Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Lazy Winter Morning
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"Lize..."
"Yes, Young Lady."
"I'm cold..."
"Shall I turn up the heating a bit more?"
"Mm... I think just pulling the blanket up a little more will do..."
Is winter just winter, after all?
Even today, the feeling when I woke up was noticeably different from usual.
Of course, the room's heating was already running, and I was under a thick blanket, so it wasn't freezing or anything. Still, I could feel a bit of chill.
"Huuu..."
"........."
"So warm..."
With the blanket pulled right up under my chin, hugging Lize tightly inside it felt reliably toasty.
The blanket had warmed up while I slept, but holding Lize like this made it even warmer, naturally.
"Lize... what should we do today...?"
"I was thinking we could buy the things you'll need for academy life."
"That sounds good... There's still plenty of time left, but... yeah..."
With about a month until the entrance ceremony, starting preparations early shouldn't cause any issues.
Lize's idea seemed solid. Thinking that, I snuggled deeper into her embrace and held her closer. Really... this beats any pillow.
"........."
"Huu... mm..."
"........."
"Lize, you're so warm..."
"Is that so...?"
"Yeah, and super soft."
With my eyes closed, I just lay there holding her.
Pulling back the blanket would mean facing colder air, which I hated, and spending time like this with Lize felt nice... for all sorts of reasons.
I was truly glad academy life hadn't started in earnest yet.
If it had, I'd have to get up now, get ready for school, and leave this warm bed... Yeah, too much hassle.
Suddenly, I felt a strong urge to just take a leave of absence, go back home, spend time leisurely with Rozalin, and manage the business.
"Ah..."
Come to think of it... I need to visit the Information Guild again... and send a letter to Alexandra... There are things to do...
...But I already sent a letter to Rozalin, so that should be fine, right?
Yeah, that covers it.
Like that, hugging my Lize pillow for... ten minutes...?
It was just a rough estimate, but probably over ten minutes.
"Lize."
"Yes, Young Lady."
"Wanna wash up?"
"I'll prepare the water."
"No. Let's just go in together and bathe. No need to attend me."
"Yes...?"
What I wanted most right now was a nice, warm bath.
Having Lize attend me is nice and all... but that'd be a hassle for her too, right?
Starting the morning with bath duty? Of course it'd be annoying. So I just suggested relaxing together casually.
*
"Huu... This is nice..."
"Young Lady, this is still a bit..."
"What's wrong? It's great."
"Isn't it too cramped...? The tub isn't big enough for two..."
As we sat soaking in the tub, Lize brought it up again, and again, and again.
Even after I said it was fine, she showed no sign of getting over it.
"You don't like it?"
"That's not what I mean. It's just embarrassing..."
"Hmm..."
How could I get Lize over this shyness?
I wasn't sure, and part of me wondered if it even needed fixing. Wasn't it a hassle?
If she's shy, just let her be shy... right?
"Young Lady...?"
"Yeah?"
"Why are you staring like that...?"
"I'm not doing anything?"
For a moment, I considered whether to ignore her embarrassment or dislike and just slip into her arms on the other side.
Of course, it was just a thought.
"Lize, let's wear something other than your maid outfit when we go out today."
"Do we have to...?"
"Mm-hm."
"...Isn't today a weekday...?"
"I just want to walk around with you in casual clothes."
Lize looked stunning in casual wear, and I'd always thought it suited her perfectly.
Of course, she rarely obliged my requests to dress down.
"Come on, wear it, okay?"
"...Understood."
Lize was tall with an amazing figure, so mature outfits fit her well.
That was why not just maid uniforms but long skirts suited her perfectly too.
Other clothes would look great on her too, but miniskirts and such... she got too shy, so I couldn't get her to wear them.
"What should we buy out there... Notebooks and pens for academy classes first... Lize, need anything?"
"I don't."
"Don't hold back—tell me for real. It's not like I'm short on money."
"I really don't need much. The room's small to begin with..."
"...True."
It did seem like Lize, as a maid, genuinely had little to do here...
Just as she said, there wasn't really space for more stuff in our situation. It felt like there was nowhere to put anything new.
Bringing more would turn the dorm room into a total mess.
"Haa... I need the academy to start soon so I can get out of this room."
"You can do it."
"I'll try hard."
...First, finish the class assignment exam quick, deal with classes and tests... whatever, just upgrade this room from B-grade to A-grade.
I'd considered mentioning it in my letter to Rozalin, but decided against it.
No need to worry her unnecessarily—it wasn't some huge obstacle to daily life.
"Speaking of which, I need to meet Older Sister Karen too. The upperclassmen still have a while before they come back to the academy, huh."
"I don't know about the third-years either..."
"Hmm..."
Ella was easy to meet since she was a fellow southern noble freshman, but Karen was a different story.
Still, it wasn't that hard.
If I lacked info, I could just go pick it up myself.
*
Sorry, Lize, but after sending her back to the academy dorm, I was wandering the campus alone.
It wouldn't cause huge issues if she came along... but no need to expose her to this place unnecessarily.
"Hmm... This must be it."
The documents from the Information Guild woman pointed here.
Who knew there was a place like this inside the academy.
Honestly, I was a bit surprised and intrigued... all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.
-Tap... tap...
Those guys used to have secret entrances in ruins, but maybe there are no ruins here in the academy?
The building I entered definitely wasn't abandoned.
Though it did have some odd vibes. Pretty noisy, too.
"Tch. Such a hassle."
The place I'd entered... was the basement under a tavern.
Not some real tavern selling booze with women in skimpy outfits hawking customers—that kind of place. No, it was... a spot styled for academy students to have fun.
They sold regular drinks, students laughed and chatted casually. But underground was something ordinary students didn't know about.
Down below were piles of goods and the shop's staff, but deepest inside...
"Here it is."
There was a specially made button again, and pressing it...
-Rumble... thud...
Another secret door opened—the entrance to the Information Guild's academy branch.
"I always think this, but everyone knows the Information Guild exists. Why go to such lengths?"
Sure, they handled super secretive stuff... so tight security made sense.
But honestly, most nobles and merchants knew about it... did they really need to hide like this?
Anyway, I started down the passage beyond the open door.
Maybe because it wasn't ruins...?
"Nice and clean."
The path was spotless.
Totally different from the southern city branch I used—both entrance and passage...
"...Isn't this discrimination?"
Yeah, nonsense, but still, they could spruce up the southern ones a bit.
Passing through the corridor, I arrived in a space lit dimly by subdued lighting.
At least it was roomier, larger, and a tad fancier inside than the southern branch—pretty impressive.
"Hmm..."
Better head to the reception desk first.
First time here... probably need some extra procedures.
-Ding~!
I reached the desk and rang the bell. A woman emerged from the other side.
She looked like a standard receptionist.
...Definitely not the woman I knew from the guild.
"What can I do for you, customer?"
"Came to request information. I'm already a registered member of the Information Guild."
"In that case, please write your name and signature here. If you use a separate alias with the guild, include that as well."
I followed her instructions to complete the process.
Verifying my identity, inputting details about my previous branch, that sort of thing...
"You can use our branch starting three days from now. We'll see you then, customer. Have a safe trip back."
"Huh...?"
After all that tedious procedure... suddenly, not today...?
...My mood soured.
Ever since entering the academy, things hadn't been going my way, and overall, I felt off.
...Should've grabbed some candy from Lize.