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When Anne’s hand dropped, Yuli’s hand would rise, and when Yuli’s hand dropped, Selian’s hand would come up, and when Selian’s hand dropped, again Anne’s hand would rise…

They started fiddling around, claiming my belly was all smooth and such, and by this point, I wondered if it was just them who had made my belly smooth after I had to suffer from their relentless touches for quite a while.

I tried my best to resist, but against the three of them, the best I could do was to keep my skirt from sliding down.

“Heehee! Elysia is so ticklish, it’s fun!”

Anyway, this kind of physical play always starts with Anne.

She would poke at my side, suddenly hug me, and then out of nowhere, she’d flop onto my belly. Or if I was just lying in bed reading a book on the weekend, she’d lay on top of me using my belly or thighs as a pillow… She would just stick to me whenever she got bored, regardless of the type of play.

And when Anne started messing around, Yuli and Selian, who were doing something else, would slyly come over to join in.

I used to think that only men engaged in rough and tumble play—well, at least the kind of hitting and pushing—but I learned from becoming a woman myself that girls also often play rough and tumble.

If I were a guy, I’d find that image revolting, but surprisingly, girls don’t seem to mind physical contact with each other that much.

However, mentally, I am still a man, and having had no contact with girls my age before entering the Academy, I can’t help but feel shy every time my friends initiate skinship.

Of course, I must not let my true identity be exposed, so I pretend to be calm and indifferent, showing no signs that I’m actually flustered by the girls’ playful touches.

“By the way, I think it’s about time we look for our ecology investigation assignment.”

“Um… As the professor said, he’ll probably pass us without much fuss, but we should at least show some effort, right?”

As the victim of their antics, I lay on the mat, still trembling and feeling the lingering effects, while the two of them casually chatted away.

“Hey, you know…”

In contrast to the two of them, Anne crouched by my head and looked down at me as she spoke.

It seemed she was aware that I was in this state because of her.

Unlike Yuli and Selian, who were leaving me alone, she approached me to chat.

“How about ‘Why is Elysia’s belly so smooth?’ for the ecology investigation material? Don’t you think that’s worth investigating?”

…Forget what I just thought. Anne is definitely the biggest devil among the three.

Physically, she had me KO’d, and now she mentally shattered me again.

“Is that really okay…?”

Perhaps because of the anger towards Anne, I managed to gather my strength and retorted back weakly.

“Ha!”

Anne, who was by my head, scurried away at the sound of my voice and hid behind a tree in the distance.

She even climbed the tree expertly, watching me cautiously.

What is she, a monkey?

As I finally got up and stared at her with an incredulous look, she seemed embarrassed as she laughed sheepishly.

“Hehe… You’re not mad, are you, Elysia?”

If I got angry now, I’d just look like a strange creep who can’t handle ordinary girl-on-girl play. I would certainly come off as weird.

“I’m not mad, so stop saying weird things and come down already. If we keep this up, we really won’t be able to submit our assignment.”

Well, I wasn’t genuinely mad. I had been through these sorts of pranks more than once.

After peeking at me for a moment from the tree, Anne cautiously came back down and approached me.

“Okay, then shall we start the ecology investigation properly?”

As I got up from my spot and Anne descended from the tree, Selian clapped her hands once and said.

But before that…

Poke!

“Uheh!”

I poked Anne in the side.

Anne, completely caught off guard by the poke, squirmed delightfully as she responded.

Good. I’m satisfied with this.

They say an assassin’s grudge is quite terrifying, right? Anne, you should be grateful it ended like this.

“Enough of the playful antics, let’s at least check out the surroundings.”

At Yuli’s suggestion, we tidied up the mat we had spread out and started moving with the half-empty lunchbox.

I scanned my surroundings thoroughly the entire time we moved.

Of course, I had looked around earnestly when we first entered the forest, but back then, it was focused on finding a spot to spread out the mat.

In contrast, now I was diligently observing the wild animal markings on the trees, the herbs noted in textbooks, and any poisonous insects to be cautious of—all based on the aim of the ecology investigation.

“Still, I want to appear somewhat impressive.”

“Well, there aren’t any scores, and we’ll pass as long as we bring something, right? Is there really a need for that?”

Not wishing to settle for ordinary signs that could be found near the city, I threw out a comment, prompting Yuli to respond.

“It’s embarrassing to say it myself, but… we’ve got the top student Selian here, and Yuli and I do fairly well in theory. It feels kind of lacking to bring back something similar to what everyone else does, doesn’t it? It gives a vibe of scoring points when others slack off.”

Of course, since it’s a class with only pass or fail but no scores, there’s really no need to fret.

But if I could leave a good impression on the professor this time, it might help me receive good grades in other subjects later… that was the somewhat sneaky strategy behind it.

“Eh! Elysia, you just excluded my name, didn’t you? How sneaky!”

However, before Selian and Yuli could respond to my comment, Anne interjected loudly.

Now that I think about it, I hadn’t specifically mentioned her name while talking. But…

“That’s because Anne is practically at the bottom of the class in written exams.”

In reality, Anne’s rank in written exams is so low that if you were to quickly count from the bottom of the entire school, her name would pop up in no time.

“Eep… But my practical score is among the highest, you know? My overall score is above average!”

Of course, just as Anne said, she compensates for the losses in written work with her overpowering practical scores; that only elevates her overall rank a little above average.

And in fact, her exceptional practical score isn’t particularly utilized during the ecology investigation.

It seems I accidentally skipped over mentioning Anne’s name while talking.

“…So what’s the name of this mushroom?”

Instead of apologizing to Anne, I picked a mushroom protruding from the spot I was standing and asked her.

“……”

However, to my question, Anne was silent. She even rolled her eyes, pretending she hadn’t seen or heard anything, and was fiddling with something else.

How long did that awkward silence last?

Eventually, the first to give in was Anne, who puffed out her cheeks, letting out a grumpy voice.

“Ugh… Fine, I’m an idiot! Elysia, you’re an idiot too! Dummy!”

The way Anne expressed her dissatisfaction toward me. But did she know? That the act of getting mad made her even cuter.

Seeing her adorable expression, I tossed the mushroom I was holding aside and instead moved in to give her a warm hug.

With Selian and Yuli, I wouldn’t dare hug them recklessly out of embarrassment, but with Anne, it’s easier to do so without thinking, perhaps due to her younger demeanor and actions.

Once again, Anne fit perfectly into my arms.

“Hehe… Honestly, Anne is just too cute. Who calls Anne an idiot? If there’s a cute idiot like you, bring them out! I’ll yell at them all!”

Of course, appearance and intelligence are separate, but… in reality, Anne doesn’t dislike studying; she’s just not the brightest.

Fortunately, the moment Anne, who had been struggling in my arms, heard my compliment that she was cute, she instantly calmed down.

With Anne’s strength, she could have easily broken free from my grip, but since she didn’t, it seemed she wasn’t really mad.

With Anne snug in my arms, I caught eyes with Selian, who was standing a bit away.

Well, I suppose even among girls, keeping her in my arms for this long might be stretching it a bit, huh?

Watching my friends from the corner of my eye, I gradually loosened my hold on Anne.

Fortunately, Anne didn’t seem to mind my sudden embrace.

Next, I turned my gaze back to Selian, who had just made eye contact with me.

?

Out of nowhere, Selian was holding the mushroom I had tossed earlier, staring at me.

“Ah! What was the name of this mushroom? I can’t remember at all.”

?

“I guess I’m quite the fool. Yes! Truly a fool, indeed.”

Selian was obviously putting on an awkward performance.

In a stiff voice reminiscent of reading a book, she babbled something incomprehensible while looking at me with what seemed like hopeful eyes.

…?

!

Sure enough!

As expected of Selian, who genuinely has the qualities of a hero, she was acting to comfort Anne, who had just called herself an idiot.

I couldn’t help but be impressed by Selian’s depth of consideration, something I couldn’t even have imagined.

In order to praise Selian’s efforts without Anne finding out she was acting, I secretly gave Selian a thumbs-up.

Yuli, too, seemed to have caught on to Selian’s efforts to soothe Anne, quietly whispering something to her without it reaching Anne.

It must have been a compliment directed at Selian.

However, perhaps feeling embarrassed for her clumsy act being exposed, Selian had a slightly teary expression.

It’s okay, Selian! It seems Anne didn’t notice anything!

For reference, the sample for the ecology investigation was submitted through the mushroom Selian picked up again.

 

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