Chapter 270
When you spend a long time in the Spirit World, various things start to change.
By the time we were about to finish our Class 7 leveling, over a year had already passed.
It was during a time when I was troubled by severe joint pains lately, masking them with potions.
"?""What is it, Ingrid? Did I get some leftover food on my face or something?"
I knew about that particular change itself, but I hadn't realized it applied to me.
I was grateful to Ingrid for making another delicious breakfast today, and as I was cleaning up the dishes, she stared at me intently. I touched my face, thinking maybe I had some leftover food on it.
"No, that's not it."
But that wasn't the case, and it was rare for Ingrid to be evasive. Wondering what it was, I asked her again.
"Liberta-sama, you've grown quite tall, haven't you?""Eh?"
She remarked earnestly that I had gotten taller.
"You hadn't noticed?""......Yeah."
I was so surprised by this that when Ingrid tilted her head curiously, though her expression remained blank, I was even more startled and ended up nodding.
When I was a kid, I used to be excited or disappointed over every centimeter of growth, but after becoming an adult, I never really thought about my height.
After being reborn into this body, I had wished I would grow up quickly, but lately I've been too busy to spare any attention for myself.
"I noticed that Nell and Amina had gotten taller though...""But you didn't notice your own growth?"
I had been thinking that fighting was gradually becoming easier, but more than that, I was too engrossed in combat methods against monsters, collecting materials, and preparing for the battles against the Rainy Devil and Azhdaha to even think about my height.
I certainly *had* noticed that Nell and Amina were growing steadily, becoming more like adult women.
"Yeah, well... Ah, I noticed you'd become prettier too, Ingrid?""!""What's wrong?""No, it's nothing.""Really?""Did you notice anything else?"
For a moment, I thought Ingrid's movement halted, but her expression was as unreadable as ever. Hmm, I can't tell.
"Other things? Well, Lady Esmeralda has become a beautiful, adult-looking woman. And Claudia-san seems to have somehow rejuvenated. Wow, the benefits of leveling up are amazing, I thought.""If you noticed that much, didn't you think it would also apply to yourself?""Well, girls grow quickly, but boys' growth is slower, right? I thought it would happen a bit later.""I believe it varies from person to person. I find it puzzling why you would think Liberta-sama alone was an exception."
I guess it's what they call a growth spurt. I definitely noticed them getting taller and their figures becoming more feminine. Or rather, it became visibly apparent that visual adjustments started applying to the female party members around the time we surpassed Class 6.
In the game, once you set your avatar, you couldn't change it without cash shop items, and NPCs showed no signs of such changes.
So I didn't know that leveling up came with visual adjustments. I knew about the story setting where high-level individuals age slower, though.
"I completely forgot I was a child."
That said, it's not like I remember the details of my growth spurt from my previous life—of course I wouldn't, I retorted to myself internally.
"However, you *did* notice about Nell-sama and the others on *those days*, correct?""......What might you be referring to?""You were considerate, adjusting the schedule for dungeon challenges and item collection, weren't you?""......"
Yet, on the other hand, I paid extremely close attention to the party members. It might be okay for a man to be a bit rough around the edges, but women have various things that are more challenging than for men.
The reason I constantly have to remind myself that this world is similar to a game but isn't one, is because of these human-like physical changes.
Just because we level up and possess physical abilities far beyond ordinary people doesn't mean we're always in perfect condition. Everyone has times when they feel unwell.
I learned quite quickly after Ingrid joined the party that women experience this more regularly than men.
I *was* an adult, after all. I have a certain amount of knowledge about women's... things.
And I'm aware that these topics are delicate—they want you to notice, but not to mention it—so I've maintained a policy of no comment.
I'd say we've managed this well because I subtly consulted Claudia about it in a roundabout way.
A male leader with a female entourage. I know that if I don't pay attention to these things, resentment will build up and cause big problems later.
I'm Liberta, the man who doesn't cut corners where it counts.
"For you to be that observant yet not notice your own condition is very typical of Liberta-sama, if I may say so.""Ah, well..."
But here, my flaw showed. It might be a gamer thing, but I unconsciously filter out things I don't deem truly necessary, not intentionally.
While it's pleasing that my height increased, it's not something I actively think about.
I know she wasn't complimenting me, but I scratched my head in a slightly evasive manner.
I averted my gaze slightly, avoiding Ingrid's eyes, which seemed to be speaking of her astonishment.
"Didn't you notice, even though the Thunder Sisters often adjust your equipment and give you new clothes?""I thought they were just enjoying trying new things.""What about your viewpoint gradually getting higher?""It was little by little, so I didn't notice.""Moreover, the height difference between you and me has been closing."
As Ingrid stated matter-of-factly, there were plenty of clues I could have picked up on if I'd thought back. I started feeling guilty even though I hadn't done anything wrong.
From Ingrid's perspective, she was probably just genuinely confirming why I hadn't noticed.
I was busy. I didn't have time to worry about such things. That's all there is to it.
"First, shall we go to the full-length mirror?""Yes."
However, the fact that I had only recognized my growth through status screens gave me pause. Led by the hand by Ingrid, I went to the full-length mirror in this house—an object I usually pass by completely, never even glancing at.
When fixing my bedhead, I just use a handy mirror that shows my face, so now that I think about it, it might have been a long time since I looked at my whole body.
"I really have grown.""Yes, you have grown considerably."
There was my reflection, my height nearly matching Ingrid's.
So that means the recent joint pain wasn't from overexertion from leveling, but was growing pains.
"Ah! Liberta-kun in front of the mirror is rare!""That's right, what's wrong?"
I was looking intently at my reflection, thinking 'I've gotten this big, huh?' and wishing I could reach 180 cm in the future—a wish unfulfilled in my previous life—thinking that with my foreigner-like features, I might have a chance, when Nell and Amina happened to pass by.
I turned to face the two, who were looking at me curiously as I studied the mirror.
"Well, I've gotten taller, you see.""Just now?""Eh? Don't tell me you hadn't noticed, Liberta-kun?"
Nell, looking exasperated as if to say 'what, *now*?', was in casual clothes today since we weren't entering a dungeon.
The casual clothes we wear in the Spirit World are handmade by the Thunder Sisters.
The Thunder Sisters, who keep absorbing my fashion knowledge, keep producing new outfits even though I'm sure I've requested various other tasks from them. The amount of clothes is such that it's like they're holding a fashion show every month.
Nell, choosing one of these outfits to wear, has been sporting a lot of sporty-girl-like looks lately. Before, she dressed like a village girl, but recently, while prioritizing ease of movement, she also seems to care about appearance. She wears styles like airport fashion that combines comfort and stylishness, akin to what celebrities wear.
The two were shedding their childishness, beginning to metamorphose from girls into women.
Nell is currently the tallest among the three of us.
Her growth suggests she might develop a tall, model-like figure if this continues.
Her body is gradually taking on a more feminine shape while still retaining a hint of childishness.
In contrast, Amina has grown taller, but not as much as Nell. Previously, there was no height difference between them, but now Nell is gradually becoming taller.
If Nell is growing into the 'beautiful' type, then perhaps Amina is growing into the 'cute' type.
Just where are the Thunder Sisters headed with this? The result of them salvaging Japanese fashion from the contents of fashion magazines I dredged up from my vague memories...
...was the explosive birth of Amina's off-the-shoulder girly style. Due to the wings on Amina's hands, she can't wear long-sleeved clothes, so her outfits pursue cuteness and practicality in other areas.
They have minimal frills but are cute clothes that firmly grasp the essential points.
Those Thunder Sisters are really amazing with their obsession for clothes.
Come to think of it, they mentioned before that they enjoy making new clothes to match their growth, since both girls have entered their growth spurts and are becoming more and more womanly.
"Embarrassingly, I just noticed now.""Eh!?""Why wouldn't you notice?""Ah well, it's the result of being busy and not paying attention to that stuff."
Even though your body grows and the way you move changes, I subconsciously adjusted for those discrepancies almost by feel, so there was no sense of strangeness.
"Is it true, Ingrid-san?""Yes, it became clear when I pointed it out earlier."
I scratched my head again with an awkward smile to hide my embarrassment, and Amina asked Ingrid for confirmation, unable to believe it.
"He was about this tall, right, Liberta?""Was I about that tall?""Yes, that was about it.""It's quite different now!"
Then, Nell used her hands to show the height I was before growing, according to her memory, and Ingrid confirmed it was correct.
I guess it's about 20 centimeters.
"For my part, I found it somewhat regrettable that you've grown taller.""Ah, Esmeralda-san.""You heard?""Yes, clearly, from quite a distance."
Everyone was surprised and reacting to the fact that I hadn't noticed my own height growth, so more and more people gathered.
"Did you hear the commotion too, Claudia-sama?""I was just already talking with Esmeralda-san, that's all."
Finally, everyone had gathered in front of the full-length mirror.
Each of our appearances had changed during our time in the Spirit World.Not for the worse, but for the better.
I can assert that this is the result of everyone growing up properly.
"What were you talking about?""Our Class 7 leveling will end soon. When that happens, the battle against the Rainy Devil will also begin. We were discussing that matter a little."
And soon, our leveling in this Spirit World will reach its limit.
That is to say, it means the decisive battle with the Rainy Devil is about to begin.