Ch.127Chapter 127

“Ouro said that the Professor won’t live her full lifespan!”

I couldn’t contain my anger and shouted at the Professor. My voice was filled with indignation, and in response, the Professor gently pulled me into a partial embrace.

Strangely, just leaning my head slightly against the Professor was enough to calm my agitated emotions.

My wandering gaze eventually circled around the empty space before settling on the Professor’s embrace.

I buried my face in the Professor’s chest and hugged her tightly. The Professor patted my head to calm me down.

“Oh my, did she say that? That means Ourr cares about me that much? The Professor is very happy.”

“……”

When the Professor said that, I had nothing to say in response and just pouted.

Regardless of how much she cared, the mere thought of the Professor dying made me so anxious that I couldn’t help but bite my lip.

I began to gather and compare information, wondering if there had always been such a large gap between Demon Gods and humans.

Not needing to eat, not having to sleep, and having no limit to lifespan—I realized anew that these were all things humans could only dream of, and I bit my lip again.

The fact that in the distant future I might exist while the Professor might not was frightening enough, but hearing that she could disappear at any moment made me unable to calm my heart. After trembling with my lip firmly bitten, I compromised by hugging the Professor tightly.

The Professor patted my back a few times. She must have been looking at Ouro, because Ouro added a comment.

“…I don’t think what I said was wrong. It could be true. No one knows what the future holds.”

Her voice sounded hesitant, as if she was trying to explain herself.

The Professor stroked my head, perhaps considering how to respond to that voice.

“That’s possible. I’m not criticizing you for thinking that way. You’ve probably thought that way for a long time, and it’s natural for you to accept it. But when you go outside and mingle with people, you’ll come to understand a bit more.”

Through my dazed mind, I saw the Professor’s lips move. Hugging her this tightly, I could feel her vibrations intensely.

Seeing the Professor speaking calmly as if soothing her, Ouro hesitated before slightly raising her head. Catching a glimpse of this, I thought I couldn’t stay like this forever and pulled away slightly.

“I just want to simply enjoy the present. I’ve been alone until now, and I don’t know when I’ll be alone again, so I didn’t want to form deep attachments.”

“…So Ouro is trying to maintain a certain distance because you’re thinking about when the Professor won’t be around anymore?”

After summarizing what Ouro had said, the Professor thoughtfully placed her hand on her chin.

Ouro closed her mouth as if she had said everything she needed to say. But since it wasn’t entirely pleasant, her lips protruded in a pout.

I opened and closed my mouth several times, not knowing what to say. Then, when something came to mind, I spoke up before the Professor could say anything.

“But how long is that time! You’re already here, and it’s too premature to think about parting. If you always live preparing for goodbyes, no one will come close to you. It’s true that we enjoy the moment, but we also get close to meet again tomorrow. If we just eat like this and part ways, what will you do?”

Though there was no malice, I had said something harsh. I had intended to say something regardless.

But if her feelings stemmed from fear, I needed to say something different to Ouro.

“What will you do if you can’t do anything and end up with nothing left? If you can’t properly cherish the present because you’re afraid of the future, you’ll truly have nothing later…”

The corners of my mouth drooped.

It seemed strange to withhold affection from the beginning out of fear of parting with the Professor. What would be the point of the time spent with the Professor then?

Ouro quietly looked at me. I continued, as if questioning her.

“You might live for hundreds or thousands of years. Looking back, this time might seem like just a fleeting moment… But it feels too distant to spend that time thinking about now. Even if we part, I want to do many good things with the Professor rather than parting awkwardly with nothing… I haven’t been here that long, so the present is precious to me.”

I clutched my clothes and spoke tearfully.

Talking about partings made me tear up, and I felt my nose getting stuffy. I tried to sniff away the sensation, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought.

As I breathed with sniffles, the Professor patted my back. Then she quietly went over to Ouro and patted her too.

Ouro, who had been just staring at me, looked surprised as if she hadn’t expected to receive the Professor’s touch, but soon surrendered to the repeated sensation. After calming down, she finally spoke with a composed expression.

“I also… cherish the present… I was afraid because I don’t know when I’ll have to go back. I tried not to get attached because I was afraid that the moment I was discovered as a Demon God, I might be separated from the Professor and have to return to the mountains.”

“That won’t happen.”

She said she had tried to cherish the present too, but had tried to protect herself because of uncertainties.

The Professor firmly cut off Ouro’s statement, and Ouro, suddenly emotional, bit her lower lip hard. Her nose seemed to be getting stuffy like mine.

After looking confused for a moment, she glanced at the Professor. After meeting the Professor’s kind blue eyes, Ouro simply threw herself into the Professor’s arms.

The Professor received Ouro’s childish behavior with her whole body. Then she looked at me and smiled wryly.

I hadn’t understood why Ouro was always so fixated on food.

Now it seemed like she valued the experience of having eaten something more than building something in the present, and I felt like I understood her emotions.

I thought perhaps everything felt hollow to her because the present seemed fake, like nothing she did would last.

I could understand why she might think that way, not knowing how long she would be with the Professor, feeling like she had intruded somewhere she didn’t belong.

But there was no need to think of herself as an unwelcome guest. She wasn’t a burden, nor was she a Demon God who would have to return someday. As long as the Professor was here, our places were clearly established, and we were also buying time to secure our places in the future.

“…I want to become like Ouro and experience aging once.”

“Huh?”

The Professor’s eyes widened at my words.

“Ouro said that by receiving the Professor’s Mana, she doesn’t create an aura that harms people, right?”

“—Ah, that’s right.”

“If I could do that too someday, I’d like to age normally and live alongside the Professor.”

Honestly, I didn’t know if this was possible. It might be just a dream.

It seemed possible that I might age only to return to my original state at the very end of life.

But still, I thought it might be nice to age together, to grow old together.

It would be better than me always staying the same.

“I want to feel what it’s like to live as a human, together.”

I raised my hand high.

It was to bring attention to this moment. But right now, it wasn’t working. After all, Ouro was tightly holding onto the Professor with her face buried in her chest.

**

I thought everything was meaningless.

I might be living here among them for now, but I thought I would surely return to the mountains someday.

A human’s life passes in an instant, but a Demon God lives much longer, so I thought my time with the Professor would be brief too.

The reason I, a Demon God, could be here was simply because I had the Professor as a protector, right? So if the Professor disappeared, I wouldn’t be able to stay here.

In the end, all relationships would scatter and disappear. It felt like the only thing I could truly enjoy and leave behind here was the pleasure of eating.

By now, I’ve come to think a bit differently. With what the Professor said, and what Ourr mentioned, after careful consideration, I realized I could live for a few years or decades right now.

If by some incredible coincidence the Professor doesn’t die, it would be natural to make the most of that time. Since a few years or decades is a long time in the immediate sense, there’s no need to think only pessimistically.

“Professor.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Professor, hug me.”

I reached out my hand slightly. The Professor smiled and hugged me.

And Ourr, who was beside us, waited for her turn.

“I’m next.”

It seemed that enjoyable things weren’t limited to eating. I was happy right now, even though I wasn’t eating anything.