Ch.148Chapter 148

“Grr…”

Ouro made a sad face. It was because she had suddenly started receiving more education than she could handle due to the increased difficulty.

Despite not wanting to disappoint the Professor, she showed a silent demeanor unlike when I was teaching her. Though she appeared to be just nodding her head as if half her soul had left her body.

Unfortunately, I already knew a lot. Unlike the strange incomprehensible things they taught at the Academy, regular schools taught regular education.

Korean, math, social studies, science. I quickly understood these familiar subjects I’d been exposed to since childhood. Perhaps “remembering” would be a more accurate expression than “understanding.”

Anyway, unlike Ouro, I was already academically complete. I realized once again that I had enough brains to skip all the way to high school if I wanted to.

The only problem for me was one thing: the language barrier.

If I could just read the letters, I could solve problems quickly, so it didn’t seem like a big issue as long as I could read. There weren’t that many difficult words anymore either.

“Why is Ourr so smart? I don’t get it…”

“Maybe it’s because she picked things up while being next to the Professor.”

When Ouro grumbled, the Professor standing nearby explained with a bitter smile.

I had been by the Professor’s side for one year and nine months. Thinking about it, I must have seen and heard things even if I hadn’t actively learned.

That seemed to be the Professor’s reasoning.

Well, it would be strange to suddenly mention the truth, so it was better to just stay quiet. Besides, we had already started living this way, so there was no reason to bring up what I originally was.

When I giggled with a silly smile, Ouro quietly looked at me.

“…I think that body is smarter because it was originally mine.”

Ouro suddenly launched a surprise attack.

It was a body she had given up, saying she didn’t care. Somehow I ended up with Ouro’s original body, and she was trying to use that to elevate herself.

I was originally smart, she was saying…!

“No, no, your body is exactly the same as mine! At most, it’s just mixed with the Professor’s. If you say that, the Professor will feel hurt.”

I immediately refuted with wide eyes.

Ouro flinched and turned her gaze toward where the Professor was. While Ouro’s body was created using my genes as a base, it wasn’t exactly the same body.

Due to the Professor’s mana being mixed in, it gave off an atmosphere that was both similar and different.

The biggest difference you could see first was whether the mana they handled was harmful to people or not. Thinking about it, the Professor’s influence couldn’t be denied.

It could even be said to be significant.

Because of that, there could be influences in other areas as well. It couldn’t be ruled out. It might be affecting Ouro’s mind or some part of her body.

“Professor, that’s not what I meant to say…”

“I know, since Ouro received a body influenced by both Ourr and me, she’ll be smarter.”

Ouro tried to explain to the Professor, but the Professor thought the opposite.

Rather than being less intelligent than me, the Professor thought Ouro would be more exceptional.

It was a way of thinking possible only because of the immense confidence in her own intelligence. It made sense. After all, the Professor was an amazing person who had become a professor at a young age.

Where else could you see such a young professor? I hadn’t seen anyone except the Professor’s friends.

“Eek?”

Ouro realized she had said something unnecessary and let out a scream-like shriek.

Before I knew it, September passed and October arrived. That day had finally come. The Academy’s exam period, which I found most tedious…!

Since it was the second semester and the next would be a new school year, it was an exam that required extra caution. For third-year students, it was an opportunity to improve their grades before graduation.

My friends in the study group were burning with academic passion.

“I have a summary for the Magic Composition class here, but it’s easier to do it this way. When it comes to the practical exam…”

Sera was adding explanations for Iris. It seemed like the kind of leisure that came from both Sera and Aria playing in the upper ranks.

Aria was teaching Karen, but I suddenly wondered when Sera and Aria actually studied themselves if they were always teaching others.

Tilting my head curiously, I stared at them.

“…So when do Sera and Aria study?”

I wasn’t trying to take away Iris and Karen’s study time. But I thought Sera and Aria would need time to study on their own too, so I asked.

Still, intentions and results can differ, so I couldn’t help feeling awkward.

As I sweated and avoided their gaze, Aria waved her hand dismissively and answered.

“It’s content we’re going over anyway, and we’re reviewing while teaching. Sometimes the one doing the teaching remembers better.”

“…Eh? R-really?”

My mouth fell open in surprise.

The idea that teaching could help with memory was something I’d never heard before. Could that really be true?

Then is the reason the Professor is so incredibly smart because she’s constantly teaching something to smart friends…?

Something clicked in my mind at Aria’s words. I immediately turned to Ouro beside me.

“Did you hear that? Teaching can help you remember things better.”

“…Teach? What?”

“If you try to teach me about studying, wouldn’t you remember better?”

“Gasp.”

Ouro’s eyes widened like someone who had just had a revelation, just like me. Then she carefully took out a book from her bag.

“This is it!”

Ouro’s textbook appeared with what felt like a “ta-da!” sound effect. Her exclamation drew everyone’s attention.

“What’s that, is Ouro entering elementary school now?”

“An elementary school workbook? Gasp, I thought we could attend the Academy together…”

“Ah…”

Starting with Sera’s voice, Karen’s disappointed tone and Iris’s abruptly cut-off voice followed.

To be honest, since Ouro was still partly an artifact and lacked confidence to mingle with people as a person, it would be difficult for her to enter school next year even if asked.

She probably needed at least another year.

“Ouro still needs to study, so that won’t work, and rather than attending school, we’re preparing for the Qualification Exam to skip grades… hehe.”

“Qualification Exam? What’s the point of taking that?”

“I want to attend the Academy as a student too! The white uniform with colors added looks so pretty, like the Academy uniform…”

When Karen asked with wide eyes, I shrugged and answered.

While mine felt like my own uniform in my own color, there was something romantic about the white base with grade-specific colors added to create your own design—it was unique while still showing you belonged to the Academy.

I am a student of the Academy, in this grade. Being able to say that while choosing your design and color ratio seemed like a wonderful way to express yourself.

No one would enter the Academy just for the uniform, but wouldn’t there be people who dream of wearing a uniform that shows they belong to the Academy?

Though secondary, wearing the uniform would give you a sense of belonging and pride.

The feeling of “I’m someone who studies at this level.”

“But Ourr looks good in her own clothes.”

“It’s nice because you can tell it’s Ourr from far away.”

Sera nodded at Aria’s words. Then Iris, who was studying nearby, also nodded.

Their comments made me feel awkward. I lowered my head and blankly stared at my outfit. It was still summer uniform season so the material was light, but it was a dark navy outfit that wasn’t much different from the winter uniform, and it represented me.

I quietly raised my head and looked around. Maybe because of the atmosphere, all four others including Ouro were quietly looking at me.

“Is that… so?”

In this Academy, only Ouro and I wore these clothes. Moreover, the colors were completely different, so it seemed like something visibly different even from a distance.

That seemed nice in its own special way. Since the sense of belonging comes from just having an Academy badge anyway, maybe it’s not that important.

Hearing what the others said made me want to keep wearing my own uniform rather than the Academy uniform.

Rather than pretending to be human at school, maybe it would be better to say: I’m a harmless Demon God who came to attend school. I’ll also attend the Academy, but I’ll wear this unique uniform.

My thoughts became complicated. But it didn’t seem like something to dwell on for long, so I quickly sorted it out.

“Then I’ll keep wearing these clothes!”

As I clenched my fist and declared this, Iris added a follow-up with a bitter smile.

“Ourr is so easily swayed.”

I let out a small groan, “Ugh,” feeling stabbed in the heart by those words.