Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A Little Taller
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"Did you write the report well?"
"I think I did pretty well with it. It wasn't actually that difficult."
It was morning, and I was chatting with Ella, who was sitting next to me.
Mondays were still tiring... but I could just sleep through class anyway.
"You've known about this stuff for a long time already, haven't you, Ella? And you know I'm good at things like this."
"That's true. Ever since the day we first met... um..."
"Back then, you were pretty dumbstruck."
"It wasn't that bad!"
I was mostly joking, but after the day we first met, Ella's image in my mind had more or less settled into place.
Of course, after that, I started seeing her as kinder and cuter than expected.
That was probably around when her image really took shape.
"When I spoke to you, you were so tongue-tied... you really couldn't respond at all."
"Ugh..."
"And at first, you were acting all high and mighty."
"That's...!"
"Hehe..."
"...Don't tease me."
"Should I stop? I still have plenty more to say."
I'd known Ella for a long time now, and unlike with others, we'd talked quite a bit about business.
I'd even had quite a few conversations with her father, the Niesista Baron.
"You were so cute when you were little."
"I'm cute now too."
"Hmm... but not as cute as when you were 8 or 9... Actually, aren't you more pretty now?"
"R-Really? Eek..."
In truth, ever since hitting puberty, Ella had that vibe pretty strongly.
She'd definitely become much prettier compared to before. To the point where I could say it outright—more pretty than cute, compared to her younger self.
Even so, she still had that unique cute, lively charm?
"By the way, how's the baron doing these days?"
"My father? He's probably fine."
"He hasn't been sending me letters as often lately. I was wondering if something was up."
"As far back as when we were kids, he's always asked you for advice on the farmland in the territory and all sorts of other things."
Just as Ella said, the Niesista Baron had been asking me for advice since I was little, but lately, there hadn't been any major requests.
Even aside from that, he'd occasionally send letters about goings-on in Niesista Territory.
"Maybe he's holding back now that I'm at the academy?"
"Could be. Should I ask Father next time?"
"Well, if the baron isn't sending me those kinds of letters anymore, he's probably handling things just fine on his own."
I decided not to worry about it.
He'd always managed well before, and he probably didn't need my help anyway...
Plus, while attending the academy, I'd already decided not to fuss too much over business matters?
"By the way, Ella, haven't I grown taller lately?"
"Hmm..."
"Don't you think I've grown a lot more than before?"
I'd decided to bring it up while telling her she'd gotten prettier than before.
I definitely felt like I'd grown a bit compared to the past.
"Really?"
I straightened my back and squared my shoulders as I said it.
It wasn't a dramatic difference, but I definitely felt taller than before.
And since my period had started a few months ago... maybe now was when I'd really, really start growing?
"Hmm..."
"No...?"
"Umm... You're shorter than me anyway."
"Oh."
"You're shorter than me, so... I can't really tell just by looking."
"........"
That was... true...
Ella's gaze stung a bit more today, but she was right—I was still on the small side.
Not to the point of being a full head shorter than Ella, who was the same age, but definitely smaller than her.
Not just Ella, but Lize, Grace, Karen, Ivana... yeah.
"...I'm sad now. Good night."
"Pfft."
"........."
Anyway, I'd grown a bit more than before.
It wasn't certain yet, but surely... I'd grown quite a bit compared to then.
If I asked Lize back at the dormitory whether I'd gotten taller, she'd definitely say yes.
*
"...About 5 centimeters. You've grown that much."
"Really?!"
"Yes. Truly."
I was thrilled the moment Lize marked the wall and told me.
Of course I was—my height had increased!
I'd always been on the smaller side, so it had been a huge regret, but now it was confirmed I'd grown just as I thought.
How could I not be happy?
I'd always been smaller in height and build compared to other girls my age since childhood, but this meant I was finally starting to grow properly!
I was already 13... a bit late for puberty, but...?
"Hehehe!"
"Young Lady, if you jump around too much, the students downstairs will..."
"Oh."
Yeah.
The moment Lize confirmed I'd grown, I started bouncing around the room without thinking.
But it felt so good... how could I not jump?
"...I hope I can break 160 centimeters."
I was seriously thinking that. That was the average height for women, right...?
165cm was my ideal average, but that seemed unlikely, so I was greedily hoping for at least 160.
If I ended up shorter than the little girls around the neighborhood as an adult... that would be truly depressing.
"Haa... anyway... this feels great..."
I said that while lying on the bed.
I'd suspected I'd grown lately, and now Lize had confirmed it, so it felt really good.
"Lize."
"Yes, Young Lady."
Ella answered as she tidied my uniform—I mean, Lize.
Thinking about my growth made me curious about something, so I called her over.
Lize had grown even more than me.
Considering her current height and how much more she'd likely grow... she might even end up taller than Rozalin.
"Come over here."
"...?"
Her eyes said she wondered what I was up to, but Lize obediently came to the bedside. I got up and stood behind her as she stood there.
Since Lize was much taller than me, the difference was clear.
Even standing behind her, all I could see was the back of her neck...?
"Hmm..."
"Eek..."
"You've definitely grown taller, but like this... you seem really small..."
Was it because Lize was taller than Ella, who I usually walked around with?
Comparing like this really drove home how small I was.
A bit disappointing, but unavoidable.
"Oh yeah... Lize. Could you come shopping for underwear with me sometime?"
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing big... my usual ones are feeling a bit tight now."
"........"
"My chest seems to have grown along with my height."
I just said it like that while comparing heights from behind.
My current bra really was uncomfortable, and wearing it kept getting worse.
Even though I'd lived as a woman for over ten years... I was still weak when it came to underwear and such feminine stuff.
Like with starting my period... yeah.
"It's fine, right?"
"Yes, whenever you have time, Young Lady... I'll help."
"You're the best, Lize. Next academy off day or after classes, let's go look together. We should... remeasure my size too."
"...Yes."
Lize really was a lifesaver.
She was probably the most comfortable person around me... right?
I liked Rozalin a ton too, but asking her for stuff like this would be way too embarrassing.
Setting aside that she was my stepmother, it just felt that way.
Talking to Rozalin of all people about underwear, periods... breasts... it was mortifying for some reason.
Of course, it was natural to feel embarrassed about that stuff.
"Um... never mind. Lize, want to check my size right now?"
"Yes...?"
"We don't have to go to a store first. You can tell by eye, right?"
The thought just popped into my head.
She saw my body all the time anyway, changing clothes, bathing— she'd seen it plenty.
My eyes could tell my size had increased a bit too... but my guesses and delusions might not match reality.
I could be overinterpreting...?
"What do you think?"
"Young Lady."
"Come on, just check."
"Young Lady, wait a moment...!"
-Shrrk...
I just took off the loose sleep shirt I was wearing.
It had buttons, but they weren't needed; it was baggy enough to slip off easily.
No problem at all.
"......."
"Lize, why are you looking away? You've seen me change plenty of times."
"...I'm sorry."
I'd asked her to check if my chest had grown, but she was averting her eyes.
We couldn't measure like that.
"Come on, check quick. How is it? Has it grown?"
"........"
"Yeah?"
I asked Lize that way.
To me, it looked a bit bigger... maybe half a size up, but objectively from her view, who knew.
"...Young Lady, you mustn't do this with other people."
"Huh? Obviously not? That's why I can ask you these things and talk about them—because it's you."
Why was she suddenly stating the obvious?
Lize was smart, after all.
Anyway, that's how I asked Lize about my growth, and her answer was a vague but positive one: it seemed to have grown.
The nuance was that it definitely had gotten bigger than before, right?