My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 120

“Just move the bed a bit closer to the wall… Yeah, just stick it right against the wall.”

I was all alone in the club room.

Well, to be exact, I was the only club member here, but there were quite a few employees from the furniture store around.

Of course, once they finished up what they were doing, it would really be just me left, right?

“Ah, let’s put the carpet in the back a bit. Let’s sort out the bed and sofa first. Just leave the desk and chairs as they are; I’ll clean those up later.”

I was giving instructions to the staff while trying to arrange the room in my own way.

I’ve bought quite a bit of furniture and decor… so there’s a lot to do, but if I tackle it piece by piece, it should wrap up quickly.

Probably?

Originally, I thought I was going to hang out with friends today, but I figured it’d be better to get this sorted out first before deciding what to do next.

For now, it was just me calling in the staff and working hard on the room.

“The clock should go on the right wall… Yeah, that spot in the center looks good.”

The staff were pretty competent, so it wasn’t too hard for them.

I just needed to direct them, and they did a good job on their own.

Once everything was set up and organized later, a simple thank you and offering the drinks I prepared would wrap it all up.

“Hmm… um…”

Maybe it’s because five different tastes were stuffed into one room?

It felt rather chaotic in many ways, but I didn’t think much of it.

“Just throw the dolls on the bed.”

Well, I thought it’d be much better if they just got to keep some of the things they wanted.

There was some space left, and it wasn’t completely bizarre, so I figured there was no need to throw away what the members had worked hard to choose.

“…the bed was plain, the dolls were pretty cute, but the carpet looks like bear skin and the wall has a deer’s neck hanging.”

Hmm.

Hmm…

“I wonder how everyone would react to this?”

After everything was arranged, I found myself alone in the club room, looking around the newly decorated space, feeling a bit amused.

It really felt like a mishmash of different tastes, right?

“…Should I bring some teabags and cups next time?”

Even though Rize had said she wouldn’t come, I had a feeling she might show up someday, and we wouldn’t just be sitting around here with nothing to drink.

Anyway, after wrapping up the room’s interior, I lay down on the bed, letting those thoughts pass through my mind.

“Well, the bed’s nice. Yeah.”

Compared to what I originally had in the dormitory room, this was really much better.

It felt like it would be good both sitting and lying down here?

“Yawn… hmmm…”

After attending pretty regular classes at the academy, decorating the club room made me a bit sleepy.

I had no plans anyway… Rize was probably still cleaning alone in the dorm, resting by now…

“…So boring.”

Should I have just brought the other members over to do this together?

Calling in the staff made it easy and convenient in many ways, but now that it was all done, I couldn’t see their reactions, making it kind of dull.

For now, I was lying on the bed, hugging one of the dolls Karen bought as a makeshift pillow, but there was really nothing to do, so I felt bored.

“…Should I buy some board games?”

Even though I finished the interior decor, it was still somewhat ambiguous, right?

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

While I was casually letting time pass on the bed, suddenly the door to the club room opened.

“…Lady Nordal?”

“…?”

“…Huh.”

It was Nordal who suddenly opened the door.

But… why did she come into the club room out of nowhere…?

I clearly mentioned that there was no club activity or meeting today. Even though I said that, why was she suddenly here?

“What’s going on? Why are you suddenly in the club room…?”

I asked this while lying on the bed, clutching the pillow, and looking at Ivana Nordal.

What in the world brought her to the club room?

“…Why are you here?”

“What?”

“Weren’t there no club meetings today?”

“Uh… right?”

That was true, right?

Yeah, I actually said that.

But why was Nordal here?

“Then why are you here? And why has the club room changed?”

“Ah-ha. Um… we had the staff come in to arrange the things we bought. We didn’t want to move and arrange everything ourselves because that’d be too much of a hassle.”

“……..”

“So, Lady Nordal, why did you come here? I’ve been wondering since earlier.”

“…I just came.”

“Is that so…?”

Grace’s behavior patterns were somewhat predictable to me, but… I still didn’t get Nordal at all.

Even our first meeting was the same; I had no idea what she was really thinking or how she was acting.

Grace followed along regarding things related to Karen and mostly showed typical brotherly behavior, but with her, I really had no clue.

Her expression was mostly blank, and her voice hardly showed any differences in tone…

“Hmm… Is that so?”

I decided not to think too much about it.

Trying to chew over Nordal’s responses one by one would probably be more tiring, right?

Plus, I figured if I asked other questions… she probably wouldn’t answer well anyway.

“Um… feel free to sit anywhere. I arranged the sofa over there, and there’s more seating than before.”

I said that while lying on my side.

Whatever the reason, she must have had one for coming here, right?

If there was no reason, there would be no need to step into a little club room like this, right?

So that’s how it was.

“Okay.”

“…….”

Responding to me, Ivana Nordal sat on a nearby sofa, while I remained lying down.

The atmosphere felt quite awkward now, even more so than when I was alone in the club room a moment ago.

“…Hmm.”

Ivana Nordal sat on the sofa, holding a small notebook.

It really was a small notebook, probably just a bit bigger than my hand.

I had no idea what was written inside, but it seemed rather important.

Not that I cared too much about it.

–Rustle…

Nordal remained expressionless, flipping through the notebook quietly.

I didn’t know why she came into the club room, but she must have had her own reasons.

Maybe she just wanted to enjoy some peace alone in a quiet place?

Well… yeah.

I just kept watching Ivana Nordal.

I was merely observing the beautiful woman with snow-white hair sitting quietly, but somehow, given her looks, it felt entertaining enough.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“Oh.”

Did I stare too much?

Nordal, who was looking at her notebook, turned her gaze toward me. I definitely had been watching her for a while now.

“I was just looking because you’re pretty.”

“What?”

“I’ve never seen white hair before. It’s fascinating.”

I said it just like that.

Well… it was true anyway.

While I was indeed a bit bored, I didn’t have a hobby of observing people just because I was bored.

It was because Ivana Nordal’s looks were genuinely stunning, and I had no intention of hiding that.

“It’s hereditary, isn’t it?”

“…Yeah.”

“Ooh… so your whole family? Or just Duke Nordal?”

“My father has white hair, and my mother has black hair.”

“Oh… really?”

That was pretty fascinating, right?

From what I learned before, black hair genes are dominant over blonde or white hair genes… so black hair should appear more easily.

Of course, in a world where magic exists, I couldn’t really worry about that too much, but…

“That’s interesting. And pretty too.”

I said that while lying on the bed, looking at Nordal.

Her hair color was really beautiful.

Nordal’s crimson eyes… well, since mine were red too, it didn’t matter so much, but they weren’t the same as white hair.

Besides, red eyes weren’t that rare, so it mattered less.

“…Is that so?”

“Yeah, can I touch it?”

“What?”

“No, it’s just that… the white hair of an elderly person seems different in sheen, or maybe it’s more lustrous… It’s really a different kind of texture.”

It really felt like that.

There was a certain shine to it…

“……..”

“If it’s not okay, just say so.”

After all, no other students or people were around at the moment. There was no need to worry about anyone else’s gaze.

Not like when I had my duel with Nordal before.

Though, at that time, there were other students watching us, they didn’t hear our conversations or anything, right?

It was basically the same situation now.

“…You can touch it if you want.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

As soon as I heard that, I got up from the bed.

Honestly, I didn’t think she would actually allow me to do so.

“Oh… it’s super soft. You must take really good care of it.”

“……..”

“It’s thin yet soft… it feels a bit silky.”

Her hair was genuinely in great condition.

As someone who often touched girls’ hair, this level of quality… it was really good.

“How do you take care of it?”

“Not really special care…”

“Oh my…”

That’s curious.

In fact, I usually have pretty good hair and skin, but that’s probably thanks to Rize.

Ever since I was about four or five years old, all I remembered was Rize washing me every morning and evening, so I had no clue how it would be if I wasn’t taken care of.

“Hmmm… Lady Nordal.”

“Yes.”

“I mentioned something to you before, right? When you joined the club.”

I clearly said I’d grant one wish as a condition for Ivana Nordal joining the club… well, something like that.

I brought it up mainly out of curiosity since there was really nothing specific to ask for.

“Yes.”

“When will you use that?”

“…….”

I asked that, but Nordal didn’t immediately answer.