My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 151

I enjoyed my trip and finally returned to the Academy after a long time.

But honestly, not much had changed.

Well, it was the Academy, after all.

“Yawn…”

It was just the same routine of attending classes, napping, and chatting with Ella.

Then back to the dormitory to hang out with Rize, and those days continued on.

“Yawn…”

“You slept through class! Why are you yawning so much?”

“I know, right… I’m just really sleepy today…”

“You usually sleep a lot too.”

“That’s true.”

I was moving to the floor with the 3rd Year Classroom alongside Grace.

The Academy’s regular classes had already ended, and we were headed to see Karen in the 3rd Year Classroom.

It had been quite a while since I returned from my trip, and the weather had gotten way hotter, so I could no longer wait.

I said as cheerfully as I could that Karen would be fine, and it wasn’t that hot yet…

“Don’t you think we’ll have to start wearing summer clothes soon?”

“It is getting too hot to wear thermal wear under my shirt these days.”

“Exactly.”

The weather had indeed gotten pretty hot lately, so Grace must’ve felt it too.

Her character was somewhat fiery, so I could see why.

“Still, not wearing anything under your shirt is…”

“That’d be weird.”

“It’s not like that!?”

“Just teasing.”

Anyways, the bottom line was it was hard to wear long sleeves with the weather being so warm now.

Of course, it wasn’t as hot as the southern region I had lived in, but hot is hot.

“I’m glad you’re coming with me this time, sis.”

“…Yeah.”

Both Grace and I acknowledged that.

I had turned her down every time we talked about going shopping for clothes recently, but I really accepted this time.

Had Karen been struggling with the heat until now?

“Sis, we’re here!”

“Ah…”

“What were you doing, sis?”

“Just… waiting…?”

As we walked into the 3rd Year Classroom, Karen looked at us with wide, trembling eyes.

Was she really that reluctant about going summer clothes shopping?

She had acknowledged it was getting hot and even agreed…

“Shall we head out and buy clothes right away?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“Hey, doesn’t Grace need to buy something too? It might be fun to check out clothes we can wear together while shopping for your clothes, sis.”

“Hmm… I don’t really need anything.”

“That’s definitely true, Grace wears a lot of clothes.”

“I can just focus on buying for my sister.”

Well, that was the plan.

I was mainly thinking of focusing on choosing clothes for Karen rather than what I’d buy.

I had many opportunities to shop, not just for myself, but for Rize, Ella… honestly, I’ve had plenty of chances to buy clothes.

However, unlike me, Karen often passed up opportunities… yeah.

So, we headed straight to the clothing store on the Academy campus.

After leaving the Academy building and crossing the bridge, we found ourselves in a place with very few familiar faces.

“Isn’t it kind of small?”

“Well, if we went to a bigger place, there’d be a lot more people. Karen might not like that, right?”

“Ah.”

I had a solid reason to choose this spot.

I had picked it precisely because it was friendly for Karen.

Of course, the clothes were decent and they mostly had pretty and comfortable outfits too.

“Hmm… Should we start with pajamas for the summer? Last time I checked, you mostly had thicker ones, sis.”

“Um… pajamas should be fine.”

“Really?”

“Huh? I’ve already got summer pajamas…”

“Really?”

Huh?

I was honestly quite surprised by Karen’s comment.

After all, none of her pajamas seemed to be suitable for summer with a cool fabric, did they?

Most were cozy pajamas or ones that were thick and warm… where exactly did she have summer pajamas?

“So, um… we should probably buy something else first…!”

“Uh… should we? We don’t need to buy pajamas right now… sure.”

Since she mentioned she didn’t need them.

For now, we decided to skip pajamas lightly and focus on selecting Karen’s summer outfits.

But seriously, she didn’t have any thin or light summer pajamas, so what was she talking about?

Was she just picking something from her existing collection?

Did she lie because she didn’t want to choose?

Well, nothing was confirmed, but it was definitely a bit of an ambiguous situation.

“What do you think would look good, Grace? I was thinking of a dress.”

“Mini skirt?”

“Uh… that would be for my sister…”

“I know that!”

“Ah.”

It seemed like Grace wanted to tease Karen today.

Honestly, Karen’s reaction was so funny since she never wore short skirts.

I remembered she always wore skirts that reached at least the knee unless they were long skirts.

“Hehe… that would be fun.”

“Right?”

We were pretty in sync on this matter.

To be precise, Grace agreeing with me on this sort of thing was more accurate.

Grace, who usually didn’t think highly of me and liked to act aloof, was kinda similar to me in this aspect, and it was amusing.

Definitely, it was fun to dress Grace up in something that would make her shy.

I would have wanted to force her to wear a skirt if it were up to me.

Of course, that wouldn’t have worked since Karen would be embarrassed.

“…What are you talking about?”

“Nothing at all.”

Karen, watching us whisper as she looked at clothes, questioned us, and Grace and I just laughed mischievously, letting it slide.

I mean, informing her and then dressing her up wouldn’t be all that fun, right?

*

“Do I have to wear something like this?”

“Yes, sis. We worked hard to pick these out.”

“The skirt is too short…”

I looked at Karen, who was worried while staring at the clothes in my hand, laughing at her.

Grace, beside me, was covering her mouth, trying not to giggle.

By the way, I was holding a total of three pieces of clothing.

“Just a simple skirt, tank top, and a cardigan?”

“That’s… yeah…”

“Honestly, this skirt isn’t really that mini to call it ‘mini skirt’ anyway.”

“That’s true…”

What we picked really wasn’t that big of a deal.

We considered the idea of mini skirts and really short ones, but…

It just didn’t seem fitting for Karen, so that was our decision.

Although she had a great figure and was tall, Karen’s nature was basic and quiet.

So, we intentionally avoided picking anything overly rebellious.

“How about just trying it on once?”

“Right, sis. You definitely didn’t have summer clothes, did you? I think it would be fine.”

“Think so… Grace?”

“Yep.”

With the fervent encouragement and support from me and Grace, maybe?

“Y-You mean I should just put it on?”

“Yep.”

“But isn’t this tank top a little too revealing…?”

“Really?”

“Uh, um… it’s not bad, but it feels like it’ll show too much of my body…”

Karen said as she looked at the clothes I was holding.

It was true the tank top I held could be a bit revealing when put on.

If she wore just the tank top, it would naturally show off her cleavage, and given how tank tops work, her underarms would be visible too… maybe that was why she felt shy?

Honestly, even I felt it was pretty wearable.

“Just try it on first. We’ll recommend other outfits too.”

“…Okay.”

Maybe because it was an old promise we had made?

Karen didn’t take a long time to change into the clothes Grace and I had prepared.

Thankfully, really.

Thinking of Karen’s shy personality, I was worried I had prepared these clothes for nothing; she wouldn’t wear them.

So, I was just thinking of sticking with a plain but pretty dress.

“Thank goodness it turned out this way.”

“Right?”

“Honestly, I thought we’d struggle because of the tank top Grace picked.”

“Ahem…”

“Initially, you were the one who brought up mini skirts. Why didn’t you pick one?”

While Karen was changing in the fitting room, Grace and I were chatting like that.

After all, we were spending time here today mainly for Karen.

“Because I thought she would really refuse to wear it…?”

“Definitely… if it was a mini skirt that really showed off her thighs and butt, she would have never worn it, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Both Grace and I.

As people who knew Karen, we simply couldn’t be more satisfied with that fact.

“…I’m, done.”

“You put on the cardigan too, right?”

“Of course…! How could I leave without a cardigan on wearing these clothes…?”

“Ah.”

“I’ve never worn a top that shows my underarms before…”

Karen’s face was flushed, and she looked shy.

But honestly, she looked really cute right now.

The skirt, the tank top, and just everything about her was a striking piece from what she usually wore and her reactions were absolutely enjoyable.

“I think it looks beautiful! Aren’t you being too harsh on yourself?”

“Really…?”

“Yes. You’re super pretty today.”

“R-Really?”

“You didn’t see me lie, right? What you’re wearing is really gorgeous.”

I complimented Karen with a pure thought that popped into my head.

Grace, who had been standing next to me, nodded as if she agreed with me.

Perhaps it was our reactions that caused it?

Originally shy and hesitant about shopping for clothes, Karen began to act more proactively.

Seeing her engage in the process and make selections, usually so quiet, was…

So different from her usual self that it was definitely… amusing.

I could have fun just watching her reactions, even without picking out for her.