Rental and the Coral Reef
"Three hours rental, huh?"
Morgan mocked her in a syrupy, coquettish voice.
"Sounds just like the Tobetan port hookers grabbing some transient sailor's collar and rubbing their tits against him. 'Come on, my young stud, don't be so shy. We can just talk, you know. Though my hand might accidentally slip into your pants...'" She made an exaggerated weeeek sound.
"...Could you stop steering this into weird territory?"
Bilena bristled for a moment, then peeked out from behind the rock, flinching. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she bit her lip.
"I-I changed already, so turn around."
...Turn around? Considering what we were about to do, it wasn't really necessary...
"Argh, please! It's embarrassing!"
I held back a sigh and obediently turned away. Morgan wasn't exempt either. She grimaced in disbelief but followed suit and turned around. Only then did Bilena come scrambling out with flustered footsteps and plunge into the sea.
She flailed in the water with a shriek.
"Eeeeek—it's cold—!"
"Can't even."
"Craaamp—my leg's cramping—!"
The first item on the agenda for the drunken Bilena who'd rented out Tan Bantai for three hours: swimming lessons.
While everyone else was enjoying the water in light swimwear, she'd stayed primly under the parasol on the bench, and it had clearly gotten under her skin.
...If only she'd thought of that before chugging a whole bottle of beer.
It was eccentric, but I got it. The weather was pleasant, and the emerald waters were so clear you could see the coral reefs below. Bitsurk folks might get upset hearing this, but it felt worlds apart from the cold, gloomy northern seas. You almost felt like you'd be missing out if you didn't soak yourself in it.
Of course, the water play had to be tailored to Bilena's level—a shut-in scholar who was also plastered. I held the tube afloat in waist-deep water and gently tugged it along. Bilena, draped over the seahorse-headed floatie, kicked at the water with her legs.
Her legs were pale as bleached fabric. And since her swimsuit was pure white like her skin, half-submerged in the water and catching the sunlight, it was a bit hard to tell where one ended and the other began.
...Yeah, I could see why she'd told me to turn around.
Bilena seemed less embarrassed once she was in the water, though. Meanwhile, Morgan—who swam like a fish in water—floated alongside on her back, keeping only her face above the surface.
"Asking for swimming lessons right when time's almost up. Unbelievable. Hey, listen up, you drunk auntie."
"I'm concentrating. Don't talk to me."
"Swimsuit's too embarrassing out of the water, but fine inside? What's the difference between in and out?"
"On land, it's basically underwear. In the water, there's a rational excuse—it's functional. No reason to be embarrassed."
"Ah, gotcha."
Morgan shook her head in exasperation and dove under. Bilena, satisfied with her logic and nodding with her flushed face, went wide-eyed when Morgan popped up from another direction and whispered something.
"Then can I ask this? If you match your swimsuit tone exactly to your skin color, how's that any different from being naked?"
Oof. I'd only thought it, not said it.
Flustered, Bilena lost her balance and tilted over. I grabbed her arm in a panic and hauled her back onto the tube. After a desperate struggle with her abysmal athleticism, she barely regained equilibrium and clambered back onto the floatie. Then she made a miserable face.
"Shiiit. Again..."
"...Cramps, huh."
We had two people watching her, but playing in the water while drunk was still dangerous. I tried to convince her to call it quits here, but Bilena's resolve was firm.
Sitting on a rock jutting from the shallows, she massaged her slender legs vigorously. Then she leaned back on the tube and dipped into the water again.
"Let's go deeper."
"...You'll end up snorting saltwater and suffering."
"I said deeper. You said three hours rental, right? Then do as I say."
I felt conflicted, but Morgan clapped instead.
"That's the spirit. Good attitude. Better than freezing up on land 'cause you're scared of showing off your shitty reflexes later."
"...It wasn't 'cause I was afraid you'd see my swimming skills."
Bilena bristled, but Morgan ignored her, giggling as she plunged under and vanished somewhere. I shook my head and slowly guided Bilena deeper—where her feet no longer touched.
"Still, it's good you wanted to dive in. Such a pretty swimsuit would've been wasted otherwise."
"...I didn't buy it for you to see, Tan Bantai."
"Never said a word about that. Just said it's pretty."
"Empty flattery."
Bilena pouted and turned away. Schools of fish darted underfoot, foam and moss in every color unfurling below. A serene peace you could only feel amid such dynamic scenery.
But while I was fully immersed in the appreciation, Bilena looked a little bored.
"Say something. Don't just stay quiet."
"Why? Quietly taking in the view is nice too. You don't get to see this just anywhere."
"Rental, remember? I'm yours."
When I stared blankly, she backpedaled.
"...In the tool sense. Like borrowing a bottle opener from next door. Anyway, do as I say."
"...Ah. Sure."
I scratched my head, but nothing came to mind. What topics would a scholar like? A clueless porter like me had no idea.
"Usually, the one saying 'say something' is the one with more to say."
"...That sounds familiar."
"Yep. Honestly, seems like you've got more to say than me. Same as last time."
The splashing from her legs stopped. Even without her paddling or me swimming hard, the tube drifted slowly toward the open sea. We already had some momentum.
Savoring the gentle waves, I closed my eyes softly.
"So say something. What's eating at you so bad? What's so hard?"
"...Last time, I said my aptitude was inventor, right? That was a lie."
"Shocker."
"Even if the world overflows with unheard-of rare aptitudes, something like that doesn't exist from the start. Obviously made-up."
The sea was great for washing away heartache. Bilena started pulling out her old grudges bit by bit.
Bilena's story was complicated yet simple. Her aptitude wasn't inventor at all.
It was mage.
"The Nitro family was originally a lineage of esteemed mages. Most members inherit the mage aptitude. Never seen me carrying a staff like Nenya? 'Cause it'd be pointless even if I did."
Aptitude isn't everything when it comes to talent. Someone blessed with blacksmith aptitude by the gods might fear fire, or a kid born with brittle bones unable to move might get swordsman aptitude.
A cruel twist of fate where aptitude clashes with destiny. Among them, a half-baked mage with mana capacity the size of a mouse turd getting ridiculed mercilessly at the academy? Common tale.
Theologians say the gods' work is sometimes beyond human understanding. To my unlearned eyes, it just looked like shoddy bureaucracy.
"Yeah, it's bullshit, like you said. Hilarious, right? A mage aptitude with zero magic talent. Makes no sense. If they grant the dream, shouldn't they give the talent too?"
It didn't take long for a kid cursed with such a rotten fate to crash into despair. Her theory knowledge had always been perfect, so the disappointment hit hard. The girl who'd thought herself exceptionally smart fell into hopelessness.
She tried masking her low self-efficacy with bravado, but even that failed. Isolated without friends or allies, Bilena's ambition went astray.
She faked a late-blooming magic awakening via chemical combos, but blew up the whole classroom, filling an entire building with gas.
"One silver lining, though. That dumb bitch who turned me into a weasel all year for laughs inhaled too much gas, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed. After mocking me non-stop without even plugging her nose. Served her right."
A crushed kid with no family, friends, or teachers on her side. It was inevitable her talent would erupt dangerously.
Lucky no one was seriously hurt, and getting expelled before a full disaster was for the best all around. But what happened happened. Her family, who barely propped up her enrollment, unleashed their fury on her. And Bilena was disappointed in herself.
The one who took in Bilena—kicked out of both academy and home—was none other than Tena Everlight.
"Tena?"
"She stopped by the academy hunting for a decent mage, heard my story, and came looking."
Bilena chuckled, then wiped the smile away and leaned blankly on the tube.
"Out of nowhere, she said her party needed talent like mine. So I was honest. Told her I was an idiot. Only good at blowing shit up and breaking it. Know what Tena said?"
"'That's enough'? 'You're valuable'? That she needs people with clear strengths and unique weapons over flawless ones by her side?"
Bilena froze.
"How'd you know?"
Because I'd heard it before. I dunked my face in the clear water and swallowed the bitterness.
Yeah. You're good at seeing the best in people. Knew it wasn't just for me. Would be a waste if you only used lines like that on me.
This anger had nothing to do with Bilena. Instead of yelling out my frustration, I just spat a bunch of resentful bubbles into the sea. They vanished pointlessly.
Great sea for washing the heart clean. I closed my eyes, counted to three, and lifted my head again.
"Figured she'd encourage you like that. She's a good one."
"...Anyway, boring story. The homeless kid buried her bones in the party, spotted a crossdressing porter hiding in it, got scared her few remaining potion-buying friends would bail too and she'd be totally alone, so she built some freak machine to dunk you in rage-fueled acid."
"Yikes."
Closer to a hamster threatening to defend its turf than a mad scientist's bio-experiment, I guess. Either way, I nearly lost my manhood to teeth down there.
Bilena kept mumbling apologies with her drunken tongue, then blurted something as if it just hit her.
"Didn't wanna show it, but I kept getting jealous ugly-like. Hearing about your sister."
"...Ah."
"I was an imperial exchange student like her. Dozens of schools there, so slim chance we're alumni, but."
"Sorry, didn't know. Tried to avoid touchy subjects."
"Why apologize to me? Your sister did great, and you held it together for her. Be good to your sister. Whether it's rookie academy or proper mage tower, there's always assholes bullying out-of-towners—enough to make 'em lap the library five times."
Bilena's smirk suddenly looked uneasy. She didn't know how to swim, precariously perched on the tube—it reminded me, she always gave off that vibe on land too. Like watching a tightrope walker without a net.
Meanwhile, Bilena eyed me with her red eyes. After staring bull-eyed for a while, the drunkard tilted her seawater-matted hair aside.
"You into me?"
"...Outta nowhere?"
"Liked the swimsuit compliment. Bought it to see if you'd bite. Testing."
The flat punch hit my chest heavy. Sunlight slanted over the colorless Bilena, dyeing her gold. As I swallowed and edged back a bit, a strange vitality flickered in her pale, dry eyes.
"My young stud, don't be so shy."
"...Suddenly?"
"We can just talk. Though my hand might accidentally slip into your pants."
"...Scared me. That was Morgan's joke earlier, right? Kinda harsh, yeah?"
"Annoying."
Bilena snickered. Her tongue still slurred from the booze. But her flushed cheeks weren't just from the alcohol.
"I suck at buildup. Don't expect that defeated heroine crap from me."
"Keep calling yourself 'defeated heroine' and shit—I can't keep up with what you mean."
"...Playing dumb only works so many times. How honest you gonna make me?"
Bilena let go of the tube with a plop. I freaked and dove to grab her waist, but she didn't flail or freeze like someone unused to water. She just floated there calmly.
Looking down at my panicked face, Bilena grabbed my ears and hauled my head above water.
"I've dropped enough hints. Your move."