Swimsuit Shopping
While Gwangnam ate, I nibbled at my own meal when he suddenly spoke in an expectant tone. “When can we meet again?”
“Hmm~ Nothing’s set yet, but I’ll be leaving on vacation soon, so I won’t have time for a while.”
“Aww, that’s a shame.”
The way his excitement instantly deflated was oddly endearing. “I’ll contact you first when I have time. Think you can wait until then?”
“Of course. I’m not a kid.”
“Heh.”
Jisu, who had looked crestfallen only moments before, quickly recovered her confident expression. For her age, she still seemed remarkably pure and youthful.
After breakfast, I parted ways with Jisu at the bar and returned home. The moment I opened the door, a maid bowed her head and delivered a message. “Young Madam, the Madam has instructed that you come to the second-floor living room as soon as you arrive.”
“Understood.”
I gave a polite nod and watched the maid depart to resume her duties, then hurried upstairs, wondering what this was about.
In the spacious second-floor living room—the largest room in the house—Gwangnam, Ekaterina, and the concubines had already gathered and were chatting. “Oh, Elisha’s here.”
“Yes, I just arrived.”
“You stayed over at a friend’s house? It’s nice to see you making friends outside the family on Earth. You seem to be adapting well.”
After glancing at Gwangnam’s pleased expression, I stole a quick look at Ekaterina. Seeing her give a single, silent nod, I lied smoothly. “Yes, I’ve made some good friends.”
“Come sit down. We’re working on the travel plans.”
“Yes, brother.”
I took my designated seat between Charlotte and Ruya and thought to myself that, technically, I had spent the night with men I met at a bar with friends, but Ekaterina had decided to frame it as a sleepover at a friend’s house to control the information.
“Now that Elisha’s here, let’s get serious. On the first day we’ll head to northern Gangwon Province, stay one night, then drive down the coastal road. That’s the basic route.”
“I’ve already made a list of campsites that can accommodate an RV.”
“Ooh, Ruya’s really motivated.”
“I prepared a list of recommended beaches, meow.”
“I was just thinking we’d rent an RV and go, but everyone’s prepared so thoroughly.”
“Hohoho, minor tasks like this are what concubines are for.”
When had Ruya and Charlotte prepared all this material? Lately I’d been so busy running around outside that I had nothing prepared and could only sit there blankly.
Ruya offered opinions with bright enthusiasm, Charlotte supplemented them, Gwangnam responded warmly, and Ekaterina mediated appropriately. The travel plan came together smoothly. From a distance, Gwangnam was clearly the head of the household, yet decisions ultimately followed Ekaterina’s will. She respected his wishes as much as possible, but anything she disagreed with was subtly steered until everyone followed her lead. Innocent as ever, Gwangnam remained unaware of these dynamics, while Ruya and Charlotte occasionally showed signs of noticing yet maintained the proper concubine attitude and obeyed.
“Then let’s go with this plan. Everyone agrees?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Sounds good, meow.”
“Hohoho.”
In the end, a six-night, seven-day grand journey was decided exactly as Ekaterina intended. Once the planning was finished, the family agreed to go to the mart together to buy swimsuits.
“Charlotte, have the maids fetch the necessary supplies.”
“Understood, meow.”
“Ruya, reserve the taxi.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“Elisha, attend to your husband.”
“Yes, Madam.”
The concubines moved according to Ekaterina’s instructions while preparing to go out. I headed to the dressing room to help Gwangnam change into his outdoor clothes.
“Brother, let me help you change.”
“Ah, right. So it’s Elisha’s turn this time?”
“Yes.”
Originally the concubines had taken turns attending to Gwangnam, but after the maids arrived they usually handled it, with the concubines only stepping in when Ekaterina specifically ordered it. Assigning me this task today was probably her way of ensuring I spent time with Gwangnam despite my frequent outings.
“You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you? Going out a lot.”
“Madam gave me some tasks. Since it’s for the family, I’m doing my best.”
“Is that so? Ekaterina and Ruya both seem busy with their businesses these days. Is there anything I can do?”
“Brother just needs to remain the center of the family. Madam, the concubines, and the maids all work for you.”
“Knowing so many women rely on me still feels burdensome sometimes.”
“As Madam says, think of them not as women who depend on you, but as women who exist for you. That might feel easier on your mind.”
While helping him change, we talked about many things. Selfless Gwangnam still saw his concubines as women he was responsible for, which weighed on him. Ekaterina had tried for a long time to shift his perception, but his nature ultimately made it impossible, so she had half-given up and instead focused on keeping the concubines firmly under her control in his place.
“Everyone says the same thing. But can you really change just by thinking about it? I’ve decided to live as myself.”
“That’s very like you, so I like it.”
“Ekaterina told me not to show affection toward the concubines, but I still want to talk comfortably and have skinship like this. Keep it a secret from her, all right?”
“Yes, I’ll keep it secret from Madam.”
We shared a kiss that was originally forbidden between husband and concubine. Enjoying the sense of transgression, we exchanged a deep kiss before parting our lips.
“Whose turn was it tonight?”
“Today it’s Ruya’s turn to serve.”
“Ruya, huh~ Thinking about it, she’s changed a lot too.”
“Hehe, she changed appropriately after becoming your concubine. Are you dissatisfied with the current Ruya?”
“I’m not dissatisfied. It’s just that her personality outside and inside the house is so different that I worry if it’s really okay.”
Gwangnam seemed concerned about Ruya’s dual personality. I gently took his hand and placed it on my chest. “Madam manages the concubines thoroughly. If there were any risk of problems, she would have taken appropriate measures long ago.”
“True. Ekaterina is meticulous and attentive, so she’ll handle it well.”
“Of course.”
In the first place, Ruya’s current dual-personality state had been deliberately created according to Ekaterina’s intentions: an extremely obedient concubine personality at home, and a personality outside that was indistinguishable from the original Ruya so no outsider would suspect anything. I believed Ekaterina had split her this way to turn the well-connected and strong-willed Ruya into a concubine without resistance.
After enjoying the feel of my chest for a moment, Gwangnam left the dressing room first. I tidied up and went downstairs. The family, now changed into outdoor clothes, split into the unmanned taxi Ruya had called in advance and headed for the mart.
The moment we left the house, Ruya’s personality switched to her lively one. She asked brightly, “Elisha, what kind of swimsuit are you going to pick?”
“Me? I’ll just buy whatever you choose. You know my fashion sense.”
“Elisha’s sense is completely destructive, meow.”
“Then it’ll be a bikini after all?”
“Madam said not to overlap, meow.”
“Well, there are many kinds of bikinis, so it should be fine.”
While watching Ruya mutter as she sat comfortably in her seat twisting her hair, I gazed out the window at the World Tree. Before long we arrived in front of a large department store that looked to be at least ten stories tall. When we got out of the taxi, Gwangnam and Ekaterina, who had arrived first, were waiting arm in arm.
“Wow~ It’s already hot. Let’s go inside quickly.”
“Gwangnam really doesn’t handle heat well.”
“Hohoho, because he has a lot of internal heat.”
We went straight to the swimsuit section as planned. Various styles of swimsuits hung on display, but I couldn’t tell them apart and simply followed the others in silence. The store wasn’t only filled with humans like our family—there were many different species as well. Some species wore swimsuits in ways I couldn’t understand, while others seemed like they didn’t need swimsuits at all. Most amusing were the groups that looked like mermaids, picking out swimsuits as casually as if choosing underwear.
True to a mall frequented by diverse species, there were also swimsuit sections with holes in the rear for tails. “How about this one?”
“Isn’t the color too dark? And the pattern’s too plain.”
“It’s tacky, meow.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Even so, that one is a bit……”
“Husband, I also think that one……”
The plan to let Gwangnam pick swimsuits hit an immediate obstacle because, like me, he possessed a catastrophic sense of fashion. In the end, faced with the three women’s horrified reactions, a sulky Gwangnam quietly came to stand beside me and became a spectator. Because even Ekaterina couldn’t endure his taste, the shopping turned into an all-female affair and a swimsuit fashion show began.
“How is it?”
“Looks fine, meow.”
“Hmm, I think a bolder style would suit you better…… Try this one on.”
We were currently choosing Ruya’s swimsuit, so she kept changing in the fitting room and receiving evaluations. “As expected, a microkini is sexier than a regular bikini.”
“It’s quite revealing.”
“It’s pretty, meow.”
Wearing a microkini whose fabric area was even smaller than the previous bikini, Ruya flaunted her well-toned figure to the fullest. The Yin Brand on her lower abdomen added an extra layer of lewdness, yet somehow made her even more attractive.
“What do you think, Gwangnam? Do you like it?”
“Uh, yeah. It’s pretty. Reminds me of when you were younger.”
“Hm? Did you wear a bikini when you were young?”
“We set up a kiddie pool in the yard and played. You were just as charming back then as you are now.”
“Ahem. Well, if you like it, that’s what matters.”
Ruya looked pleased by Gwangnam’s praise but glanced at Ekaterina and wrapped up the conversation. After trying on dozens of swimsuits without showing any signs of fatigue, they finally settled on the microkini she had tried on third.
Gwangnam, who had been sitting beside me watching, spoke in disbelief. “In the end you’re just going to pick one you already tried on, so why spend dozens of minutes changing?”
“We’re trying to choose the best one among many options.”
“They all look the same to me.”
“That’s why we’re sitting here watching while you two just observe.”
“Ugh……”
Next was Charlotte’s turn. Because of her petite frame, instead of bikinis that emphasized curves, they focused on cute swimsuits with frills. “These frills are cute, meow. I’ll go with this one.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to try a few more……”
“No, meow. This one’s good, meow.”
Charlotte stubbornly insisted on a pale yellow swimsuit with green accents and fluttering frills. Thanks to her refusal to bend even under Ekaterina’s suggestion, that swimsuit was ultimately chosen.
After Charlotte came me. Having no particular opinion, I simply changed into whatever swimsuit the family handed me in the fitting room, received their evaluation, then repeated the process with the next one. “Hmm…… The pattern on your abdomen really stands out.”
“It’s a racial trait, but the design itself is too large and lewd, so it draws a lot of attention, meow.”
“It can’t be helped. Elisha will go with a monokini.”
Because of the pattern on my abdomen, I ended up with a monokini that covered my stomach. Ruya’s Yin Brand only covered her lower abdomen and had a relatively simple shape, but the design on my abdomen combined a succubus crest, wing patterns added after receiving blessings from the fairies, and magical markings from the dragon guardian, spreading across a wide area past my lower abdomen and around my navel.
After trying on countless more swimsuits, a black monokini that plunged deeply at the chest and left the sides and back exposed but covered the abdomen was finally chosen.
Last was Ekaterina’s turn. The first swimsuit she picked had an extremely shocking design. “Gasp! You’re going to wear that?”
“Th-that seems a bit excessive, meow.”
“Uh…… It looks more revealing than being naked.”
“This level is necessary to satisfy my usual desires.”
The swimsuit Ekaterina chose was a slingshot bikini, made almost entirely of strings that barely covered the nipples and crotch, leaving one unsure whether it was clothing or nudity.