Chapter 6

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: penny

Chapter: 6

Chapter Title: No Such Thing as a Quick Master's

-----------------------------------------------------------------

There's such a thing as a fast-track PhD, but no one's ever heard of a fast-track Master's!

The usual Seoul.

The usual Giáo Dae Station.

I passed under the academy's sign, floating solely on mana without any supports.

I always feel this way when I come to the academy, but the statue in the plaza has way too much personality.

A sculpture modeled after Baphomet, the current president.

One hand holding a staff, the other a grimoire, in a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠majestic pose.

'Reality is a kid who talks like an old fogey, though.'

I have my reasons for thinking that.

Doesn't she wave every morning on the way to school, saying, "Big sis, big bro~ Study hard today too~ ♬"?

Doesn't she hand out red ginseng candies or royal jelly jellies as snacks?

And on Children's Day, she actually showed up in kindergarten clothes and shattered every student's mental filters.

Baphomets have served as the Demon King's advisors since the old Demon King era, so they basically live for over four digits in age.

So these ancient beings are pulling off eccentric stunts without even having dementia.

No wonder I can't help but clutch my neck and tackle her.

But even this president has a surprising demand.

Just look at the posts on the university community site 'EveryMoment'.

...Something like that.

For reference, the poster was caught by the president the very next morning upon waking.

Her tiny fairy familiars bound the poster with mana chains and dragged them straight to the president's office.

Though there was that minor detail of having to read their own post aloud in front of her.

But now they're serving as her assistant with marriage on the horizon, so it's a happy ending in its own way.

"Comprehensive Education Research Building... Ah, found it."

Stepping inside, students in lab coats bustled about busily.

Professor Rena, who I needed to meet, was in the Ecology Department on the third floor.

It was awkward to take the elevator, so I opted for the stairs.

'She should be here... but she's so capricious.'

I knocked, harboring needless worries.

Knock knock.

"Huaaah... Lunchtime already? Just leave it outside the door~"

"It's Yuan, Professor."

A short silence.

Then the rustling of vines.

The swish of clothing mixed in, followed by signs of hasty tidying.

Suddenly, a brighter voice burst out.

"My most favored student has returned! Come in, come in."

"Pardon the intrusion."

Opening the lab door, humid, warm air enveloped me.

If I had to compare, it was just like a greenhouse.

In fact, she had no choice but to maintain this temperature.

Because my professor was an Alraune.

Fresh green leaves woven into her hair.

Vines entwined around her arms and legs like ribbons.

The plant elements visible everywhere betrayed her otherworldly nature.

"Professor Rena, why are you striking such a pose today, unlike usual?"

"Ahaha... What do you mean, Yuan? I woke up early this morning and was diligently researching?"

At her desk, she sat ramrod straight, the picture of a model researcher.

I could argue that as a professor, what's the problem?

"At least you straightened up the 'bed' first."

Across from her, in the curtained rest area.

A massive Venus flytrap-like plant had taken root there.

Its round leaves half-open, lined with dense tiny thorns at the tips.

Despite the intimidating form, traces of daily life filled the interior.

That was Professor Rena's clone and her plant-form bed.

Our professor belonged to the Venus flytrap subfamily of Alraunes, after all.

And from the bedding inside the leaves, it was clear.

She usually rested by curling up the leaves whenever she got tired ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠during research.

Once, out of curiosity, I climbed in myself, and it was so plush that leaving took real resolve.

In a way, these leaves contrasted sharply with the old Demon King era, when they devoured prey whole.

"Ahem. Did you bring the requested samples?"

"Smooth subject change."

Pulling a capsule from my bag, she extended a vine from her arm.

The capsule containing Sticky Mushrooms.

Finally, her golden eyes began to gleam with pure academic fervor.

"Definitely a pattern I've never seen. You really discovered a subspecies, Yuan."

"I rolled around in the Dias Dimension for ages just to find that one~"

"Hehe, but didn't you apply for fieldwork yourself?"

She crossed her legs and turned toward me.

...Everything's fine, but could you close that gown?

Skin tone outweighed the light green fabric, making it a bit awkward.

I cleared my throat awkwardly and handed over the other miscellaneous samples.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just ship them like last time? Dimensional gate costs and all."

"I need to see my student's face now and then. We're not just internet buddies."

"Fair enough. More like kidnapper and hostage, right?"

"I didn't know you were the kidnapper."

"Obviously, contextually, you're the kidnapping expert!"

"What are you even saying? When have I ever kidnapped anyone?!"

The professor reacted with flustered indignation.

The tips of the vines around her body even thumped the desk in protest.

"You took a perfectly fine undergrad like me and fast-tracked me to grad school! Who goes to grad school at 21?!"

I genuinely had no idea such a system existed.

Even if the academy followed a different curriculum for otherkin, separate from regular universities, I didn't expect this.

"B-but! You said you read my paper in your first class! And even wrote a report on it!"

Uh... Kinda rings a bell.

Right. And later, in our interview, we had this exchange.

'I've read every paper you've written, Professor.'

'...Really?'

'Yes. Individual ecology, magi-ecosystems, fusion terraforming. All fields.'

'What about population ecology?'

'Come on, you haven't written any~ You're testing me, right?'

'...Care to stay for dinner?'

Thinking back, her gaze toward me changed after that.

Wait, was that why she kidnapped me?

"Yuan, I've said it a million times: you're a supernova in ecology. In ten years, you'll leave the academic world in awe."

"Why do I have a feeling I know what comes next? Am I imagining it?"

Unfortunately, the professor tunes out when she's focused.

Before I knew it, she tugged the vine around my arm and leaned in close.

"So finish your master's this year and charge into the PhD program!"

"Uh..."

"Honestly, stopping at a master's would be a waste for you! There's such a thing as a fast-track PhD, but no one's ever heard of a fast-track Master's!"

"Calm down first!"

I placed a hand on her shoulder and sat her back in the chair.

I also shook off the Venus flytrap gnawing at my ankle like "Hehe, not letting you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go!"

As expected of another body connected to her, it had stretched its maw all the way from the rest area.

"I-it's your fault...! Getting smarter by the day...!!"

"Please hear me out! I do think about it... but it might not work."

"Wh... why not...?"

Professor Rena's face crumpled in genuine distress.

She trembled like a child on the verge of tears, stirring guilt in me.

And yet... now I had Hikari.

"I got a daughter."

"Hold on. Did I hear that wrong?"

"No, you heard right. Adopted her last week. Papers pending."

Whoosh!

Before I finished, every vine around her body coiled around me.

Tangling so tight I couldn't move.

If before was WWE, this was UFC.

"...Tell me everything in detail, Yuan. From one to ten."

"Yes, ma'am..."

I told her about meeting Hikari at the ruins.

She listened with interest at first, but by the end, her expression soured.

"...That's how it happened."

"I see."

"You've realized Hikari's cuteness too, Professor!"

"Excluding the intro, it was all bragging about your kid."

"Hikari is super cute! Every time I see her cheeks, my heart swells so much the palpitations won't stop..."

"The story's not over yet, Yuan."

The professor sighed deeply and pressed her temples.

Was her focus waning already?

I hadn't even listed all my daughter's adorable traits yet. Troublesome.

'Fine, I'll list the 67 lovable points instead!'

But she struck first.

"Anyway, a Dokkaebi-Nurarihyon hybrid. Quite the unique child."

"She's closer to Nurarihyon, really. Even at my boarding house where I owe a debt, they said Dokkaebi is at most a quarter."

"Parents still unaccounted for?"

"...Yeah. I scoured missing persons lists over the weekend, but nothing on her."

Maybe it really was an illegal gate accident, as Hana suggested.

Pity filled the professor's eyes.

"...Tragic. But she found a good guardian, so that's fortunate. You seem to cherish her deeply."

"I'm still inexperienced~ Any advice, Professor? You're an authority in ecology!"

"Hm... Not asking about adoption welfare policies, I take it."

I shrugged nonchalantly, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and she crossed her legs.

Tap tap, prodding her own vines.

"Ah, Nurarihyon have strong wanderlust. When she's older, let her roam far and wide."

"Sounds good. We'll travel a lot."

"Perfect, since you hop between sites for samples anyway. Taking her along sometimes would be nice."

Then, suddenly, a look like she'd remembered something.

She pulled a file from deep in her drawer and handed it over.

"Your next mission, Yuan. Interview an otherkin from another dimension."

"Not sample collection, but interview an otherkin?"

"Monster ecology doesn't discriminate between plants, animals, or microbes. What’s new?"

"I figured next year at earliest."

"You've already discovered a new Sticky Mushroom subspecies, so microbes are covered. Plants done last year—only animals left."

What a professor who really knows how to squeeze value out of her students.

But what can I do?

I'm a grad student; if she says dig, I dig.

With that in mind, I opened the file on the interview target.

...Huh?