Volume 4 Chapter 2: Where the Journey Takes Us Part II (1/2)

Lahna had apparently picked out the hotel while Sora reserved us rooms. They really are reliable.

We reserved two rooms, so we divided ourselves into two groups – me, Lahna, and Maria, then Sora and Jared.

“I apologize for being unable to reserve a room for one – there were not many empty rooms available,” Sora said, but personally I was a little happy because it felt like I was on a school trip like in my past life.

In this life, I’ve always had my own room after all. So, I got excited on entering the room.

“Would it be alright for me to take this bed?” I ask excitedly.

I jump on the bed once I get permission.

Normally, I wouldn’t really do something like that (since Anne would get mad at me), but the excitement of a school trip has gotten me pretty cheerful.

Maria looks surprised at my actions. Lahna smiles, saying “You look like you’re having fun.”

But when I happen to meet the eyes of the bear standing next to Lahna, it looks down at me condescendingly in contempt again.

Seriously, what a nasty bear.

After verifying the state of our rooms, we eat dinner in the dining hall.

I grow even more excited as together, we cheerfully eat dishes I’ve never seen before…

“Ah, this looks good. This does too. Oh, and this.”

… and end up eating way too much. Jared did warn me midway through that I would get a stomach-ache if I ate too much, but I was just so excited his warning went through one ear and out the other.

At times like this, if Keith were with me, he would look at me coldly and forcibly remove food from my grasp, saying “You’re eating too much, sis.”

… But Keith isn’t with me right now – and so, by the time I returned to my room, my stomach was very full and it was painful for me to even move.

Jared looked at me like he was thinking that things turned out the way he expected. The bear shot me a cold gaze that made me feel like it was calling me stupid.

… I’ll be more careful from now on.

Somehow avoiding throwing up, I return to my room. But even standing up was a struggle, so I lay down on my bed, waiting for my stomach to finish digesting.

In all honesty, I wanted to go talk about girl things with Lahna and Maria after this and had expected that would be tonight’s main event… but my stomach hurts so much there’s no way I can do that. I’m sad.

And as I was moaning on the bed, gripping my stomach, Lahna says “I have something to do, so I’ll be going,” and leaves.

Perhaps she went out to see night tourist attractions?

After moaning on the bed for a while, before I knew it, I fell asleep.

When I wake up, the room is dark, lit only by the light of a lamp.

It seems that Lahna is still out. Only Maria is sitting on her bed. She’s probably already wearing her nightwear – she’s changed into a comfortable one-piece dress-like piece of clothing. Her golden hair, illuminated by the lamp, seemed paler than usual, letting out a sexier feel that felt different than normal.

As I admire Maria despite myself, she notices my gaze or something and looks towards me.

“You’ve woken up? Is your stomach feeling fine now?” she asks, her expression rather saint-like.

I kind of feel embarrassed.

“I’m fine! I’m completely better!” I cry, jumping up from bed with a needless amount of energy.

“I’m glad,” Maria says, smiling happily.

As I gaze at Maria’s amazing smile, I think again that Maria really is an alluring woman.

I was shocked at her adorableness when I first saw her at the academy, but I feel like the closer we get, the more alluring Maria becomes.

At first, I thought that she was just what I expected from an otome game’s protagonist – she was born with amazing features… but that wasn’t the case.

Everything good about Maria is all stuff she obtained herself through her hard work, not things she had to begin with due to being the protagonist. When I realized this, I started to feel like Maria was even more amazing than before.

I love Maria, who’s so kind, considerate, and hard-working. If I were a guy, I would definitely want her to be my wife.

Whenever I think this, it’s truly a mystery to me that the game ended with a friendship ending.

How could Maria, splendid as she is, not have gotten together with anyone? I had even thought it wouldn’t be strange if she got a harem ending.

Either the men around me have no eye for women, or they’re hesitating because don’t know how to confess to her.

Even though if the latter were true, I would definitely give them advice if they came to me.

After all, even though I’ve had zero experience with romance in both this life and my last, I’ve gained a plethora of knowledge from manga and, otome games, along with the romance novels I’ve read in this world. So I’m sure that I’d be able to give great advice.

In both this life and my last, no one has come asking me for romantic advice. Even when I try to ask the girls myself when we’re talking about girly things, they just avoid the question and say, “I like you, Katarina-sama.”

I really have no experience with romance in real life.

But well, we’re staying somewhere new for once after all. Today for sure, I want to talk with Maria about romantic stuff. Alright, here I go!

“Um, Maria, do you – huh? Maria, what are you doing?”

When I look at Maria again after I resolve to start talking about romantic stuff, Maria looks to be doing something.

“Ah, yes, I’m just cleaning him a little,” says Maria, gesturing at the bear plopped on her knee. It looks as though she’s carefully wiping the bear with a cloth.

She looks rather cheerful, as if she’s having fun, and the bear looks rather content as well.

“He’s just so cute, isn’t he?” she says, petting the ugly thing caringly.

It’s true that while its face is rather ugly, it acts rather cute (to anyone other than me). Maria seems to have completely fallen for this bear just after one day.

As Maria pets the bear, it snuggles against her knee. It’s acting rather adorable.

It kind of makes me pretty angry. As I stare at the bear in an ill temper, our eyes meet.