My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 129

“Which underwear do you think looks better?”

“As I mentioned… I believe the one that is most comfortable for the young lady is the best choice.”

“That kind of boring response won’t do. Give me a proper answer. It’s actually tough to choose!”

It’s really frustrating that I keep asking, yet you keep giving me those kinds of answers… Of course, it would be uncomfortable!

Certainly, choosing someone else’s underwear is a hassle and can feel awkward, but I wish you’d put in just a little more effort.

For now, I was picking through the lingerie store.

But it was still a bit… tricky to choose.

“Hmm… I think white or black would be the most comfortable, right? Other colors tend to stand out too much.”

“Yes.”

“Rize, you usually wear only neutral-colored underwear, don’t you?”

“…That’s correct.”

“Those shades surely won’t show under outer garments, and they seem much better overall.”

There were quite a few different colors around, but I concluded that, as I told Rize, neutral hues would be the best choice.

Of course, there were plenty of pretty ones even if they weren’t neutral.

However, considering the design and the clothes I usually wear, it seemed preferable to stick with neutral colors.

“Umm… never mind. Should I just try it on once?”

“That… would surely suit the young lady.”

“I thought so?”

Honestly, it was probably a mistake to have just been looking around all this time.

It’s just plain silly to evaluate underwear without trying it on first!

“Let me just try this one on first. I thought it looked alright a moment ago.”

“…It seems fine.”

I shared with Rize the thoughts I’d gathered while browsing.

It’s underwear, after all—it definitely seemed better to try it on at least once rather than just think about the design.

“Alright, I’ll try this on first. The size is…”

I hadn’t thought about it while browsing, but in a situation like this… I should call a staff member.

Since we’d been looking around by ourselves since we entered, but neither Rize nor I had often done this kind of thing, yet the bust size was definitely more important than height or such.

*

After confirming my bust size, I ended up alone in the fitting room.

Well, it is underwear, so it’s only natural.

“Hmm… a B cup.”

Quite a bit of time has passed since I started living as a woman, but when it comes to bust size, cup size… I still don’t quite know.

I heard from the staff that I should be a B cup.

Is this really B cup?

It was hard to believe, and even in the fitting room, those thoughts lingered.

“Hmm… was B cup this size?

Of course, my bust had grown a lot since then, but still, it seemed small to me, and I was pretty surprised that this was considered a B cup.

It barely seemed like a fist’s worth!

“If I’m this size, Rize must be a C or D, right?”

I gazed at my reflection in the mirror, completely without any underwear on, and no top either.

If I narrow my shoulders like this to lift my bust…

“Oh…”

With this, does it look like a B cup?

Maybe it’s because my skin is quite elastic, but I could feel the change more clearly when I pulled it together.

Well, being at the level of a little kid in early teens didn’t exactly evoke much excitement, right?

“Is the size correct…?”

Compared to what I used to wear, it surely felt much more comfortable.

The tightness around my shoulders and bust had significantly decreased, and the discomfort in the flesh between my bust was definitely lessened too.

“The design is decent enough…”

Even though I was looking at myself in the mirror, it certainly looked like the type of underwear that students would wear.

Nothing particularly special, just something to hold the chest in place with a band?

“Rize, Rize. Can you come here for a second?”

“…Yes?”

“Quickly, just come over.”

“Alright…?”

Poking my head out of the fitting room, I called Rize.

She approached with a puzzled look, but she came near the fitting room nonetheless.

“Hmm…”

“What is it? Is there a problem? Should I call a staff member…”

“No, that’s not it. Just come inside.”

“…?”

Given my state, I could only stick my head out and not show anything else.

So, I had no choice but to call Rize inside the fitting room.

Well… calling Rize inside while I was only in my underwear made her stare at me wide-eyed when she walked in.

“What do you think? Does it look okay?”

“…….”

“Rize?”

“Um… Young Lady?”

“Yeah, why?”

Rize glanced back and forth at my chest and side.

What’s the problem here?

I didn’t feel like there was any issue with the size or design once I tried it on.

I had no clue why she wasn’t answering and was hesitating.

“…I’m a bit surprised by this sudden request.”

“Is that so?”

“Even so, showing someone your body without saying anything first seems inappropriate.”

“But you’re not a stranger!”

“That…! Is true, but…”

I’m not a fool. I wouldn’t just show my bare skin to anyone.

After all, being in such a state with others nearby… would just be crazy, right?

Though I often acted thoughtlessly and displayed a lot of silly behavior with Rize, it doesn’t mean I’d expose myself like that to just anyone.

“That’s unfair.”

“…I apologize. I was just surprised, and it slipped out before I could stop myself…”

“So, what do you think? The underwear I’m wearing right now.”

“…I think it’s quite acceptable. It seems to suit your body well, and most importantly, you don’t seem uncomfortable in it.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

I said something odd just now, but then Rize quickly gave an objective and good evaluation right after.

Honestly, the design of the underwear was quite plain and simple, so there wasn’t much to comment on.

“Do you want to bring some others right away from outside?”

“Excuse me?”

“If I change here and get to try them right away, wouldn’t that be much more convenient? The space isn’t that cramped since I’m small anyway.”

I thought it was quite a rational judgment.

In reality, a little bit of space was certainly a fact compared to how cramped the fitting room was.

“Is that okay?”

“…….”

Rize kept avoiding my gaze. Was it because the situation felt annoying or the fitting room felt cramped?

*

In the southern city where the Leonhardt Mansion is located.

As always, it was a city where nothing special happened, and today, the ordinary lives of the citizens flowed along just as usual.

“Sigh…”

Except for one person.

“Young lady… could you stop sighing? The staff has been quite nervous for a while now.”

“……..”

“When a noble visits a café, and you keep sighing like that… they’re bound to be frightened.”

“I can’t help it. It’s because I’m worried about Camelia.”

“It’s just a midterm exam… It’s not like it’s a magical tower experiment or something as serious as becoming a tower master’s disciple… I really don’t understand why you’re so worried.”

“…….”

The root of the situation lay in the letter from Camelia that had arrived a few days prior at the Leonhardt Mansion.

The content of the letter was just ordinary, merely mentioning she was taking the Academy midterm exams and included some greetings.

Camelia had likely written it without much thought, and Ashley felt the same while checking the contents.

However, unlike those two, Rosalyn, who read the letter, was increasingly anxious.

“What if she gets a low grade in the Academy and is heartbroken?”

“Umm…”

“She’s a child who has done everything she wanted to since she was little. She’s bound to be hurt in many ways… she might even cry…”

If the protagonist of the story, Camelia, heard this, she would surely be giving Rosalyn a look of disbelief.

And she would have said something reassuring to calm her down…

“…I don’t think she’d cry just because she did poorly on the first semester midterm exams.”

Ashley did not have such a character trait at all.

While she was quite awake now, she wasn’t the type to get concerned over every little thing or to try to help others.

“I think she’d be indifferent about failing the exam…”

“……..”

“And I can totally see her going out to have fun with friends once the exam is over…”

And with Ashley’s words, Rosalyn couldn’t find a rebuttal.

It had been four years since she met Camelia, who was now 8, and throughout that time, she had spent more moments with Camelia than many others.

“…That’s true.”

In truth, Rosalyn had kind of thought that would be the case, but still couldn’t completely erase her worries.

“Plus, young lady, you’ve been to the Academy yourself. I really don’t understand why you’re worrying so much…”

“Well, it’s Camelia.”

“She’s good at studying…”

“Regardless of Camelia’s talents in studies and magic, I’m just worried as a mother. Because she’s my daughter.”

“Wow…”

Hearing Rosalyn’s reply, Ashley widened her eyes in surprise.

Of course, Ashley had understood why Rosalyn reacted that way.

Despite usually just sleeping and spending lots of time in bed, she wasn’t entirely unaware of the conditions within the Leonhardt Mansion and about Camelia.

“…But just hearing about it through a letter isn’t enough.”

“But I think even if you worry like that, Camelia will be sleeping peacefully without a care in the world.”

“…I’ll cut your salary in half next month.”

“Hey.”

Even after days passed, weeks went by, and months slipped by, Rosalyn was still worrying about Camelia in the Academy.