Ch.152Chapter 152

The long-awaited exam period had arrived. Everyone came to the Academy with tension in the air. While some students occasionally arrived with a carefree attitude, most visibly carried the anxiety of whether they would perform well on today’s exam.

Perhaps it was natural for those who had postponed employment to focus on their studies.

Some would stop at the Academy, while others would move beyond it to enter graduate school.

They believed that by going to graduate school, studying more, and writing theses, they could ultimately become whatever they aspired to be.

Whether dreaming of becoming a Professor or a researcher.

Whatever the case, perhaps they struggled and worked hard because each had their own goals. Exam scores were important to everyone, but since Sera and Aria were in their third year, I found myself cheering for them a bit more.

Hoping they would achieve the grades they wanted.

“It’s starting to get chilly.”

Ouro gazed at the scenery beyond the window.

Come to think of it, she was right. Just a few days ago, I was wearing a sleeveless shirt with a thin jacket, but now I was back to wearing thick clothes.

Summer had gradually lost its strength with the start of the semester. We were moving from summer through autumn and toward winter. Considering it would soon be November, it wasn’t something to take lightly.

“Even if it’s cold…”

I tilted my head as if it didn’t matter.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t feel heat or cold, but I didn’t experience them intensely. Since I never sweated from heat or shivered from cold, I didn’t feel the need to prepare for either.

If it comes, it comes; if it goes, it goes. That was about the extent of my sentiment.

The Professor was away for the exam. Knowing we would be a distraction during exam time, we had no choice but to wait in the Research Lab.

Even having a smartphone was useless. With no one to contact, it served no purpose unless I was watching videos.

Come to think of it, I could use it to pass the time when bored.

The Professor was usually beside me, and since summer, Ouro had been here too. Because of that, I rarely used my phone for entertainment.

So I had momentarily forgotten that phones could be used for entertainment.

“Ouro, want to watch some videos? I’m bored.”

“What kind?”

“Just something on my phone.”

“Sure.”

Ouro nodded readily, apparently bored as well.

I pulled out the chair next to me, and Ouro, who had been sitting across from me, spun halfway around and took a seat beside me. She plopped down and pressed close to me.

“What are we going to watch?”

“Hmm, I haven’t decided. Let’s just look at different things since we’re bored.”

I tilted my head at Ouro’s question.

Since I had no reason to keep up with trends, I had no idea what the current video trends were. Anyway, it wasn’t something I needed to predict, and since we just needed to watch quietly, I answered by pressing the button.

The screen changed, and a list of videos appeared. I contemplated whether to watch based on the thumbnails and titles.

“Let me know if there’s anything you want to watch.”

After saying that to Ouro, I continued scrolling down the screen. However, Ouro just kept watching endlessly as I scrolled, showing no sign of stopping.

At this rate, I wasn’t sure if she even had a video she wanted to watch.

After scrolling aimlessly, I finally stopped at a suitable spot and started watching a video.

“This person uses magic in an unusual way.”

It was a video of someone wielding magic. At first, they seemed to use magic with a Magic Circle, but then something changed step by step, and eventually, they were using magic with bare hands.

I had heard during lectures before that unlike Demon Gods, humans needed Magic Circles to use magic. That’s why they needed tools like paper.

But setting that aside, I couldn’t understand how they were using magic with empty hands toward the end.

The Professor had said it wasn’t possible, so I wondered how they could do it. I could tell it was some kind of trick, but I was curious about how they had hidden the Magic Circle.

Remembering something, I let out a small sigh.

“Ah, people need Magic Circles to use magic.”

“That must be inconvenient.”

Ouro responded dryly. She seemed to think it didn’t matter since she didn’t have such limitations.

“You think so? But isn’t it because of these limitations that they develop and improve?”

“It wouldn’t matter if they didn’t exist.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

Still, I thought that perhaps it was because of these deficiencies that people worked hard to find better methods.

Even the ring the Professor used seemed possible only because someone had the idea to engrave a Magic Circle on a tool.

If it had been an era where magic could be used without Magic Circles, no one would have thought to engrave Magic Circles on rings unless it was a truly groundbreaking idea.

This might just be my own speculation. Even if such a world existed, someone with an innovative mind might eventually arrive at the same conclusion.

Nothing could be stated with certainty.

“But isn’t it amazing how they hide these things when they’re supposed to be necessary?”

“If a Magic Circle is required for each spell, wouldn’t that mean you can only use that specific magic easily? To use multiple spells, you’d need multiple Magic Circles.”

“That’s why they minimize them like this and hide them before using them, right?”

I played the next video. It showed another person performing incredible feats.

Fire shot out when they punched, and wind swirled when they kicked. Like someone trained in martial arts, they flowed through a series of movements, and soon the fire rode the whirlwind, attempting to burn everything in front like a flamethrower.

It seemed like they combined two spells to create a total of three effects.

“Hmph. I can use ten or a hundred spells without any of that.”

“That’s because we’re Demon Gods.”

I gave a wry smile. There was clearly a difference between Demon Gods and humans, but it seemed like she was showing off a bit.

“When is the Professor coming back anyway?”

“I wonder. Probably after the students finish their exams.”

“Why are they keeping the Professor for so long?”

“Well, everyone studied hard, so they’re trying to show results. Just wait a little longer.”

“Hmph.”

Ouro’s expression soured, seemingly displeased that the Professor was coming back late.

The way she spoke and acted was just like a child. But I found it slightly fascinating to think that as she learned more, she would become much more mature than me.

Given how long she had lived, she couldn’t remain childlike forever. At some point, she would have a revelation and exude an overwhelming presence, as if boasting about her years of experience.

Thinking this, I stared at Ouro intently.

Ouro, who had expressed her dissatisfaction, looked at me quietly and tilted her head.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“I’m just looking at you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re fascinating.”

“I find you fascinating too.”

“I think the same.”

A situation where we both found each other fascinating. Her red eyes rolled around, seemingly examining me. Not to be outdone, I rolled my eyes back at her in the same way.

How many minutes passed as we sat still, staring at each other? Ouro was the first to lose interest and turn away.

The silence returned. Finding the quiet boring, I fidgeted with my mouth.

“Ouro, isn’t there anything you want to do?”

“Just being like this isn’t bad.”

“That’s just ‘not bad,’ though.”

“Compared to being on the mountain, this is incomparable.”

When she made such an extreme comparison, I had nothing to say. Just as I was about to make a dumbfounded expression, I heard the sound of the door opening.

“Ourr, Ouro. Have you two been getting along without fighting?”

“We’re not fighting…”

“Professor.”

As soon as the Professor arrived, she first worried about whether we had been fighting. I grumbled a response, but Ouro paid no attention and ran to the Professor.

Seeing her hug the Professor with a “poof” sound, I couldn’t help but sigh.

The Professor smiled, seemingly relieved that we had behaved ourselves.

“Didn’t your friends come with you?”

“Hmm, they probably went to study since they have another exam coming up.”

That meant everyone was in the study group room. Since it was before lunch, they were probably studying there.

However, I quickly abandoned the thought of going there.

I became indifferent since there wasn’t much I could do if I went. I considered going to offer a word of encouragement, but I had already done that the night before the exam, so I didn’t feel the need to do it again.

Should I go see them? No, better not disturb them. As these thoughts kept repeating, my mood unknowingly went up and down like a roller coaster, poking high and low.

I’m bored and want to do something. Ouro had said that even this mundane daily life was bearable simply because it was in a different space.

If I had been sitting quietly on a mountain with nothing and then moved to a city where traces of people could be felt, I might have the same sentiment, but…

Still, it was better to do something.

“I want a hug too.”

“Oh my.”

I decided it would be difficult to go to my friends. So I immediately followed Ouro and hugged the Professor.