Ch.28Chapter 28

Sera seemed strange. Eating with the Professor, of all things. I didn’t particularly care, but I wondered if it was appropriate for a student to do that, so I pondered it for a while.

There’s a saying that you should run away if a professor offers to buy you a meal, but here she is wanting to eat together without even being offered. And she even asked to discuss graduate studies.

Sera was definitely strange.

We came to eat tonkatsu. I stared at the menu for a long time.

“Sirloin.”

“…Si, rloin.”

“Tenderloin.”

“Tenderloin?”

“That’s chicken.”

“Chicken…!”

The Professor was reading each word on the menu for me, and among them was one word I recognized.

Chicken really did welcome me warmly wherever I went. I see chicken everywhere. But since there’s sirloin and tenderloin, I should…

I prefer Western-style tonkatsu. I came along happily because we were getting tonkatsu, but this feels different. Is this how you’re supposed to choose? I like that feeling of just saying, “One king-size tonkatsu, please!”

But throwing a tantrum here would only trouble the Professor and Sera sitting across from me, so I decided to restrain myself.

“Have you decided, Sera?”

“Ah, I’m going to have the tenderloin.”

Sera smiled and answered the Professor’s question. Her slightly raised hand was pointing at the menu on the wall. Hmm, I tilted my head several times while looking at it, and finally chose one.

“I’ll have cheese. Cheese.”

“Oh? You like cheese.”

The Professor tilted her head to look at the menu with me, then placed the order with the server.

The Professor ordered sirloin, Sera tenderloin, and I got cheese. Honestly, I was tempted by the chicken too, but I thought tonkatsu should really be pork, so I couldn’t bring myself to choose it.

Of course, I could always choose it next time I come.

After selecting our meals, the Professor casually took off her coat and hung it on the chair. Watching her, I did the same, hanging my coat behind me.

“So Sera, why are you coming to me for academic counseling? You’re not one of my students…”

“Well, I’m in the Magic Composition department… but I’d like to join your lab for graduate school…”

Sera glanced at me briefly and gave a dry smile. It seemed clear that I was her target. Aria had also sent me a message saying she wanted to change her course registration when she heard I was there.

Of course, it would be sad to suddenly disappear after becoming close friends for a year, but that couldn’t be helped, and I didn’t see why they needed to follow me all the way to graduate school.

The Professor was already making a humming sound while contemplating, with an amused look in her eyes.

“Well, more than half of Academy students do move on to graduate school, but I didn’t expect you to change your path like this. Usually students follow their department professors. Maybe it’s because of Ourr.”

“Eeeeng.”

The Professor’s hand caressed my chin. It tickled so much that I made a strange sound, which the Professor found amusing and chuckled at.

That look of seeing a cute child. I’m used to it now. Though I’m not sure if I should be.

During our conversation, the food we ordered arrived one by one. Sera looked at it quietly before raising her head again.

“That’s right. Honestly, I used to think all Demon Gods were hostile, but seeing Ourr completely changed my thinking. …I don’t plan to work like you, Professor, but thinking there might be more Demon Gods like Ourr makes me want to research more…”

“So you prefer just doing research rather than taking a hardline approach.”

“That’s right.”

The Professor placed a fork in both my hands. I stared blankly and then glanced at the sauce beside me. I was about to grab it and pour it all over when the Professor’s quick hand stopped me.

“You don’t pour that.”

“…Eh?”

“You dip it.”

But, I wanted Western-style tonkatsu. Can’t I eat it that way?

Honestly, I could create that feeling depending on how I ate it, but the Professor didn’t seem to understand. At the Professor’s restraint, I stared at the sauce bowl in my left hand. I picked up a piece of tonkatsu with my right hand and dunked it deep into the sauce.

If I dip it in sauce, it should be somewhat similar.

After watching quietly, I pulled the tonkatsu out of the sauce, and a cheese tonkatsu piece covered in thick sauce greeted me. Afraid the sauce might drip onto my white shirt, I leaned forward with a “hwup” and took a big bite.

“Well, if you’re coming as my student rather than my junior colleague, you’re welcome. Many who came as junior colleagues have died.”

“…Eh?”

Die. That word startled me, and I turned to look at the Professor. She patted my head as if to say there was no need to worry that much.

“It’s okay. It has nothing to do with Ourr.”

Still, since it was related to Demon Gods, I couldn’t help but be concerned. As I kept glancing around nervously, the Professor repeatedly patted my head, assuring me it was fine.

Feeling like I was interrupting the conversation, I decided to focus on my tonkatsu again.

“So? What do you want to do?”

The Professor stabbed a piece of tonkatsu with her fork and asked Sera.

“What do you mean?”

“What you want to do. Among first-year graduate students, some already want to create their own original work, or join as my junior colleague. They have such goals.”

The tonkatsu on her fork soaked up the sauce. But instead of taking it out, the Professor swirled it around inside. Unlike her hand movement, her eyes remained fixed on Sera.

“You need to have a goal. That’s how I can decide what research to pass on to you. Just paying tuition and attending? Anyone can do that. But if you seriously want to pursue graduate studies, you need to know what you want to create over those two years, not just spend money casually. That’s your homework.”

“…That’s difficult.”

“That’s how it is.”

The Professor’s hand moved slightly but suddenly stopped. As I wondered why she stopped, her gaze shifted slightly toward me.

Oops, was I staring too much?

“Ourr, do you want to try this? Just say so.”

“Ah, no, that’s not it… Do you want some cheese?”

“How about you take a bite first?”

I wondered if this was appropriate with Sera right there. I glanced around nervously, but the Professor showed no signs of withdrawing her hand, so I just closed my eyes tightly and leaned forward.

Hap, nom. I ate the sauce-drenched tonkatsu. Not wanting to be the only one eating, I stabbed a piece of my tonkatsu with my fork and offered it to the Professor.

“Hmm, thank you.”

The Professor said that and ate the tonkatsu on the fork deliciously, just as I had done earlier.

As we exchanged food like this, I became conscious of Sera sitting across from us. Sera was the one who suggested eating together, but somehow it felt like we had made her into a third wheel, which gave me an odd feeling.

If I were in her position, it would be really awkward. Concerned about this, I hesitated for a moment. How could I erase this sense of exclusion? With that thought, I closed my eyes tightly and moved my hand.

“…Sera, do you want some cheese too?”

Sera, who had been watching blankly, seemed surprised that she was getting an opportunity too, and her eyes widened.

My arm trembled as I stretched it out with all my might. Perhaps finding my shaky appearance pitiful, Sera leaned in slightly and took a bite with a “nom.”

Nodding her head while chewing a few times, Sera offered me a piece of slightly pink tonkatsu. Wondering if I should accept it, I glanced at her eyes.

The answer seemed clear. I stood on my tiptoes and approached the arm Sera extended. Instead of using my hand, I leaned my face forward first and took a big bite, feeling the soft texture beyond my teeth.

Oh, what an impressive texture.

If the sirloin the Professor ate was the standard, then the tenderloin felt like something you eat specifically to chew meat, which was interesting. I thought it might be good to order tenderloin next time.

“Is it good?”

Sera asked with a smile in her eyes. I nodded.

“Yes.”

“I’m glad. The cheese is delicious too.”

I wondered if the relationship between students and professors here wasn’t as awkward as I thought. Considering that many students go to graduate school despite others disliking it, I could understand why.

After finishing the meal, I stretched. It was essential to loosen up my body after sitting still for so long.

“Ourr, did you enjoy your meal?”

“Yes.”

The Professor patted my back as if to say I did well. I felt strange being praised just for eating.

Is the Professor the type who likes to praise? The type who tries to draw out positive energy by praising everything?

“Sera, are you going home now?”

“Ah, yes, I should. I got some advice from the Professor. Professor, thank you. And… thank you for the meal. Next time I’ll definitely treat you! I didn’t suggest eating together just to get a free meal.”

As she smiled awkwardly, the Professor waved her hand toward Sera.

“No, if you’re considering coming under me for graduate studies, I can at least buy you a meal. If you really want to treat me, buy me a coffee with your research funds when you actually enroll. I’ll gratefully accept that.”

“Yes! Goodbye! Bye, Ourr~”

“Bye, Sera.”

Sera bowed deeply at the Professor’s words. Then she waved her hand slightly at me. I waved my arm back at her.