Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chapter 149
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"There's an incredibly delicious cafe nearby. Want to check it out tomorrow?"
"That sounds good, just like Ella said. We could all go together after tomorrow's schedule and relax."
"I was planning to go today, but... how did you spend the whole day in bed? I'm seriously dumbfounded."
"Ah."
Hmm.
I did spend a ton of time in bed today, to be fair.
It was free time, and I'd been running around a lot lately, so I was pretty wiped out all around. Lize and I ended up lounging in bed for ages.
We even took a nap in the middle, and I hugged her tight while we played around.
"It happens."
"Sigh..."
Well, it was free time anyway, and everyone else managed to have a good time on their own, so it should be fine, right?
The Rosaki sisters went out together and had fun coming back.
Ivana quietly spent her time reading in the dormitory.
And Ella had a good time too, one way or another?
"Anyway, it's pretty big, isn't it?"
"For a restaurant attached to the dormitory, it's definitely on the larger side."
"You think so too, Ella?"
Just so you know, we were all in that hall attached to the dormitory—the same one where all the students gathered on the first day.
The plan was to head back to the Academy the next morning after tomorrow's schedule wrapped up.
This banquet was just for Academy students and teachers to eat, hang out, and unwind.
Honestly, it could've waited until tomorrow, but if we did it then, some students would definitely oversleep and miss the departure time.
"Doesn't it feel... kind of noisy in a bunch of ways to you?"
"It's after the exams, and we're here like this. Of course it's going to be loud."
Just as Ella said, the atmosphere in the hall was genuinely rowdy and boisterous.
Food was slowly being served, and even though everyone had only just sat down at the tables a little while ago, the chatter didn't let up for a second.
When you pack a hall full of early-to-mid teens, there's no way it'd stay quiet in a situation like this.
And the reason we were gathered today wasn't for some super solemn, hushed affair—it was a banquet—so it was even more inevitable.
"Hey. What drink you want?"
"I'll just have soda."
"Got it."
"What about you, Grace?"
"...Soda for me too."
Ah.
Grace suddenly chimed in while I was talking to Ella, so I wondered what was up, but it was nothing big.
She was just asking the other friends at our table what drinks they wanted to order.
"Hmm."
On a side note, I was feeling pretty good about how this trip had helped me get closer to some friends I wasn't as tight with before.
Ivana, Grace... We'd mostly only crossed paths at the Academy through the club, and outside of that, we didn't really have much overlap.
Spending time together like this and building some rapport was definitely...
Of course, we're not super close yet or anything.
"Karen sis, what did you and Grace do when you went out today?"
"H-Huh?"
"I'm just curious what you two were up to since you went out together. I stayed cooped up in the dormitory the whole time, right? You both came back just before dinner."
"Ah..."
Karen, who usually hated going out, had been gone for a really long time today.
Honestly, I was curious.
Sure, she didn't go alone—she was with her little sister—but even so, it wasn't something she did often.
I'd figured they'd be back around lunchtime or so.
It was surprising how much longer they ended up staying out.
"We just... wandered around with Grace..."
"Really?"
That's weird.
I couldn't imagine Karen quietly tagging along the whole time, and I doubted Grace would've let that slide without engaging her.
How did they manage to hang out all day?
"Grace picked out clothes for me to try... um... and... we had cake at a cafe... and... uh..."
"Looks like you had a good time."
"Hehe..."
"Didn't you buy any clothes yourself, Karen sis?"
"I don't really wear anything else anyway..."
"Ah."
Fair enough.
I'd helped her pick out some outfits with Grace before, but we hadn't gone proper clothes shopping.
I did want to take Karen shopping sometime, but she was just so... yeah.
"How about next time you go shopping for clothes with Grace?"
"H-Huh?"
"The weather's warming up, and summer's right around the corner. Wouldn't it be nice to pick out some summer clothes together? You can't keep wearing sweaters and shirts forever."
"That might be..."
"Won't you pass out from the heat if you wear sweaters all summer?"
"I just won't go outside..."
"..."
Yeah.
I wasn't big on going out or the heat myself, but Karen took it to another level.
I never imagined she'd straight-up say she'd just stay inside all summer to avoid buying new clothes.
"...Grace."
"...What."
"Isn't this a bit serious...?"
"I know, right...?"
"...What are you all talking about...?"
After hearing that from Karen, I turned to Grace and started that conversation.
No, but... this was seriously tricky.
Common sense says even if you hate shopping, you still go outside sometimes, right?
I hated moving around in the summer heat too, but I still wandered plenty while scarfing down shaved ice.
"You're really not going to go buy clothes?"
"Um... do I have to...? We have the Academy uniform anyway... and no real reason to go out during summer break..."
"Hmm..."
Hearing that, I glanced over at Grace.
Whenever it came to getting Karen to do something, Grace's help was always a huge asset.
"Sis, you're not planning to just hole up in the territory doing nothing over break, right? And lately, your sweaters have been getting all sweaty..."
"That's..."
"So, wouldn't it be smart to look for some cooler clothes while we're at it?"
"I can just wear the uniform..."
"No, just the uniform all the time is kinda much, isn't it...? No one wears the uniform on weekends."
"If I don't go out..."
"What if something comes up where you have to go out, sis?"
"I can just send a maid or someone else..."
"..."
Yeah.
Is a natural-born shut-in something you can even fix?
I'd brought up going shopping on a whim, but I didn't expect this level of resistance.
"A-And... there's already a ton of clothes in the wardrobe back home... I could just have them send those over, right...?"
"That's true, but... sigh..."
Even Grace, who was her little sister and totally adored Karen, looked pretty exasperated.
Well, it was a natural reaction.
She'd always been like this, but that didn't make it any easier to wrap my head around.
"Karen sis."
"Y-Yes...?"
There was only one thing to do here.
Karen usually crumbled like a wall of Jericho when you complimented her...?
The vibe right now said she wasn't just gonna agree otherwise.
"There's this outfit I spotted before that I think would look amazing on you... Could we at least go look together, just once?"
"Huh...?"
"I really think it'd suit you perfectly. Something that pretty has to look great on someone as beautiful as you."
"B-But..."
"And while we're there, we could pick out some summer clothes for your little sister Grace too. Wouldn't that be great? I bet Grace would love it."
"That... yeah, that's true..."
Karen did dote on her little sister Grace, after all.
With me laying it on like that, she had no choice but to start giving in.
Compliments plus an excuse involving her own sister—stuff Karen couldn't just brush off easily.
"I really want to see you in a pretty summer outfit, sis. Don't you want to?"
"It's not that I don't want to, it's just going out..."
"It's not that hot yet."
"Urgh..."
She was starting to cave.
Karen was introverted, sure, but if you kept pushing, she almost always gave in eventually.
If I just clung to her right now or got super close and nagged relentlessly... she'd cave for sure.
"Shall we go take a look together?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"Hehe."
In the end, she agreed to the idea. It wasn't just me asking—Grace, sitting right next to her, was pitching in too, so of course.
Anyway, we chatted like that while waiting for the banquet food to come out.
The Academy teachers were drinking and chatting among themselves, and the students were sipping their drinks and having fun.
Probably once all the courses were out, one of the teachers would get up and say something, like last time.
"Hmm..."
"What's up this time?"
"Oh, Ella."
I'd been staring at the teachers' table when Ella suddenly spoke up to me.
Had I been staring too intently?
"You kept looking at the teachers' table. Is something wrong?"
"Nah, I was just watching them drink and feeling a little jealous."
"...Huh?"
It really wasn't a big deal.
The teachers all together knocking back beers—it looked so appealing, and a bit wistful, so I was just watching.
"I wanna drink too, but I'm not old enough. That's all."
"Uh... but alcohol..."
"I know."
In my previous life, I could've had a drink no problem, but right now? I'm just a 13-year-old kid.
Of course I couldn't.
Sure, I could buy some through shady channels and drink it without much issue... but putting alcohol in the mouth of a girl who wasn't even an adult yet? It'd prick my conscience a bit.
...Though it felt like I'd already done plenty of other things that'd prick my conscience more than booze?