Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Playing at the Hotel is the Best During the Holidays (4)
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However, unlike us, who were just starting to eat, it seemed they were nearly finished with their meal.
Victor, who had been chatting with Raven for a moment, gathered his coat and belongings as if preparing to leave.
“Is it that time already? A shame, but we'll be on our way. Since we're in the same hotel, I'm sure we'll meet again… If we get the chance, let's talk again sometime.”
Hahaha!
Victor let out a cheerful laugh, as if he'd thoroughly enjoyed the conversation.
Ah, wait a second. I think I'm getting PTSD. That laugh of his…
Perhaps it was because his body was so thick he looked more like a tiger-kin than a human.
His overwhelming muscles, visible even through his shirt, twitched as he laughed.
Honestly, it was a little grotesque, like his pectoral muscles had a life of their own.
“My sincerest apologies if Mr. Victor has been a bother. We'll be taking our leave now.”
“Hey, assistant. I didn't do anything to be a bother. Hey, are you listening…”
“Ah, goodbye!”
Victor was dragged out of the restaurant by his ear by the expressionless woman in his party.
So that's the capable assistant, the David of Victor's group. She was certainly a beautiful woman.
I quietly watched Victor's party disappear beyond the door before turning back to my plate, munching on the meat as I thought to myself.
‘To think I’d run into Victor here. I never expected this. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to recognize me… Yes, I should make sure not to run into him while I’m wandering around.’
Well, our encounter in Nighthaven was months ago.
And I was covered by a large cloth back then, so the chances of my identity being revealed are close to zero...
But it never hurts to be cautious.
If my identity as a ghost were to be revealed, it would cause all sorts of headaches.
As I organized my thoughts and devoured the mountain-like tower of meat in a trance.
Suddenly, an unusual sight of Alice entered my vision.
‘Ack, what is that?’
It was an unidentifiable work of art.
Seafood, meat, vegetables, noodles, bread, desserts…
Literally every type of food was piled onto the plate, creating a single object.
The surprising thing was that none of the ingredients in this object were repeated.
And she had four such plates balanced on the backs of her hands and her elbows!
It looked precarious, yet it was incredibly stable. It was like she was performing a circus act.
David and Reine were speechless at the unimaginable state of her plates.
Raven, looking as composed as ever, spoke with a tone of disbelief.
“…What is that? Isn't that being a little too greedy? You've put one of every single dish on there. And how did you even fit it all on one plate?”
“You don't know what's delicious until you try it, right? That's why whenever I come to a buffet, I always try one of everything like this.”
“That's ridiculous…”
“I'll take that as a compliment.”
Alice approached the seat next to me and gently set her plates down on the table.
Her movements were so fluid, like flowing water, that the dishes didn't even make a clattering sound.
Then, she glanced at my plate and smiled as if she found it cute.
She then began to tackle her own mountain of food, starting from the top.
The food vanished into Alice’s mouth as if being sucked into a black hole.
It was an unreal scene, like watching a video on fast-forward.
It was a mystery how she could eat like that and not gain weight. Does it all go to her chest?
For reference, Sabrina, who was next to Alice, had a perfectly ordinary French-style meal.
Perhaps because the sight before had been so shocking, this simple combination was incredibly reassuring.
*
After finishing our boisterous meal one way or another.
We returned to our room for the time being.
Of course, we hadn't come back to end our afternoon activities and rest.
We were just there to grab our swimsuits from our luggage.
That's right. Swimsuits.
Our plan was to splash around and have fun in the water until evening.
The only downside was that, since it wasn't summer, we couldn't enjoy the hotel's private beach.
Swimming in the ocean in this brutally cold winter would be a perfect way to freeze to death.
Instead, we planned to visit the indoor pool on the Saint-Maria Hotel grounds.
“Hehehe, I had Yuria's swimsuit made just for today. You can look forward to it. It's incredibly cute!”
“…!”
“Oh my, I’m quite looking forward to seeing your swimsuit as well, Alice. You have such a… wonderful figure.”
“Shouldn't you be covering up more? Everyone's just going to be staring at your chest, Alice.”
“S-Sabrina? What are you saying!”
The women, gathered in the large bedroom, chattered away as they placed various items on the bed.
First, there were the swimsuits, which were basically scraps of cloth, and light cover-ups for when we weren't in the water.
There were also towels to dry off, waterproof pouches for our devices, oils for our skin and hair, and so on.
Their thorough preparation made me, who had planned to just grab my swimsuit and go, feel a bit awkward.
That aside, to think the day I'd actually wear a swimsuit would come.
Considering it had only been a week since we stopped by the department store, it had arrived very quickly.
If I were to strongly resist and refuse to wear it…
Yeah, Alice would give me that pleading look, her face dripping with regret. Just imagining it is tough.
I guess I have no choice. I have to face this head-on and wear it.
At least it's a black, one-piece style swimsuit with minimal skin exposure, so it's not too psychologically taxing. That was a relief.
Oh, wait. If I wear a swimsuit, my body will inevitably be exposed. What should I do about the Tesseract?
‘Hmm, swimsuits don’t have pockets. I should probably bring a light jacket. Tesseract, I’ll see you later.’
[ Okay… See you later, Mama ]
While the others were busy packing, I quietly glanced around before carefully removing the Tesseract from my neck and slipping it into my pocket in one smooth motion.
Perhaps it was because we couldn't hear each other properly when it wasn't touching my skin.
The Tesseract's forlorn voice as I took it off tugged at my heart.
But it couldn't be helped.
If anyone saw the Tesseract, which clearly didn't look like an ordinary object, things would get complicated.
Besides, I'll keep it safely in my jacket pocket so it doesn't fall out.
And I'll put it back around my neck as soon as we're done swimming. So please don't be too sad.
“Alright, I'm all ready. I'll go ask if the guys over there are ready!”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Perhaps Alice finished her preparations while I was secretly hiding the Tesseract.
She left the bedroom, saying she would go check on Raven and David in the other room.
She really is the diligent class president type, always the first to roll up her sleeves when there's something to be done.
A truly admirable personality to have around; you'd never lose out with her by your side.
However, no sooner had I praised Alice in my heart than the sound of a door slamming shut was followed by a scream from across the hall.
“Hyaak! Wh-Why are you undressing in here! Y-You scared me!”
“Well… it’s more convenient to change into our swimsuits here. More importantly, you should knock. It’s basic manners.”
“Ah, ugh… I'm sorry… Hwaaah…”
Curious about the commotion, I peeked my head out the door.
There was Alice, collapsed in front of the doorway, her face beet red.
Seeing her usually energetic, upturned eyebrows now limp and wilted.
It seemed she had carelessly thrown the door open and witnessed a universal truth.
Although she didn't technically attend school, she was old enough to be called a high school girl.
What she had just accidentally witnessed must have been a bit too stimulating for her.
She's always wearing revealing clothes, yet she's so innocent in strange ways.
By the time the color returned to Alice's face, we were on our way to the indoor pool.
“It's much bigger than I thought. You could easily run a business just by sectioning this part off from the hotel.”
“Wow… It’s cold outside, but it’s warm in here. We won’t have to worry about catching a cold.”
Saint-Maria's directly managed indoor pool, Aqua Marina, was a massive water park with a capacity of nearly a thousand people.
In fact, the quality of its facilities was so top-class that some guests came just to use Aqua Marina.
Of course, for guests staying at the hotel, admission was free.
On the contrary, we were even given premium passkeys that allowed us to enjoy all sorts of benefits.
It would be a waste not to visit Aqua Marina when staying at Saint-Maria.
“Hmm, it says here that in the summer, when the beach is accessible, Aqua Marina's outdoor area opens up, allowing guests to enjoy various marine leisure activities. So, there are even more visitors who aim for that season…”
“Still, being able to swim in a warm, spacious place like this in the winter isn't bad at all. Well then, we’re going to go change into our swimsuits. Let's meet back here!”
Let's go, quick!
Alice grabbed my hand and Sabrina's, and we dashed toward the changing rooms.
Just how much was she looking forward to this? I have to admit, it does seem like it would be fun here.
Rustle, rustle.
Once in the changing room, I took the black, frilly one-piece swimsuit out of my small bag.
It was a design that left my shoulders bare and revealed a fair bit of my thighs.
But perhaps because it was designed with a child in mind.
Despite the exposed skin, the design was faithfully cute. Should I be relieved or not?
Over the swimsuit, I put on a windbreaker-like jacket that completely covered my body.
Yes, being covered up like this made me feel a bit better.
As I finished getting ready and slipped the Tesseract into my jacket's inner pocket.
Sabrina, who had similarly changed into her swimsuit, approached and spoke to me.
“Yuria, are you all dressed?”
“…”
I nodded to say I was done, carefully zipping up my jacket so my swimsuit wasn't visible.
When I turned to look at Sabrina, her swimsuit was in plain view.
Sabrina was wearing a navy blue top, like a school swimsuit, and short, board-short-like bottoms.
Her androgynous charm, which made her look like she could be a boy or a girl, was much more pronounced.
She would look perfect with a surfboard tucked under her arm.
As I was observing her, Sabrina must have noticed me checking her out.
She grinned mischievously and took a bold step closer.
“Hehe, are you hiding because you're shy? What kind of swimsuit are you wearing? I'm curious, show me!”
“…!”
“It's not like you're going to keep that jacket on the whole time. Hurry, hurry.”
Ugh, she's persistent. But she wasn't wrong.
There was no point in changing if I was going to stay covered up, and I wouldn't be able to swim.
I let out a small sigh and pulled the zipper, which was all the way up to my neck, down with a *zip*.
When she saw the one-piece swimsuit with frills near the chest and thighs.
Sabrina gave me a thumbs-up, smiling as if she found it incredibly cute. Thanks for the compliment, really.
“Are you both changed?”
“Gasp…”
“…!!”
But just then, as Alice approached from the side, both Sabrina and I couldn't help but be startled.
Dressed in a bikini that captured both innocence and sexiness—two birds with one stone—Alice was… the very incarnation of destruction.
If a young boy were to accidentally bump into Alice, he wouldn't be able to sleep that night.
I applauded her awe-inspiring fullness, while Sabrina muttered in a daze.
“Chest monster… I told you you should have covered up.”
“Wh-Where are you looking…”
“Are you ready? Let's go now.”
“Ah, seeing Reine helps me calm down.”
“…”
“Huh? What's that supposed to mean, Sabrina? And Yuria, why are you nodding in agreement?”
Thankfully, while Reine was mature and beautiful, her figure was closer to the slender side.
We, who had been thrown into chaos by Alice, were able to quickly regain our senses.
A walking human Tsar Bomba and a nuclear fallout shelter.
I felt a little sorry for Reine.