Ch.155Chapter 155

Before I knew it, the midterm exams had ended. When I suddenly came to my senses, October had passed and we were heading toward November.

The weather that I had thought was refreshing had already turned chilly, making my skin shiver.

“It seems to be getting colder.”

I had said goodbye to both the sleeveless shirts I wore in summer and the thin jackets I wore in fall. After putting on a slightly thicker jacket, I now had to face the reality that winter was truly approaching.

I quietly gazed at my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t forget to tilt my head slightly left and right as I stared intently at myself in the mirror.

My appearance with the jacket on. My navy blue hair with many flyaways sticking out because I hadn’t properly maintained it. I fiddled with my bangs that were blocking my vision and casually swept them to the side.

It felt refreshing to clear my view, but because I was so used to it, I put them back in place and nodded.

“Ourr, are your bangs bothering you?”

“Eh, no! I was just trying something!”

At the Professor’s voice, I opened my eyes wide and broadened my view. Looking behind me in the mirror, there stood the Professor wearing a warm-looking coat.

Though I hurriedly denied it, the Professor’s gaze was already fixed on my bangs. It seemed she was concerned about them.

“Really? But they look like they might irritate your eyes… What about you, Ouro?”

“What?”

“Your bangs.”

Ouro stood still, blinking her eyes before casting her gaze upward. Perhaps because she had the same form as me, the length of her hair was also similar.

Despite the length that seemed like it might poke her eyes, Ouro just stood there.

She stared blankly at something. I couldn’t tell if she was looking up at the Professor or looking at her own hair.

With her expressionless face, it seemed the Professor couldn’t tell what she was thinking either and gave a wry smile.

“If your hair is too long, should we go get it trimmed more prettily?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. How long is too long?”

“That differs from person to person, but I think both Ourr and Ouro’s hair is a bit long.”

I flinched and started touching my hair like Ouro. It did seem quite long. Hair that reached down to my thighs.

No, honestly, I didn’t mind it reaching this far. It was just slightly inconvenient when washing my hair, but it didn’t cause problems elsewhere.

“Is it long?”

“Yes, it is.”

As I was touching my bangs, I asked the Professor again. She answered as if I was asking something obvious.

It certainly seemed long. I thought it was fine. I was used to it, so I didn’t pay much attention as long as it didn’t cause any major problems.

After spending some time contemplating, I nodded with determination.

“Then I’ll cut it…! Just a little…?”

“Is it such a solemn decision?”

The Professor chuckled.

Feeling like I might have made too big a deal out of something trivial, I rolled my eyes slightly. Ouro, who had been standing quietly beside me, stared blankly at the Professor and me before starting to touch her bangs.

“Should I cut this?”

“You don’t just cut it randomly; you need to cut it prettily.”

“I don’t know what ‘cutting prettily’ means.”

The Professor, perhaps thinking Ouro might suddenly do something unpredictable, waved her hands vigorously and quickly continued.

“Well, you see? There’s someone who cuts hair very beautifully, and we’ll entrust them to make Ouro’s hair look really pretty.”

“Hmm…”

Ouro, who had no way of knowing about the existence of hairstylists, just tilted her head.

A being who resolves everything alone. A being close to perfection that needs nothing else. Of course she wouldn’t know about such things. Besides, she had never lived in society, so it was natural.

If that was the case, there was no need to give lengthy explanations about something she had never seen. It would only fill her with incomprehensible imaginations; showing her directly would be the quickest and simplest solution.

“Then let’s go after the Academy ends today!”

I raised my hand high. When I said this to the Professor, she responded affirmatively.

“Yes, after work, I’ll take Ourr and Ouro to the hair salon.”

“Hair salon?”

“It’s a place where they cut hair.”

In response to Ouro’s question, I pointed to my hair with both hands and answered.

Hearing my answer, Ouro seemed to understand and let out a small “Oho.” Her eyes widened as well.

After the Academy schedule ended, the Professor was a bit late.

“Sorry, sorry. I was reviewing some papers for the students. Some of them need to graduate soon…”

The Professor gave a wry smile.

While the semester was ending, it seemed she was getting busier as the day was ending too. With exam periods and graduation approaching, it was natural for things to get busier.

Come to think of it, I wondered how Lenya was doing. She had mentioned she was busy writing another paper, and we hadn’t been in touch much since then.

“By the way, how is Lenya doing?”

“Lenya? Ah, you mean the first-year student. I mainly focus on second-years, but Lenya did stand out… I’d say she’s doing well.”

“Is it good to stand out?”

“Well, sometimes it’s good to catch a professor’s eye, and sometimes it’s not. As long as you’re not mediocre.”

She seemed a bit uncomfortable talking to me about the students. It was something I always saw by the Professor’s side, so I wondered why she was hiding it.

Or was there something about the Academy that was too harsh and difficult to tell me about…?!

I was startled inside. Just before it showed on my face, a voice came from behind.

“Then how about me? Professor.”

Ouro stepped forward slightly.

She seemed to want to be a child who stands out too. The typical behavior of a child who wants attention.

Children who cause trouble to catch the eye of their parents or teachers. Though they cause trouble, they generally don’t cross the line because they want praise or loving attention.

They also tend to be more cautious, thinking they might receive negative attention if they’re not careful.

“Ouro stands out because she’s cute. And I’ll never forget our Ouro and Ourr.”

“Hehe…”

“…You’re like a child.”

Well, being remembered forever is a good thing, but Ouro always seemed to be easily pleased in this way.

Being easily pleased is certainly good, but she seemed too childlike.

“A child? But I like anything because the Professor knows a lot and tells me interesting things.”

“Aren’t you too fond of the Professor?”

“Don’t you like the Professor?”

“Well, that’s not it…”

I lowered my gaze along with my head. After staying drooped for a moment, I glanced at where the Professor was. The Professor was looking at me intently with a smile.

Her expression seemed to ask, “Do you like me?” so I tightly closed my eyes.

“I-I do like you. I do, but being too clingy is a bit… I should act more like an adult now! If I’m always clinging to the Professor, it might be tiring for her since she’s busy…”

I like being pampered too.

I don’t know about other things, but being held by someone is warm and feels good. Feeling the warmth in someone’s embrace, especially someone a bit bigger than me, was something I wouldn’t refuse.

But doing it all the time might make the Professor uncomfortable, so I was just holding back.

I wanted to say the same to Ouro, but I was afraid that if I said something, the Professor might say, “I don’t mind,” making it awkward, so I decided to keep my thoughts and consideration to myself.

After hearing my words, the Professor blinked and suddenly came over to me and hugged me tightly.

“Oh, Ourr~ Were you holding back for the Professor’s sake? How thoughtful.”

“Ah?!”

My feet, suddenly lifted off the ground, flailed in the air. But once I realized it was because I was in the Professor’s embrace, my body calmed down and I surrendered myself to her.

The moment surprise turned into comfort.

“I-I can hold back too…”

As I was fully enjoying the Professor’s affection, Ouro, who had been standing blankly beside us, clenched her fists and tried to show that she could do the same as me.

“Yes, yes. I’ll hug you too, Ouro.”

“Hehehe.”

Ouro let out a silly laugh. There was nothing to envy since she was next in line, but I couldn’t help but be drawn to how her emotional expressions had become more diverse than before.

Previously, I had to analyze the subtle emotions felt from her expressionless face, but now she immediately shows it by letting out a silly laugh when she’s happy.

When she lived alone, there was no reason to show expressions, so her face remained expressionless. But as she entered society and engaged in various activities with people, she seemed to have naturally acquired these expressions.

“But when are we going to the hair salon?”

“Ah, right.”

When I casually asked, the Professor was about to put Ouro down.

But Ouro, who was being held, resisted and said while firmly staying in the Professor’s arms:

“Y-you hugged Ourr for 10 more seconds than me.”

“You were counting?!”

I let out a high-pitched voice at Ouro’s shocking statement.