Chapter 502: The Aftermath
Chapter 502: The Aftermath
“Listen up, girls. In this world, there are exactly 27 people I can never, ever forgive.”
“That’s an awful lot.”
“Shut up! Anyway, one of those 27 people is… the bastard who made rash guards popular! I can never forgive that guy, no matter what! He’s a son of a bitch who stole one of summer’s greatest joys from every man on earth, who deserves to be torn to shreds! And yet… and yet you all…!”
“…What on earth is he talking about?”
“Ahaha… W-Well, I’m not sure…?”
“To put it simply, why are you all covered up from head to toe?!”
Seeing the utter lack of comprehension on the women’s faces, I couldn’t hold it in any longer and finally exploded.
“Swimsuits! Are supposed! To be! Revealing! That’s how it should beeee!”
That’s right. The girls were all dressed in… those hateful swimsuits known as ‘rash guards’ in my original world.
Even as my anger erupted, I could feel hot, manly tears streaming down my cheeks.
“So, you are saying you are here to see our bodies exposed. Is that your intention?”
“I thought it was strange how you were so insistent on helping with swimming practice…”
It was only when the girls’ glares turned hostile that I snapped back to my senses.
Crap! I let my anger get the best of me and said something I shouldn’t have!
“O-Of course not?! I was just hoping to, you know, feast my eyes a little on the side…”
“Silvia and Matilda are trying so hard, burdened with guilt, and you show up with that kind of attitude. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?!”
“That’s not what I meant! Look, let’s just say—and I’m not saying this is true, but if—I did come here with that attitude. Wouldn’t that actually be helpful to Silvia and Matilda? I’m the one who was stranded, and I’m not bothered by it in the slightest, which means you don’t need to feel guilty either. It’s an act of lightening your mental burden. Right?!”
“H-Honestly, the things he says…”
My argument was so brazen that Sara was left speechless, unable to find a comeback as she muttered to herself.
Fuhahat. How’s that for flawless logic?
The saying, “even if he were drowning, his mouth would float to the surface,” was made for me!
…Though winning the argument didn’t bring much of a sense of accomplishment.
No matter what I said, the fact that the girls were wearing non-revealing swimsuits wasn’t going to change.
It’s all for nothing. What was I even fighting for…?
“Guwon-ssi, this is the standard type of clothing for swimming in this world. Was it different in your world?”
Leia must have read the sudden dejection on my face, as she spoke in a comforting tone.
She’s comforting me even after I so blatantly said I wanted to see them exposed. My angel truly is an angel…
But wait a minute. What did my angel just say?
Rash guards… are the standard for swimsuits?! You’re telling me such a hellish place actually exists?!
I can’t believe it! All this time, I thought this world was a paradise! To think it would betray me like this!
Is this what they mean when they say heaven and hell are two sides of the same coin?
That’s right. Even the goddess I’ve praised and respected so much until now might actually be a demon god…!
…Well, that’s enough joking around.
I felt the need to bring reform to this ridiculous world.
I thought spreading the sex-ed video would be enough.
It seems the job of an enlightener suits me better than that of a Saint.
“Listen carefully. Swimming, you see, is originally done without wearing anything at all…”
“That’s it, I’ve had enough of you!”
Sara looked furious again and was about to charge at me, but I held up my palm with a solemn expression to stop her.
Right now, I am a prophet. An enlightener who awakens the foolish.
My solemn expression made Sara hesitate and stop in her tracks again.
“Ahem! Let your oppa finish! Doing it naked is best, but that’s embarrassing, right? So in my world, we wear something shaped like underwear that barely covers the chest and below… Ouch!”
“I was a fool for listening to you until the end.”
My plan to spread the gospel of proper swimwear to this world ended before it could even truly begin, thanks to a single back-smack from a delicate woman.
“Haaah… well, fine. Leia. Let’s go.”
I wanted to run my mouth until they all agreed to wear bikinis, but I couldn’t waste any more time on this.
I made a firm vow to one day have them wear bikinis, even if I had to custom-make them myself, and decided to proceed with the swimming practice as originally planned.
Right. No matter how covered up they are, the fabric is still thin. The fact that their figures are on full display doesn’t change.
So let’s just think of this as its own kind of eye candy.
“Huh? M-Me?”
The students for this temporary swimming class were Leia, Matilda, and Silvia.
Diana had tagged along, but I was sure she wouldn’t be practicing. At most, she’d just watch from the side and play around.
Therefore, with three students, my charge was naturally Leia.
With that in mind, I tried to lead Leia away, but for some reason, she had a bewildered look on her face.
“What do you think you’re doing, trying to drag Leia away so casually?”
“You can’t be serious, even at a time like this! Do you love breasts that much?!”
Seeing me naturally try to take Leia, Sara and Diana both spoke up, looking somewhat irritated.
“N-No! Calm down. Of course I love breasts, but I love everyone’s breasts equally! Leia’s huge breasts, Sara’s perfectly-sized breasts that fit right in one hand, and Diana’s cute breasts that leave a little space but still have a distinctly feminine softness…”
“What are you shouting about, you idiot!”
“What do you mean, ‘leave a little space’?! ‘Leave space’?! I-I, too… If I just grow a little more…!”
…This is weird. I’m sure I was complimenting them, so why are they reacting like this?
I even took extra care to praise Diana at greater length, since she’s the most sensitive about her chest size.
On top of that, the stares from everyone else were growing colder.
Vanessa’s expressionless face, in particular, became even more terrifying.
“Ahem. A-Anyway! Weren’t you going to learn to swim too, Leia?”
“Yes, that’s right, but…”
“Then of course I’m in charge of you.”
“How does that make any sense? Leia was learning from me all morning. Don’t just butt in and try to steal my student.”
“What are you talking about?! Sara, are you trying to kill Silvia?!”
“W-What are you suddenly talking about?!”
“It’s obvious! If you continue with your morning assignments, that means me and Silvia, who were absent this morning, have to pair up! If that’s not a plan to kill Silvia, what is?! Look!”
“Hyaaaah!”
As I took a bold step toward Silvia, she, who had been staring blankly at my face, yelped in surprise and fled to the wall.
“…I didn’t think of that. Sorry. That was short-sighted of me.”
“…Hasn’t her condition gotten worse than before?”
The moment they saw that, Sara and Diana immediately conceded the point.
“See? Now you get it. Therefore, Leia is my…”
“Um… Guwon-ssi. I’m sorry.”
Just as I was about to confidently declare myself Leia’s instructor, an unexpected objection… no, a refusal, came from her.
“……What? M-My angel?”
I must have misheard, right? Did my angel… did my angel just refuse to be with me?
That’s not it, right? Please tell me it’s not! If even my angel does this, what hope do I have to live for…!
“Um, I’ve always thought Sara-ssi’s swimming form was so cool. That’s why I’m participating in the practice even though I already know how to swim. Of course, I’m sure you’d be a great teacher too, Guwon-ssi! I really mean it! But I thought it might be more effective for correcting my posture to learn from another woman…”
Leia hurriedly came over to me and spoke in a kind voice, patting my back as if to soothe me.
R-Right? Of course. That makes sense. My angel wouldn’t reject me for no reason.
But posture correction, huh?
Sara does have a cool swimming style, moving her long, model-like limbs with fluid grace, but I personally think my angel’s doggy paddle is cute and creates an adorable contrast with her looks.
Still, if that’s what my angel wants, I can’t really stop her.
“But Silvia will literally die if she practices with me. As you can see, her tolerance is even lower than usual today.”
“……You. I’ve been listening this whole time. Why am I not even being mentioned as a candidate?”
At my question, Matilda, who had been watching quietly, took a step forward as if she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Well, that’s because you…”
If you’re with me, you’ll go into that pink-haze mode, won’t you?
If we’re practicing swimming one-on-one, there’s bound to be a lot of physical contact.
“What about me?! Are you talking about the curse?! It doesn’t matter! I’ll stick close to you and be even more obedient!”
As if she’d anticipated my thoughts, Matilda declared that it didn’t matter.
Well, she’s right that she’d be more obedient in that state, but are you really okay with that? It’s still a curse, you know.
“Then I shall assist Lady Silvia. Lady Silvia, this way.”
Hearing Matilda, Vanessa spoke as if the matter was settled and led Silvia away.
Alright. Well, if Matilda doesn’t mind, then I don’t mind either.
“Okay. Let’s go. Oh, right. Diana, you’re not joining, are you?”
“Hmph. You ask the obvious.”
Diana nodded and got into a relatively small tub, where she began to swim.
No, to be precise, she summoned a water spirit and began to pretend to swim.
The timing of her limb movements and her body’s movements were completely out of sync.
What did she even come here for?
Anyway, leaving Diana to play by herself, the rest of us got into the largest tub.
This bathroom was far larger than any public bathhouse, and its tubs were enormous.
The largest one was about the size of a small swimming pool, and if filled to the brim, the water came up to my waist.
It was usually a hot bath, but they must have lowered the temperature slightly, as the water was now somewhere between lukewarm and warm.
Adjusted for a long practice session, I figured.
“Alright, first off… how far did you get during the day?”
“I succeeded in floating.”
Oh, they’re past that part.
We didn’t need to practice that for the 4th floor, so I didn’t have to teach it, but learning to float is necessary to practice here. I had been wondering how to approach it.
“That’s great. Then let’s practice kicking next. Here, take my hands and float on the water. Don’t be scared if you feel like you’re sinking. I’ll be holding you.”
“Yes, Guwon-ssi…”
No, that wasn’t meant to be sweet, it was just to reassure her for the lesson. But she’s already gone into that state again.
Well, she said she didn’t mind, so I guess I can’t complain.
It was a little absurd, but just as Matilda said, she was far more obedient in this state than usual.
This might actually make her easier to teach.
As Matilda took both my hands and lay back on the water, I caught a glimpse of her chest from the side.
Leia is so overwhelming that it’s easy to miss, but this girl is actually quite large, too.
And since she was wearing such a thin swimsuit, every time the water rippled, her breasts would jiggle along with it, which was quite noticeable.
Come to think of it, isn’t this swimsuit so thin you could almost call it body paint?
This rash guard thing might be better than I thought… Hah! W-What am I thinking!
That was close. I almost fell for its evil trickery.
Swimsuits should be bikinis. No, even a one-piece is fine as long as it has holes cut out here and there.
A full-body rash guard is nothing but heresy.
“Now, keep your legs straight, and without bending your knees, alternate kicking them…”
Ugh… but in contrast to the thoroughly covered upper body, the lower half is quite exposed, so in its own way… Just look at that butt jiggling as it floats in the water.
No! Get a grip, Guwon!
And so, I helped with the swimming practice, desperately fighting off the evil rash guard’s attempts to dominate my mind.