A Way of Understanding
Woah...!
The Professor had assured me she'd made her own preparations for the Journey.
And her claim that she didn't intend to simply drift through it was soon proven by her actions.
I suppose that concludes today's training.
Ah, assuming you give me a passing grade, Captain.
Of course you pass!
Fufu. I'm glad you seem pleased.
It's been a long time since I exerted myself like this, but I'm not as rusty as I expected.
If you have no additional training planned, shall we stop here?
Sure.
Do you have plans after this?
I'm not sure. I didn't bring all my materials to Candle Square, so conducting research would be difficult...
So I thought I might spend some time on a hobby while I'm here.
What kind of hobby?
Nothing particularly special.
I simply walk around NOA and observe people.
Though I suppose they needn't necessarily be people.
My aim is to understand what takes place within NOA's peaceful scenery.
...Understand?
Fufu. That doesn't mean much to you yet, does it?
You'll understand if you walk through the city with me.
Allow me to show you how I observe, Captain.
Unable to make sense of the Professor's words or actions, I followed her.
It was almost as if she'd put me under a spell.
I mentioned that I also study basic psychology, didn't I?
Basic psychology forms the foundation for studying the human mind and behavior.
So you could say my hobby of touring NOA is driven, to some degree, by academic curiosity.
I call it a hobby, but it is essentially an extension of my research.
Walking beside me, the Professor slowly surveyed our surroundings as she explained.
Researchers and educators may be distinct professions, but the Professor's explanations were still easy to follow.
An extension of your research...
I wonder what that's like.
Fufu. As it happens, our first specimens are right over there.
As an experiment, shall we infer their relationship and state of mind from their words and actions alone?
The Professor looked at a couple approaching from the opposite direction.
They seemed somewhat awkward and self-conscious.
Have you eaten?
Huh? No, not yet...
Um, if you have time, would you like to... eat together?
Oh! S-sure, why not?
How about that place we went to last time?
Yeah! Sounds good!
...Lucky them.
Wait, that's not the point!
They were either friends, or a couple on a date.
It was too ambiguous to say for certain which one they were.
Fufu. It seems even you can't tell at a glance, Captain.
In that case, watch their behavior carefully once more.
Isn't the woman holding the man's sleeve near his elbow?
I glanced at the couple again and saw that, just as the Professor said, the woman was holding the man's sleeve near his elbow.
Holding someone by the elbow is unusual behavior, not something commonly seen between ordinary friends or lovers.
And the more unusual a behavior is, the easier it becomes to identify its meaning.
It's less direct than holding hands or linking arms.
That's... true.
If anything, it may be a rather reserved gesture.
Biologically, the elbow is relatively insensitive to touch.
As a boundary between parts of the body, it has fewer nerves.
In other words, touching someone there may not make them feel on guard or tense.
Oh... I see.
I can't say whether the gesture was intentional...
In any case, their relationship appears quite tentative if she's attempting such relatively reserved physical contact.
That suggests they're either at the beginning of a romance or still getting to know each other.
So they're more than friends, but not quite dating!
So this is what the Professor calls her hobby.
Coming from someone who studied humans, her explanation certainly sounded convincing.
But...
Hey, Professor.
Yes?
The touching does look awkward...
But couldn't they have a different kind of relationship?
...
They could be siblings, for example.
The Professor's expression suddenly stiffened.
No. It vanished altogether.
...Is that what you think?
Huh?
Of course, it's perfectly reasonable for you to think so.
But attempting to understand people in this way is simply my method.
Considering possibilities like that...
Only gets in my way.
What... does that mean?
I don't study people out of human curiosity.
Everyone has different behaviors and minds. Their personalities, values, circumstances... All of those differ.
But I have no interest in why they differ.
If they're different, I seek to understand the different types they represent.
That is my research, and my way of understanding humanity.
My sole intellectual desire is to analyze and understand humanity.
That's what drives my independent studies.
That was what the Professor had told me when we first met.
I'd assumed she meant understanding people, meaning the person before her.
But the Professor was sorting, defining, and judging types of human beings.
Like a researcher academically classifying the subjects of a particular field.
So to me, a woman holding a man's sleeve near the elbow means they're simply lovers at the beginning of a relationship.
I have no interest in what their actual relationship is or how they interact.
They're specimens.
Specimens...
...Hmm.
This has dampened my enthusiasm somewhat.
We have plans tomorrow, so let's call an end to my hobby for now and head back.
Professor, there's something I want to ask.
Your research...
What's its purpose?
...Fufu.
The purpose of my research... It has been a very long time since anyone asked me that.
...?
I don't believe I need to answer that question myself.
Whatever I may expect from you, if you also wish to complete the Journey with me...
I believe you'll come to understand me eventually.
Wait, hold on!
...Until next time, Captain.
I'll be looking forward to it.
The Professor disappeared in moments, leaving only those suggestive words behind.
She said I would understand her someday...
But could I really come to know her?