Chapter 23: Let’s Play at the Beach

The southern region of Dena has a near-tropical climate. It might be a bit chilly in the central areas, but here, it’s still warm enough to swim in the sea. In other words, there’s only one thing to do after finishing our shopping: hit the beach!

We changed clothes in the beachside changing rooms and headed straight for the water. Our swimsuits were chosen from among those Master had bought in the Shenlo goods section.

Lulu went for something seriously daring. I think it was called a Brazilian swimsuit? A bold red piece, like a combination of string and bikini.

Yuria’s in a normal triangle bikini, but thanks to the sheer volume of her chest, it ends up looking pretty risqué anyway.

As for me, I’m wearing a cute swimsuit—a light pink one-piece with a frilly skirt. Master picked it out for me. His taste makes me want to gag.

“Whoooaaa! That’s amazing…”

“Fufun.”

From behind, I hear Kasai-san’s excited gasps at the sight of Lulu’s swimsuit, along with Lulu’s oddly smug voice. They seem to be getting along for some reason. Not that I care.

Master is sitting on a sheet we laid out on part of the beach, with Lulu and Yuria clinging to him on either side. The lecherous gazes of passing men are practically glued to their bodies.

“Sora, come over here too—”

“Hmph.”

Turning my back on their little harem scene, I busied myself building a sandcastle. Maybe it’s because of the things I was forced to say and do while drunk last night, but Master’s been unusually clingy since this morning. I have to make it clear—firmly—where I stand.

“You’ve had plenty of fun with Senpai already, so it’s our turn now!”

“We don’t mind taking the leftovers you gave the noble lady. Just show us a little mercy too!”

Those two lust-starved bitches are keeping him busy, so it works out perfectly for me. He looks visibly dejected, but that’s what he gets. My lower body being too limp to move, and me doing all those weird things while drunk—it’s all Master’s fault, so he has no right to complain.

“Hey, Shuya, you sure about that?”

“Technically no, but… love makes fools of us all, huh.”

Hmph.

---

To think I’d end up floating on a rubber inner tube even in this world… Cheats really do break everything.

Not that I’m complaining. But still—where did he even get rubber from? I remember him saying something about finding something interesting during a forest survey about a month ago. Maybe that’s it?

More importantly, how does he even have the tech to process it? Is he really a high school student? …Probably best not to think too hard about it.

Anyway, Master—the one who brought this piece of overtechnology into our lives—is now being pestered by Yuria and Lulu to teach them how to swim. Raised in the mountains, neither of them knows how.

I can swim, at least, so I’m sitting on the inner tube, watching the two of them splash around near the shore.

This area is protected by a magical barrier, so dangerous beasts—those classified as monsters—can’t get close. As long as we stay on this side of the floating markers (which are basically buoys, Japan-style), we should be safe.

Honestly, in some ways, it’s even more convenient than Japan.

“Wahp… ugh, gah… this is harder than it looks…”

Master’s doing a vertical float while holding Yuria’s hand, trying to teach her, but it’s clearly not going well. Lulu, on the other hand, picked it up surprisingly quickly and is now powering through the water with a flawless crawl stroke. The physical prowess of a cat beastkin is terrifying.

As for why Yuria’s struggling… it’s probably those things on her chest. They throw her balance way off. I thought having a built-in flotation device would be an advantage, but it turns out the opposite is true. Who knew?

“Kyah!?”

Suddenly, something grabbed my leg, and I nearly flipped over. When I looked down, I saw Lulu underwater, holding onto my foot. When did she learn to dive? That aside—she seriously needs to stop. It's terrifying. Even in the middle of summer, I’ve got full-on goosebumps.

“Lulu, that’s not funny. Please stop.”

“Ehehe.”

I gave a stern warning to Lulu as she surfaced, giggling mischievously. But I won’t be fooled. I almost slipped off my float, you know?

“Senpai, want to try diving too? It’s really beautiful down there.”

“No thank you, I’ll pass.”

Diving… well, it’s not exactly my strong suit. If I pushed myself and ended up drowning, that’d be the end of it.

“Hmmm, then how about swimming with me? It feels amazing!”

“I’ll pass on that too.”

After what happened yesterday, I’m in no condition to go swimming today. As a Japanese person, it feels wrong to deny someone who’s clearly excited—but at the same time, I value my life. Even coming out here was pushing it. Anything more would be asking for trouble.

“Senpai… wait, don’t tell me—you can’t swim?”

“…What are you saying, you ridiculous cat.”

That’s a terrible misunderstanding. My body’s just not in good shape, thanks to Master. If I tried to swim like this and ended up drowning, who’d be to blame? Honestly. I began paddling toward Master, using my hands to move the float. For some reason, Lulu latched onto the float too and followed along. …What’s her deal?

“Just for a little while, come on, let’s swim.”

“No thank you.”

I tried to get away from Lulu—who was now looking at me like I was prey—but I couldn’t move very well.

“Now now, don’t be shy.”

“I’m not shy. I’m defending myself.”

Lulu chasing me was honestly terrifying. I panicked and moved too fast—which, in hindsight, was a terrible idea. I overdid it, spun around in a full turn, and went headfirst into the water. Luckily, I slipped out of the float right away, but I sank straight into the sea.

“Senpai!?”

The area where Yuria and Master are is shallow enough to stand. But where I am? Judging by the fact that Lulu was swimming here earlier, it’s pretty deep. Which means…

“—!! ————!!”

I kicked frantically, but my body refused to rise. This is bad. Wait—how do you float again!?

Ah… I’d forgotten. This body is nothing like the one I used to have. I put too much faith in swimming skills that weren’t even that great to begin with. Am I really going to die here?

Panicking was the worst possible decision. I couldn’t hold it in any longer, and when my mouth opened, a huge bubble escaped. It floated up, sparkling toward the sunlit surface.

What a short life this was…

Just as my memories began to flash behind my closed eyelids, a hand grabbed mine and pulled me upward. When I cracked my eyes open, I saw Master—his face more serious than I’d ever seen—holding me tightly in his arms.

“Pwah—! Gah—cough, cough!”

“Sora! Are you okay!?”

Master looked pale and rattled, his voice strained. I nodded while trying to catch my breath. Thankfully, I hadn’t swallowed much seawater, so while I felt a bit nauseous, my head was clear.

"Y-yeah... koff, koff..."

As Master gently rubbed my back, he leaned in to check my face. Once he confirmed I was alright, he pulled me into a tight hug and murmured softly,

"I'm so glad..."

It was the first time I’d ever seen Master like this... It’s unexpected.

Having someone who worries about me this much—whatever the reason—is kind of... ticklish in a way. I wrapped my arms around him in return, partly as thanks for saving me.

...Later, once we were back on land, I got scolded by the two of them. Even though I can swim! It’s totally unfair.

---

◇◆ADVENTURE RESULT◆◇

【EXP】

NO BATTLE
◆【Sora Lv.50】
◆【Lulu Lv.17】
◆【Yuria Lv.15】
◇―
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Sora Lv.47 [509]
Lulu Lv.17 [176]
Yuria Lv.15 [157]

【RECORD】

[MAX COMBO] >> 33
[MAX BATTLE] >> 33

【PARTY】

[Shuya][Lv.55] HP 772/772 MP 1380/1380 [Normal]
[Sora][Lv.50] HP 22/50 MP 220/420 [Fatigued]
[Lulu][Lv.17] HP 602/602 MP 32/32 [Normal]
[Yuria][Lv.15] HP 1040/1040 MP 60/60 [Normal]
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

【Comment】

"Sooo—I'm telling you, I really can swim!"

"Yes, yes, we understand now, my lady."

"Senpai, no going into the ocean alone, okay?"