Chapter 85

“Thinking about it, the one getting swept up in all this is me. Why am I so diligently picking out a swimsuit?”

I glanced over at Ria, wondering if I was being played by her, and to my surprise, she was intensely focused on choosing a bikini swimsuit herself.

No, wait a minute. Thinking back, it was Ria who made the first move, right? Sure, I rejected her suggestion to call it a draw and reluctantly looked at swimsuits, but still.

“……”

If I were to share my past life experiences, even if the person wore clothes of my taste, it could feel much different depending on how I perceived the person.

Let me give you an example.

Even if I saw someone in a bikini swimsuit at the beach, it wouldn’t really be a big deal. Almost never would I be genuinely impressed unless they were wearing something that absolutely captivated my attention.

And it’s the same even for outfits other than swimsuits.

However, if it’s clothes worn by someone I know, it’s a whole different story.

Especially if that person is pretty and usually wears outfits that cover most of their skin—it hits differently.

In theory, I already knew Ria was pretty. Being one of the heroines and all, I’ve seen her in person, after all.

And I also knew she had a good body. Even with her somewhat loose-fitting convent attire, her figure was still pronounced.

But when I saw Ria in a black bikini swimsuit, it felt strangely different from the sensations I usually had when looking at her.

Come to think of it, a bikini swimsuit is often more revealing than regular underwear. While underwear tends to stick to the body for support, a bikini swimsuit is… well, it’s a bikini swimsuit, plain and simple.

With Ria, the space between her chest was quite exposed. The bikini itself was just a standard bikini, but it was a “bikini,” which led to this shocking sight.

…….

Wait a minute.

I stopped my half-hearted rummaging for swimsuits to consider this for a moment.

Despite how flustered Ria seemed at that moment, before putting it on, she had clearly stated that it’s common sense to wear swimsuits differently at different places.

I hadn’t been to a pool or the sea in this life, but Ria was a bit different. She lived freely before entering the convent.

Not everything about the pasts of characters in novels is described day by day. Important background stories, like Ria’s mother or everything that happened in her romantic interactions with the protagonist, aren’t detailed out, nor is there really a reason they should be.

But still, ‘dating’, ‘kissing’, and ‘experience’ aside, there’s a possibility she might have worn a bikini in front of others? Kids think differently. By high school, they surely feel differently about showing off their bodies compared to when they were in elementary or middle school.

“Hey, Ria.”

I resumed my search for swimsuits and called Ria.

“Huh?”

Ria, with her eyes lit like fire, answered a bit absent-mindedly while choosing her swimsuit.

I tried to keep my voice as indifferent as possible as I asked her, “So, you’ve been to places like the beach?”

“……Huh?”

Ria, who had been preoccupied with her swimsuit, looked up at me.

“Uh, well, I have?”

She answered slowly, struggling to interpret what I meant by my question.

“Oh, really?”

I looked back down to resume choice-making while saying, “Then, you’ve worn a bikini too? Like you mentioned to me.”

“……”

Ria fell into a brief silence before responding, “I, uh, have, of course.”

Even though I wasn’t directly looking at her, my eyes narrowed slightly. I couldn’t quite understand why.

Something felt off, and I didn’t like it.

I knew it wasn’t something to be jealous over. It would be weird for friends to feel that way about each other anyway.

Maria would probably hate it if she noticed. It would come off as awkward if that were the case.

“…Why?”

“It’s nothing. I just thought, wow, that kind of world exists.”

Even though I felt strange, I had to hide it from Ria.

After all, Ria hadn’t done anything wrong to me, had she? She was the one dragging me around and showing me new things.

But still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t like the idea that other people might have seen Ria wear a swimsuit before me.

No, even if it is jealousy—doesn’t that seem a bit odd? It’s just a swimsuit. It’s not like anyone dated each other or had first love stories; it was simply a story about wearing swimsuits and having fun.

Even after all that, I couldn’t sort out my feelings until I finally picked a swimsuit.

*

Chaeun had actually never worn a bikini at the beach.

No matter how much time Chaeun spent outside, she was a bit hesitant about getting sunburnt, so whenever it came to swimsuit choices, she usually opted for a rash guard. While the bottoms may not differ much from a bikini, the top was more like a fitted long-sleeve shirt.

At least she wore it only at the pool. At the beach—like Anna had said, she’d just run and dive in with her friends without even changing into a swimsuit.

Chaeun, who had attended quite a well-known all-girls school through elementary, middle, and high school, had never had any romantic friends. So, there was no reason for her to wear a swimsuit to show off her figure in front of friends.

Moreover, most of her friends aimed to become Hunters or were daughters of heroes, so not many of them would show off like that anyway.

Yet, the reason she insisted on wearing a swimsuit in front of Anna was—

For some reason, she just wanted to.

That’s it. There wasn’t really a reason.

If anything, it might be because the more time she spent together with Anna, the more she realized that Anna’s guard was unexpectedly solid.

Anna was pretty fashionable for a nun. She dyed her hair and shortened her habit to show some curves. The belt beneath her chest was very blatant. It’s not like someone who dared to wear more revealing outfits would wear such a belt.

However, that was the extent of Anna’s ‘fanciness’.

So, it meant she wouldn’t cross the line of what was regarded as modesty for a nun.

Anna minimized physical contact unless absolutely necessary, and even while living together, she made an effort to hide changing clothes from Ria.

Whenever Ria was changing, Anna would look the other way.

Despite everything, Anna was a nun.

And for some reason, Ria didn’t like that.

Although Anna contributed greatly to Ria becoming a saint candidate and she was just called a “Saint Candidate,” now Chaeun felt a strange discomfort about it.

She glanced towards Anna, who was selecting swimsuits silently.

With a slightly sunken expression, Anna was slowly browsing through the swimsuits in the store. After asking Chaeun if she had been to the beach, and then if she had worn a bikini, Anna had been down like that ever since.

Did I say something wrong?

Still, because she was a nun, did Chaeun feel like she had crossed some line?

Annoyed, Chaeun thought something like that shouldn’t have happened, as if Anna’s thoughts in that regard had been completely restrained.

“……”

In this unavoidable situation, Chaeun stole a kiss from Anna. The memory of that moment still remained vivid. It was Chaeun’s first time.

Calling that moment a first kiss, which was nothing short of CPR, was a bit silly—but would Anna think even that is sinful now?

Would Anna hold it against Chaeun if she ever discovered the truth?

That thought scared her a little—

“Ria.”

As Chaeun was a bit dazed while picking out a swimsuit, Anna spoke up.

“Hmm?”

“Let’s go with this. Ria’s swimsuit.”

“……”

Chaeun blinked at Anna.

“Uh, so, you mean that one?”

“Yes. I think the red color will suit her well.”

“…Are you for real?”

Chaeun looked at Anna with a somewhat serious expression. Anna grinned as she answered. The slightly sunken expression from earlier had completely vanished, replaced by a competitive and challenging look.

Chaeun glanced at the ceiling for a moment.

…What was I even worrying about? Chaeun murmured to herself, then closed her eyes tightly.

After calming her mind for a few seconds, Chaeun said, “Alright.”

Chaeun smiled at Anna, mirroring her competitive grin.

“But you have to wear the swimsuit I chose too.”

“Of course.”

Anna almost glared at Chaeun, responding. “Let’s agree to wear what we picked for each other. Absolutely.”

“You better not regret that.”

The two locked eyes, and the store owner, who had been watching them from a bit of a distance, felt like he’d seen sparks flying between them.

Continuing that thought—

…Is that even a swimsuit a nun should wear?

Knowing it’s not the seller’s business to judge, the store owner started thinking seriously about it.