Ch.51Chapter 51

I spent time idly until Thursday arrived before I knew it.

After attending a freshman lecture with Karen and having lunch with the Professor, I found myself licking my lips.

It felt strange to eat something but not feel full. Maybe my body was somewhat used to it, so I should try eating until I’m full. Though that wasn’t possible, my brain definitely felt that peculiar sensation.

After lunch, the Professor returned and immersed herself in research again. Not wanting to disturb her intense focus, I sat quietly at a distance.

Though I had my phone, I couldn’t always use voice messages since it depended on the environment. I didn’t want to break her concentration when she was focused like this.

So I moved my chair near the window.

Being small, I ended up dragging the chair. The scraping sound made me feel self-conscious, wondering if it bothered the Professor.

“Don’t lean too much against the window.”

“…Yes.”

I nodded.

She must have been watching what I was doing. She seemed worried I might fall if I placed the chair too close to the window.

Heeding her warning, I straightened my posture. I knelt on the chair and gazed blankly out the window. My eyes sparkled, thinking I might see students returning from lunch.

But I soon realized that wasn’t the case.

They were wearing casual clothes or colorless uniforms. They must be Academy professors or academy students. Looking at the bags in their hands, they appeared to be carrying snacks from the convenience store rather than returning from lunch.

Poor academy students.

Still, since they could become professors in four years, I hoped they would work hard. Well, not everyone attending the academy wants to become a professor, but I genuinely hoped they would achieve whatever they desired.

As I was silently cheering them on, there was a knock at the research lab door.

Knock knock. I quickly turned my head toward the sound. The Professor also looked up at the visitor’s announcement.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Sera…”

I hopped down from the chair when I saw Sera peeking her head in.

“Sera!”

“Hi, Ourr~”

When I approached Sera happily, she smiled and waved at me. I waved back at her the same way.

“What is it? Are you here to take Ourr?”

“Ah, no, it’s more like I brought a gift for Ourr.”

In response to the Professor’s question, Sera smiled wryly and opened the door wide. As she entered, I could see she was carrying a box.

As the large box was placed on the table, I stared at it curiously. The Professor, seemingly curious too, moved closer to my side.

“A gift for Ourr?”

“Yes, the others and I bought it together. Somehow it ended up feeling like our study group’s first matching outfit.”

The pajama conversation that came up on Tuesday had evolved with Aria and Karen joining in, resulting in matching outfits for the four of us.

Do study groups usually get matching outfits? Having something like that would create a sense of unity. That’s what I thought. But then again, I’d need to have been in a study group before to know.

But this outfit wasn’t really related to study group uniforms anyway.

“Ta-da~”

Sera’s unboxing revealed the clothes inside. Packaged in plastic was a high-quality pajama set.

It seemed a bit odd to call this a study group uniform. Though she only said it gave that feeling, I couldn’t imagine concentrating on studying while wearing this.

It felt more like a pajama party than a study group. The kind where you want to chat and eat snacks.

I stared blankly. The Professor tilted her head behind me.

“A cat?”

“Yes, doesn’t Ourr seem a bit like a cat?”

At Sera’s words, the Professor gazed at me intently.

I didn’t think of myself as cat-like, but when others said so, I wondered if maybe I was.

Am I just easily influenced?

The Professor’s gaze, which had been examining the animal pajamas, was now fixed on me. As she stared, I looked back at her. Eventually, the Professor nodded.

“There is that impression. Except for not taking naps.”

The Professor stroked my head.

Before, I wondered why she touched my head, but over time, the sensation became familiar and brought a sense of peace. As I closed my eyes to feel the touch, I felt something on my chin.

“Ooh, like this.”

I opened my eyes, startled by Sera’s exclamation. Sera placed her hand on my chin and made a tickling motion downward.

Though I wasn’t particularly ticklish there, I knew that wasn’t her intention, so my eyes narrowed slightly.

“Sera, what are you doing…?”

“All cats do this, right? Closing their eyes and lifting their heads slightly when you pet them.”

“Ourr really is like a feline.”

The Professor responded with a chuckle to Sera’s admiring voice.

With the Professor behind me and Sera in front, I wondered what to do. I could have shaken my head to brush off their hands, but I didn’t.

It wasn’t particularly uncomfortable.

Sera removed her hand and cleared her throat.

“Ahem, anyway, this is sized to fit Ourr.”

“Is Sera a mouse?”

“Yes, a mouse. Cute, right?”

Another outfit was taken out of the box. Noticeably larger than mine, it was grayish in color.

Mine had the distinct look of a common black street cat.

“Ourr, want to try it on?”

At Sera’s suggestion, I hesitantly reached out.

“Try it on…”

I unwrapped the packaging and looked at the pajamas inside. I seriously wondered if it was appropriate to wear something like this in a research lab.

As I frowned and made a small groan, the Professor leaned down.

“You can try it on. Need help?”

“Um…”

Looking back and forth between the Professor and Sera, I gripped the clothes tightly. The soft fabric felt plush against my body.

It didn’t look too warm. Whether it was designed for the approaching summer or not, despite being long-sleeved, it was thin enough to be comfortable in an air-conditioned room.

Still, the question remained: would I really wear this in the research lab? As I held it hesitantly, I felt the Professor’s hands gently lifting my jacket.

My shoulders suddenly felt lighter.

“Come on, let’s get your arms out.”

At the Professor’s words, I removed my arms from the sleeves and looked at her quietly. It seemed like the Professor wanted to see me in the outfit, which is why she was encouraging me to change.

As I stared at her, she smiled wryly.

“Since you received it as a gift, it would be troublesome if the size doesn’t fit.”

“…That’s right! If it’s too big, we’d need to exchange it for a smaller one.”

Sera chimed in, taking the clothes from my hands.

I thought they were from different departments, but they seemed to be in sync. Do third-year students become friendly with various professors, like having a minor?

Many thoughts crossed my mind.

The research lab felt like a changing room. While I was embarrassed to undress with the Professor and especially Sera present, I was changed so quickly that I barely had time to feel self-conscious.

When I came to my senses, I was wearing the complete animal pajama set.

“…!”

My eyes widened as I looked in the mirror Sera held up.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to think. Besides the outfit being cute, there wasn’t anything particularly novel about it, so I tilted my head in confusion.

The long zipper on the back seemed inconvenient, but then again, as a Demon God, it wasn’t really a problem for me. The only advantage that stood out was the freedom of movement it allowed.

I twisted my body around, trying to see parts that weren’t easily visible. The Professor clapped.

“It suits you!”

“Shouldn’t it be bigger…?”

As I tilted my head and asked, Sera was aghast.

“No way! The size is perfect for you, Ourr. You’re adorable! Say ‘meow’!”

It was hard to keep up with Sera’s enthusiasm. I made a confused sound and turned my head. The Professor just stared at me silently.

A black cat. The Professor wordlessly put the hood on me. When I placed my hand on my head, I felt something soft—were those ears?

“That’s embarrassing.”

As I fidgeted, I shook my head, reflecting on Sera’s words. But Sera didn’t seem to care and took out her phone to snap a photo of me.

“Eh, eh…?”

“Professor, what do you think? Doesn’t it suit her?”

The Professor nodded.

Perhaps because the age difference wasn’t as extreme as it might seem, they seemed to have things in common.

As Sera continued taking photos, the Professor also took out her phone and started snapping pictures.

They didn’t even help me pose properly, yet they kept taking photos of me just standing there awkwardly.

The composition was the same, and my pose didn’t change, so why take so many?

It was truly puzzling.

“Ah, I want to have a pajama party. Professor… I can’t take Ourr home, can I?”

“That would be difficult. After all, she is a Demon God.”

“That’s too bad. I really want to take Ourr with me.”

Sera expressed her disappointment in front of the Professor. Meanwhile, her hands were busy bringing the phone close to my face.

“Aren’t you too close?”

“I want to use it as my profile picture.”

As Sera giggled, I shifted uncomfortably.

“V-V sign.”

It was embarrassing knowing she’d use it as her profile picture. But since she was going to use it anyway, I thought a natural expression would be less embarrassing than looking awkward, so I smiled.