-Whoosh!!!
“Ugh…”
“…Lindera.”
“…….”
It’s been a while since I went skiing.
It wasn’t just any activity; it had genuinely been ages since I used my body like this.
Plus, skiing? Oh boy, it’s been so long that I could hardly remember how to do it.
Really… It’s not my fault if I can’t ski because it’s been ages.
Maybe…?
“Isn’t this going to be a total disaster if I keep trying?”
“No, I think I’ll be okay…”
“No, even saying that, I’m really scared.”
“Isn’t that a bit much?”
“But you just helped me get going, and then I tried to go solo and sped off!”
“……..”
Well, she had a point.
I mean, I did learn how to ski properly from Corbin, but honestly, I wasn’t putting it to good use yet.
“Remember, don’t make an ’11’ shape! Just hold yourself in an ‘A’ shape for now.”
“…That’s harder than it sounds.”
“No way, you can’t be that out of shape…?”
“……..”
“Okay, let’s try again. Alright?”
“…Yes.”
I wasn’t exactly an ace instructor, but with Corbin’s help, we were practicing skiing together.
Whether or not we were making any real progress was up for debate, but hey, at least we were trying.
Just trying.
-Whizz!
“…Lindera.”
“No, I just kind of started at first and then stopped, didn’t I?”
“Still, how do you plan to handle things if you lose your power right from the start?”
“Well…”
Yeah, true.
There was a reason why I couldn’t keep my legs stable and ended up inadvertently creating the dreaded ’11’ shape.
Of course, from Corbin’s perspective, it might just look like I was a klutz.
But it wasn’t easy.
“You need to push your thighs together! If you only use your calves, you won’t hold up as well as you think.”
“Ugh…”
“Put strength in both thighs, and whatever you do, don’t crash into the poles while sliding!”
“Why do you keep touching your thighs every time you explain this…?”
Seriously, was he some kind of weirdo?
I just couldn’t understand why he felt the need to get so handsy while explaining.
“Isn’t this a bit risky, feeling around so much?”
“I’m not feeling around… I just have my hands where they are…”
“Come on, that’s not right!”
“…….”
While he was practically kneading my thighs like some dough.
What exactly was he denying?
I was listening to Corbin, but his responses made no sense at all.
-Gentle massage…
“Slowly… You need to take it easy, don’t speed up too fast.”
“Ugh…”
After practicing skiing for a while, my breath was definitely getting a bit ragged.
The air hitting my face was freezing, despite my breath being a frenzy.
Anyway, I followed Corbin’s advice and tried skiing slowly.
I could barely manage an ‘A’ shape at first, but as I learned, I started improving… Just like a growing protagonist in a story.
“Lindera, please tell me you don’t think you’re doing well at this level.”
“…”
“This hill… it’s practically a course for middle schoolers.”
“Really…?”
“Yep.”
“……..”
Hmm.
Middle schoolers.
These days, the kids are growing up faster and healthier; it’s not that surprising, right?
“But hey, you’ve improved from when you started.”
“…Is that true?”
“Yeah, at least you’re not making ’11’ shapes anymore, you’ve stabilized into an ‘A’!”
“Heh…”
“…I wouldn’t say you’re ready to brag just yet.”
I mean, yeah, I was definitely pretty clumsy at first.
But eventually, I pulled it off.
That felt good!
Honestly, I was starting to feel like things were going pretty well after initial struggles.
There weren’t any moments where I felt overwhelmed by speed this time.
In fact, I was maintaining a nice, steady pace like Corbin next to me.
“Hehe… So, what do you think? My talent?”
“Pretty pathetic, honestly.”
“….”
“You’re going down the easiest course at a snail’s pace. Isn’t bragging about that a bit silly?”
“That’s…”
Yeah, he had a point…
This was the easiest course, as Corbin said.
Bragging about conquering it did sound kind of silly.
Though considering how bad I was before, I had to admit I was doing way better now.
So, it felt nice to be more confident about it.
It was just impossible not to feel good after where I began.
*
“Phew… this is more comfortable.”
“Yeah, definitely feels better now that it’s off.”
Skiing around was unbearable compared to how much my legs and feet felt freer now that I had taken my gear off.
Plus, shedding my insulated jacket? Oh, refreshing!
Even though we were in a restaurant that had a heater on, the chill was exhilarating.
“Let’s hang out for a bit longer here. We need some lunch and we should warm up a bit too.”
“First, dry your sweat. Here’s a towel.”
“Thanks!”
I wiped off the sweat from my neck and forehead.
It was better to take care of these things early on rather than risking getting sick later.
“Lindera, what do you want to eat?”
“Tteokbokki.”
“Good choice. I was thinking of ordering hot dogs. Want me to add that?”
“Yeah, let’s get two hot dogs.”
“Really?”
“Yes, after doing real sports for the first time in ages… I feel like I need some carbs or calories.”
Seriously, except for a few, real workouts like this were pretty rare for me.
So, it was only natural I needed to replenish my energy.
I was so hungry that I couldn’t focus while skiing.
Especially after taking off my jacket, I felt my body heat escaping rapidly.
How about I order that? Lindera, should I ask for something like a rose sauce too?”
“…No way. Let’s keep it simple.”
I had a little temptation, but I wasn’t looking to gorge myself for lunch.
So I decided to keep it light.
Rose sauce is delicious, but if I ate too much and then went back to moving around, I’d regret it.
Light felt better, I thought.
“Lindera, you have snow on your face.”
“Oh…”
“Other side.”
“Is that where?”
“Do I have to do it for you?”
“…It doesn’t matter, but…”
I was trying to brush my hair while checking if there was any snow, but nothing seemed to show.
Maybe it was hiding in some blind spot.
Corbin reached over and started combing through my hair, grabbing something invisible.
Well… it felt a bit awkward since I should’ve done it myself, but I didn’t mind.
Coincidentally, while I was trying to keep myself together during my pregnancy, Corbin had helped me several times, so I was somewhat accustomed to this.
But there was still a lingering sense of something missing.
For instance… pulling on my hair a bit more than necessary…?
“All done.”
“Umm…”
“What is it, Lindera?”
“Oh, it’s just… I get the feeling you seem to enjoy tugging on hair?”
“…Isn’t that a bit of a weird hobby?”
Corbin’s remark about it being a weird hobby was spot-on.
Who likes pulling hair, really?
Honestly, I didn’t actually think that way; it was just that every time he tidied up my hair, I believed he hadn’t calibrated his strength well.
Corbin messed around, sure, but he wouldn’t hurt or bother anyone seriously.
“More importantly, Lindera. Want to try the beginner slope together soon?”
“Is it much harder than this one?”
“Probably a little bit? This is my first time here too, so I’m not sure… usually that’s the case, right?”
“Hmm…”
I had no idea what the challenge level would be, but if Corbin was saying so, then maybe it would be fine…?
Plus, we could really take it slower over there together.
Really slow.
“But isn’t your padding a bit constricting?”
“It is constricting.”
“I thought so.”
Corbin looked over at the jacket I had draped over the chair.
I wasn’t sure why he brought it up, but I definitely felt pretty restricted at the moment.
Given the nature of a ski resort, it made sense to dress warmly, but still, the heaviness was undeniable.
“Why’d you suddenly mention the jacket though?”
“Huh? ‘Cause it looks really constricting?”
“Is that all?”
“Yep. That’s it.”
“…?”
I honestly wouldn’t have thought he’d be bringing something up just because it looked constricting.
Man… it’s obvious now that Charlotte and her playful side are clearly a result of Corbin’s influence.
Though I think Charlotte is a bit worse than Corbin?
“Isn’t it, you’re wearing padding too, Corbin?”
“True. But I think yours looks thicker than mine.”
“Um… Really?”
“Yeah, I think so…”
“Hmm…”
I couldn’t quite remember.
Sure, they could vary in size, but I really couldn’t tell about the thickness of the padding itself.
Who remembers the thickness of every single jacket out there?
“Hmm… so if that’s the case, then no matter how I think about it, none of my jackets seem like they should look less constricting…”
Corbin started mumbling while glancing at my chest.
I guess… the reason my padding looked constricting to him was because of my chest.
Now that really feels kind of pervy…
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
