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☆☆ Alexandra’s Point of View☆☆
COME afternoon, I visited a lake managed by Bragioga with my friends. The lake—located in a forest—was larger than expected. The forest stretched out on the eastern and opposite sides of the lake. However, I couldn’t see the end of the lake on the western side.
“Whoa, there are a lot of people here,” I said.
“Right?” Lauris responded. “Nothing like going for a swim on a hot day.”
People were swimming in an enclosed area of the lake. Rather than a seaside resort, this was something of a lakeside resort. Several tents were on the shore where people could change. Julietta had reserved one tent for the boys and another for the girls. As such, we all decided to change in our respective tents.
The boys finished changing before us. As soon as we left our tent, all of them gasped. We girls were wearing rash guards and tight shorts. That said, the shorts came a little above our knees. The other women at the lake wore one-piece, linen dresses that covered their calves. Generally speaking, it was inappropriate for women to show skin in this world. However, the skirts of those linen dresses clung to your legs when you got into the water, which made swimming difficult. Likewise, the skirts puffed up when filled with air, exposing your legs underwater. Embarrassing, right? Thus, I’d made these outfits before coming here.
I’m always happy when knowledge from my previous life comes in handy, I thought. At the same time…
“Is this a little too exciting for the boys?” I asked.
The boys were as still as statues, their faces bright red. At first, the girls had been embarrassed to wear these outfits. Yet after putting them on, comfort had won out over shame. As for me, I hadn’t felt the slightest bit embarrassed. I’d worn bikinis in my previous life, after all.
“Y-Y-You’re showing too much skin!” Lauris stammered.
“Really?” I asked. “A little skin never hurt anyone, right?”
“It’s hurt a lot more than you know!” Rosario exclaimed, unable to take his eyes off Cia.
Without speaking, Oreste approached Cita and wrapped her in a bear hug. “I can’t let other men see you like this.”
However, Cita had a counterattack ready. “You don’t think it looks nice on me?”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant.”
She’s keeping you on the back foot there, Oreste.
“Well then, you do think it looks nice on me?” Cita asked, continuing her assault.
“Yeah,” Oreste mumbled. “You look adorable.”
Cita giggled. “Glad to hear it. Just so you know, this outfit is really easy to move around in. I won’t trip underwater and don’t have to worry about my legs getting exposed. We’ll be able to enjoy ourselves without any reservation.”
Oreste grinned. Cita had won this round.
Rosario spoke up next, his face still beet red. “At the very least, could you please find something to cover your legs while you’re on shore?”
“All right, how about this?” I asked.
When I snapped my fingers, a sarong wrapped around each girl’s waist.
“Wow, this is so cute,” Cia mumbled in astonishment.
Cita and Julietta spun around delightedly as well. As I reveled in everyone’s cuteness, Lauris spoke to me in a low voice. “Wrap one of those around yourself, too.”
“Ugh, why?” I complained. “It’s such a pain in the butt.”
I would just have to take it off when I got in the water. Plus, I didn’t find this sort of outfit the least bit embarrassing.
“I’ll tell Embert,” Lauris said with a smirk.
My eyes darted around the area. Embert tended to appear at precisely these sorts of moments. Realizing this, Lauris glanced around anxiously as well. However, we found no sign of Embert.
“Phew, he’s not here,” I said.
At that moment, someone’s chuckling reached my ears. “Is Prince Embert your greatest weakness or something?” a familiar voice asked.
Giusto had arrived with his guards in tow. He strolled up to us in a shirt free of any ornamentations. Clearly, he had every intention of going for a swim.
“I wrapped up work as fast as I possibly could today,” he said.
We’d invited Giusto to join us for this outing, just as he and I had discussed in the greenhouse. Originally, we’d planned to come together, but Giusto had arrived late due to some important work.
“You came at the perfect time,” I said with a laugh.
Thus, we got into the lake along with Giusto. At first, the water being colder than the ocean surprised me. However, I quickly got used to the temperature after submerging myself. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the other girls squealing with delight in the shallows. Meanwhile, Oreste, Lauris, and I donned serious expressions.
“On your mark…” Rosario began, Squishy resting on his shoulder. “Get set… Go!”
The three of us swam at once. After touching the fence that designated the end of the swimming area, we turned around. None of us were allowed to use magic for this serious competition. A fierce battle unfolded between us, but in the end, Lauris won by a narrow margin.
“Victory!” he exclaimed.
“Damn it,” Oreste swore.
“Ugh, I was so close,” I complained.
Giusto swam up to me as I seethed with frustration. “That was incredible,” he said. “You came so close to winning even against men.”
“It’s better not to treat Ally like a lady, Your Highness,” Oreste said. “After all, I’ve never beaten her in a martial arts contest.”
Giusto’s lapis lazuli eyes widened with surprise as he regarded me.
Whoa, you’re gonna burn a hole in my face if you stare at me that hard.
Around the time three holes had been burned into my face, Giusto grinned at me from ear to ear.