Ch.180Chapter 180

Try to distribute them evenly, but don’t just give them to anyone. First-year students might have a “this time for sure” mentality due to the new semester buff, so focus on those who seem genuinely diligent rather than just enthusiastic.

Though these were rather strict conditions, situations rarely align perfectly.

It’s difficult to tell with the naked eye who has appropriate motivation and who is truly diligent. I started thinking that most students probably have motivation since they chose to come to the Academy to continue their studies after high school.

I had a stack of papers. Since I didn’t need to carry all of them, I brought only 40 sheets, but I was conflicted about whether I should distribute all of them. I needed to choose carefully since giving them to everyone might make things difficult for Iris and Karen, but I wasn’t confident in my ability to judge people, which deepened my hesitation.

Unfortunately, time wasn’t on my side. I needed to hand them out right when the lecture ended, but I didn’t know the right timing, so I just kept fidgeting with the papers.

Today, the girl sitting next to me glanced at my poster. She seemed curious because I kept handling it. My day began with wondering whether I should give one to her or not.

“Hmm, hmmm…”

There are about two first-year classes per week. Originally there was only one, but they added another because many people wanted to take the Demon God class.

I continued to worry while fidgeting with the papers.

It would be good to give them to people who showed interest in what I was carrying, but there were so many people trying to approach me that it didn’t seem like a good criterion.

“What’s wrong?”

The girl sitting next to me, unable to contain her curiosity, finally stopped staring and spoke to me first. Seeing her sparkling eyes full of curiosity, I felt I should respond and showed her the paper.

“I’m gathering friends who want to study. I’m worried some might quit halfway, but I don’t want to force anyone, and it’s hard to tell who’s serious, so I’m not sure what to do.”

Purple hair and eyes. Looking at her face up close, I thought she was cute.

Eileen made a nasal sound as she looked at the poster I held out. I felt my heart race, wondering if she recognized the desperate desire to revive a study group on the verge of closure.

After looking at it quietly, she shrugged.

“I think everyone who made it to the Academy probably has exceptional academic enthusiasm. And first-years who chose Demon God classes probably came because they heard Ourr is here. They don’t necessarily need to go that route since they can also take Magic Composition department classes.”

“Y-yes, that’s why. I’d prefer if more serious students joined. That’s what I mean.”

“Even that could be a serious choice from their perspective.”

Eileen’s words made sense.

If that’s also considered a serious choice, what should I be looking for to distinguish them? But I couldn’t accommodate over forty interested people.

It was clear that such a large group would become unmanageable. Should I emphasize academy aspirations, or since not everyone goes to academies, should I focus on employment?

Either way seemed extreme. After deliberating, I finally picked one approach.

“What if we focus on employment and academy advancement?”

“There will be few academy students, and most will be looking for employment. Isn’t that too extreme?”

“Then we might need to categorize the study groups too. This is difficult…”

As I pouted, Eileen nodded in agreement.

For an ordinary study group it might be different, but given the Professor’s popularity, plus me and Ouro being there, it was clear we’d be overwhelmed with people wanting to join just to be associated with us.

What would be best? A point I couldn’t pinpoint exactly. So my final conclusion was to consider dividing the group to match different study directions.

In the end, I didn’t distribute a single poster. When I entered the club room, I put on a serious expression facing Iris and Karen.

They had already given out some papers, as their stacks had diminished. I felt a bit self-conscious for being the only one unable to make a decision. Still, since I’d arranged this meeting, I needed to speak up.

“I don’t know many students well enough to decide who to give these to. So I was thinking of giving them to everyone, but if too many people come, how about this?”

“Give them to everyone…?”

Karen was horrified at that suggestion. It meant we could have up to forty first-years, and that’s not counting the second and third-year students we recruited, potentially swelling our numbers to 50 or 60.

Of course, this was just being optimistic and considering the maximum scenario. Anyway, I thought it would be good to have a plan if such a situation arose.

“So, what if we divide them into employment and advancement groups? I talked with a first-year friend, and they suggested that if we’re recruiting many people, that might be a good approach.”

“…Well, just because we divide the study doesn’t mean it can be divided. And even an employment group would ultimately look for things that help with grades, just like everyone else, so I don’t think classification would be easy.”

Iris answered while stroking her chin. After serious consideration, she shook her head. The reason was that the classification seemed meaningless no matter how she thought about it.

I was disappointed to find that what I thought was a good idea turned out to be insignificant. Pouting, I put aside my disappointment and tilted my head to come up with another idea.

But my limitations quickly became apparent.

I returned home without finding a proper answer. Ouro was indifferent again today. She yawned sleepily, her mouth opening cutely. She seemed to be growing taller, and I suppressed a groan at the thought that I needed to get smaller.

“What’s wrong?”

The Professor, seeing this, tried to check on me. She was just making sure I wasn’t feeling unwell, so it didn’t matter what I did, but I had something serious to discuss, so I presented my concern first.

“It’s about the study group… I’m worried about what to do if too many people come. But if too few come, that would be worse. Is it too greedy to hope for just the right number of people?”

I carefully unfolded the poster I had kept and scanned its contents. I thought the poster itself was well-made, but whether I could use it effectively depended on me.

It’s difficult to distinguish between employment and advancement, and between momentary enthusiasm and steady determination. I doubted whether I could even judge who should be allowed into the study group when I’m not good at reading people.

After listening quietly, the Professor casually offered a solution.

“Karen and Iris will be conducting interviews, right? Couldn’t they determine passion and such there? It’s certainly difficult to filter out temporary enthusiasm, but if there were portfolios or something, that might help.”

“Portfolios?”

“Ah, a portfolio shows how sincere someone is about something through their accomplishments… but high school students probably wouldn’t have much of that…”

I knew what a portfolio meant. I had something else I wanted to ask, and the Professor’s train of thought was heading exactly in that direction.

What could be good besides portfolios?

“Ah, what about giving them an assignment?”

“An assignment? What kind…?”

“That’s something you, Karen, Iris, and Ourr should decide together. How about accepting students who meet certain criteria? You could focus on academic performance, observation skills, exploration abilities, or creativity.”

The Professor listed these ideas as if they were good suggestions.

Since there was nothing wrong with what the Professor said, I nodded.

“What about me?”

Ouro, who had been listening to our conversation, suddenly interjected to get our attention. She seemed bored watching the two of us talk.

At the Academy, I chat and play with other students, but Ouro, who doesn’t care much about people and is rather individualistic, typically spends time alone unless she’s with the Professor.

It couldn’t be helped since I couldn’t be with Ouro every hour.

“…That’s it!”

Looking at Ouro, I stretched out my hands. Ouro’s soft cheeks filled my hands. The surprised expression on her face after suddenly being grabbed was a bonus.

“Mya.”

“Since Ouro is getting closer to humans… what if we ask them to observe Ouro and identify her characteristics? Like differences from ordinary Demon Gods…”

“That might be too subjective and subtle, but having them write about similarities to humans, or Demon God-like traits, might work well.”

If the Professor thought it was fine, then it was fine.

The Professor and I looked at each other and slightly raised the corners of our mouths.

“What’s going on.”

Ouro, her cheeks still held, maintained an expression of complete bewilderment until the end.