Alice Overwhelms with Physicality (2)
Alice Overwhelms with Physicality (2)
After entering the Gate, Alice suddenly changed into a swimsuit.
It was a sight even Cheonhwa's battle-hardened A-rank Awakeners had never seen.
'What the...? I could understand if this Gate was in the deep sea, but why would she wear that in a land dungeon...?'
'Wow, those were huge. I'd never thought I would see something like that in person.'
Wearing a swimsuit inside a Gate was strange enough.
So was that overwhelming physique.
In more ways than one, it wasn't a sight anyone would normally see in Korea.
Even the veteran Awakeners were left speechless.
"You intend to clear the Gate dressed like that? Alice, a Gate is not a playground...."
"My Innate Talent leaves me no choice. I'm also starting to feel bad about burning perfectly good clothes and borrowing Yujin's jacket every time."
"...So because normal clothes burn, you decided to wear a swimsuit?"
"Yes! This one is heat-resistant!"
Yet Alice herself remained perfectly calm.
Alice Littenwood was an Awakener who specialized in flame magic.
So far, she'd burned off her clothes in front of Yujin twice.
'I wasn't going to make that embarrassing mistake again.'
'If my clothes kept burning, I only needed to wear something that would not burn!'
'So, ta-da! That was why I had come in a swimsuit!'
Alice twirled around once in her swimsuit.
The flesh that swayed along with her was an added bonus.
The Awakeners exclaimed in equal parts admiration and shock.
"Wow. Holy shit. Would you look at that?"
"Our young lady is going to have a rough time competing with that."
"......Ahem. Wait! Heat-resistant or not, it's still a swimsuit. Won't it melt when exposed to high temperatures?"
"Exactly. There's no reason a swimsuit would resist fire."
Of course, everyone present was a veteran.
They immediately attacked the hole in her logic.
Her clothes burned, so she wore a swimsuit? Wasn't that the same problem in a different package?
But Alice, a veteran of actual combat, remained unruffled.
"I tested it, and it didn't burn."
She had tried it, and it worked.
It was a counterattack delivered without batting an eye.
"Well, if that's true... No, even so, does it have to be a swimsuit? It looks terribly unsuitable for combat."
"The team leader is right. Cheonhwa has flame-retardant combat gear. We can lend you some if you want."
"Thick clothes won't burn either, but they'll make me too hot. I'd pass out almost immediately."
And why didn't she simply wear thick clothes?
My magic produced such extreme heat that even the indirect heat could ignite my clothes.
If she fired it while bundled in thick clothing, she would quickly suffer heatstroke.
She had no choice if she wanted to fight at full strength.
That explanation convinced the Awakeners.
The whole thing defied common sense, but she was a Westerner.
'Ah. Westerners really did approach things differently from us Asians.'
'Maybe this much was normal in the West.'
"More importantly, even if Yujin is my friend, he's still a man. I can't let him see me drenched in sweat, can I?"
"W-Well, when you put it that way...."
...It was questionable whether stripping half naked because she was embarrassed to sweat in front of a boy made any sense, but never mind.
In the end, they failed to stop Alice from running wild.
Yujin, who had been quietly cheering her on, grimaced.
'They seriously expected me to clear a Gate beside Alice in a swimsuit? It was already hard enough to keep my sword sheathed!?'
Ever since kissing Sia the previous day...
Yujin had been unable to use hypnosis because of the side effects of "???".
At the moment, he was merely a hot-blooded young man.
And now his wife stood before him in a swimsuit.
'Ah. I could not endure this. Even imagining the Chairwoman in her underwear would not save me.'
Worse, this was Alice. Unlike Sia, who'd noticed his predicament and mercifully let it pass, Alice did not understand this sort of thing at all.
What would happen if he drew his sword in front of her?
A drop in Affection was inevitable. She'd surely slap him and shout, "Had you been looking at me that way this entire time? You lecher!"
The bond they had built as fellow Pine Caterpillars would shatter as well.
And he could no longer endure by repeating that she was still just a young girl, as he had on the first day. He had grown far too accustomed to her for that excuse to work.
'It was hard to endure, but the instant I failed, I was doomed...!!!'
Yujin turned pale.
He had realized that he was effectively checkmated.
And finally, there was the main culprit behind all this chaos.
Alice, who had thrown dozens of A-rank Awakeners into turmoil with a single swimsuit...
'I didn't know what happened between you and Yujin yesterday, but I wouldn't lose to you, Sia!'
She burned with fighting spirit all by herself.
'I'd steeled myself and even put on a swimsuit.'
'Whatever happened between you and Sia yesterday, Yujin, I'd make you forget it completely.'
She was convinced that if it came down to a contest of bodies, she would overwhelm Sia.
Sia would have snorted if she knew.
* * *
This practical exercise also proceeded smoothly.
My trademark hypnosis was currently unavailable, but...
This was only a C-rank Gate.
My stats had risen by one, putting me solidly in the upper half of C-rank.
A single katana was enough for me to break through.
"Alice! Hit the four Muris in the back with fire! Burn their wings before they can launch their venomous stingers, and I'll finish them off!"
"Yes! Hyaah!"
—Fwoosh. Booooom!!!
"Wow! I did it!"
"...You killed them in one shot."
And Alice, whose raw firepower had already reached A-rank, stood firmly behind me.
Naturally, the monsters fell like autumn leaves.
Thanks to that, we tore through the Gate without slowing down.
"Alice, that was incredible. At this rate, you might really become S-rank...."
—Grab. Squish.
"It's all because you protected me, Yujin! I would've been too scared to fight properly alone, but with you in front of me, I'm not afraid at all. You really are my fellow Pine-Needle Squad member!"
"......"
'Seol Hayeon. Seol Hayeon. Seol Hayeon....'
Clearing the Gate might have been effortless, but in another sense, I was fighting for my life.
Getting hard here would be disastrous.
Yet Alice clung to me whenever she had the slightest excuse.
Each time, I desperately dropped a Strategic Nuke on my mind.
Thanks to that, I was starting to lose my sanity.
At this rate, I might get hard merely from looking at the Chairwoman. Seriously.
—Grit.
"Then let us finish this quickly, Alice!"
"Huh? Yujin, you seem awfully eager to hurry."
"Because I want to finish quickly and drink Pine-Needle Snow with you!"
"......!! All right!"
I decided to clear the Gate as quickly as possible, even if I had to take some risks.
It was the complete opposite of my usual methodical approach to each attack pattern.
I simply endured the hits and traded blows head-on.
—Thud!!
"......!!!? Are you all right?"
"I'm tough, so I'm fine!!"
"Oh my. He's tougher than he looks."
The method was undeniably effective.
My clothes grew a little ragged, but our clearing speed skyrocketed.
We advanced two or three times faster than before.
It took us less than twenty minutes to reach the end of the Gate.
"Whew. Good work today."
"Thank you for your hard work!"
"Good work, both of you."
Relieved that it was finally over, Alice and I high-fived.
The women who had watched us suspiciously throughout the exercise also softened their gazes.
They had clearly realized that Alice hadn't dressed that way merely to fool around.
—Murmur, murmur.
"I was not sure about her when she first mentioned the swimsuit, but she might be a pretty decent girl."
"I talked to her during a break. It was cute how sincerely she loved Korea."
"Think she'd join Cheonhwa? It'd be nice to have such a friendly rookie."
"What about our young lady?"
"We'll just have to call it a bad matchup. How is anyone supposed to beat that?"
"Agreed. Just look at him. His reaction to Alice is completely different from how he reacts to our young lady."
Their whispered comments as they glanced our way were full of goodwill.
'Were these really the same women who'd been making racist remarks before the exercise?'
My wife had even won them over. She was the best.
"Alice, put your clothes back on. The exercise is over, so why don't you join us for a team dinner?"
At the same time, they announced that the exercise was over.
A garment bag was held out to Alice.
It contained the clothes she'd removed earlier and entrusted to the women.
And my wife...
"Ah, sorry~ I actually have plans with Yujin."
"...Excuse me?"
"Right, Yujin?"
She suddenly fabricated a prior engagement.
'What was this? Had I promised Alice something?'
'No. The only thing I had mentioned was going to a swimming pool together.'
'We had not even chosen a date. It was basically one of those vague promises to get a meal someday.'
'Still, I might as well play along.'
—Nod.
"Yes. I'd love to join you for dinner, but Alice and I already have plans. I'm very sorry."
I didn't ruin her scheme by asking what nonsense she was talking about.
My wife was trying to accomplish something. As her husband, I had to play along.
The women shrugged as though it couldn't be helped.
"Then there's nothing we can do. Shall we head back?"
"Actually, you see, I want to stay and talk with Yujin for a while. Would that be all right~?"
"...Inside the Gate?"
"Why not~? We killed all the monsters, so it isn't dangerous. I want to use the opportunity to walk around and talk with Yujin. And take some pictures!"
"We don't have time to—"
"Of course, all of you can go back first! Taxis run nearby, so Yujin and I'll take one home!"
Alice went even further and asked whether we could remain behind to talk.
That seemed a little excessive even to them, and they looked uncomfortable, but...
"That's a bit... A Gate isn't a playground for children...."
"Oh? But yesterday you let Yujin and Sia stay here to practice together, didn't you?"
"...Ahem."
When she pointed out how they had teased the rookies the previous day, none of them could answer.
In the end, one of the women released a deep sigh.
"You'll at least keep your clothes on, right?"
"Of course~ Look at me now. I'm wearing pants, aren't I?"
"Tch. We dismantled all the traps, but be careful just in case. And try not to leave the boss room."
"Okaaay~."
Alice, on the other hand, beamed.
As she slipped her clothes back on and smiled brightly, I thought she truly had a personality that was difficult to dislike.
The women entered the Return Portal one by one.
"You won't do anything strange to Alice, will you?"
"What do you take me for? I don't lay hands on my friends."
"We're leaving because we trust that you're an upright young man, understood? Don't do anything strange inside the Gate."
"If anything happens, I'll renew my contract with Cheonhwa for the rest of my life."
"Fine. If you're willing to go that far... I'll trust you. See you tomorrow."
—Whoosh.
The team leader, who had watched us suspiciously until the last moment, disappeared through the portal as well.
At last, only the two of us remained inside the Gate.
Only then did I turn my gaze toward Alice.
"So, Alice. What did you want to talk about...?"
—Rustle. Toss.
"Whew~ I'm dying from the heat~!!"
"......!!!!?"
I found Alice throwing aside the clothes she'd only just put on.
The smell of sweat washed over me.
"A-Alice...? Why are you taking your clothes off again...?"
"The truth is, I forced myself to put them on earlier even though I was still hot. So I sweated a lot."
"I-I see...."
—Plop. Wipe, wipe.
"Let me wipe off the sweat for a moment~."
"Y-Yeah."
She sat down and wiped her body with a towel.
'When had she packed a towel? Had she expected this to happen?'
I quickly turned my head away.
It was a sight I'd have gladly watched forever, but I didn't want her to brand me a pervert.
"By the way, Yujin?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"———About what you said earlier, that you had practiced with Sia yesterday. What did the two of you do?"
"......!!!"
—Flinch.
'It was a good thing I had turned away.'
She had almost caught me failing to control my expression.
I hurriedly invented an excuse.
"We practiced techniques for subduing villains. Sia and I."
"S-Subduing techniques!? Just the two of you!!?"
"Yes. The Chairwoman had written a book, and we tried a few of the techniques in it...."
However, turning my head away proved to be a mistake.
Because I did not see...
How Alice's expression changed when she heard the words "subduing techniques."
"Seriously, maybe it was because the book came from that era, but it was incredibly barbaric. It openly told us to punch someone in the face until their teeth fell out...."
—Step, step.
"Yujin."
"Hm? What...?"
As I recounted the training, I heard footsteps approach.
Thinking she had finished wiping away her sweat, I quickly turned back around.
I found myself face-to-face with a sweaty Alice.
Except now, her expression was terrifying.
"Tell me honestly, Yujin. What did you do with Sia yesterday?"
"I-I told you. We practiced techniques for subduing villains."
"That's a lie. You definitely did something you would never do while subduing a villain!!!"
"......!!!?"
Alice pressed me for an answer with a frighteningly sharp expression.
What had we done yesterday? Inside the Gate. Sia and me. Alone.
'D-Did she find out that Sia and I had deep-kissed yesterday?'
—Step. Step.
"No, really. It was only suppression practice...."
"If you lie to me, I'll pounce on you."
"What is that supposed to mean!!?"
She even declared that she'd pounce on me if I lied.
I panicked and kept backing away until my back struck the wall.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
—Squeeze.
"Tell me honestly, Yujin. I won't get angry."
"E-Eek. Y-You're touching me...?"
"Is it something you can't tell me? Hm?"
Alice pinned me tightly against the wall with her body.
She did not care that her breasts were being crushed beneath her swimsuit.
It was as though she refused to release me until she received an answer.
The look in her eyes was fierce enough to kill someone.
'What was I supposed to do? She didn't look as though an ordinary lie would fool her. What excuse could I make...?'
I desperately searched for an excuse.
My brain ran at full capacity.
I paid no attention to our bodies pressing together.
And that...
"Actually, you see...."
"......Y-Y-Y-Y-Yujin?"
"Hm?"
"S-Something hard has been pressing against my stomach for a while. W-W-W-W-What is this......?"
"Ah."
———Caused the instincts I had barely suppressed to run wild.