The Sea
Our group of four arrived at the airport together.
Two hellish weeks had passed.
It was nothing but eat, exercise, sleep, exercise, stream, then exercise again in an endless loop.
Back then, streaming for even an hour was my limit.
Still, it feels like my strength has definitely increased, right?
I kept clenching and unclenching my fist. It was faint, but my muscles really had grown a little.
Su-ha had pushed me to my absolute limit, only giving me breaks when it looked like I might actually die. And whenever my stamina bottomed out, she would cheerfully destroy deadlifts, bench presses, and squats all by herself.
I glanced over at Su-ha, who was chatting noisily with Ha-im.
Are we absolutely sure she’s not an Awakener?
When I could barely manage ten kilometers, she would run a hundred. Round trip, that was two hundred kilometers. It made no sense for a human to cover that kind of distance.
In the beginning I had considered giving up, but curiosity about where Su-ha’s limits actually were, combined with my own desire to build real stamina, kept me going. The only conclusion I’d reached was that she was simply a monster.
We boarded the plane. Rona had thoughtfully given me the window seat. As the plane began to take off, I stared out at the sky beyond the glass.
So this is what the sky looks like.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had simply looked at the sky. In that other world, I had been too busy desperately searching for any way to return to Earth to have time for such things.
Rona tapped my shoulder.
“Want some of this, sis?”
“Sure, thanks.”
She handed me a pack of Pocky. I took a few sticks. Su-ha and Ha-im were sitting in the row ahead of us.
“You’re seriously going to exercise even on a plane?”
“If I sit still I’ll lose muscle. Want to join?”
“Hmm, sure. Hand it over.”
I couldn’t exactly call them close, but the two of them were happily chatting while one hand squeezed a grip trainer and the other lifted a dumbbell. The passengers around us kept stealing glances at the pair working out so enthusiastically inside the cabin.
I stared at Rona.
“You’re not going to join them, are you?”
“Come on, I know how to read the room. I want to, but I’m not going to do it here.”
The fact that she even wanted to was a little strange, but I was relieved. If Rona had joined in too, I would have died of embarrassment.
“By the way, sis, did you file a report with the Association about going to Jeju Island?”
“Of course I did.”
Returnees were required to report any travel plans to the Association. The team leader’s reaction when I told him still bothered me.
“Jeju Island? Of all places… Never mind. It’s nothing. Have a safe trip.”
From the context, it sounded like there was another Returnee on Jeju besides me.
Whatever. It probably doesn’t matter.
We were only staying for a casual three days and two nights. The odds of running into another Returnee were basically zero.
About an hour later the plane landed safely at the airport.
“The request is tomorrow, so let’s check into the resort first.”
We checked into a resort with a perfect view of the ocean, then unpacked our bags in the premium room.
There were two rooms total—Rona and I would share one, while Su-ha and Ha-im took the other.
“Whoa…”
I gazed out the window at the sparkling sea. Being S-class really came with perks. This kind of treatment was incredible.
The two of us quickly finished unpacking and headed to Su-ha and Ha-im’s room. The layout was similar, but what caught my eye immediately was Su-ha’s luggage.
What the hell is all this…?
Her suitcase was packed full of dumbbells, grip trainers, and every kind of portable workout equipment imaginable. I had no idea how she had gotten it all through baggage check. Ha-im, who had finished organizing first, asked me,
“Where should we go first?”
“Hmm… maybe start with the tourist spots…”
“I want the sea. Where do you guys want to go?”
“Sea if we’re choosing.”
“I want to try swimming.”
“……”
My opinion had been completely ignored. By majority vote, our first destination was the sea.
I reluctantly packed the swimsuit I really didn’t want to wear and we headed down to the beach.
The three of them went into the changing rooms while I slipped behind a wall to change alone.
“Sis, just change with us.”
“It’s fine. I prefer being by myself.”
“Ugh, we’re all girls. What’s the big deal about seeing each other naked…”
Rona pouted and went back into the changing room. Even though I had a woman’s body now, I still couldn’t casually show my bare skin to others.
Meanwhile, while Seong-a was changing into her swimsuit, the other three were talking about her.
“I told you to give up, didn’t I? Our oppa takes after Mom, so he’s pretty conservative.”
“But I really wanted to see sis’s body at least once…”
It was such a shame.
Honestly, whenever she looked at Seong-a her eyes couldn’t help drifting to her chest, and she always felt the urge to touch it just once.
“No chance. There isn’t a single person in this world who’s going to touch oppa’s chest.”
Ha-im offered Rona what was supposed to be comfort, but the disappointment was hard to shake. As far as Ha-im knew, her mother’s cup size had been an E. Yet every last one of those generous genes had gone straight to her brother.
Ha-im looked at Rona’s and Su-ha’s chests in turn. Rona’s were definitely bigger than hers—around a C-cup. And Su-ha’s had grown even larger than they had looked in the gym shower.
“When did your chest get so big?”
“I don’t know. I just did chest exercises and they kept growing?”
Why am I the only one…?
It was unfair. She did chest exercises too, but instead of gaining in the chest, only her shoulders and arms got bigger.
Ha-im quickly put on her pink lace swimsuit and left the changing room. Staying in there any longer would only damage her self-esteem.
It’s fine. I’m not completely hopeless…!
Thanks to daily workouts her figure was in peak condition, she had maximized her padding, and she had chosen a swimsuit that made her chest look bigger. She had nothing to fear.
Rona and Su-ha soon emerged in their own swimsuits—one in a one-piece, the other in a monokini.
The three of them waited on the sand until Seong-a finally came out from behind the changing rooms.
“Sorry I’m late… I’m still not used to wearing these.”
“……”
The moment they saw Seong-a’s swimsuit, all three frowned.
It was a black full-body swimsuit that seemed determined to reveal not a single inch of skin. The classic competition-style suit.
Ha-im lowered her head and sighed.
“She really covered everything.”
“Suddenly?”
I was dumbfounded. What was wrong with a full-body swimsuit? Sure, it didn’t show off my figure, but among all the options it was the most comfortable.
Rona exchanged glances with Ha-im and Su-ha. Just as they had expected, they had come prepared.
“Sorry about this, sis.”
“What? Huh?”
Suddenly Su-ha and Ha-im grabbed my arms and dragged me back into the changing room.
“What are you doing?! Let go!”
I struggled with all my strength, but there was no way I could win against their power.
After I was locked inside, the three of them showed me the swimsuit they had prepared in advance. Their expressions were strangely serious.
“Get over here!”
***
In the end, after they had forced me into the chaotic outfit, I couldn’t even lift my head from sheer embarrassment.
I can’t believe I have to wear something like this…!
Seong-a’s face had turned bright red.
The swimsuit they had put on her was the very definition of “provocative.” The black bikini revealed every inch of skin except the most critical areas. At least the bottom half had enough black fabric to cover her hips—that was the only saving grace.
And it feels a little tight…
The swimsuit was slightly small. Hadn’t they bought underwear with it? Didn’t they know my size?
“Sis, you look amazing!”
“Seriously! No normal celebrity could ever keep up with you!”
Rona and Su-ha must have noticed I was losing energy, because they kept showering me with compliments. The more they praised me, the more drained I felt.
“You don’t have to lie like that.”
“It’s the truth! Especially your chest…”
“Sorry, but having a big chest isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
It hurts when you run, and when you eat snacks the crumbs fall right into your clothes. I don’t understand how women carry these inconvenient lumps of flesh around every day.
“Sis, you really shouldn’t say things like that. Someone here is feeling very jealous.”
Rona suddenly gave me a sly look and offered the warning. The only person who would be jealous was…
“Ah…”
After my quiet realization, everyone’s eyes turned to Ha-im. She immediately exploded.
“I’m not jealous at all!”
Her denial had zero persuasive power. I stared hard at Ha-im’s chest.
“Don’t you think you overdid the padding?”
“H-how did you—!”
Ha-im quickly covered her chest with both hands.
Even in normal clothes it was obvious this wasn’t her usual size. What had once fluctuated between A and B had now settled comfortably into B-cup territory.
“Alright, enough about chests! Let’s go have some fun!”
It was funny that Rona, who had brought the topic up first, was the one trying to end it.
Ha-im pointed at her with her index finger, looking equally fed up.
“You, follow me! Loser of the swimming race buys ice cream!”
“Hmm, fine. Don’t regret it when you lose later.”
The two of them headed toward the water for their swimming showdown. They were basically children.
While they were occupied, I quickly set up a parasol and mat so I could enjoy the beach atmosphere.
Su-ha sat down beside me.
“Aren’t you going swimming, sis?”
“Even if there’s no one around, walking like this still feels weird.”
No matter how much we had rented out the entire beach, walking around in this outfit was too much. I was content to just relax by the shore.
“Then just play with me!”
“What do you want to do?”
“How about five hundred push-ups on the sand?”
For a moment I was speechless.
“Are we really sure you’re not an Awakener?”
“That again?”
Su-ha looked thoroughly tired of hearing it.
No, logically speaking, how could a normal civilian who wasn’t even an Awakener do a thousand of the big three lifts and run two hundred kilometers round trip?
Whatever. I’m too tired to care anymore.
The only possible conclusion was that she was a monster. I stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“You said you wanted to play together. Aren’t we going into the sea?”
“…!”
Su-ha’s eyes widened instantly. Why did she look so surprised?
“Let’s go together!”
She flashed a sunshine-bright smile and ran over to me.
I entered the water with Su-ha. When I opened my eyes underwater, a strange sense of nostalgia washed over me.
It’s been so long since I’ve been in the water.
Back then, I had once explored a deep-sea ruin hoping to find clues about returning to Earth. Of course, I had found nothing. After that I had been so annoyed that I never went near the ocean again. I never imagined I would be back in the water like this.
Wait, where did Su-ha go? She’s already that far ahead…
Su-ha waved at me from underwater, smiling. We had entered together, but she had already put quite a distance between us.
I should hurry up too—huh?
Suddenly something huge shot past me at high speed.
What was that just now…?
I hadn’t imagined it. Something that looked like an enormous tail had passed right in front of me.
Swish.
“…!”
Something else rushed past behind me at incredible speed. When I spun around, it had already vanished.
What on earth is going on…?
Tap. Tap.
“!”
This time something gently poked my left shoulder. I whipped my head around.
“Hello?”
The one who had tapped my shoulder was a beautiful mermaid with adorable pink hair.