Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Summer Shopping Outing
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It wasn't that I had no summer clothes at all.
Nor was it that I lacked clothes in the right size.
Ever since coming to the Academy, I'd gone shopping for clothes quite often, and I had some set aside thanks to Karen and Ivana.
"Heh heh...."
There was no urgent need to go buy more.
There were plenty of other days I could shop, but I'd deliberately made this appointment and come out.
"Lize, it was delicious, right?"
"Yes. To be honest, it was so good it felt too extravagant for someone like me."
"Hee hee, Mother picked the place, and it really was amazing."
Was it because it had been so long since I'd gone out and spent time with Lize and Rozalin like this?
Playing just with the two of them was nice, but I preferred enjoying time with a group.
"But Young Lady, do we really need to go out in casual clothes like this...? I would have been fine in my maid uniform...."
"Hey, no."
"Still no. Mother said it, not me."
"...Understood."
For reference, today's Lize was dressed in ordinary casual clothes, not her maid uniform.
I'd preemptively brought it up with Rozalin because it was obvious she'd try to go out in her maid outfit again, as always.
In the end, I got to see Lize looking pretty.
Wasn't that a good thing?
I always wanted to see Lize in casual clothes, but she always stuck to her maid uniform, so there wasn't much I could do.
"We're just going to buy some clothes and have fun today anyway. No need for a maid uniform, right?"
"That's true...."
"And I really like whatever Lize wears at home."
"Is that so...?"
"Heh, of course. Do I seem like someone who would lie about something like this?"
I had pretty firm tastes on what was pretty and what wasn't.
Of course, my spectrum of what I found pretty was quite broad?
"If I say it's pretty, it's pretty."
"Understood...."
Her half-resigned acceptance was adorable.
"I've finished paying. Shall we go look at clothes now?"
"I could have handled it...."
"Hee hee, even so, making your daughter pay is too much, isn't it? Even if she does earn a lot, as a parent, it feels a bit..."
"That's true."
We chatted and smiled as we left the restaurant after Rozalin settled the bill.
I'd originally planned to pay, but she objected strongly.
So Lize and I had stepped out and been talking until just now.
"Lize, you ate well too?"
"Yes, thanks to Madam and Young Lady... it was an undeservedly fine meal."
"Hee hee, that's a relief. I'd been to this place once before with Camellia, but I was a little worried just in case."
"There's no need for that...."
Well, Lize and I got along so well.
Rozalin didn't treat her like a mere servant.
If anything, it felt like... treating a somewhat distant daughter?
Not quite at the level of a real daughter, but close enough.
"Now we're off to buy clothes... Mother, where do you want to go?"
"Since it's clothes for you to wear, Camellia, shouldn't we go wherever you think is best?"
"Hmm... that's true."
The purpose of today's outing was to buy my clothes.
It really was the cleanest option to let me pick the destination.
Of course, the real intent was just to go out and have fun together?
*
The clothing store I took the group to specialized in expensive outfits.
Most stores frequented by nobles like us were like that anyway, but this one particularly dealt in luxurious fabrics.
It being summer, I'd put a bit more thought into it.
"Camellia, want to look at shirts first?"
"Shirts?"
"You wore a shirt yesterday and one today too, right? They seem a bit small. That's why I mentioned it."
"Ah."
I had been wearing shirts a lot lately.
Not for any specific reason, but dresses or skirts that were too fitted felt a bit off.
"Ahem... Shall we look at some shirts one by one then?"
I was planning to anyway?
We decided to start with shirts in a proper size.
Not too loose, but with a subtle tightness at the waist...
Just, you know, a decent shirt.
"Mother, this one's pretty, right?"
"It should suit you well. Looks much better than what you're wearing now."
"You think so?"
I'd picked it out, but it didn't look drastically different in design.
Since Rozalin seemed to like it quite a bit.
I decided to head straight to the fitting room and try it on.
"Hmm."
The size itself was better than what I had on.
Closer to my actual measurements—no extreme protrusion at the chest or clinging to my body like my current one.
"Definitely better, maybe?"
Rozalin had said it was fine.
I changed and stepped out.
"How's it? The size feels a bit big."
"I think it's fine. Though the one you had on before suits you a tad better."
When I came out, Lize actually preferred the tighter shirt I'd worn earlier.
Well, I wasn't entirely against that idea myself.
Stylistically, a tighter fit suited me too.
"What do you think, Mother? It's more comfortable size-wise."
"It suits you. Definitely better a bit looser than the previous one. The shirt before was clinging too much."
"True."
"It's summer too, so something too body-hugging isn't ideal."
"Ah."
"And Camellia, you're still growing, right? This should be good."
"Ah."
Right?
I'd forgotten, but I was still in my growth spurt.
Thirteen years old—fifteen counting age.
Girls finish growing earlier than boys, but I was still in it.
"Definitely...."
Better to go for looser fits than tight ones for now?
It wasn't like I lacked money, so no need to buy perfect sizes every time, but the thought crossed my mind anyway.
"Shall we set this aside and look at other styles?"
"I think that's good. Or should we pick out something for Lize?"
Rozalin's comment came up while we discussed my clothes.
It was something I'd been thinking too.
"Madam...?"
"Lize came out in casual clothes after so long. It'd be nice to pick something out with Camellia."
"You don't have to. The ones I'm wearing now are ones Young Lady bought me...."
"Hee hee, no need to refuse. And you hang around the Academy with Camellia a lot, right? Better to have some good casuals ready."
"It's really fine...."
Despite Lize's protests, Rozalin wouldn't budge.
We slowly picked out clothes for Lize, and in the end, nailed some that suited her perfectly.
"Young Lady, really...."
"Mother suggested it, not me. What can I do?"
"But if it was from you...."
"Hee hee, not doing it."
"Young Lady...!"
I shouldn't say things like that to Lize, but I'd always loved teasing and bothering her.
Precisely, I adored the expressions she made in those moments.
Lize was quite shy, and she got adorably flustered every time I teased her...
Anyway, after handing Lize the clothes, nothing much happened.
With her face a bit flushed, she was pushed into the fitting room, changed alone, and came out.
"Suits you well."
"Right? Way prettier than her usual maid uniform."
"Those long legs, maybe? Pants look perfect on her."
"You didn't have to buy such nice clothes...."
Lize still felt burdened about us buying her outfits.
Of course, that didn't mean we wouldn't buy them for her—she knew that well.
The ones we picked weren't even that pricey.
At most... probably half the cost of one of Rozalin's usual black dresses.
Even if the store's clothes were expensive, it wasn't at the level of noble gowns.
"Enough, put your hands behind your back. We can't see the outfit properly at this rate."
Anyway, we fixed shy Lize's posture first.
If I didn't say something, we'd never get a good look at her new clothes?
"...Understood."
"Hee hee, doesn't she look pretty?"
"Yeah, now that we're seeing it properly, it suits her amazingly. Not just the pants—the top too."
"Right?"
Denim pants with a casual sleeveless shirt.
Lize had a tall, slender figure overall.
Of course it'd suit her.
"Hmm... Mother, how about you try on something new too?"
"Me?"
The thought just hit me.
I was buying one, Lize was buying one.
Rozalin was the only one not picking anything.
"Yeah. Lots of pretty clothes here. Might as well try one on?"
I suddenly wanted to see Rozalin in something even prettier.
Like the sleeveless shirt Lize had on—I wanted Rozalin in something cute too.
And though I'd never said it aloud, I wanted to see her in something revealing that she never wore normally.