Chapter 22 : Who’s prettier?

“Was she that pretty?”
“…”
“Tanya?”

Lucia was whining.

As I always thought whenever she was this close,
This girl had no concept of personal space.

She walked so close that our thighs brushed with every step, as if
Wanting to be glued to my side.

And then there was her habit of hugging me like a stuffed animal every night when we went to bed.

If she kept acting like this,
I’d end up taking advantage of her.

Lucia’s body was soft and warm.

I had to constantly remind myself to be careful, to not give in to the urge to touch her.

“Tanyaaa.”
“Ah, yes. I was just… thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”

About you.

About how soft your body is, and whether that warmth will disappear if I cross the line.

I couldn’t say that out loud.

I gave a vague answer.

“About… the special transfer student.”
“…”
“Miss Lucia?”

She suddenly stopped walking.

I looked at her questioningly, and she pouted.

“Tanya, are you that interested in her?”
“Huh?”
“Hmph…”
“…?”

Lucia just kept pouting.

This was a new reaction, even for her, and I was a little taken aback.

“And…” Lucia started, then continued,

“You promised to call me Lucia.”
“Ah.”

Was the name that important?
I wasn’t so oblivious as to not understand her point.

Was this a mistake?

“Can I ask again?”
“Ask what?”
“Was she that pretty?”

Back to that topic, huh?

Lucia clearly didn’t like that I’d called Priscilla pretty.

I didn’t understand why, but that seemed to be the case, and
If I didn’t answer, she’d probably keep asking the same question all day.

So, I decided to be honest.

“Yes.”
“…”

It wasn’t a compliment. Priscilla was objectively pretty, and I’d simply stated a fact.

Lucia’s pout deepened.

But I didn’t care. What else was I supposed to say?

I was more curious about her reaction.

As I stared at her,
She suddenly grabbed my arm, trying to link it with hers.

No, not just my arm. She stepped closer,
Trying to loop her arm around mine completely.

“This is… a bit much.”
“Why?”

She was too close.

Wasn’t she embarrassed?

“Why not?”
“People will think we’re dating.”
“Huh?”
“If one of us were a man.”

We looked that intimate.

And we were.
This was beyond the usual level of closeness between friends.

While it was absurd to assume two girls were dating just because they were close,
I couldn’t dismiss the possibility, given my own feelings.

Lucia giggled awkwardly,
And stepped back.

A slight blush on her cheeks betrayed her embarrassment.

An awkward silence filled the air.

I started to regret my words, when
Lucia suddenly closed the distance again, her face inches from mine.

“What about me?”
“Huh?”
“What about me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Am I not pretty?”
“…”
“Tell me I’m pretty too.”
“…”
“Come on.”

I was speechless.

Did she crave validation?
No, that was impossible. Not for someone like her, who’d always been surrounded by love and admiration.

And even if she did, what good would a compliment from someone like me do?

As I hesitated, lost in thought,
Lucia leaned closer, practically in my arms, her face inches from mine.

Her face filled my vision.

Her delicate nose, flushed cheeks, soft lips, smooth forehead. Pink eyes, like cherry blossoms, gazed at me. The way she smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners…

I couldn’t possibly say she wasn’t pretty.

Mesmerized, I nodded.

And Lucia beamed, delighted by my simple gesture.

“Yay!”
“…”

What was she so happy about?

But my ordeal wasn’t over.

“Then…”
“Sigh. Yes?”
“Who’s prettier? Her or me?”
“Huh?”

I seemed to have developed a verbal tic.

Constantly asking, “Huh?”

It always happened when I was talking to Lucia.

When I was questioning whether I’d heard her correctly.

“…”
“…”

But I had to answer.
I had a feeling things would go wrong if I didn’t.

And honestly, I did find Lucia more attractive than Priscilla.

Not in a purely aesthetic sense, but
I was drawn to her warmth, her kindness, her innocence.

Qualities I lacked.
Qualities I could never reclaim.
They said you admired what you couldn’t have.

“You’re…”
“Yes?”
“…”

I didn’t finish my sentence.
A strange feeling washed over me.

But Lucia seemed satisfied, her face breaking into a bright smile.

Was that a sufficient answer?

Apparently not.

Giggling, she suddenly asked,

“Then, what about Karen?”
“…”

Why was she bringing Karen up?

I wondered if she was deliberately trying to make me uncomfortable.

While I knew she wouldn’t do that,
Just hearing Karen’s name made my chest tighten.

Suppressed emotions threatened to resurface.

I’d thought I’d forgotten,
That I could forget,
But I couldn’t help but dwell on the past, on her. Despite being rejected so vehemently, both when she left and when we met again, I still thought about Karen whenever I let my guard down.

Hoping that someday,
She’d return, the Karen I once knew.

“Karen…”
“Yes?”
“…”
“Yes?”
“…”
“Tanyaaa.”

Lucia pouted, staring at me.

She looked like a lover sulking after being given the wrong answer.

My answer was obvious.

I should have said Lucia was prettier,
Even just a little,
Than Karen.

Whether I truly believed it or not,
The one standing before me was Lucia, not Karen.

It wouldn’t be difficult to appease her.

She’d smile, happy with the compliment, and
I’d be satisfied, watching her beautiful smile, my own twisted satisfaction.

“…”

But I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

Why? Even I didn’t know.

I didn’t answer.

And because of that, I didn’t get dinner that night.

Withholding food just because I hadn’t called her prettier? That wasn’t like Lucia.

“You’re being mean, Tanya.”
“…”

I was being mean.
I couldn’t deny that I’d upset her by refusing to give her a simple compliment.

Should I try to appease her?
No, that wasn’t my style.

I felt a little uneasy.

Lucia continued sulking until late at night.

When we went to bed,
She turned her back to me, refusing to even look at me.

I’m not hugging you tonight. That’s what she seemed to be saying.

It was going to be a cold night, so
I pulled the covers over my head.

…

But when I woke up in the morning,
I was nestled in her arms, our bodies pressed together.

The covers were discarded on the floor.
Warmed only by each other’s body heat,
I clung to Lucia, acting spoiled.

And that worried me.

When we inevitably parted ways,
When she finally kicked me out,
This was what I’d miss the most.

Even after her kindness faded,
I’d cling to her, begging her
For one last hug.

I knew I’d regret it, but
I couldn’t help but hold her warm body close.