READ NOVEL FREE Chapter 96
“So, while we just started eating, they were almost done?”
Victor, who had been chatting with Raven for a bit, seemed ready to leave, gathering his coat and belongings.
“Well, it’s about time. Unfortunately, I’ll be heading out first. Since we’re in the same hotel, I’m sure we’ll meet again… If the opportunity arises, let’s chat more next time.”
Hoo-hah!
Victor burst out laughing, sounding genuinely pleased.
Ah, wait a second. I feel like I’m about to have a PTSD moment. That annoying laugh…
But maybe it’s because his build was more like a tiger beastman than a human.
His muscles, even visible over his shirt, twitched along with his laughter.
Honestly, his pecs seemed almost alive, which was a little gross.
“I’m really sorry that Mister Victor is causing trouble. So, we’ll take our leave now.”
“Hey, assistant. I didn’t really cause any trouble. Are you even listening…?”
“Ah, goodbye!”
Victor was dragged out of the restaurant by a stoic woman from his party who had grabbed his ear.
Is that person the adept assistant in place of David? She was certainly a beautiful lady.
I quietly watched Victor’s departing figure disappear beyond the door, and then I resumed munching on the meat on my plate, thinking.
‘Who would’ve thought I’d run into Victor here? I didn’t expect that at all. Luckily, it seems he didn’t recognize me… Well, I should definitely avoid running into him again.’
Well, the last time I met him in Night Haven was already several months ago.
At that time, I was covered in a large cloth, so the chance of my identity being discovered was nearly zero…
But there’s no harm in being cautious.
After all, if it somehow got out that I’m a ghost, it’d be a real headache.
As I continued to engage in the mindless consumption of the towering pile of meat on my plate…
Suddenly, I spotted Alice looking rather uneasy about something.
‘Whoa, what’s that?’
It was an unidentifiable art piece.
Seafood, meat, vegetables, noodles, bread, dessert…
Every kind of food was stacked on plates, forming a single object.
The amazing thing was that there were no repeated ingredients in that object.
And there were a staggering four plates balanced on both the backs of her hands and her elbows!
It looked precarious, yet somehow incredibly stable. It was like some circus act.
David and Raine could barely speak, stunned by the unimaginable state of the plates.
Fortunately, Raven still seemed to find it unbelievable.
“What the heck is that? Isn’t that a bit too greedy? It’s like you stuffed one of every food type on a plate. And somehow, it all made it onto those plates!”
“Well, you won’t know which ones are good until you try them, right? That’s why I usually come to a buffet to sample one of each type.”
“Incredible, really…”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Alice approached me and gently placed one of her plates on the table.
Her movements were so fluid that there wasn’t even a clatter of the dishes.
She smiled at my plate, as if to say it was cute, and then began to tackle her stacked food one by one from the top.
The food disappeared into Alice’s mouth as if being sucked into a black hole.
It was truly a surreal sight, like watching time fast-forward.
It was amazing that she didn’t gain any weight doing that. Was everything going straight to her chest?
By the way, Sabrina, who was next to Alice, had a completely ordinary French dish.
Maybe because the front was so shocking, this plain combination was quite reassuring.
After that chaos of a meal, we returned to our room.
Of course, we weren’t just ending our afternoon schedule to rest.
We needed to grab our swimsuits from the luggage we’d stashed away.
Yes, swimsuits.
From now on, we were planning to have a blast swimming until evening.
The downside was that since it wasn’t summer, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the hotel’s private beach.
Swimming at a beach in this filthy cold winter would definitely make you freeze to death.
Instead, we were thinking of visiting the indoor swimming pool inside the Saint Maria Hotel grounds.
“Hehe, I tailored Yuria’s swimsuit just for today. You’ll be amazed; it’s super cute!”
“…!”
“Oh my, I’m really looking forward to your swimsuit too, Miss Alice. You have such a… wonderful figure.”
“Shouldn’t you wrap it up tight instead? Everyone will be gawking at Alice’s chest.”
“S-Sabrina? What do you mean by that!”
The women gathered in the large bedroom chatted away, placing various items on the bed.
First were the swimsuits, of course, and a light jacket to throw on when we weren’t in the water.
A towel for drying off, a waterproof bag for the terminal, oils for skin and hair, and so on.
I was starting to feel awkward about how everyone was so thoroughly prepared while I intended to just casually take my swimsuit.
That aside, I really can’t believe the day to wear a swimsuit has come.
It was just a week ago that we stopped by the department store, and here it is, already so fast.
If I were to firmly refuse to wear it now…
Yeah, Alice would be looking at me with a persistently longing face. Just the thought of it makes it hard to imagine.
So I guess there’s no choice. I have to wear it without running away.
At least it’s a one-piece swimsuit that barely exposes the skin, so it’s not too much of a psychological burden. That’s a relief.
Oh, but wearing a swimsuit will inevitably reveal my body. What about the Tesseract?
‘Hmm, swimsuits don’t have pockets or anything. I should probably grab a thin jacket. Tesseract, see you later.’
[Okay… catch you later, Mama]
As I quietly glanced at the others bustling about, I carefully pulled the Tesseract from around my neck and slipped it into my pocket in a single motion.
Perhaps because they can’t properly hear each other’s voices unless they’re touching, the Tesseract’s forlorn voice as I took it off tugged at my heart.
But it couldn’t be helped.
If anyone spotted the Tesseract, which obviously didn’t look like an ordinary object, things would get complicated.
Besides, I’ll make sure to keep it secure in my jacket pocket, and once the swimming is done, I’d put it back around my neck. So please don’t be too sad.
“Alright, I’m ready! I’ll check to see if the guys are done preparing!”
“Okay. Thanks!”
While I was sneaking the Tesseract into my pocket, I wondered if everyone was finishing up their preparations.
Alice left the bedroom, saying she was going to check on Raven and David in the other room.
Always the diligent class president type, rolling up her sleeves when a nuisance arises.
Having her around is definitely a win.
But just as I was praising Alice deep down, a loud bang from the door was followed by a scream from across the hall.
“Hah! W-Why are you changing here?! You scared me!”
“Uh… it’s more comfortable to change into a swimsuit here. But seriously, knock next time. It’s basic courtesy.”
“Ah, um… I’m so sorry… Ahh…!”
Wondering what was going on, I peeked out the door.
There was Alice, her face bright red, awkwardly hunched down in front of the door.
Seeing her eyebrows, usually so lively, droop weakly told me she had likely opened the door without thinking and witnessed the truth of the universe.
Even though she didn’t go to school, she was certainly old enough to be called a high school girl.
What she had stumbled upon was likely quite a shock for her.
It’s funny how she dresses provocatively yet remains innocent in strange ways.
When Alice’s face finally returned to normal color, we set off towards the indoor swimming pool.
“This place is much bigger than I imagined. They could definitely make a profit just by separating this area from the hotel.”
“Wow… it’s cold outside, but it’s nice and warm inside. No worries about catching a cold.”
The Aqua Marina, an indoor pool managed by Saint Maria, was a colossal water park with a capacity of around a thousand guests.
There were even guests who came solely for the Aqua Marina, and the internal facilities were close to top-notch.
Of course, if you’re a guest at the hotel, entry is free.
In fact, you also get a premium passkey that allows you to enjoy various benefits to the fullest.
If you stay at Saint Maria and don’t visit Aqua Marina, you’re really missing out.
“Hmm, I heard that during summer when the beach is open, the outside area of Aqua Marina is accessible, allowing people to enjoy marine leisure to the fullest. So, many guests come during that time, even more than now….”
“But even in winter, being able to swim in such a large and warm space doesn’t sound bad at all. Alright, we’ll change into our swimsuits and meet back here!”
Let’s hurry!
Alice grabbed my and Sabrina’s hands and sprinted towards the changing room.
Man, she was really excited. It definitely feels like we’ll have fun here.
Rustle, rustle.
Arriving at the changing room, I pulled out a black one-piece swimsuit adorned with frills from my small bag.
It showed off my shoulders and quite a bit of my thighs, revealing a design that was pretty daring.
But maybe it was designed for a younger girl, as it remained cute even with exposed skin. Should I feel reassured about that?
And to cover up, I had a jacket that fully concealed my body.
Yeah, covering up like this made me feel a bit better.
As I finished getting ready and gently tucked the Tesseract into the inner pocket of my jacket,
Sabrina, who had similarly changed into her swimsuit, approached me and spoke.
“Yuria, are you done?”
“….”
I nodded as if to say I was done, carefully ensuring my swimsuit was hidden beneath the jacket.
When I turned to look at Sabrina, I could clearly see her swimsuit.
Sabrina wore a dark blue top like a school swimsuit paired with shorts that resembled board shorts.
Her androgynous charm stood out even more, appearing almost like a boy or girl depending on the angle.
If she had a surfboard tucked under her arm, she would fit right in.
As I observed her, Sabrina seemed to have noticed me as well.
With a slightly mischievous grin, she stepped closer.
“Hehe, are you hiding because you’re embarrassed? What kind of swimsuit are you wearing? I’m curious, show me!”
“…!”
“You’re not going to keep that jacket on forever, right? C’mon, hurry up.”
Ugh, persistent little thing. But she wasn’t wrong.
If I kept hiding, it would defeat the purpose of changing, and I wouldn’t be able to swim.
I let out a small sigh and zipped down the jacket to reveal the frilly one-piece swimsuit around my chest and thighs.
Sabrina smiled brightly, giving me a thumbs-up for how cute I looked. Thanks for the compliment.
“Have you both changed?”
“Ugh….”
“…!!”
But just then, Alice arrived, causing Sabrina and me to jump in surprise.
Alice, in a bikini that embodied both innocence and sexiness, was the very definition of a stunning apparition.
If a little boy accidentally bumped into Alice, he wouldn’t sleep a wink that night.
I couldn’t help but clap in awe at her astonishing curves, while Sabrina muttered dully.
“Monster bust… I told you, she should’ve wrapped herself up better.”
“W-What are you looking at…?”
“Ready? Let’s go!”
“Ah, after seeing Raine, I feel a bit more reassured.”
“….”
“Huh? What do you mean by that, Sabrina? Why do you agree, Yuria?”
Thankfully, Raine was mature and beautiful but had a slender figure, which might have helped calm us down a bit from Alice’s distracting presence.
Walking around like a human tsunami and a nuclear bomb, I felt somewhat bad for Raine.