Ch.97Chapter 97

When I returned to the Academy, everyone bombarded me with questions, saying how relieved they were and asking who Ouroboros was.

I gave my friends a brief explanation. After sharing only what the Professor had approved, they all unanimously expressed their relief, as if that was enough for them to understand.

Whether things were actually okay remained uncertain.

After the Academy’s daily schedule ended, I held the Professor’s hand as we headed somewhere. To the White Laboratory we had visited before—a completely empty, pristine white space.

She said it was originally built as a fortress-like place for experimenting with various types of magic. The implication was that if I created magic and wielded it carelessly, the place wouldn’t easily break or collapse.

We spent quite a while there. Thanks to the Professor’s consideration, I would sleep and wake up to find the day had already turned to night. Though it was somewhat disappointing to lose time in the blink of an eye, it wasn’t bad at all when I thought about what was to come.

All I could do was wait. Wait for the Professor to produce good results.

“…Ourr, did it hurt?”

“Huh? No, it didn’t hurt.”

With anesthesia, how could it hurt? I just closed my eyes once and when I opened them, I was back to normal. The Professor might have witnessed a different scene, but I didn’t.

I was actually worried because I was the only one who seemed fine. I worried that the Professor’s heart would hurt, and hurt, and hurt until it festered. So on our way back, I held her hand tightly.

I gripped firmly, indicating I wouldn’t let go, and the Professor glanced at me softly.

Meeting her eyes, I whispered quietly:

“Professor, thank you.”

The Professor seemed to choke up, fumbling with her lips. Perhaps unable to continue speaking, silence lingered between us. Eventually, the corners of her mouth turned upward. Seeing her smile, I smiled back the same way.

“What did she say today?”

“She said you’re fascinating. She mentioned she never thought of it that way herself. So, she wants to help a little too.”

“I guess even Ouroboros likes it here.”

“Yes.”

The Professor nodded. I walked alongside her.

As we entered the apartment complex, I gazed at the darkening night. It felt slightly hot. Soon I probably wouldn’t be able to wear my uniform anymore.

Rather than being sensitive to heat, it seemed better to adapt to the surroundings. I could wear the summer uniform, so there was no need to be fixated on it.

“What are you doing during the break, Professor?”

“Me?”

The Professor seemed surprised by my question about her vacation plans, widening her eyes and hesitating for a moment.

I wondered if there was something she was reluctant to tell me.

“The Professor, well, needs to research… But since there are no lectures, I’ll have plenty of time to play with Ourr.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Is there anything you want to do?”

I thought for a moment. Contemplating what to do with the Professor was one of the enjoyable things. My heart would pound when I thought about where to go, what to eat, and how to have fun.

I didn’t mind being younger. This was better than enduring loneliness. At the same time, I was driven by the thought of how wonderful it would be if I could spend each day without taking someone else’s life.

Once we found a way to coexist with the original owner of this body, then perhaps we could play together.

Though I didn’t know what kind of personality the body’s owner had, the Professor said she was a good kid, so I thought it would be nice to be together.

“Hmm… I’m not sure yet. I like anything the Professor does for me.”

When I grinned, the Professor briefly let go of my hand and patted my head.

“Oh my, our Ourr is saying such delightful things, the Professor is so happy~”

“…Ah!”

The Professor seemed truly happy, but her strength control wasn’t great, so my head shook slightly. Trying to follow with my upper body like a roly-poly doll to prevent my neck from rattling, I felt a bit dizzy.

“Sorry, I think the Professor got too excited.”

Startled by my excessive movement, the Professor quickly removed her hand from me. Then she held my hand firmly again.

“Thank you.”

“No, no. I should be thanking you more.”

I was relieved to see the Professor’s expression brighten from its earlier gloom. It made me feel good.

Days flew by. Whether it was due to my lack of social skills or not, while the number of friends I chatted with increased, those I kept close remained limited.

About one or two per grade level.

Since I wasn’t constantly staying in the same department or grade, it was impossible to maintain steady friendships with everyone. I would greet them warmly when we met, ask and answer questions, but meeting just once a week made it difficult for relationships to improve significantly.

Still, having friends I could form deep connections with was a good thing.

“Ourr, what are you doing this summer vacation?”

“…Summer vacation.”

I wondered when I would meet Ouroboros. Could we spend this summer together? I was curious, but since research was still ongoing and I was just hoping for progress, it was hard to have high expectations.

Setting aside expectations, I thought about how I could spend my days now.

Summer is hot, so maybe eating ice cream, enjoying some air conditioning at home—wouldn’t that be enough? Since I’d never really thought about where I wanted to go in summer, I found it difficult to answer the question.

“I don’t know. What should I do? What are you doing, Aria?”

“I want to go to the sea. It’s difficult for elves to see the ocean.”

Aria tapped the table. Karen, sitting next to Aria, reacted with an “Ah!”

“Um, I also like the sea, would you like to go together? I rarely have people to go with…”

“What’s this? Karen is suggesting it this time? That’s nice.”

When Karen tentatively suggested it to Aria, Sera nodded.

Whether it was because she felt burdened or not, Karen rarely made suggestions first, so as a senior, I felt somewhat welcoming of this change.

“We could get some tanning done at the beach.”

“Sera, you do tanning too?”

“No, I meant you should get tanned.”

“…No way. I don’t want to burn my skin. It takes time to recover too.”

Sera suggested it to Aria, but Aria refused.

Tanning? If Aria got tanned, would she become a blonde tanned elf…? That might be something I’d like to see. It wouldn’t be completely black, but a really pretty brown, right?

Since I didn’t know how to deal with the aftermath of getting so tanned, I refrained from encouraging her to try it.

“What do you do at the sea?”

I asked.

The sea. While it’s nice to look at, I had never particularly liked it that much, so I was slightly puzzled.

Isn’t it just playing in the water? I was curious about what was so great about playing in the sea, so I tilted my head slightly. Sera, sitting next to me, wiggled her finger.

“Ourr, you’ll understand the charm of the sea once you experience it. You play in the water, get sand massages on the beach, spend some time doing that, eat various things—that’s what it’s about.”

“Eat?”

“It’s the seaside, right? There’s raw fish, and above all, seafood is a delicacy. Things always seem better when you eat local produce.”

Oh, ohhh.

That was somehow convincing. Maybe I thought the sea was just the sea because I hadn’t considered all these activities.

“Sand, how do you do a sand massage?”

“First, you dig a hole, then when Ourr lies down, we cover everything except your head with sand. The warm sand will completely envelop your body.”

“…Eh. Wouldn’t that be tough in the hot summer?”

“No, it’s actually not hot but pleasantly warm! Plus, we do it under a beach umbrella, so it’s fine.”

Sera answered my curiosity and began enthusiastically promoting the benefits of sand massages. It seemed like she was inviting me to join them, which made me hesitant.

The Professor probably wouldn’t let me be alone after what happened.

“…I think I need to go with the Professor.”

When I said that, Aria raised her hand.

“That can’t be helped. But this time, couldn’t you just go with the Professor?”

“But I’m not sure if it’s okay to be with the Professor. I don’t want to end up getting treated to meals.”

“You could treat her instead.”

“If you’re not careful, you might be accused of bribery.”

Aria made a suggestion, but Sera pointed out the bribery issue that couldn’t be ignored.

It seemed like there were many complications. I clearly understood what the relationship between a professor and student entailed. If there’s a grade between the relationship, even with pure intentions, others won’t leave it alone.

“I’d like to drink with Karen too. Karen is surprisingly good at drinking.”

Somehow, it seemed they had decided to drink at the sea. At least these three had a clear intention to go together.

I wanted to join them too. But I didn’t want to worry the Professor either—what should I do?

While I was pondering and staring blankly, Sera smiled wryly and patted my head.

“Is alcohol forbidden for Ourr?”

“…Yes, I won’t drink.”

Sera laughed with an “Ahaha.” I still remembered the photo she had sent in our private chat before.

I disliked doing something and not remembering it. It made me feel left out.

“……”

But it wasn’t all bad. The sensation the Professor had given me came back as a slightly ticklish memory.