My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 116

The next day, I made an excuse to go to the bathroom during recess and casually slipped away from the class.

I had only recently discovered that Grace was in the same class, but ever since I learned that, I had often observed her actions and kept an eye on her.

Aside from the fact that she had picked a fight with me… she was also Karen’s little sister.

Lately, I had been watching how Grace was doing in the Academy class.

“Hmm…”

Karen had definitely said something about Grace playing and spending time with her friends at the Academy.

But I hadn’t really seen Grace talking with other students all that much.

“No matter how I look at it, there’s just nothing…”

Even now, Grace was walking somewhere alone.

How was I supposed to understand her quietly walking down the hallway without even a friend?

Most of the time, Grace was simply quietly studying in the Academy class as well.

But when she was picking a fight with me, she was definitely… a bit noisy.

Anyway, I was slowly following Grace, but I had no idea where she was headed.

“…Huh?”

Passing through the hallway and climbing the stairs, I arrived at… the hallway where the 3rd Year Classroom was located.

Karen was definitely in the 3rd year…

“…Aha.”

It seemed that following her from the dessert cafe yesterday wasn’t a one-off occurrence. Judging by how casually she came up to the floor with the 3rd Year Classroom, she must have done this regularly.

Even though I hadn’t realized it until now… maybe she had followed Karen and me when we were out before?

I cautiously made such a guess.

“Heh… Hehe…”

Seeing Grace standing there in the hallway, trying to act nonchalant while watching Karen’s class… it was just plain funny.

I mean, it was genuinely amusing.

Did she seriously think there was nothing odd about her current appearance?

Anyone could tell that a new student, a first-year, standing there in the 3rd Year hallway like that seemed out of place.

“What are you doing?”

“Yah!?”

“Hehe.”

I poked Grace on the shoulder as she was continuously watching Karen from the hallway, and her startled reaction was priceless.

It was even more entertaining than I had expected.

“This is the 3rd Year hallway. What are you doing here, Grace?”

“Y-you…!”

Grace was looking at me with shaking eyes, clearly startled as soon as I spoke to her.

Did she really have no idea that I was coming?

“Um… Isn’t that class over there where Karen is?”

“Y-you…!”

“Yes, why?”

I replied with a smile.

After all, Grace was in a situation where she couldn’t talk to me like she’d said in class.

In the classroom right in front of us was Karen, and under those circumstances, could Grace boldly raise her voice?

I thought she couldn’t.

This whole thing she was doing… was sneaky, after all. Just like yesterday, and now too… everything was happening without Karen knowing.

“Um… Are we going to have a conversation here? This is where the 3rd Year seniors are, you know? And… right in front of the classroom?”

“Th-that’s…”

“Shall we go to a quiet place?”

“…….”

Grace could only quietly nod in response to my suggestion.

Her reaction was… so different from what I was used to seeing, it was amusing.

*

So, Grace and I entered an empty classroom that no one was using.

There was still plenty of time left in recess, and this classroom was used only in the afternoon, so it wasn’t a big deal.

“Hmm…”

“…Ugh.”

We were both there in the dark classroom, silently… well, Grace was silently standing there.

I was watching her from my seat, and Grace kept avoiding my gaze, looking down or elsewhere.

Her response was completely different from when she picked fights with me… it was just… fun.

Should I say it was a different kind of cuteness compared to Rize or Karen?

She usually acted all fierce, but now, with her weakness exposed, she was just quietly glancing around… cute.

“Grace?”

“…What?”

“Hmm… Are you going to keep answering me without making eye contact?”

“What…”

As I spoke, this time she made eye contact with me.

She looked a bit like a pouting kitten, which was amusing.

“Hmm… I heard from Karen that you were getting along really well with your Academy friends?”

“…So? Why?”

“But the Grace I’ve seen hasn’t really talked much with other students, right? Just quietly studying?”

“…….”

“Ha! It’s only because the class is different? I run into you often after school, you know?”

“Is that so?”

Hmm… it seemed that Grace had no idea that I knew she was tailing Karen.

It was actually more fun because of that.

“But why did you follow us yesterday?”

“W-what?”

“You followed us yesterday. To the dessert cafe on campus.”

“……”

“Why are you pretending you don’t know? You were wearing sunglasses, a hat, and even a coat over your school uniform?”

Well, she seemed to try to hide it in her own way, but it was all too obvious.

She really had taken up a whole table all by herself with a coffee order while wearing all those—the combination was hard to miss!

“Hmm…”

“W-what… what about it…?”

“Is that so? Hmm…”

“W-what… what are you talking about…!”

I thought I might take a gamble again here.

Since she had followed us around yesterday, she must have definitely stalked Karen and me before that.

Well, I had only witnessed it yesterday, but still.

“The day before yesterday… when you had steak for lunch with your sister…”

“…Ugh.”

“…And probably even last week…”

“How do you know all that…”

“Hehe…”

…So it was true?

I mean, I had suspected she was following us, but was it really happening?

Hmm.

This could be easier than I thought.

“Did you seriously think you wouldn’t get caught at all, Grace?”

“Uh… I…”

Of course, I continued speaking without expressing what came to my mind.

After all, the situation was me teasing Grace, right?

“Hmm… I don’t think Karen thought of you as that type at all…”

“N-no!”

“If she knew that her little sister was sneaking around like this, spying… what do you think would happen?”

I grinned.

The truth was, it wasn’t really mockery; it was just that it was cute and amusing, so I wanted to laugh.

“Hmm… wouldn’t it be quite entertaining?”

“You! Are you implying that I did that…?”

“Yes? Why? What did Grace do?”

When I feigned ignorance, Grace’s reaction was even more delightful.

Her face was way redder than earlier, and she looked a bit angrier. Of course, she was just a cute girl in her mid-teens pouting, but to me, it felt cute.

“Hehe…”

“What do you want.”

“Hmm… let’s see. What do I want?”

“…You don’t think I’ll let my guard down easily like my sister, do you?”

“Hmm… why would Karen be involved? I’m just friends with Karen, you know?”

“Liar.”

“Hmm…”

I really didn’t get why Grace was being this openly hostile to me.

I could understand the whole sister complex situation, but still, was it really necessary to this extent?

It seemed like she had a lot of misunderstandings, but since I had found something fun amidst the dull Academy life, I had no plans to clear them up right away.

“Oh, speaking of which… during the morning assembly today, the teacher talked about clubs, right?”

“…So what?”

“I’ve been discussing clubs with Karen a fair bit…”

“…?”

I wasn’t planning on joining any existing clubs in the Academy anyway.

After all, there were strangers, and it sounded like a hassle, plus, nothing caught my interest.

So I figured I would just go ahead and create my own club.

Of course, I hadn’t thought at all about what activities we would do, but I just had that thought.

“But to create a club in the Academy… apparently, at least 5 members are needed, right?”

“…No way.”

“What do you think?”

“Y-you mean that strange club you’re planning to create…?”

“Yes, what do you think?”

Wouldn’t it be fun?

Students at the Academy would enjoy themselves… um… I hadn’t decided on any activities yet, but I had a feeling it would be quite enjoyable.

“…Do I have a say…”

“What do you think? Do you think there is? Or do you think there isn’t?”

“………”

“Hehe…”

Actually, there was, but I was just trying to scare her.

Grace’s reactions were just so entertaining that I couldn’t help it.

Honestly, it was okay if she didn’t join, but… rather than recruiting a complete stranger, wouldn’t it be better to recruit someone I at least knew a little?

Plus, since she was also Karen’s little sister, it seemed like it would be convenient, so I just asked.

Well, I had my reasons for teasing Grace as well!

“What will you do?”

“If it’s me… I guess it can work…?”

“Is that what you’ll do?”

Hearing her response, I smiled brightly as I replied to Grace.

At first, I thought she might be a bit temperamental and sharp-tongued, but surprisingly, she seemed timid and innocent, which was amusing.

“Then, shall we head back to our class? It seems like class is about to start again soon.”

“…You go back.”

“Why so grumpy? Soon… you’ll be spending time together in the club with your new friends?”

“Huh…?”

“Um… well, if you’re going to act that way towards me, then there’s nothing I can do. Should I go tell Karen about this?”

“I got it…”

“Hehe…”

It had been a long time since I encountered someone whose reactions shifted so dramatically; I couldn’t help but find it fascinating.

So without realizing it, I began to tease Grace even more.

“Hmm…”

Anyway, while heading back to the class with Grace, another worry popped into my head.

Who else could I find to fill the last spot in our new club?

Rize wouldn’t count as a member by student numbers.

What a predicament!