NOVEL WEB Chapter 97
As I finished getting ready and stepped out of the changing room, I spotted Raven and David near the entrance.
They looked lost in thought, staring off into the distance, probably waiting for us to come out.
Neither seemed particularly interested in their swimsuits, wearing typical trunk-style shorts you’d see anywhere.
You know, the kind you’d spot walking around a beach or a pool at least once.
But both of them were tall, and it was clear they had been working out, giving off a vibe that was a bit more striking than usual. Kind of cool, I guess.
“Jin! We’re here.”
“Aah, you finally made it! What took you so long? I’ve been waiting forever!”
“Hahaha… I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.”
“Tch, as long as you realized that, let’s hurry up. It’s so noisy here, my ears are about to give up.”
As Alice approached, raising her hand to greet them, she awkwardly fiddled with her shirt at Raven’s remark, looking apologetic.
The truth is, we were late because we were busy chatting and admiring each other’s swimsuits. There was really no excuse.
But honestly, it’s hard to resist. Everyone’s unique style really stood out in their swimwear.
If you start tossing out comments about each one, time just flies by, doesn’t it?
Still, thanks to Alice being genuinely sorry instead of brazen about it, Raven just scratched his head and easily accepted her apology.
Nodding as if to say he understood, Alice suddenly seemed curious about something.
Pushing down the zipper of her parka, she said with a bright, innocent face, “Oh, Jin! How’s my swimsuit? Isn’t it cute? I bought it when I went out with Yuria last time!”
“Uh, yeah. It’s cute. Looks good on you.”
“What’s with that reaction? Do you think it’s not great from a guy’s perspective? Why are you avoiding eye contact?”
Whoosh. As she lowered her parka, Alice’s charming curves swayed up and down for a moment.
Was the visual impact too much? Raven seemed to avert his gaze as if distracted by something else.
I guess he hadn’t seen her in anything so revealing, usually hiding under a thick kimono.
For someone who doesn’t see Alice as a woman at all, this seemed to be pretty overwhelming for him.
It was akin to a younger brother’s reaction upon seeing his older sister dressed in sexy attire.
Considering he managed to keep his cool in front of such a “friend” was quite impressive for Raven.
‘Well… Nothing serious is going to happen as long as I leave them alone. But still feel a bit sorry for Raven.’
Exchanging glances with Sabrina, I stepped closer to Alice and grabbed her hand.
I took her right hand, and Sabrina took her left. Maybe because both hands were pretty much sealed,
Alice had no choice but to follow us toward the pool.
Personally, I approved of Alice and Raven eventually becoming a close couple.
Honestly, there isn’t a more fitting pair than them in the original story.
But now wasn’t the time. That should be saved until more romantic flags have been raised.
Alice tilted her head in confusion, surprised by suddenly being pulled along.
However, maybe she interpreted that as a sign we wanted to swim quickly.
With a cute little smile, she adjusted her pace to match ours, “You’re so eager to swim, huh? Hehe, let’s go quickly!”
“Um, yeah. Let’s hurry up.”
“…”
Nodding quietly, I glanced back.
There stood Raven, letting out a sigh as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.
Well, they clearly weren’t seeing each other as romantic interests at all right now.
For a moment, I wondered if my worries were all unnecessary.
But as I looked around, a sudden question popped into my head.
Where on earth did Raine go, who was just behind us?
“…Don’t look.”
“Ah! My eyes!”
A very familiar male scream echoed from somewhere.
Ah, jealousy from a woman, huh? I guess that’s fair. It’s sweet.
Ignoring David’s unjustly received misfortune,
We made our way towards the pool filled with water.
Finally, the long-anticipated swimming session was about to begin.
…
Hotel St. Maria, which is so popular that booking is a challenge.
Naturally, the large swimming facility Aqua Marina, directly operated by it, was packed with people moving about.
The sheer number of people meant there were plenty of eyes gazing our way.
Maybe that’s why. Usually shy about showing skin, I felt embarrassed in my swimsuit.
‘Well… Since I’m next to this person, they probably won’t care about my masked face.’
But thanks to Alice, who drew attention like a black hole,
My bashfulness gradually faded away, and I regained my usual energetic self.
“Whoa, Yuria, why is your skin so pale? In the bright light, you look like some kind of mochi. Such baby skin!”
“…!”
“Hey, Sabrina thinks so too! Sometimes when I hug Yuria, I have this urge to nibble on her ears!”
“…!!”
What does that even mean, Alice? Are you saying you want to eat me?
Shocked by that terrifying statement, I subtly tried to distance myself from Alice.
In response, she hastily clarified that she didn’t mean she wanted to eat me but just wanted to nibble on my ears.
But that’s basically the same thing! It’s not a joke!
Still, with my fragile physique, there was no escaping Alice’s grip.
Right after she caught me, I felt that dizzying sensation of bare skin against bare skin, making it impossible not to promise I wouldn’t run away.
“Ahem. For now, let’s start with some warm-up exercises. If someone who doesn’t exercise suddenly jumps into the water, they might get hurt.”
“Sure!”
“…”
When she said “someone who doesn’t exercise,” I had a hunch she was pointing at me.
Alice, being a superhuman with a physique that could easily fold a regular person in half,
And Sabrina, who at a young age already had a body akin to an adult’s, definitely made ordinary folks like me feel pretty weak.
Still, surprisingly, my body, despite not exercising, was incredibly flexible, allowing me to perform warm-up stretches effortlessly.
My joints moved smoothly like they were brand new. With this kind of flexibility, I could probably do ballet.
While I eased my muscles from head to toe, Alice suddenly appeared to realize something and turned to me with a question.
“Oh, Yuria. Isn’t it a bit tough to swim with the mask on? Like, for breathing, doesn’t it block you a lot?”
“Ah, yeah, I wanted to ask that too. Yuria, is it okay to reveal your face?”
“…?”
Hmm, I thought I understood their worries.
Wearing a mask while trying to swim just sounds uncomfortable, doesn’t it?
But if I suddenly took it off here… they both know what I look like.
Thinking about it too much made me feel it might be slightly tricky to reveal myself in such a crowded space.
Honestly, this might draw more attention than Alice’s chest!
‘But there’s really no need for that. I’m just going to swim with the mask on.’
However, there was one thing they were definitely misunderstanding.
That was assuming wearing a mask would be inconvenient.
Let me clarify, this isn’t just a mask; it’s a mask-shaped artifact.
It’s securely fixed to my face without any straps unless it’s forcibly pulled off.
Even if I wore it all day, it doesn’t sweat, restrict my breathing, or obstruct my vision.
Sometimes I even forget I’m wearing it at all.
It had been explicitly designed not to disturb breathing even underwater—I’ve tested it out, so I know for sure.
“…!”
“Ah, Yuria!”
However, how was I to express all this verbally?
Thus, to provide a solid answer, I simply leaped into the pool.
As the refreshing water enveloped me, I slowly surfaced.
I confidently poked my head above the water, proudly proving there were no issues whatsoever.
“You scared me… Oh, by the way, Greg said that mask was an artifact he gifted you. So I guess that’s alright.”
“I want to dive in too!”
Splosh!
Sabrina followed me in boldly right after.
Maybe because it wasn’t deep enough for even my short height to feel overwhelmed,
She popped back up with ease next to me, flashing a cheerful smile. So cute.
But unlike us, Alice didn’t dive in; she just slipped in lightly and scolded us.
“You guys, be careful going in like that. What if you get hurt?”
“Sure! We’ll be careful.”
“…”
“Especially you, Yuria. You’re fragile, so don’t do anything reckless. Got it?”
Sadly, that was something I couldn’t dispute.
I’m relatively sturdy for someone my age, but compared to these two, I was like a firefly in the sun.
Best to obediently nod and acknowledge her concern.
After that, we joined the rest of our group who arrived a bit late, enjoying the water activities together.
Especially Raven, being the eldest, was surprisingly active, which left a strong impression.
Why did he quietly sneak up to me, grab my ankle, and pull me underwater?
After being yanked three times in a row, I was so mad I forgot my shyness and asked Alice for revenge.
After about three hours of fun and laughter,
When the high sun started to set, we decided it was time to head back to the hotel.
After a quick rinse in the shower and changing back into our clothes, we walked side by side down the hotel corridor.
“That was so much fun! Swimming after such a long time was incredible.”
“You’re such a child. Why do you keep picking on Yuria? It’s unfair.”
“…!”
“Well, it’s funny to see her reactions. When I joke around with the others, it’s just boring, but Yuria gets all flustered and doesn’t know what to do. I can’t help myself.”
“That’s really mean! What kind of adult does that?”
“That’s so true!”
I trailed closely behind Raven, playfully poking him in the side with my fist.
But it seemed my small punches just tickled him; he didn’t even bat an eye.
“Well, let’s go up, take a quick break, have dinner… Hmm, maybe we should check in on Victor.”
“Oh, by the way, you mentioned you met Victor earlier, right? He’s here for the rare items auction’s escort… Sounds fun. I’d love to check it out.”
Alice and Raven continued chatting as they leisurely exited the connecting corridor, standing in front of the elevator.
Behind them, Sabrina’s group was a bit further back, engaged in their own conversation.
They were casually linking arms while chatting, clearly, David and Raine’s relationship has progressed quite a bit.
As I casually scanned my surroundings, a woman who looked unfamiliar caught my attention.
At a glance, she seemed like an ordinary beauty. It was a little odd to see her alone, but this place was vast. It wasn’t unusual for someone to wander about.
However, the moment I caught sight of a tattoo on her palm, my eyes widened in shock.
There was a simple reason for my reaction. It was…I had seen that symbol many times in the original story, belonging to the beastmen liberation army.
‘…Could it be? No way, right?’
The rare items auction and the capable fixer guarding it.
And the lingering traces of the beastmen liberation army lurking near the protagonist’s group.
There’s no way a fool could miss that connection.
This was unmistakably… the scent of an incident about to unfold.