Chapter 149 - The Secret of the Lesser Winged People and the Playful Waterfowl
Claire fluttered the small wings on her back. Patapata.
"This is the 'good morning' flutter. And next, this is the 'good night' flutter."
She fluttered her wings again. Patapata.
"...I see..."
I couldn't tell the difference at all, but I nodded anyway. Her expression had clearly softened. She must have been on edge until now, and that tension had made her seem more mature. Now she looked innocent, almost childlike.
We were on the ferry heading to the north side of the river. Claire was supposed to help at the shop in the afternoon, but the moment Mercedes saw our faces, he immediately gave her the day off. So, we decided to go and see how Fam and the others were doing with their swimming practice. The sun had passed its zenith and was beginning to dip, but I wondered if they were still practicing.
"Alright then, what about this flutter?"
Claire flapped her wings. Patapata. It seemed a little faster than before, but it also felt slower. And there was—or maybe wasn't—a subtle rhythm to it.
"The flutter of rage."
"So close! That's the flutter for when I'm just a little angry."
She said I was close, but I had no idea what was close about it. It was a complete guess, of course. Every single flutter she'd shown me so far looked exactly the same. Other than the small wings on their backs, the Lesser Winged People were identical to humans. What's more, they couldn't fly, and their wings only seemed to extend their gliding time by a negligible amount after a jump. That led to the question of what their wings were for in the first place. She explained that by fluttering their wings, Lesser Winged People could communicate with one another.
So now, a private patapata-language lesson was being held just for me. But I couldn't discern the subtle nuances hidden within the flutters. It was just like when Hyakka, with her thick Kansai accent, would try to have an entire conversation with me using only the word "'Sup?" I couldn't understand a thing.
"I used to talk with my mother a lot using my wings. But my father and Mercedes never really approved of it."
Even if they didn't mean it to be, it could be interpreted as them having a secret conversation. And for those who understood the language, a casual gesture could accidentally reveal information they wanted to keep private. Because she was taught this, she stopped doing the flutters. Claire flapped her wings sorrowfully. Patapata.
"That one means 'just a little sad,' right?"
"Oh, that's right! You've gotten so good at telling them apart in such a short time!"
"Nah, I just read it from your expression."
"W-Well then, since we're about to reach the shore, here's the final question."
Claire brought her clenched fists up to her mouth like a boxer's guard. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and performed the most intense flutter I had seen yet. Patapata. After she was finished, her cheeks flushed red, and she sent me a strong, pleading gaze.
"...I don't know, but I can tell you're desperately trying to convey something."
"I-Is that so... That's a little disappointing, but I'm also relieved..."
Claire looked crestfallen and fluttered her wings. Patapata. That was the 'just a little sad' flutter. I've learned it now.
After arriving at the north shore, we walked along the path that ran alongside the sandy beach. This road led to Longhorn Street, and then to the Longhorn Trail. In the distance, I could see a tower that looked like a giant pair of bull's horns. It was a strange sight, no matter how many times I saw it. Today, however, our destination was this very beach, where Fam and the others should be.
Some people on the beach were relaxing on blankets spread out on the sand, while others were casually bathing near the shore. Weaving through them were men on the prowl, trying to pick up girls.
We found Fam and the others right away. A little way offshore, they were seriously practicing their swimming. They were the only ones doing so. We went down to the sand and approached the water's edge. Mizuki was teaching, and her students were Fam, Maira, Cecily, and Aira. Besides our own members from Levante, Avea, Fang, Beers, Doris, and even Lini were there. Was she teaching this many people all by herself?
"I, for one, already know how to swim."
A voice called out from behind me. I turned to find Shizuka. She stood with her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest proudly. She was wearing a white bikini. In terms of bust size, she was a good match for Claire, but Shizuka's was just a tiny bit bigger. I could tell.
"You had a swimsuit?"
"Nope, Fam-chan bought it for me."
I was surprised they even sold swimsuits, but then I remembered Avea wore bikini armor. Some pervert among the past transferred people must have popularized them. A deep sense of gratitude for the efforts of my predecessors washed over me.
"Hey, don't go mooching off someone younger than you!"
I poked Shizuka's forehead with my finger.
"What's the big deal? She said her money is your money, Mash!"
"..."
Well, I did get to see her in a swimsuit, so I guess I'll let it slide. I took out my smartphone to take a picture, and she responded with an innocent peace sign and a cheerful "Yay!"
"Why aren't you helping Mizuki?"
"Ehh? Because it's tiring and super annoying! Besides, I wanna scope out the scene and see if there are any cute guys."
This woman was going to hunt for men while wearing a swimsuit bought with my money. Still, they must have been training diligently under Mizuki's watch even while Claire and I were embracing. They had some serious stamina. Out on the water, Lini was waving at us. She was inside something that looked like a flotation ring. Shizuka waved back. Fam noticed us too and started making her way over. I thought she was walking, but it looked like she was swimming. The water in front of her face rippled and bubbled. It looked like she was doing the doggy paddle. So the legendary swimming style of the dog-eared race was real after all. Following her, Mizuki and the others returned to the beach. Once on the sand, Fam shook her body, flicking water from her ears and tail.
"Did you see, Master? I've finally mastered the doggy paddle! Now I can come rescue you if you're drowning."
She was wearing a tank top bikini. It was light blue, of course. Just how much did she love that color?
"I see. Did Mizuki teach you?"
"No way. She was practicing all by herself the whole time. If I left her alone, she'd just start drowning on her own. Fam won't listen to a single thing I say!"
Mizuki said, drying her wet body. She was in a competitive swimsuit, radiating a serious aura that set her apart from the rest. My gaze shifted. Avea was in her usual red bikini, Cecily in black, Doris in yellow, and Maira and Aira were wearing matching purple swimsuits with pareos. I immediately took out my smartphone and started a photo shoot.
"It was a real pain, you know! You'd better help watch them practice, Mash."
Mizuki insisted, so I ended up taking charge of half the group. However, it didn't seem like anyone wanted to learn from me. If anything, I felt like I was the one who needed lessons from Mizuki, so it was only natural everyone else would feel the same. Just as I was thinking that, Fam came over to me. Then, Lini came over too, hugging her floatie.
"Are you sure?"
I asked Lini, and she nodded firmly.
"Mizuki's words are hard. Lini can't do it."
"Alright, then. This will be the junior division. Cecily, you're over here too."
"Who are you calling junior?!"
Cecily marched over, fuming. Aira followed her.
"You're definitely in the adult division. If anyone's coming, it should be Doris. You go learn from Mizuki."
"Don't judge us by our chest size!"
Cecily protested, but it was obvious to everyone that, unlike Aira, she belonged in the junior division.
"Alright. Then let's have these teams practice, and later we'll have a competition to see whose teaching method was better."
Mizuki began to say something ominous.
"Hold on, you were on the swim team, right? There's no way I can beat an active professional."
"It's fine. I taught everyone the basics this morning while you were gone, Mash. They can all swim, more or less."
"Wait, wait! What about the one doing the doggy paddle and the one with the floatie? And Avea already knew how to swim!"
As I protested, Avea, Fang, and Beers lined up next to Mizuki. Doris fidgeted nervously behind them.
"Stop making excuses! You're just scared of losing," said Avea.
"That's not very manly. Accept the challenge fair and square!" said Fang.
"Yeah, yeah!" chimed in Beers. I was irked by Beers' goading, which sounded like something a third-rate thug would say, but what was impossible was impossible.
"Fang, Beers. I thought you guys were my friends. Why are you trying to start a fight?"
"Shut up, you bastard, surrounded by all these women! Do you have any idea how I feel, hitting up Longhorn Street every single night since that day?"
"Beers..."
"In the end, you've still got Shizuka, and you even got the bunny-eared girl!"
Under the pressure of his words, Lini hid behind Shizuka.
"You wanted to get with Shizuka? But she's got Koh-kun, you know."
"You're the one who called me a friend! Who's more important, me or some Koh-kun you've never even met?!"
"...Good point."
It felt terribly wrong, but somehow his argument seemed correct. Had the thought of not wanting to hand Shizuka over to another man started to twist my thinking?
"Hey, Shizuka, any interest in dumping Koh-kun for Bee—Gack!"
Cecily elbowed me.
"That's not relevant right now, is it? And don't forget you took her in for Koh-kun's sake!"
As I rubbed the spot where her elbow had hit me, Fam came to stand by my side. I had a bad feeling about this.
"There is no way Master would lose to Mizuki! We accept this challenge!"
"Got it. Then the match is in two hours. The losing team has to address the winning team with '-sama' until tomorrow."
Mizuki replied to Fam's reckless declaration. Hearing this, Aira walked over to Mizuki's side.
"Aira, are you betraying us?"
"I want Mash and Cecily to call me Aira-sama."
"Grrr..."
As we ground our teeth in frustration, Maira came over to our side.
"Hey, you're the undisputed head of the adult division."
"...Actually, I was hoping Mash would be the one to teach me."
The swimming showdown was already descending into chaos.