Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A Stroll with Karen
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"The weather's pretty warm, isn't it? Definitely feels nice."
"Compared to cold weather... yeah, warm weather like this is definitely better..."
"Hehe, right?"
The morning and afternoon schedules ended earlier than usual.
After touring a few museums and killing some time, the academy students were given free time.
At first, there was talk of going somewhere nearby with the other friends, but in the end, only Karen and I headed out.
I thought Grace would come along too.
But against my expectations, Grace said she wanted to take a nap because she was tired and turned it down.
It wasn't just Grace—most of them declined the idea of going out, which is how it ended up like this.
"Compared to sitting through classes at the academy... coming on a trip like this is definitely more fun..."
"...But didn't you always go around by yourself before?"
"W-Well... that's true, but..."
"I've been telling you forever, sis—you could stand to have a little more confidence."
"I know..."
It was something I said to Karen... pretty much every time.
That said, just because I kept saying it didn't mean Karen's confidence would skyrocket or anything.
If that worked, it would've happened ages ago.
"By the way, you're wearing the outfit I recommended last time?"
"Because you said it looked pretty on me..."
"It looks amazing."
"R-Really...? Hehe..."
The clothes Karen had on now were from the same style I'd recommended before.
A long skirt with a simple sweater.
It wasn't off-shoulder like the one from before, but she was so naturally pretty anyway.
If anything, it was weirder when she tried to play it safe and it didn't suit her.
"Man, there sure are a lot of academy students wandering around..."
"Oh. Yeah, definitely. It's near the lodging, and the streets are pretty lively—maybe that's why?"
"That could be it! Aside from the alleys, the streets are always so quiet, but they're bright even in the evening...!"
"Yeah, that's definitely a nice thing about this place."
We were chatting like that as we strolled slowly down the street.
Sure, we'd ended up going out just the two of us by chance, but I didn't mind at all.
If anything, I really enjoyed just hanging out with Karen without doing much of anything.
"Karen sis, looks like there are a bunch of street stalls over there. Wanna check 'em out?"
"Sounds good...! Not too crowded... and the smells are nice...?"
"Let's grab something small to eat. We'll probably have dinner once we get back to the room... so just a little."
Even so, it wasn't easy to just ignore street food outright.
That intense aroma with its slightly unhealthy vibe wasn't overpowering in the main streets, but it got subtly richer the closer we got to where the stalls clustered.
I took Karen's hand and headed toward a stall where some people were standing and eating.
Young noble ladies like us eating junk food like this wasn't exactly rare.
Plus, after all the heavy pasta and creamy dishes we usually had, something sweet and salty felt refreshingly different.
I did eat spicy pasta pretty often, so I didn't usually bother with street stall stuff.
"Looks like just sausages with ketchup and mustard."
"Yeah? But there's more to the smell than that...!"
"Yeah, the vendor definitely sprinkled some powder on top."
We got a small assortment of sausages from the stall and sat on a nearby bench.
There were various kinds, including skewers, but we just got the same as what the person in front had ordered—basically a pile of sausages.
A few little sausages on a paper plate, topped with some mystery powdered sauce, ketchup, and mustard.
"Hmm... the smell definitely seems tasty, right?"
"I like this kind of stuff... the salty kind..."
"Yeah, sis has always liked food like this. You love meat... and salty, sweet things too, right?"
"Yeah. More than heavy stuff... hehe..."
Karen had always loved food like that.
More precisely... the kind that felt like it would pack on the pounds?
Salty and sweet things, and she really preferred meat too.
"........"
"Um... Camellia? Why are you staring like that...? Is it not good?"
"Oh, no,"
I'd been lost in thought about Karen's eating habits and ended up staring at her a bit too much.
Just... it kinda made sense why her figure was the way it was.
"Hmm... anyway, let's eat and then walk around some more? It's still too early to head back."
"That sounds good to me. If we go back to the lodging now, it'll be too crowded... better to wander a bit, rest, then head back."
Karen had a point.
There were quite a few people, so the atmosphere was pretty rowdy all around.
No smartphones or TVs in this world, and six girls our age sharing a room.
It'd be harder not to get noisy in a setup like that.
Of course, we did eventually wind down and chat moderately before bed because of the next day's plans, but lately our evenings had been really lively.
Probably even noisier than when we hung out in the academy club room.
"Hehe... so good..."
I quietly watched Karen poke at the sausages with a toothpick and eat.
It was kinda funny and cute how she was grinning to herself, oblivious to me watching, and it was nice seeing her enjoy it so much.
"Mm..."
Even though it was the kind of taste kids would love, watching her enjoy it brought my earlier thoughts back again.
Basically, unlike Ella with her toned stomach, Karen had a slightly soft, plush body.
Her chest was big, sure, but beyond that, her whole body had this... soft, squishy feel.
"Camellia, are you not gonna eat any more...? You haven't touched it at all for a while now..."
Karen suddenly asked while I was thinking.
Yeah, I'd been so focused on watching her that I hadn't touched the sausages.
Not perving or anything... just watching her grin and enjoy it alone.
"Oh. Actually, my throat's kinda dry. Hard to eat without water... I was just gonna have this much."
"Th-Then... can I have some...?"
"Of course. If sis wants it, you should have it."
"Hehe..."
Guess the sausages were even tastier than I thought.
The mix of ketchup and mustard really hit different in a good way.
Kinda confusing what it was, but... that yellow powder sprinkled on top was surprisingly good too.
"Sis. Mind if I ask something I'm curious about?"
Watching her chow down on the sausages heartily made me blurt out a sudden question.
It wasn't a big deal... but it might be kinda sensitive?
"Sure...? What's it about? Something important?"
"Hmm... not that important, just a random question."
"I-I'm fine...! As long as it's not weird... um... yeah...?"
It really was nothing much, and honestly no big deal... but people react differently to this stuff, so I was a little worried.
I didn't want to upset her or make her mad over nothing.
"...So, um, what's your weight right now?"
"Huh?"
*
We got back to the lodging.
When Karen and I returned, everyone was lounging on the sofas, flipping through guidebooks for tomorrow's sightseeing spots and chatting.
They welcomed us back from our outing.
"Did you have fun?"
"Um... yeah, we did...?"
"Why's it a question?"
"Haha..."
Yeah, good question.
...How'd it turn into this?
It definitely started out fun, but by the time we headed back, things felt kinda scary.
She'd said she was fine, so I figured it was okay to ask about her weight.
I felt kinda wronged all around...
"Sis, what'd you guys do out there?"
"We didn't eat anything..."
"Huh...?"
"We just went for a nice walk with Camellia... yeah..."
Um...
Ugh... I suddenly felt really bad.
I'd only asked because Karen said it was okay, but the second I did, she made this super gloomy face.
It wasn't just her face—her voice got all depressed too, asking if she looked fat, if she seemed like a pig, if I hated it... made me feel even worse.
"But didn't you say you were gonna grab some snacks out there?"
"...We're having dinner anyway, so I figured no need for snacks."
"Ah."
Karen wasn't fat at all.
She didn't even come off as chubby, honestly—if anything, her height made her look mature in all sorts of ways.
Sure, she had that soft, plush body... but "soft" here didn't mean fat at all.
It was more like cozy-soft, the kind that'd feel amazing to hug.
"Ughhh..."
And that evening, Karen only ate about half her usual portion.