---

In fact, the amount I contributed to making sandwiches for four people wasn’t that much.

As I made the sandwiches, all I did was peel the shells off boiled eggs, cut the edges off the bread, and stuff the fillings between the slices.

It was so simple that anyone could do it, hardly worthy of the title “cooking.”

Other than that, Selian and Yuli were responsible for preparing the fillings, while I was mainly in charge of tasting them.

The tasting part was crucial; knowing that someone had to sample the flavors, Selian and Yuli exempted me from other tasks.

However, since it was hard to just stand there staring, I asked repeatedly to be given something to do, which allowed me to handle a few of the tasks.

Whenever I tried to sneak in my own arrangement of ingredients while putting Yuli’s fillings on the bread, somehow everyone always managed to stop my hand.

“There’s more left than I expected.”

As Selian looked at the sandwiches still remaining in the lunch box, she said that.

Since we packed the large lunch box with sandwiches except for a few simple fruits, there was a considerable amount left even after all four of us had eaten our fill.

And having come outdoors, the atmosphere inspired us to eat even more than usual, yet there was still this much leftover.

“Looks like I’ll have to eat the rest for dinner when we get back.”

– Ugh… I wish I could eat it instead…

Linne said with a hint of regret while glancing at the sandwiches.

Most of the time, she manifests to touch things and sleep, so there are times when she seems a bit forgetful, but whenever she shows this side of herself, it truly hits home that Linne is a ghost.

If Yuli’s abilities as a wizard were to grow, I wonder if Linne would become even more ghostly, needing no rest like in her former teacher’s era, or instead evolve into a more human-like appearance than she has now.

Even if her talent as a swordsman was mediocre, Yuli, who was close to genius as a spirit sorcerer, might just reveal the answer to my curiosity in the not-so-distant future.

Of course, it would be nice if Linne got stronger, but I often wish she could have more experiences and enjoyment overall; so ideally, I hope for the latter.

If Linne is ever able to eat, I’ll treat her to my meat pie then.

“It’s okay! The sandwiches made by Yuli and Selian are so delicious that you won’t get tired of eating them no matter how much you have!”

Indeed, thinking back to Anne, who had munched her way through more as an excuse to taste than I had as the designated taster, this was no exaggeration.

She even ate the most of the sandwiches we brought as a packed lunch.

“Then let’s stop eating sandwiches for now… what should we do with the fruits we brought?”

I closed the container with the sandwiches and set it aside, then opened another lunch box to find it beautifully filled with a variety of fruits.

There were grape clusters and cherry tomatoes that could be easily snacked on, as well as nicely chopped pineapple rings.

Of course, there were strawberries, which Anne particularly loved, and oddly cute apple slices shaped like rabbits, which for some reason made me feel a chill just looking at them.

Thanks to magic, there were various kinds of fruits growing regardless of the season, filling one compartment to the brim.

However, even though they usually insisted that they had separate stomachs for dessert, my friends were just staring silently at the fruit lunchbox I was holding, without saying a word about what to do.

“How… can we eat more?”

“…Let’s save that for later. Honestly, it feels a bit… too much to put in my stomach right now.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Selian’s suggestion, so I covered the fruit lunchbox again and moved it to a corner along with the sandwiches.

“Honestly, I’ve eaten without thinking, and now I’ve overdone it… I might end up with a belly.”

In the meantime, Yuli also expressed agreement, rubbing her hands over her stomach with a worried voice and face.

And at her words, the eyes of everyone except Yuli focused on her stomach.

“……”

“U-Um… guys…?”

With everyone staring silently as one, Yuli, oblivious to her own guilt, began to stutter.

“Even if you say that… deep down you know you have the best figure, right, Yuli?”

“Unlike me, who gains weight every time I eat, Yuli’s weight all seems to go to her chest! Reflect! Reflect!”

“Shh, shh! Who’s gonna overhear! Anyway, Anne never holds back on what she says.”

In reality, Yuli had the biggest chest among us, and her waist was remarkably slim, which often drew envy from her friends.

Of course, they were merely jealous, not resentful or genuinely envious.

What about me?

Well, given that I’m still a guy on the inside, rather than feeling envy, my thoughts tend to go in a different direction altogether.

Of course, no need to spell out what kind of thoughts those are.

Still, the sight of Yuli flustered by the two’s teasing was rather cute, so I decided to assist Selian and Anne in teasing Yuli.

“So, you see, when I overeat, my belly always sticks out like this, yet I’ve never seen Yuli show any sign of that, no matter how much she eats.”

Being a prank meant for Yuli, I lifted my vest and shirt slightly to expose my belly.

Of course, it wasn’t the lower belly where the Master-Servant Mark was, but just above my skirt up to just below my chest.

I would’ve lifted it higher, but it would be impossible with my clothes catching on my chest. Besides, if I got to that point, I’d just be a pervert enjoying outdoor exposure.

However, since it had barely been a little while since I ate the sandwich, my belly wasn’t sticking out at all, just smooth and flat.

By the way, gazing at my flawless belly made me a bit nostalgic for the time when I used to be a man. Of course, not because of the life as an assassin back then, but because of the male body itself.

Back then, there was clear evidence of my rigorous training in the form of six-pack abs on my stomach, yet since turning into a girl, no matter how much I exercise, I’ve never been able to get six-pack abs to form.

Whether this is the perfect form of a flawless girl that the normal wizard spoke of, or just one of the side effects he warned about, I can’t say for sure.

Still, preference for having six-pack abs on a beautiful girl is a matter of personal taste, so maybe it’s better to see it as having become perfect and flawless?

After all, there’s no need to think negatively about it as some side effect.

Whoosh.

As I was lost in unnecessary memories, the cool autumn breeze swept past my belly, tickling me.

As the cold wind lingered on my sensitive skin, my mind snapped back to reality.

“Um, guys…?”

But this time, I repeated Yuli’s earlier line, where she had stuttered at having everyone focus on her.

Just moments before, we were laughing at Yuli, but while I was lost in thought for a moment, it seemed the target had shifted to me, with my friends staring silently at my belly again.

“Gulp…”

Somehow, I could hear Selian and Yuli swallowing audibly.

“U-Uh, guys…?”

They both clearly said they were full a moment ago, yet suddenly, here they were, gulping while staring at my belly.

For some reason, I felt a chill and step back slightly.

Prodding!

“Yikes!?”

Feeling slightly scared by their strange atmosphere, Anne, who had momentarily forgotten my existence, suddenly squatted down and poked my bare belly.

Of course, I had to scream in surprise as that unexpected touch startled my sensitive skin.

Prodding! Prodding! Prodding!

Yet, Anne wasn’t deterred by my scream and continued to poke my belly.

“Uh, um… Anne…?”

“Hehe… It’s so squishy… It looks like pudding and it’s tempting…”

With just her index finger out, Anne then broadened her hand and started kneading my belly.

“Gulp…”

Even Selian, who was tempted by Anne’s comment that it looked delicious, discreetly wiped away the drool forming at the corner of her mouth with her sleeve.

… This was supposed to be a playful moment with Yuli earlier. How did it turn into this?

“P-Please stop…”

However, no matter how much I pleaded, my friends’ antics showed no sign of stopping.

While I wanted to push away Anne’s touch, with every poke to my belly, moans involuntarily escaped, leaving me too weak to resist.

Meanwhile, Linne, who hadn’t joined in on the teasing, remained off to the side, munching on popcorn and watching me being teased by my friends.

No, more importantly, where did she even get that popcorn? It’s not even real!

So here I was, in the middle of the deep woods with no allies, suffering from an impromptu teasing instead of focusing on our ecology survey.