Ch.48Chapter 48

The kids were chatting enthusiastically, but the Professor still hadn’t arrived no matter how long we waited. While wondering when she might come, I continued giggling with the friends gathered in front of me.

“I think Ourr has no concept of money. We should teach her what she can buy with this amount.”

As Sera, Aria, and Karen huddled together continuing some serious discussion, I kept my mouth shut and just rolled my eyes.

I never dreamed that my simple lack of money sense—thanks to the Professor solving everything for me—would come back to haunt me like this.

Hmm, I thought seriously, trying to work out the calculations when my chest suddenly vibrated.

Startled, I flinched. Looking down with wide eyes, I felt the vibration coming from the inside pocket of my jacket.

Taking out my phone, I saw it was the Professor. As I lifted my head holding the vibrating phone, the three girls turned their attention toward me.

“Is that the Professor calling? You should answer it.”

“Oh, right.”

I nodded at Sera’s gesture.

Perhaps because it was a call from the Professor, everyone quieted down and looked at me. Thanks to that, I could talk in a peaceful space.

“Professor?”

[Mmm, Ourr, what are you doing right now?]

“I’m at the rest area near the library, talking with friends. Are you at your Research Lab?”

[No, I was just about to head back and called to see where you were.]

I glanced around briefly. Since the Research Lab wasn’t that far from the library, I took note of the direction I needed to go.

When she mentioned having work before, she still came back early, but this time she must have had more work since she was late. Thinking she might be tired, I felt a bit worried.

After hesitating, I took a breath and spoke.

“Should I come back now? You’re going to eat, right?”

[Yes. Is there anything you want to eat?]

“Today let’s eat what you want, Professor!”

As I raised my voice slightly while holding the phone, I felt the three girls’ gazes intensify. Feeling like I might freeze if I kept looking at them, I subtly averted my eyes.

[Shall we? Then I’ll see you at the Research Lab.]

“Yes, I’ll be right there.”

As soon as I ended the call, Sera let out an exclamation.

“Oh… Ourr, you usually have a cute voice, but you use that kind of voice with the Professor?”

“Didn’t you say she cried like ‘bwaaang’ when the Professor saw her panties?”

“Wh-why are you bringing that up…?!”

Sera was one thing, but Aria seemed to have heard my story from Sera and was now spreading it here.

I tried frantically to change the subject, but it was beyond my power to block this topic. I was outmatched.

Karen pursed her lips in surprise and remained silent. Her gaze, which had been directed at Sera and Aria, soon turned toward me.

“Ugh, no. That was… just an accident.”

I waved my arms at Karen who was staring at me. She silently nodded.

Knowing they would keep teasing me about strange topics, I decided to slip away.

“I, I need to go eat with the Professor now. Everyone enjoy your meal, okay?”

“Sure, enjoy your meal too, Ourr.”

As I backed away clutching my phone, Karen chuckled and waved her hand.

Sera also smiled and waved cheerfully, while Aria waved her hand slightly in the air as if a bit disappointed.

I waved my arm vigorously at them once before turning toward the Research Lab where the Professor would be.

“Professor!”

I entered the Research Building and the Professor’s Research Lab. I flung the door open but no one was there. Thinking she might still be on her way back, I looked around the empty lab.

“Ourr, you’re here?”

“Eek?!”

I was so startled that my body jolted. If I were a frog, I probably would have jumped.

I had assumed the Professor wasn’t here, but my complacent heart started racing when she suddenly appeared behind me.

I stroked my startled, pounding chest. Taking a deep breath, I turned to look at the Professor, who gave me a wry smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, it’s… I was just really off guard…”

I chuckled and scratched my head.

“Your friends tied your hair?”

“I find it bothersome, but they seem to enjoy fixing my hair. Isn’t that strange?”

“Maybe it’s because Ourr’s hair is so fluffy.”

As I approached the Professor slightly, she gently stroked my head. My hair, tied in two pigtails, gave a strong sense of being neat and tidy.

Most importantly, it gave an even weight distribution on both sides. It felt nice when I tilted my head and felt the slight shift of weight.

With my eyes closed, I felt the Professor’s touch, and when her hand moved away, I tilted my head slightly to feel that sensation again.

The Professor smiled at the sight of my swaying hair.

“It does seem like you have fewer flyaways than before.”

“Really? Hehe.”

I grinned and touched my hair. Since my hair was long, I could hold each pigtail in one hand.

I understood why people said it felt good to touch my hair. I hadn’t noticed when it wasn’t maintained, but now that it was brushed and the flyaways were tamed, it felt somehow cozy.

Additionally, because it was tied with hair ties, it felt less like I was touching my own hair. Was this the sensation of feeling disconnected from my nerves?

While I was repeatedly fiddling with my hair, the Professor spoke to me.

“I’m glad you had fun. I was worried you might be bored.”

“I’m fine because you gave me this too, Professor.”

I puffed out my chest to show off the ID card hanging around my neck. As I pushed it forward slightly, the ID card dangling near my solar plexus became more visible.

Phew, as I returned to my normal posture, the Professor let out a laugh.

“Yes, that’s good.”

The ID card allowed me to go around most places in the Academy. It served as identification and also as a membership card to borrow books.

“By the way, what’s that?”

“Oh, this is a picture book about magic composition that Aria picked out for me. I borrowed it to study.”

I proudly presented it to the Professor, who accepted it with a wry smile.

She flipped through the thick coated pages inside the hard cover. I expected to see explanations about the meanings of circles and triangles, like I had seen before.

I waited for the Professor’s evaluation with sparkling eyes. After flipping through a few pages, she nodded.

“It’s a decent book. Honestly, among books that convey information, there aren’t really bad ones.”

“Really?”

“Of course, assuming you read a variety of books.”

The Professor returned the book to me.

“Don’t focus solely on one author’s ideas. Before you know it, you might find yourself following along without questioning.”

“…Is this related?”

“Sometimes? Shapes are abstract to begin with, so interpretations vary. Plus, they can be used with hidden meanings, and there might be incorrect interpretations, so let’s be careful about what we learn.”

I nodded at her advice, which sounded like a warning. I made a mental note to remember it.

“Professor, aren’t you hungry?”

I didn’t care about the book discussion anymore. I couldn’t ask the busy Professor to read it to me, and our precious time was quickly passing as we talked.

I wasn’t sure what we’d do in the afternoon, but I wanted to make sure the Professor had time to eat, so I changed the subject.

The Professor blinked and then let out a small “Ah.”

“Right, what should we eat, Ourr?”

The Professor smiled with her eyes. She pulled out a chair for me to sit, then sat down beside me.

As I sat down, the height difference between us seemed to have decreased. Sitting height doesn’t differ as drastically, so that was natural.

As I stared at the Professor’s blue eyes, she smiled brightly.

“Can I hug you?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Mmm, Ourr.”

The Professor hugged me and twisted her body slightly twice.

I felt as if my space was filled with the Professor. Perhaps “filled with the Professor” was the right expression. A sufficient sensation enveloped my body, enough that I wouldn’t need another hug from the Professor for a while.

“What should we eat?”

“Let’s have pasta today.”

The Professor mentioned her favorite menu item. After briefly considering what they served there, I nodded.

“I’ll order the mild flavor this time.”

“Really? Maybe I’ll try the spicy one this time.”

Arrabbiata. I wanted a rematch, but my tongue wasn’t trained enough yet, so I decided to postpone it.

“Professor, eat something mild too… let’s share.”

As I shook my head, the Professor nodded.

“Alright, alright. Cream pasta and tomato pasta should work, right?”

“Yes!”

“And what else might be good to eat? Let’s head out first.”

The Professor put on her coat and gently took my hand. I held her hand tightly as we headed to the restaurant outside.