Ch.44Chapter 44

Blue hair, emerald eyes. A friend with refreshing colors like looking at the open sea approached me. She must have just rushed out, as she was hastily combing her hair as she approached, which was quite impressive.

I waited at the library entrance, holding my books, until she arrived. Sera sighed and frowned as she looked at Aria.

“Come on, Aria. Shouldn’t you at least contact me? …I mean, you know we both have morning free periods, right?”

“I thought Sera liked sleeping in.”

Aria answered nonchalantly without backing down, and Sera made a strange expression before sighing.

“Well, I do like it, but…”

It seemed Aria was right after all. Sera took a step back, greeted Karen with a quick “hello,” and then gently pulled me over as I stood there staring blankly.

My hesitant steps were drawn toward Sera. I ended up standing there blankly while being embraced.

“Ah, next time I should come to the Academy early and stay with Ourr.”

“But I’m alone because my morning lecture was canceled.”

I lifted my head while still in Sera’s embrace. I could see under Sera’s chin, but only briefly as she lowered her head to look directly at me.

I carefully spoke up as Sera looked at me with an expression that said “Huh?”

“I originally had a second-year lecture today, but the professor suddenly had something come up, so I came out to at least be with Karen.”

“Oh, really…? That’s like a rare event.”

When Sera answered somewhat awkwardly, Aria shook her head.

“Sera can be a bit careless sometimes.”

“If we’re talking about being careless, wouldn’t Aria be worse?”

“I’m just playful, not careless.”

While Sera and Aria were having their usual friendly argument, I reached out to Karen.

“Karen.”

“Yes?”

“Help me. I don’t like it here.”

When I asked Karen for help, Sera was startled and hugged me tightly. Her arms crossed over my chest, pressing down on my shoulders. It felt like being secured by a safety bar on a roller coaster.

“Oh, I’m sorry…! We’re not fighting, this is just how we play around.”

“Karen.”

“Ourr, I’m sorry. I’ll give you a kiss. Will that make it better?”

“Karen…!”

As I struggled, Karen looked flustered, not knowing what to do. Seeing this, Sera smiled bitterly and let me go.

“It’s going to be difficult to approach Ourr today.”

“Ahaha… I think Ourr is a bit shy.”

As I hid behind Karen, she seemed to find the situation awkward and let out a strained laugh while placing her hand on my head.

Sera quietly observed this and then let out a small sigh as if something had occurred to her.

“Come to think of it, Ourr doesn’t have any sexual curiosity. Isn’t that interesting?”

“Eh?”

I felt dazed at this sudden disclosure of information. I wondered why my sexual curiosity had become the topic of conversation and carefully observed the three of them.

Sera had a serious expression on her face without saying anything more. Karen, who heard this, made a dumbfounded sound as if surprised. She seemed to be unable to follow this topic flow, just like me.

She was definitely someone I could call a comrade. The third-year students were somewhat seriously sexually open, so there was a need to be slightly cautious.

“That’s interesting.”

Meanwhile, true to being Sera’s best friend, Aria wore a serious expression similar to Sera’s, as if deeply contemplating. Her narrowed gaze slightly turned toward me.

Sera, pleased with Aria’s reaction, immediately continued.

“They say the mind follows the body, right? Ourr is at the age of puberty now, so shouldn’t she be feeling sexual desires and such at this time? Karen, think about it.”

“W-what are you saying! Karen…!”

As I grabbed Karen’s clothes and shook them, Karen seemed slightly swayed and gave a dry smile, “Ahaha.”

“Since I’m in the Demon God related department, I am a bit curious… Ourr, should I get you some books?”

“Ugh, why are you interested in such things?”

As I pouted and created distance, everyone glanced at me.

Sera, Aria, and even Karen seemed to be thinking about me.

“It is strange as Sera senior said. Even without knowledge, one would normally be curious at least once. Is it because she’s tired of it? Or is it because she hasn’t developed in that area at all?”

“It doesn’t have to be thought of that way. I think it’s possible that because growth is different, there might not be curiosity that arises during secondary sexual characteristics. They say the physical structure is different.”

Aria answered Karen’s question.

Even if one didn’t attend lectures about Demon Gods, this seemed to be what people living in this world considered common knowledge.

“So which do you think Ourr is?”

The gazes of the three people focused on me.

They seemed genuinely curious, but I was sorry that I only knew myself and found it difficult to answer. I groaned, not knowing how to respond to simply not having any sexual desire.

“Um, does Sera always have sexual curiosity?”

“Not always, but that’s because I already know enough about it.”

Sera answered calmly.

“It’s not like you’re always thinking about such things, right? Isn’t it the same for me?”

“Then does this strengthen the hypothesis that it could be due to lack of knowledge?”

Karen thought about it in terms of a thesis.

“…Maybe we could tell if we showed her something? Something erotic.”

“No, no, no. It’s okay. I-I’m still young…”

I shook my head, using age as an excuse.

Experiment or whatever, I felt a bit embarrassed at the thought of researching something sexual.

I stepped back while hugging my books with both hands. As I shook my head while creating distance, Sera waved her hand.

“Then you’ll do it when you’re older?”

“Th-that’s not it. Do girls usually talk about these things when they get together?”

When I lowered my head and pouted, the answer came back.

“I don’t know… I don’t have friends…”

The atmosphere became solemn at Karen’s answer. It wasn’t a useful enough answer to resolve the question.

As everyone began to look at Karen with pitying eyes, Karen, noticing the atmosphere, frantically shook her head.

“N-no! Weren’t we researching about Demon Gods’ sexual desires?! I thought you were trying to research this because there hasn’t been much active paper writing on this topic within my knowledge, but no, please don’t look at me like that! I-I may not have friends, but I worked so hard to get a scholarship to come to the Academy…!”

“Yes, Karen. I’ll take really good care of you while I’m here. As a senior in the study group.”

Aria created a benevolent atmosphere as she took Karen’s hand.

Karen, who seemed to dislike having her hand held out of pity, pulled away in horror.

“I’m also thinking about the academy, so let’s continue to be close! If Karen is also considering the academy, we’ll even be academy seniors and juniors!”

Sera also continued in the same atmosphere as Aria, causing Karen to slump her shoulders slightly in resignation.

“It’s just that I found it difficult to make friends while studying because studying is hard for me…”

“I’m your friend too. Or should I have gone to the welcome party after all? Even now, I could give you money…”

“Aaaaaaah!”

I was fumbling to give her money from the corner of my pocket. Karen, realizing what I was trying to do, shouted to cut me off.

My voice was drowned out, and my hand was caught by Karen, preventing it from moving. The hand that had gone into my inner pocket hesitated and didn’t move.

“Ourr…?”

“Yes?”

“I told you I don’t need such things, remember?”

“S-sorry…”

“No, you don’t need to apologize. I should be thankful, but still, there’s a time and place for these things, right?”

I could feel the gazes of the two behind us changing slightly at Karen’s rambling atmosphere.

“Don’t tell me you’re getting friendship money from Ourr…”

“No! If anything, I’d like to give her money! It’s just that when I said I couldn’t go to the welcome party, Ourr insisted on giving me her allowance, and I was just feeling very grateful. It’s a bit awkward now that others are seeing this. Ahaha.”

Karen, afraid I might say something strange, placed her hand over my mouth. With my mouth covered like wearing a mask, I quietly looked down at the hand that felt warm.

“So that’s what it was? How much allowance do you get, Ourr?”

“…Fifty Riel.”

I gave a precise answer to Sera’s question. It was the currency unit I had learned from Karen before.

“Wow, that’s a lot! Does the professor give it to you once a month?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. The professor usually buys everything for me.”

As I tilted my head, everyone nodded.

“Maybe it’s meant for Ourr to take a warp back home if she gets lost.”

“That could be it.”

“That’s interesting.”

Sera and Karen nodded with interest at Aria’s words.

“Wait, you were trying to give me such important money? Ourr, you can’t do that!”

Meanwhile, Karen widened her eyes and began to scold me.

Wait, why am I the one being scolded here?

“Uh, um…? No, this is…”

I couldn’t speak well. I didn’t know what to say. I was flustered because I usually stayed with the professor and didn’t get lost enough to need to take a warp point back, so I wasn’t sure if this was right.

“Ourr needs to learn how to value her allowance.”

Starting with Aria’s words, the three of them united. And they took me to a café where I had to listen to a story about why allowance is precious for about an hour.

“I-I’ll save my allowance well…”

Exhausted, I pleaded in a whining voice while lying face down on the table. Please end this.