Ch.65Chapter 65

I returned to the research lab as soon as the morning lecture ended.

Everyone headed to the lab together under the pretext of escorting me to the Professor. Their plan was to try talking to her about renting a room since other options seemed difficult.

I thought it was a gamble, but since there was nothing to lose, I nodded in agreement.

When we returned to the lab, the Professor was busy writing something. She looked up at the sound of the door opening, glanced at me briefly, and smiled with the corners of her lips turning upward.

“Ourr! You’re back?”

“Yes, I’m back.”

As I nodded and entered, Sera and Aria followed through the open door and greeted the Professor.

“Hello, Professor.”

“Hello.”

“Oh, come in and have a seat.”

The Professor stood up from her chair and pointed to the table.

Originally, the table was piled high with documents, but since the others started using this place as a temporary study group space, it had been kept neat.

As I pulled back a chair and sat down, the Professor went inside to get some snacks for us.

They were individually wrapped cookies. Since she had never shown them to me before, I wondered where they suddenly came from, so I held them in both hands and stared at the Professor.

The Professor seemed to understand the meaning behind my gaze and waved her hand with a bitter smile.

“I bought them earlier, earlier. For you to eat, Ourr.”

“…Mmm. I’ll enjoy them.”

I nodded and carefully opened one, staring at the contents inside.

Then I cautiously stood up and approached the Professor. She responded with a smile that reached her eyes.

As I slightly extended my hand, the Professor lowered her posture.

“Our Ourr, are you giving this to the Professor?”

“Yes, would you like some?”

“Yes, I’ll have some.”

The Professor lowered herself. Since she didn’t seem like she was going to take it with her hands, I gripped it in both of my hands and raised it up. When I brought it to the Professor’s mouth, it went right in.

With a crunch, cookie crumbs split in half and hit my forehead before falling.

“Ah.”

“Oh, sorry.”

The Professor quickly covered her mouth. As I dazedly raised my hand to where the cookie had hit my head, the Professor immediately brushed off my forehead.

She patted me all over, checking if any crumbs had fallen on my clothes, and each time she did, I felt like my body was being shaken significantly.

“Now I should eat too.”

Thinking that since the Professor had taken a bite, I could have one too, I took a bite. The Professor then patted my head gently.

Sera and Aria, who were watching from behind, made rustling sounds.

I thought they might want to eat cookies too, but they just stared at me.

“I’d like Ourr to let me have the first bite too.”

Aria boldly jumped in first.

Even though I already had my own, the others either didn’t notice or didn’t care as they handed me cookies.

I glanced at the cookie Aria was offering.

I tried to take it with my empty right hand, but Aria’s hand quickly shot up. Maybe because Aria was so tall, when she stretched her hand upward, the cookie rose to a height that was difficult for me to reach.

I looked at it with a bewildered expression.

Wondering if she was playing games with food, I lowered my arm and stared at Aria. Then, apparently judging that there was enough distance from my arm, she offered the cookie to me again.

“Just eat it.”

“……”

Even someone as socially unaware as me could understand.

She wanted me to eat it directly with my mouth, not take it with my hand.

After hesitating and checking the situation, I closed my eyes and took a bite with a “chomp.” Aria smiled and handed it to me.

Now I had a cookie in each hand. I hadn’t intended this, but somehow I looked like a greedy child, which made me feel self-conscious.

As I glanced around checking everyone’s faces, Aria tapped her own mouth. Seeing her open her mouth with an “ah,” it seemed like she wanted me to feed her like I had fed the Professor.

Though the Professor and Aria were different, I felt it would be awkward to refuse when asked, so I reached out my hand.

Nom. Aria hummed happily as she chewed. Watching this, Sera tapped the table and called me.

“Ourr! My turn!”

“T-turn?”

This isn’t what we came here for.

I tried to back away hesitantly, but Sera grabbed me and held out a cookie as if she couldn’t let this pass.

“Uhhhhh.”

A cookie being pushed into my mouth.

If I were someone who felt full after eating just a little, wouldn’t this be like food torture? Well, I suppose three cookie bites wouldn’t make anyone too full.

Finally, not wanting to leave Sera out, I closed my eyes, ate, and fed her too.

Having finally settled the situation, I raised a finger to address the real issue we came to discuss. Where should we stay for the study group’s after-party? Could I be away from the Professor even for a short while…

“Ah.”

“I want to do that too.”

Karen, who had just opened the door and entered, must have seen part of what was happening and wanted to extend the game.

With slumped shoulders, I let out a deflated “ehhh” and eventually had to feed Karen too.

I decided that in the future, I should avoid doing such things in front of others.

Leaving the satisfied Karen behind, I clenched my fist. Shaking it up and down vigorously, I brought up the main topic to the Professor and the others.

“That’s not the point! We were supposed to talk about where to have our after-party! Professor… can I go play with them for a little while? If we rent a room nearby, it should be fine, right…?”

While the others were hesitating, not knowing what to say, I grabbed the Professor’s arm and looked up at her with sparkling eyes.

The Professor avoided my gaze as if she didn’t know what to do.

Her gaze, which shifted left and right trying to avoid me, eventually fixed on me.

“Ourr, I think this is something we need to consider carefully.”

“……”

I had hoped for a different answer, but that’s what I expected to hear.

I met the Professor a year ago, but it’s only recently that I’ve had time to study properly.

It’s not that I was neglected during that time. I was detained, investigated, verified, and busy trying to explain away the suspicions of those around me.

Thanks to that, I could move freely within the Academy, but now I just wanted to have fun with my friends, even just once.

It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy spending time with the Professor. I was grateful that she tried to do so much for me and understood me well.

But hanging out with friends was a different story.

Just as the Professor remained the Professor no matter how kind she was, there was always a certain distance between professors and students that made it difficult to approach each other casually.

Sera, Aria, and Karen—even though all three treated me kindly, it didn’t mean we could play together as friends, so I wanted to seize that opportunity, even if just a little.

I pouted.

Was it really impossible? Had I asked for too much? I hung my head low and glanced back at where the others were standing.

The Professor placed her hand on my head with a tap.

“The world is still afraid of you. Of course, if both you and I keep quiet about it, most people wouldn’t know. But the Academy won’t be like that. The academic society and those who know of your existence will want you to be under constant surveillance.”

“……”

“But I do want you to have at least one good experience, Ourr.”

Just as a disappointed atmosphere was settling in, the Professor’s words completely changed the mood.

I looked up at the Professor with wide eyes.

“How many hours are you planning to play?”

The Professor asked me with a bitter smile.

Since she suddenly said it was okay and asked how long we’d be playing, I didn’t know how to answer and my gaze wavered. We hadn’t properly decided on that yet, so I just opened and closed my mouth.

Um, how long would we play?

While I was struggling, Sera, who had been quiet behind me, answered loudly.

“Since it’s a room rental, we’ll book it for 4 hours, but we won’t use all of it!”

“Really?”

“…Still, please make it 4 hours.”

“Then can you go now? Either eat first and then go, or eat together when you get there.”

When Sera slightly adjusted the time, the Professor smiled bitterly and set the terms.

The condition was that we had to finish and return during the study group time. Since nothing had been decided or reserved, it seemed tight, but such opportunities were rare, so I couldn’t help but nod.

“Then I’ll have a meal with the Professor before going. How about it, everyone?”

“I agree.”

“I-I’m fine with that too!”

Aria and Karen nodded in agreement with Sera’s suggestion.

The Professor glanced at me. She put her hand on my neck and then took the ID badge that was hanging there. I quietly watched as the badge was removed from my neck. Finding my gaze amusing, the Professor dangled it playfully.

“I’ll keep this, okay?”

“Yes!”

I smiled, lifting the corners of my mouth into a “hehe.”

I had thought that if the Professor flatly refused, there would be nothing I could do, so I was really grateful that she was willing to turn a blind eye.

“Thank you!”

Carried by that emotion, I threw myself forward.

As I hugged the Professor tightly, she laughed and hugged me back.

“Yes, yes.”