Swimsuit Shopping Date (2)
“Eut!”
I hurriedly slammed the fitting room door shut again. If it were just Yujin by himself, that’d be one thing, but I wasn’t close enough with Esmeralda to let her see me all hyped up over picking out swimsuits. …Not that I was hyped or anything!
“Oh my oh my? We meet for the first time in ages, and not even a single warm greeting? Isn’t that a bit too heartless, I wonder?”
“She’s probably embarrassed to show anyone her swimsuit figure.”
“Oh ho. She has a cute side after all. Does she shy away from exposure? …Even though she’s so bold when it counts.”
“Bold? Yeah, exactly. She’s always fearless when it’s time to fight. That’s something anyone dreaming of becoming a hero has to learn.”
“No, that’s not what I meant… Never mind. It’s not worth bringing up.”
What the hell are you two chatting so casually about!? Chase her off already! Aren’t you supposed to be on a date with me right now!? …Okay, sure, it’s Yujin’s one-sided claim that this is a date, but if he’s gonna say it, then act like it! Get lost already!
But Esmeralda had no sense of timing and just stood there, trading banter back and forth with Yujin. Her usual trio of lackeys weren’t around for once, either. This spoiled rich girl seized the chance to unleash her full airhead mode without a shred of guilt, wedging herself right between us.
She looked like she’d camp out there forever if I let her, so with a sigh, I changed back into my uniform.
“…Hi.”
“Oh my? Are you well? What happened to that swimsuit from earlier? Why the uniform?”
“…It just didn’t suit me after all.”
I threw out some half-baked excuse. Yujin gave a wry, apologetic smile that made me feel oddly sorry for him. Damn it. That’s not the reaction I wanted.
“Is that so? I thought it looked great on you at a glance.”
“…Yeah, well. It exposed my stomach more than I expected, and it kinda creeped me out. Didn’t realize I’d feel that way.”
For some reason, my lame excuse cracked Esmeralda up. She covered her mouth and let out that haughty laugh.
“Oh ho ho ho! It didn’t seem that way, but Miss Hyowon is still so young. Getting shy over a little skin? You should be more confident in yourself.”
“What does being young have to do with hating exposure?”
Esmeralda’s emerald eyes sparkled mischievously as she declared,
“Esmeralda Dorardo of the Dorardo house! My body, inherited from my ancestors and honed by my own efforts, holds not a speck of shame! Be confident and proud of yourself, and you’ll have no room for embarrassment!”
“……”
The girl who freaks out over a single kiss scene in a drama, talking big? The shame from exposure and the shame from intimate acts are totally different mechanisms—what is this nonsense?
“Allow me to show you, as one woman to another.”
Esmeralda snapped her fingers, and a mature woman in a prim Victorian maid outfit materialized behind her. Like a ninja or something.
“Linne. Select and present the swimsuit most suited to me.”
“As you wish, Miss.”
The maid called Linne melted into the depths of the swimsuit section and swiftly returned with… a swimsuit? Nah, it was just strings and jewels. She gonna wear that? Is she insane?
Well, technically, the original game had mountains of events where she wore stuff like that. But those were all part of the training arc. She’s not being trained right now—there’s no real reason for her to wear it. Is she volunteering? Was she an exhibitionist even before training? Didn’t know that was canon.
Esmeralda vanished into the fitting room with Linne for a moment, then strutted out, proudly displaying her body to us.
“W-Wowww…”
An unconscious gasp escaped Yujin’s lips. And yeah, mine too.
It was impossible not to. Esmeralda’s body, armored only in golden strings and glittering jewels, had destructive power that could only be described as violent. Ferociously huge breasts, a wasp-thin waist, and hips so plush they looked ready to pop out a baby at any moment. Despite being practically naked, the “swimsuit” jewels and strings perversely amplified the eroticism instead of toning it down.
And she struck an elegant pose like she was some ancient Greek Venus statue, turning raw lust into outright awe.
“…Wowww…”
But whatever, this guy’s really staring. Is that his type?
Come to think of it, Esmeralda’s got solid base talent—even if it’s not quite up to Joo Hyowon’s level. Without Yujin’s surprise rampage last training session, she’d have aced first place no problem. If Yujin’s into her, maybe I could hook them up as training partners? Test the waters?
“Hey, you into that kinda thing?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah…”
Yujin nodded blankly, practically drooling—then his face froze solid. Out of nowhere, he blurted,
“No! Not at all! That’s totally not my type!?”
“Huh?”
What the hell? Sudden backpedal? He doesn’t like it? How can any guy say that? Even stuck in this girl’s body with a guy’s soul fully intact, I can’t even imagine it. Is he impotent? …No, impossible, no matter what.
Maybe he hates the over-the-top bling? But he wasn’t like that in the original. Guess I need some serious thinking on how to play this from here.
“W-W-W-What!? Are you saying my body isn’t beautiful!? How humiliating!!!”
Esmeralda looked wounded to her core, gnawing on her handkerchief. Fair enough—with a figure like that, overflowing pride wouldn’t be weird. Getting flatly rejected must sting.
“N-No, that’s not what I meant…”
“Then what is it!? If you’re gonna say something, say it right! Make your meaning clear!”
Esmeralda planted her hands on her hips, leaning forward aggressively. Her breasts jiggled wildly with the motion—basically no bra, after all. Haa, wanna bury my face in those and regress to infancy. Why don’t I have a dick to grind against them? World’s so unfair.
But even with the perfect opportunity, Yujin whipped his head away, rejecting those tits outright. Is this guy even an adult? Turning down prime goods like that?
“I-I… I only get excited for Hyowon’s body!”
“Hey, what the hell!?”
Don’t say that shit in the middle of a department store. What if someone hears? Embarrassing as fuck. And it’s not even flattering!
“A-Are you saying I’m inferior to Miss Hyowon!? I-I admit her body is beautiful too, but even so, I can’t accept being second to her!”
Esmeralda glared at me with resolve burning in her eyes and shouted,
“Change into your swimsuit, Joo Hyowon! Let’s see whose body is more alluring!”
“S-Suddenly?”
“I acknowledge your technical skill as a technician surpasses mine. But I won’t concede that your pure feminine charm outshines mine too!”
It’s just a mental win. Her technician pride took a hit, so she’s pivoting to womanly pride. Childish as hell. I couldn’t help a scoff. No real reason to take the bait, though.
“Hey, what do you think? Wanna judge the contest?”
“Uh, well…”
Yujin thought for a second before answering.
“I’d really like to see that swimsuit I picked for you earlier. I chose it hoping it’d suit you… even if you don’t end up wearing it.”
Tch. Can’t argue with that. He went through the effort, after all—feels wrong not to show it off. Plus, after Esmeralda’s flashy getup, mine seems tame by comparison.
“Fine. Wait a sec.”
I grabbed the swimsuit I’d tried earlier and ducked back into the fitting room. Better late than never—I’d figured out how to hide the womb tattoo on my lower belly.
“Just darken this part so it’s not visible.”
My power, Light and Darkness. Without super-fine control, it might look off, but as long as it covers the tattoo, who cares?
Why didn’t I think of this sooner? I drew shadows gently over my lower belly. Just as I relaxed, thinking no one would notice now—the department store plunged into blackout.
“Huh? No way…”
Did I do that? Did I mess up the control and spread the darkness from my belly across the whole store? What a nuisance. What if they demand compensation?
But then I felt it. Waves of qi surging like we were inside a Gate.
A Gate!? No, but there wasn’t even a disaster alert!
This plot twist didn’t hit until mid-story in the original. As my mind reeled from the impossibility, Esmeralda’s scream snapped me back.
“You!! What the hell are you doing!? Stop it right now!!”