Chapter 106

“The ocean.”

Yeah, the ocean’s nice.

When I was little, I loved the summer ocean so much.

It was fun.

Playing in the water was the best. You know how it is when you’re a kid—full of energy. I’d jump in without even wearing a swimsuit, splash around until I was worn out, then come out to munch on the packed lunch my parents prepared or some snacks before diving back in to play again.

I’d have sand everywhere in my clothes, and even if I drank saltwater a bunch of times, I never got tired of it.

After playing, my clothes were wet and heavy, sand was in my pockets, the water never dried up, and even though I’d get tired and annoyed, I still went to play in the ocean.

But then, becoming an adult, well…

The aftermath became kinda scary and a bit of a hassle.

It just felt better to watch from afar, take it easy, and chill in an air-conditioned building.

Even though I knew playing was fun, the burden of handling everything afterward weighed on my mind more.

“……”

And now.

Yeah. Logically, I get it.

The whole “getting sand in my clothes” or “being weighed down by water” thing is really a problem that would be solved if I just wore a swimsuit.

Plus, women’s swimsuits don’t even have pockets. They cover less fabric and cling to the body. If you get sand on them, showering afterward would fix it.

Oh, but wait, with hair, it might actually be more of a problem. Well, that’s not just a woman thing; it’s a common issue for anyone with long hair.

“Aren’t you going to change?”

“……I will.”

I answered that and turned around, holding my breath.

There stood Ria.

Wearing the red bikini swimsuit I had picked out for her.

The swimsuit seemed to match the color of Ria’s hair, and with her in it, it looked great. Considering my gender and position right now, I did wonder if I should be saying this, but honestly, it looked better because it was a bit smaller in area.

It suited Ria’s bold image really well.

What’s more—there were straps on the sides of her bottoms as decorative items. Pulling on them seemed like they would come undone any second. Naturally, that same kind of decoration was on the strap connecting the top around her back.

Though they were just decorative, they were arranged cleverly enough to look real.

…….

It can’t be real, right? Nah, it can’t.

She looked at me with a slight blush, as if feeling shy. And on her head—

Pat.

That was my hand hitting my forehead.

“What’s that on your head?”

“Huh? That’s obviously a veil.”

Who doesn’t know what a veil is?

“No, why are you wearing a veil on your head with that outfit?!”

I couldn’t help but shout loudly. My voice echoed loudly in the changing room.

“Well, because I’m a nun?”

“Nuns shouldn’t dress like that! That outfit isn’t for holy practices; it’s turned into a sex appeal costume!?”

“Huh? How do you know about such things?”

“Ah.”

“Wait, have you seen it somewhere? You don’t have a phone, and no personal computer—where did you see it? Was there some adult magazine in the convent?”

“No, I didn’t!? Nothing like that is around!?”

Well, it could be. It’s just that since I’m not really hanging out with the kids, maybe it never got to me.

But still, can a cosplay of a nun wearing a swimsuit be floating around? Could it be one of those particularly hardcore novels in the female genre—

“No, no, that’s not it!”

“Alright, alright, hurry up and change. I also changed because I was embarrassed.”

“…….”

“Are you not going into the ocean?”

“Alright, alright. I’ll change. So stop making that face.”

Seeing Ria about to give me those puppy dog eyes again, I hurried to stop her.

At this rate, with her outfit like that, I truly might not be able to hold back. I didn’t quite know what that meant, but still.

With a long sigh, I set out to change my clothes—

“……”

“……”

I turned back again.

Ria was standing quietly, fixing her eyes on me.

“Could you turn around or go outside or something?”

“Why?”

“Why? I need to change clothes.”

“Just change, that’s all.”

What’s going on? Is it too hot and my brain is malfunctioning? No, that can’t be. Even in the middle of summer, this place surely has air conditioning. The air conditioning in the changing room was running just fine.

“……Even though we’re the same gender, you shouldn’t stare so intently at someone changing. I didn’t stare at you while you changed either.”

“But it’s okay for me.”

“Seriously, have you lost it? Why not go over there and catch some cool air with that AC?”

I said that as I stepped toward Ria, but then halted.

…….

If I stepped over, then I shouldn’t have any hand on her shoulder or anything. It’s just that if I’d wear something else, it wouldn’t be as awkward—this outfit is way more ambiguous than just wearing underwear after all.

Seeing me in such a dilemma, Ria strangely smiled knowingly.

It was a smile that said, “I’ve won.”

“……Ah, I don’t care; I’ll just go into the ocean like this. I’m not changing.”

Feeling really annoyed, I said that, and Ria chuckled.

“Okay, okay. Just don’t stare at me too hard, alright?”

While laughing softly, Ria turned around.

“……”

Hmm.

Once she turned back, well, she was wearing something below, but— that, aside from the thin strap with a big bow on her back, was practically ‘empty.’ Even after all that fighting, her back looked astonishingly smooth when I raised my hand—

I cut off my thoughts abruptly and turned around stiffly.

And I quickly changed into my swimsuit.

My yellow bikini was still somewhat modest compared to Ria.

The straps were a bit thicker than Ria’s, and the area covering my chest was larger. At least, nothing below my chest was visible.

All that said, still awkward.

My body might not be as curvy as Ria’s, but considering that she is the comparison point, it’s still obvious it’s curvier than average.

Of course, you could say, well…

The visible parts looked a bit soft and squishy. With such tautness, I was even more conscious of it than when I was bathing nude.

……Oh, well.

It’s not like I’ve never worn it in front of Ria. We even practiced swimming together.

But at that time, it hadn’t been long since I’d seen her in her swimsuit while getting dressed, so I hadn’t really been bothered about it then.

It was rare for me to wear this in such a long time, so now I was feeling more self-conscious.

“Hoo.”

Letting out a long breath, I turned back.

And—

“Ack.”

I was faced with Ria’s smiling face.

She was gazing at me, practically in my face.

Ah, right.

Even though Ria is the same age as me, she’s the daughter of a hero. With her innate talent, she could be considered top-tier among Hunters with her skills.

Quietly slipping in behind a prey must come easy to her.

Ria reached out her hands toward me.

I instinctively clenched my teeth and stiffened my body, closing my eyes.

Before even understanding the situation—

Click, a sound echoed.

“……?”

Carefully opening my eyes, I saw Ria holding out her phone towards me.

“……Huh?”

And, somewhere along the line, I was wearing my usual veil on my head.

In a yellow bikini, with a veil on my head, it had taken a picture.

“……Wow.”

“Wow?”

“Whaaaa!?”

I immediately lunged at Ria. But she laughed and raised her hands overhead. Unfortunately, Ria was taller and more flexible than me, so my hands barely reached her.

“……”

“……”

Suddenly, we both realized the situation with a delayed understanding.

So yes.

We were both in swimsuits, and the clothing was revealing in many ways. No matter how often we hug or end up unintentionally cuddling, we had never been this close in such revealing outfits.

After a moment, I felt the touch where my swimsuit didn’t cover me. Warm, soft… and a bit squishy.

Chest, stomach, thighs…

I wiped the expression off my face and stepped back.

“Whose phone is that?”

“……Don’t worry. It’s mine. I brought it when I stopped by home on the way here.”

That was true. I had some things to check while borrowing this place. I didn’t run into Ria’s father, though.

“No, what kind of logic is that!? My picture is in there!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll just keep it to myself. Besides, you’re going to show me that look soon anyway, aren’t you?”

“Aaaah!”

Suddenly remembering that it wasn’t just the two of us here, I panicked again.

“W-Wait. Don’t be too mean!”

Squatting down and covering my face, Ria sat next to me and started playfully ruffling my hair.

“It’s summer, you know? You should enjoy your youth.”

“……But I’m already worn out.”

Still, it was a promise with Ria.

I couldn’t just hole up in the changing room all day.

Ultimately, I calmed my heart and finally got up from my spot and stepped outside.

And only then did I realize that I was still wearing the veil on my head until that moment and collapsed onto the sandy beach.

For the record, Ria had already taken her veil off.

How sly of her!