“…”
“You really suck at water.”
“Shut up.”
There’s no way someone who only attacked from the distance with a hose outside the water would feel the weight of the water.
Or rather, isn’t this their first time coming to the sea too? Wouldn’t they also sink as soon as they got in the water?
Of course, I was the one who got utterly dominated, and I was the one who was drained and defeated.
Pouting, I said, “The difference between being above and below water is huge. This was an unfair fight from the start.”
Even if I said the same thing,
“It’s the one who takes the advantageous position first in a fight that has the advantage. Were you sleeping in class? Ah, looking at your grades, I guess you must have been. What a pity.”
Since Rina retorted like that, I didn’t even feel like arguing back.
If I say something like “a duel and a fight are different” or “there was no agreement, so the fight is invalid,” it will obviously just be seen as me making excuses because I lost, so in the end, the only choice I had was to keep my mouth shut.
“…”
Recognizing that further talk would just put me at a disadvantage, I climbed onto a nearby sunbed and lay down. Thankfully, with a huge parasol overhead, I could avoid direct sunlight.
Though that makes me wonder if lying on a sunbed even counts as lying on a sunbed… The only exposed parts of my swimsuit are my hands, face, and legs. If my arms were exposed, I wouldn’t care, but I absolutely wanted to avoid looking like I had tanned only my fingers.
Of course, I slathered on plenty of sunscreen on my face and legs. Just in case, since from my experience in the military, I know that no matter how much sunscreen one applies, some will still get burned. You can prevent excessive tanning, but complete prevention is impossible.
“You’re even wearing those gloves when you get in the water.”
Rina, lying on the sunbed next to me, spoke up.
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
As Rina pointed out, I was still wearing those gloves. Since they only showed my fingers, they’d definitely turn into a two-tone mess if I tanned. That’s why I was being more cautious.
“…Aren’t they uncomfortable? You can take them off while playing, can’t you? It’s just us here.”
Rina asked carefully, which was unlike her. I tilted my head, wondering why she was acting this way.
“No, well, it’s for aesthetic reasons, but these gloves are also functionally excellent. They help alleviate some of the burden on my body when using miraculous powers and, more importantly, they are quite expensive… I mean, they’d look right at home in a museum. If I took them off and lost them, the Church people would get really mad… I think.”
The reason I hesitated to speak was that somehow, considering the current Pope, I couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility that they would just chuckle and say, “Hehe, that could happen. Well, at least the Saintess didn’t get hurt, hehe.”
“Is that so…”
Rina lightly scratched her cheek. It looked like she was debating whether to say something.
“Uh, Rina. Did you eat something weird or something?”
“What? What are you talking about out of nowhere?”
Seeing Rina frown like she was clueless, I tilted my head again.
“Well, you usually say whatever comes to mind. Why are you thinking before speaking all of a sudden?”
“…Have you said everything?”
“I mean, I was just asking.”
Rina’s face turned fiery, and as she rose up, she eventually let out a deep sigh and flopped back down.
“Ha, no. It’s my fault for thinking too much.”
“Ah, what’s wrong? You need to tell me what’s bothering you! It’s annoying!”
“Forget it. It’s not a big deal anymore.”
What the heck is wrong with her?
Well, if she says it’s nothing, I can let it slide.
“…”
“…”
And there was a long silence between us.
“…”
“…”
“…Ugh, seriously!”
Breaking the ongoing silence, Rina suddenly shouted impatiently, getting up once more.
She shot me a glare—
But in an instant, her expression softened, and she cleared her throat, glancing around. Rinea and Aurora, who had just been cleaning the pool with us, had gone down to get others, leaving just the two of us.
In fact, we were cleaning the pool because of Aurora getting excited about seeing the empty pool. It was already too wide for just three people to clean, so we ended up with Rina, making it four of us.
The problem was that the pool was the most annoying place to clean in the villa, but it wasn’t so terrible that we couldn’t do it at all, so we finished the cleaning quite early.
Thanks to that, all four of us got pretty wet, but well.
“…So, what is it?”
After confirming that no one was around, Rina cleared her throat and spoke once again.
“Since it’s just the two of us now, listen up. I won’t say it twice.”
“I don’t know what you’re upset about, but fine, I’ll listen.”
As I crossed my legs while still lying down, Rina’s face flared up again, but she endured it and finally spoke.
“Thanks for helping me back then.”
“…”
“…”
As I stared blankly at Rina after her words, her face turned slightly red.
“…”
“…”
“…I would appreciate it if you spoke.”
As I continued to look at her in silence, Rina shifted her gaze away and spoke up.
“Uh, when exactly are you referring to?”
At my question, Rina was momentarily taken aback—yeah, I really think she’s hot-headed. Just how low is her boiling point?—and preparing to explode again, but seeing my genuinely confused expression, her mouth opened.
“Ha, haha.”
Then she laughed briefly. It was somehow both absurd and refreshing.
“Ah, I see. For you, that’s just normal, isn’t it?”
“No, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re really different, huh, Saintess? I feel so foolish for worrying about it all this time.”
“No, it’s not that. I’m saying could you just tell me exactly when?”
As Rina, wanting to come to her own conclusion while lying down, so I raised my body to interject.
“I have memories of helping you multiple times, so it’s hard to know which part you’re thanking me for?”
“…‘Multiple times’?”
Rina suddenly looked as if she’d heard something unbelievable and sat up straight.
I raised a finger and dramatically bent my thumb.
“First, ‘becoming friends.’”
Then I folded one finger down.
Rina’s jaw dropped at the sight.
“Ah, yeah, so that’s it?”
She quickly grasped the situation and fully sat up.
“Fine, then! I guess I’m gonna have to finish this with you!”
“Hey, that’s just what I wanted, you know. Just now I was really bothered that I lost in such a cowardly way—”
Before I could finish my sentence, Rina charged at me and lifted me up.
And then she tossed me straight into the pool!
“Splaaaaash!?”
Splashing into the water, I was at least able to shoot back up quickly this time. Ah, that’s right. Humans can adapt. After being completely dominated by Rina earlier, I had fully adapted to the pool.
“Hey?”
As I sprang up and leaped with all my might, Rina, standing at the edge, was within reach.
And I pulled her in with me!
With a splash, Rina hit the water, quickly recovering her stance and rising. Oh ho, she’s got some good skills. Her basic athletic ability must be great, because despite this being her first time in a pool, she stood up without panicking.
“What the…!”
Using her slightly taller height, she grabbed my shoulders with both hands and pulled downward.
Of course, I wasn’t about to just let her do that. Since I worked out every day, my lower body was definitely not inferior to Rina.
“Ugh…!”
As I struggled with all my might—
“…Um, excuse me.”
A voice called out.
Rina and I automatically turned our heads to the source of the voice.
There stood Lee Seo-A, holding an icebox along with the others Rinea and Aurora had brought up.
“““… ”””
For reference, I was holding Rina’s waist with both hands, while Rina had placed both her hands on my shoulders.
Naturally, we were facing each other.
In the pool.
“Um.”
Lee Seo-A looked at us and said, “Should I move you guys?”
*
I don’t know what you all are thinking, but I really worked hard to insist that this situation isn’t what it looks like. Of course, Lee Seo-A was likely just teasing us, nodding and smiling.
“But still, next time, it would be better to do it where no one can see…”
“No, it’s not like that!”
…Was it? Did she not understand?
Or maybe she just didn’t care to understand.
In any case, whether Lee Seo-A meant it seriously or not, the rest of the kids didn’t seem to take it that way. After all, all they’ve seen is us bickering and swinging morning stars or swords at each other day after day.
A romance between a demon and a saintess, thinking about it as a story element, would certainly hold some weight.
“Want a drink?”
While watching the other members play in the pool from a distance, someone approached me and offered me an energy drink.
There was no need to guess who it was. It was Jian. He was the only guy in a pool full of seven girls.
Realizing how this might look from the outside, it seems like I’m in some paradise with a horde of teenage girls. If this villa were Jian’s property, it would totally make headlines as a spoiled rich kid partying with a bunch of girls, and it’d be hard to deny that.
Not to mention, one of them was even a teacher.
Of course, Jian wasn’t the protagonist of a harem dating sim; he was more like an innocent protagonist of a light novel, so that wouldn’t happen.
Though eventually, when I’m a university student, there were channels that started officially releasing actual mature content. Back when I was reading Japanese light novels, they barely showed any half-naked scenes.
The manga side was way worse, but I wasn’t the one drawing those.
Moreover, at that time, I was such a coward that I was anxious about my family finding out if they stumbled upon the novels I wrote in my notebook. So I never wrote anything too risqué.
Well, at least I’m glad this world didn’t go overboard.
Honestly, if I got caught up in a real mess, I would’ve had a hard time keeping my mental state together.
“Thanks.”
I took the can Jian handed me and cracked it open. Psssh, I heard the familiar sound of carbonation escaping.
The drink was sweet. Tasted just like the energy drinks I used to have back home. Just to check, I looked at the can; it was a low-calorie drink with a different name but the same formula.
Low-calorie? That’s very considerate.
“Are you not going to join us?”
“I’ll join in a bit.”
Jian said with a slightly awkward smile.
Ah, right. Out of all of us, my swimsuit was the most covered up on me. I chose it on purpose.
Not everyone was in bikinis, but even those not wearing bikinis weren’t exactly covered up.
Even a competitive swimsuit only covers the front, leaving the back completely exposed. So honestly, from the back, it doesn’t look much different from a bikini.
And with so many cute girls splashing around in the pool and showing a lot of skin—
…Um, I guess it’d be really tough to sneak in.
Even though I have a female body, the content inside is still a 20-something male, and just being around this scene might put a mental strain on me. For a still-embarrassed teenage boy when it comes to these matters, I’m sure it’s even more awkward.
And yet, I was the one with my built upper body prominently on display.
“Hmm.”
As I nodded in understanding, Jian awkwardly laughed.
Whatever. Though today is over, there are still seven days left in our training. I wonder if there will be a small event during that time.
…If we’re starting now, wouldn’t it be possible to have an event each day and meet one person at a time?
Lucky me.
“Ah, right.”
While lost in thoughts, something suddenly popped into my head. It was a thought that had been interrupted after Rina ambushed me earlier, and now that I was sitting with the very person involved, it came back to me.
Furthermore, since the rest of the group was a safe distance away, it was the perfect timing to ask.
“Jian and Erica have been close since childhood, right?”
“Huh? Yeah, I guess.”
Jian answered easily at my question. Erica was laughing as she got splashed with water by Seo-A. She was shy around Jian, but when not facing him, she could easily chat with others, so worrying about her enjoying herself is unnecessary.
The swimsuit she wore was a one-piece—though oddly revealing. She was small and not really endowed, but with the way that black swimsuit clung to her balanced body, there was no adornment to hide her curves, which only accentuated them.
The thin strap on her back practically left her back exposed—though it surely wasn’t a knot, just an ornament. The bow at the back of her neck oddly highlighted her pale back, adding to the sultry vibe.
Seeing her show that kind of look with such a tiny frame, she’s undeniably the heroine. Also, much like her taste in undergarments, her swimsuit clearly leaned towards being an adult’s preference.
In fact, despite her outward appearance, she might actually be the most sexually aware of the three.
In contrast, Seo-A, who was splashing water on Erica, wore a sporty version of a bikini that was truly unthinkable given her usual clothing style.
It was indeed a bikini, but the bottom rose above the navel, and it covered everything above the chest. There was skin exposed above the stomach and below the chest, but oddly enough, it didn’t seem risqué at all.
However, even a sport’s version couldn’t hide the size of chest she had.
…With breasts like those, it doesn’t matter what you wear; it will appear sexually suggestive.
She had some scars on her body, but they were just minor blemishes that wouldn’t hinder the impression of her stunning figure.
Anyway, looking at both of them, Jian’s expression was quite calm in contrast. It was more relaxed than when he looked at the other girls.
“So, do you know the teacher as well?”
I asked, and Jian shook his head immediately.
“No, that’s not the case. I only met her when I came to this school.”
“Is that so…”
Hmm, that’s a bit vague.
While my intuition isn’t extraordinary, it told me that these three were likely to have known each other for quite a while.
Well, I mean, my previous stories were about light novels.
There’s nothing unusual about a childhood friend who played together now being strangers. After all, isn’t every beautiful character in light novels unintentionally intertwined with the protagonist?
“By the way, was there an older guy who played with you and Erica when you were children?”
“Older guy?”
“Yeah, like a guy who played with you…”
“Hmm…”
Jian looked up at the sky. It’s one of those cloudless blue skies that would have cursed if I were outside without a shade, but now that I was lying under a parasol while fully soaked in water, that sky looked quite beautiful.
If it got too hot, I could dive in immediately, so instead of threatening the future with a drop of rain, that sky looked fantastic.
“I didn’t have a sister, but I had an older brother who played with us.”
Jian pondered while stroking his chin.
“Really?”
Well, it couldn’t be helped if he didn’t come to mind.
As I thought about it, my gaze drifted toward Seo-A.
…Wait a minute.
While watching Seo-A, who was clearly showing close ties with Erica, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
An “older brother” who played with them as kids?
Where could such an important character have disappeared to? If I hadn’t set it up, I’d have nothing to say, but it might actually be more natural to think I’d seen that character before but didn’t recognize them.
So theoretically speaking, that “brother” turning out to be Seo-A wouldn’t sound too strange, right?
If you think about it, Seo-A’s personality is very boisterous. Honestly, she wouldn’t feel out of place even if she were a guy.
If she was like this since childhood, and this was when their bodies were still growing—
Then it might not be unlikely!
“Do you still see that ‘brother’ you mentioned?”
“No, he just vanished at some point. When I ask my parents, they also don’t remember the ‘brother’ who played with me… why are you laughing?”
Seeing my expression, Jian asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just find it fun to relax here.”
“…Really?”
Yes, unexpectedly, there appeared to be many events tied to me here, far more than I had thought.
Ah, I probably should have brought some popcorn. If Seo-A rummaged through the big bag in the car, she might find a packet or two.
I mean, isn’t that a pretty good cliché?
A friend who was mistaken for a boy in childhood growing up to become a stunning woman later on.
Next time I have a chance, I should ask Seo-A what her hairstyle was like back then.
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