The Sea!!!

"Whoa!!"

"It's the sea!!!"

Our mood maker, Chae-eun, shouted together with Nuri.

"This should be fine, right?"

"Whatever. It's good if we play together."

This time we came to Gwangalli Beach with Nuri and Mother as well. Originally the two of them had planned a summer trip to the sea, but we decided to go together this time.

"Kids... If you get tired, come this way..."

"We'll hold the spot. Don't push yourself if you're tired—just come rest."

Unni and Mother decided to set up under a parasol with a beach mat and rest. Mother said she wanted to relax a little, and Unni admitted she couldn't swim. It seemed Unni had come to the beach mainly because she wanted to wear a swimsuit.

"Somehow only women keep multiplying around you."

"Can we at least exclude Mom and Nuri, humanely speaking?"

If this were a rom-com, even Mom and little sister might have heroine potential, but this is a Korean eroge. At least Nuri probably isn't a heroine. That doesn't mean Mother is, either.

"Anyway, what do you think of this swimsuit? I actually like it more than I expected."

I spun once to show Maru the swimsuit.

"It's pretty. It has a soft, elegant feel."

"Right? Low exposure, not too flashy. I like it."

The balance of black and white gives it a dignified air, while the skirt adds a pure, innocent touch. Chae-eun really does have an eye for fashion.

"By the way, did something happen yesterday?"

"Huh? No. Nothing special. Why?"

"No reason. The atmosphere just feels a little different."

Her sense for these things is truly monstrous. What enviable genes.

"I had a light chat with your mother at dawn."

"...She didn't say anything weird, did she?"

"What kind of story? Like how you got eliminated in the first round of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the school quiz show in second grade and cried in secret? Or how you fought a friend in first grade and lost?"

"..."

Maru clenched his teeth slightly. Must be a real dark chapter for him.

"Come to think of it, she said she'd show me the album later."

"What?! Why would she just—"

"Ahem. Is that any way to speak to your mother?"

Maru looked like he had plenty to say. But voices calling us from behind interrupted.

"Arang!! Maru oppa!! When are you coming in?!"

"Unni!!! Let's play together!!"

"She's not looking for me, only you."

"Haha. That's because you should have been nicer to her. Let's go!"

I grabbed Maru's hand and ran toward the sea. Let's enjoy ourselves while we're here!

"Yeon-hwa... right?"

"Yes... Please call me comfortably..."

Under the parasol, Heo Yeon-hwa sipped an iced coffee while Maru's mother began a conversation.

"May I ask you a few questions?"

"About... what kind of relationship those two have...?"

As the person who had watched closest how deeply Cheon Ma-ru had suffered because of his ex-girlfriend, she couldn't help paying attention to Baek Arang—the girl Ma-ru was showing interest in. Of course Baek Arang wasn't the same kind of person as that ex, but concern was inevitable.

"For now... they're not dating..."

"...Even though they act like that?"

"Surprisingly, yes..."

Baek Arang holding hands with Cheon Ma-ru as they walked into the sea. To anyone watching, they looked like a fresh, budding couple.

"It feels like there's some relationship we don't know about..."

"Not simple friendship, then?"

"Seeing them like that, calling it simple friendship would be... a stretch..."

Baek Arang wasn't the light, simple type of woman. On the contrary, she had extremely high walls. Once she warmed up she became easier than anyone, but until then she was harder and more impenetrable than anyone.

The fact that such a person treated Cheon Ma-ru with that level of closeness definitely meant there was something they weren't telling the people around them.

"In truth... it does seem like both of them have feelings for each other..."

"I thought so."

"But... on Arang's side... it feels like she's suppressing her heart a little... And Maru... seems to be deliberately keeping some distance even though he knows..."

She had a guess. The conversation they'd shared at dawn yesterday. The girl who had been lonely because her family wasn't by her side yet couldn't accept others. The way she hid her wounds and pretended to be strong had stayed in her memory.

Still, after that conversation she'd shown signs of opening up a little. Maybe things could improve. If so, could the relationship between those two move forward?

"Well... she must have her own circumstances... Once you reach X-class... comparing yourself to ordinary people becomes impossible..."

"Oh? You knew?"

"Ah... I've known for a while..."

Heo Yeon-hwa had noticed early that Baek Arang was altering her appearance through some kind of item. That she lived with—or very close to—Cheon Ma-ru. She'd only become certain of the Baek Wol identity last night.

"There were a few white hairs... on the floor..."

"...That child has more holes than I thought?"

"She's pure... and a bit of a klutz... She's a cute friend... Hehe..."

"True. She is cute."

Heo Yeon-hwa genuinely liked Baek Arang. More precisely, she liked her friends. Because of her unique drawling, frustrating speech patterns and gloomy aura, not many people gathered around her.

Friends who liked her exactly as she was without trying to change her. That was why she wanted her friends to be happy too. It was the first pure wish she had ever held, after a life spent merely existing.

"Wow~! Nuri's really fast!"

"Even before awakening I kept taking swimming lessons. People even asked if I wanted to become an athlete."

"You little seal."

"Maru. You shouldn't talk to your sister like that."

Gwangalli Beach wasn't very deep. Still, it was deep enough to swim. Not with full freedom, though.

"Here~. Catch!!"

"Ack! Don't put mana in it!"

"Oppa. If you can't even catch that, what are you going to do?"

"Then you try becoming D-rank!"

"The instructor said mana isn't everything."

We also played with the beach ball Chae-eun had brought. But Nuri seemed to have a lot stored up against her brother; she kept infusing it with mana.

"Ugh... I'll head out for a bit to rest and come back."

"Huh? Unni, are you tired?"

"No. I just stayed up late yesterday, so I'm a little sleepy. Keep playing."

In truth I wouldn't tire from this level of activity, but I'd never been good at handling lack of sleep, so I did feel a bit drained.

I left the water and wandered alone, looking for Unni and Maru's mother. I must have drifted farther than I realized while playing.

"..."

Originally, once my little sister's surgery and recovery were complete, we'd planned to come to the sea together. Achieving that unfulfilled dream this way felt strangely moving.

This was a good chance to play with Unni too.

From now on I would face them properly. The people who cherished me.

"But where are they?"

There were too many people; finding them was difficult. I could track them by scent, but then unwanted smells would mix in and give me a headache. I usually avoided using it outside of combat.

"Since Unni will be with them, maybe I can search with detection."

There were a few hunters nearby, but I only needed to find the unique feel of Unni's mana. If I concentrated just a little...

"Whistle~! You here by yourself?"

"Let's play together, miss~."

Unpleasant voices reached me. Frivolous, light tones that were obvious at a glance. This was definitely—

"Don't play alone so lonely. Come play with us."

"We'll treat you right."

A pair of obvious delinquents approached me.

"I have companions."

"Really? Then we can play with them too."

"A guy? I'm confident I can treat you better than whoever you came with."

With bodies worse than Maru's, I wondered what exactly they thought they were good at.

I never thought I'd experience this myself.

Even in the original work, this kind of event always appeared when characters visited the sea. It wasn't anything major—just an event where approaching and helping would raise the heroine's favorability, a sweet honey event. Back then I'd simply taken the benefit and moved on, but experiencing it firsthand felt incredibly dirty.

There were quite a few awakened like this. Guys who believed that simply because they'd awakened, the world would revolve around their whims.

"No thanks. Please leave."

"Aw, don't be like that."

"Our skills are solid, you know? We're hunters, after all!"

I knew. I could feel their mana. A mere E-rank at best.

"Last warning. If you don't move..."

"Haha. Does this miss think hunters are a joke?"

I sensed them raising that tiny amount of mana. The one treating this like a joke was them. They couldn't even beat Maru.

I raised my own mana. Mixing in just a trace of killing intent would overwhelm and drive them off. I didn't want to cause trouble on a nice day—

"That's enough."

A familiar voice came from behind.

"Ha. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm with her. Can't you see she's uncomfortable?"

"That's none of your business, is it? Just look away and fuck off."

"I said that's enough."

"Ha! This guy!"

Thug One suddenly threw a punch. I didn't block it; I simply watched.

"Huh? Wait— Aaaack!!"

"Why can't you understand when you're told? I said stop and fuck off."

Before the fist could land, Maru caught the arm. Then he applied strength and subdued the thug.

Of course—Maru was a hunter too. One rank higher than these guys.

Besides, even without talent, Maru had diligently attended physical training and academy classes. From some point onward he'd kept taking at least one combat elective focused on basic martial arts.

"Huh? Don't tell me you're also...?"

"There are so many awakened in the world—you should've been careful. You're lucky you ran into me. Get lost. Now."

He released the squeezed arm as if throwing it aside and issued the warning. Thug Two read the room, then grabbed Thug One and the pair fled.

"Living life, I get to experience everything."

"Are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you okay?"

"Of course. You think I'd be scared of something like that?"

The person who had caught the Apocalypse getting scared of trash like them? Even if I wanted to be scared, I couldn't.

"But why did you come? I was planning to play more."

"I wanted to rest a bit too. Playing in the water after so long actually tired ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me out."

He looked perfectly energetic for someone saying that.

"Then let's go rest. This is a good chance to get Unni moving around a little."

"I think she'd genuinely hate that."

"Still, she needs some exercise. That unni is seriously lacking in physical activity."

Mana isn't everything. The body has to be healthy for mana-based reinforcement to work efficiently. And good stamina leads to good health.

"Then let's go encourage her. Moving around on a day like this is perfect."

"True. Ah, and..."

"Yes?"

It was a little embarrassing, but I figured it was okay to say this much.

"Thank you. For earlier."

"I'm glad. I was worried I was butting in unnecessarily."

"No. Thanks to you, I could end it without feeling gross."

The moment those guys spoke to me my mood had soured, but the instant I heard Maru's voice it brightened again.

And when Maru stepped forward as if protecting me, honestly... it looked pretty cool. Now I understood why the heroines' favorability rose.

"Come on, let's go! Time to bother Unni!"

"Huh? Wait for me!"

I deliberately ran ahead. That way I could hide the expression on my face right now.