Swimsuits and Territory Expansion
Miya, who had been staring blankly at the pot, and Asne, who had been browsing swimsuits on her phone, both paused what they were doing and came over at my call. They really do prioritize my words above everything else. Their focus had been impressive. They hadn't reacted at all when I muttered to myself, but the moment I called them, they moved right away.
Normally, I had no presence. Even at work, I made sure not to inconvenience anyone, living quietly while staying on friendly terms with everyone—present, yet somehow invisible. People like that had no real say. Well, technically they did, but it was always ignored. I knew that, yet I had lived that way anyway. It was easier.
“Here, take a bowl each.”
Miya perked her ears and listened attentively, her eyes locked on my every movement. When I held out the bowl, she accepted it carefully with both hands.
“Hehe~ Thanks, Minsoo!”
Asne was watching me too, a gentle smile on her face. She accepted the bowl with graceful poise.
“Thank you, my lord.”
Having someone actually listen to me wasn't anything special. But in my life, it hadn't happened often. Family was one thing, but most other people hadn't been worth much. Friends, teachers, coworkers, bosses... I'd been stabbed in the back more than once. When I visited a fortune teller, they said I had no luck with people. They claimed it would only improve in my mid-thirties. It seemed that prediction had finally come true.
“How is it?”
“Huaa— sho good!”
Miya puffed out hot breaths as she ate the meat, even though it had just been boiled. Her face was lit with a bright smile.
“Asne, is it okay for you?”
“Yes. The broth is rich and sweet.”
“Don't push yourself.”
“Understood.”
She carefully sipped just a little broth first, testing it, then seemed fine. Next, she picked up an enoki mushroom, blew on it to cool it, and placed it in her mouth. She chewed elegantly, her smile deepening. It suited her taste.
“I'm glad you both like it.”
Seeing them enjoy it, I took a bite myself. The broth was sweet from the vegetables and meat sauce, the bulgogi chewy and springy, the vegetables crisp, and even the glass noodles soaked in the broth were delicious. The three of us ate in comfortable silence.
“Miya? You should eat some vegetables too.”
“Uuu... B-But...”
“Why? Oh, is it hard for you to digest vegetables?”
“Hic, it's not that...”
As we ate, I noticed Miya had a tendency to only pick out the meat. Asne ate the vegetables well, so the balance was fine, but eating only meat wasn't exactly good manners. I was about to remind her when I remembered that snow leopards were carnivores and asked instead. At my words, Miya made a face like a child caught doing something wrong.
“Vegetables remind me of grass porridge or tree bark... S-So my hand just won't reach for them...”
“Ah.”
The food Miya had eaten in the snowy mountains. Boiling weeds or eating tree bark as it was. Full of the scent of nature, it probably hadn't tasted good. The smell of dirt must have been strong too.
Poor thing...
But that was then, and this was now. More importantly, this was delicious.
“These vegetables are tasty. Trust me and try some.”
“Uuu... Minsoo... 'kay...”
At first, when I served her, she ate the vegetables together with the meat. Probably because eating them alone was difficult. But this time, she picked up only vegetables and ate them.
“Hap. Mmmph...?!”
Whether from trauma over grass porridge and tree bark, she stared at the vegetables for a long while before putting them in her mouth and chewing. Soon, her expression relaxed and her ears perked up. The more she chewed, the richer the broth flavor became, making it delicious.
“How is it? Tasty, right?”
“Yeah! Yeah yeah!!!”
“See? You can enjoy vegetables too. I'll teach you all about it!”
With that, I bought several hot pot meal kits online that I knew were delicious. They were mostly things like pretty mille-feuille nabe or shabu-shabu, where you could blanch whatever vegetables and meat you wanted. The taste was similar, but the difference came down to presentation versus doing it separately. Well, as long as it tasted good, that was all that mattered.
“Huu... My stomach feels nice and warm...”
“Hehe... I'm so happy...”
“Huhu, eating a meal together is truly a joyful thing.”
The three of us had probably eaten enough hot pot for ten people. We'd bought rice in between and added kalguksu noodles too, so it had taken over fifteen minutes? Half of it had gone into Miya's stomach, but just look at that smooth, toned abdomen. Everything must have fit inside, yet there wasn't a single sign of it.
“Alright. Then... Ah, Asne, did you pick a swimsuit?”
“Yes. I like this one.”
I had told her to choose while we ate, but she just shook her head, apparently having already decided. What she showed me looked like a normal swimsuit at first... but it had high side slits and a deeply cut back. It was labeled monokini high-leg, and it was pretty. When I followed the link, it was thankfully available on the Hunter Market too. I searched for it right away, but I had no idea what Asne's size was.
“I've never bought anything like this before, so I don't know how to handle the sizing. Do you know, Asne?”
“I have no expertise in clothing either. I'm sorry.”
“Miya...?”
“As long as I can wear it, I'm good!”
“Well, we've got money to spare, so let's just buy a few sizes and try them on.”
I bought the smallest SS size first. Even just looking at it, it seemed way too small. Still, swimsuits had stretch, so we decided to try it. Changing clothes was...
“Y-You may look, my lord, if you wish...”
I really, really wanted to watch, but I bought and set up a simple changing hanger and let her change there instead.
“Uung... My lord, I'm sorry, but my chest is too tight. I don't think this will work.”
“Really? Then let's try the next size.”
“Th-This one too... I'm sorry.”
I had a feeling when I saw the slightly larger size, and sure enough. Asne was quite tall for a woman. After awakening, I had reached 175cm, and our eye levels were similar. L size was probably the right fit, but I bought M size along with it and handed them over.
“Um, how does it look?”
She could wear both sizes. However, with the M size, her chest looked extremely compressed. The sides and back were very open, making movement seem easier. And though I hadn't noticed from the photos, once she put it on, her leg lines were incredible. Still, she seemed uncomfortable, so she tried the L size again.
“This is much better.”
After buying them all, I checked and the L size chest circumference was listed as 85~89. Yet it still felt tight, meaning Asne's size was even larger... I shook my head to clear away the stray thoughts.
“There's XL too. Should we get that?”
“It's not painful, so it's fine. Actually, this compression might make it easier to move in the water. I'll go in for a bit.”
“Go ahead.”
Asne leaped from the rocky shore. It was quite a drop to the bottom, but she landed without issue. The water looked slippery, but she walked across it like flat ground. She leaned forward into a deeper area and dove straight in. Not a single splash, completely silent—her clean form was faintly visible under the soft moonlight.
“Minsoo, Minsoo!”
“Yeah?”
“This, is this clothes that don't get wet in water?”
“Not completely, I don't think.”
“Huuung~? Can I try it too?”
“It'd be a waste to return it anyway... Sure.”
“Yay!”
Miya took the M size and went behind the hanger. There was a rustling sound, followed by clothes being tossed out one after another.
Wait, why is she throwing her underwear...?
I turned my head to avoid seeing the white underwear falling from the sky. Soon, Miya came out with a pattering sound.
“Ooh—! It's so easy to move in!”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah! Then I'm going to the sea too!”
“Have fun.”
The energetic Miya bounced away, reaching the distant sea in no time. There was a loud splash and a massive spray of water.
...But it's winter right now. Aren't they cold?
All I could hear was their laughter. Asne seemed to be teaching Miya how to swim, floating on the water and demonstrating something while Miya followed along. Even with the bright moon, they were too far to see clearly.
They'll come out if they get cold.
Meanwhile, I checked the territory management. I had a feeling this ability would be necessary if I wanted to expand our land. When I used it, a map appeared. My territory was marked in a circular shape.
“Hmm... Since we're here, expanding in this direction would reach Heugildo...”
I pressed on our marked location in the status window.
Would you like to manage your territory?
“Oh, nice.”
At my words, various menus appeared. It looked just like a strategy game. While checking the menus, I found the territory expansion option. Since that was what I wanted to do, I selected it.
“It needs gold or mana stones.”
The price had no comparison, so I wasn't sure, but by my standards it was cheap. The minimum expansion was one pyeong, priced at 1~2 gold per pyeong. I could designate the expansion area by pressing with my hand. One pyeong was about 1.8m by 1.8m, roughly 3.3 square meters. Just enough space for a 180cm person to lie down lengthwise and widthwise. I could draw paths by extending it or encircle the entire territory. The price was 1 gold for land and 2 gold for sea. It probably varied by danger level. The sea was more dangerous than land, after all.
“Asne~ Miya~ Come here for a second!”
When I called them, they came right away. They were soaked from seawater, water dripping off them, but they didn't seem cold. Instead, steam was rising from their bodies as if they were warm. Naturally, they were both in their fully enhanced states.
“You called?”
“Did you summon us?”
“Yeah. When I checked, expanding the territory requires mana stones or gold. So, could you two hunt some monsters for me?”
Both readily agreed to my request.
“I shall show my lord my strength. Miya, would you assist me?”
“Yeah!!!”
Smiling, the two headed toward the sea. I wondered what their collaboration would feel like. A quick glance at the time showed it was almost midnight. I was also curious whether the third territory resident would appear in their enhanced state too.