"Are you trying to kill me again this time?"
I couldn't say anything in response to those words. When she asked me that in Urr's calm voice, I felt strangely guilty.
I shook my head.
Whether it was the Demon God or Urr, in this situation, I had to kill the Demon God. With such a menacing aura emanating from her, I couldn't possibly claim she was safe for the Academy or the other students.
Ding.
My phone rang in my pocket. When I checked, there was a message alerting me to the Demon God's location. They were sending me notifications to deal with it quickly...
I know, I already know. She's right in front of me.
I pressed my lips together and groaned. Then I clenched my fist tightly.
"Yes, I have to kill you. If I don't, neither you nor Urr will be able to stay here."
"I see."
The Demon God answered calmly and then maintained her silence.
I thought she would fight back, saying something like she wouldn't let me kill her this time, but there was no sign of that in her demeanor. She just seemed to accept it with a casual "I see," as if she genuinely understood.
No, that might just be my wishful thinking.
Honestly, her voice and expression seemed so calm and emotionless that I couldn't really tell what she was feeling. I had to gauge her only by the atmosphere and what she said.
It felt ridiculous to say "I'm going to kill you," and equally absurd to get angry and say "I'll kill you," so I quietly raised my hand.
What if she counterattacks? What if other students nearby get hurt? Countless thoughts raced through my mind. But my hand didn't stop moving toward the Demon God's neck.
I managed to grab the Demon God's neck. It was possible because she didn't resist at all. I felt silly for being so tense when my opponent wasn't even trying to resist.
My palms felt sweaty.
I drew up my magical power and was about to cut off the Demon God's breath in one go when she opened her mouth.
"Can I see it too?"
"...What?"
I carefully opened my eyes that I had squeezed shut. I parted my tightly clenched lips and let out a confused voice.
The Demon God, sitting on the flowerbed with her neck in my grip, looked up at me as if she had no intention of resisting.
"The things that this one saw."
"...This one?"
"The one you called 'Urr.'"
Not knowing what to do, I frowned in confusion. I tightened my grip and controlled the mana with my magical power, sending force into the Demon God's body.
"..."
Her face turned red, then the strength left her eyes and she died. I killed her just the same when she regained consciousness.
The body of the twenty-five-year-old adult gradually shrank. The clothes that had fit perfectly began to hang loose again, and the aura of power that had been fluctuating around the Demon God diminished until it disappeared completely.
"..."
I could have killed her more, but with people watching, I couldn't. I just frowned at the shrunken Demon God.
I turned my head and addressed the students standing at a distance beyond the reach of the aura.
"It's safe now. Please be careful on your way home."
"Thank you. I was startled when the Demon God suddenly appeared."
"Aren't you going to kill it more?"
"Is this the Demon God that was said to be with you? Does its body grow and shrink?"
I was planning to roughly send them away and take the Demon God to the Research Building, but now that the situation was over, the students who couldn't approach earlier out of fear came forward with curiosity and kept asking questions.
I wished they would just walk away. I wasn't in the mood to explain anything.
With Urr gone and the Demon God here, my mind was troubled.
"I have something to take care of, so I'm busy right now. If we meet later, you can ask me then."
After making that excuse, I picked up the Demon God with one hand. She wasn't light, but it wasn't something I couldn't lift with my strength.
I turned toward the Research Building. The police officers had apparently finished their work and disappeared, leaving only the scene preserved. I passed by and headed to the laboratory.
"...So, what do you want to see?"
"Just things that aren't boring."
I couldn't understand her purpose.
"What's not boring?"
"There must be something. What did this Urr person accumulate?"
The Demon God, who seemed comfortable in her smaller body, sat in her seat with an indifferent expression and continued to ask questions.
It was annoying.
I wanted to quickly get rid of the Demon God and bring Urr back, but I was hesitant to force it since no one knew what would happen next.
"Urr just made friends here and had fun."
"Friends."
The Demon God tilted her head.
It was clearly Urr's usual appearance, but her expressions were so different that I could immediately tell she was someone else. Even when Urr was expressionless, I would think she was just blank or lost in thought, but this Demon God only made me feel afraid.
Was I feeling this disconnect because she accepted death so calmly?
"I don't understand."
"...By the way, what's your name?"
I asked casually. As I threw out questions trying to gather all the information I could, the Demon God stared at me quietly before speaking easily, as if she had nothing to hide.
"I am Ouroboros. Myself as I define myself."
The Demon God said that and then got up from the chair.
"I circulate endlessly. I exist continuously. I am eternity itself, a perfect being that does not die."
It sounded like something a chuunibyou kid would say.
But my opponent was a Demon God, and I knew she was the kind of being who could think of herself as perfect, just as she said. She didn't die even when killed, and she didn't just get younger and die but returned to her adult form—that's how she demonstrated her perfection.
The point she returns to might be her prime physical state.
"Then why did you die so easily earlier?"
"If you're curious, pay the price."
"Price?"
I was going to keep asking questions since she seemed to be answering easily, but she suddenly changed her mind, shook her head, and set a condition.
I thought the Demon God's condition would be formidable, but it wasn't as difficult as I expected.
"Show me exactly what this Urr person did."
"...What are you after?"
"Exactly what I said."
I was worried because I couldn't figure out what she was aiming for.
Since I couldn't read the Demon God's expression, I decided to do as she said for now and kept my mouth shut.
"This is taking a long time."
"...That's because you suddenly grew and caused a commotion."
"I'm sorry about that."
I couldn't tell if she was sincere or not.
Late at night, when I was finally able to leave work, I sighed deeply and headed home.
I had thought I would have a peaceful day with Urr, but that was just my dream. It never came true.
"So you live in a place like this."
"Most people do."
After entering the house, the Demon God looked around the room. She turned her head this way and that as if seeing everything for the first time, seeming somewhat fascinated.
"Ouroboros?"
"What."
"No, I was wondering if there's anything you want to eat. Urr always eats meals."
When I said that, the Demon God paused and tilted her head.
"Eat?"
"Food."
"What?"
"I said, eating food."
She made an expression of incomprehension.
"But I'm a being that doesn't need food?"
"You said you wanted to know what Urr did in her life."
The Demon God paused and then nodded slightly.
"Well, if that's the case."
What I could tell right away was that the Demon God was curious about the life Urr had lived. I was also afraid that if she hadn't been aware of Urr's existence, she might have gone around killing people in confusion.
It was fortunate that there were no fatalities. Only one second-year student was injured, and I couldn't understand why he had been stabbed with a knife. Where did the knife even come from?
Time passed, and the delivery arrived.
Today was the day I had planned to eat pizza with Urr. So I ordered pizza, and the Demon God, seemingly curious about the smell, came over and ran her hand over the box.
"What is this?"
"It's called pizza. I was originally going to eat it with Urr today."
"...I see."
I thought she might say something more, but the Demon God said nothing and took a seat beside me.
"Eat."
When I placed a slice of pizza in her small hands, the Demon God barely managed to hold it using both hands. Then, after watching how I ate, she tried to imitate me.
Her clumsy handling caused the cheese and toppings to scatter, but she seemed to find the bread, sauce, and some toppings tasty enough and nodded.
"I thought I didn't need to eat, but if it's like this, I might change my mind."
"Really? Urr thought the same thing."
"That's because we're the same Demon God."
The Demon God tossed out her answer as if stating the obvious.
She picked up the dripping cheese and toppings with her fingers and stuffed them into her mouth. While Urr would eat daintily, this one ate like a primitive human.
Though the way she stuffed her cheeks full like a hamster was exactly like Urr.
These subtle differences made my emotions feel increasingly jumbled.
"Did you also want to do what Urr wanted to do?"
"I don't know what Urr wanted to do."
"Just making friends, hanging out, doing various things."
"...Anything as long as it's not boring."
The Demon God said that and continued putting pizza into her mouth.
As long as it's not boring. Huh, that's a simpler wish than I expected.
I felt frustrated because I couldn't tell what her true intentions were, but if this was sincere, it seemed like such a small thing that I was confused.
If she really just wanted to fill her boredom, would anything do? I broke out in a cold sweat at the thought.
The Demon God must have found the pizza delicious because she kept nodding and devoured six slices all by herself.