Today is Friday. People love Fridays. They love the moment when, if they can just endure today, Saturday arrives and they can escape from studies or work, even if only briefly. Nobody dislikes the idea of being able to rest.
But professors were different.
Professors weren't people worn down by academics or work. It seemed that spending a long time at the Academy researching something was what professors enjoyed.
The professor entered the laboratory and immediately pulled materials from the bookshelf. After scanning through the papers spread out, she began organizing them. After confirming the information she needed, she stacked them on the desk and started writing something.
The sound of typing filled the laboratory. Listening quietly, I sat at my desk and wrote.
Moving beyond just writing names, I began memorizing and writing simple words as well.
Since it felt awkward to constantly ask the professor "why?", I tried to find my own solutions. For example, I would check the letters in places where I could infer what the object was.
"...Laboratory. Laboratory."
I diligently wrote the word "laboratory." It was the word attached above the door before entering. Below it, there was a small inscription that read "Yuria," so I assumed it must be a laboratory.
While writing, a doubt suddenly crossed my mind. What if this wasn't a laboratory? It could also be called a professor's office, and if I memorized it incorrectly and it became ingrained, it would be troublesome. I groaned at the thought.
Shaking my head, I decided to write only the words I knew for certain.
"Urr. There's a first-year Institute lecture this afternoon, want to come?"
"Weren't we just going anyway?"
"I feel like things are a bit awkward with the Institute Students."
Whether they were writing theses for graduation or just spilling out everything they were curious about, it felt overwhelming. Since anything in academia could be overturned at any time, even proven theories, they seemed fixated on such matters.
The thought of facing that again made my head hurt a little.
But since I couldn't refuse after having gone everywhere else, I slightly pouted my lips.
"Well, that's fine. I can handle that much."
"Really? That's a relief. I'm quite busy today, so after the lecture, I need to go somewhere else without stopping by the laboratory."
"Somewhere else?"
"Yes, haven't you seen her before? Professor Rosemilla, with pink hair like this..."
Her gesture mimicking voluminous bob hair drew a small sigh from me. We weren't close, but I had seen her occasionally since she often met with my professor.
"I know her."
"Yes, I'm going to meet her."
The professor and Professor Rosemilla were friends. They seemed like Academy classmates. Although they had different majors, they somehow got along well. In fact, their different departments seemed to create excellent synergy when they collaborated. They always met when important research was involved.
While I was waiting absentmindedly, my phone rang from my inner pocket.
"Huh?"
"Got a call?"
"Yes, umm, it's Sera."
"Sera, huh? Looks like she wants to take you away again this morning."
Since there weren't many reasons for Sera to call me, the professor immediately predicted why she was calling.
The prediction was spot on. The professor readily agreed, and Sera hurriedly took me somewhere. With her holding my hand, I struggled to keep up with her long strides.
"Ugh, huff, huff... Just a moment, ack."
I stretched my legs and ran hard. With the intense movement, my belt felt like it might slip down at any moment. I held it tight with my free hand.
"No, I have something to show you today!"
Sera wore an excited expression. The place we finally arrived at was a different lecture hall. This space, piled high with papers, was for spellcraft.
We drew the attention of all the students gathered for the lecture. At the end of the seats Sera led me to, Aria waved her hand slightly.
By now, they seemed to know to some extent that I was a Demon God, as there were whispers. Since I couldn't hear them clearly and wasn't particularly interested, I just ignored it.
"Why, why are you in such a hurry..."
As I complained while catching my breath, Sera held out a paper in front of me.
"Ta-da! This is the spell I created last night. I searched through some theses and it seems to work somewhat?"
"...Huh?"
A dumbfounded sound escaped me. There was only one spell Sera would create for me.
A spell to return me to my original body.
It had only been a week since I started attending Academy lectures, and she had already found an answer so easily. I clenched my fist, thinking that the Academy truly was a place where smart people gathered to make such things possible.
I looked at the spell written on the paper. In truth, I didn't have the ability to read magic circles. Even with analogies, reading magic circles seemed to be a different dimension altogether.
As I stared with furrowed brows, Sera immediately pulled out an inexpensive Magic Battery filled with data and handed it to me. After drawing the same pattern with a compass and ruler, she presented it to me.
"...But is this verified?"
As I looked at the magic circle Sera handed me, Aria, who was beside me, raised a question. Sera responded with a groan.
"It's a magic circle that inflates physical age, but the limit is twenty-five."
"So there's not much difference."
"Yeah, not for me."
Sera smiled awkwardly. The Academy's admission age was twenty, so for Sera, who was now twenty-two, this spell wouldn't make much of a noticeable difference.
"Well, there were no side effects. I think it's worth trying?"
"That's good, but I wonder if it works on a Demon God who breaks the rules... More importantly, if twenty-five is the limit and twenty-two-year-old Sera couldn't feel much difference, does that mean Sera will still look young at twenty-five, or does it mean Sera's face already looks old now?"
"Hey!"
I was relieved to hear there were no side effects, but I was a bit scared to experiment because I was a Demon God, an exception. I thought Sera was amazing for using such an unverified spell on herself.
Actually, I wondered if spells requiring human experimentation should even be developed. I groaned softly at the thought.
Of course, I had no intention of giving up. The chance to return to my original size was too tempting to pass up. Since it would take the professor quite a long time to return me to normal, I thought it might be worth trying this shortcut.
"I, I want to try."
As I fidgeted with the Magic Battery containing the magic circle, Sera smiled.
"Then give it here. I'll activate it for you."
Sera took the Magic Battery and placed it at my feet.
A magic circle that inflates physical age. The eyes of other students gathered in one place upon hearing this. Since the experiment was happening right here, they couldn't help but show interest.
I was curious too. As curious as I was nervous.
"Ready?"
Sera opened a magic circle in the air. I was wondering what she was doing without a separate magic circle, but my question was answered when a staff appeared in Sera's previously empty hand.
Sera's gestures with the staff, like an orchestra conductor, looked fascinating. Although I had seen magic before, watching such a formal casting was still amazing.
Woong, the surroundings seemed to vibrate. Simultaneously, the magic circle on the Magic Battery changed from black to pure white. The magic circle emitted light as if it would devour anything above it.
"Step on it!"
At Sera's shout, I hopped onto it.
With a flash of light, my vision blurred. Losing balance, my body slipped on the Magic Battery and I landed on my bottom.
"Ugh..."
As I frowned and scratched my head, I noticed my sleeve tightly gripping my arm. Meanwhile, my belt was securely holding my waist instead of feeling loose.
The moment I realized that everything that had been loose was no longer so, Sera and Aria looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.
"It worked...!"
"...This, it actually works?"
It wasn't the time to groan in pain. Hearing the exclamations of disbelief around me, I looked at my hand. My clearly larger hand and legs proved that I had grown.
The shirt that I had been wearing loosely was now filled out completely.
"...Oh, oh? I, I really grew...!"
My once thin body had filled out. My chest had grown larger and my thighs had developed some meat. When I got up and dusted off my bottom, the clothes that had been too big for me now fit my body perfectly.
As I looked at my body in amazement, everyone around me fell silent and stared.
Perhaps because a small person had suddenly grown, I felt like I was the center of attention.
"Ah, this was my original form~"
Out of embarrassment, I blurted out something to change the atmosphere. Despite this, the mood didn't lighten, and soon my body began to stagger.
"Eek!"
When I came to my senses again, I was back to my previous small form.
I looked at my shrunken body again. Feeling the weight of loose clothes and the lowered perspective, I let out a dismayed voice.
"I'm small again..."
"Looks like it doesn't last long."
While Sera was rechecking the spell she had created, the professor, who had entered without anyone noticing, shouted.
"Why are you casting spells on people without permission! Who taught you to do that?!"
"Ah, I'm sorry...! This is, well, because Urr..."
Sera bowed deeply in response to the professor's scolding.
I looked around with a blank stare. It felt disappointing, like having something given to me and then taken away. Growing and then shrinking again felt strange.
It could be called successful, but if asked whether it was practical, it wasn't.
After being thoroughly scolded by the professor, Sera sat down and groaned to me.
"...Ugh, I can't even use this magic circle for my thesis. The effective time isn't even a full minute."
"So Sera is so withered that she couldn't tell she was twenty-five for a few seconds."
"Why have you been commenting on my appearance age? Are you the only Elf here?"
"Yes, I am."
Aria answered Sera's question nonchalantly and stretched her shoulders. She seemed to be boasting that she wouldn't age easily.
After a moment, Aria casually spoke to me, who was looking a bit dejected.
"By the way, Urr, do you not wear a bra? The male students didn't know how to react earlier."
Oh, so that's why they were staring like that?