Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Unexpected Compliments
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"Hmm..."
"What's got you like that again?"
"Hmm..."
"Sigh... Why do you keep staring over here? Is something wrong?"
I was just lying still on the bed in the club room.
Just lying there, sometimes watching Ella reading a book in the club room, or Ivana sipping a cool drink instead of warm tea.
"It's just that looking at you like this makes me think it's nothing much?"
"...Pardon?"
I was just looking, some thoughts came to mind, and so I was humming to myself alone.
It wasn't because of any other issue; it was purely from watching the two of them.
Normally, the Rosaki sisters would be here chatting away by now, but they weren't today, so...
"What are you thinking about that you're staring at us like that? Is there something on my face?"
"It's not that. I was just thinking Ella's even prettier than I realized."
"......Pardon?"
"...?"
I merely answered their question, but Ella and Ivana reacted with a bit of bewilderment.
Ella, who had asked me, might react that way, but even the usually quiet Ivana turned her head toward me with the same response.
Hmm... Is it that strange?
I didn't think I usually avoided complimenting their appearances.
"Why?"
"Well... I just didn't expect you to say something like that out of nowhere..."
"Yeah."
"Is that so?"
Their responses, directed at me, left me a little puzzled too.
For Ella, sure... I hadn't complimented her looks much compared to others, but for Ivana, I couldn't understand that reaction.
We'd only met this year, but when it was just the two of us, I'd complimented her plenty.
Especially about her snow-white hair.
I'd praised it as much as Lize's firm, smooth stomach, so why the reaction?
"I told you, it just came to mind while looking. It's true... You don't believe me?"
"No... I said, it's just so sudden..."
"Hmm... Well, it just popped into my head all of a sudden while looking at you, Ella and Miss Ivana. That's all."
"I see...?"
"Yes."
What, complimenting each other's looks among girls isn't a big deal, right?
My insides might be a bit different, but that doesn't make what I'm saying weird at all.
After all, both Ella and Ivana were undeniably very pretty.
I hadn't completely ignored the thought before either.
Whenever I saw the girls in the club room, I'd often think, wow, they're all such beauties.
"Oh, if it made you uncomfortable, sorry."
"Ah, no... It's not that..."
"Then what?"
"...It's just... you saying stuff like that feels a bit awkward...?"
"Really? I say it to Miss Ivana or Older Sister Karen all the time."
They knew I wasn't the type who never said things like that.
If people were divided into 'frivolous' and 'serious,' they knew I definitely fell into the frivolous category.
They knew I tended to just blurt out whatever felt right when speaking, and that it showed in my actions too.
"...You don't say it to me...?"
"In that sense?"
"...Yes."
"Hmm..."
I somewhat understood why Ella seemed more surprised than Ivana at my words.
True, I hadn't complimented her like this... ever?
I'd said such things to Ivana often to get closer, and to Karen to boost her confidence... yeah.
Lize and I talked so much daily anyway, so compliments about her looks came up frequently.
But compared to other girls, I rarely—if ever—complimented Ella's appearance.
"So it feels a bit... awkward. Yeah..."
"You're right, I haven't said stuff like this to you much. But I have to Karen or others."
"See?"
"Yes, definitely."
"So I was a little surprised... Anyway, that's it."
Ella was giving me this explanation that wasn't quite an explanation.
Honestly, I found her reaction while saying that pretty cute.
It felt amusingly different from her usual bold self, just a slight variation on the regular Ella.
If it were the usual Ella, she'd probably make a huge fuss about why I'd say something like that out of nowhere.
"Hmm..."
Ella, with a slightly different vibe from usual.
But I mostly thought this side wasn't bad either.
Because it's cute, right?
She usually came off as always bright, bold... just a bright girl vibe all around, but now her face was faintly flushed.
Of course, it wasn't just the reaction; Ella's looks themselves were pretty, amplifying it.
"Camellia, why haven't you complimented Ella like that before? From what I just heard, it seems like there's a reason."
While I was inwardly smirking at Ella's reaction for a moment, Ivana asked me that.
Well, the reason wasn't anything special.
But maybe I should explain for Ella, who's been cute since earlier.
"Because I've known Ella since we were really little. We met when she was this tiny, and that impression stuck a bit."
Excluding Lize, Ella was my oldest friend among peers.
That was actually a big part of it.
"So rather than thinking she's pretty, the image of a friend I've seen often since way back was stronger?"
Yeah, probably this reason.
I couldn't pin it down precisely myself, and I'd been seeing Ella steadily for years.
Her image had settled around that time, and she still had quite a few similar traits, so that amplified it.
"Besides, Ella only got this pretty pretty recently, right? A few years ago, she was about my height."
"I was still taller than you back then?"
"It's just a figure of speech."
Anyway, Ella had been growing lately, you could say.
She was at that age transitioning from childlike to more adult.
Not just her, but most people; since I'd known her from childhood, her growth hit harder.
"Truth is, Ella's gotten way prettier than before. Back then... honestly, she was a brat."
"You were the brattier one!"
"Always bragging so confidently, acting like you were great at everything, but after a few responses from me, you'd get all meek, then start chattering alone..."
"S-Stop it!!"
"Anyway, it means you've matured a ton compared to back then."
"Ah..."
Ivana, hearing that, nodded and glanced at Ella.
I'd been talking only about Ella nonstop, so her face was still red.
Hmm. Cute.
"W-Why are you staring, Miss Ivana...!"
"Just... seeing you now, it's hard to believe what Camellia said."
"That's... um... well..."
Her reaction to Ivana's casual question was amusing enough that I personally wanted to tease her more.
"Anyway, you!"
"Yes, Ella."
"You've gotten way prettier than before too...! Why only pick on me...!"
"Because I was always this pretty, even back then?"
"...Huh?"
Was it because I was too confident?
Ella even looked a bit flustered.
But I could confidently repeat it.
"I'm pretty, aren't I? Right?"
"Well... yeah... I guess... you are...?"
"See?"
"...Yes."
"Pfft..."
Her admitting it so easily was funny.
But it was a fact that I was pretty, and Ella and Ivana, sitting on chairs, had no choice but to acknowledge it.
Sure, there were other pretty girls around.
But that didn't make me not pretty—absolutely not.
I was on the shorter side, and my growth was slower than some, but that meant my future potential was the highest, right?
"Hehe... I'll probably get even prettier from now on?"
"S... So?"
"Just saying. Nothing big."
"...Sigh."
"Why the sigh? I didn't say anything wrong."
"It's just so ridiculous..."
Really?
Ella, who had been shy and showing various reactions until moments ago, suddenly sighed in exasperation.
Seeing that, I just... didn't think much of it.
She'd been sighing at me too often lately anyway.
And the bed I was lying on was super comfy.
"Oh, right."
"What now? Gonna say something weird again?"
"No, it's something for Miss Ivana."
"...Huh?"
"Me?"
I nodded at Ivana pointing to herself.
The bed was too comfy, and I'd gotten distracted by other thoughts for a sec... but now that it occurred to me.
"Miss Ivana, want to go shopping for clothes with me next time? Cool ones for summer. It'll probably get hotter than now, so might as well buy some together."
"......"
"How much hotter than now...?"
"A lot hotter, I bet. It's only June now. Academy break isn't until early August..."
"......"
"Later, even summer uniform will feel hot."
I hadn't planned to worry much about how Ivana spent summer.
I figured she'd handle it.
But seeing her fan herself with her hand or notebook despite just sitting in the club room, and only drinking cool drinks...
I worried she'd collapse on the way to school in summer if I didn't nudge her.
Not like Karen, who had zero clothes and needed to shop immediately... but better to buy before real summer hits.
"Sure... let's do that."
"No rush. When it gets a bit hotter, we'll go look together."
"Yes, thank you."
"........."
Anyway, we spent time chatting like that.
Teasing Ella, talking with Ivana about various things, all while still lying on the club room bed.
At some point, Ella seemed to glare at me with eyes full of complaint... but I hadn't done anything bad.
Surely not really, so I didn't ask.