Chapter 63: Cecilia in her thirties wearing teenage idol clothes? (Patreon)

"A whole flock of swallows flew past the door earlier, so I said something good was on its way. Now let's see who it is."

Seeing that it was Cecilia, Musachi said with a beaming smile.

Today Cecilia wore a pure white, form-fitting long dress. Since the top was a little thin, she had draped a dark green jacket over it.

All in all, she looked like a lily in full bloom.

"How did I never notice that mouth of yours was this sweet? All right, all right, enough of that. Are you free? Come out with me for a bit?"

Cecilia smiled at Musachi's teasing and asked.

"Free? Of course I'm free. Even if I had other business in hand, I'd drop it all!"

Musachi answered at once, and his goofy act amused Cecilia.

"What are we doing?"

After briskly closing up the shop door, Musachi asked with a grin.

"Shopping for groceries, of course. In two more days the little angels have their first live performance, so tonight I'm planning to cook a whole table of dishes to reward them."

"So it's just grocery shopping..."

Musachi sounded a bit disappointed.

"What were you thinking? What else would it be?"

Cecilia gave him a coy look and reached out to poke his forehead. "So young, and what is going on in that head of yours?"

She shook her head helplessly.

"I'm not that young."

"In my eyes, you're a kid!"

Cecilia chuckled.

In Cecilia's eyes, Musachi wasn't much older than the three little ones, only about twenty. He usually seemed so dependable that people forgot his age, but to Cecilia he really was like a younger brother.

After all, ten years ago, Cecilia had already been dominating the music scene in Eridu.

"Fine, fine. So I'm just the bag carrier, huh?"

Musachi nodded in resignation, then turned to look at Cecilia beside him.

"Smart~ Correct! There's quite a lot to buy, and I probably can't carry it all myself, so I'm counting on you~"

Cecilia smiled and nodded.

"Mission guaranteed!"

Musachi saluted solemnly.

"Mm-hm. Then let's go."

With that, Cecilia walked to the driver's seat of her car.

Musachi squeezed himself into the passenger seat.

Cecilia's car was a rather dainty compact sedan, which left Musachi, at one meter eighty-seven, cramped.

The moment he sat down, his head was pressed against the roof.

With no other choice, Musachi slid the seat back and tilted it, reclining a little, and only then felt somewhat better.

"I think we should've taken my car."

Half-reclined, Musachi complained with a deadpan stare.

"When I bought this car, I never imagined a man would ride in it."

Seeing him like that, Cecilia couldn't resist teasing.

"Hm... hearing that, I suddenly feel a lot better. So I'm the first member of the opposite sex to sit in your passenger seat?"

Musachi raised an eyebrow and looked at Cecilia out of the corner of his eye.

Nothing to be done. Lying back like this, sideways glances were all he could manage.

Still, this angle wasn't without its merits.

Namely, Musachi could see Cecilia's profile with perfect clarity: the softly full curve of her waist, and the fullness of her chest, with a deep mark pressed into it by the seat belt.

So big...

Musachi muttered to himself.

Is everyone in New Eridu just a little too well-nourished?

Musachi suddenly realized that everyone he knew had an outrageously good figure...

Remielle, Yixuan, Rina, and now Cecilia.

And Miss Venus had a rather fine figure too, it was just hidden by what she usually wore.

Oh, right, and Belle.

She usually looked like the girl next door, but she was unexpectedly well-endowed.

Of course, that was just what he said. It was probably a bit of sampling bias among the people around him, since there were people whose figures were, well, a pity.

Like little Corin...

As the car slowly pulled away, Musachi could also see a slight sway from the bumps of the ride. All he could say was... excellent physics engine!

While driving, Cecilia found it a little strange that Musachi had suddenly gone quiet, but when she caught his gaze in the rearview mirror, she realized what the problem was.

Still, her expression stayed calm, as if she hadn't noticed a thing.

Young people, full of vigor. It was only natural for this sort of thing to happen.

Fortunately, Musachi's self-control was decent, and nothing more embarrassing occurred.

If he'd started playing gear stick at a time like this, that would have been awkward.

"We're here."

Before long, Cecilia arrived at a very large market on the New Eridu side.

Everything was sold there, from vegetables and fruit at the top to fresh fish and meat at the bottom. It was a rather famous market in the Janus Quarter.

"Oh, Cecilia! What are you buying today?"

After entering the market, Musachi followed behind Cecilia, doing whatever she told him to.

When they reached one vegetable stall, a plump woman in her forties saw Cecilia and broke into a smile.

"We've got guests coming tonight, Sister Wang. Give me one of each in the quantities on this list."

Cecilia pulled out a list at once, with the amount of each vegetable already written down.

Clearly, she had decided what to cook before setting out.

"You got it. Don't worry, I'll pick out only the best. Oh, and my old man went out to the outer ring yesterday and brought back some wild greens. I'll give you a portion. Stir-fry them when you get home, or toss them cold, either way they taste pretty good."

Sister Wang said warmly.

Evidently, the two were well acquainted.

As she spoke, Sister Wang handed the list to a rather taciturn middle-aged man beside her, who went off to prepare the order.

Then Sister Wang finally turned to Musachi, with a look of long-awaited delight.

"Cecilia, this gentleman is..."

Obviously, she'd been curious about Musachi from the start. She had known Cecilia for many years, and this was the first time she'd seen her bring a man along to buy groceries.

"He's a friend of mine. He's a guest at my place tonight, so I dragged him along to carry things. I couldn't manage it alone."

Cecilia said with a light laugh.

"Ohhh~ just a friend, I see, I get it, I get it. Though you're really not young anymore, and this young man is quite handsome."

Sister Wang looked Musachi up and down, wearing a satisfied expression.

Tall, good-looking, handsome, and willing to come grocery shopping with Cecilia, which meant he wasn't afraid of a little trouble. Not bad, not bad.

"It's not what you're thinking."

Cecilia explained helplessly.

"I get it, I get it. Not yet, right? Aiya, we've all been your age, we understand."

After that, Sister Wang began eagerly quizzing Musachi, chatting away about everything.

She asked what kind of work he did, how he'd met Cecilia, and so on and so forth.

Musachi broke into a sweat.

Only when the stall owner on the other side had everything ready did Cecilia have Musachi pick up the bags, and the two hurried to escape.

"S-scary... aunties gossiping is way too scary..."

Carrying a huge load, Musachi couldn't help but sigh.

"Sister Wang is a good person, she's just too enthusiastic sometimes."

Cecilia was a bit sheepish too.

She had met Sister Wang a few years ago. Seeing that Cecilia was single, Sister Wang kept wanting to set her up with men, but Cecilia turned them all down.

After that, Sister Wang stopped introducing anyone, though she still asked from time to time whether Cecilia had a boyfriend or not.

"But am I the first male friend you've gone shopping with?"

Something suddenly occurred to Musachi, and he raised an eyebrow.

"That's right. Back when I was still singing, I was very careful about managing that side of things, so I had little contact with the opposite sex. Later, after I stopped singing, I never met anyone who interested me, and the years just went by like that. I'm used to it anyway."

"Ohoho, so I've taken another one of your firsts, Cecilia. I mean shopping."

Musachi said with a grin.

Cecilia shot him a glare when she heard that.

This guy, what was he saying!

"Just carry the bags."

Cecilia casually tossed a bag of meat to Musachi.

"You bought this much?"

Musachi hefted it. The whole side of ribs in his hand was at least twenty jin.

"Isn't it nice to have a good laborer on hand? Buy more and put it in the fridge, it won't go bad anyway."

Cecilia said with a smile.

"You can't carry it, can you? A man can't say he's not up to it~"

"Please. Twenty jin of ribs isn't even a warm-up. Isn't it tiring to walk in that outfit? Or you could climb on my back, otherwise it's no challenge at all."

Musachi snorted.

"In your dreams."

Cecilia rolled her eyes and walked off to the side.

Soon, Musachi had several bags in his hands.

With so many of them, they bumped against his legs as he walked, which was inconvenient.

"Shall I take some?"

Cecilia offered, a little apologetically.

"No need, this little bit is nothing."

As he spoke, Musachi simply raised both arms out level.

For a moment, the people around them stared at him in astonishment.

Who carries things like that?

All those bags in one hand had to weigh several dozen jin. Let's see how long you can hold that.

But Musachi truly didn't disappoint them. Apparently feeling that carrying them that way took up too much room, he switched to an even harder method, holding them out at an angle.

He walked steady and even, without the slightest sign of strain.

At first, the onlookers wanted to see how long he'd last, but once they saw that he could really walk like that, a flicker of shock crossed their faces.

Wait, bro, is this just raw strength?

"OK, that's everything. Let's go back."

After buying some seasonings at the very end, Cecilia said to Musachi with a smile.

After Musachi loaded all the bags into the trunk, Cecilia was a little surprised.

"I didn't expect you to be this strong. With all that stuff, I feel a bit bad."

As she spoke, she reached out a small hand and gently squeezed Musachi's arm.

What she squeezed was rock-hard muscle.

"Piece of cake. It's only because you weren't tired. Otherwise, you could've sat right on my arm just now."

Musachi waved a hand.

"I know you're strong. Come on, time to head back."

Cecilia smiled helplessly and got into the car.

*

Cecilia's home wasn't far from Sixth Street. It was in a residential complex right next to it.

When she opened the door, Cecilia's home came into view. The room was not quite what Musachi had imagined: the decor was simple, and the furniture all quite ordinary. By rights, with Cecilia's wealth, she could easily have afforded better.

"We're home. Let's rest a bit. I checked earlier, and they probably won't be back until after eight, so there's plenty of time."

He glanced at the clock. After the trip to the market and back, it wasn't even five yet, so there was plenty of time to spare.

"They get back that late?"

Musachi raised an eyebrow.

"With the performance day coming up, the three of them wanted to practice more today. As for tomorrow, I'd like to give them a day off. If they practice all the time, their nerves will get too tight, so going out to play a little would be good for them."

Cecilia said with a light laugh.

"I see. Being an idol really is a hassle. Just thinking about being under the spotlight every day makes me uncomfortable."

Musachi curled his lip. He still didn't much like the feeling of being surrounded by a crowd.

Being quiet on his own was just fine.

"Everyone has their own path. When I was young, I loved being the center of attention, but now that I'm older, I don't care about that anymore."

As Cecilia spoke, her eyes looked back fondly on the old days.

"When you were young? Cecilia, you're not old now, are you? You're in your prime. And even now, many of your songs are still near the top of the charts, which means plenty of people miss you. If you wanted to make a comeback, you could, couldn't you?"

Musachi looked at the Cecilia before him.

Time had left no trace on her face. If anything, the accumulation of years had given her a mature charm that no one else had.

Women are like fine wine, the older, the mellower...

In a sense, that saying was indeed right, though only for someone of Cecilia's age.

"Hm... if I'm honest, yes. Astra has urged me to before, but I've gotten used to my current life, so I'll pass. My wish now is just to watch the three little ones grow up slowly and shine on stage. When they succeed and someone remembers to say, 'Oh, so their teacher was that Cersea,' that will be enough for me."

Cecilia said, a smile playing on her lips.

"With Sunna's personality, is she really not going to panic?"

Musachi leaned back on the sofa, lost in thought.

"Don't worry, I trust that girl. And who knows, maybe once she gives up and goes for broke, she'll be even cuter~"

Cecilia smiled. "Besides, even though it's called their first, it's only an informal performance. Even if Sunna slips up, the audience won't mind too much. I want them to get used to the stage environment first, so there won't be any trouble after their official debut."

"You really think of everything... Mama Cecilia."

Musachi looked at Cecilia and sighed.

"What nonsense are you saying?"

She gave him a coy glance, her face faintly flushed.

"Come to think of it, didn't you say you still kept your old performance outfit?"

Musachi suddenly remembered something, and looked at Cecilia with shining eyes.

"It's just an ordinary performance outfit. There's nothing to see, is there?"

Seeing his curiosity, Cecilia looked a bit reluctant. She propped her cheek on one hand, wanting to wriggle out of it.

"But I'm curious. What did Cecilia look like when she wore her performance outfit back then..."

Musachi really was curious. Generally speaking, young idols sold youthful energy, but the present Cecilia had little to do with those four words.

As he spoke, he suddenly noticed a book being carefully kept in a cabinet nearby.

"That's my old photo album. If you want to see it, go ahead."

Cecilia sighed, and didn't stop him.

Seeing that, Musachi stood up and took the rather old album out of the cabinet.

Because of its age, the cover showed slight signs of weathering, but overall it had been well kept, with no visible damage.

Musachi opened it to the first page. In the first photo, a girl brimming with energy leaped into view. The picture had yellowed a bit with age, but it was still clear.

Compared with Cecilia now, the Cecilia in the photo still looked a bit green and less mature, yet she already showed an astonishing charm. She was looking at the camera with a lively, adorable smile, winking at it and making a heart shape with her fingers.

"Wow."

Musachi couldn't help exclaiming as he looked at the photo.

Cecilia, hearing his reaction, flushed a little.

Look if you want, but don't make sounds!

Then Musachi began flipping further through the album.

The early pages covered Cecilia's idol days, but after a few pages, the style shifted, and the stage outfits gave way to gowns.

"This is after my group broke up and I became a solo singer."

Cecilia looked at the pages with some nostalgia.

"Broke up? Why?"

Musachi looked at Cecilia curiously. If she'd been an idol, she should have had teammates, right? But she had never mentioned them...

"Some conflicts, I guess... There was a young lady in the group whose family fell on hard times, and she planned to quit. Another teammate tried to stop her and didn't want her to leave, and the two of them got into an argument. One said, 'As long as you come back, I'll do anything,' and the other said something like, 'Do you have any idea what resolve it takes to say that?' and so on... Anyway, in the end, the group blew up."

Cecilia sighed as she spoke.

She had only learned of it afterward. As the lead vocalist, she had woken up one day to find that her home was gone, leaving her all alone. With no choice, after giving up on being an idol, she switched to being a singer. Fortunately, Cecilia's talent was good, and she quickly made a name for herself as a solo artist and became a diva.

As for the two remaining teammates...

Cecilia remembered that one had gone home, resigned, in a Maybach to inherit the family business, and the other had become a housewife...

"I remember the line idol groups love most is 'we'll be idol sisters for life,' right?"

Musachi listened to Cecilia's words, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"When you're happy, it's 'sisters for life.' When you're not, a group can blow up at any moment. The friendships and scheming between girls are much scarier than you'd think~"

Cecilia said with a light laugh.

Soon, Musachi finished the album.

Unfortunately, the album was only half full, and it stopped at ten years ago.

"What a shame."

Looking at the blank pages at the back, Musachi said with a touch of regret.

"Ten years ago, during the Fall of the Old City, after I witnessed the disaster, I couldn't sing anymore. I've mostly recovered now, but I'm not young anymore either."

Cecilia shook her head with regret as she spoke.

To say she had no regrets in her heart would be a lie. It was in the past and she had let it go, but when she recalled it again, the old memories felt like yesterday, still vivid.

"So you still have your performance outfit, right?"

Musachi closed the album and looked at Cecilia, his face burning with eagerness.

"Didn't I just let you look at the album? Why are you still clinging to this?"

Cecilia's face flushed a little as she glared at Musachi.

"How is that the same thing?"

Musachi stuck out his neck stubbornly. "I want to see it. You said last time that if there was a chance, you'd let me see it."

He looked at Cecilia with utmost seriousness.

"I'm about to cook. There's no time."

Cecilia's face was bright red.

"It's fine. They won't be back until eight, so there's plenty of time. It's not even five yet. If I help, we can finish cooking in half an hour or so."

Musachi said, gazing at Cecilia with burning eyes.

"I don't think I ever said that. Why can't I remember?"

Cecilia began playing dumb.

"Sigh, an adult who breaks her word... It's fine, I'm used to it."

Musachi sighed and flopped onto the sofa as if he'd lost all will to live.

"You really are impossible..."

Looking at Musachi, Cecilia sighed.

Suddenly, a blush rose on her face.

"Nobody is to be told about what happens today, not even the three little ones. Understood? Otherwise, I'll... never speak to you again."

Cecilia glared at Musachi and warned him.

"Understood!"

Musachi nodded.

Then Cecilia sighed and went into her room.

After a little while, she came out carrying a box.

When the box was opened, inside lay a gorgeous red performance outfit. It was obviously the very same one from the album, resting quietly in the box.

"It's been so many years, and this is the first time I've taken it out. Looking at it now, it's been kept in fairly good condition. It might even still be wearable?"

Cecilia said as she looked at the outfit.

But then she began to regret it.

Sure enough, when she raised her head, Musachi's eyes had grown hotter and hotter.

"So when you said 'look,' you really meant just look? Not put it on?"

Musachi said again.

"What are you thinking? So many years have passed, and with the figure I have now... I probably can't get into it, can I?"

Under Musachi's gaze, Cecilia's face turned redder and redder.

For some reason, Cecilia felt that the scene seemed to be slipping out of control, step by step.

"But if it's only looking at the outfit, how is that different from looking at the album? You have to put it on!"

Musachi refused to give an inch.

"You! Forget it..."

Cecilia sighed.

"Wait a moment. I'll give it a try... but if I can't get into it, don't blame me."

With that, Cecilia sighed and walked straight into her room.

This time, Cecilia took an especially long time.

She kept him waiting a full ten minutes, until Musachi grew a little impatient, and only then did her door open a small crack.

Then Cecilia's head poked out from inside.

"Come here. Over here."

She stretched out a hand and beckoned cautiously.

Clearly, she didn't want to come out of the room.

Back then, wearing this outfit had been nothing, but making her walk out in it now was a bit too embarrassing.

So all she could do was beckon and have Musachi come into her own room.

Seeing that, Musachi excitedly went into Cecilia's room.

The moment he stepped inside, Musachi caught the faint fragrance of her room. The decor was still simple: two wardrobes, a soft large bed, and a table with a vanity on top.

But by now, Musachi no longer cared about any of that.

He looked at Cecilia standing before him and, for a moment, forgot to breathe.

What did it look like, the outfit that stood for youthful energy, worn on the Cecilia of today?

It was completely different from what Musachi had seen in the album.

The Cecilia in the album had been full of youthful vitality, her figure not yet fully developed.

But the Cecilia of today was entirely different from back then, in both height and weight.

She was a little taller than before, and with age had grown fuller and softer, no longer as slight as she'd been.

So this performance outfit, which had fit perfectly back then, looked a bit... snug on Cecilia now.

Musachi understood why Cecilia hadn't wanted to wear it, and why, even after agreeing, she'd chosen not to come out to the living room but preferred to let him into her boudoir.

An outfit made for a teenage idol, worn by a fully ripened thirty-year-old woman... it was simply far too lewd...

The upper half was a small dress made of stretch fabric, with a layer of sheer gauze over the chest. Back then, the outfit wasn't revealing but was cute enough. But that was back then. Now that Cecilia had put it on again, the stretch fabric was filled out by her generous figure and pulled taut. And because the outfit was a little small, it couldn't contain her ample bosom at all. The top that once wrapped around her completely now looked cramped.

Especially the twin hemispheres, which, squeezed and constrained, were practically spilling out, the soft flesh marked with lines where the edges of the fabric dug in.

Compared with her slender waist back then, Cecilia was much fuller now, so at the waist, with its diamond fishnet material, a restless bit of soft flesh could be seen.

The little skirt below, which had once reached her thighs, now barely covered her backside...

And then... those white stockings, and the soft flesh of her thighs pressed into deep marks.

Looking at this, Musachi truly couldn't take much more.

Clearly, when he'd looked at the photo earlier, this outfit hadn't seemed so lewd, but on the Cecilia of today...

All Musachi could say was that it made his blood surge.

"I told you, with my figure now, this outfit doesn't suit me anymore..."

Not knowing where to put her two small hands, Cecilia let her fishtail sway uneasily behind her.

"No. Cecilia now is beautiful."

Musachi swallowed and truly couldn't figure out how to express it.

After thinking it over, Musachi suddenly had an idea. He took out his phone and started playing a song Cecilia had sung back then.

Hearing the song, Cecilia's expression turned to one of surprise.

"Wait, why are you playing this song?"

"Because I want to!"

Musachi nodded solemnly.

?

A question mark appeared above Cecilia's head.

Then Musachi coughed lightly. "What I mean is, since you've put on your old outfit, how about a few dance moves?"

"No way, I haven't danced in so many years..."

Cecilia protested gravely.

Making her wear something meant for little girls was mortifying! How could she ever wear such an outfit?

Look at Kotori Minami. After becoming a teacher, does she still wear her old idol outfit?

But seeing Musachi's expectant look, Cecilia finally admitted defeat.

She sighed.

Seeing that, Musachi sat down on the bed, leaving Cecilia plenty of room.

But perhaps it really had been many years since she'd danced, or perhaps it was that in this outfit Cecilia simply couldn't move freely, so her dancing was rather hesitant and timid.

Even so, Musachi still got an eyeful.

This outfit was truly magnificent. Its magnificence lay in the fact that, however Cecilia tried to cover up, some spots would inadvertently show.

Underneath a youthful idol outfit, she was wearing something so alluring, in purple, no less?

When Cecilia turned, her little skirt flared up slightly, and Musachi glimpsed the view beneath it.

Seeing that, Musachi couldn't help crossing his legs.

No helping it. This scene was a great challenge for anyone, and especially for Musachi, a young man brimming with vigor...

But this was pushing Cecilia past her limit.

After only a short stretch of dancing, she pounced, trying to snatch the phone from Musachi's hand and shut off the song.

But Musachi reacted far faster than she did, and dodged her hand with a grin.

Want to take it back? We'll see if I agree~

Musachi said triumphantly.

But just then, Cecilia lost her balance and tumbled right onto Musachi, and their bodies came into intimate contact.

Then again, honestly, Cecilia could have guessed this would happen. She knew her own body well, and wearing this to let Musachi see was surely her own idea.

"Cecilia..."

Musachi's breathing grew somewhat heavy, and his arms instinctively wrapped around her waist.

Cecilia, seeing this, didn't struggle. Instead, a look of resigned acceptance came over her face.

Cecilia couldn't remember when she had started to fall for Musachi.

At first, she surely had only felt some fondness for him, but at some point it seemed to have changed.

Thinking back, it was probably when the three little ones had accidentally gotten lost in the Hollow?

Before that, Cecilia had lived alone, but she'd grown used to that life, and with no difficulties in her daily routine, she'd never had any other plans.

But that time, after the three went missing, Cecilia had truly panicked. And then she had truly realized that, in the end, she was only a woman, and when faced with hardship, she needed to rely on others too.

And Musachi, though young, had given her an incomparable sense of security.

His conversation, his everyday company, everything about him made Cecilia's heart flutter.

But it was only just now, having put on this outfit that felt so shameful for her present self, that she understood and made up her mind about her own feelings.

Looking at Musachi, awkward and at a loss, Cecilia instead regained her calm and composure.

One good thing about a mature woman is that she doesn't dither like a young girl. Faced with matters of the heart, Cecilia was open about it. Now that she knew she liked him and was sure of her feelings, rather than hesitate and look before and after, why not love boldly? Whatever happened, she must not regret it, right?

A mature smile on her face, she looked at Musachi, who clearly had thoughts but feared being presumptuous, and let out a soft laugh.

"You're getting off lucky, you little rascal."

As she spoke, she slowly rose to her feet, and then crouched down before Musachi.