Volume 5 Chapter 233, After Bath_3

Translator: Nonon

Proofreader: Silavin

 

I don’t know why this happened, or what compelled her to hug me from behind, something she would never do because she would be conscious of other people’s eyes. Though I think she’d be too shy to do it even if nobody was watching.

All I know is that Lady Violet, whose body temperature is higher than usual, hugged me from behind.

I could feel her warmth even through her clothes; She smelled sweet, and she made a cute sound as she hugged me. Yeah, even if all of Shiki goes crazy tomorrow as recoil, this happiness will still more than make up for it.

 

“… It’s warm. And Lord Clo’s—”

 

Lady Violet, who was hugging me from behind, muttered something in a low voice. I feel like she mentioned something about a smell, but…  do I smell good right now? I used scented oils after getting out of the hot spring, so it should be okay, right? But even though we use the same things all the time, sometimes I notice a different smell coming from her… I’m worried about that, so I want to move away and make sure it’s okay, but I don’t want to leave the current situation. It’s warm.

 

“… What happened, Lady Violet?”

 

However, with Gray and others around, I couldn’t just stay like this without saying anything, so I finally spoke up and asked about this situation. After a short pause, she finally answered in a voice that sounded like she was forcing it out, while still in the same position. *Squeeze.*

 

“… This is, basically… a situation where ‘I’m pressing it against you.”

“Ms. Kriemhild might have taught you what to do, but Ms. Mary must have been the one to teach you that saying.”

“How did you know, Lord Clo…?!”

 

I don’t know the original source, but I do know what that saying means. It’s the kind of a saying that could probably be coined in this world, but given the circumstances, I can only assume Ms. Mary is the one who taught her. *Snug.*

 

“Why did you suddenly decide to do this?”

“Um…”

“If it’s difficult to answer, that’s fine for now, and honestly, we can even stay like this, but… well, there are people around us watching.”

 

When I asked again, Lady Violet seemed hesitant to answer, so I indirectly asked her to let me go, postponing the explanation for later. I would be fine even if she didn’t let go, but Cyan and Ms. Kriemhild’s teasing gazes and Silva’s ‘what are they even doing?’ kind of stare were a little painful. *Squish, squish.*

 

“… My Disciple.”

“Yes, what is it, Lady Apricot?”

“Listen, absolutely do not move.”

“Huh?”

 

Seeing us, Apricot’s expression changed as if she had made up her mind and she turned back towards Gray. It wasn’t her usual confident expression, but rather the expression of a girl of her age. It’s rare to see her make an expression like that. *Bounce, bounce.*

 

“g-glomp~…”

*Squeeze*“… what are you doing?”

“… I’m hugging you.”

“Yes, you are.”

 

Seeing Gray motionless, Apricot took a breath, then spread her arms and with that momentum, hugged him tightly. Unlike us, she hugged him from the front. *Slap, slap.*

 

“…Do you feel anything, my Disciple?”

“Well, judging from your warmth, heartbeat, and the scent… I would say iced coffee would be the best after a bath!”

“Wrong.”

“Oof, I apologize, Lady Apricot… It seems I’m still not ready to make such judgments like Lady Amber and Lord Burnt…! Even though you were being so helpful…!”

“That’s wrong too. Don’t try to imitate those pervert siblings.”

 

Hearing this, Apricot let out a small sigh, as if to say “you’re still the same” and let him go.

As if she had been watching them, Lady Violet also pulled away… I don’t want to say goodbye.

 

 

“So, the instigators over there. What exactly did you teach her? Especially Ms. Mary. Please stop teaching Lady Violet weird words.”

“Huh? But isn’t what she did… exactly that?”

“You are not wrong, but you are also not right.”

 

Although I felt a bit regretful, I decided to ask the reason from the people watching us.

Silva’s expression seemed to say “I’ve got nothing…”, but I decided to ignore it. I doubt I’d gain anything from getting involved, and it wouldn’t be good for me if he started chanting those curse-sounding words nonstop again.

 

“Hi, I’ll explain it!”

 

Then, Ms. Kriemhild raised her hand and began answering my question.

She had a strangely proud look on her face, as if she’d done a good job, but for now I decided to hear her out.

 

“While we were soaking in the women’s bath, a certain topic came up. That is, the fact that our dating lives are totally pathetic.”

 

Pathetic, huh?

 

“Vi, who’s the only one married, has only just managed to kiss her Husband, and is still so inexperienced that she blushes just from holding hands. Apricot has never dated anybody. Cyan gets so nervous in front of her beloved priest that she can’t make a move, and Mary is a maiden with no experience with anyone, even though she’s got handsome men wrapped around her fingers. “

“Um, Kriemhild? I could sense some malice in my description?”

“You’re imagining things. And, not only have I never been in love, I’m a romantic bomber who gets reactions like ‘I can’t really see you as a woman…’!”

 

Should you really call yourself a boomer?…. wait, something seemed a little off. It’s probably something that changed with Ms. Mary’s presence here, but was she really being seen that way?

 

“So the conversation turned to something like ‘Let’s compete  to see who can be the most proactive in appealing to the person they like or are close to, and prove they’re not the biggest loser!’.”

“Exactamente!”

“But, since Mary is good at teasing, it would be unfair so she ended up being left out.”

“Exactemente! If I was going to participate, I would have to cover Silva with my jacket and touch him skin-to-skin directly.”

 

Upon hearing this, Silva who had been sulking a little a moment ago, suddenly turned bright red, and made a complicated expression as if to say “Maybe it’s a good thing she didn’t do that…”.

So that’s why Lady Violet hugged me, and Apricot chose Gray, who’s the closest to her.

 

“… I’m surprised you could tell, Lord Clo.”

“Well, I just had a feeling you might have had that kind of conversation.”

“… I see.”

 

However, I’d have expected Apricot to do it with a bit more energy, choosing cooler sounding words as usual and laughing maniacally in full-on 8^th grader syndrome-style.

… Could it be that something related to Apricot led to this situation?

 

“So, you were the one who gave her the advice?”

“Haha, that’s right, Silva. I’ve heard that men get excited when a girl shows a cute side that’s different from the usual, and some people seem to think that it’s cute when their voice action sounds!”

“That’s a more haphazard advice than I expected. It’s annoying that I can somewhat tell what you mean by the last part–let’s head back now. If we stay here longer, we’ll get cold.”

 

A gust of wind blew, and a chilling winter air enveloped us, causing Silva to shiver slightly.

If we stay here any longer, we’ll definitely catch a chill. It was warm in many ways until earlier, but I think it’s time to return.

 

“Then it’s Cyan’s turn tomorrow! I heard Father will be coming back tomorrow. You’ll hug him as soon as he gets back, right?!”

“Ugh… I wonder if he’ll be back before you all leave Shiki though? Father must be busy too.”

“Don’t worry, Ms. Cyan. I will take full responsibility to watch it happen, and if it happens after everybody has left, I will make sure to report the results. There’s no option but to do it.”

“Kuh, Cottie, are you perhaps holding a grudge because I provoked you…?”

“What might you be talking about?…!? D-disciple, what are you doing all of a sudden…?!”

“Ah, Lady Apricot. I don’t quite understand, but you were competing to see who could touch the other the most, right? In that case, I thought we could go home while holding hands… Was I wrong?”

“N-no, you’re not wrong. It’s not that you’re not wrong, but…”

“… That’s nice.”

“Would you like to hold hands with me, Silva?”

“Huh?! R-really?!”

“Yes, after all you were looking at them so enviously… I’m sorry if I misunderstood.”

“N-no!? P-please take care of me!

“Hehe, yes, I’ll do my best.”

“… Hmm, I guess Mary is the strongest among us.”

“Haha, maybe so.”

 

Everyone agreed with Silva’s words, and they started walking towards my mansion, chatting among themselves. Come to think of it, school is starting soon, so Ms. Kriemhild and the others are going home tomorrow.

I’ll miss them, but I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.

 

“Shall we go too, Lady Violet?”

 

I called out to Lady Violet, suggesting we head back.

Just as I had resolved myself to respond to Lady Violet’s brave act earlier, thinking it would be nice to hold hands like Gray and the others, and turned to look back at her…

 

“Don’t look back, Lord Clo.”

“Huh!?”

 

She hugged me from behind again.

W-what’s happening?! I was trying to muster up courage, but Lady Violet beat me to it again…?! If that’s the case, I’d feel pathetic, but my thoughts can’t keep up because of the warmth I’m feeling again.

 

“U-um, I’m very happy, but we really need to go…”

“…”

“Lady Violet, w-why are you hugging me even tighter?”

 

Since everyone else had gone ahead and no one was watching, I wasn’t as embarrassed as I had been a moment ago, but I was still nervous. As I stammered and managed to get the words out, Lady Violet didn’t let go; instead, she held me even tighter and buried her face in my back.

A moment later, she spoke softly.

 

“… Earlier, you guessed correctly that I learned those actions and words from Kriemhild and Mary, right?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

 

I only found out about her actions because Ms. Kriemhild was giving me a thumbs-up though.

 

“How is it related to what you’re doing now?… Did I perhaps say something strange…?”

“… It seemed like you understood them more than me and that frustrated me.”

“Um… so that means…””

“… I was jealous.”

 

With her face still buried, Lady Violet in a voice so quiet only I could hear.

 

“…You might think it’s immodest or even shameful. But seeing you understand and connect with other women made me feel lonely…”

“… I’m sorry. That was not my intention at all.”

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s not like you did anything wrong, Lord Clo… but please let me stay like this just a little longer. There’s no mistake that I hugged you just now and earlier because I wanted to feel you, Lord Clo.”

“… Yes, That’s fine.”

 

“I don’t want to part,” she said. “I want to feel closer to you,” she whispered as she hugged me from behind. Her voice was even weaker and more faint than when she’d made those sound effects earlier. But I could definitely hear how sweetly she said it.

 

It was a cold night, with crisp air.

For a little while, we stayed there, feeling each other’s warmth.