Tonight's dinner was pizza. Sitting at the dining table wouldn't have been bad, but settling in the living room definitely gave it a different feel.
Leaning back against the sofa made everything feel much more comfortable. The freedom to stretch my legs was a welcome bonus.
When I opened the box, a large circular pizza revealed itself. As I expressed my admiration for the elaborate toppings, the Professor returned from draining the pickle juice and chuckled.
"What? Do you like it?"
"Yes, it looks delicious."
I nodded. The Professor set down a cup on one side and poured some cola.
"...There's only one cup?"
"I'm having beer."
The Professor showed me the can of beer that had been placed where I couldn't see it.
Pizza and beer—quite the luxurious combination. I want to do that too. Beer... would it be weird if I asked for some?
Many thoughts crossed my mind. Eventually, I had the sudden realization that regardless of looking young, I was a Demon God, so maybe it would be okay.
"Um, Professor...?"
"Yes?"
The Professor was running a finger over the top of the beer can, just about to open it. I shifted my gaze slightly before continuing.
"I'd like to try it too..."
"Hmm, come to think of it, I wonder what happens when a Demon God drinks alcohol."
The Professor's expression showed interest. It seemed like permission might be granted this time. As I watched expectantly, wondering when and how much I'd get, the Professor simply opened the can and took several big gulps.
"Well, you look too young, so request denied."
"W-what...?"
"It just seems like it could turn into a dangerous situation."
The Professor chuckled while setting down the can, then picked up a slice of pizza. My attention was drawn to the stretching cheese.
After briefly grumbling to myself about that, my gaze shifted to the Professor's hand.
"...What's that ring?"
"Oh, this?"
The Professor's hands were usually clean with nothing on them, but today there was a ring on the index finger. It looked simple, but since the finger where a ring is worn supposedly has meaning, I couldn't help being curious.
What does the index finger signify again? Or do people nowadays just wear them as fashion accessories? Maybe the Professor bought it on the way home from work?
While I was seriously pondering this, the Professor put down the pizza and began explaining as if it wasn't any secret.
"This is sort of a byproduct I obtained while researching Demon Gods. It has a Magic Circle inside."
"Huh? How?"
The Professor willingly took off the ring to show me.
I was curious how a Magic Circle could be drawn on such a small ring. I thought maybe it was something drawn while looking through a microscope, but that wasn't it. The inside of the ring was densely filled with lines.
From what I'd picked up in lectures, circles were supposed to be the basic framework, so what was this?
As I was examining the ring intently, the Professor, who had been quietly observing me, chuckled.
"Judging by your confused look, you must have heard about 'Circulation' during lectures."
"Yes... I heard circles were the basic form, but this..."
"Right? It just looks densely packed inside the ring, doesn't it? But look carefully. There is a circle."
I furrowed my brow at the Professor's words. No matter how hard I squinted, I couldn't see any circle. I thought I just needed to find one circle, big or small, but that proved difficult.
When I couldn't find the answer, the Professor showed me the ring again, this time from slightly further away, as if suggesting that sometimes you need to step back to see clearly.
"...Look here, what shape is this?"
"A circle... oh!"
My eyes unconsciously followed the Professor's finger. I realized the gesture tracing the shape of the ring was forming a circle.
So that's how you could make a circle too. I felt genuine amazement. Of course, I didn't know much—I couldn't claim to have learned about Magic Circles beyond scratching the surface—but discovering this possibility was simply fascinating.
"Come on, it's getting cold. Let's eat."
The Professor, seemingly having finished the explanation, handed me a slice of pizza. I stared at the pizza on my plate for a moment before accepting the gesture and taking a bite.
Since my body never felt full no matter how much I ate, if I wanted any sense of satisfaction, I had to fill my cheeks instead. This somehow gave me the pleasant feeling that I'd eaten a lot.
"You look like a hamster every time. Or a squirrel? That kind of feeling."
I suppose I might look that way. Well, I only eat like this at home, so it's fine.
Dismissing the comment, I continued chewing for a while when a new question arose about the ring right in front of me.
"Professor."
"Yes?"
"What kind of magic did you say this was?"
When I asked with a tilted head, the Professor seemed to realize something had been left out.
"Come to think of it, I only mentioned it was a byproduct earlier. Do you know that Demon Gods emit Aura?"
"No...?"
This was the first I'd heard of it. When I shook my head, the Professor went through what seemed like two thoughts—'Really?' and 'I suppose that's possible'—before continuing.
"This is something taught in the first-year lecture 'About Demon Gods,' but setting aside the details, there's this thing called Aura, and wearing this allows humans to emit Aura too. Of course, it's different from a Demon God's Aura. This is just used to wrap my power around me."
The Professor emphasized "unlike Demon Gods." It seemed important to convey that a Demon God's Aura was quite unpleasant. So I nodded.
"By the way, what kind of research do you mainly do, Professor? I always see thesis materials and such, but I don't really understand what they're about..."
"Hmm, that's a good question. I've done so many different things that it's hard to pinpoint just one area."
The Professor took a bite of pizza and contemplated for a while before swallowing.
"This ring came from research on Demon God Auras and Aura suppression. Interesting, isn't it?"
"...Wow."
"It's one of a kind. My Original."
"So other professors don't have this?"
"Well, professors who research Demon Gods like me each have their own Originals."
Looking at professors who specialized in research, they seemed to know more about Demon Gods than Demon Gods themselves.
"That's amazing..."
I expressed my admiration. The Professor smiled proudly in response.
"By the way, Urr."
"Yes?"
"We need to go to the Academy tomorrow."
"...Isn't tomorrow Saturday?"
I couldn't help but be shocked by the Professor's sudden mood shift, going from a pleasant smile to dropping this bombshell.
Today was Friday and tomorrow was Saturday. I remembered correctly, so why were we suddenly going to the Academy?
When I asked in a bewildered voice, the Professor looked at me as if there was nothing strange about it.
"I skipped the Institute Students' lecture today. Since I came home early, I need to tell them to come tomorrow."
"...Oh no."
"I need to check their theses, so it can't be helped. Do you want to stay in the laboratory?"
"...Hmm."
It didn't take long to decide. Being the Professor's errand runner and attending lectures without complaint was better than being bored with nothing to do.
"No, I'll just go with you."
Since going to the Academy didn't mean suffering through academics or doing work, I didn't feel much resistance to the idea.
Just less time to laze around.
The Professor seemed pleased with my answer and smiled.
"Then after we finish in the morning, shall we go see a movie?"
"...A movie?"
"Yes, a movie. Don't you need some entertainment too?"
"What's playing?"
When I asked innocently, the Professor thought for a moment before picking up the phone. I realized the suggestion was simply to go see a movie, regardless of what was showing.
I chewed on my pizza while staring at the Professor, who checked the movie listings at a nearby theater and showed me the screen.
"There's a lot playing. Action, thriller, romance... and this is an animated film for kids. Oh, there's a horror movie here too."
"I don't really know. Anything is fine...?"
Honestly, looking at the posters didn't help much. Without any specific desire for what I wanted to do, trying something new just felt unfamiliar.
I glanced at the Professor, subtly passing on the movie selection. The Professor pondered with an "hmm" before shaking their head as if uncertain.
"Then shall we decide when we go after the lecture tomorrow? For things like this, it's better to check critics' reviews and ratings to make a definite choice."
"...Is that how people usually decide?"
"Since you can't tell the content just from the poster, it can't be helped. And anyone can write an enticing synopsis."
The Professor seemed to have firm rules, as if having read a book titled "How to Choose Movies Without Failing."
I thought people just looked at posters and watched whatever seemed interesting, but apparently not. I suppose watching movies with good word-of-mouth is more reliable.
"Then please choose well, Professor."
"Sure, just trust me."
The Professor clenched a fist with newfound responsibility after my comment.
Having no particular interest beyond that, I took another bite of pizza.