The professor called for me after checking on all the Institute Students' research progress.
"Urr, let's head back now."
"Okay. I'll be going now. Take care, Lenya."
As I got up from my chair and said goodbye, Lenya waved back at me.
"Yeah, see you. I'll contact you later."
"Got it."
Since we'd exchanged contact information, we could now talk even without meeting in person.
After saying goodbye to Lenya, I followed the professor back. When we returned to the Laboratory, as expected, the others who had been contacted earlier were already gathered around the desk.
Sera, Aria, and Karen.
"You're all here already. Did you wait long?"
The professor greeted the students who were already seated.
"Not at all. I was just helping Karen with her studies."
Sera pointed to Karen, who was studying with an open book. Judging by the pile of books borrowed from the Library and textbooks, she seemed to be working hard.
"Hello."
"Ah, hello!"
Aria greeted us next, followed by Karen, who looked up startled from her concentration to greet the professor.
"Hi."
I waved my hand in greeting.
Their reaction to my greeting was somewhat lukewarm. Especially Aria's.
Her gaze remained fixed on me without wavering. Even as she turned her head and tilted it curiously, her eyes stayed locked on me, making me hesitate in the strange atmosphere.
"...What's going on?"
I glanced at the professor wondering if she knew, but she just looked puzzled.
"I thought Urr would come dressed as a cat."
"T-there's no way that would happen."
I responded in horror, and behind me, Karen, who had reacted to the keyword "cat," slammed her desk.
"Ah, right! Urr's cat pajamas...!"
"Didn't everyone get pajamas from Sera...?"
As I turned away, sweating profusely, protests came that those were different things.
"Seeing Urr wearing it is different from me wearing it."
"Senior is right. Just having a mouse isn't enough. We need a cat too!"
That was an unfair statement if any mouse were to hear it.
Saying a mouse needs to be with its natural predator—that would be a horrific scene in itself.
I glanced at Sera, who was quietly standing by, and she just shrugged as if she'd already enjoyed the situation enough.
"Only the brave who overcome embarrassment in front of the professor can claim Urr kitty like this."
My shoulders slumped at her peculiar way of speaking, as if she was imitating something she'd seen somewhere. Sera concentrated well when studying, but in situations like this, it was hard to tell if she was just playful or simply eccentric.
In the chaotic atmosphere, fearing they might suggest a pajama party for our Study Group, I struggled to open my mouth.
"If we came to study, we should study! I'm going to study writing!"
I shouted, and the Laboratory instantly fell silent.
Since I rarely raised my voice, after shouting, I was just huffing unnecessarily. I felt short of breath.
To calm my tight chest, I took deep breaths while heaving. The professor, standing beside me, seemed startled too but soon patted my back as if telling me to calm down.
I felt a bit better than before.
"Sorry..."
"I'm sorry! I'll buy you cute underwear too."
"...Huh?"
Just as I was regretting shouting because Karen seemed genuinely apologetic, Sera clasped her hands together and spoke up.
Then I remembered that Sera was the one who had seen my underwear here. I was dumbfounded that she could so boldly offer to buy me cute underwear.
I had hoped for an atmosphere of "Sorry for the commotion, let's study," but there was something slightly twisted in Sera's demeanor.
"W-wait a moment... Sera?"
"What color was it? White?"
I grabbed my skirt hem tightly and pulled it down in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Aria was asking about my underwear color.
That was truly outrageous.
Not knowing what to do, I looked up at the professor, who had a slightly dejected expression.
"It's just that when I went shopping, that was the only size available for Urr... Maybe light blue would have been better."
"W-w-w-wait, Professor? Let's study, study..."
I thought it might have been better to stick with the pajama conversation.
When the topic shifted to underwear, the professor became dejected. The noisy atmosphere had disappeared, but it felt like a serious discussion forum had opened, which was incredibly burdensome.
I grabbed the professor's sleeve tightly while sweating.
With my other hand, I held onto my skirt hem firmly, determined not to let go.
"Urr wants to study, so let's focus on studying first."
The professor nodded in the now quieter atmosphere.
I went to my seat and sat down. Even with four people, there were still two chairs left. The professor grabbed one and pulled it to the head position before plopping down.
"First, I'll review the third-years' graduation theses. For the freshman, the third-years will either provide study guides or recommend books. If you're still unsure about anything, ask me."
"Yes!"
Karen nodded.
The briefly confusing atmosphere seemed to have been erased by the professor's words.
"Ah, then could you take a look at the magic formula I created recently?"
"What's this?"
Sera pulled out a thick document from her bag.
The professor received it and scanned the title with her eyes.
"It's the magic that made Urr bigger before, but it turned off after just a few seconds. I'm not sure if there's a problem somewhere or if it's just not supposed to work and was forced to run temporarily."
"Ah, that's the one you mentioned when Urr grew bigger."
As Sera added her explanation, the professor nodded as if remembering.
She seemed interested and turned the pages. With each page that fluttered by, Sera's back straightened more tensely.
It was impressive how she kept glancing to see the professor's reaction.
"...Hmm, I think it's better to avoid magic that affects the body in some way."
"Is that so..."
"It's legally questionable, and we don't know what effects magic that arbitrarily changes a person's physical age might have on the body. Plus, the human body is constantly changing."
Having finished reading, the professor returned the document to Sera.
"Cells keep changing, and temporarily inflating them with magic and then reverting them seems related to time, but it's more like an illusion that can't be maintained for more than a few seconds."
"I see."
After receiving the professor's feedback, Sera made a sound like sucking in air and reviewed her small thesis again.
She looked it over again, but her worried expression showed no signs of clearing as the professor's words seemed to linger in her mind. Furrowing her brow, Sera closed the document and set it aside.
"Ah, I guess I need to choose a different topic. Maybe I should write a thesis about Demon Gods with Urr..."
"Weren't you in the Dept. of Spellcraft, Sera?"
I asked Sera while holding a pen and scribbling.
I wondered if it was appropriate for someone from the Dept. of Spellcraft to submit a Demon God-related graduation thesis. I was asking partly because I genuinely didn't know if it was allowed.
Sera took out a new notebook and stared at me.
"Well, something like 'Methods of Engraving Demon God Magic into Magic Circles.' Wouldn't that be good?"
"That sounds like something the Institute would cover."
The professor tapped her pen.
It seemed like a good attempt, but the topic might have been too profound for a third-year graduation thesis, as the professor cautioned against it.
"Then I'll save that for later..."
At that, Sera backed down and began exploring other topics.
By third year, students know it's best to retreat when a professor says something seems too difficult or unlikely to work.
After Sera's feedback ended, she fell into contemplation. Aria, sitting next to her, glanced at Sera before addressing the professor.
"Then how about a thesis on the intersection between Elves' special magic and Demon Gods?"
"Special magic? ...It depends on the confidentiality level, but I think documenting that itself might be somewhat disadvantageous."
"I was thinking of writing within the permissible scope."
Seeing Aria asking for advice, the professor closed her eyes and seemed to be deeply considering something.
"Well, if it's within an acceptable range, it should be fine. It's a graduation thesis, not a submission to an academic society. Aria, you can proceed with that."
"Professor, Professor."
After the professor finished her advice, I reached out from the side to call her.
"What is it, Urr?"
"Is a graduation thesis different from other theses?"
"Well, yes. Papers registered with academic societies have your name published and such, but graduation theses focus more on creativity, so you don't have to delve too deeply into the subject, which is an advantage."
The professor gently stroked my head.
"Even if there's some overlap, they might turn a blind eye and let you graduate as long as it's not plagiarism."
"...Oh."
"Why? Are you interested too, Urr?"
"I want to see the growing magic."
As I nodded in response, the professor smiled bitterly.
"...As I said before, I don't think such magic exists."
"Hieek..."
The professor shattered my hopes.
When would I ever grow? Surely I wouldn't have to wait years just to get bigger?
My face turned pale at the thought of how many years I might have to live before returning to my original form.