Throughout the class, I was half-embraced by Sera. When I heard the professor saying the lecture was over, I gently pushed Sera away.
"I'm hot now."
At my words, Sera relaxed her arms and let herself be pushed away. Freed from the small pressure, I quietly looked at the paper in front of me.
Traces of unfinished letter practice. On the other hand, thinking it could be evidence that I was focusing on the lecture, I decided I should show it to the professor.
As I gathered and neatly arranged all the papers, Sera, who had been quietly watching me, casually spoke up.
"What are you doing now, Urr?"
"Going to eat. With the professor."
"Eat? So Urr eats food?"
"It's delicious."
After saying that, I hugged the papers to my chest. As I was struggling to put them away after getting down from the chair, Sera reached out to help me. Watching her silently, I glanced at Sera.
I fidgeted with my mouth before putting the papers away, and Sera chuckled.
"You could say thank you."
"...Isn't it optional?"
"No."
I could have done it myself. But help is still help.
"...Thank you."
"Don't mention it~"
Sera, who answered glibly, put the chair that had moved several times back in its place and swept all her belongings into her bag at once. I watched carefully, wondering if that was okay, but realized there was surprisingly skilled technique in it that showed her three years of experience.
As I stared blankly at the books being neatly organized into her bag, Sera tapped my shoulder and urged me to get going.
"We should go now."
"Are you going home?"
"Home... home would be nice, but I'm planning to eat out today."
It seems she usually goes home to eat. I won't ask for details though.
"What are you going to eat?"
"Since I'll be eating with Urr, you can decide."
Eating with Urr. ...That's me?
Since I'd never heard about eating with Sera before, I felt like my thoughts momentarily froze. Questions like "Why am I eating with Sera?" and "Why do I have to decide the menu?" mixed together as I looked at her.
"Me, me?"
In the end, I couldn't voice my questions. I just made a silly sound while looking at where Sera was.
As I pointed at myself with my finger, Sera laughed, "Pfft."
"Well, eating with the professor might not be so bad either?"
"...Is that true."
While other students seemed to dread the professor, Sera seemed to think that eating with the professor was okay too. She was unusual.
As I looked up at Sera with a dumbfounded voice, she gently patted my head.
"Of course, bathing together might be a bit much."
"...I suppose so."
Since the lecture was over, some students were rushing home, while others approached me saying they finally had time.
"Hello, Urr?"
"It's Urr... she always sits next to Sera, just like before."
I waved back at the girls who were slightly waving at me. A student with dark circles under her eyes, despite the semester just starting, looked back and forth between me and Sera.
Sera gave a wry smile at that voice and poked my cheek.
"Maybe it's just because I sit in the corner, so I feel more familiar?"
"Then I'll sit in the corner too... I want to sit there next time!"
"No way. One person knowing how it feels to hug Urr is enough."
The student who had asked Sera to give up her seat gave a bitter smile as if she couldn't help it.
Sera, who was hugging me tightly, seemed to be showing possessiveness, but then stepped back at my nod.
"I'm Panasia, nice to meet you?"
Panasia's distinctive feature was her purple hair. The red eyes visible through it made for a strangely fascinating combination.
"I'm Davi."
Davi had gray hair and blue eyes. Compared to the other tall, busty girls, she seemed more similar to me.
The height difference wasn't that big either, so maybe we could become friends easily.
Setting aside my personal thoughts, I glanced at the platform. The professor was standing quietly at the lectern, perhaps wanting to give me time to talk.
I noticed him also answering questions from students who had become curious on their way out.
Thinking he might be waiting for me, I created an atmosphere to end this gathering.
"...Panasia, Davi. Yes, I'll remember. I have to go with the professor now, so I'll be going...!"
Honestly, I don't think I ended it naturally, but there's no better excuse than saying the professor is waiting.
Leaving Panasia and Davi behind, I hurried over to the professor.
"Professor!"
"Oh my, Urr, be careful not to fall."
"Eh."
Just as the professor said that, I felt my belt suddenly slip down. With my eyes wide open, I hesitated for a moment about what to do.
If I grabbed my skirt, the papers I was hugging might scatter unstably. If I kept hugging the papers, my skirt might fall down.
Many thoughts crossed my mind, but unable to match the speed of those thoughts, I tripped over my skirt and fell forward.
Thump.
The professor caught me from the front. Thanks to the short distance, I was able to avoid the misfortune of rolling on the floor.
"...You should be more careful. Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay..."
A skirt was originally a loose garment for the lower body. So its disadvantage was that you could only tell by the feeling of it wrapping around your waist. Even if the skirt was folded, the wearer wouldn't know.
But it wasn't good news when the wearer knew there was a problem. It meant the skirt was a mess, and now with my skirt caught around my ankles, I felt like dying of embarrassment.
Why, why do these things only happen in the third-year classroom?
It was really strange. Of course, if we talk about probability, I have nothing to say, but it was so embarrassing that I just wanted to bury my head somewhere and blame someone else.
As I buried my face in the professor's chest and held my breath, Sera, who had been following, grabbed my shoulder.
"U-Urr! You need to put it on first...!"
Sera said that and grabbed my skirt. The small weight I felt on my feet suddenly disappeared. Thanks to Sera's touch, my skirt returned to my waist, but I was so embarrassed that I wanted to hide like this.
The professor stroked my back a few times.
"It's okay. Shall we go like this?"
"..."
I shook my head. I refused because I thought the embarrassment would double if we went to the lab stuck together like this. Behind the professor's bitter smile, Sera's voice pierced my ears from behind.
"Come to think of it, are pink stripes your style, Urr?"
"!"
It was a small voice, but the problem was that I heard it.
What if someone else hears! Of course, some people might have already seen, but those who didn't see should just be left not seeing...!
It was embarrassing, but I was going to express this indignation toward Sera who was maximizing my embarrassment. I raised my head and turned sharply toward Sera, only to headbutt her chest.
Thump.
It was the same feeling as before. I didn't mean to bump into her that hard, but I also didn't intend to bump into something so soft, so the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
I narrowed my brow for a moment and tried to get away from Sera, but she grabbed my head slightly to prevent me from escaping.
"If you like me that much, just say so."
"Th-that's not it."
Having barely detached my face, I pouted and turned my head sharply. When I reached out to the professor asking to be saved from Sera, the professor slightly extended his hand to me.
Moving to the professor's side, I buried my head there and looked up slightly.
Can't you hear this voice in my heart screaming that I want to get away from this classroom, from these gazes?
"Rather than a preference, it's just buying what fits the size..."
Meanwhile, the professor was answering Sera's comment for me. You don't need to explain such things in detail.
Apparently he couldn't hear me, so I barely extended two fingers to pull on the professor's sleeve. Then the professor said, "Okay, okay," and after a brief greeting to Sera, we left.
We had left the classroom, but I could still feel the gazes of third-year students who hadn't yet left the vicinity. So I stuck close to the professor's side as we walked down the corridor.
Just as we were getting away, Sera followed us with quick steps from behind.
"Professor!"
"Yes? What is it? Do you have a question? Then come to the lab first. Urr seems to want to go quickly."
"Ah, about that..."
Sera scratched her cheek.
As soon as we arrived at the lab, Sera voiced her request, and the professor tilted his head.
"You want to eat together? You want to eat with Urr, but not just the two of you, is that it?"
"...Y-yes, something like that?"
Sera was really amazing. She was willing to endure the awkwardness of dining with the professor just to eat with me. She didn't seem like an ordinary person. Quite stubborn.
"Well, it's partly because of Urr, but I also want to get closer to you, Professor... ahaha."
Sera's dry laughter proved her awkwardness. The professor already knew this and brushed it off as a joke.
"That's fine. It's good for Urr to have many friends who get along well with her."
"Oh, really? Then will you also talk to me about my academic path?"
Sera continued the conversation, clapping her hands together with a sound.