kscans

Chapter 889 - Is It Hell or Paradise?

What comes to mind when you think of summer?

Setting aside people like me, whose fundamental nature makes them blurt out the utterly uninteresting answer, ‘Hot,’ most people would probably give responses like these.

Festivals, fireworks—and the ocean.

Ocean. It has a nice ring to it. Setting aside people like me, for whom past trauma makes them blurt out the hopelessly useless emotion, ‘Scary,’ it’s generally something that captivates the hearts of many. The mother sea, a refuge from the heat—all well and good.

And then, as they think of the ocean, many people, in their train of thought, will get carried away when answering what summer means to them, and inevitably say this.

Namely—swimsuits.

“So, how do I loooooooooook?!?!”

She stood there proudly, striking a powerful pose.

In a move that was so in-character it wasn't surprising in the slightest, the one who stood before me was the loud—or rather, dazzling—orange one.

Seeing her in this different attire… a dazzling sight that her fans, for example, would probably weep with joy for the honor of witnessing. Or rather, having it shoved in my face as if to say, ‘You’re not getting away.’

My first words were, simply, just one thing.

“……………………………………………………It suits you.”

First and foremost, praise the woman. It makes the world go ‘round.

Today, as always, this man, who had been thoroughly educated by the wisdom bestowed upon him by a certain thirty-three-year-old, once-divorced ice cream shop manager, obeyed without resistance.

“Heeheehee! Of course it does!!! —By the way, if you had to choose between cute or beautiful, which would it be? Nonomi-chan desires your honest opinion, Haru-san!!”

“Seriously…?”

In the end, she demanded more, and I died. The women of today are creatures who will mercilessly swing and drag around a pitiful man—

Anyway, it was 10:00 AM when this hellishly fun little scene was forced upon me. As for where we had come so early in the morning, it was to ‘a certain place’ we had discovered yesterday.

A little under thirty minutes from our base, riding on Sapphire’s back at full speed. We flew out of our [Zodiac Forest], soared over the vast plains below, and headed straight north.

There, sitting on the land like the famed ‘navel of the Earth,’ was a single, colossal rock formation. And atop it, surrounded by a modest amount of natural greenery, was a very, very large puddle.

It wasn't an ocean. Surrounded by land, it was a massive lake.

The atmosphere was so good you could praise it without reservation. The trees and plants that moderately encircled the area, without being too dense, created a pleasant sense of coolness. And since there were no tall trees, the view from atop the rock formation… in other words, from a high altitude, could be modestly described in one word: breathtaking.

As for the lake itself, the outer edge was a perfect stretch of shallows, with no sudden drop-offs. It was as if it were designed to say, ‘Please, come and play.’

Its water, clear and without a trace of murkiness, was pure and beautiful. When Nia and I used our magic artisan eyes to appraise it as an item, we were shocked to find its quality was ridiculously pristine.

By real-world standards, it was easily potable.

And above all, as a special feature to delight the eyes—whoops.

“Well now? Well, well, well? What’s this, staring so intently? Could it be that you’ve fiiiinally noticed Nonomi-chan’s charms? Is that it? I knew it! It’s okay, Haru-san, you’re special. Go on, burn every last detail into your memory—”

Something’s being noisy.

I had automatically drifted into a void-like escape from reality, but it seems the orange one, who was in high spirits having come to a location perfect for a vacation, had no intention of letting me get away.

So, what was it again… cute or beautiful?

“Ah… I’m not a huge fan of sour things. I don’t hate them, but I rarely eat citrus fruits like mandarin oranges or regular oranges myself.”

“Huh? W-Wait, what, huh???”

“But, you know. When I have something like orange-flavored candy, there’s that unique, refreshing flavor that makes me think, ‘Hey, this is pretty good,’ and I find a new appreciation for it.”

“Hold on a second. I feel like I’ve heard this before—”

“It’s like that. The end.”

“It’s over?!? Hold on a minute, what was that! Again! Forget cute or beautiful, you didn’t even make it clear if that was positive or negative!!”

She must be used to being called cute and beautiful a million times over, so why she would want my honest opinion is beyond me… or so I’ll pretend, as I masterfully evade giving a direct answer.

It’s not like I was being considerate and trying to avoid saying such things to the other women. I just thought it would be a pain in the neck with Nono-san.

People call this the result of one’s ‘daily conduct.’

…I mean, yeah, to be blunt, I think she’s cute and beautiful. She’s a former idol, after all. It’s only natural that her looks would shine even when they’re nearly identical to her real-world appearance.

And if her swimsuit was crafted by one of the virtual world's most renowned artisans, 【Saishiki Kenbi】, then both the actor and the costume are top-tier. Of course they are.

What is this, a long-sleeved kimono-style swimsuit? I’ve never seen one like it, but it’s a brilliant design that captures the modest elegance of a yukata, the refreshing coolness of a swimsuit, and the different kinds of flamboyance from both.

It was undoubtedly something she, an artist whose theme is ‘Japanese style,’ crafted herself. In that regard, the quality is nothing short of amazing—now then.

“Hey, you not changing?”

Even after escaping reality by letting my thoughts wander, then escaping that reality by teasing Nono-san, a futile chain of avoidance, the merciless truth wouldn’t wait to appear before me.

The voice that poked my back belonged to the little cat, same as always.

Nono-san, who had circled around to stand right in front of me as I sat cross-legged on the ground facing the lake to show off her triumphant pose, was just being a goofball. Normally, she should have called out from behind like this.

Yes, just like this—

“……………………………………………………………………………Wow…”

And as part of the package, the fool who had steeled his resolve and turned around had that resolve instantly shattered, feeling his heart clench for multiple reasons at the sight that spread before his eyes.

The only word that came to mind in that second was, simply, ‘dazzling.’

Unfortunately, I lack any knowledge of the probably infinite varieties and names of swimsuits that exist. At best, I know common-sense level names like ‘bikini’ and ‘one-piece.’

So, it’s like, all I can think is that everyone is wearing a different style, which means nothing other than that two top-level clothing magic artisans prepared items that would perfectly suit each of them… and so, that’s, you know. What is it?

“Hmph… ……………………”

“Your thoughts?”

Our eyes met in a flash. There was Nia-chan, who immediately looked away and hid behind Nono-san’s shadow. And then there was Ri-na, who, with her usual invincibility, closed the distance without hesitation, peered into my face from up close, and mercilessly demanded my opinion.

And then, standing there with a confident air different from the playful Nono-san… was the little cat, revealing her white hair and skin that was just as fair.

“…………………………………………C…”

Really, it should go without saying at this point.

Do I really have to say it out loud? Is it not okay if I don’t? Is that how it is? And so, the fool who foolishly challenged them to a staring contest only ended up getting his eyes burned and taking more damage.

“You all look quite lovely, my ladies.”

“What are you talking about?”

My embarrassment hit its limit, causing my words and tone to bug out simultaneously, which earned me a look from Natsume-senpai as if she were looking at a suspicious person. Just kill me already.

“By the way, what Natsume-chan is wearing is a tie-side bikini, a bold style that, as they say, only the strong can wear. Presented by Nia-chan! And what Ri-na-chan is wearing is a frilly one-piece… or so it seems, but if you flip up the frilly part, you can see her cute tummy! It's a top and skirt set. This is also presented by Nia-chan!”

“Flip it up?”

“Like hell I’d flip it up. I’d be arrested.”

And so began the hell of a torrential swimsuit commentary by 【Saishiki Kenbi】. The little sister who shot me a bewitching smile while pinching the frill should be the one who gets arrested.

“And now for Haru-san’s main event!!!!”

“W-Wha—!?!?!”

And then, presented with great fanfare, was the indigo girl.

Or rather, the bright-red girl, in a state that may or may not be temporary… but then again, I’m probably in no position to talk, given my own sorry state right now. I guess we’re even.

Just kill me.

“Here we have Nia-chan, swimsuit version!!! A cross-top with a bikini bottom! And as a bonus, wearing it is actually more ero—cough, cough!!! It’s said to make her even more charming, you know? It’s a pareo, presented by Nonomi-chan! Yeeeah!!!!!”

Just kill me.

Nia, who had smoke practically billowing from her head, probably felt the same way, judging by her expression.

Here, by this tranquil lake, cut off from the outside world, the scene before me now was, in many ways, a dazzling spectacle—the very picture of a vacation…

And yet, the current time was the middle of October.

It was autumn, not summer, but it seems the virtual world truly is a world of dreams.

---

Feel free to imagine the colors as their personal colors.

Little Sister <<< Little Cat < Indigo Girl < Citrus Fruit.

If it becomes a quintet of beauties, that one will be in the center.