Ch.137Chapter 137

When I returned home that day, I just sat there with a blank expression. Then suddenly, I snapped back to reality.

“Ah, I couldn’t find out what Sera likes…!”

I bolted upright and looked around with a dumbfounded expression. Looking around wasn’t going to make someone suddenly give me the answer or make a brilliant idea pop into my head.

Still, for some reason, I found myself scanning my surroundings.

My eyes met with Ouro who was sitting beside me. With my head frozen in place, I stared at her intently. As I blinked and gazed into those red eyes for seconds, minutes without thinking, Ouro, seemingly annoyed, spoke to me first.

“What are you looking at?”

“What do you mean what am I looking at? I’m looking at you.”

“Why are you looking?”

“Just because.”

Her curt tone made me feel petty. When I responded just as curtly, Ouro must have felt like she was losing ground, because she fired back at me deliberately, as if refusing to back down.

“Look at something else.”

“It’s my choice?”

“I don’t like it.”

“I’m fine with it.”

I refused to back down even when Ouro said she didn’t like it. I might have been the one who started staring, but I wasn’t going to retreat first because it would feel like running away.

I stared directly into the eyes that had accidentally met mine. Somehow it had turned into a staring contest. Eyes that had been simply open were now refusing to close.

My eyes were starting to hurt a bit, but I forced myself to endure it, straining my eyes with all my might. I widened my eyes as if I could burn holes through my opponent with my gaze.

While I was struggling to keep my eyes open, Ouro just glared back at me with an expressionless face. Her seemingly effortless demeanor only made me more stubborn.

Why is she so unfazed? Why!

As I stared intently, my eyes reached their limit first, and I squeezed them shut. I tried to open them again immediately, but my eyes, already dried out from being open for so long, had reached their breaking point.

“Argh!”

I clutched both eyes and collapsed. Ouro stared at me with an expression that suggested she’d just witnessed something pathetic. Her gaze followed me even as I lay sprawled on the floor.

My eyes felt bloodshot. I wasn’t sure if they actually were, but they hurt enough that I figured they must have turned red.

“Why you!”

Feeling like she was mocking me, I stretched out my hand to get back at her. Ouro swatted it away. Already off-balance, the impact from the side made it impossible to maintain what little stability I had left, and my body tilted.

My wobbling body soon collapsed to the side. After blinking a few times, I mumbled.

“Ouro is stupid.”

“Ourr is stupid.”

As we started growling at each other again, a mediating voice was heard.

“You two! Fighting again?”

“N-no, we’re not!”

“Not me.”

I whipped my head around and waved my hands emphatically in denial, while Ouro denied it with a blank expression.

Seeing the Professor’s gaze immediately turn toward me, it seemed I was the more conspicuous one. From now on, I should deny things calmly like Ouro. That might make me less noticeable.

Wait, isn’t it good to catch the Professor’s attention…? Of course, it’s not great to stand out for bad things, but standing out for good things is beneficial. Hmm.

It was a moment when I realized that life requires quick thinking.

“Then what were you doing?”

“I was thinking about Sera’s birthday present! But I didn’t get to hear what she wants this time… I was wondering if I should ask her directly…”

Honestly, I just wanted to buy whatever she mentioned in passing. But Sera lived such an abundant life that rather than saying she wanted things, she more often said she bought things she wanted.

As a result, she already had everything she needed or wanted. Aria had the same issue, so whenever their birthdays approached, I couldn’t help but worry.

Karen would probably be happy with books that I could get by talking to the Professor, but what should I do?

I fidgeted with my lips, pouting this way and that.

I could force myself to ask directly in a private chat and she would probably answer, but I wasn’t sure if that was the right way to find out, so I hesitated a bit.

It’s just hearing what she wants and buying it, and there’s even a limit of 50 Riel. It’s a large amount for me, but also an awkward amount for buying something, which made me hesitate.

If the minimum price of an item exceeded 50 Riel, I was a bit scared about how I could afford it.

“…Ourr, buy me pizza.”

“No. You failed.”

“I didn’t get caught. I was succeeding. And I was going to succeed.”

Ouro approached me confidently, as if demanding her rightful reward, but I shook my head.

When I told her I couldn’t buy her pizza, Ouro stared at me with narrowed eyes. Despite her expression that seemed to say “Are you really going to be like this?”, I turned my head away without caring.

“Anyway, I was thinking about what to do…”

“Pizza.”

As I tried to finish explaining to the Professor, Ouro persistently clung to me from the side.

This time she grabbed the hem of my clothes and stared at me. Her intensity made me instinctively shrink back.

“Let go. I won’t buy you pizza, I can’t!”

“Pizzaaaa.”

I shook off her hand and firmly expressed my refusal to Ouro. Then she grabbed me again with her flailing hand and just hung on.

“You’re stretching my clothes, let go!”

“You said you’d buy me pizza!”

I was startled by Ouro’s firm shouting. And the Professor must have heard that loud voice too, as she looked surprised.

“Did Ourr promise to buy Ouro pizza?”

I couldn’t help but pout at the Professor’s wide-eyed question.

“I did… but that was if she secretly found out what Sera wanted. If we get caught like this, the deal is different…”

“Really? But wasn’t it Ourr who got caught?”

“Huh? I, I wasn’t the one who got caught…”

I wanted to say it wasn’t me who got caught, but for some reason, everyone smiled at me. I still couldn’t understand why.

Anyone could see that Ouro was the obvious one, so why were they saying I was the one who gave it away?

So I had to soften a bit at the Professor’s words. I wondered if it really was my fault and started to feel self-conscious. When I glanced at Ouro, she stared back as if it was definitely my fault.

I couldn’t possibly have been that obvious, so I pleaded with the Professor.

“Was I that obvious?!”

“…A little.”

“Not just a little! Everyone knew!”

The Professor’s small consideration stabbed my heart deeply. I covered my flushed face and collapsed. I covered my eyes and tried to steady my ragged breathing.

As I lay quietly on the living room floor, embracing my bewildered emotions, I sensed the Professor approaching and sitting down. Peeking through the gaps between my fingers, I saw the Professor with a bitter smile.

“But I think that’s your charm. People can’t be perfect.”

“……”

Isn’t being this much of a klutz too much to be called charming?

The Professor’s words were appreciated, but my feelings were becoming complicated. If it was my fault and not Ouro’s, then did that mean I had to buy Ouro pizza and use the remaining money for Sera’s gift?

Wait a minute…

“Oh no, that won’t work…”

“What won’t?”

“If I buy Ouro pizza, I’ll have to buy Sera’s gift with the remaining money. Sob.”

I whimpered.

I had practically announced that I would buy a gift right away, but I hesitated because I was worried Sera would be disappointed if the value of her gift decreased.

There’s a difference between a 50 Riel gift and a 40 Riel one, and there’s definitely a difference between 40 Riel and 30 Riel. Since pizza costs about 10 Riel, I couldn’t help but hesitate.

However, Ouro either understood my feelings or didn’t… no, she definitely didn’t.

With a triumphant expression that seemed to say “See?”, she demanded pizza from me. This time, she simply extended her hand as if words weren’t necessary.

I placed my hand on her small hand. It felt like I was giving her a high-five.

Ouro seemed uncomfortable with my hand on hers and twitched the corner of her mouth. Then she grabbed my hand and pushed it away.

“Not your hand, pizza.”

“Pizza, no.”

“Pizza!”

“No!”

“Chicken?”

“……”

Hmm, that did sound tasty.

I was tired of eating pizza too often, but we rarely ate chicken, so it was somewhat tempting. Still, money was money, so I couldn’t help but hesitate.

“…Chicken!”

Seeing my reaction, Ouro must have thought chicken would work, as she raised both arms up and urged me more.

Pizza or chicken. Since I seemed to dislike pizza, chicken it was. Seeing her expression that seemed to say this, I hesitated and then glanced toward the Professor.

I sent a desperate look asking for help, but the Professor didn’t seem inclined to help and just smiled.

“Ourr is quite expressive with her emotions.”

“That’s not it!”

“Should I order some chicken?”

“Chicken!”

Ouro answered the Professor’s question.

“Ah, ah, get the cheap one, the cheap one…”

Chicken is delicious though…

I had no choice. But I still wanted to save money, so I spoke desperately.