My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 123

“Did you write the report well?”

“I think I did a decent job. Honestly, it wasn’t that hard.”

In the morning, I was chatting with Ella who was sitting next to me.

Monday still felt exhausting, but I figured I could just sleep during the classes.

“Anyway, you’ve known that I’m good at this sort of thing for a while now, right?”

“That’s true. From the very first day I met you… Hmm…”

“Back then, you were pretty foolish.”

“I wasn’t that foolish?!”

I said it almost jokingly, but honestly, after meeting Ella for the first time, her image had somewhat stuck in my mind.

Of course, over time, I had gotten images of her being kinder and cuter than I initially thought.

I guess from that point on… well, it seems Ella’s image was roughly decided.

“You were completely speechless when I said that… You really couldn’t respond, right?”

“Ugh…”

“I remember you acted so smug in the beginning.”

“That’s…!”

“Hehehe…”

“…Don’t tease me.”

“Should I not? I still have plenty more to say.”

Having known Ella for a long time, I’d had quite a few business talks with her, unlike with other people.

I chatted reasonably often with her father, Baron Nieshista, too.

“Ella was super cute when she was younger.”

“She’s still cute now.”

“Hmm… But I think she was cuter at 8 or 9… Isn’t she more pretty now?”

“Is that so? Hehe…”

Honestly, after hitting puberty, Ella had definitely… given off that kind of feeling.

Compared to her past self, she was clearly prettier. At this point, I would say she was pretty rather than cute.

Of course, her unique cuteness and lively vibe still remained.

“By the way, how’s your dad doing these days?”

“My father? I’m sure he’s fine.”

“He hasn’t sent me a letter much lately. I started wondering if something was wrong.”

“He’s often sought advice from you regarding the farmlands and different things in the domain.”

Ella was right; Baron Nieshista had often asked me for advice since we were children, but recently he hadn’t sought any specific advice.

Even without that, he would occasionally write about things related to the Nieshista Domain.

“Could it be that he’s deliberately not writing to me since I started at the Academy?”

“That might be possible. Shall I ask him next time?”

“Well, if he’s not sending me letters, I guess he’s managing things well.”

I decided not to worry too much.

He was someone who had managed well on his own from the beginning, and he probably didn’t really need my help.

Besides, during my time at the Academy, I had decided to focus on my studies and not worry too much about business.

“By the way, Ella, haven’t I grown taller lately?”

“Hmm…”

“Doesn’t it seem like I’ve grown a lot?”

Just now, while mentioning how much prettier I think Ella has become, I wanted to bring that up.

I could feel that I had definitely grown a bit compared to before.

“Isn’t it true?”

I straightened my back and puffed out my chest as I said this.

There wasn’t a dramatic difference, but it felt like I was taller than I used to be.

Plus, since my period had started a few months ago… maybe it was really time for me to grow up?

“Hmm…”

“Isn’t that so?”

“Ugh… But you’re shorter than me.”

“Oh.”

“Since you’re shorter than me… I can’t really tell just by looking.”

“……..”

That’s definitely… true…

Although Ella’s gaze today felt a bit hurtful, it was certainly true that I was still on the shorter side compared to her.

Not that I was drastically shorter than Ella, who was the same age, but I was still smaller overall.

Not just compared to Ella, but also Rize, Grace, Karen, Ivana… Hmm.

“…I feel sad. I think I’ll sleep.”

“Pfft.”

“………”

Anyway, I was definitely taller than before.

I wasn’t completely sure, but it was clear that I had grown a lot compared to before.

When I go back to the dormitory and ask Rize if I’ve grown taller, I’m sure she’ll say yes.

*

“…You’ve grown about 5 centimeters.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. It’s true.”

As soon as I heard Rize lightly draw a line on the wall, I was filled with joy.

Well, I had grown taller!

I had always felt a bit disappointed because I was on the smaller side, so hearing that I really had grown was something to celebrate.

When I was younger, I was definitely smaller than most girls my age, but now it meant I was finally starting to grow!

After all, I was already 13… a little late on the puberty front, but still?

“Hehehe!”

“Young lady, if you keep jumping around like that, the students on the lower floor…”

“Oops.”

Hmm.

Upon hearing Rize’s words about my height, I couldn’t help but bounce around the room.

I mean, but how could I not jump when I felt so good?

“…I hope I at least surpass 160 centimeters.”

I was seriously thinking that. The average height for girls is around there, right…?

I thought 165 cm was the average, but that seemed unlikely, so I had a wish to at least hit 160.

If I grew up to be shorter than the local girls when I became an adult… I would be really sad.

“Ahhh… Anyway… this feels good…”

I said that while lying on my bed.

Having only thought that I might have gotten taller recently, getting confirmed by Rize really felt great.

“Rize.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

As Ella organized my school uniform, she replied to me.

Thinking about my height and growth, I became curious and called Rize.

Rize had definitely grown more than I had.

Considering her height now and how much taller I thought she might grow, I had the feeling she’d surpass Rosalyn.

“Come over here.”

“…?”

Although she looked like she was questioning what I was going to do, Rize obediently walked up to the front of the bed. I stood behind her after getting off the bed.

Because Rize was much taller than me, there was definitely a noticeable difference.

Even though I was standing behind her, all I could see was the back of Rize’s neck…?

“Hmm…”

“Hah…”

“I know I’ve grown, but now seeing it like this… it makes me feel so small…”

Was it because Rize, who was taller than Ella, was the one standing next to me?

Comparing myself like this really reminded me that I was quite small.

A little disappointing, but it couldn’t be helped.

“By the way… Rize. Can you go shopping for underwear with me?”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing serious… it’s just that the ones I’ve been wearing feel a bit tight.”

“……..”

“I feel like my chest has grown along with my height.”

I casually said that while comparing heights with Rize from behind.

It was true that the bra I had been wearing was uncomfortable, and continuing to wear it was even more of a hassle.

Besides, no matter how much I had lived as a girl for over ten years, I was still pretty weak when it came to things like underwear and feminine stuff.

It had been the same when I first got my period… Yeah.

“Is that okay?”

“Yes, Young Lady. I will help you whenever you have time…”

“Of course, there’s no one else like Rize. Let’s go together on our next day off from the Academy or after class. I think I’ll need to measure my size again.”

“…Yes.”

I really was glad to have Rize around.

After all, she was probably the most comfortable person around me, right?

I liked Rosalyn a lot too, but it felt way too embarrassing to ask her for things like this.

Putting aside the fact that she was my stepmother, it felt very much like that.

For some reason, talking about underwear, periods… breasts… all those topics with Rosalyn just felt way too embarrassing.

Of course, it was totally normal to feel that way about talking about those things, but still.

“Hmm… No, wait. Rize, should we check the size right now?”

“Yes…?”

“Honestly, we don’t really need to go to the store first, can’t we figure it out just by looking?”

That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

After all, she had seen my body countless times while changing my clothes and washing me.

Of course, I could somewhat tell my size had increased, but my assumptions might differ from reality.

I might be overthinking it?

“What do you think?”

“…Young Lady.”

“No, just check for me.”

“Young Lady, please wait a moment…!”

Rustle…

I immediately took off the shirt I was wearing.

It had buttons, but it was loose enough that I could take it off without unbuttoning it.

I wore it a bit larger than my actual size, so it was no problem at all.

“…….”

“Rize, why are you looking away? You’ve seen me change often enough.”

“…I’m sorry.”

I had asked Rize to check if I had grown, and yet she was turning her eyes away.

That wouldn’t help with checking the size.

“Alright, hurry up and check. How is it? Did it grow?”

“……..”

“Huh?”

While asking Rize that, I wondered.

To me, it seemed like… I had probably grown about half a size, but Rize might have a more objective perspective.

“…Young Lady, you shouldn’t do this with others.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t! This is just something I can ask you about, so it’s completely normal, right?”

I really didn’t get why she was suddenly saying something so obvious.

Rize was definitely a smart girl.

Anyway, I asked Rize about my growth, and her answer seemed to imply that I had indeed grown, which was fine at least.

So, it meant I had grown?