A black cat.
When I raised my head, I couldn't see it clearly, but I could feel its soft texture. Playing with the triangular ears felt nice and squishy.
I looked up and touched them. The Professor, who had been peeking at me from behind, grabbed the tail near my backside and showed it to me.
"It's Urr's tail."
The Professor waved the black tail in front of my eyes. After staring at it quietly, I gently took it from the Professor and held it tight.
It was fluffy. When I squeezed it, it felt just as soft. The good thing was that I could feel the sensation of the ears without having to raise my hands. Though the tail was much thicker and softer.
I held the middle part and wiggled it. When I showed it off to the Professor and Sera, Sera nodded with satisfaction.
"It suits you perfectly. Short sleeves and dolphin pants are nice too, but I thought having pajamas like this would be good..."
I quietly observed Sera's peculiar way of speaking, as if she was talking to me but actually addressing the Professor.
Sera looked at the Professor for approval, and the Professor nodded.
"It definitely suits Urr well. Thank you."
"Hehe, I'm glad you like it, Urr."
"Mmm."
Sera smiled at the Professor's words of gratitude.
"Would it be okay if I wore mine too...? I just want to take one picture with Urr before I go."
"Well... you did give us a gift."
Being a third-year student, she seemed comfortable enough to suggest wearing pajamas in front of the Professor.
I wasn't sure if that was actually acceptable regardless of how comfortable she felt. But since our Professor nodded, I guess it was okay?
"Thank you!"
Sera exclaimed before grabbing her pajamas and dashing out of the laboratory.
After Sera left, the Professor glanced at me and patted my head.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes, I love it."
I nodded while holding onto the tail. The Professor gave me a gentle smile.
I sat in the chair and waited quietly. Sera opened the laboratory door and made her presence known.
Gray mouse pajamas. Sera put down her black uniform and pulled up the hood. Unlike mine, hers had slightly round and flat ears.
Sera put her hands on her ears with a "ta-da" effect. When she tapped them, it caught my attention.
"A set with Urr. Super cute, right?"
"Oh... but why is Sera a mouse?"
"Because Urr is a cat, of course!"
Sera looked at me as if I'd asked something obvious.
"If we had all different animals, it would be like a zoo, but this way there's a concept, you know?"
"Concept...?"
"By the way, did you hear that Aria and Karen are also going to be mice?"
"I think I... heard that..."
Me as a cat and everyone else as mice. It felt strange somehow.
Sera clapped her hands to change the mood. She grabbed my arm as I sat in the chair and pulled me toward her.
I made a sound like "uh" but then relaxed and let Sera take control. Being embraced while wearing animal pajamas, Sera nodded and said, "Good." Suddenly, her phone was held high in her hand.
I fixed my eyes on the selfie mode. I stared blankly. Sera tried to find the right pose to look good with me, then gently pressed her face against mine.
"Do we have to go this far?"
The good thing was that we weren't touching bare skin thanks to the hoods. Still, taking a picture with our faces pressed together felt strange.
"This is how we get super cute photos."
Click.
Sera nodded, saying it was good no matter what. With the shutter sound, one photo was saved.
After fiddling with her phone, she showed me the first picture.
"What do you think?"
I looked at Sera's phone quietly, then held it out to the Professor who was sitting and watching.
"Professor! Look at this! What do you think?"
"It came out cute. You two look good together."
The Professor nodded.
I was satisfied, and the Professor liked it too, so I felt a surge of contentment.
I smiled and hummed. Sera reached out her hand for her phone, so I gave it back.
With her phone in hand, Sera gestured to me again and pointed the lens. It seemed like she wanted to take more pictures.
"Taking more?"
"After overcoming my shyness to wear pajamas in front of the Professor, I need to get my money's worth. Wouldn't it be nice to take some solo shots of Urr and send them to the Professor?"
"That sounds good."
Just as I was hesitating, I heard the Professor's voice agreeing to Sera's suggestion with a smile.
Since the Professor thought it was a good idea, I nodded. Oh well. If both Sera and the Professor were fine with it, there was no reason for me to make a fuss.
It's not like I'll wear out from having my picture taken a few times.
"Then let's take them quickly. You have a lecture soon, right?"
"Right. It'll be super easy if Urr cooperates."
Sera nodded repeatedly. Then she started giving me directions.
"Raise both arms! Like you're going to eat something!"
"Like... this?"
I raised my hands stiffly like I was being punished. Sera shook her head.
"No, more like this."
Sera imitated the pose I had made. She said this was how to do it, slightly bending her arms. She explained that these details mattered as she curled her fingers like claws and showed me.
I wondered if we really needed to go this far for a photo.
I thought we were just taking pajama pictures, but suddenly it turned into a concept photoshoot.
"Urr is so cute!"
I didn't realize the Professor was still there. Sera's exclamation was so confident that for a moment I felt foolish.
When I turned my head slightly toward where the Professor was, I saw the Professor clapping too.
"Our Urr is so cute."
The sound of clapping from both sides gave me a strange feeling. It was an indescribable feeling.
I hadn't really done anything special, but being praised felt weird. Yet, being praised wasn't so bad, and I found myself smiling slightly.
When I let out a small "heh" laugh, Sera pressed the shutter again.
The clicking sound continued repeatedly.
She told me to stand and make a threatening expression, then to sit and look thoughtful.
I tried to move my body in different ways and make various expressions.
But either my body wouldn't move as I wanted, or my mixed feelings showed through, because my stiff expression was clearly visible in the photos.
"Look at Urr's expression, Professor. Doesn't she look like a shy child who can't make proper faces?"
"I know. Our Urr seems a bit weak at this kind of thing."
"I'm not a child. I can grow up too."
While the Professor and Sera were giggling, I pouted and said that.
After taking several solo shots of me, I checked the time. It seemed like Sera would soon need to leave for her afternoon lecture.
"Shouldn't you be heading back soon?"
"Oh! I lost track of time. Let's plan for one more shot later... Professor, I'm really sorry, but could you take one picture for us?"
The Professor seemed surprised by Sera's request, opening her eyes wide.
I knew such requests could be awkward, but Sera seemed to think she had gotten close enough to the Professor because of me to make such a bold request.
The Professor, who had been staring blankly, gave a wry smile.
"Really. This is the first student who's approached me so casually. I'm a professor, but you treat me almost like a friend's mother."
"Oh, that's not it! If anything, Professor, you're more like an older sister~ You're too young to be called a mother."
Sera waved both hands as she spoke.
The Professor chuckled and nodded. With a rather bright expression, she took Sera's phone.
"So? How should I take it?"
I was curious about that too. If she needed the Professor to take the picture, it must be a pose that was difficult to capture in selfie mode, so I was interested in what kind of pose she was planning.
After a slight pause, Sera cleared her throat and moved the chair away from the desk. With a scraping sound, a small space was created, and Sera lay down slightly in that spot.
"When Urr makes that 'rawr!' pose like she's going to eat something, please take the picture then."
"Ah, like a cat catching a mouse?"
"Yes, exactly!"
Sera's eyes sparkled as she spoke, and the Professor nodded in understanding. Then the Professor's gaze turned to me.
It was a look that said, "Let's take one and be done." I could see the same look from Sera, and my body froze.
Huh? I stood there blankly for a moment, then looked down at Sera lying there.
I found it slightly puzzling that someone taller than me was lying below me. It took incredible nerve to do this in the Professor's laboratory just for a photo.
But since everyone was so enthusiastic, and I was somehow pleased by being called cute, I stepped forward willingly.
"R-rawr..."
"Kyaa— Urr is a kitty!"
As I raised my hands in a predatory pose, Sera contorted her face cutely with a performance full of passion.
And at the same time, click, the photo was taken.
"...That was amazing. Professor, I'll definitely send this to you."
"Good. Send it to Urr, and I'll get it from her."
It seemed like some kind of bond had formed between the Professor and Sera.