"I don't sleep."
I said the same thing today as I did yesterday.
It might have seemed like Ouroboros was just being difficult for no reason, but she had her own thoughts on the matter. The whole routine just felt meaningless to her. Besides, she had only agreed to stay for five more nights, so spending several hours asleep seemed irrational.
Yuria stared at her for a while before letting out a groan. This reminded her of what Urr had said when she finally finished her safety management or whatever research, so she pondered for a moment.
Soon enough, she had no choice but to repeat what she'd told Urr.
"If Ouroboros goes out now, people will be scared. Both in the Academy and in society, you can move freely only because I'm your guardian."
"Freedom? The meaning of freedom must have changed significantly while I wasn't looking."
Ouroboros tilted her head.
She had thought freedom meant not being bound by anything, so the fact that she couldn't go out without Yuria's protection was a somewhat uncomfortable condition.
But Yuria didn't see it that way, so she gently took the blankly sitting Ouroboros and laid her down on the bed.
"Come on, let's sleep. I'm human, so I need to sleep anyway."
Ouroboros lay still, gazing at Yuria.
Yuria couldn't take her eyes off those golden eyes that glowed even in the darkness.
"Freedom needs to exist within certain rules. You need a place to return to. Otherwise, it becomes lawlessness and wandering before you know it."
"That's difficult."
"It's difficult for me too. Let's sleep."
Having already entrusted her body to Urr, she felt like she'd had enough sleep even though she didn't need to sleep, but she wasn't pleased about having to sleep here too.
Still, since Yuria said she needed to sleep, Ouroboros simply accepted it with an "I see."
The weekend passed in an instant. When Monday came, Yuria got up early to go to the Academy. Ouroboros, awakened by the rustling, rubbed her eyes drowsily.
"What's happening?"
"We need to go to the Academy. How many nights do we have left?"
"Five nights."
"Four nights?"
"Uh..."
Ouroboros wanted to believe it was five nights, but time wouldn't extend itself at her whim. She confidently held out her hand to answer, but after Yuria's correction, she stared blankly at her own hand.
She folded one finger and confirmed, "It really is four nights," feeling slightly disappointed.
"Can't it be five nights?"
"...Alright."
Yuria gave in to Ouroboros's whining.
While she did want to bring Urr back as soon as possible, contrary to that desire, she also wanted to give Urr time.
There could be nothing more painful than feeling betrayed after trusting someone.
Although falling asleep didn't necessarily give one time to think, she hoped that by going to bed, Urr might be able to sort out her emotions to some extent.
It wouldn't be too late even after that.
Yuria headed to the Academy again today. Brushing off the pressure from the higher-ups, she checked her lectures, determined to focus on her work.
Afterward, she went to the second-year class with Ouroboros.
"Why is it flapping?"
Ouroboros questioned whether the uniform fitted for Sunday was too big. Yuria explained with a bitter smile.
Ouroboros immediately understood and nodded.
"I don't want to be constrained by clothes when I grow."
Yuria gave a wry smile at Ouroboros's words, which were similar to what Urr had said.
"Do I have to sit still during the lecture?"
"Well, that much..."
"Ha."
Unlike the nonchalant Ouroboros, Yuria's heart was pounding.
It was unsettling to think that among her students, there might be someone who would act on their hatred toward Demon Gods.
She shouldn't have brought Ouroboros, but she had no choice. The Academy had pressured her to keep close supervision, and she felt a psychological compulsion to keep Ouroboros by her side, not knowing when someone might try to stab her again.
She placed her hand on her thumping chest and took a slow, deep breath. When she felt somewhat calmer, she moved forward.
She flung open the door and stepped into the quiet second-year lecture hall. The tiered classroom. She felt all eyes turn toward her.
"Hello, everyone."
"Hello."
When Yuria greeted them with a trembling voice, the students returned the greeting. Ouroboros, momentarily dazed, belatedly followed Yuria into the lecture hall.
Ouroboros's appearance caused a stir.
The atmosphere was inevitably unsettled as news of the incident had already spread far and wide.
Whether it was the incident where a Demon God who looked like Urr blocked the main gate and sat calmly by the flower bed, or the incident where someone was stabbed in the alley leading from the academic building to the research building—those who knew had already pieced things together.
But since that had happened to Urr, not Ouroboros, she remained indifferent to the faces of people she was seeing for the first time.
"Go sit down."
"Where?"
"Anywhere. An empty seat."
When Yuria patted Ouroboros on the shoulder, she turned her head.
Just when Yuria thought Ouroboros would sit next to Iris like Urr would have, Ouroboros plunked herself down at a nearby table.
The students were shocked. They had expected her to sit next to someone else, but not next to a student without a nameplate.
The student sitting next to Ouroboros was uncomfortable. There are many reasons to dislike Demon Gods, but this student didn't like being viewed with the same eyes as someone who would stab them with a knife.
"Ah..."
To others, it seemed like Urr's impulsive behavior. Ouroboros had simply chosen an empty seat close to where Yuria was, but the student got so annoyed that they moved to a seat in the back.
Suddenly, there were two empty seats at the desk. Ouroboros glanced at the student who was fleeing as if escaping, then looked toward Yuria as if she didn't care.
Yuria was sweating profusely, but the lecture finally began.
"How was it?"
After the lecture ended, Yuria cautiously asked. The lecture had been about the principles behind the birth of Demon Gods, and after meeting and talking with Ouroboros, she had slightly modified some parts.
She had focused on explaining that while a Demon God's personality certainly plays a role, the most important factor is what physical characteristics they possess.
As if seeking Ouroboros's review, she asked casually, and Ouroboros closed her eyes and nodded.
"It was interesting. Is this how I would feel if I were to study humans?"
"Do you want to research them?"
"No."
At the flat rejection, Yuria gave a dry laugh.
"Urr!"
On the way back after the lecture, Iris came running with quick steps, calling Urr's name.
Both the professor and Ouroboros stopped and turned around.
Iris had been curious and worried about why Urr, who she expected to sit next to her, had instead sat alone at the front after chasing away a student without a nameplate.
If only that second-year student hadn't been absent from today's lecture, this wouldn't have happened.
"—Ah, Professor, hello. I wanted to talk with Urr..."
"Mm, sure."
Yuria stepped back slightly and gave Ouroboros a hint by mouthing the words.
'Friend.'
Ouroboros saw the lip movement and nodded. Then, with a slightly solemn expression, she looked at Iris.
For Ouroboros, this was her first encounter with a "friend," so she felt a bit tense.
"Well, there's a lot of talk going around, and I was worried if Urr really got stabbed..."
Iris continued, glancing nervously at Yuria.
"I don't know if it was some kind of awakening, but they say there was a big Urr. Anyway, if that's how you grow, I hope you don't grow. And, and..."
Iris wanted to comfort Urr. It was her first time trying to comfort a Demon God, so she was fumbling for words.
"Friend, is this what having a friend feels like? Is she genuinely worried about me?"
Watching her, Ouroboros felt a strange emotion.
All she had seen were people trying to avoid contact with her. But now that she had withdrawn her aura that harmed others, she realized that friendships like this could form, which piqued her interest.
It's the same principle that you can't befriend someone holding a knife to stab you.
"Thank you. I'm fine. 'I' am."
Ouroboros cut her words short like that.
Iris couldn't possibly understand the meaning, but it was enough to draw a sigh from Yuria standing beside her. Though that probably wasn't her intention.
"Urr is having a hard time. ...Let her rest a bit."
"Ah, yes... By the way, did Urr turn off her phone completely?"
Iris asked before parting. Yuria blinked, then bent down in front of Urr and started patting all over her body.
"What, what are you doing?"
Ouroboros froze at the sudden body search.
"There's no phone...?"
She had been too busy and living too urgently to remember. The moment when she had called earlier and the phone seemed not to be answered before the power went off completely.
She furrowed her brow, wondering what would have happened if it had been Ouroboros instead of Urr at that time.
"Did this go somewhere?"
Yuria took out the smartphone from her pocket and showed it to Ouroboros. Ouroboros exclaimed as if remembering.
"I threw it away. It suddenly started vibrating strangely."
Hearing Ouroboros's words, Yuria let out a deep sigh.