Swimsuits
“Master, Master! The water keeps chasing me! Then it runs away again!”
“Ah, uh… Yes, Ester. That’s what the sea is like.”
“But it’s so salty! I got thirsty and tried to drink some…”
“Wha— Ester! No! You can’t drink seawater. You mustn’t. Understand?”
“Huh? Is the sea dirty?”
“It’s not dirty, but it’s not good to drink. I’ll explain why later. Anyway, don’t drink it.”
“Oh, okay! If Master says not to drink it, I won’t! I won’t drink it!”
Good, good. Our little cat really is obedient. Now go play lightly in the water again, will you? This master’s mind is somewhere else entirely right now.
After sending Ester back toward the shoreline, I turned my gaze to the person standing beside me.
Splash, splash— Master was wetting her feet with seawater and laughing about how refreshing it felt. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her graceful figure. Was this truly the Master I knew? Was this really the Heavenly Demon? For a moment I even wondered if Iris had accidentally brought someone who merely resembled her. The thought was so ridiculous I felt embarrassed for having it.
There she was beneath the warm sunlight, playing in the water with her fair skin exposed. I simply stared, mesmerized, until—
“Hmm?”
Master must have felt my gaze. She turned, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, and walked over to me.
“Were you planning to stand there forever?”
“…Pardon?”
“Iris said she prepared clothes for you as well. Go change at once.”
“Master, the current situation is…”
“This seat is well aware the situation is not leisurely. But what of it? Will the enemies suddenly decide to come face you now? Or do you intend to hunt them down and scour the entire south like a man searching for lice?”
I could only shake my head. They weren’t crazy enough to stir up trouble again, and even if I searched, they wouldn’t be easy to find.
“Rest is preparation for what comes next—for you, your disciples, and this seat as well. Isn’t it fine to relax a little? It’s only a day or two, Hyeon-a.”
“…”
If Master had simply held me and spoken like that, I would have nodded. The fact that she was wearing that aggressively revealing bikini only made agreement even more inevitable. I was neither a eunuch nor uninterested in women. No man could look at her and say, “Enough, let’s head back immediately.”
“I understand, Master. I’ll do as you say.”
“Good. Thank you, my disciple.”
A breeze blew past, fluttering the hat Master wore. She caught the brim lightly and smiled at me.
“…”
I never imagined I would regret the absence of a camera this much.
The beach Iris had led us to had not a single other person in sight. That meant neither Master nor Ester had anything to worry about. It was clearly a stunning location perfect for swimming, so the complete lack of people felt strange. When I asked Iris about it, her answer far exceeded my imagination.
“I bought the spot.”
“…You what?”
“Nobles often buy entire beaches for their own enjoyment. So I did the same. There isn’t a single person in this whole area. There might be a few guards far off in the distance, but that’s it.”
“Hold on. You rented an entire beach?”
“Yes. Three days including today.”
“…Where did you get that kind of money?”
I wasn’t teasing. I genuinely wanted to know. Iris might be a regressor, but she had stayed by my side the entire time. She’d had no opportunity to earn money. Yet this beach was enormous, with fine sand, crystal-clear water, and plenty of perfect spots for tents. It was the kind of place only extremely wealthy nobles could afford.
“Is the youngest the youngest for nothing?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“I have plenty of seniors above me. If I just ask nicely, a lot comes my way!”
Iris made a circle with her thumb and index finger, then let out a slightly wicked “Hehehe.”
For some reason, the sight reminded me of my nephew during the holidays.
“You wicked child. Did you rob your seniors’ pockets?!”
“Rob? The seniors simply gave their cute youngest some allowance!”
“They’re not merchants. Where would they get that kind of money?”
“Master, Heroes have plenty of money. Support still flows in steadily.”
“Even so… good grief.”
I pressed a hand to my forehead and sighed. Then another strange thought crossed my mind. Even if the disciples had given Iris allowance, it shouldn’t have been enough to rent an entire private beach.
“Ah, and Master? I’ll work hard to pay back the rest later.”
“What do you mean? …Wait, you didn’t—”
“I used some of Master’s emergency funds!”
“You little—!”
No wonder the pouch had felt lighter than usual!
“Why? I’ll definitely pay it back. And look!”
Iris pointed toward the water where Master was playing with Ester. She looked less like the Heavenly Demon and more like an absolute beauty enjoying a seaside vacation.
“Don’t you think that was a perfectly reasonable expense?!”
“You call that reasonable…”
My reason screamed at me to scold Iris severely. She had acted without saying a word to me and even touched my personal funds. She deserved a proper reprimand.
“Hahaha!”
Yet simply looking at Master’s figure brought me a strange sense of peace. My boiling anger melted away like snow under spring sunlight. I felt better and better, as if pleasantly drunk.
“Iris.”
In the end, as a man, I could only give her a thumbs-up.
“There won’t be a next time. I’m only letting it slide this once.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. So… how do I look?!”
Only then did I notice Iris was wearing a white bikini. She had spent all her time running from my grasp—when exactly had she changed and appeared before me like this?
“…Do I really have to answer?”
“Of course! I’m asking because I want an answer!”
“You’re pretty.”
“There’s no soul in that at all! Say it with sincerity!”
“Yeah, yeah. Our disciple is very pretty.”
“Still no soul in the answer!”
What exactly did she want from me? I raised my fist and Iris let out an “Eek!” as she jumped backward.
“You’re pretty, so go play. Didn’t you bring everyone here to have fun?”
“Hmph. Do you think I brought us here just for my own enjoyment?”
“Then why?”
“Ester senior has never seen the sea before. Once things get busy again, who knows when we’ll have another chance? We should enjoy it while we have the leisure.”
“…That’s true.”
“And Grandmaster said it’s been a very long time since she last saw the sea. She can’t wear only her martial robes forever! If you’re her disciple, you should think about these things!”
“What things?”
“As a woman, not as a master!”
I frowned deeply at Iris’s words. Fortunately the distance was great enough that Master probably hadn’t heard.
“Iris.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Stop fooling around and go. Before I really get angry.”
“…There will come a day when Master will regret it. The regret of not speaking, not acting, always lingers far heavier than the regret that comes after you have spoken and acted.”
“Iris.”
“I clearly told you. I don’t know anymore, either.”
With a sharp turn, Iris headed toward the beach.
“Master’s swimsuit is in the carriage! Stay like that or change—do whatever you want! Hmph!”
That girl really had to have the last word. I watched her retreating figure and let out a small sigh.
Stupid Master, stupid Master, stupid Master.
Iris grumbled to herself all the way to the shoreline. There, Cheon Yeon-hwa was standing in the sea, smiling brightly. The sea seemed to bring her a joy she couldn’t quite explain, and the cold water gave her a refreshing clarity. Even the usually heavy Heavenly Demon was laughing like that.
“Youngest, youngest.”
While Iris was quietly watching Cheon Yeon-hwa, she suddenly noticed Ester grabbing her hand.
“Yes, Ester senior.”
“J-just now… Master was staring really hard at Grandmaster.”
“He was, wasn’t he?”
“Why? Why was he staring at Grandmaster like that? He’ll get in trouble.”
“Ah… It’s because of the clothes Grandmaster is wearing right now.”
The swimsuit had so little fabric it barely qualified as clothing. Other women might have blushed and cried “Oh my, how indecent!” but Ester simply nodded with an innocent expression.
“It must be because it looks pretty.”
“…That looks pretty?”
“Yes. It’s pretty, isn’t it? Look at Grandmaster’s fair skin. That outfit reveals all of it! So from Master’s perspective, it’s the most beautiful clothing in the world.”
Ester blinked at Iris’s explanation. Then she slightly lifted her own top and checked her stomach.
“…My skin is white too.”
“Do you want to wear that kind of outfit too, Ester senior?”
“Ehh?”
“Actually, I brought several for you as well.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Did you think I wouldn’t bring any for you?”
“…But if I wear that, won’t everything show?”
“Look at me, senior. Hiding yourself from the beginning isn’t good. If you’re confident in yourself, you wear it comfortably like this. People who feel uncomfortable with it are simply lacking confidence in themselves.”
“…”
The words must have been strangely persuasive. Ester put a finger to her lips and thought hard. Then she clenched both fists as if she had made up her mind.
“Me too.”
“Yes?”
“I want to wear it too. The same as Grandmaster and youngest. Give me one.”
“I already prepared everything in advance.”
Iris pointed to a temporary changing room that had been set up at some point. That was what Namgung Hyeon had assumed was merely a tent.
“Go inside. There should be several options. Try on whichever one you like!”
“Ah, okay! Thank you, youngest!”
Ester said her thanks and slipped away without a sound or trace, like a shadow melting under the blazing sun.
‘Good. Ester senior is taken care of. What’s left is…’
What remained was our Master, who was still hesitating and wavering. As Iris thought this, she let out a small chuckle.
The carriage door opened, and a man wearing swim trunks was walking toward them.