Chapter 11. Summer and the Sea (2)
The sea.
Yeah, the sea is nice.
When I was little, I loved the sea in summer.
Because it was fun.
Because playing in the water was fun. When you're a kid, you're full of energy, aren't you? I'd jump in without even wearing a swimsuit, play until I was completely worn out, come out, stuff myself with the packed lunch or snacks my parents had brought, then go back into the sea and play some more.
Sand got into my clothes here and there, and no matter how many times I swallowed bitter, salty seawater, I never got tired.
After all the playing was done, my clothes were wet and heavy, every pocket was full of sand, the water never dried, and I was exhausted and cranky—yet even knowing all of that, I still went into the sea and played.
After becoming an adult, well.
I suppose I should say the aftermath became scarier and more bothersome.
I thought it was better to just watch from a distance, relax a little, then go into a cool building and spend the summer there.
Even knowing that playing was fun, I placed more weight on the fact that I would have to deal with the aftermath myself.
"......."
And now.
Right. Logically, I know.
That all this talk about sand getting into clothes and clothes getting wet and heavy is actually all solved if I just wear a swimsuit.
Besides, women's swimsuits don't even have pockets. The amount of fabric is small, and it clings tightly to the body. Which means even if sand gets on it, it's fine once you shower.
Ah, no, wait. Since my hair is long, that might actually be more of a problem. Well, that wasn't just a women's issue—it was just something all long-haired people had in common.
"Aren't you going to change?"
"......I'm going to change."
I answered like that and turned around, then swallowed my breath.
Ria was there.
Wearing the red bikini I had personally picked out for her.
The swimsuit, which looked like it had been matched to the color of Ria's hair, really looked good on her. Considering my current gender and my current position, I had some doubts about whether I was allowed to say this, but honestly, the fact that the coverage was somewhat minimal was better.
It suited Ria's bold image very well.
And on top of that— it was decorative, but there were strings attached to the sides of the bottoms. Strings that looked like they'd come undone the moment you pulled them. Naturally, the string connecting the top behind her back had the same kind of decoration attached.
They said it was decoration, but it was attached so cleverly that it looked exactly like the real thing.
.......
It's not real, right? Come on, no way.
That face, looking at me with her cheeks slightly flushed as if she was embarrassed. And on top of her head—
Smack.
It was the sound of my own hand hitting my forehead.
"What is that on your head?"
"Huh? Obviously, it's a veil."
Who doesn't know what a veil is?
"No, I mean, why are you wearing a veil on your head with an outfit like that!"
I shouted without realizing it. My voice echoed loudly through the changing room.
"Well, because I'm a nun?"
"Nuns shouldn't do things like that! It's not clothing worn for holy discipline anymore—it's become a costume that's just pure sex appeal!?"
"Huh? How do you know about that?"
"Ah."
"What, did you see it somewhere? You don't have a phone, you don't have a personal computer, so where on earth? Are dirty magazines going around inside the convent?"
"No, they aren't!? That kind of thing isn't going around!?"
Actually, they might be. It's just that since I don't really socialize with the other girls, they might not have reached me.
No, but still, could something like nun-habit-plus-swimsuit cosplay really be going around? Maybe among women's media, some especially hardcore erotic novel—
"No, no, that's not it!"
"There, there. You hurry up and change too. I was embarrassed too, but I changed, didn't I?"
"......."
"Are you not going to go in the sea?"
"Ah, fine, fine. I'll change. So don't make that face."
Ria was about to make those rain-soaked puppy eyes again, so I quickly stopped her.
If she did that in that outfit right now, I really might not be able to hold out. Though I'm not sure what exactly I wouldn't be able to hold out against. Anyway.
I let out a deep sigh and was about to change—
"......."
"......."
I turned around again.
Ria was standing still, her gaze fixed on me.
"Hey, could you turn around, or maybe go outside?"
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why? I have to change."
"So change."
What is this? Is her brain malfunctioning because it's too hot? No, that's not it. No matter how hot it is, a place where people go in midsummer wouldn't lack air conditioning. The AC in the changing room was running at full blast.
"......No matter how much we're the same gender, people don't just stare openly at someone else changing. I didn't stare openly at you when you were changing, either."
"I don't mind, though?"
"Hey, did you seriously get heatstroke? The AC is right over there, so how about going and standing in the cold air?"
I said that and started walking toward Ria, then stopped.
.......
Even if I went over to her, I felt like I shouldn't put a hand on her shoulder or anything. If she at least had clothes on, it would be fine, but in more ways than one, that outfit was more ambiguous than just wearing underwear.
Seeing me agonizing over it, Ria smiled, looking somehow pleased.
A smile that seemed to say, "I won."
"......Ah, whatever. I'll just go into the sea like this. I'm not changing."
When I, thoroughly offended, said that, Ria let out a little laugh.
"Ah, okay. Okay. As long as I don't stare holes through you, right?"
Ria turned around, giggling.
"......."
Hm.
Now that she'd turned around, well, she was properly wearing the bottoms, but— her back was, apart from a single thin ribbon-tied string, literally "bare." Even while fighting so hard, the skin of her back looked like it would be incredibly soft if I reached out—
I cut off the thought midway and turned around with stiff movements.
And quickly changed into my swimsuit.
My yellow bikini was still modest compared to Ria's.
The strings were a little thicker than Ria's, and the area covering my chest was larger. At least my entire underbust wasn't visible.
But still, it was embarrassing.
My body wasn't as curvy as Ria's, but that was only because the comparison target was Ria—compared to the average, I was definitely on the curvier side.
Naturally, how should I put it.
The visible parts looked a bit soft and squishy. With places being pulled taut like this, I was actually far more conscious of it than when I was completely naked and washing.
......No, well.
It's not like I'd never worn one in front of Ria before. We'd practiced swimming together, too.
Actually, back then it hadn't been long since we'd seen each other in them while picking out swimsuits, so I hadn't really cared much.
Maybe because it had been so long since I'd worn one like this, I was actually a little more conscious of it now.
"Hoo."
I let out a long breath and turned around.
And then—
"Eep."
I came face-to-face with Ria, grinning from ear to ear.
Setting aside the fact that she was looking at me, Ria was practically right in front of me.
Ah, right.
Ria was the same age as me, but she was still a Hero's daughter. She had innate talent and was skilled enough to be considered upper-tier even among Hunters.
Getting behind her prey without a sound would be simple for her.
Ria reached both hands toward me.
Without realizing it, I clenched my teeth, stiffened my body, and shut my eyes.
Before I could even understand the situation—
Click, went a sound.
"......?"
When I cautiously opened my eyes, I saw Ria holding her phone out toward me.
"......Huh?"
And on top of my head, the veil I usually wore had somehow already been placed.
She had taken a photo of me in a yellow bikini, with a veil on my head.
"......Wow."
"Wow?"
"Waaah!?"
I lunged at Ria. But Ria laughed and raised her hand high above her head. Unfortunately, Ria was taller than me and even more flexible, so my hand couldn't quite reach hers.
"......."
"......."
Then suddenly, both of us belatedly grasped the situation.
That is to say, well.
Both of us were in swimsuits, outfits that exposed a lot of skin in various ways. No matter how many times we'd hugged or accidentally ended up in each other's arms before, we had never pressed our bare skin together like this.
A little belatedly, I felt the sensation of the places not covered by the swimsuit. Warm, and soft. And a little squishy.
Chest, stomach, thighs.......
I wiped the expression off my face and stepped back.
"Whose phone is that?"
"......Don't worry. It's mine. I brought it when I stopped by home on the way here."
That was true. There had been something to check while we were renting this place. Though we hadn't run into Ria's father.
"No, what kind of logic is that!? My photo is on it!"
"Don't worry. I'll only look at it myself. No, more importantly, you're going to show everyone that look soon anyway, right?"
"Aack!"
Belatedly, I remembered again that we weren't the only ones who had come here.
"There, there. Don't be like that."
Seeing me crouched down covering my face, Ria sat down beside me and gently stroked my hair.
"It's summer, isn't it? We should enjoy our youth."
"......I'm already worn out."
But it was a promise with Ria.
I couldn't just hole up in the changing room all day.
In the end, I calmed myself down, barely managed to stand up, and went outside.
And only then did I realize that I still had the veil on my head, and I collapsed onto the sand.
For reference, Ria had already taken the veil off her head.
How sneaky!