worried I was?"

"......Is that something to be worried about?"

The Sleeping Mountains are dangerous, but...

Are you worried about me because we're family?

The brat...

"If you happened to have organized a dark alliance there, think about how many people it would take to suppress it..."

"......"

The brat and I... We'll have to settle this someday.

"I know. Anyway, I'm a regular student now, so I'll be treated like one for exams. No special treatment, got it?"

"I know."

"Good. You know the mini-test and formal evaluation are coming up, right?"

"I know."

"Alright. Study hard. That's all."

With that, Eve huffed and walked past me.

Watching her back, I recalled her last words and tilted my head.

Could it be...

"Was that brat worried about me?"

No way.

Really?

***

After class, I returned to the convenience