After the morning lecture for Academy students ended, I said goodbye to Lenya and we parted ways. Getting extra classes on a Saturday doesn't sound particularly pleasant, but why don't they look that upset?
Everyone seems enthusiastic since it's the beginning of the semester, which caught my attention.
Or maybe they're just maintaining their expressions in front of the Professor. Either way, it seemed like something I couldn't really understand.
After spending time in what could be called a lecture but felt more like an inspection, the Professor briefly organized today's materials before pushing them aside.
"...Urr, was today okay? Were you not bored?"
"Yes. I learned letters."
"Good, good."
When I said I hadn't had time to be bored, the Professor smiled as if that was all the satisfaction needed.
"Then shall we have lunch and head downtown?"
I nodded. The Professor put down their belongings and stepped forward with a lighter gait.
We left the Academy and set the Warp Point destination to downtown. Since the Academy naturally attracts more people, a large commercial district had formed, but this place had a different feel from the mart I'd visited with the Professor before.
HONK! My eyes widened at the loud horn. A strange world entered my vision.
It was like witnessing a peculiar landscape showing what happens when a world with magic develops.
Cars raced across asphalt roads, stopping at signals. Just watching people cross the crosswalk felt somehow fascinating.
The Professor looked around, seeming slightly anxious, and firmly held my hand.
"Don't let go, okay?"
"...Yes."
Even with the crowds, I didn't think I'd get lost here, but the Professor was overly worried.
I walked diligently behind the Professor. The main streets seemed to have more clothing and cosmetic shops than restaurants. The side streets, however, were overwhelmingly filled with eateries.
I could see why they called it downtown. Each city probably had its own version of a bustling downtown area like this.
"What would you like to eat, Urr? Anything you want? Or something interesting?"
"...Hmm, something interesting."
I turned my head quickly. The alleyway was quite long, requiring me to look far ahead. I followed the Professor into the alley, but even there, I felt overwhelmed by choices, almost experiencing decision paralysis.
There was curry, chicken, and so many exotic restaurants.
"How about there?" I asked.
"Just a simple pancake place. Sounds good. Have you ever had pancakes before, Urr? I don't think I've made them for you."
"I haven't tried them."
"Then you should definitely try some."
With that, the Professor led me into the store.
As we entered, a sweet aroma tickled my nose. The distinctive smell of pancake batter cooking somehow stimulated my appetite.
I thought it was one of those foods that smelled good enough on its own.
I observed people sitting at tables. My eyes sparkled as I watched them place butter on pancakes and drizzle honey over them. I couldn't take my eyes off the sight of honey being poured from a blunt-ended stick—I'd never seen honey dispensed that way before.
While I was staring blankly, the Professor tapped my shoulder.
"U-we'll be eating too."
"...Ah!"
The Professor seemed flustered, perhaps because I was staring too much at other people. I felt embarrassed but couldn't go apologize to the other customers, so I just turned my head with an awkward expression.
Sitting down, I looked at the menu. As expected, I couldn't read anything. Nevertheless, the Professor explained everything diligently.
"This is pancake, and this is waffle."
At first, I was choosing what to eat.
"For garnish, there's mashed potato, baby potatoes, scrambled eggs, and sunny side up."
"...Hmm. This, this, and this."
I remembered the words from the Professor's explanation and made my choices.
I chose pancakes because they smelled so good. I thought baby potatoes and ade would make a good combination.
After watching the Professor order, I took off my coat. With my arms straight and shoulders slightly back, it fell off effortlessly. I grabbed the coat that had fallen behind me and hung it on the backrest.
Then I adjusted my posture. Suddenly remembering yesterday's conversation, I tilted my head.
"By the way, Professor."
"Yes?"
"Are we watching a movie today?"
"Yes, we are. I'll book it before the food arrives. How about a horror movie?"
"...A horror movie?"
My hand trembled slightly. Horror movie? Did I like those? I groaned a little, not understanding why anyone would want to watch something designed to frighten people.
"If you're scared, we can watch something else. It just had the highest ratings."
I remembered telling the Professor that I trusted them.
But how could a horror movie have the highest ratings among all movies? The Professor probably checked not just ratings but reviews too.
Finding myself speechless, I just shook my head.
"No, it's fine. Let's go see it."
I couldn't just say I didn't like it when the Professor had probably researched thoroughly. I also couldn't rule out that the Professor might enjoy horror movies.
When I agreed easily, the Professor clasped their hands.
"Then after that, shall we go buy some clothes? I think it's time for Urr to have some casual clothes."
"...Casual clothes."
While I was seriously considering with an "hmm," the food arrived.
"I'm not sure."
"Casual clothes might be more comfortable. You can wear pants with elastic waistbands."
"I'd only wear them when going out like this, right?"
"That's right."
I considered it with a "hmm" and nodded, thinking it wasn't a bad idea.
"I don't mind."
Whether due to the principle that uniforms should function as uniforms, or because of social perception, there were no elastic waistband skirts. Certainly, button-up skirts looked much neater.
But in everyday life outside the Academy, there was no need to dress that way.
So I nodded at the Professor's suggestion.
"Good. And this is how you eat this."
The Professor smiled approvingly and began showing me step by step how to eat pancakes.
The pancakes cut smoothly, and I topped them with butter or honey. A sweet aroma filled my mouth. I wanted to stuff my mouth full as usual, but I couldn't, which was disappointing.
It was a good experience. I realized pancakes could serve as a meal. Even though they might not be filling, I could still tell the portion size.
After finishing our meal, we headed to the movie theater. A space filled with caramel scent. Even after looking around briefly, we still had plenty of time. The Professor printed the reserved tickets amidst the bustling crowd.
They showed me a paper that looked like a receipt, fluttering it. As I held it with a furrowed brow, the Professor kindly explained what was written on it.
"The... School?"
"It's a horror movie set in a school."
"Is an Academy different from a school?"
"The educational process is different. Schools teach basic knowledge or skills useful for work, while Academies teach specialized knowledge. People go there if they want to get into better companies or have other aspirations."
The Professor explained the difference between Academies and schools, then pointed to the popcorn counter beyond.
"Let's get popcorn and cola too."
"Popcorn, cola."
I thought the caramel scent was nice, and since we were buying it directly, I had no reason to refuse.
I hugged the popcorn to my chest. Every time I sniffed, the sweet smell tickled my nose, and I unconsciously leaned forward.
"Haup."
"Oh! Urr, why are you eating like that? I'll feed you."
Since both my arms were hugging the popcorn, I was burying my face in it to eat. The Professor exclaimed in alarm and offered me popcorn. I ate that too.
"Is it good?"
"It's good."
"That's great. Urr likes sweet things, I see."
The Professor chuckled and told me to follow closely. Both of the Professor's hands were full with cola, so they couldn't hold my hand. Well, I wasn't weak enough to get lost without hand-holding, so I followed the Professor well.
"Is it here?"
"It says Theater 4. Over there."
We sat in the movie theater. Advertisements started playing, and soon all the lights in the theater went out.
At first, it was fine. The setting was a school with a bright atmosphere, so I just quietly munched on popcorn. But as the movie progressed, strange hints appeared, the background music gradually changed to something unsettling and bizarre, and the atmosphere suddenly transformed.
Hugging the popcorn, I clenched my fist, not knowing what to do. Realizing this wasn't the time to be hugging popcorn, I quickly put it down by my feet and scooted closer to the Professor.
The Professor whispered just loud enough for me to hear:
"What's wrong? Urr, are you scared?"
"...Ah, th-that's not it..."
At that moment, a terrifying ghost appeared in the hallway with a "BOOM!" Startled with a "hik," I buried my face in the Professor's chest. Given the state of the seats, that's just where I ended up when I leaned over.
The Professor embraced my shoulders. With my eyes tightly shut and ears covered, I could only feel the Professor's touch.
I learned for the first time that I can't handle scary things.