"That's enough for now," Nearl called from the kitchen, her voice cutting through our conversation.
"Alright, though it wasn't long, I've told you just about everything I remember from Nearl's younger days."
Director Komori rose from the sofa. "Even if Nearl hadn't called, I'd have run out of stories anyway."
Ardan stood up as well.
"Not at all—you've been a tremendous help. I'm sure Nearl's upright and sincere character owes a lot to your influence as a role model."
"What are you two doing? Making fun of me behind my back?"
Nearl pushed open the meeting room door with her hip, a plate in each hand.
"Why are you bringing the food in here?"
Director Komori sounded puzzled. Meanwhile, Ardan quickly stepped forward to take one of the plates from Nearl.
"Maybe you should think about that question a little harder," Nearl said, sighing as she looked at the woman old enough to be her grandmother.
"I've only been gone for a month, but the kitchen's already a complete mess. Have you even noticed?"
She set the dish down on the coffee table, placing one hand on her hip, her stance just a little confrontational.
"There's no way I'd let Ardan eat in such a messy space. It's much better to have our meal here in the reception room."
"Ahaha, well…"
Komori Party scratched her head and laughed nervously, trying to brush it off. Seeing her like that, Nearl couldn't stay annoyed.
"Never mind, I'll take care of it. After we eat, I'll clean up."
"Thank you! I'll leave it to you!"
Komori pressed her hands together and raised them over her head in a playful, grateful gesture.
Maybe it was because Nearl had always been so mature, even as a child, but her relationship with Komori Party felt less like one between an elder and a junior, and more like equals.
"Let's eat. These are dishes the head chef at Kasamatsu Tracen taught me. They've already passed the taste test of my classmates, so they should be pretty good."
Setting down the pan-fried carrots and red-braised meat, Nearl looked quietly pleased with herself.
"I'll go get the rest. You two start without me."
"I'll come too."
Ardan eagerly followed Nearl out, leaving Komori Party behind, nibbling thoughtfully on the tip of her chopsticks as she watched them go.
When Nearl returned with the last two dishes, Komori Party, already eating, suddenly brought up a question.
"By the way, where is Miss Mejiro going to sleep tonight?"
That turned out to be a rather pointed question. Ardan froze mid-bite, then glanced hopefully toward Nearl.
Nearl didn't seem bothered at all, calmly serving herself more food.
"Hmm, I thought Ardan could sleep in my room. I cleaned it earlier and put on fresh sheets and a new duvet."
She turned to Ardan, whose face had gone pink. "What do you think, Ardan? Is my room alright for you?"
"But… why is your face so red?"
"Th—that!" Ardan stammered slightly.
"It's… the red-braised meat! It's a bit spicy!"
"But I used tomatoes as the base?"
Nearl looked genuinely confused. She scooped a spoonful onto her own plate with the serving spoon and took a bite.
"See? Not spicy at all."
"..."
Ardan looked like she wanted to hide her face in her chest. In the end, it was Komori Party who stepped in.
"And what about you? Your bed's pretty small—it'd be hard to fit two people. Were you planning to sleep on the floor? It's winter now, the nights are really cold."
Hearing that, Ardan managed to squeeze out a few words.
"She's right… I can't let you sleep on the floor. If that's the case…"
Her cheeks flushed, she fidgeted with her hands under the table and mumbled the next part.
"Wouldn't it be better if we shared the bed? We're both girls—it might be a tight squeeze, but I'm sure we could manage."
Just saying it seemed to take all the courage she had. Ardan quickly picked up her bowl and chopsticks, trying to hide her flustered state behind a facade of eating.
But to both their surprises, Nearl didn't agree to go back to her own room.
"No, Ardan is my guest. It wouldn't be right to make her uncomfortable. Director Komori, I remember there's an empty room here—I'll stay there."
"Ah, that one." Komori drew out her words. "That one's not available right now. I've stored a bunch of things in there. It's not fit for sleeping in at the moment."
Nearl frowned, not understanding.
"You filled it up in just a month? What have you been doing?"
"I can't really remember off the top of my head. Anyway, it's unusable."
Komori Party stated this matter-of-factly, though her eyes occasionally flickered toward the still-blushing Ardan.
"Hmm…"
Nearl didn't press further. She lowered her head, took a bite of food, and chewed thoughtfully.
"I see," she said after swallowing.
"So what's your plan now? Still going to sleep on the floor?" Komori asked curiously.
"No, I'll stay right here. There's still this sofa, isn't there? It'll be fine for sleeping."
She pointed at the leather sofa she was sitting on, feeling a sense of relief. Something told her that sharing a room with Ardan might lead to… complications.
"Mmm…"
Ardan's cheeks puffed out just a little.
"Sleeping on the sofa… are you sure that's okay?"
"Don't worry, this sofa isn't much different from the beds at school. It's fine. Besides, Matron Komori, you've let work pile up lately, haven't you?"
Nearl glanced at the stacks of documents on the desk and could easily imagine how busy the director had been.
"If I'm here, I can help you sort some of it out."
"Nearl, you… when will you ever learn to rest? Even now, you're still thinking about work?"
Komori Party looked at her with a heart full of concern.
"Director, you should keep eating. The little ones will finish their meal soon, and once they start making noise, will you really be able to eat in peace?"
"Ardan, you too, eat up. Food gets cold quickly in winter."
"Okay."
Ardan's reply carried a hint of a pout, but it was so faint that Nearl didn't notice at all.
"Speaking of which, Nearl, have you been in touch with Oguri Cap recently?"
The director suddenly remembered something mid-meal.
"Even I've seen the news—about the Japan Cup, right? They say it's a world-class race now."
"I did hear about that. Not only that—on the day of the Japan Cup, I'll be there in person to cheer for her."
"Wait!" Ardan suddenly broke in. "Nearl, you know Oguri Cap, too?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.