Murata Himeko · A Teacher (Continued)

Who? Who dared to speak so loudly about Mr. Welt in class?

Himeko couldn't help but look at her "bold and reckless" deskmate with a strange expression.

That's how university is; if you're not sitting with your classmates, it's not surprising to encounter some oddballs around you.

However...

Rustling...

Her deskmates on either side were diligently taking notes, completely absorbed in their work, which made Himeko was currently looking around, seem rather carefree.

It wouldn't be surprising if Teacher Yang deducted her grade from her usual performance the next second.

"...ha?"

How did things start to turn out so strangely?

She clearly heard an inappropriate male voice, didn't she?

"Although I don't always intend to scare the host, in this kind of sudden appearance, even if I don't want to scare people, I'll still be perceived as doing so, right?"

Standing to Himeko's left rear, Liu Bai couldn't help but complain about the young Himeko's behavior.

Here we go again!

And they even mentioned something about a host!

"Calm down, Himeko. This is a classroom—although I'd also like to stir things up and see how Yang handles unexpected situations, you don't want to be the coolest kid in this classroom right now, do you?" Liu Bai reminded Himeko slightly shrugging shoulders.

"..."

That's so true it's impossible to refute...

"Don't worry, other people can't see me. Our conversation is currently in the 'private' channel... Should I switch to the public channel?"

"... Absolutely not."

Murata Himeko whispered these words through her teeth.

That's why.

Liu Bai sat on the desk so that Himeko could see him clearly.

"I look forward to your guidance for the next few years... well, maybe even more than ten years."

... Am I getting married?

Himeko complained.

In other words, this strange... well, somewhat handsome weirdo is unlucky enough to follow him for over ten years?

What kind of calamity is this...? What kind of wicked prank is this?

"Oh, by the way, if we are separated by more than fifty meters, I will be automatically teleported back to your side."

... I take back what I said earlier; this might actually be hell on earth.

"After all, it's normal for someone your age to have a rebellious streak, which is why I specifically mentioned it to save you time," Liu Bai explained considerately.

Now eighteen years old Himeko exudes youthful vibrancy, a truly rare sight indeed.

However, Himeko, the subject of these sentiments, was not so happy.

... If this weren't a classroom, Himeko would have already wanted to test whether her palm could touch the other person.

Buzzing...

Just then, Himeko's phone rang.

There's not much difference between a mobile phone from 2005 and a basic feature phone from over a decade later.

Himeko picked up her phone, and a picture was sent to Himeko phone.

A shadow that looks like a giant mecha; the filming location seems a bit unusual.

"Oh, isn't this Arahata?"

Liu Bai asked with some surprise, "You're interested in that 'Demon Sword God Machine Arahata'?"

Liu Bai knew, of course, what the picture on Himeko's phone was going to get involved in, but it was really not a good time to say it directly.

—But that's not exactly a lie.

Because the giant mecha shadow in this game is actually called Arahata, which means "Arahat" in Pali—the only person in Anti-Entropy who could come up with that name is Tesla, that old chuunibyou.

Yes, this giant mech is Anti-Entropy.

Tesla and Einstein even started E. T Studio for this mecha.

The letters ET are the initials of Einstein and Tesla's names.

Well, the reason for starting the company was that Nancy didn't provide enough funding—after all, Nancy has never been a fan of Tesla's impulsive and reckless ventures.

To paraphrase Nancy Chao Liu Bai's complaint, "I have absolutely no idea what this 'burning robot soul' thing is all about."

"...ha?"

Himeko seemed a little skeptical.

"Don't you know? This is a national-level cartoon in the United States, and it has even been a great success in Europe."

Liu Bai explained very seriously.

"However, the first installment in the Arahata series was actually 'Mech Max Arahata,' and in addition to 'Demon Sword God Machine Arahata,' there were also 'Mech Max Z,' 'Mech Max MX,' 'Mech Max 0094,' and so on."

Hmm, does it look familiar?

Go ahead and complain if you want...

However, what's most hilarious is that Tesla's "burning robot spirit" really hits the G-spot of most boys and even men.

Moreover, while achieving great success and making a fortune, they also concealed the fact that Arahata truly existed.

... Speaking of Arahata, most people may not know it, but if you mention it, they should have a vague impression of it—just like if someone suddenly asks you who Larry is.

—The giant black and red mech that chases Kiana in the subway station in the animated short film "Reburn" is named Arahata.

As Himeko listened to Liu Bai's eloquent explanation, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

This air of knowing everything so well doesn't seem fake.

What's going on here?

Ring ring—!

When the bell rang, Welt Young had no intention of going overtime and turned to leave.

"That kid really did leave decisively."

Liu Bai tilted his head and asked Himeko.

"Is this kid your teacher?"

"Yes, our teacher for this class is Dr. Einstein, and Professor Welt is here to substitute."

After class, everyone around them began to leave the classroom, and only then did Himeko dare to talk to Liu Bai openly.

What is your major?

"Interstellar dynamics, isn't that a very niche subject?"

Himeko got a little excited.

"I believe the future will definitely be an era of space exploration."

At this moment, Himeko's eyes sparkled with the light of dreams—she was practically a different person from the Himeko of the future.

"To delve into such an obscure and difficult subject, it seems you're quite confident, Himeko."

"I published a paper in an international journal back in high school," Himeko said confidently. "My goal now is to get my doctorate within four or five years!"

Published papers in international journals during high school?

... Liu Bai vaguely remembered Mei. Mei also published a paper when she was in high school—but Mei's paper was a heavyweight, even surpassing those of the older generation of scientists.

Looking at it this way, Himeko really wasted her talent.

While it might seem like a pipe dream for a freshman to become a doctor in a few years, well... future events have shown that Himeko can actually do it.

She entered university at 15 and graduated with a PhD from California Institute of Technology at 19—this was Murata Himeko in her youth, a genius in every sense of the word.

"A paper is far from enough," Liu Bai poured cold water on Himeko's enthusiasm. "Hey, didn't you take any notes in the last class?"

"Ah... why don't I just borrow this from a classmate?"

Himeko felt a little guilty, after all, she had just made a bold statement and then been exposed for not taking notes... Well, how embarrassing.

"Your college life... well, I'm not qualified to comment on that."

"Speaking of which, if I become a PhD in the next few years, would I be the youngest PhD in history?" Himeko didn't seem to care much about Liu Bai's reaction.

"If I remember correctly, the world's youngest PhD was Carl Witte, who became a PhD in philosophy at the age of fourteen."

"Ah... well... excluding things like philosophy that I don't understand, what about science and the like?"

"Putting everything else aside, you know the youngest PhD in this field that I remember—your teacher Einstein, who became a PhD at the age of seventeen after publishing the theory of relativity."

"... Doesn't this mean there's absolutely no hope?"

She didn't know Karl Witte, but she was very familiar with Einstein, after all, he was the official lecturer of this course, and the name was very famous... Although Himeko couldn't connect that short, blue-haired man with the historical Einstein.

"... Not a case of the same name?"

"No."

"... This doesn't make sense, does it?" Himeko's eye twitched. "How could a normal person live this long?"

"No, Einstein only sixty-seven years old this year. It's not an age that's hard to live to for a normal person—it's not like he's six hundred and seventy."

Liu Bai looked at Himeko with a puzzled expression, "Aren't you a bit stereotypical? Just because you see a famous person in a textbook, you think they're dead?"

"... Then I'd like to know even more why a 67-year-old woman looks so young."

Is the problem with myself?

No, impossible. Who would add "talent" to the number sixty-seven?

It's clearly this guy's common sense that's wrong, isn't it?

"I always thought Professor Einstein was Einstein's granddaughter or great-granddaughter or something..."

Einstein is now being called a professor...

"Einstein is really not old enough to have a great-granddaughter," Liu Bai corrected again. "Besides, Yang isn't young either, he should be almost fifty this year, approaching sixty."

"... You can't tell at all."

"As for why he's so young... well, maybe it's the power of science?"

Why "maybe"?

"Uh-huh?"

Seeing that Liu Bai didn't want to answer, Himeko was a little annoyed, but then she remembered something else.

"By the way, you've always called Teacher Yang 'kid'... Are you two very close?"

"We're very close, extremely close." Liu Bai revealed a strange smile. "Or rather, I'm very close to his father, well, his godfather, but I also know his biological father."

"... What does this all mean?"

"His godfather's surname is the one I gave him—it's Welt. The relationship is quite clear, isn't it?"

"... Yes, it's too concise and clear."

This relationship clearly shows how close Liu Bai and Welt Yang are.

"So, you don't happen to know Professor Einstein, do you?"

"Very well-known."

"How about we let the professors take you away?"

Himeko tilted her head and suggested.

"You're still looking down on me?"

"I just genuinely feel that it's weird to spend the next ten years or so living with a strange man—you haven't even introduced yourself yet, have you?"