Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Swimsuit Festival (2)

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The sound of crashing waves—

As I stepped out of the car, a refreshing sight greeted me.

An open horizon, a vast expanse of ocean.

Under the blazing sun, the sandy beach glittered gold, and incoming waves broke into white foam.

It had been a very long time since I'd seen the ocean myself, so I stood there, staring blankly at the blue water.

"Hehe, it's really nice to be at the beach after so long. How about you, Jin Yuha?"

Just then, Shin Sehee asked, her face beaming with a radiant smile.

My eyes instantly widened as I looked at her.

'She said she'd be late because of work and would come separately, didn't she?'

"Ah, work finished earlier than I expected. I came a little while ago and was waiting?"

Shin Sehee was wearing an elegant white frilly bikini and a wide-brimmed hat that immediately caught the eye.

The sunlight cast shadows on her curvaceous figure, highlighting it even more.

'........Wow.'

Seeing something I'd only ever seen on a phone screen, now in vibrant 3D, the impact was incredible.

I thought I had gotten used to her to some extent, but I could only stare at her blankly.

"If you stare at me like that, even I'd get shy, you know......"

Shin Sehee said, her face slightly flushed.

Her words snapped me back to reality, and I replied.

"Ah, s-sorry."

"Hehe, it's fine. Jin Yuha, you should change into your swimsuit quickly and come out."

"Oh, okay. Where's the men's changing room?"

Shin Sehee pointed with one hand.

"It's the building over there."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

*

And so, Jin Yuha went back to the building to change.

"......"

"......"

"......"

The other party members, who had gotten out of the car and immediately changed, glared at Shin Sehee with icy eyes.

"......Flower Patch, you're playing dirty."

"Oh my, what a harsh thing to say?"

Shin Sehee feigned innocence, covering her mouth with one hand as she responded to Kang Dohee's words.

Shin Sehee, who had left alone on the day of the festival, claiming she had personal business.

Despite saying she'd be late, Shin Sehee had arrived before anyone else. And she was even fully dressed in her swimsuit.

No one here failed to realize what she was thinking.

Her intention was to show off her swimsuit first and monopolize attention while everyone else went to change.

After all, if they were all together, she would likely be overshadowed.

An uncomfortable silence fell between Shin Sehee and the party members, and sparks flew in their exchanged glances.

It was Shin Sehee who broke the silence.

"Well, honestly, this is just a little prank, you know."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Let me be blunt, everyone. I have no intention of sharing Jin Yuha with you today?"

"......What!?"

It was Lee Yuri who protested.

The day before, upon hearing they were going to the beach, she had hastily bought a swimsuit. She was wearing a plain navy one-piece swimsuit from a department store.

"Today's main event, the Haeundae Festival, starts at 4 PM. But it's 12 PM now. We'll have to move together once the main festival starts anyway...... There are still four hours left until then."

"So, Sehee, you mean you'll spend four hours alone with Yuha?"

Im Gaeul shot back, annoyed.

Even if he was a junior she cared for, that was going too far.

Shin Sehee shook her head.

"No, I can't do that. I only plan to monopolize Jin Yuha for one hour. And wouldn't it be better for the rest of you to take turns spending an hour with Jin Yuha?"

Her proposal was quite appealing.

They could always move around together as a group.

But to be able to make memories with him, just the two of them, even if it was only for an hour?

Of course, that would leave three hours hanging, but that was a small price to pay.

However, her proposal had a crucial flaw.

There were Shin Sehee, Kang Dohee, Lee Yuri, Im Gaeul, and Sophia present.

A total of five.

But there were only four hours.

This meant someone would be excluded if they each took an hour.

"Flower Patch, what are you thinking?"

Kang Dohee asked, tilting her head.

"Well...... Yes, completely excluding one person would be too much. So, two people here will have to share their allotted hour. I ask for their understanding."

"......Two people? Who are they?"

Shin Sehee slowly turned her head.

"Aren't there two people who went on an operation with Jin Yuha behind our backs recently?"

At that, Kang Dohee and Lee Yuri's gazes also turned to one spot.

"......!"

"......!"

Shin Sehee smiled broadly, watching their surprised reactions.

This was her calculated move.

While everyone had reluctantly gone along with Jin Yuha's persuasion,

she had caught onto the unspoken resentment toward Im Gaeul and Sophia, who had gone on a solo operation this time!

She used that to create a 3:2 majority scenario.

Moreover, Sophia was a newcomer who hadn't been with them long. And Im Gaeul wasn't the type to be overly assertive.

She had calculated that they wouldn't be able to refuse.

"Since you two won't be completely unable to spend time with Jin Yuha, you can make that concession, right?"

"......Junior, so this is how you're playing it?"

"Hehe, we didn't say anything about that matter. In fact, if you had wanted to inform us that day, couldn't one of you have contacted us? I heard it was originally a solo operation with Jin Yuha and the instructor."

Trembling—

Im Gaeul trembled at the flawless scheme.

"Please don't think I'm trying to sow discord. I was simply pursuing 'fairness,' but you two started the 'competition' first. This is actually resolving the party members' grievances, isn't it?"

Im Gaeul couldn't say anything to the meticulously crafted trap from the start.

Honestly, if she thought Jin Yuha had left her out and taken other party members, she would have been upset too.

But it was strange that her juniors hadn't said anything about it. To think they'd use it now!

A perfect checkmate.

There was no room for rebuttal.

"And Sophia is still a 'newcomer,' so she also needs a 'senior' to help her."

As Shin Sehee, who usually tried her best not to reveal her true personality within the Utopia party, began her political maneuvering,

Sophia and Im Gaeul were utterly powerless to resist.

And as for Lee Yuri and Kang Dohee, the original members who secretly held grudges, there was nothing bad for them, so they nodded.

*Clap*!

"Then, I'll take that as settled?"

"......Fine, we'll let your trickery slide this time. So, how do you plan to arrange the order?"

"Hmm, I'll step out for this part. Kang Dohee and Lee Yuri, please decide among yourselves. It doesn't matter to me when it is?"

By yielding the final choice to the two of them and excluding herself, Shin Sehee put the finishing touch on her perfect scheme.

'Sophia, I'm sorry, but you're no match for me.'

Her strangely calm expression bothered Shin Sehee a little, but she nodded.

"Hmm, what do you want to do?"

"Huh? I get to decide?"

"Yes, the order doesn't particularly matter to me either."

Lee Yuri then spoke as if she didn't even need to think.

"Then, I'll go first."

"Is that so. Then I'll go second."

"Yes, then I'm third, right?"

That's when everyone's turn was decided.

*Thump*—

* * *

'......Holy crap, are these men's swimsuits for real?'

I had gone to the changing room to change my clothes, and I was dumbfounded, my jaw dropped.

I hadn't brought a swimsuit with me when I came here.

The VIP ticket my master gave me included the right to choose and wear any swimsuit available here.

So I had trusted that and come, but......

Blinded by the swimsuit event, I had briefly forgotten.

This was a gender-reversed world.

Seriously, what was the swimsuit event all about?

It was an event where female characters, who usually only wore student uniforms and training gear, put on different outfits, adding to their freshness!

And not just any outfits, but swimsuits!

At times like that, who cared about men's swimsuits?

In fact, Velvet Sra seemed to have known this well, as there were no separate illustrations for male characters' swimsuits, nor any character models implemented.

So, during battle scenes, you'd see male characters awkwardly fighting in their student uniforms while everyone else was fighting in swimsuits.

'......Well, it's not just male characters who wear student uniforms, though.'

Anyway, even so, it was a problem.

"What is this, seriously......"

I pulled out a swimsuit from the hanger, frowning.

V-shaped swimsuits held by straps on both shoulders.

Or skin-tight, triangular swimsuits that emphasized the crotch. Or full-body mesh types.

"Avant-garde" wasn't even a strong enough word.

"Oh, really? This triangular swimsuit...... Is there padding inside? Ugh, damn it, what the hell......"

After rummaging for a long time, I finally managed to pull one out.

'This seems to be the only one I can even wear......'

It was a pair of black, shiny boxer-briefs, seemingly made of a luxurious material.

But even those were quite tight, made of spandex.

"......Hmm, and the thing next to it is a top to wear over? I don't really need to wear this."

It seemed better to just wear the simple spandex boxer-briefs rather than putting something over them.

Having changed, I stepped out.

In the distance, I saw the party members, all dressed in their swimsuits.

*Gulp*—

I felt my saliva catch in my throat.

......Honestly, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I came here just to see this sight.

The elegant Shin Sehee in a pure white swimsuit,

Kang Dohee in a fiery red bikini and sunglasses,

Im Gaeul, whose swimsuit seemed ordinary but became daring due to her large chest,

Sophia, boasting a stunning figure that made my eyes widen.

They were all incredibly beautiful women, impossible to tear one's eyes away from.

If they existed in my original world, they would have absolutely dominated the entertainment industry.

But among them, the one who captured my gaze the most was...

The black-haired girl in the simplest, one-piece swimsuit.

'......Gukbap, in a swimsuit...!?'