Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Weekend with the Rosaki Sisters
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It was the weekend, and I'd originally planned to bring Lize along, but she turned me down herself... so I had no choice but to head to the meetup alone.
I hadn't had much chance to hang out with Lize lately, so it was a shame, but what can you do when she doesn't want to?
Because of that, we decided that next time, it'd just be the two of us going somewhere.
"I wonder when she'll show up..."
I arrived at the fountain on campus ten minutes early for our appointment, but the Rosaki sisters were nowhere in sight.
"Hmm..."
For now, I decided to sit on the edge of the fountain and wait quietly.
The weather was nice and warm anyway, and the campus scenery was always so pleasant that killing time just sitting there wasn't hard at all.
Ever since coming to the Academy, I'd often spent time like this, just wandering the campus and relaxing.
I propped my chin on my hand and quietly watched people milling about on campus.
Maybe it looked weird, a girl sitting alone at the fountain scanning her surroundings—some passersby glanced my way—but I didn't pay it much mind.
"..."
I'd dressed plainly, and I wasn't doing anything strange, so I had no idea why so many people were staring.
Did sitting alone at the fountain on a weekend look that odd?
"Heh, Camellia...!"
"You made it?"
"Sorry if we kept you waiting...?"
"I just got here a bit ago myself. Hello, Grace."
"...Hey."
Anyway, after about ten minutes, the Rosaki sisters showed up at the fountain.
Grace looked about the same as usual, but Karen—unusually—had her hair tied up.
"Karen, it's been ages since I've seen you with your hair tied back."
"O-oh! Grace mentioned it when we were heading out today... so I gave it a try."
"It suits you perfectly."
"Really...?"
"Yeah, Grace gave great advice."
I was just complimenting her sincerely. With her hair tied up, Karen gave off a slightly more outgoing vibe than usual.
Her signature long bangs were still there, of course... but tying back the rest made her look less stuffy, which I liked.
"Hmm... you and Grace have the same hairstyle today, huh?"
"Do we...? My bangs are so long, it doesn't look that identical..."
"Nah, it's close enough."
"I guess it does kinda..."
From the look on Grace's face, I'd bet she planned this on purpose.
Karen usually stuck to her slightly messy style with bangs covering her eyes, but Grace just had hers tied back simply.
Karen had never cared much about styling her hair, so she wouldn't suddenly want to tie it up out of nowhere—and sure enough, Grace had suggested it.
Karen's current look... it felt like Grace was aiming for a subtle couple's hairstyle vibe.
"Shall we get going? No point standing around here wasting time."
Everyone was here right on schedule, after all.
We set off immediately.
We'd loosely planned some spots to hit besides the room cafe. Mostly cafes and the like, though.
*
"Grace...! Look at this! Isn't it super cute...?"
"Yeah, adorable. What if we got a pet rabbit for the mansion later?"
"Should we...?"
"I'd love to raise other animals too, but maybe after graduation, we could do it together?"
"If our parents say yes... that'd be nice...?"
I sat watching the two of them from my chair.
This wasn't the kind of place with much to do anyway—the options for customers were pretty limited.
-Pyu!
"...It is cute."
A single rabbit perched on my lap while I sat in the chair.
I'd never been to a bunny cafe before, but this seemed pretty nice in its own way.
Of course, anyone with fur allergies or who disliked animals might not agree.
"Hmm..."
-Pyupyu!
I'd planned to focus my report on dessert cafes, but things had expanded to variety spots like this.
There were cat cafes too, but the bunny one felt fresh and novel, so we picked it on purpose.
Especially since I knew Karen loved cute things.
And sure enough, right now...
"G-Grace! It's coming right up to me!"
"Maybe it likes you?"
"R-really...? Eek..."
She was thrilled.
I just watched her reactions and stroked the rabbit on my lap.
We'd come as a trio, but one of us disliked me intensely, and even I wasn't about to hassle Grace in front of Karen.
"Hmm... we'd need better ventilation... Rabbits are cute, but compared to dogs or cats, definitely..."
Truth was, after wrapping up all my businesses before enrolling at the Academy... I'd quit business planning altogether and gotten bored.
I'd started in that world at eight or nine because of William, stuck with it for years, achieved results... then dropped it cold.
Was that why?
Even the monthly reports for the club I'd made just for fun were honestly a blast.
Just sitting here jotting notes on the pros and cons of a bunny cafe? Super engaging.
Aside from petting one rabbit, that's all I'd done since arriving—pure note-taking.
"Camellia, wanna pet this one...? Its fur is so soft...!"
"Sure."
I wasn't so absorbed that I'd ignore Karen's invitation when we were here to have fun.
It really was incredibly cute.
I was seated, so I only had the one on my lap, but Karen and Grace were on the floor, surrounded by a ton.
Karen especially had four or five clustered around her constantly.
Hmm... did the rabbits find her reactions entertaining?
They were just small animals, but seeing Karen tremble in fear from the crowd around her probably drew them in for the fun.
"Grace."
"...What."
"Here's some hay. Feed some to the ones over there."
I said it to Grace, who was grinning happily next to Karen.
It was the hay we'd gotten on entry, but with just the one on my lap, I couldn't distribute much.
"Karen's got so many around her. Help her out while you're at it."
"...Only 'cause it's for my sister."
"Yeah, thanks."
She grumbled but did it anyway, so I kept taking notes.
Just as I'd said, she took the hay I'd given her and scattered the rabbits' attention away from Karen. Were they clustering there just hoping for hay?
Hmm... no way Karen was getting looked down on by small critters like these... right?
*
We had more fun than expected at the bunny cafe, hit a bunch of other cafes, and finally ended up at the room cafe.
We'd been walking all afternoon, so we were beat... and this was on the itinerary from the start anyway.
"So comfy..."
Karen sprawled comfortably on the room cafe's cushy floor.
We'd done a fair bit of walking, and the floor was all soft padding, so that explained it.
I sipped a cool drink and relaxed in the same way.
"Definitely comfy."
"Comfiest spot we hit today... we can even lie down...?"
"True. The other cafes weren't set up for lounging like this."
"Hehe..."
Room cafes really did have the plushest floors.
The rooms were spacious enough for three of us to sit or lie down without issue.
Good thing I'd advised against skimping on room size to cut costs when I sold the business.
"Sis, isn't sprawling out like that kinda iffy...?"
"Hm?"
"It's the floor, after all? Might not be clean... could be dirty..."
"Nah, it'll be fine. The shop guide said they clean with magic. No need to worry...!"
"But still..."
Grace eyed Karen with concern.
Truth be told, beyond lying down or floors, she just hated Karen lounging next to me.
"Sis, need a blanket? There's some in the cabinet—want me to grab one?"
"No thanks...! Not cold or anything... I'm good!"
"Good to hear."
Karen and I lounged on the floor, chatting idly to pass the time.
Grace kept glaring daggers from her seat, but I ignored it and carried on.
"Oh, sis. Your hair looks amazing today. What if you tied it up more often? Suits you so well."
"R-really?"
"I think tying it back sometimes would be nice."
"You think...? I don't do it much, so... not sure..."
"Hehe, that's fair."
Karen usually covered one eye and came off a bit gloomy.
Tying her hair back like today might make Academy life a tad brighter, I figured.
Graduation was coming up soon, after all... and having zero friends? Hmm...
Worrying on multiple fronts.
"You're so pretty, sis, but you always hide behind your hair. Just saying."
"...Yeah."
"Honestly, I like the untied look too, though?"
I smiled as I said it.
Her usual style really was cute in its shy, introverted, loner-ish, quiet way.
I'd seen her face plenty while hanging out.
Softer features than her sister Grace, but a very different build... I couldn't badmouth Grace's looks personally.
Part of me thought Karen was wasting her great appearance by hiding it... but honestly, better this way.
"Wanna go shopping for clothes with Ella next time? Feels like forever since we all shopped together."
"Should we...? Yeah... it's been ages just us. Sounds fun...!"
"Hehe, then I'll check with Ella too."
Karen and Ella and I used to hang out all the time, but Academy cut into that a bit.
Still, having most of our time free for just us girls during school was pretty great.
"...Tch."
Of course, Grace—who adored her sister—got jealous even of me chatting with Karen.