Ch.141Chapter 141

On a scorching summer day, the cicadas’ shrill chirping was almost painful to my ears.

In winter, we closed doors and windows tightly because of the cold. In summer, we did the same, but because of the heat—though we turned on the air conditioner instead of the heater.

I learned that when it gets hot, the air becomes stuffy too. I thought I could handle it well, but I discovered that enduring the heat wasn’t as easy as I’d expected.

“…Ugh.”

The weather was getting hotter by the day.

It had started getting hot since August, but it continued through September, making it unbearable. They said autumn weather would arrive soon, but apparently all the heat from July and August had gathered to create this sauna-like atmosphere, making it even harder to endure.

I panted heavily. The Professor checked on me and Ouro’s condition and smiled bitterly.

“They say it’ll only be hot for a few more days. Autumn weather is coming soon, so let’s hang in there a bit longer, okay?”

“Yeeees…”

“Professoooor.”

Autumn weather would arrive soon. That was something to look forward to, but it didn’t solve our current situation.

Perhaps that’s why Ouro immediately called out to the Professor in complaint. Half-melted and slumped over the table, Ouro let her navy jacket droop off her shoulders.

The jacket slid down her drooping shoulders, revealing her bare shoulders beneath her sleeveless shirt without reservation.

“Stay still. It’ll cool down soon.”

It was the first time it had been this hot despite arriving early in the morning. It was fascinating how the gradual heat had suddenly turned into a sauna.

Fascinating as it was, it wasn’t a situation I particularly wanted to face.

I wiped away the sweat trickling down my sleeve. Afterward, I let out a deep sigh. As I grabbed my clothes and flapped them to create a breeze, Ouro next to me glanced at me with narrowed eyes.

“You told me to stay still, but you’re the one being all busy.”

“This is to create a breeze.”

“Same difference.”

“Yelling doesn’t make you cooler.”

“But I am getting cooler.”

At Ouro’s nonchalant voice, I tilted my head in confusion.

It didn’t make sense that yelling would make you cooler. I was furrowing my brow thinking what nonsense this was, but Ouro was shivering her shoulders, feeling the coolness.

I suddenly realized and looked up. The cool air from the air conditioner on the ceiling had settled down. So that’s why it had gotten cooler, not because Ouro had yelled.

“You’re not getting cooler because you yelled; it’s just naturally getting cooler, right?”

“Isn’t it the same for you then?”

“How is it the same…”

We weren’t communicating. I pressed my forehead with my hand and turned away.

I should just stop talking. As I sighed with that thought, Ouro next to me stared at me intently.

“Idiot.”

“I’m not an idiot!”

Being called an idiot by someone like her made me snap and shout back.

To think I had to be called an idiot by someone like her. How much does she ignore cause and effect?

She didn’t get cooler because she yelled; she just happened to yell at the moment it was getting cooler anyway. If we hadn’t turned on the air conditioner, she would have realized her thinking was wrong, but she didn’t even try to understand that.

Of course, Ouro wouldn’t know the situation, so I guess she could think that way…

I decided to just ignore it. In this world, I don’t talk much with her anyway, and since I’m like a senior to her, I can overlook this much.

I’m generous, after all.

Today was Monday. I had morning lectures with Karen, and in the afternoon, it was time to meet Iris.

It had been a while. Previously, I was nervous about attending second-year lectures, but now I had permission to go, so I moved forward with a slightly anxious heart.

“Where are we going this time?”

Ouro, who previously couldn’t wander around because she hadn’t been confirmed safe by the Academy, now stood in the same position as me and received a badge.

A badge that acted like a key, opening doors wherever we went.

“Monday afternoons are second-year lectures.”

“Second year?”

“Second year.”

It was the lecture where Iris was. After this semester, Iris would become a senior preparing for her graduation thesis or project, so I was filled with thoughts of cheering her on.

Since we had only talked through chat and hadn’t spoken together at other times, I planned to meet her properly this time and say hello.

As soon as we arrived, I waved my hand.

“Hi! Iris!”

As I waved my hand vigorously and greeted her enthusiastically, the gazes of others converged on me.

Come to think of it, wasn’t the second year the class where students had made name badges for me? I should greet everyone in turn, but this time I didn’t have a badge.

I wanted to greet the students who turned their attention to me, but I couldn’t remember most of them except for a few. It was difficult to remember everyone, and even with badges, there wasn’t time to talk to everyone, so I found myself in an awkward situation.

“H-hi everyone!”

“What? Do you know her?”

Ouro tilted her head in confusion.

I had seen Sera, Aria, and Karen often, but this was the first time seeing the second-year friends, so she seemed a bit dazed.

Well, I had attended for a week before, but since they were strangers to her, she probably didn’t pay attention or remember them.

“…Um, these are second-year friends. Sera and Aria are third-years, and Karen is a first-year.”

“Third? First?”

“Third year! First year!”

“Third year, first year… Oh, different grades…?”

“That’s right.”

After properly explaining to the puzzled Ouro, I nodded.

“What are you doing?”

Iris, who had received my greeting, approached and looked back and forth between me and Ouro with a tilted head.

“You two seemed different when I saw you before, but seeing you together like this, you’re really cute. Are you twins?”

“I’m the older sister.”

“I’m the older one!”

As I puffed out my chest and spoke, Ouro cut me off with a voice that seemed to say not to talk nonsense.

She didn’t seem to like that I called myself the older sister. Since this was a familiar argument that had already broken out once before, another verbal battle ensued.

As we were chattering in front of Iris, the Professor who had walked with us grabbed both our shoulders, looking troubled.

It seemed like she was intervening first, thinking we might grab each other’s heads and fight if we kept arguing about who was right. The Professor was good. I also felt that if we couldn’t communicate properly, we might end up in a physical fight.

“Professor! I’m the older sister!”

I quickly composed myself at the Professor’s touch. However, Ouro seemed to want to settle the matter right away. What kind of sense was it to want to prove she was the older sister in front of Iris, who was meeting her for the first time?

The Professor stroked Ouro’s head and smiled bitterly.

“Since you’re both Demon Gods, it’s better to think of it as a battle of pride rather than who came first.”

“Ah…”

The Professor skillfully avoided Ouro’s question while emphasizing that we weren’t ordinary beings.

Iris, who got the answer that we were special from the Professor’s words, nodded. She seemed to think it was meaningless to ask who came first, so she quickly moved on to another topic.

“So now you’re attending classes together?”

“Yes! Ouro will now attend with the Professor too!”

I lightly touched Ouro beside me. Feeling the tap, Ouro turned her head toward me. Then she tapped me back the same way.

What’s with her today?

I don’t know about anything else, but is she trying to establish that she comes first whenever there are eyes watching? Does she need to show she’s superior in situations like this?

I stared at Ouro intently. Feeling my gaze, Ouro stared back at me just as intently. As we glared at each other, the Professor’s hand once again came between us.

Only then did I come to my senses, blocked by the mediating palm that obstructed our view of each other, and I turned my head away.

I almost got caught up in Ouro’s pace again. As the older sister, I should be able to let these things slide gracefully, but if I’m not careful, I might end up proving I’m the younger one, so I planned to move cautiously.

“Wow. That’s great. Let’s all get along well, okay?”

“Take care.”

“No, no. Not like you’re saying goodbye.”

“Take care… together?”

Ouro tilted her head and extended her hand. Iris took the hand that was offered first. The somewhat awkwardly held hand drew attention.

After they shook hands, the second-year students who were nearby suddenly swarmed around Ouro and me.

“Have you been well?”

“Ourr, hello~”

“Is that your sister next to you?”

“What’s your name? Ouro?”

The students who had overheard the conversation with Iris immediately bombarded us with greetings and questions.

“Uh, uhh…?”

Even Ouro, who usually responded calmly and silently, seemed confused this time, turning her head around to scan her surroundings as if dizzy.

As the students’ gestures swept away her dumbfounded voice, only Ouro remained, making foolish sounds.

“Huh?”

She looked completely lost.