School Trip (3)
"It seems like a lot to handle alone. How about I lend you a hand?"
"······?"
"What do you think?"
The Snake asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The girl, momentarily frozen, finally grasped the meaning of his words and reacted belatedly.
A flush crept up her face.
"Wh-Wh-What did you say···?"
Her stammering betrayed her flustered state.
Her pupils trembled violently.
"H-How, how can you say such a shameless thing so casually···!"
"Hmm?"
The villainess exclaimed in shock.
However, despite her reprimand, the blond boy simply tilted his head, a question mark etched on his face.
As if asking what the problem was.
"But you're struggling right now, aren't you? I simply wanted to help."
"E-Even so···!"
"If you don't want my help, I'll step back."
"Ugh."
The protesting girl fell silent.
It was because of the gaze they shared.
Looking into his narrowed eyes, she recalled a promise whispered some time ago.
The memory remained vivid.
–I would like you to live for me.
The truth was, the villainess had no right to refuse.
She had made a contract to dedicate her everything in return for her life being spared.
But.
"That's a shame."
Could it really be this sudden?
Even if one party harbored feelings, she had heard that such things progressed in stages.
The girl, with zero experience with men, was floundering.
'O-Of course, we kissed last time, but th-that was when I wasn't in my right mind···!'
Emilia inwardly stamped her feet in frustration.
Of course, nothing changed.
At least for the Snake, vanity was a powerless emotion.
Lost in her turmoil, the girl finally extended her hand.
"Wait··· a, a moment."
Timidly, she grasped his sleeve.
A deep sense of shame washed over her.
She tried to speak confidently, but even to her own ears, her voice trembled pathetically.
Emilia held out the bottle she was carrying and made her request.
"······Please."
"My Lady?"
"Help me apply this. So my skin doesn't get sunburned."
Her face burned as if it were about to explode.
***
A short while later.
Emilia lay on a mat, her lightly draped cardigan removed.
Her hidden fair skin was revealed.
Only a sky-blue swimsuit covered her body.
Her uniquely feminine curves were accentuated.
Her blue hair cascaded around her.
And amidst those waves lay an undeniable abundance that couldn't be hidden.
Her meticulously sculpted figure was like a painting, captivating the eyes of both men and women.
Such was the essence of true beauty.
"······."
Perhaps it was because of her embarrassment in this situation.
The girl couldn't lift her head.
It felt as if even a glimpse of her face would reveal her flushed complexion.
She simply lay there, her arms crossed beneath her head.
"You don't have to be nervous. It won't hurt."
"······Be quiet."
The Snake whispered as if to soothe the villainess.
The boy offered a faint smile and scooped some sunscreen into his palm.
Immediately after.
"Then, I'll begin."
Tap-
His hand touched the villainess's back.
Perhaps it was his cool body temperature. Emilia, who had been holding her breath, let out an involuntary sound.
His palm, coated with the lotion, felt slippery like scales.
"Eek···"
Her back, which she had never allowed anyone to touch before.
Before her surprise could subside, his hand moved, gliding across her skin.
Swish-
His calm touch continued.
A white trail was left on her soft skin, only to be absorbed again with a few rubs.
The boy meticulously applied the sunscreen.
"Ugh··· Hmph."
The unfamiliar sensation elicited continuous moans from her.
Emilia bit her lip tightly.
A strange feeling washed over her.
The villainess trembled, but she tried her best not to show it.
She didn't want to lose her composure.
Swish, swish-
Meanwhile, the boy continued to move his arms.
Perhaps due to his (supposedly) rich experience with women, his touch was relentless.
She felt strangely irritated.
'This is annoying.'
His eyes crinkled into a crescent moon shape.
His innocent smile, as if he had no ulterior motives, bothered her.
It made her feel like she was the only one being strange.
"Ahem."
Of course, it was a misunderstanding.
In reality, the boy had no ulterior motives.
He simply wanted to help, but the meaning got somewhat distorted in the process of communication.
Emilia was unaware of this.
Her deep-rooted misconception only deepened.
"How long··· huh··· are you going to keep applying it?"
"I'm almost done."
Her breath hitched slightly.
The villainess had no choice but to endure, lying face down.
Until the moment his cool palm left her back, her anxious trembling didn't cease.
***
After the sunscreen application was finished.
Emilia stumbled as she got up.
Her eyes were slightly unfocused, but she quickly regained her composure and glared at him.
It was a look that could only be described as disdainful.
"······You vulgar creature."
The girl reacted like a wildcat.
She backed away, putting distance between them, and even hid behind Regia, who was standing nearby.
He asked for a reason, but all he received were hisses.
Suddenly, he became the strange guy who got insulted despite helping someone.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't come near me."
"Could you at least tell me why?"
"Pervert."
Communication was impossible.
I eventually gave up on getting an answer and turned to Irene, who was standing in the shade.
She had witnessed the entire situation from right beside them.
"Miss Irene, do you know why the Lady is acting like this?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"Trash."
"Is that it?"
"It's not wrong."
"······."
Vulgar, pervert, trash.
I was hit with a triple combo in an instant and silently closed my mouth.
It was truly an unfair world.
Anyway.
With the sunscreen issue resolved, the children finally stepped into the sea.
The wind blew along with the incoming waves.
It was a cool sea breeze, enough to blow away the entire heat of summer.
"I-It's cold!"
"Of course it is, it's seawater."
"But I think this is the first time I've seen such a clean sea! Even when I was traveling across the continent, places like this were rare······."
"I get it, just walk properly. Don't be clumsy and trip."
"Y-Yes···!"
The protagonist and the villainess.
The two girls walked side by side along the coastline.
Their steps followed the waves.
I sat in the shade a little distance away, watching their backs.
I had no intention of going into the water, just watching.
"It's peaceful."
I muttered to myself.
As I was enjoying the fresh air, I turned my head at the sudden sound of someone approaching.
There, sitting beside me, was the Fox.
She, too, seemed to have no intention of entering the water.
"······."
The girl was as quiet as a statue.
I lightly initiated a conversation.
"Why don't you at least dip your feet in? We've come all the way to the beach."
"I don't have a swimsuit anyway."
"You can get wet and change later. We have plenty of spare clothes."
"No, thanks."
Irene firmly refused.
Her voice sounded strangely weak.
As I tilted my head in confusion at her odd reaction, the Fox added another sentence.
It was a faint murmur.
"······I just. I hate the sea."
Her gaze was strangely averted.
It was as if she was reminiscing about something.
Even her fox ears were drooping.
As I waited patiently for the silent girl, this time, a question came from her.
"What about you?"
"Hmm?"
"You're not going into the sea either. What's the reason for sitting here like this?"
"Well."
I replied calmly.
"I wouldn't say I hate the sea, but rather, I don't like wearing swimsuits."
"Swimsuits?"
"I'm embarrassed by clothes that reveal a lot of skin."
"You're being evasive again."
"It's true. My body isn't exactly something to brag about."
"Don't you have a pretty good body though···?"
"Hehe."
I simply smiled without answering.
It was a way of avoiding the question.
Everyone has a few scars they want to hide.
"I guess everyone has different opinions."
"······Yeah. If you say so, then it must be true."
Irene didn't ask any more questions.
She just closed her lips.
A calm silence settled between us.
Until the sunset and our time at the beach came to an end, we simply respected each other's silence.
Only the sea breeze whispered in our ears.
***
After enjoying their day out, the four of them returned to their accommodation.
The children had spent the entire day at the beach.
Perhaps it was because they had expended so much energy.
They seemed to be getting hungry.
They gathered in a room to have dinner together.
As they had discussed in the morning, dinner consisted of dishes prepared by the Snake himself.
The children sat at the table with a mixture of worry and anticipation.
"Now, you may begin."
Fortunately, the boy's cooking was edible.
No, it was beyond edible; it was a delicious meal that could rival even a high-end restaurant.
Regia and Emilia, who were trying it for the first time, couldn't help but be amazed.
"It's, it's delicious···!"
"Unbelievable."
The children marveled, their hands momentarily pausing.
The boy, wearing a pink apron, smiled warmly.
"I'm glad it suits your taste."
"It's even more delicious than the restaurant we went to this morning! I didn't know you were such a good cook, Young Master. I, I almost want to learn from you···!"
"Hehe, I should treat you like this from time to time."
Regia's eyes sparkled.
"······How can a person be good at everything?"
"I just have a little bit of experience in various fields."
"It's really annoying··· I was going to make fun of you if it tasted bad."
"Well, I am a rather domestic man."
"Even if you try to appeal like that, I won't fall for it···?"
"Oh dear, what a shame."
Emilia grumbled, but she couldn't deny my skills.
The Snake smiled with satisfaction.
"It's rewarding."
Dinner continued in a warm atmosphere.
It was a relaxed ending to the day.
However, there was one person who couldn't blend into this atmosphere.
It was none other than Irene.
"······."
The girl continued to be lost in thought.
She would only respond when her name was called, but her mind seemed to be elsewhere.
She had been like this ever since they returned from the beach.
"Miss Irene."
"······."
"Miss Irene?"
"······Ah. Sorry, I didn't hear you."
The Fox reacted belatedly.
The Snake, concerned about the girl's hazy gaze, spoke to her softly.
"Are you alright?"
"What do you mean?"
"You seem to be out of focus. Is something bothering you?"
"Bothering me? No, nothing like that."
"Then?"
"I'm just··· tired, I guess. Don't worry about it."
Irene brushed it off vaguely.
She resumed eating her meal, maintaining her usual expressionless face.
"Hmm."
Her black eyes were like extinguished flames.
The Snake quietly observed the girl's subdued demeanor, despite her attempts to pretend otherwise.
And so, dinner time passed.
***
That night.
Irene couldn't fall asleep.
"······."
Her black eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
It was already past midnight, but for some reason, a tightness in her chest made it difficult for her to lie down.
After tossing and turning for a while, the Fox finally got out of bed.
She thought she would get some fresh air.
Creak-
When she stepped out of the bedroom, the first thing she saw was the blond boy.
He was leaning against the sofa with his eyes closed.
He must have fallen asleep early.
She tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake him.
Since it was just a short walk, she didn't leave a note or anything.
The Fox simply started walking.
"······."
Irene headed towards the beach near the accommodation.
Swoooosh-
The sound of waves crashing filled her ears as she walked across the wide sandy beach.
The sea breeze brought on a wave of thoughts.
The Fox took in the poignant scenery.
The starlit sky.
The transparent sea reflected the colors of the night on its surface.
It was undoubtedly a beautiful sight, but.
The words that escaped her lips were completely contradictory.
The girl muttered, her voice laced with bitterness.
"······I still hate the sea."
Perhaps it was because of the nightmares.
When she looked at the undulating surface of the water, she kept seeing herself trapped in a cage.
It felt as if the waves were about to engulf her at any moment.
On the other hand, she also felt like she shouldn't have come out.
It only seemed to worsen her mood.
The distinct salty smell of the sea.
Irene savored it as she slowly left her footprints on the sand.
The air was still, devoid of any noise.
Whoosh-
She brushed her bangs aside as they fluttered in the wind.
Lost in her thoughts, she walked for a long time and found herself in a secluded corner of the beach.
"Should I go back?"
She thought it was time to return.
As she stopped and was about to turn around.
*-······!*
A strange noise reached her ears from somewhere.
The Fox's ears perked up instinctively.
She focused on her hearing for a moment and realized that the sound was someone's scream.
It wasn't too far away.
"A scream···?"
Irene frowned.
Her feet pushed off the ground, and she ran towards the source of the sound.
It was an alley near the beach.
Clatter, clatter-
Several large carriages were lined up.
Soldiers in robes were stationed around them, seemingly guarding the area.
They exuded a familiar aura.
The Fox's eyes widened as she watched from her hiding spot.
She immediately recognized their identity.
How could she not?
They were the ones who had turned her life into a living hell.
'Slave traders.'
Clench-
Her fists clenched involuntarily.
She hadn't encountered them since her escape, and she never expected to see their transport carriages at a resort like this.
It seemed their tactic of using secluded back alleys hadn't changed.
-How dare you try to escape!
-H-Help me···!
-Shut up! Get in quietly if you don't want to die!
-Eek···!
Had someone been caught while trying to escape?
A woman was being dragged back into a carriage by a soldier, her collar grasped tightly.
It seemed this was the source of the scream she had heard earlier.
'What should I do?'
She had to save them.
She wanted to jump in right away, but the problem was that she couldn't gauge how many opponents there were.
The number of people who needed rescuing was also unclear.
If it was a transport carriage, there could be more people trapped inside.
She might end up making the situation worse.
'The ordinary guards won't be a problem.'
They were at a level she could handle.
But if there were 'hounds' among them, things would be different.
She might end up getting caught herself.
'But if I don't do anything···'
As she hesitated, her hand resting on her sword.
The carriages, their doors now closed, started to depart one by one.
"Damn it···!"
She couldn't let them get away.
Irene cursed under her breath and moved stealthily, avoiding the guards' gazes.
She nimbly climbed onto the last carriage in line.
It was a cargo compartment filled with supplies.
The Fox held her breath and hid among the rattling boxes.
Neigh-
The carriage started moving, accompanied by the vigorous neighing of the horses.
The girl had ended up chasing after them without a clear plan.
Meanwhile.
Someone watched the departing carriages with a cryptic smile.
Their narrowed eyes held a particularly ominous glint.
"The protagonist's arc is over··· and now it seems the supporting character's growth event is about to begin."
An enigmatic murmur.
It was followed by the sound of clapping.
Clap-
The shadowy figure standing in the darkness vanished without a trace.
Only the passing night wind filled the void.
[EP.10 Slave Traders]
-Crashing waves, submerged cages-
It was the beginning of a new episode.
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