My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 117

“Hey Ella, what should we do for the club?”

“You said you wanted to decide. Am I supposed to choose?”

“Umm… to be honest, I was just thinking we could all hang out together?”

“…….”

Well, it is an academy club after all.

We definitely had to set some kind of activity or purpose.

Even though we hadn’t pinned it down yet, it wasn’t like we needed to rush into it, so I wasn’t too worried.

“Should we ask Karen? I bet… she’ll probably just suggest something like a reading club.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Which means Ella really needs to step up here, okay? If it’s not you, none of us will come up with a solid plan.”

“…Hmph. Is that so?”

“Yeah, Ella, you’re super smart and reliable! I’m counting on you to come up with something good.”

“Heh, maybe…!”

Ella really is simple in this regard.

Anyway, while sitting quietly in class, I was chatting with Ella.

Even though the other students were talking a lot about me because of Ivana Nordal and Grace, I decided to not let it bother me too much.

“But… we need five people to form a club, right?”

“Oh, that’s no problem. Just trust me on this.”

“…Huh?”

“Hehe, I’ve got it all figured out.”

“…You’re not planning something weird, are you?”

“Come on, no way.”

It wasn’t anything weird.

In fact, it was a pretty basic and straightforward plan.

I figured I’d ask one of my acquaintances to help fill the spots, and that’s… really just a standard thing to do.

Of course, I hadn’t told Karen and Ella that Grace was joining the club yet.

I thought it would be more of a surprise if I shared it after we got one more member.

“Umm… We should probably give the club a somewhat academic feel. We might do outside activities, but we should definitely have a good reason for those…”

“Yup, totally.”

Ella was right, of course.

Personally, I wanted to just create a club with the aim of hanging out without any rules… but I couldn’t submit a purpose like that.

“Hmm… Exploring dungeons regularly seems too difficult, and I can’t exactly cook desserts myself…”

“Looks like we have a lot to think about. How annoying.”

“…You were the one who wanted to start it, right?”

“True, but I thought we could just chill and have fun together.”

“Wow, you really talk a good game. If it weren’t for me, you’d probably be in for it.”

“Hehe, is that so?”

“Ugh…”

I sighed, but in the end, Ella was working hard to help me.

Despite me being the one who suggested forming the club, I was just sitting around while she was actively putting together ideas for the required documents and considering everything.

It made me a bit worried… afraid I might end up meeting some odd person and getting scammed like a fool.

“Hmm…”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing much.”

I just needed to take good care of her.

It really felt like it would be best if I kept Ella away from weird people for her sake. Plus, I was also a bit worried about Karen… I needed to look out for both of them.

*

After Ella’s consideration and thoughts, we finally settled on a purpose for the club.

Of course, the most important thing was that we were going to have fun and enjoy ourselves, but submitting a document with that purpose was out of the question, right?

Anyway, I was really glad we reached a conclusion.

“A business planning club, huh…”

That sounded quite… plausible.

Plus, the activities we could undertake and the reasons behind them were diverse, making it really versatile.

We could plan a restaurant business and visit various eateries on campus, and desserts, comics, beds… there were truly endless possibilities.

“Hehe…”

I was definitely glad I asked Ella for help.

I mean, I could’ve thought of it myself, but I was too lazy to do so. It was definitely a good call.

“Hmm… I’ve given the membership form to Grace, and I’ve also given one to Karen and Ella, but…”

What should I do about the last member?

Holding a single membership form, I was quietly walking down the academy hallway.

It had been quite a while since I enrolled in the academy, but I really hadn’t built any friendships with the other students…

I was seriously wondering what to do.

“Hmm… why aren’t maids counted as potential members…”

That was such a bummer.

If I could’ve included Rize, it would’ve been perfect and clean.

“The only person I can think of… hmm… ugh…”

One.

There was really only one name that crossed my mind. I had been avoiding thinking of it, but…

“Is this even the right choice?”

Umm…

Hmm…

I paused in the hallway, pondering… but honestly, it wasn’t exactly a good choice, and I didn’t have anyone else to choose from either.

“…Nordal.”

Ivana Nordal, that was the only candidate that came to mind.

I mean, she wasn’t a bad person, but she seemed a bit… strange, so honestly, I wasn’t too keen on the idea.

She was really pretty, but there was something unsettling and weird about her.

“…Guess there’s no choice.”

I didn’t want to, but I also couldn’t really think of any other options, so it was what it was.

“Sigh.”

I decided to head back to class.

Originally, I didn’t have anything to do during break, and I planned to spend some time looking for people, but now that I made a decision, it was time to act.

“…Huh.”

Since that duel last time, Nordal hadn’t spoken to me or followed me around in secret at all.

Though sometimes she would glare at me intensely… still, things felt somewhat different now, but she remained quiet in class as always.

“…Lady Nordal.”

I called out in front of Ivana Nordal, who was quietly reading a book in the front row.

…Thanks to that, all the students in the class started staring at us, but I decided not to worry too much about it.

“Could you come out with me for a second?”

“Sure.”

“…?”

Nordal followed me outside without any questions, which was totally unexpected.

I thought she’d ask why or say something else, but she accepted way too easily, and it caught me off guard.

So after attracting quite a few eyes… I entered an unused classroom with Nordal, just like I did with Grace before.

Unlike with Grace, it felt a bit scary being alone with Nordal.

“Feels like it’s been a while since we actually talked, hasn’t it?”

“…I guess.”

I didn’t jump right into the club talk, just exchanged some casual greetings and small talk.

In reality, we hadn’t spoken once since that duel.

“Hmm… Just checking, but you’re not upset about losing the duel, are you?”

“Not at all.”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

With her emotionless face and monotone voice, Nordal continued to stare at me with her crimson eyes as she replied.

Honestly, I was hearing her answers, but I couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.

Since all the people around me were expressive like Rize, Ella, and Karen, it made figuring out Nordal even more challenging.

“Hmm… But why have you been so quiet? You used to follow me around secretly.”

“…….”

“Well, I do want to talk about that, but let’s get to the main point since break will end soon…”

Probably in five minutes…?

No, it felt like even less time than that, so I decided to speak quickly.

“Lady Nordal, you heard about the academy club yesterday morning, right?”

“Yeah. But why do you ask?”

“I have a little favor to ask regarding that… Um… I’d really appreciate it if you just accepted this, but you haven’t joined a club yet, right?”

“Not yet.”

“Oh, good.”

That’s a relief.

I wasn’t the kind of person who’d force someone to join another club if they were already in one, after all.

Though I’d really appreciate it if she joined, I couldn’t exactly push someone who was already a member… no way.

“I’m starting a club. Would you consider joining us?”

“…Do I have to?”

“Um… I would be really thankful if you did…”

Actually, unlike with Grace, I found my approach with Nordal a bit awkward.

With Grace, I might have joked around to get her to agree, but with Nordal, I was just talking to someone I barely knew, so I was just asking.

Seriously pondering how to handle this…

“Is there really no way?”

“What’s in it for me?”

“Good question… what could it be?”

Sitting in my chair, I tried to answer Nordal’s question, but since I didn’t really know, I answered her question with another question.

Honestly, I didn’t even know what she was looking for.

We had crossed paths a few times, but that didn’t mean I knew what Nordal liked or her preferences.

Well, considering we hadn’t talked much, it was pretty natural.

“You kept following me, Lady Nordal… Obviously, there must have been a reason behind that, right?”

“……..”

“Now that I think about it… on the first day of the academy, you did the same. You just suddenly stared at me and didn’t say a word.”

“And?”

“I’m pretty sure there was a reason you were following me and challenging me to a duel…”

I honestly had no idea, but it was certain that there was some underlying reason.

“You definitely wouldn’t do something without a reason, Lady Nordal. Instead of joining my club, I can offer to do something you want in return.”

This sounded plausible but was actually vague enough to not mean much.

Yet, I figured an ambiguous answer was better than no answer at all, and it seemed like my judgment was working out okay.

“Hmm…”

Unlike before, I could see Nordal starting to show a bit of a contemplative expression and making thoughtful sounds?