Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Club Room Makeover
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"Move the bed a little closer to the wall... Yes, just stick it right up against the wall."
I was alone in the club room.
Well, more precisely, I was the only club member here, though there were quite a few employees from the furniture store.
Of course, once they finished up, it really would be just me?
"Oh, uh... Lay the carpet a bit further back. Let's sort out the bed and sofa first. Put all the desks and chairs that are here outside. I'll handle them later."
I was giving instructions like that to the employees, decorating the room in my own way.
I'd bought quite a bit of furniture and interior items... so there was a lot to do, but if I handled it one piece at a time, it would finish quickly.
Probably?
I had originally planned to hang out with my friends today, but I figured it would be better to take care of this first before doing anything else.
So, I had called the employees here by myself and was diligently decorating the room.
"Hang the clock on the right wall... Yes, right in the center there should be fine."
Truth be told, the employees were quite skilled, so it wasn't all that difficult.
I just gave directions, told them what to do, and they handled it perfectly on their own?
Once the arrangement and tidying were all done, I figured I'd just thank them and hand over the prepared drinks, and that would be it.
"Hmm... Hmm..."
Was it because five people with wildly different tastes had crammed everything into one room?
The place felt pretty cluttered in all sorts of ways... but I didn't mind much.
"Just toss the dolls on the bed."
After all, it was far better to accommodate what they wanted to some extent, right?
There was still some space left surprisingly, and it wasn't outrageously weird, so I didn't see the need to throw out what the club members had carefully chosen.
"...The bed is plain, the dolls are super cute, but the carpet is bear fur, and the wall has a deer head."
Hmm.
Hmm...
"I wonder how they'll react to all this?"
With all the arrangement and tidying finally done, I was looking around the club room by myself, and it was a little ridiculous.
It really was... such a mishmash of tastes?
"...Maybe I should bring some tea bags and cups next time."
Lize had said she definitely wouldn't come, but I had a feeling she might show up someday, and it wasn't like we weren't going to drink anything here among ourselves.
Anyway, with the room's interior roughly finished, I flopped onto the bed while thinking about that.
"For now, the bed's great. Yeah."
Compared to the one in my dormitory room at first, this was way better.
It felt like it would be good to sit on or lie down?
"Yawwwn... Hnn..."
After attending classes at the academy pretty normally, and then decorating the club room like this, I was getting a bit sleepy.
There wasn't anything else to do anyway... Lize was probably off in the dormitory cleaning diligently by herself and then resting by now...
"...This is boring."
Maybe I should've brought the club members to do it together?
Calling the employees made it easy and convenient in every way... but now that it was done, I couldn't see their reactions, and it felt kinda pointless overall.
For the time being, I was lying on the bed hugging one of the dolls Karen had bought as a pillow substitute, but there was nothing to do, so I was bored.
"...Should I buy some board games too."
I'd finished the interior, but honestly, it was still kinda iffy?
"Yeah, that sounds good."
I was wasting time on the bed like that, lost in my own thoughts, when suddenly the club room door opened.
"...Nordal Lady?"
"...?"
"...Huh."
The one who suddenly opened the door was Ivana Nordal.
But... why had she come into the club room all of a sudden...?
I'd definitely told everyone there were no club activities or meetings today. Even though I'd said that, why was she here in the club room now?
"Is something wrong? Why'd you come to the club room all of a sudden...?"
Still lying on the bed, hugging the pillow, I looked at Ivana Nordal and asked.
What on earth had brought her to the club room?
"...Why are you here?"
"Huh?"
"There weren't supposed to be any club meetings today, right?"
"Uh... yeah?"
Yeah, that's right.
Yes, I had definitely said that.
But why was Nordal here?
"Then why are you here? And why has the club room changed?"
"Ah, well... We called some employees to arrange the stuff we bought? It was too annoying to move and place and decorate everything ourselves one by one?"
"........"
"So. Why did you come, Nordal Lady? I've been asking since earlier."
"...I just came."
"Is that so...?"
Grace had some behavioral patterns, I guess? I could predict them to a certain extent... but Nordal was still a mystery.
From our first meeting and all, I really had no idea what she was thinking when she acted.
Grace followed orders obediently when it came to Karen-related stuff and mostly acted like a proper siscon... but this one? No clue.
Her expression was blank in most situations, and her voice didn't have much variation in tone...
"Hmm... Is that right?"
I decided not to overthink it.
It seemed more exhausting to try analyzing and understanding every little response from Nordal?
Plus, even if I asked other questions... she probably wouldn't answer properly anyway.
"Um... Sit wherever. We set up the sofa over there newly, and there are more places to sit than before now."
I said that while lying on my side.
Whatever it was, she must have come here for some reason?
If there was no reason at all, she wouldn't bother coming to a small club room like this, right?
So, I just let it be.
"Yes."
"......."
At my words, Ivana Nordal sat on a nearby sofa, and I stayed lying down.
The atmosphere felt pretty awkward somehow, more awkward than when I'd been alone in the club room earlier.
"...Hmm."
Ivana Nordal was sitting on the sofa holding a single notebook.
A really small notebook, just a bit bigger than my hand.
I had no idea what was written in it, but it seemed like it might be something important.
I wasn't particularly interested.
-Rustle...
Nordal just sat there blankly, flipping through the notebook bit by bit.
I had no idea why she'd come all the way to the club room... but she must have had her reasons.
Maybe she liked quietly contemplating alone in a quiet place?
Well... yeah.
I just kept watching Ivana Nordal like that.
It was just a beautiful woman with snow-white hair sitting still, but given her looks, well.
Just sitting there watching her was entertaining enough in its own way.
"Why do you keep staring like that."
"Ah."
Had I been staring too much?
Nordal, who had been looking at her notebook, turned her gaze toward me. I had definitely been watching her nonstop for a bit.
"I was just looking because you're pretty."
"Huh?"
"First time seeing white hair. It's fascinating."
I just said it straight.
Well... it was true?
Boredom was one reason for watching, but I didn't have a hobby of observing people just because I was bored.
I was watching because Ivana Nordal was actually pretty and eye-catching, and I had no intention of hiding that.
"It's genetic, right?"
"...Yes."
"Ooh... So your whole family? Or just Duke Nordal?"
"My father has white hair, and my mother has black hair."
"Ohh..."
Pretty fascinating, huh?
From what I vaguely remembered learning way back, black hair genes were supposed to be dominant over blonde or white hair genes... so black hair should come out more easily.
Of course, in a world where magic existed, it was unreasonable to nitpick that stuff?
"It's fascinating. And pretty too."
I said that while looking at Nordal from the bed.
Her hair color was just so beautiful.
Nordal's red eyes... well, mine were red too, so no big deal there, but not white hair.
Plus, red eyes weren't all that rare, so that made it stand out even more.
"...Is it?"
"Yeah, mind if I touch it?"
"?"
"No, old people's white hair is different somehow... the shine? The luster? It's just so different."
For real.
It had that... sparkling, shimmering quality.
"........"
"If not, no big deal."
There were no other students or people here anyway. No need to worry about anyone else's eyes.
Just like when I'd sparred with Nordal before.
Of course, students had been watching us then, but they hadn't heard our conversation or anything, right?
It was no different from that time.
"...You can touch it."
"Really?"
"Yes."
The moment I heard that, I got up from the bed.
Honestly, I hadn't expected her to allow it?
"O... It's incredibly soft. You must take good care of it."
"........"
"It's thin yet soft... kinda like silk."
Her hair texture was seriously top-notch.
As someone who had touched women's hair quite often, this level... was really good?
"How do you take care of it?"
"I don't really..."
"Oh..."
Fascinating.
Truth be told, my own hair and skin had always been pretty good, but that was probably thanks to Lize's care.
I figured it was because she attended to me every morning and evening when washing.
Actually... from around age four or five, my only memories were of Lize washing me, so I had no idea what it was like without that care.
"Hmm... Nordal Lady."
"Yes."
"Remember what I said before? When you joined the club."
I had definitely told Ivana Nordal that as a condition for joining the club, I'd grant her one request... something like that.
Truth be told, I hadn't really had any specific condition in mind when I brought it up, but since I'd said it first, and I was curious what she might ask for.
"Yes."
"When are you going to use it?"
"......."
I asked like that, but Nordal didn't answer right away.