Chapter 503: The Aftermath
Chapter 503: The Aftermath
“Whoa. Sorry.”
“…Ngh! …It’s alright.”
The bath was spacious, but we still bumped into each other from time to time as we moved around.
This was especially true for me, since I was holding Matilda’s hand and walking backward.
It wasn’t like there were lanes marked out like in a swimming pool, so my direction would shift slightly as I moved.
The situation was made even more chaotic by the fact that Sara and Vanessa were also having their partners practice kicking, just like I was.
I swear, I wasn’t doing it on purpose.
Vanessa knew that too, which is why she only shot me a slight glare whenever we made contact and didn’t say anything else.
It might have been unintentional, but teasing Vanessa like this was actually pretty fun.
She couldn’t protest since she knew it wasn’t deliberate, and because our swimsuits were so thin, the physical contact felt almost like bare skin touching.
Just a moment ago, Vanessa’s butt had brushed against mine, and the feeling of its firmness and softness was transmitted so directly… Ahem. Anyway, because of this, Vanessa, who I already suspected had a weakness for physical touch, seemed quite embarrassed.
Though she said it was fine, I could see her face flush a faint red every time we touched.
To think the face of that cold-blooded butler could change color. It definitely wasn’t just because the warm water was making her skin glow.
“Eh? G-Guwo… Hyaah! S-Save me…!”
As a bonus, every time I bumped into Vanessa, Silvia, who was holding Vanessa’s hands while practicing her kicks, would realize I was close and take splash damage.
“Lady Silvia. It’s alright. Please calm down. If you stand, your feet will touch the bottom.”
…Silvia. The water doesn’t even come up to your waist. What are you doing?
In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed the swimming practice, reaping the unexpected reward of teasing Vanessa.
Beautiful women in form-fitting clothes, soaked in water.
And on top of that, the sound of their ragged breaths carried over the splashing.
This was the best. It would have been even more perfect with a little more exposure, though.
“Alright. Your kicking looks decent enough. Shall we try moving your arms now? I’ll….”
“Yes…. Guwon….”
“…hold you, so don’t worry about sinking.”
Could you at least let me finish my sentence before you answer?
No, I mean, I’m happy you’re following along so well.
Matilda was still struggling, constantly switching between her love-struck state and her normal self.
After demonstrating once, I went to her side and held her body steady while having her move her arms and legs.
The moment I wrapped my arms around Matilda, a thrill shot through me.
The technology of this world might be better than my original world’s in some ways.
A texture like this… it felt like I was touching her bare skin.
Well, I’d had some expectations ever since I saw the impressive way her chest moved, and I’d gotten a taste of it from brushing against Vanessa and Sara.
But feeling it directly with my hands like this was beyond my expectations.
“Ahh… Guwon….”
Matilda, who must have also felt like she was being touched skin-to-skin, began to press against me with an ecstatic expression.
Hey. Stop that. If you rub your face against me like that while we’re floating, the height is just…!
My mind is already racing with temptation from the sensation in my hands, don’t you start, too!
“R-Right. Okay, Matilda. Let’s save the cuddling for later. First, let’s try moving your arms and legs. You can listen to me, right?”
“Yes… of course… It’s a request from you, after all, Guwon….”
Even if I managed to snap her out of it for a moment, she’d just go back to this state as soon as I touched her.
In that case, I might as well use this state of utter infatuation to have her focus on practicing.
I spoke to Matilda in a sweet voice with that intention, but….
“…Hey, you two! Stop fooling around and practice!”
Sara’s jealous voice immediately cut in.
What was I supposed to do? She wouldn’t be able to practice otherwise.
If you don’t like it, then switch with Leia.
I want to see Leia’s chest physics from a closer vantage point, too… No, I mean, I want to help Leia with her practice, too.
But if Matilda is in such a candid state… wouldn’t she answer all my questions honestly?
For instance, she’s often had a troubled look on her face lately. I could ask about that.
No. But even if I’m asking because I want to help, using her current state to get an answer out of her feels cowardly, doesn’t it?
But still… no. Asking something like that might just interfere with her practice.
Besides, using her state to ask questions really does seem like a dirty move.
I can always ask later. I’ll ask when I eventually break her curse.
Anyway, despite a few minor troubles here and there, by the time evening approached, Leia, Silvia, and Matilda were all able to float and swim on their own without me holding them.
Back on the 4th Floor, I had to teach them in a hurry because we never knew when a monster might appear. But it seemed that taking the time to teach them one-on-one like this yielded faster results.
Of course, they weren’t fast, and they still had issues like sinking occasionally.
Besides, our goal was to move freely on the 4th Floor, which is entirely underwater. Once they mastered this, they’d have to practice moving while submerged.
For now, though, I no longer needed to stick close to Matilda, so I moved to the pool where Diana was relaxing.
There, Diana was sitting perfectly still, chin in hand, looking lost in thought.
“…What are you doing?”
“Eek! I-I was not startled!”
“I walked right up to you. It’s your fault for not noticing. So, what were you doing?”
“Uh, um. Nothing at all. Just contemplating the structural arrangement of mana, you see. More importantly, what brings you here? What about Lady Matilda?”
Diana’s reply was a transparent attempt to change the subject.
The structural arrangement of mana… why are you even here? Not that I mind you being here, but still.
“It looks like she can practice on her own from now on.”
“And you’ve had your fill of Matilda’s body, I see.”
Sara’s voice came from behind me.
It seemed she had also given Leia some time to practice on her own.
“I-I have not had my fill!”
“Really? Still, this swimsuit is amazing, isn’t it? I grew up in the countryside, so we never had anything like this. It’s so comfortable you can barely feel you’re wearing it. And even when you touch it from the outside, it feels just like bare skin.”
“Right?! You think so too?! It’s incredible. When my hands touched Matilda’s body, it was like her bare skin was just clinging to my… Ms. Sara, isn’t using a leading question a dirty trick?”
I realized Sara’s intent midway through, but the words I’d already spoken couldn’t be taken back.
“…You haven’t had your fill, you say?”
“R-Right, Diana! Don’t you want to practice swimming, too? Since you came all this way, you should….”
“I shall not. Do not change the subject. Just what was Lady Matilda’s skin like? I find myself quite interested.”
“Vanessa! You, too! Stop standing over there and come take a break!”
“…I am fine.”
“You’re not fine! You’re always working, so you need to rest when you can. Come on, Diana!”
“Honestly, you… He has a point. If we are going to be making her practice often, you should come over here and rest a bit as well, Vanessa.”
“……Yes.”
Phew. Whether it was because my desperate efforts looked particularly pathetic, or because they decided to cut me some slack for diligently teaching Matilda, Sara and Diana finally stopped interrogating me.
At Diana’s command, Vanessa approached the pool we were in, but she stopped at the edge without getting in.
“What are you doing? Get in.”
“……”
Vanessa remained silent and expressionless at my words, but eventually, as if she had no choice, she entered the pool.
This pool was much smaller than the one where the other three were practicing.
Of course, it wasn’t so small that the four of us would be pressed against each other, but it was small enough that our toes would lightly touch if we sat facing each other.
That was probably why Vanessa had been reluctant to get in at first.
She seemed to be on high alert, especially since we had kept bumping into each other earlier, even if it was accidental.
Don’t worry. I’m not bold enough to try anything with you right next to Sara and Diana.
Of course, by “anything,” I just mean some light, friendly touching, but given what we’re wearing, even a light touch could feel much more intense than intended.
“Ah, speaking of which, Diana.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Did you know my Saint skill level has gone way up? It’s insane. With one shot… Ouch!”
“You idiot! What are you talking about right now! Vanessa is here, too!”
“No! It’s not like that! Diana is researching my skills! Right?”
Well, she hadn’t been saying things like she wanted to experience it with her own body lately.
When I sought her agreement, Diana nodded with an ambiguous expression.
“Uh, um? Well, well… I suppose so.”
“…Don’t tell me your whole ‘skill practice’ thing was just an excuse? Were you after my body from the start…?”
“O-Of course not! What are you saying! There is no way!”
As I muttered like a pitiful maiden who had just realized a shocking truth, Diana’s face turned beet red and she shouted.
“The fact that you’re so flustered makes you even more suspicious! So Diana really was… Oof!”
“W-What is it?!”
“N-No. Just messing with you.”
As I said that, I glanced at Vanessa, who was sitting across from me.
…This girl. She just stepped on my foot.
She used the milky white water to hide it from Sara and Diana.
Alright. So that’s how you want to play. In that case, I have an idea, too. I was originally going to refrain from making contact in front of Sara and Diana, but….
“Ugh…!”
I moved the foot Vanessa had stepped on and touched hers.
Vanessa tried to pull her foot back with a wary expression, but I didn’t let her.
As if lacing our fingers together, I intertwined my toes with hers.
As I moved my foot, caressing the spaces between her toes, Vanessa’s eyebrows twitched and trembled, though her face remained impassive.
Hah! How dare you attempt physical contact with a Saint!
That was your fatal mistake!
“So. If it’s not that, why were you being so weirdly evasive?”
While playing with Vanessa’s foot under the water, I tossed a question to Diana as if nothing was happening.
“Well, you see. The analysis of the giant Magic Stone has been quite fascinating lately, so your skill….”
Ah, I see. She just felt a little guilty for neglecting me when I’ve been so cooperative.
“In the first place, Guwon’s skills are a power given directly by the Goddess, right? Even if you analyze them, can anyone else actually use them?”
“The same could be said for the giant Magic Stone. It seems almost certain that the Goddess had a hand in its creation as well. A skill is ultimately a flow of mana. While it would naturally be weaker than the original, I believe that with proper analysis, it will one day be possible to use it.”
“Does that mean other people besides you could use it, Diana? Then would I be able to, as well?”
Sara, who had seemed uninterested at first, suddenly asked the question with a look of keen interest after hearing Diana’s answer.
“Hm? Of course. My goal is to make all magic usable by everyone. But why would you, Lady Sara… Ah. Y-You! We must resume our skill research in earnest! You said your skill has grown stronger? In that case….”
“I don’t think it’ll do you any good, though,” I said bluntly to Diana, whose eyes were sparkling with hope.
“W-What do you mean?”
“You’re trying to beat me at least once, aren’t you? But you know I’ve been going easy on you without using my skills lately, right? If you guys try something like that, I’ll use my skills, too.”
“…Never mind. The giant Magic Stone is more important right now.”
Hey. Isn’t your disappointment a little too obvious?
Honestly, she’s been trying so hard to beat me lately.
Does she want to win that badly?
Seeing her so desperate, I almost felt like it might be okay to let her win just once….
Splash!
“Whoa! V-Vanessa! What was that for?!”
Just as I was thinking that, Vanessa suddenly shot up from her seat.
Diana, who had been focused on our conversation, was startled and clung to me.
For the record, Sara, completely unfazed by such things, simply wore a cool expression and hugged my arm tightly.
“I will go back and watch over the other three.”
Unable to endure my toe-attack any longer, Vanessa finally ran away with her tail between her legs.
Of course, she doesn’t actually have a tail… wait. She did. It’s just not visible right now, anyway.