Ch.9Chapter 9

“…Mmm.”

I let out a small groan. Today had been particularly stressful with various things bothering me, and the Professor’s touch earlier had made it an oddly unsettling day.

Though I was wearing pajamas, I found myself raising my hand to my chest, feeling as if the sensation from earlier still lingered there. I pressed lightly against my chest through the soft fabric of my pajamas.

It was a kind of tingling feeling. The corner of my mouth twitched.

I shook my head. I clearly knew that if I became interested in such things and somehow fell into them, I would never be able to escape.

I understood why the word “restraint” exists, and I was well aware that lust ranks among the seven deadly sins because it’s impossible to separate from human nature.

“……”

Before falling asleep in the Professor’s arms, I had slightly hugged myself, feeling the sensation. Mmm, mmm. After tossing and turning several times, the Professor pulled me in tightly. Only then did I stop, falling asleep with self-loathing for having such inappropriate thoughts.

A Demon God’s body was quite comfortable. You don’t starve even without eating, don’t get tired even after staying up for days, and don’t grow weak. Yet you can still eat if you want to and sleep if you desire, so there seemed to be no reason for mental fatigue.

Today was another day to spend at the Academy. I put on a new shirt and skirt, tightened my belt, and hung the name tag I had received around my neck.

Afternoon at the Academy.

Unlike yesterday and the day before, today wasn’t about lecturing Academy students, so my footsteps were headed toward the Research Lab rather than the lecture hall.

I had wondered what kept the Professor so busy, and here was the answer.

Academy graduate students. They were people who helped the Professor with research while completing their own dissertations. The Research Lab had a completely different atmosphere from classrooms or practice rooms. If I had to compare, it was like the Professor’s research office but filled with various equipment.

There was no need for orientation here. This felt almost like going to work, and it seemed that while other students were busy with enrollment or the start of the semester, these students quietly came in and did their jobs.

The Professor knocked on the door loudly to address them.

“Everyone, this is Ourr who will be following me around as a new… piece of equipment. She’s a Demon God, so feel free to ask her questions later. But don’t hit her, okay?”

Isn’t it normally not okay to hit people?

I felt a slight chill, wondering if they might actually hit me if not instructed otherwise.

“Hello, I’m Ourr.”

Setting aside my concerns, I bowed to introduce myself. The lab people put down whatever they were holding and began grabbing nearby papers. Then they rushed toward me and started writing things down.

“Professor, what kind of Demon God is she? Does she have a self-determined name or anything?”

“Ah, that’s still unknown. She seems to be in a pre-self-identity stage.”

“Does she bite people?”

“For now, we’re trying to socialize her. She probably won’t bite…”

I felt slightly annoyed at the Professor for not answering confidently. I’m not a dog or cat—how often would I bare my teeth at people?

The graduate students asked more questions about “Demon Gods” than personal questions about me. I felt somewhat comfortable thinking this might be how specialists view things.

There was something reassuring about them keeping a certain distance.

“What’s her maximum mana output? And the minimum?”

“How many rules can she break? Even just the confirmed ones would be helpful.”

“What method does she use for life extension?”

No, I take it back.

I stepped backward in horror at the barrage of questions that made it seem like they wanted to dissect me right away. The Professor placed a hand on my back, rubbing it gently to reassure me.

Yet the graduate students didn’t stop their questions. They kept writing frantically, finding so much to note even just from looking at me.

I examined each person while sweating profusely. Seeing the graduate students with their slightly greasy hair and dark circles, I wondered if they were eating properly. Or maybe this was from lack of sleep.

“Um… could you please… ask questions more slowly…?”

When I cautiously asked while clinging to the Professor, there was a moment of silence. As all eyes turned to the Professor, she smiled bitterly and tried to calm the students.

“She hasn’t met many people before. Even celebrities would feel uncomfortable if you all crowded around like this.”

“…Sorry.”

I had managed to speak casually with third-year students, but the atmosphere among graduate students was completely different from regular students, making me naturally revert to formal speech.

So this is what it feels like to be intimidated. I continued the conversation with that thought.

To be honest, I couldn’t satisfy the graduate students’ curiosity.

I don’t even know myself, so who would?

Even the Professor, who repeatedly researched me to learn more, hadn’t achieved any notable results. I knew so little that the Professor had to name me, so other questions weren’t any different.

On the way back, the Professor patted my head.

“Good work today, Ourr.”

“…But I couldn’t answer anything.”

I slumped my shoulders. Not knowing anything while being bombarded with questions about things I didn’t know made me feel exhausted. As I sighed deeply with tired eyes, the Professor smiled at me.

“It’s okay if you don’t help with the research. Sometimes just being present is helpful.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. How should I put it… graduate students researching Demon Gods often feel discouraged, wondering ‘What am I even researching here?'”

The Professor wiggled her finger.

“The world is exposed to the threat of Demon Gods. That makes research necessary, but it’s undeniably exhausting. But imagine if the very subject you’re researching suddenly appears right before your eyes! Wouldn’t that spark interest and make the exhaustion a little more bearable?”

The Professor encouraged me, suggesting we should think positively about the situation.

I fidgeted with my sleeve before letting it loose. Since today’s work was done, I thought I could relax now with nothing else to do. When we returned to the research lab, the Professor rummaged around for something.

“By the way, Ourr.”

“Yes?”

“Could you return this book for me? I borrowed it separately before, but I forgot to return it.”

The Professor handed me a book. I reached out with my loose sleeve. Looking at the book carefully, I scanned the characters I couldn’t read.

“Yes… but Professor.”

“What?”

“Can I learn to read too?”

When I asked cautiously, the Professor considered it seriously. But she smiled bitterly, as if troubled.

“I’m not sure if I’ll have time to teach you letters…”

“What about getting help from someone else?”

“That should be fine, but from whom?”

“Karen from first year and… Sera from third year?”

Karen and Sera. Since I didn’t have anyone particularly close in the second year, only these two names came to mind.

I knew Karen from before the entrance ceremony, which made me feel comfortable around her. As for Sera, while I wasn’t completely at ease with her, I was somewhat drawn to her because she offered to help with various things.

Though she wasn’t someone I disliked or avoided, I found myself easily following her for even small rewards.

Hearing the names Karen and Sera, the Professor put a hand on her chin and thought seriously. Then, seemingly satisfied, she nodded.

“Then should we buy you a phone? So you can contact them.”

“What? But I can’t even read…”

“That’s true. But you can answer calls, right? You don’t need to know how to read for that.”

With that, the Professor decided where we would go after work.

After returning from the library, we took a warp point to downtown. Tall buildings lined the streets, filled with numerous shops. As we walked looking around, the Professor held my hand firmly.

“It’s over there.”

“Welcome! What are you looking for today?”

When we entered the phone store, I could see phones displayed in showcases, showing off their presence. They looked like ordinary smartphones from the original world, but it felt strange knowing I would get my own here.

“…Do you have the best one here?”

Alarmed by the Professor’s intimidating words, I hurried over to the store owner and blurted out:

“S-something sturdy!”

“Sturdy?”

“Sturdy…?”

They both questioned simultaneously. Feeling their gazes on me, I explained nervously:

“Since I fall down a lot, I think something that doesn’t break easily would be good…”

“That makes sense, but can a device really be that sturdy?”

“I think it would be better to just use a case? These days they have pretty good shock absorption.”

Hearing my concern, the store owner brought out some phone cases from the back and held them up to explain.

It was just a simple gel case, but given this world, I felt like it might contain something special. As I stared at it intently, the Professor placed her hand on my head and smiled.

“We’ll take that then.”

“I’ll get it ready for you right away. These days you can activate it on the spot… First, please fill out these forms…”

The Professor sat at the table and began writing various things. I held the box placed in my hands and stared at it blankly.