School Trip (3): An Intimate Offer
"It looks like it might be too much for you to handle alone. What if I lend you a hand?"
"......?"
"How about it?"
The snake asked with a sly tilt of his head. The girl froze for a moment, then finally processed the meaning behind the words and reacted a beat too late. A fierce blush exploded across her face.
"W-what... did you just say?"
Her lips trembled, and even her words came out in stutters. Her pupils quivered violently.
"H-how can you speak about something so shameless so casually?!"
"Hmm?"
The villainess cried out in horror. Yet even in the face of such an accusation, the golden-haired boy simply looked puzzled, as if he genuinely couldn't see the problem.
"You're still struggling with it, aren't you? I only wanted to help."
"E-even so...!"
"If you don't want it, I'll step back."
"Ugh."
The girl, who had been resisting, fell silent. It was because of the gaze that met hers. Those narrowed eyes reminded her of a promise once whispered in her ear. The memory remained painfully vivid.
Live for my sake.
In truth, the villainess had no right to refuse. She had signed a contract offering everything she possessed in exchange for the life she owed him. But...
"What a shame."
Did it really have to be this sudden? Even if one side harbored feelings, she had heard there were proper stages to these things. With zero experience when it came to men, Emilia felt completely lost.
O-of course we did kiss last time, but that was when I wasn't in my right mind...!
Emilia stomped her feet internally. Of course, none of her turmoil changed anything. To the snake, at least, something like vanity was an utterly powerless emotion.
The girl, lost in agonizing thought, eventually reached out.
"Wait... h-hold on a second."
She timidly caught his sleeve. A wave of intense shame crashed over her. She tried to sound dignified, but even to her own ears her voice shook pathetically.
Emilia held out the bottle in her hands and spoke in a small voice.
"......Please."
"My lady?"
"Help me apply it. So my skin doesn't burn in the sun."
Her face burned so hot she thought it might burst.
A short while later, Emilia lay on a mat spread across the sand. She had even removed the light cardigan she wore, leaving the pale skin she usually kept hidden completely exposed. Only a single sky-blue swimsuit covered her body. Her distinctly feminine curves flowed gracefully beneath it. Her blue hair spilled across the mat in disarray, and between those waves rested an undeniable fullness that could not be concealed. Her meticulously maintained figure looked like something out of a painting, drawing every eye regardless of gender.
Beauty was exactly that.
"......"
Perhaps because the situation was so embarrassing, the girl couldn't lift her head. If she showed her face even for a second, he would surely notice how horribly flushed she was. So she simply lay there with her arms folded beneath her.
"You don't need to be so tense. It won't hurt."
"......You're noisy."
The snake whispered as if soothing the villainess. A faint smile touched his lips as he scooped sunscreen into his palm.
Then—
"I'll begin now."
Touch.
His hand met her back. Maybe it was the cool temperature of his skin. Emilia, who had been holding her breath, let out an involuntary sound. The palm coated in lotion slid across her like scales.
"Eep..."
This was the first time she had ever allowed anyone to touch her back. Before her startled mind could settle, the hand that clung to her began to move, sweeping broadly across her skin.
Stroke.
The calm touch continued. A white trail lingered on her soft skin, only to sink in again after a few rubs. The boy applied the sunscreen with careful devotion.
"Nng... hah."
The unfamiliar sensation kept drawing small moans from her. Emilia bit her lip hard. A strange, sweet feeling swirled through her body. Even as her shoulders trembled, she fought not to let it show. She didn't want to lose her dignity.
Stroke, stroke.
Despite that, the boy continued moving his hands. Perhaps because of his abundant experience with women(?), his movements were relentless and smooth. It somehow made her angry.
So annoying.
Those narrowed eyes drew a gentle arc, as if he held no ulterior motives whatsoever. That pure, smiling expression irritated her. It made her feel like the only one acting strange.
"Ahem."
Of course, it was a misunderstanding. In reality, the boy truly had no ulterior motives. He simply wanted to help, but the meaning had become somewhat distorted in the process of reaching her. Emilia, however, had no way of knowing that. The misunderstanding rooted itself even deeper.
"How much longer... ngh... are you going to keep applying it?"
"It's almost done."
Her breathing grew hazy. The villainess could only endure while lying face-down. Until the cool palm finally left her back, the pitiful trembling never stopped.
After the sunscreen application ended, Emilia rose from her spot on shaky legs. The villainess, whose eyes had gone strangely unfocused, quickly regained her senses and glared at him. It was the kind of look one might give garbage.
"......Pervert."
The girl reacted like an angry cat. She took several steps back to create distance, then even hid herself behind Legia's body, who had been standing nearby. When asked why, the only response was a hiss. In the end, the person who had offered help ended up being treated like some kind of creep.
"Why are you acting like this?"
"Don't come near me."
"Can't you at least tell me the reason?"
"Deviant."
Communication was impossible. I eventually gave up on getting an answer and turned to Irene, who stood in the shade nearby. After all, she had watched the entire situation from right beside us.
"Irene, do you know why the young lady is behaving like this?"
"Yeah."
"What is it?"
"Trash."
"Are you serious?"
"It's not exactly wrong, is it?"
"......"
Pervert. Deviant. Trash. I quietly shut my mouth after taking three direct hits in a row. What a cruel world.
Anyway.
With the UV problem solved, the children finally dipped their feet into the sea in earnest. A breeze followed the rolling waves. It was a refreshing sea wind strong enough to blow away the entire heat of summer.
"I-it's cold!"
"Of course it is. It's seawater."
"Still, this is the first time I've seen the ocean this clean! Even when I traveled across the continent, places like this were rare..."
"I get it, so just walk properly. Don't trip and fall."
"Y-yes...!"
The protagonist and the villainess. The two girls walked side by side along the shoreline. Their steps advanced through the waves. I sat a little further back in the shade, watching their retreating figures. I had no intention of entering the water myself; I would simply observe.
"How peaceful."
I muttered quietly. As I breathed in the refreshing air, I suddenly heard movement and turned my head. A fox had taken a seat beside me. It seemed she had no plans to enter the water either.
"......"
The girl remained deathly silent. I spoke lightly.
"Since we've come all the way to the sea, why not at least dip your feet in?"
"I don't have a swimsuit anyway."
"You can just change after you get wet. We have plenty of spare clothes."
"No thanks."
Irene refused firmly. Her voice lacked its usual strength. When I tilted my head at the strange reaction, the fox added one more sentence. It was a faint murmur.
"......I just. Hate the sea."
Her eyes held a strange distance, as if reflecting on something. Even the fox ears on her head drooped low. After waiting in silence for a while, this time she asked me a question.
"What about you?"
"Hm?"
"You're not going in either. Why are you sitting here like this?"
"Well."
I answered casually.
"It's less that I hate the sea and more that I don't like wearing a swimsuit."
"A swimsuit?"
"Revealing clothes are embarrassing."
"There you go again, twisting your words."
"It's the truth. My body isn't anything worth showing off to others."
"With a body like yours, I'd say it's pretty good..."
"Hehe."
I simply smiled without answering. I was dodging the question. Everyone has a few scars they want to keep hidden.
"People have different thoughts about these things."
"......Right. If you say so, then that's how it is."
Irene asked no more. She simply closed her lips. A calm silence settled between us. Until the sun set and our time by the sea came to an end, we simply respected each other's silence. Only the sea breeze brushed past our ears.
After finishing the enjoyable schedule, the four of us returned to our lodging. The children had spent the entire day at the sea. Perhaps because of all the energy they had burned, they were starting to feel hungry. They gathered in one room to eat together. Just like at breakfast, the snake personally prepared the dishes for dinner. The children sat at the table with a mix of worry and anticipation.
"Alright, you may eat now."
Fortunately, the boy's cooking was more than edible. No—it surpassed that level entirely, reaching the quality of a high-end restaurant. Legia and Emilia, tasting it for the first time, could only be astonished.
"I-it's delicious...!"
"No way."
The children stopped eating for a moment, lost in admiration. The boy, still wearing a pink apron, gave a gentle smile with his eyes.
"I'm glad it suits your tastes."
"It tastes even better than the restaurant we went to this morning! I had no idea you were such a good cook, young master. I almost want to learn...!"
"Hehe, I'll have to treat you like this more often."
Legia's eyes sparkled brightly.
"......How is there nothing you can't do?"
"I simply have a little bit of experience in various areas."
"It really is annoying... I was going to laugh at you if it tasted bad."
"I suppose I'm a rather domestic man."
"That kind of appeal doesn't work on me, you know...?"
"Oh dear, what a shame."
Emilia grumbled but still acknowledged his skill. The snake wore a satisfied smile.
"It feels worthwhile."
The dinner continued in a warm, harmonious atmosphere. It was a loose, comfortable end to the day. However, there was one person who couldn't melt into that mood. None other than Irene.
"......"
The girl kept spacing out. She would only answer when her name was called, but her mind seemed to be somewhere else entirely. She had been like this ever since they returned from the sea.
"Irene."
"......"
"Irene?"
"......Ah. Sorry, I didn't hear you."
The fox reacted belatedly. The snake spoke to her gently, as if worried about the girl whose eyes looked hazy.
"Are you alright?"
"With what?"
"You've seemed unable to focus since earlier. Did something bad happen?"
"Bad? Nothing like that."
"Then?"
"It's just... I guess I'm tired. Don't worry about it."
Irene brushed it off vaguely. She moved her utensils again and continued her meal with a composed face. As always, her expression remained blank.
"Hmm."
Those black eyes looked as if the light had gone out of them. Even while she pretended otherwise, the snake quietly observed the girl's submerged atmosphere. And so the evening hours passed.
That night, Irene couldn't fall asleep.
"......"
Her dark eyes remained open and unfocused. The hour had already slipped into early morning, yet for some reason her heavy chest made it impossible to stay lying down. After tossing and turning for a long time, the fox finally rose from the bed. She thought she would take a short walk to clear her head before returning.
Creak.
When she left the bedroom, the first thing she saw was the golden-haired boy. He leaned against the sofa with his eyes closed. It seemed he had fallen asleep early. She left the room carefully so as not to wake him. Since it was only a short walk anyway, she didn't leave a note. The fox simply walked on.
"......"
Irene headed toward the shoreline near the lodging. Shaaaa. As she crossed the wide sandy beach, the sound of waves washed over her ears. The blowing sea breeze stirred up all sorts of thoughts. The fox took in the wretched scenery. A sky pouring down starlight. The transparent sea reflected the colors of the night perfectly on its surface. It was clearly a beautiful sight, yet the words that slipped from between her lips were the complete opposite.
The girl muttered as if chewing on the words.
"......I really do hate the sea."
Perhaps it was because of the nightmare. Every time she looked at the rippling surface, the image of herself trapped behind iron bars kept flickering before her eyes. It felt as if those waves would swallow her at any moment. At the same time, she regretted coming out. It only made her feel worse. The unique salty, fishy smell of the sea. Irene mulled it over as she slowly left footprints in the sand. The air was so quiet not even the slightest noise could be heard.
Whoooosh.
She brushed back her bangs that danced in the wind. After walking absentmindedly for a while, she realized she had reached a secluded corner.
"Should I head back?"
It was time to return. Just as she turned her stopped steps around—
—...!
An unnatural noise came from somewhere. The fox's ears perked up on their own. After focusing her hearing for a moment, the girl realized the sound was someone's scream. It wasn't far away.
"A scream...?"
Irene frowned. Her feet kicked off the ground, running toward the source of the sound. It was a narrow alley close to the shoreline. Several large carriages stood lined up. Around them, soldiers wearing robes stood guard here and there. They gave off a somehow familiar feeling.
The eyes of the fox watching from hiding trembled. She immediately recognized their identity. How could she not? They were the ones who had dragged her life into hell.
Slave merchants.
Squeeze.
Her fists clenched tightly on their own. She hadn't encountered them since escaping, yet here they were with their transport carriages in a vacation spot like this. It seemed their method of only moving through dark back alleys remained the same.
—How dare you try to run away!
—H-help me...!
—Shut your mouth! Get on quietly if you don't want to die!
—Hiiik...!
Had she been caught after trying to run? A woman was being grabbed by the collar by a soldier and loaded back into the transport compartment. It seemed the scream from earlier had come from this.
What should I do?
She had to save her. She wanted to rush in immediately, but the problem was that she couldn't gauge exactly how many opponents there were. The number of people she needed to rescue was also unclear. If these were transport carriages, there were likely more people trapped inside. Rushing in might only make the situation worse.
The regular guards aren't an issue.
They were at a level she could handle. But if a 'hunting dog' was mixed among them, the story changed. She might end up being the one captured instead.
Still, if I don't do something...
While she hesitated with her hand on her sword, the carriages whose doors had closed began to depart one by one.
"Damn it...!"
She couldn't let them get away like this. Irene swallowed a curse and moved, avoiding the guards' eyes. She lightly jumped onto the last carriage in line. It was the cargo compartment, packed only with supplies. The fox held her breath and hid herself among the rattling boxes.
Neigh—!
With the energetic cry of horses behind it, the carriage began to move. In the end, the girl had no choice but to follow blindly.
Meanwhile.
Someone watched the departing carriages with a meaningful smile. The narrowed eyes looked especially ominous.
"The protagonist's part is over... and now it seems the supporting character's growth event is beginning."
An incomprehensible murmur. Then the sound of applause rang out.
Clap!
The shadow that had stood in the darkness vanished without a trace. Only the flowing night breeze remained to fill the empty space.