Ch.195Chapter 195

Ouro needs basic knowledge. This has been necessary since she first came here.

If you don’t know how to function in society while living in it, isn’t that essentially the same as living alone? No matter how comfortable and pleasant it is to be alone, once you step into society, learning even the unpleasant things is fundamental.

I need to calm Ouro down a bit, as she thinks of everything purely in terms of interest. If things continue like this, I might end up being held captive by her and unable to do anything.

“From now on, Ouro, you’re going to learn letters and things you need to do when going out in society.”

“……”

I stood with my hands on my hips and made this declaration, but Ouro, sitting on the floor, just looked up at me with an indifferent expression. She seemed to be wondering what that had to do with her.

I think I’ve talked about this before, but the problem is that the Professor was busy and it all fizzled out. I should have been firm from the beginning when I explained it then…!

It’s not about blaming anyone. We were both busy, and Ouro was neglected in the meantime.

Education is necessary. If you ask from where to where, it’s everything from the beginning.

What do Demon Gods do during their time alone? They usually start by establishing their sense of self. They observe the world, repeat thoughts, and develop their own values independently. You could say they’re pure beings uninfluenced by others.

The problem is that since no one influenced their self-formation, they don’t understand the value of others. The issue is that while they might accept me or the Professor who inevitably entered their lives, they don’t accept other people.

Of course, as long as they don’t cause harm, it might not seem like a big deal… or is it? Since she’s docile anyway, can she just live without it mattering?

“Let’s start with… just learning letters first.”

Due to my many thoughts, I decided to start with something easy rather than difficult.

Ouro still had an indifferent expression. She didn’t seem very interested in learning anything.

Before, when I thought she might order strange menu items, she seemed like she wanted to do something, but has she already lost interest?

“Then, shall we start by learning which foods correspond to which letters? When you look at a menu, there aren’t always pictures for everything.”

“Hmm.”

“Let’s use this. I have my phone.”

I fumbled around and took out my phone. I searched for pizza on the internet and first showed her pictures of how many varieties there were.

“See this? This is sausage, and this is potato.”

“That one was delicious, and this one was delicious too.”

Ouro pointed with her finger, recalling the moments when she ate them with enjoyment.

“What’s this?”

The moment came when Ouro became curious about the letters. This was just the beginning.

Originally, I would have brought a book for learning letters and studied everything slowly from start to finish, but Ouro began her letter study by looking at menus instead of books.

She can communicate from the beginning. The advantage is that she’s illiterate but not unintelligent, so teaching her to read and write means she’ll pick it up quickly. It was also good that focusing on practical things like menus meant learning everyday language.

Learning is never effective when forced. It’s only possible when motivation is provided. I taught her hoping she would quickly grasp things this way.

That should have been the case, but…

“She’s not improving at all…?”

She doesn’t seem interested in memorizing anything except menus.

This must be the extent of Ouro’s academic enthusiasm. Seeing how her concentration rapidly wanes when it’s not about food, I couldn’t help but sigh. I can’t just leave this to the Professor either.

“…Ourr.”

Ouro, looking around disinterestedly, reached out to me. She’s acting like a child, perhaps unaware that she’s growing bigger.

“No. Not that.”

It might have worked a year ago, but not anymore.

Of course, others might find it cute in some way. But I’ve been through too much to do anything but shake my head.

I’d rather not receive that look asking to be hugged or do those kinds of things together. Last time was just once. That was the first and last time.

Ouro grumbled.

“This is too boring. It’s not fun. I don’t understand why I have to do it. Is there any reason to read letters other than these? I can live normally without this stuff.”

That’s true. Even if you’re illiterate, as long as you can communicate, there’s no major inconvenience in daily life. Since we can communicate with each other verbally, not through written battles, mutual understanding is possible.

Moreover, the only time she needs to see letters is when selecting menu items, which she quickly memorizes before turning her head away, so now I’ve lost the means to force her to learn.

Looking at how she memorizes menus, this girl isn’t unintelligent…

Even thinking that, I can’t force it into her head if she doesn’t want to do it. In the end, I gave up, hoping that someday she would realize the necessity herself and learn one by one.

“Ah, it’s Sera.”

My phone suddenly rang after a long time.

Sera, who had entered the academy, was always too busy to contact me, but somehow she found time to send me a message.

[Sera: Hello, are you doing well?]

[Me: Yes. What are you up to, Sera?]

[Sera: I just finished my assignment and I’m heading home. …Though I still have a lot to do at home.]

What? She’s off work but still has things to do at home? What does that mean? Working at the academy and then switching to working from home?

I couldn’t help but tilt my head at this academy talk that I don’t understand well.

[Me: Are you always this busy?]

[Sera: It is quite busy. There are assignments, research, seminars, making PPTs… it’s very tiring.]

[Me: Ugh, if you have too much to do, don’t you have trouble sleeping?]

[Sera: That’s why I haven’t been able to contact you much, catching sleep whenever I can. Aria is surprisingly sleepy too, so she even asks me to say hello on her behalf.]

[Me: Oh, that’s okay. You don’t have to force yourself to contact me when you’re tired. I’ll come by to see you when you’re researching!]

I felt sorry for expecting messages when my friend was struggling. I worry that even in this moment of conversation, I might be stealing Sera’s sleeping time.

As I was frantically typing on the screen, I suddenly realized that Sera was on her way home from work, so when would she have time to sleep? I unconsciously accepted this realization.

It feels like I’ve given myself absolution. Though there was no need for that.

[Sera: By the way, what has Ourr been up to these days? Is she attending lectures at the Academy?]

[Me: No. Um… these days the Professor is busy so she can’t follow her around. Instead, I’m studying letters with Ouro at home. Ouro doesn’t want to study anything except menus, so I’m having a hard time.]

[Sera: Ouro is consistent.]

The text seems formal, but I could almost feel her chuckling behind it.

It’s interesting how even through text, a person’s tone or emotions can be conveyed.

[Sera: Well, it’s good if you’re doing well. So besides teaching Ouro, what else are you doing, Ourr?]

[Me: Me… I just observe Ouro from the side, or read books here?]

[Sera: Right, Ourr knew how to read. Are you planning to go to the Academy in the future?]

[Me: No, I’m not sure about that. The Academy is…]

I haven’t even received basic education here, so suddenly mentioning the Academy seems too much of a leap. I could quickly skip ahead through the grade-skipping system, but I also wondered if society would accept me.

It might be quick if they accept me, but right now the priority is proving the thesis and changing people’s perceptions, so it’s not my turn to step up yet. For now, staying quietly at home is best.

[Sera: Then think about it later. Ourr might have many interesting thoughts since you’ve seen and heard a lot beside the Professor.]

[Me: Even if you say that.]

[Sera: Is that so? Anyway… I’m sorry for contacting you first, but can we stop here for today? I want to catch a little sleep on the way.]

It seemed she had just boarded a bus or subway she had been waiting for.

I didn’t want to disturb her when she was sleepy, so I immediately replied with “Sure.” The read receipt appeared, and then the messenger went quiet.

It felt somewhat abrupt, but I could really feel that Sera was living a busy life. I think I should visit and at least say hello before she gets even more tired.

Aria and Lenya are there too, so it shouldn’t be awkward.

“I’m back.”

The Professor arrived quickly, probably because she traveled by warp. Hearing the sound of the door opening, Ouro jumped up and rushed over.

“Professor!”

“Oh, Ouro. Have you been well? …You’re growing faster than I expected.”

The Professor hugged Ouro who had rushed into her arms and patted her back a few times. I followed slightly behind, staring blankly before bowing my head, and the Professor gave me a smiling look.

“Has Ourr been well too?”

“I’ve been studying letters with Ouro. She can read most menu items now… but she doesn’t want to learn more.”

“Still, being able to read menus in such a short time is impressive. She must be quite intelligent. Come to think of it, Ourr also quickly grasped various things during that one year, didn’t you?”

I want to say I’m a different case… but that’s impossible. It’s better to just think that I’m from an inherently intelligent species like Ouro.

“Yes.”

“Then Ouro will learn quickly too if she wants to. Ourr, you don’t need to feel too responsible.”

The Professor patted my head and came inside.

“…Yes.”

I stared at the Professor’s face and nodded slightly.