New chapter of Control Engineer is out! (1/1 chapter)

 

 

Sunday School

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

Last night, the errand Kaa-sama ordered me to complete awaited me at the end of this alley. It was one street south of the main road that leads to the hill path ascending to Count-sama’s castle, Emily Castle. Beneath a pitch-black spire stood a stone structure with a series of grand arches, the Emilia Cathedral.

I had heard it was built in the same era as the castle visible just a short while ago. That would make sense. There had once been a smaller, older cathedral here, but it was demolished, and the castle was built in its place. That likely indicates that ownership of the dragon vein was transferred from the church to Count-sama.

Such thoughts passed through my mind, but they were unrelated to the reason I had come today. Children heading toward the building beside the grand cathedral appeared to be about my age or younger. In other words, it was time for Sunday school.

From ten in the morning until noon, when the bell would soon ring, there were lessons for us upper-grade students. It might be unfair to blame Reo, but ever since I inherited his memories and knowledge, my faith had somewhat weakened. I had distanced myself from religious practices, including Sunday school. I wondered when I last attended. Perhaps, it was about a month ago. I had not wished to come today either.

Having come this far, I resolved myself and entered the flow of people entering the building. Through the back door of the classroom, I stepped inside, wrote my name on the small chalkboard, and picked up one of the pre-stacked, smudged textbooks whose owner was unknown. Today’s lesson was arithmetic. That was fortunate. It was not history or anything else tedious.

I recognized a few faces but only offered them a light nod as I took a seat near the hallway in the middle row, where it was likely to be less crowded. This class had about 30 students, even at full attendance. The attendance rate was never particularly high, so the room rarely filled completely. Sitting all the way in the back tended to draw more attention.

Until class started, I would pretend to sleep. After that, I planned to read documentation from the brain system to pass the time.

“Aah, Leon-chan!” (??)

She had arrived.

Fortunately, my eyes were closed. I would continue pretending not to notice.

“Leon-chan.” (??)

Unfortunately, the voice was now right beside me. She clearly had no intention of giving up.

“Hey! Leon, the Ojou-sama is calling out to you!” (??)

The voice was loud enough to stir the entire classroom. A male voice.

“Bessel. Do not raise your voice. You’re disturbing everyone.” (??)

“My apologies, Ojou-sama.” (Bessel)

It could not be helped.

I slowly lifted my head from the desk. As I raised my gaze, I found myself face-to-face with an elegant and beautiful girl.

The second daughter of the Leonard Company.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Eiru-san. How do you do?” (Leon)

I stepped back with one foot and offered a respectful greeting.

“Good morning, Leon-chan. But calling me Eiru-san sounds so distant.” (Eiru)

That was true. We were relatives.Her grandmother’s younger brother had married my grandfather’s sister. There was no blood relation, however. In this small town, she was a childhood friend. We were the same age, though she had been born half a year earlier and thus seemed to view me as something like a younger brother.

Our families were business rivals in a broad sense, but the Leonard Company primarily dealt in food, while my family handled clothing and luxury goods. There was little overlap. The reason for my formal behavior lay elsewhere.

Flanking Eiru were two large young men, her entourage. I believed they were sons of prominent farming families affiliated with the Leonard Company, possibly second or third sons.

“Since you haven’t come to Sunday school for two and a half months, I mentioned it to Oba-sama when I saw her the other day.” (Eiru)

Had I been absent for that long?

“Yes. Last night, Kaa-sama ordered me to attend.” (Leon)

So, she had reported it to Kaa-sama.

“I’m glad to hear that.” (Eiru)

Her smile only enhanced her beauty.

Still, my tastes leaned toward women a bit older, so I did not feel particular attraction to girls my own age. That was likely the influence of Reo’s previous life. He had been 23, though I retained few personal memories from him. That said, I did not dislike Eiru. It was simply that whenever I saw her at Sunday school, her entourage tended to be rather bothersome.

“Well then.” (Leon)

Assuming the conversation was over, I returned to my seat.

“Then, I’ll sit next to Leon-chan.” (Eiru)

What?

“Ojou-sama. That is…” (Bessel)

“Oh? Is there a problem?” (Eiru)

Her entourage looked as though they were about to object, but a single glare from Eiru silenced them. I only wished they wouldn’t turn that glare toward me instead. It was a bench seat, so sitting together was certainly possible.

“Um… Is it not improper for an unmarried woman to sit with a man from another family?” (Leon)

“Oh, but Leon-chan is family, isn’t he?” (Eiru)

Given how she phrased it, I had little room to refuse. I shifted toward the hallway side to make space for her.

“Thank you.” (Eiru)

She sat down gracefully and smiled at me.

A conversation topic… Right.

“Hein-niisan is doing well.” (Leon)

“Hein-san? Ah, I see.” (Eiru)

She did not seem particularly moved. Apparently, she no longer cared much for Hein-niisan. I had thought they were close before he graduated from Sunday school.

“The Priest-sama has arrived.” (Eiru)

As she said this, Priest Geoffrey-sama, wearing his sacred robes, entered the classroom.

“Good morning, everyone. Today’s lesson is arithmetic. Last time, we ended on page 24. Please open to page 25.” (Geoffrey)

Page 25. I glanced beside me and saw Eiru’s book already open. It appeared she attended every week and took her studies seriously. When I opened my textbook, I found the topic was time, distance, and speed. As Eiru turned her attention to the lesson, I quietly closed my eyes and resumed reading the documentation within the brain system.

 

—

 

“Leon-chan. Leon-chan.” (Eiru)

She whispered as she shook my shoulder. I was not asleep, though. With my eyes closed, I supposed there was no way to tell. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes.

“Oh, you were awake?” (Eiru)

Oops, that came out louder than intended.

“Eiru-dono!” (Geoffrey)

“Yes.” (Eiru)

There it was. Responding promptly, Eiru stood.

“Conversing during class is improper. That is unlike a model student such as yourself. Very well, since you are already standing, please solve question five.” (Geoffrey)

“Uh… um…” (Eiru)

Question five, is it?

A brother and sister live beside a pond. The brother takes 30 minutes to walk around it, the sister 45. The brother departed 10 minutes earlier. If the sister starts now and walks in the opposite direction, how long until they meet?

It was clearly a classroom-style problem. Hardly realistic. Fortunately, one did not need to consider acceleration or other complexities.

“Well? If you were paying attention in today’s class, you should be able to solve it. Or would you prefer to come up and use the blackboard?” (Geoffrey)

He was trying to reprimand her gently, but it still felt rather harsh.

“Twelve minutes.” (Leon)

I whispered the answer so only she could hear.

“There’s no need for the blackboard. The answer is twelve minutes.” (Eiru)

“Correct. Let us all applaud Eiru-dono.” (Geoffrey)

Applause echoed through the room.

“As expected of the Ojou-sama.” (??)

Someone murmured.

“Please be seated. But do refrain from further conversation. That includes you as well, Leon-dono.” (Geoffrey)

So, I had been caught too.

“Many did not arrive at the correct answer. Please work together on the explanation. If you are unsure, raise your hand.” (Geoffrey)

With that, the classroom grew lively.

“Leon-chan. Thank you. You really helped me. So, you were listening after all.” (Eiru)

I had not been listening, but I had not been sleeping either.

I simply gave her a vague nod.

“Then, explain how you arrived at twelve minutes.” (Eiru)

It could not be helped.

I picked up my pen and wrote the equation:

(1 – 10 × 1/30) ÷ (1/30 + 1/45) = 12

She frowned and began calculating. A few minutes later…

“I see that this equals 12. But I don’t understand what it means. And how can you solve it without knowing the distance? Please explain more.” (Eiru)

This was going to be troublesome.

“In question five, the actual distance is irrelevant.” (Leon)

Strictly speaking, it cannot be zero or negative.

“No way…” (Eiru)

Instinctively, one wants to assign a variable to the distance using algebra. But algebra is not taught in Sunday school. A 14-year-old on Earth would be in eighth grade and familiar with it. Unnecessary knowledge continued to leak in.

“Well, both the numerator and denominator include distance. As long as it’s greater than zero, any value will do. That’s why we set it as one. If we must assign a unit, then one kilometer.” (Leon)

She tilted her head. It seemed she still did not understand.

“Then, let’s set it to two kilometers. The answer will remain unchanged.” (Leon)

(2 – 10 × 2/30) ÷ (2/30 + 2/45) = 12

One minute later…

“You’re right. But… why? Even when the distance changes, they meet at the same time?” (Eiru)

“That’s because when the distance doubles, the time and the speed also double proportionally.” (Leon)

“Ugh. I think I kind of understand. But it still feels like a trick.” (Eiru)

I had no reason to trick her.

“So, as for the equation, the numerator represents distance. Since the brother already walked for 10 minutes at a speed of 1/30, we subtract 10/30 from 1.” (Leon)

“Oh, I see now.” (Eiru)

“The denominator is the sum of both their speeds: 1/30 plus 1/45. That gives the combined speed, so dividing distance by that gives time.” (Leon)

“What? But they’re walking in opposite directions. Shouldn’t we subtract their speeds?” (Eiru)

She questioned each point, step by step. It was exhausting, but also commendable.

“Then, let me ask. What’s faster, approaching from opposite sides or chasing someone ahead of you?” (Leon)

“Obviously, approaching… ah, I get it. Since they’re going around a pond, they’re coming toward each other. Ahh, okay, I understand now.” (Eiru)

If I explained it step by step, she understood. Her raw intellect seemed sharp enough.

“As expected, Leon-chan is so smart.” (Eiru)

Behind her smiling face, I caught a glimpse of her entourage’s grim expressions.

 

—

 

Once the long class ended, Priest-sama exited the room.

“Leon-chan, today was fun. What are you doing for lunch? Would you like to come eat at my place?” (Eiru)

“No. I have plans today, so I’ll head straight home.” (Leon)

I merely intended to practice magic art, but a plan was a plan.

“That’s too bad. Well then, come play anytime.” (Eiru)

“Later.” (Leon)

I slipped out toward the hallway, returned the textbook to the pile, and quickly left the classroom.

Still, those entourage members glared at me with particularly sour expressions. If I encountered them without Eiru present, they might very well start a fight.

 

—

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)