Chapter 104: A Picnic, Teasing, and an Unexpected Target

To make sandwiches for the four of us, I honestly didn’t do much.

All I really did was peel boiled eggs, cut the crusts off the bread, and stuff the fillings inside.

It was too simple to be called cooking—anyone could do it.

Other than that, my main job was taste-testing while Celian and Yuri prepared the sandwich fillings.

Actually, the taste-testing was the most important part.

Yuri and Celian insisted that the person sampling the food was crucial, so they exempted me from most of the other tasks.

Still, just standing around doing nothing felt awkward, so I kept asking them to let me help.

After pestering them enough, I managed to take on a few minor tasks.

But every time I tried to sneak in my own little additions while assembling the sandwiches, somehow, they always caught me and stopped my hands.

“There’s still a lot left.”

Celian glanced at the remaining sandwiches inside the lunchbox.

Since we had packed two large lunchboxes almost entirely with sandwiches—excluding some fruit—even after eating until we were full, there was still plenty left.

Even though the outdoor setting had made us hungrier than usual, it still wasn’t enough to finish them all.

“Hmm… I guess we can eat the rest for dinner when we get back.”

“Ugh… I wish I could eat them instead…”

Linne sighed wistfully as she gazed at the sandwiches.

Since she frequently materialized to touch objects, sleep, and do other human-like things, it was easy to forget that she was still a ghost.

But moments like this reminded me of the reality of her existence.

If Yuri’s magic continued to improve, would Linne eventually become more ghost-like, losing the need for sleep like before?

Or would she become even more human-like than she is now?

Yuri might not be the best swordswoman, but as a necromancer, she was nothing short of a genius.

It wouldn’t be long before she found the answer to that question.

Honestly, more than Linne growing stronger, I just wanted her to be able to experience and enjoy more of life.

If she ever becomes able to eat food, I’ll make sure to serve her my meat pie first.

“It’s fine! Yuri and Celian’s sandwiches are so good, I could keep eating them forever!”

Thinking back, Anne had definitely eaten more than anyone else, using her role as “taste-tester” as an excuse.

Even during our picnic, she had eaten the most.

“Alright, we’re done with the sandwiches. What should we do with the fruit?”

Closing the sandwich container, I opened another section of the lunchbox, revealing a beautifully arranged selection of fruits.

There were neatly packed grapes and cherry tomatoes, along with ring-shaped pineapple slices.

Anne’s favorite strawberries were also included, as well as apple slices carved into cute rabbit shapes—though, for some reason, just looking at them gave me an unexplainable chill.

Thanks to magical cultivation, there were a variety of fresh fruits regardless of the season, filling the entire compartment.

But strangely, even though my friends usually had “a separate stomach for dessert,” they simply stared at the fruit container in my hands, saying nothing.

“Can you… eat any more?”

“…Let’s save it for later. Honestly, I don’t think I can fit anything else in right now.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Celian’s suggestion, so I closed the fruit container and set it aside with the sandwiches.

“I really wasn’t thinking while I ate… I might have overeaten. What if I start gaining weight?”

Yuri, agreeing with a worried expression, placed both hands on her stomach and rubbed it gently.

At those words, everyone except Yuri turned their gaze toward her stomach.

“…….”

“U-Um… guys…?”

As we all stared in silent unison, the only one confused was Yuri, who had no idea what crime she had committed.

“You do realize you have the best figure among us, right?”

“Meanwhile, everything I eat just turns straight into belly fat, but Yuri? It all goes to her chest! Reflect on your sins!”

“Shh, shh! What if someone hears?! Honestly, Anne, is there anything you don’t say out loud?”

It was true—Yuri had the largest chest among us, with a slim waist that made her the envy of the group.

Of course, it wasn’t real resentment, just friendly teasing.

And what about me?

Well, considering I was originally a guy, my thoughts went in a different direction than theirs.

But there was no need for me to voice those thoughts out loud.

Still, Yuri flustered under their teasing was so amusing that I decided to join in.

“That’s exactly it. Every time I overeat, my stomach always sticks out, but Yuri? No matter how much she eats, I’ve never seen her with even the slightest belly.”

To drive the point home, I playfully lifted my vest and shirt slightly, exposing my stomach.

Of course, I didn’t reveal my lower abdomen where my s*ave contract mark was—just from my skirt’s waistband up to just below my chest.

Any higher and my clothes would get caught on my chest, and I wasn’t about to become a public exhibitionist.

But even with my stomach exposed, there was no bulge.

Since I had eaten only moments ago, there hadn’t been time for any noticeable bloating.

Still, looking at my smooth stomach, I suddenly felt nostalgic for my old male body.

Not the assassin life itself—just the physical body.

Back then, my stomach had been lined with well-defined abs, proof of my relentless training.

But ever since I became a woman, no matter how much I trained, my six-pack refused to return.

Was this what that old wizard had meant by “the perfect, flawless maiden”?

Or was it one of the side effects he had warned me about?

I suppose I’ll never know.

Still, whether or not a “perfect maiden” should have abs is a matter of preference.

It’s probably better to assume that this was just part of the “flawless transformation.”

There was no need to think of it negatively as a side effect.

Whoosh—

While I had been spacing out, lost in unnecessary thoughts of the past, a cool autumn breeze brushed against my exposed stomach, sending a ticklish sensation across my skin.

The sharp chill against my sensitive skin jolted me back to reality.

“Uh… guys…?”

But this time, I was the one repeating the same flustered words Yuri had stammered earlier when she found herself under everyone’s silent gaze.

Just moments ago, we had been teasing Yuri, but while I had been lost in thought, had the target shifted to me?

My friends were now staring silently at my exposed stomach, just as they had stared at Yuri before.

“Gulp…”

I clearly heard Celian and Yuri swallow hard.

“H-Hey, guys…?”

They had just said they were full.

So why were they suddenly looking at me like that—while swallowing their saliva?

And why, specifically, were they staring at my stomach?

A strange chill ran down my spine, and I instinctively tried to take a step back.

Poke.

“Hyaah!?”

Before I could retreat, Anne—who I had momentarily forgotten about in the unnerving atmosphere—had suddenly crouched beside me and poked my bare stomach.

Since my skin was sensitive and I hadn’t been expecting the contact, I yelped in surprise.

Poke. Poke. Poke.

But Anne completely ignored my reaction and continued prodding my stomach with her index finger.

“A-Anne…?”

“Hehe… It’s soft and squishy… It looks like pudding… It looks delicious….”

After poking it a few more times, Anne spread her hands wide and started kneading my stomach like dough.

“Sss…”

Meanwhile, Celian, wiping a small trail of drool from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, muttered under her breath about how tasty it looked.

…Just moments ago, they were teasing Yuri.

How did it come to this?

“P-Please, stop…”

But no matter how much I pleaded, they showed no signs of stopping.

I wanted to push Anne’s hands away, but each time she kneaded my stomach, an embarrassing whimper slipped out along with my strength.

Even Linne, who wasn’t participating in the torment, was standing off to the side, munching on imaginary popcorn as she watched me get mercilessly teased.

Wait… popcorn?!

Where did she even get that?! It wasn’t even real!

And so, in the middle of a quiet, secluded forest—where no one would come to my rescue—I was subjected to endless bullying from my friends, who had long forgotten about our ecological research assignment.

Sniff…