To be honest, I was too busy.
The commotion that happened yesterday was so big that even though it was Saturday, I couldn't enjoy a relaxing day.
"I'm exhausted."
I let out a deep sigh.
I was on my way back from explaining things to the Academy's Academic Society, and it was a headache because the older members seemed to think that just because an incident occurred, they needed to hold someone responsible—specifically me.
It took so much time and mental energy to make them understand. I felt completely drained after finally reaching a conclusion on an issue that should have been settled with a simple "Oh, I see."
Fortunately, they didn't immediately blame everything on me. Thanks to the police providing additional CCTV footage, albeit belatedly. Without it, they would have certainly accused me of negligence.
The truth that "the Demon God tried to kill a student and escape" had shifted toward "the student provoked the Demon God and suffered the consequences."
"What is it?"
"...Having to explain everything because they questioned my responsibility for you walking around the Academy exuding Aura and stabbing a student."
After I vented, the Demon God tilted her head curiously beside me.
"I didn't kill him. I had no intention to. Wouldn't it be excessive to end someone's life when my own life hasn't been ended?"
Her way of thinking was peculiar no matter when I heard it.
He probably would have died, but her indifference to death made it seem like death wasn't really death to her, which was strange.
If it had been Urr... would Urr have cried?
Maybe her nonchalance was natural. It was Urr who got stabbed, not Ouroboros. This one chose death with full preparation, but Urr didn't.
According to Sera, the student had asked to join the Study Group, then stabbed Urr while they were walking together. I worried about how betrayed Urr must have felt.
It was a troubling moment. I sighed deeply with my hands clasped together. After slumping my shoulders and moistening my dry lips several times, the Demon God beside me stared at me intently.
"What's wrong?"
"...I was wondering if Urr felt pain when she was stabbed to death."
When I expressed my complicated feelings, the Demon God tilted her head.
"I don't know. Was she fragile?"
"A little."
"Then she probably cried. Being immortal doesn't mean you don't feel pain."
Looking at the Demon God's calm response, I thought, she really is a Demon God.
Even though they're different personas, does she treat her own persona strictly? Or can she speak that way because she knows herself best?
Still, since I was the one who had been directly observing Urr, I couldn't help but worry. My biggest concern was what state Urr would be in the next time she appeared.
Saturday afternoon had arrived.
There was no immediate directive on what to do with Urr or Ouroboros. No matter how many times you killed her, she wouldn't die, so any conclusion would be impossible to implement.
As a result, no definitive conclusion was reached.
That was fortunate. If she had been a Demon God who could be killed like others, an execution order might have been issued already.
"That student who stabbed you was in my class. If you emerged because of him, it's reasonable to assume he killed Urr."
I felt bitter knowing one of my students harbored such feelings toward Urr.
Actually, it wasn't strange at all. It felt exactly like looking at my past self.
Why was I so different now compared to then? Had my thoughts changed because Urr had started to occupy space in my heart?
That could be it. If I went back to that time without knowing Urr existed, I would probably walk the same path. I couldn't blame anyone.
During that sensitive period, having a Demon God appear before him might have prompted him to prepare a knife, thinking it was his chance.
"Reasonable? It was definitely him. Don't you believe me?"
"It's not about trust. The problem is that people don't believe Demon Gods."
Hearing my words, the Demon God tilted her head and said, "Hmm," then told me:
"Do they consider everything others say to be lies?"
"More precisely, everything Demon Gods say."
"I understand."
The Demon God didn't push her own thoughts.
I was grateful that she stepped back after I explained, accepting that it could be that way.
I was already being pressured enough by the Academic Society and higher-ups; I probably couldn't have handled an argument here.
"Let's go back."
"What will you feed me today?"
"...You don't get full even when you eat."
"But Urr ate, didn't she?"
I can't argue with that.
"What I ate yesterday was good too."
"You can't live eating the same things all the time."
When I said that, the Demon God put her hand on her chin. Hearing her mutter "Come to think of it..." made it seem like she really intended to enjoy everything to the fullest before leaving.
"How satisfied do you need to be before you go back?"
"...Well, from your perspective, I must be an unwelcome guest. Hmm, five nights?"
The Demon God thought for a moment, then stretched out her hand to show me. Her small hand spread wide as if trying to grow bigger, which made me smile a little.
Five nights, huh.
"So after that time, you'll switch with Urr?"
"Yes, but I'd prefer not to waste days pointlessly."
"Alright. Today, let's eat out before going home."
She didn't seem to have any desire to steal this daily life, even promising to go back after five days. She even added that I shouldn't let her spend that time carelessly, which seemed meticulous.
It sounded too gentle to be a warning, almost like a request.
I didn't feel like something terrible would happen if I disobeyed.
Still, knowing that Ouroboros, the main persona, wasn't bad, I didn't want to treat her poorly. She didn't wield her terrifying power or do anything threatening; she just quietly followed me around, so there was no reason to be mean to her.
I took out Urr's ID badge from my pocket and scanned it at the reader.
We moved outside the Academy. I spent a while wondering where to go with Ouroboros. Since we'd already had pizza, I thought about trying something new and looked around.
Something cool because it's hot? Soba?
I wasn't sure if Ouroboros would like that. Deciding to avoid anything she might find too unusual, I thought of something else.
Since she seemed to like cheese, I figured she might enjoy fried food too, so I took her to a place that served tonkatsu.
"This place serves fried meat. They have sirloin, tenderloin, chicken, fish, all sorts of things."
I handed her the menu. The Demon God looked at me indifferently. She didn't even seem interested in looking at the menu, not bothering to lower her head.
Her gaze dropped briefly before returning to me.
"What's wrong?"
I asked, hoping she would express any dissatisfaction she had. The Demon God answered quietly:
"I don't know what those are. Anything is fine."
She meant she didn't have the knowledge to distinguish between sirloin and tenderloin. Seeing her reaction of "How is sirloin different from tenderloin?" made me realize that was understandable.
After scanning the menu, I just ordered the most expensive assortment.
It was a luxurious menu with one of each type. Though expensive, considering the quantity, it was worth the price, so I didn't feel it was wasteful.
"Oh."
The Demon God first sniffed at the tonkatsu placed in front of her.
Seeing how well she ate what I gave her before, she didn't seem to have any aversion to food.
It's probably the same principle as not killing people. She simply didn't eat because there was no reason to, just as she didn't kill because there was no reason to.
Still, the mere existence of such a Demon God was good news to me. I thought it might even be worth writing about in my thesis.
People feared and hated Demon Gods only because they had seen many evil ones. Just as we can't hate all of humanity because of a few murderers, I wondered if perceptions of Demon Gods might change someday.
It remained like an assignment.
"It's hot... but delicious."
"Ouroboros, there's a fork here."
"What's that?"
When I came to my senses, I saw the Demon God eating the tonkatsu with her hands.
Startled, I picked up the fork in front of her, but she paid no attention and continued pushing the tonkatsu into her mouth with her hands.
"You should use utensils."
"...Why? I ate with my hands yesterday."
"That was pizza, and this isn't pizza."
Despite my explanation, the Demon God lowered her gaze as if she couldn't understand.
Seeing her small hands covered in oil made me sigh. I quickly pulled out some tissues and wiped her hands, and she chewed quietly before asking me:
"How should I eat it?"
I was glad she wasn't ignoring me or doing whatever she wanted.
"Here, hold the fork like this."
"I'm holding it."
"Now, stab it."
"I stabbed it."
"Then you can eat it. It's even better if you dip it in this sauce."
I demonstrated by dipping it in the sauce in the middle and putting it in my mouth. The Demon God followed along, albeit clumsily, and successfully got it into her mouth.
"Delicious."
The Demon God nodded repeatedly, seemingly satisfied this time too.