Chapter 88
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: I Don't Want to Eat Alone, Sister
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I sat on an outdoor bench, staring blankly up at the sky. It felt like I'd been doing this all day.
'How is this even possible?'
Camilla making a friend. It was more shocking than the news that Alensia had joined the Blue Salt Guild.
I never imagined anyone would approach that dark, reclusive personality first. And of all people, the Saintess.
My head was a mess for so many reasons.
A flicker of unease crossed my mind. The Saintess in the game was a character with a slight twist on the cliché archetype.
The developers had said they didn't like a Saintess who was just purely kind, so they'd given her some warped tastes.
But even so, a friend was a friend. No doubt, it was a precious connection that would make Camilla's youth even more beautiful.
And if you ignored those twisted tastes, she actually seemed like a good match for Camilla.
"Lucky Camilla."
As I sat there dazed, the bell rang out. It was the signal for lunchtime.
Normally, I'd be waiting somewhere in the academy corridors. Camilla would find me, and we'd head to the dining hall together.
But today, I'd come outside alone. No particular reason. I'd just realized that Camilla had always been the one making time for meals with me.
I'm not clueless. She probably enjoys eating with friends more than family. If I step back first, she can have lunch with them more comfortably.
'As the older sister, I can't steal my little sister's fun.'
I unwrapped the small slice of cake I'd bought from the tearoom and took a slow bite.
This would be enough for lunch today. I didn't eat much anyway, so it was fine.
It was a bit bittersweet, but I forced a smile. After all, today was the day I'd claimed the top spot at this prestigious academy. I should be happy.
'I'll brag to Mom when I get home.'
I comforted myself with the thought, murmuring it like self-talk. Mom would praise me with a bright smile. Just imagining it lifted my spirits a little.
I still had time. Might as well head to the classroom and review ahead.
"Sister."
Then, a familiar voice called out to me.
"...Camilla?"
"Where have you been?"
Her voice was flat as always, devoid of emotion, but the faint breathiness carried a hint of urgency.
"Why are you out here?"
"What do you mean?"
"No, your friends..."
Camilla strode over. Her face, now right in front of me, held a trace of anger.
"Do you know how long I looked for you? What are you even doing here?"
"Uh, um..."
I fidgeted with my fingers, hesitating. No need to hide it, I thought.
"From now on, eat lunch with your friends. Don't waste time on me."
"What?"
Camilla furrowed her brows.
"Why would I eat with them?"
"Huh? Aren't they your friends?"
Had I said something wrong? Camilla's expression hardened further.
"...Don't tell me you were waiting for someone else?"
"What?"
"No."
Camilla grabbed my arm and pulled me forward.
"Hey? Wait!"
I was flustered. I'd gone out of my way to give her space with her friends, and this was what she did?
I shook off her hand with all my strength. Camilla blinked blankly for a moment, then lowered her head with a dark expression.
"...Without you, Sister, I have no one to eat with."
An unexpected confession. My eyes widened.
"Huh?"
"If you abandon me... I'll have to eat alone."
Her voice, weaker than usual, was enough to shake my heart.
"What are you talking about? You have friends."
"Not close enough to eat together."
It was surprising.
They'd looked pretty friendly with the Saintess last time. Had I been mistaken?
"I don't want to eat alone, Sister."
Her eyes and voice drooped powerlessly. This fragile side of Camilla was a first.
The gloomy, indifferent demeanor was gone. Honestly, it had been ages since I'd found my little sister this cute.
A smile crept onto my lips without me realizing. A strange tickle stirred in my chest.
Heh. If only she were this adorable all the time.
"W-Well, can't be helped."
If she didn't want to eat alone, it was up to her family to look after her. What a high-maintenance little sister.
"Let's eat together, then."
I straightened my shoulders slightly and offered her a hand. Camilla looked at it and let out a sigh.
Definitely one of relief.
"Okay."
Her hand gently overlapped mine, fingers slipping between like an interlocking grip. It was close enough to call it that.
Sisters probably didn't usually interlock fingers, but our relationship was a bit different.
We made up with pecks on the cheek and punished with spanks on the butt—finger-locking was nothing special.
But suddenly, my gaze dropped to her touch, warmer than usual.
Her long, elegant fingers wrapped carefully around mine. Longer and more refined than I'd expected.
Beautiful hands that looked made for playing piano.
They'd seemed so small just recently, but when had they grown into such graceful ones?
A strange unfamiliarity made me wiggle my fingers and look up.
What entered my view was a gloomy yet undeniably beautiful face. Still traces of a young girl, but no longer a child.
Not quite an adult's aura yet, but with that beauty, she could seduce most men in the world if she wanted.
'She's growing up, huh.'
The thought hit me just as a weird sensation crept in.
Hot heat radiated from our clasped hands, surging up my arm.
It enveloped my whole body in an instant. My skin began to itch unbearably.
An itch I couldn't endure without scratching. And it soon turned into a throbbing pain.
Slap—!
Instinctive reaction. I flung her hand away and stepped back.
Camilla, left with one hand hanging in the air, blinked dazedly at me.
"Sister?"
Her long lashes trembled faintly.
I was startled too. My hand, where our fingers had locked, was slick with sweat.
"Sister."
Camilla called again, reaching out. The hand that had touched mine was drenched in sweat. I had no choice but to offer the other.
"Sorry. Must've been my imagination."
One deep breath. I quelled the anxiety in my chest, let go of stray thoughts, and took her hand.
Thankfully, that sensation didn't return. It was the same as always. Just my imagination, after all.
I let out a relieved breath and clasped her palm. No interlocking this time. It just felt like I shouldn't.
"We're too old to be interlocking fingers anyway."
That's all I told Camilla.
My little sister, looking a bit displeased, furrowed one brow.
'Yeah, no way that's possible.'
Reassured once more, I walked slowly toward the dining hall, holding her hand.
Meanwhile, my other sweaty hand had to be waved discreetly in the air to dry, out of sight.
The most vibrant time at the academy was around lunchtime.
Cadets enjoying lavish meals, others strolling through sunlit gardens sharing laughs, some honing their bodies in training rooms. Everyone savoring their brief freedom in their own way.
The female cadets dashing through the garden, bursting into laughter, were no exception.
They looked like any harmonious group of ordinary girls, but the reality was different. They clustered in a circle around one person.
At the center stood a girl twirling her rare pale pink hair around her finger.
"Saintess, any plans after class today?"
Estella gave a wry smile at her excited classmate's question and slowly shook her head.
"I have to pray at the temple after lectures."
"Ahh, I see..."
The cadets nodded with eyes mixed admiration and regret. No one failed to understand the Saintess's circumstances.
Amid the nutrient-poor but entertaining chatter, Estella walked on with a faint smile.
Then, suddenly, her gaze stopped on one spot.
A girl from the same class stood there. Dark black hair, amethyst eyes gleaming like jewels.
Estella's eyes naturally fixed on her.
"Camilla?"
One cadet spoke first, following Estella's gaze.
"Isn't that... Lady Bella next to her?"
With those words, the conversation shifted to the two women walking side by side.
"She always skips lunch saying she has appointments... So she's been spending it with Lady Bella?"
"Lady Bella... Well, that makes sense."
Regret tinged their words, but they nodded in agreement.
"Don't they look so pretty together, though?"
"Yeah, it's like... purifying to the eyes."
Humans are drawn to beauty instinctively. Perhaps that's why. Almost no cadet could tear their eyes from Bella and Camilla, hands linked as they walked.
Like one flower blooming with another layered atop it. The cadets' gazes lingered, captivated by the harmonious scene.
In that group, only Estella harbored different emotions.
Her pale pink eyes hardened subtly.
A shadow of some indefinable feeling flickered within.
"...Hmm."