Ch.69Chapter 69

“…Gasp!”

I jerked awake, my body trembling. As my vision cleared, I saw Aria’s jawline above me. Even from the side, her expressionless face…

Wait, why am I in Aria’s arms?

Confused by this inexplicable situation, I slightly twisted my waist.

“Are you awake?”

Realizing I was conscious, Aria looked at me with a smile. Everything else was fine, but I couldn’t understand why I was being held in her arms, so my expression turned awkward.

While I was still wearing a confused expression, trying to make sense of the situation, I suddenly realized we were outside.

The sun had already descended quite a bit. It looked like sunset would begin soon. As I turned my head in a daze, I tried to speak but couldn’t form words properly. Perhaps I had just woken up and couldn’t put strength into my neck.

As I groaned softly with furrowed brows, Aria explained first.

“We’re heading back to the Academy now. Once we get you to the Professor, today will be over.”

“…Huh? Aren’t we going to hang out?”

I asked in a dumbfounded voice. Sera, who was walking beside us, tried to suppress her laughter as she replied.

“We already spent four hours hanging out.”

“Uh, what?”

I couldn’t help but be shocked.

I narrowed my brows and tried to recall my hazy memories.

I remembered receiving a beer, but nothing after that. My head throbbed.

Four hours had passed since then? I wanted to dismiss it as nonsense, but seeing the sun approaching the horizon, it clearly wasn’t a lie.

“Come to think of it, Karen has really high alcohol tolerance, doesn’t she? I gave her something normal, but her face didn’t change at all.”

“…Haha, I didn’t know either since I’ve never drunk before.”

The atmosphere among them was like they had finished an after-party and were chatting casually before parting ways.

It felt like I was being left out, but there was something strange about their mood that made it difficult for me to speak up.

“L-let me down.”

I twisted my body, trying to get away from Aria. Though she seemed a bit reluctant, she turned slightly and set me down on the ground.

As I tried to stand on my own two feet, I felt dizzy and staggered.

Maybe I was still tipsy. I slapped both my cheeks with my hands. It hurt enough to make me wince, but at least my mind seemed to clear up a bit.

Sera gave me a meaningful look.

“Ourr is a liar.”

“What lie did I tell?”

I questioned her statement, but Sera didn’t explain and just brushed it off.

Come on, tell me.

Thinking the others might say something, I turned to Karen. When our eyes met, Karen widened hers and quickly averted her gaze.

“Karen, did I… did I do something? Did I get drunk and black out…?!”

This was the worst situation.

It was our study group’s first after-party, and I couldn’t remember anything. This was absolutely unacceptable to me, but time had already passed.

After begging the Professor so hard to let me go, I had wasted the opportunity so pointlessly.

I was starting to feel depressed. Neither Karen nor Sera would tell me anything, so Aria was my only hope.

I grabbed Aria’s sleeve and looked up at her.

“Aria…”

“The others will send you the pictures they took this evening.”

“Am I the only one who can’t remember?”

“That can happen. The others aren’t judging you for having low alcohol tolerance, so don’t worry.”

That’s not the issue.

The problem is that I blacked out after drinking a little alcohol. Did I do something weird? Did they just take pictures of me sleeping?

In my confusion, I raised both hands to my cheeks. I wanted to hide my face, but since I didn’t know what I had done yet, there was no reason to be embarrassed first, so I just tried to read the others’ expressions.

Aria’s expressions were too subtle to tell me anything, and Sera was looking at me with a somewhat mischievous expression.

Karen seemed to be reacting the most strongly, and seeing how embarrassed she looked, I was struck with the shocking thought that I must have made quite a mistake.

Uh, um. While I was unable to respond properly, we had already arrived at the Academy.

I entered the Research Building where the Professor was, unable to ask the others any more questions before we parted ways.

As the others quickly left, I remained in the lab, helplessly waving in their direction before dropping my hand.

The Professor, who had been at her computer, smiled when she saw me return after four hours.

“Our Ourr, did you have a good time?”

“Mmm…”

I sniffled.

It seemed like I had a good time, but I didn’t feel like I had enjoyed myself, so I felt like I hadn’t. I wanted to nod, but since I hadn’t done anything, my expression turned blank.

I had come with the others to say hello and then parted ways, but I still felt dazed.

As I hesitated and glanced at the Professor, she suddenly got up, looking surprised.

“Ourr, your face is a bit red?”

“…Ah, well.”

I hesitated, wondering if I should honestly say that I had some drinks with the others.

As I stood there awkwardly with a dry laugh, the Professor approached me and leaned in close. She held my cheeks and turned my face this way and that, examining it.

“Oo…”

My cheeks felt soft as they were pushed around. My lips puffed out like a goldfish.

I felt a bit intimidated by the Professor’s investigative gaze.

Since I couldn’t properly answer any questions about what we did or why I was like this, I just mumbled and avoided eye contact.

The Professor seemed to find me even more suspicious and stared at me with wide eyes. Finally, disappointed at not getting any information, she sighed deeply.

“Haah, alright. It’s a bit much to report everything when you’re just hanging out with friends.”

“…I had a good time.”

“Good. Do you want dinner?”

“Yes, please.”

Having overcome this hurdle and feeling thirsty, I clung slightly to the Professor, thinking we should eat something.

We ate dinner out. After eating, I returned home and hung my jacket in the closet.

The Professor seemed to have become less busy lately, as unlike usual, she was spending time watching TV instead of typing on her laptop. It meant the period when she was too busy typing to pay attention to me had passed.

I climbed onto the sofa and moved closer to the Professor who was sitting below. As I gently touched her hair, she reached for my hand.

She caught my right hand and kissed it repeatedly. It tickled, making me giggle.

“That tickles.”

“Is the TV boring?”

“It’s okay.”

“Yawn,” I exhaled.

I wasn’t sleepy, so why was I yawning?

I pulled my hand away from the Professor to stretch. I extended my arms upward and straightened my back. The trembling sensation made me feel refreshed.

As I relaxed my body with a shaky breath, a buzzing vibration came from my pocket.

I was startled and opened my eyes wide.

“That’s not mine.”

“…Ah, it’s mine.”

I took the phone out of my pocket. Wondering what the vibration was about, I quickly tapped the screen. It was a private chat from Sera.

She had said earlier that she would send pictures, and feeling slightly anxious, I couldn’t help but be tense. My trembling finger pressed the button.

Click.

“!!!”

What appeared immediately was a picture of me. The sight of me half-conscious, drooling, was shocking.

Did I really make such an expression?

I was speechless at the disturbing sight. I just stood there with my eyes wide open and my mouth agape.

It was me lying on a bed in a strange position. Apart from my vacant expression, my flushed face filled me with self-loathing.

I wanted to say it was impossible that I had made such an expression in front of everyone, but with such clear photographic evidence, there was nothing I could say in my defense.

The corners of my mouth moved on their own. I groaned, caught in that ambiguous feeling of being unable to either laugh or cry. With a heavy heart, I moistened my dry lips, and the Professor tilted her head, looking in my direction.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing.”

I held my phone tightly and then quietly placed it against my chest.

“……”

I silently cast my gaze at the ceiling.

I didn’t know what to say, and only embarrassment welled up. I thought I could just let it go, but seeing my drunken state, it didn’t seem that simple.

Why, why did I make such an expression? Why was I in that position? Surely not…?

Fear rose within me.

My memory was already gone, so I had nothing to argue with, leaving me speechless.

Unaware of my feelings, the buzzing phone annoyed me. The vibration against my chest made my heart feel like it was trembling too. That was how I felt right now.

“…Hmm.”

“Ourr, is something wrong?”

The Professor tilted her head, probably thinking my mood was strange.

I knew there was a limit to how much I could evade, but thinking I couldn’t show this side of me to the Professor, I shook my head.