Ch.178Chapter 178

“What have Sera and Aria been up to? Are they at the Academy already?”

“Still interns for now. They say it’s almost confirmed, but not quite yet.”

Sera shrugged her shoulders.

She seemed to be enjoying the fact that it was practically confirmed, judging by her good mood.

Having heard Sera’s answer, it was now Aria’s turn. When I glanced over at her, Aria gave me a gentle smile.

“They’re probably treating us nicely because we’re interns. Once we start the master’s program, it’ll get tough. Better enjoy it while we can.”

“Hey, at least you got in! Do you know how few positions there are under Professor Yuria?”

Watching them bicker, it seemed they were getting along well.

I was wondering what they’d been up to since I hadn’t seen them for a while, so running into them here in the Research Building made our meeting even more pleasant.

“Aria, you’re smiling more now? You never used to smile before.”

When I asked with a grin, Aria looked slightly surprised.

She couldn’t say anything and averted her gaze, which made me worry I might have touched on something I shouldn’t have.

“Ah, I guess everyone can see how Aria’s expression has softened now. Remember when we all went to the Hot Spring Village? She’s been excited like this ever since.”

“Sera.”

“What? Was it a secret? Everyone who sees you knows it anyway.”

Despite Aria calling her name in protest, Sera continued to giggle.

Realizing there wasn’t actually a problem, I nodded repeatedly. Seeing this, Aria gave a wry smile.

“By the way, how’s Ouro? Is she doing well?”

“Oh, she’s fine. Yesterday we cut a cake, and you know what? Ouro gave me a piece with extra whipped cream.”

“You just ate a lot of whipped cream? That must have been sickeningly sweet.”

“Super sweet and cloying. So rich. The cake would’ve been hard to eat without the actual bread part.”

Just recalling yesterday made my mouth feel overwhelmed again.

That’s why experiences can be so powerful.

The two of them burst into laughter when I mentioned living with Ouro. But it didn’t last long.

“Ah, I should get going now. Take care on your way home, Ourr.”

“Okay, bye everyone! Work hard!”

I waved my hand to say goodbye.

It felt great to chat with them after so long. They might be harder to see now that they’re Academy students, but if I follow the Professor to lectures, I might run into them again.

Or maybe not, since I have Ouro now, it might not be so easy.

“Did you wait long?”

The Professor returned just a few minutes after I sat down in the Research Lab.

Her voice carried a hint of apology, as if she felt bad for taking so long, but I had just arrived myself after chatting, so I didn’t mind at all.

“I met Sera and Aria on the way and talked with them.”

“Oh? You must have just run into them. Did you have fun?”

“They were busy, so we only talked briefly on the way.”

I answered, nodding my head unconsciously with excitement.

The Professor chuckled.

“Next time you come to do research, you can meet and talk with them again.”

“They looked busy…”

“They won’t be busy all the time. Probably.”

Probably?

That hesitant word at the end caught my attention.

The Professor didn’t seem to fully grasp how hard Academy students worked. Though I had attended Academy classes, I didn’t really know what Academy students actually did, so I just rested my chin on my hand.

“Hmm… Since I’ve been with Ouro, I haven’t been following your classes as much…”

“That’s true. But Ouro isn’t ready to attend classes yet anyway.”

The Professor gave a wry smile.

“Why not?”

“You’re quite well-behaved, but Ouro is curious and wants to check everything out, like a child. You two can’t be the same. Maybe after she learns more and becomes well-behaved like you, she could come along?”

“Am I well-behaved?”

“Yes, you are. It’s so good that you don’t disrupt the lectures.”

When I made a small “hmm” sound, the Professor smiled.

“You shouldn’t cause problems during lectures. Other people are paying to attend, after all.”

“I see. Hmm. I understand now.”

Not causing trouble for others.

That was exactly what being well-behaved meant, so I nodded.

“Later on, you’ll be able to participate directly in classes.”

“You mean the Demon God classes?”

“What I had in mind was you becoming a regular student.”

That comment made me feel like I couldn’t breathe for a moment.

When would that be?

Still, I could tell the Professor was thinking about me. She was considering how I could be recognized in society, receive proper education, and even attend school and the Academy.

My lips must have curled up slightly, because the Professor looked at me intently.

“Ourr, do you want to go to school?”

“Ah.”

“Hmm, considering your physical age, should you start from middle school? I wonder if it matters whether it’s middle school or elementary school, since children’s development is similar at those ages…”

The Professor stroked her chin, starting to contemplate the future. It wasn’t about the immediate future, so it felt somewhat distant, but the pleasant feeling of imagining a good future lingered for a long time.

**

The approaching spring.

A new year was coming, and students were moving up a grade to face a new semester. Some became seniors, while others became freshmen.

It was a time of both excitement and anxiety.

“…I’m a sophomore now.”

Karen sighed nervously. Everyone knew the first week would be full of orientation with no real classes, but she still felt overwhelmed.

The main reason was her class schedule.

“I made my schedule, but it turned out weird…”

“What happened?”

“I have one class in the first period, one in the middle, and one at the end.”

“Oh my goodness.”

Iris was shocked by Karen’s words.

People often posted their poorly planned schedules on social media with complaints, but seeing someone close to her with such a schedule made Iris realize it could happen to anyone.

Karen gave a bitter smile at Iris’s reaction as she covered her mouth in shock.

“Ahaha…”

“I’m worried too.”

“Don’t you have a good schedule, senior?”

“My schedule is fine, but I have a class with a professor who’s known for giving harsh grades… What if I lose my scholarship?”

Karen covered her mouth when she heard Iris’s concern.

For Iris, whose family wasn’t well-off, scholarships were one of the few ways she could attend the Academy. That’s why Iris’s words hit Karen hard.

“What should we do? How harsh are the grades?”

It felt personal because it wasn’t about a grade she had already passed, but one she would face in the future.

Iris sighed deeply.

“Out of 40 students, only two get As?”

“That’s…”

She couldn’t help but be shocked.

Even though the highest grade would naturally be given to fewer students, such an extreme reduction felt like an abuse of power that could break one’s spirit.

She knew that students who often ran into each other might have overlapping classes even if they were in different departments. That made it even more shocking.

“What’s the class called?”

“Are you going to avoid it?”

“I can’t attend the Academy without a scholarship…”

“That’s tough. It’s ‘Understanding Mana Circuits.'”

“…That’s from the Magic Composition department.”

“The problem is that it’s a topic Demon God Research students often take too.”

Karen nodded at Iris’s explanation.

“I’ll have to avoid that class.”

“But if you miss all the other time slots, you might have to take it anyway… Sigh, I thought things felt awkward after joining mid-year, and now I’m suddenly the study group leader.”

Iris sighed as if she had too many things to worry about.

The study group had been formed for Sera and Aria who were heading to graduate school, and for Karen who lacked a good study environment. But with two members graduating and moving on to the Academy, the numbers had drastically decreased.

Going from four to two members made it feel noticeably empty.

It felt almost like one-on-one tutoring now.

Karen, well aware of this fact, rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. Then she snapped her fingers.

“Why don’t we promote our group like other clubs? We could recruit first and second-years. And third-years who want to go to the Academy like Sera and Aria seniors did—it would be good for everyone.”

“That’s… oh, you’re right. Especially for those who want to research Demon Gods, studying near the Professor would help them get noticed.”

Iris crossed her arms and tapped her fingers. After drumming on her forearm, she seemed to make a decision and nodded firmly.

“So you can focus on second-years, and I’ll focus on third-years?”

“What about first-years? It feels awkward to just go up to them and tell them to come…”

“For that… what if we ask Ourr? She can attend first-year lectures, right?”

Remembering how Ourr followed the Professor to lectures across all grades, Iris came up with an idea.

Karen’s eyes sparkled as if she had the same thought.

“That’s a great idea…!”

Both of them smiled as they imagined tiny Ourr scurrying around.