"...Do Demon Gods have sexual curiosity?"
I frowned at that question. I wanted to say "That's sexual harassment," but the embarrassment from earlier hadn't faded yet, so I just turned my head away sharply.
She's probably going to talk about skirts being lifted or something. I don't want to have that kind of conversation.
When I glanced at her, I could see Sera's mischievous expression. I quickly turned away again. I didn't particularly want to talk with someone who casually brought up such topics in conversation.
I leaned against the wall and slumped over the desk. I buried my face in the space created by my arms, and Sera, sitting beside me, poked me as if she found even that amusing.
"Don't want to tell me?"
"..."
"Hmm, have you never done it before?"
"...Not interested."
I had planned to ignore her, but she didn't seem like someone who would stop just because I was ignoring her. So I bluntly expressed my refusal. It wasn't that I had no interest in women's bodies, but I didn't want to indulge such desires in this situation.
Would it be right to indulge in such desires while in a body that doesn't even belong to me?
It was clear I couldn't talk about this with anyone. So I said nothing. There was no reason to. What would be the point? No one could help me with this anyway.
As I remained silent, Sera moved even closer. Now she was practically pressed against my side. I could feel it without even looking.
"Then what does Urr want to do?"
"...Don't know."
Do I even have a goal? I wish someone would tell me what I should be aiming for in this world I was suddenly thrown into. Still, my current goal was simply to return my body to its original state.
Someday I'll grow bigger. Someday...
That's the thought that had kept me going until now. I stayed by the Professor's side, proving that I was a Demon God who wasn't harmful to humans. Now all that remained was finding a way to return to normal, but that method was proving extremely difficult to find.
Is there truly no way? Do I have to spend years in this shrunken form until I return to my original size?
If Demon Gods exist outside common sense, and that's why I've shrunk, then surely there must be a way to grow again. That's the thought that had kept me going until now.
If asked why, it's because I wasn't the original owner of this body, and I wanted to return it in good condition. Since it seemed like it had shrunk because I had taken it over, I wanted to restore it to its original state before giving it back.
Whatever happens after that would be up to the body's rightful owner.
I still don't know my own name. I've grown used to being called Urr, but sometimes I find myself seriously wondering: what is my real name?
With no clues, I couldn't figure anything out on my own, so the reality was that I had to rely on someone else.
But that someone wasn't Sera, whom I'd just met.
"You're so cold~ Is it because I brought up something unnecessary?"
"...Yes."
I glanced at her with narrowed eyes. She put her hands together apologetically and grinned.
"Then I'll buy you something delicious. Would that make you feel better?"
"...Demon Gods can survive without eating anything."
"Hmm, then shall I grant you one wish?"
I shook my head. Sera seemed to enjoy even this kind of conversation, continuing to chat about various things. Even though she was aware that others were glancing our way occasionally, she didn't stop talking.
"I'll buy you a belt that fits your waist, Urr. How about that?"
"...A belt?"
"Isn't your current belt too big?"
I looked down briefly. It was indeed too big, often hanging loose around my hips. But there was a reason for that.
"No, it's fine."
I deliberately left extra space because I didn't know when I might grow, and I wanted to be prepared for that moment. Given that my body's age could change in the blink of an eye, the possibility that tight clothing might prevent me from growing kept holding me back.
That's why I couldn't wear properly fitting clothes.
"Hmm, so Urr wants to become an adult?"
"I already am an adult."
"You want to grow bigger?"
Sera seemed quite perceptive, unlike others. After just a few exchanges, she had picked up on what I wanted.
When I couldn't say anything and avoided her gaze, she approached me with a sly voice.
"Looks like I hit the mark?"
"..."
"Then shall I help you?"
My ears perked up. It was such an enticing offer that I felt my ears actually move.
Let me think about this. If someone less busy than the Professor—a relatively free student—helped me, how beneficial would that be? But if Sera was a third-year, wouldn't she be in her final year before graduation?
Help would be nice, but it seemed somewhat ambiguous.
"You're busy."
"Well, I should have enough time to help Urr, right? You just need your appearance to grow bigger, don't you?"
"...That's true."
I kept getting drawn in by her tempting offer. The conversation had long been led by Sera. Knowing this, I still followed along like a puppy.
I glanced around. I could feel the Professor looking at me occasionally while talking with other students.
I hesitantly opened my mouth, which I had kept closed while deliberating.
"Can you make me grow?"
"If we research it? There are plenty of spells that change physical appearance, so we might find one if we look, or we could find something similar and rewrite it. After all, I'm in the Dept. of Spellcraft."
"Dept. of Spellcraft?"
"Don't you know? Do you know that you need a Magic Circle to use magic?"
"...I know that."
Sera, seemingly remembering that I was a Demon God, began explaining from the beginning.
"Then can just any drawing of a Magic Circle become magic? Look, can you put your hands together?"
She gently tugged at my sleeve. If it had been our first meeting, I might have refused, but her words intrigued me, so I obediently followed.
"Now put your index fingers together and spin them around."
"Like this...?"
I put my index fingers together and spun them around. Sera watched for a moment, then firmly grabbed both my index fingers. My fingers were caught and could no longer move.
"Ta-da! Now they can't spin, right?"
"Because you grabbed them."
"Exactly. Magic Formulas also need to interlock properly—if you write them carelessly, they'll get stuck somewhere and won't activate. The Dept. of Spellcraft studies things like that. How to create the magic you want, how to write it so the components interlock and activate properly."
Her explanation made her sound like an expert.
It was clear that getting help from the Professor would take a long time. Although she focused on researching Demon Gods, she couldn't dedicate all her time solely to me, so achieving what I wanted would clearly take time.
If that was the case, wouldn't it be good to rely on Sera's methods rather than the Professor's? I wondered.
Sera released my hands, and I stared at them quietly. Then I spun my fingers around as she had shown earlier.
If using magic to grow wasn't necessarily a bad thing, was there any reason to refuse? Of course, she didn't have the Magic Formula right now, but if she could create one, it didn't seem bad to ask for her help.
"What do I need to do in return?"
There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. I looked at her with slightly wary eyes, but she waved her hand dismissively.
"It's not like that. I'm not asking for anything... hmm, okay. Can I have your contact information?"
"I don't have any."
"Then I'll give you mine. Come find me when you want to see me."
"..."
"That's mean."
When I made a face suggesting that wouldn't happen, Sera pretended to be upset. Of course, her hands were already quickly writing down her phone number and email address.
The note was torn off with a rip. I stared at the folded square of paper before putting it in my coat pocket.
"Since I couldn't get your contact info, how about I touch your hair instead..."
"Hair..."
"What? Don't like it?"
"No, I don't mind."
Well, since she was offering to help, I could allow that much. Anyway, my hair had already been touched by the Professor, Karen, and even Iris, so by now I didn't really care.
As long as she didn't suddenly cut it off.
"Then, lie down here. It's hard to touch your hair comfortably otherwise."
"...Hmm."
I glanced around. The orientation seemed to be winding down, and I could feel eyes turning toward us. But Sera paid no attention and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. My body was slowly guided until it fell onto Sera's lap with a soft thud.
As I lay with my head resting on her lap, Sera stroked my hair. She also patted my head occasionally.
"Your hair is really long. Must be hard to maintain."
"I don't really do anything with it."
When I bluntly stated this, Sera's eyes widened in surprise.
"You shouldn't do that. If you don't take care of it, your hair ends will split like this."
"...Split?"
Sera grabbed a few strands of my hair and held them up to show me. Not sure if this was what split ends looked like, I asked again, and Sera's hand faltered.
"Oh, it's not split. Is that because you're a Demon God?"
Realizing it wasn't that I didn't understand but that my hair wasn't split, I gave Sera a look of disbelief. She quickly covered my eyes with her hand.
"Don't look at me like that."
"...How did I look?"
"Like you thought I was pathetic."
That was accurate, so I didn't deny it.
Only after the orientation finally ended was I able to get up.
"...?"
For all her talk about split ends and whatnot, my hair didn't feel particularly neat. Looking at my still-flyaway hair, I shook my head, wondering if this was just how my hair naturally was.