“Oww...”
I went back to the umbrella to take a break, cradling my stinging face in my hand. Iris’s spike was really something. The noise it made when it hit my face sounded more like a bowling ball than a volleyball.
“Welcome back, Sir Namidare,” said Suzuran, welcoming me with a cold can of soda from the cooler.
“Thanks, Suzuran.”
“You’re welcome.”
I sat down on the mat and held the cold can against my face.
“Oh... you’re back, Rekka?” Rosalind sat up on the mat.
“Yeah, I’m a little tired.”
“From the look of your forehead, that’s not the only reason.”
“Yeah, well...”
I guess it left a mark. It really was a hell of a hit.
“I see. Well, while you’re here, Rekka, can you put suntan lotion on my back?”
“Huh?”
What was this vampire saying?!
“The sun doesn’t bother me, but I do get a nasty burn,” Rosalind said, handing me a bottle of lotion.
Huh? She wanted me to put this on her? In other words, she wanted me to touch her?
“No, no, no! Just ask Suzuran to do it! And if you don’t want a tan, wear a swimsuit that covers more skin like Tetra did!”
I started to panic as I tried to back away from her.
“Oh? What’s this? You can touch the other girls, but you can’t touch me?”
“No, that’s not what I meant...”
But without so much as another word, Rosalind took the liberty of laying herself across my thigh. She didn’t have any obvious protrusions like Iris did, but the way she was pressing into me was incredible.
“Now give up,” she said as she undid the top of her bikini and exposed her back.
If I move... that top is going to come off, isn’t it?
Just when it seemed like I was doomed, Suzuran plucked the bottle from my hand.
“That’s going too far, Mistress. Sir Namidare, please leave this to me.”
“Thanks.”
Suzuran... I’m so glad you’re here.
But then Rosalind cleared her throat in a deliberate manner.
“Come to think of it, Suzuran, you’re rather pale, too. If you go out into the sun like that, you’ll turn bright red. Why don’t you have Rekka put some suntan lotion on you, as well?”
Suzuran’s hand froze just as she opened the bottle.
“...Suzuran?”
“I’m terribly sorry, Sir Namidare. The strength seems to have drained from my hands,” Suzuran said in an unconvincing voice. She closed the bottle tightly. “I’ll have to ask you to do it after all. And then please do me, as well, if you don’t mind.”
“Hey! I just saw you close the bottle, didn’t I? Why the sudden betrayal?”
Suzuran ignored my protest and laid herself across my other leg. Now they had my legs pinned down, and I couldn’t move!
“Now get to work.”
“Yes, please begin, Sir Namidare.”
Rosalind was on one leg. Suzuran was on the other. The suntan lotion was in my hand. And there was nowhere to run.
▽
Afterwards, we all ate the lunch Tetra and Satsuki had prepared for us. But lucky me was forced to eat something Tsumiki made (a “creative” dish, she called it) and got to explore the boundary between the quick and the dead. Beach edition.
“It’s even more poisonous than last time...” I heard Satsuki lament.
“The parts she helped me make were okay, but...” Tetra said.
“Waaah! I just wanted to try making one dish on my own!” Tsumiki wailed in tears.
After some pretty nasty convulsions, Satsuki and Harissa’s healing spells brought me back.
“Ugh... I think I was just looking down on my own body,” I said.
“You were pretty close to leaving us forever, huh?”
R wasn’t joking. I’d been that close to death.
“...Um, sorry,” Tsumiki said, looking down apologetically.
Well, at this point, I was almost used to it. I just laughed and waved my hand dismissively.
“Don’t let it bother you. Thankfully, I was the only one who ate any. But next time, don’t try and sneak it in like that. The shock wasn’t good for my heart.”
“I know that. I guess it’s too soon for me to start making lunches for you, huh?”
Tsumiki started stuffing the dishes Satsuki and Tetra had made into her mouth. It was like she was trying to eat away her problems.
“This is so good... I’m so jealous...” she said sadly between bites.
By the time we were done eating, everybody was a little bit tired. I didn’t feel like going swimming right away, but I wanted to at least get some light exercise, so I decided to take a little stroll down the beach.
The sound of sand crunching beneath my feet. The sound of the waves. The cool, salty breeze. The hot sun. I hadn’t had a chance to relax like this for a while. It felt so good that I couldn’t help smiling to myself. There was nobody around, and it was nice and quiet...
“Rekka, what are you smirking at? Stop walking out here all by yourself and get back to the girls. Go see if maybe somebody’s swimsuit falls off.”
Let me take that back. I had my own personal nuisance right there with me.
“I’m not smirking. And why would somebody’s swimsuit fall off?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t know. Girls’ swimsuits get blown off by the waves, or they get pulled off when they trip and get caught on a branch. It happens all the time.”
“I’ve heard swimsuits these days don’t come off as easy as they used to.”
“Would you prefer to see one of them changing then? Let’s go accidentally sneak inside the changing room right now.”
“How do you accidentally sneak inside something?!”
“Knowing the girls here today, I think half of them would probably forgive you.”
“That’s imposs...”
That was impossible. Right? I mean, really... There was no way...
“Rekka?”
“Yes! I’m sorry!”
“Huh? What are you apologizing for?”
“Oh, it’s you, Iris. No, it’s nothing.”
There was no way I could tell her what I was just thinking about.
“Wh-What’s up? Where’s everybody else?”
“They’re still over by the umbrella.”
“Hmm... I see.”
“Yeah. Everybody’s stopping each other from leaving, so I pretended to go for a swim and followed after you underwater.”
“Huh? Why underwater?”
And why was everybody stopping each other from leaving? No, more importantly, Iris had been in the water, which meant that she was soaking wet from head to toe. Her swimsuit was clinging to her skin, making her amazing proportions even more obvious than ever...
“Erotic, huh?”
That’s right! But please don’t say it! It’ll be really bad for me!
“Come on, let’s go over there by those rocks!”
“Oh, sure...”
I agreed and let her drag me along just to avoid having to look at her any more than I had to.
The beach was pretty empty to begin with, but there were even fewer people over by the rocks. They blocked off our view of the rest of the beach, and vice versa. Once in a secluded spot, Iris spun around towards me.
“Rekka, are you having fun?”
“Yeah. It feels like I get to enjoy summer ahead of everybody else.”
“I see. I’m glad to hear that.” Iris smiled and looked relieved.
She was always energetic, so to see her acting a bit more reserved like this was kind of nice.
“I’m so happy you’re having fun, Rekka.”
“I mean, e-everybody’s having fun, right? This place is great.”
“Hmph... Don’t talk about anyone else right now!”
Iris puffed out her cheeks as she got a little closer to me. When her b
ig silver eyes looked into mine, it suddenly dawned on me that we really were alone. There wasn’t anyone else around.
“L-Let’s head back.”
“Wimp.”
Say what you want, R. I don’t care.
I started to leave, but Iris grabbed me by the hand.
“...Wait,” Iris said in a hushed, weak voice.
I felt like I didn’t have a choice but to turn back around.
“...What?” I asked, my voice unintentionally stiff.
“If you don’t mind, can you give me... a reward?”
“A reward...?”
“Yeah...”
What was I supposed to do? Iris looked really cute. The contrast between this timid girl and her normal, easygoing self was so stark that I felt like I was really getting to see something special.
Wait, what did she mean by “a reward”?
Iris was staring at me silently, her cheeks slightly red. Both of us froze for a moment, but then Iris started stretched up onto her tiptoes, slowly closing the distance between our faces. They were about to touch...
“...go...!”
Huh?
“Iris, did you just hear something?”
“Huh?” Iris blinked and looked around. “No one else is here.”
“But I thought I heard a girl scream just now.”
The two of us quietly moved further down towards the rocks and saw a woman arguing with two nasty-looking men.
“A lover’s quarrel? No... it doesn’t look like it.”
“They might be slavers. This is Berano, after all.”
I was curious about what Iris said, but I had to focus on what was happening in front of me right now.
“Do you think they have any weapons?”
“I don’t think they’re carrying anything I can’t handle. Even if they are, I can take care of both of them easily at this distance.”
“Then I’ll distract them. You take them out.”
“Okay.”
I parted ways with Iris, sneaking around the rocks to get into the water. I swam over to where they were fighting and started to make as much noise as I could in the surf.
“Hey! What are you doing over there?!” I yelled.
All three of them suddenly turned towards me in surprise.
“Hiyaaah!”
When I had their attention, Iris leaped out from behind the rocks and flattened both of the men in an instant.
“Ow! Damn it!”
“We’ll get you for this!”
“Sorry, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Iris stuck her tongue out at the men as they ran away.
I swam back to shore and regrouped with her. We then both went to see if the woman was safe.
“I thought I saw them grab you by the arm. Are you okay?”
“Y-Yes, I’m all right.”
The woman said her name was Marle. The voice I’d heard was probably her shouting, “Let me go!” Anyway, I was just glad she was safe. But then I heard another voice, this time calling out from the sea.
“Marle! What are you doing over there?!”
We turned around to see a young girl with pink hair swimming towards the beach. She must’ve been a... friend... of hers...?
“I-Iris, am I going crazy? Her bottom half looks like it’s a fish.”
“Sorta. She’s a mermaid.
“A mermaid?”
“Yup. Berano is a merfolk planet.”
This was news to me. My mouth had fallen open, and I was too stunned to close it.
Chapter 1: An Invitation to Ryugu Palace
“Rekka, Iris, thank you so much for saving Marle.”
The girl bowing deeply to us in gratitude turned out to be none other than the princess of this very planet. In other words, a mermaid princess. She introduced herself as Rain. Marle, the girl we’d saved, was one of her servants. She had normal human legs when I’d saved her, so I couldn’t tell, but she was apparently a mermaid, too. They told me that mermaids could change their tails into pairs of legs whenever they wanted.
“Jeez, you just vanished all of a sudden! I was so worried!”
“I’m so sorry, Princess Rain.”
“I’m just glad you’re all right,” Rain said with a smile as she pulled Marle in tight for a hug.
Since all merfolk were beautiful, including the two girls before us, their species was a popular target for slavers. That helped me make sense out of what Iris had said earlier.
“I must thank the two of you properly. Might I invite you and the rest of your party to Ryugu Palace?”
“Huh? Ryugu Palace? Really?!”
Iris seemed to get really excited at hearing that name.
“Yes, of course.”
“Hooray! I’ve always wanted to stay there for a night!”
“Hey, Iris, what’s Ryugu Palace?” I asked, feeling a little left out.
“Well, I told you that planet Berano is a resort planet, right? The beautiful beaches are one reason, of course, but the real reason is the resort town under the sea.”
“Under the sea?!” I yelled in astonishment and looked towards the water. The waves were softly crashing against the shore, but there was no way for me to see what was below the surface.
“Yeah. On the ocean floor, there’s a resort town where pretty merfolk run inns and things. The most famous of them all is Ryugu Palace. The whole town is named after it. They call it Ryugu Palace City.”
“Huh...”
So basically Ryugu Place was a luxury hotel at a resort that was staffed with mermaids who would see to our every need... Space really is something.
“The turtlebus to Ryugu Palace will be stopping at the D-1 beach in 30 minutes, so please board it then. We’ll go on ahead and get your rooms ready. I’ll send a guide to the gate, so feel free to take your time when you get there.”
Rain and Marle bowed to me one more time, then disappeared beneath the waves. Iris and I went back to the beach umbrella where we were promptly met with a barrage of questions about where we’d been. It took some time to explain the situation, but then we all took a short warp to beach D-1.
“This is the turtlebus?” whispered Satsuki.
“It’s alive, isn’t it?” whispered Hibiki in turn.
Just as the girls observed, the turtlebus was literally a giant turtle. We climbed up the stairs attached to its shell and went inside. To our surprise, the inside of the shell was empty except for seats for people to use. There were even windows. And the water on Berano was so clear, I got to see all kinds of beautiful fish I’d never seen before on the way to town.
“Look, Tetra! That red fish is so cute!” squealed Tsumiki in excitement.
“You’re right. And that clear one is... a jellyfish?” asked Tetra.
“You don’t think it’s a sea angel? It’s awfully big, though. Wah! That octopus thing’s got like 50 arms! Think of all the takoyaki you could make with that thing!”
“If we get one, I’d be willing to find out. That is, as long as your only job is to put the sauce on them.”
“...Sometimes you’re really harsh, Tetra.”
“It’s out of love.”
Tsumiki and Tetra, the Nozomiya duo, spent most of the trip staring out the window of the turtlebus and chatting away happily. All the other girls were doing the same, except for Rosalind, who looked miserable.
“Ugh... This reminds me of sinking into the sea.”
“Mistress, I have some seasickness medication here.”
“That won’t help!”
Oh, right... Rosalind didn’t like the ocean. But she didn’t seem to like strong sunlight either, so why’d she want to come to a planet like this anyway? I remembered her saying something about not letting the other girls get the drop on her...
“Poor little Rosalind looks like she’s about to cry, doesn’t she?” R said. She’d switched back into her usual military outfit. The only time she’d wear a swimsuit, she said, was when everyone else was.
After a bit mor
e time in the turtle, we reached the ocean floor and the entrance to Ryugu Palace City.
“You know, I probably should’ve asked this before now, but is there oxygen and stuff down here?” I asked.
“Of course. The whole town’s in a translucent dome that can withstand the water pressure, and there are machines that produce oxygen, so you can breathe just like you normally would on land. The tourists wouldn’t feel safe otherwise,” Iris explained.
“I guess that makes sense. But, man, space technology must really be amazing if it can make something like this.”
“I guess so. Berano’s sovereign planet, Estashion, is a major technological hub like Finerita is. It looks like they offered a lot of training and support to advance Berano’s transformation into a resort.”
“Huh. Estashion must be a nice place if they’re so helpful,” I said.
“I dunno if it was all out of the goodness of their hearts.” Iris gave me a vague nod, but she had a weird look on her face.
“Actually, Iris, your family’s pretty important, right? How come you’ve never stayed at Ryugu Palace?”
“I asked Daddy if I could a bunch of times, but he always said that we didn’t need to stay somewhere so expensive.”
“Yeah, I could see him saying that.”
“He’s pretty set in his ways.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I said as I smiled and shrugged.
“Please make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. You and your belongings will be scanned at the gate,” an announcement reminded us as we got off the bus.
The gate we came to reminded me of a security checkpoint at an airport. The scans were very short, and we only stood outside for a minute or so before a guide from Ryugu Palace came to get us.
“Rekka Namidare, Iris Fineritas Cyphercall, and their party?” she asked.
“Y-Yes.”
“Princess Rain has informed me of the situation. Please come this way.”
We all followed after the woman. Walking around, I got a good look at the place. Ryugu Palace City was an elegant, pretty town punctuated by canals. And it seemed they weren’t just for the merfolk to get around in. There plenty of small gondolas that the merfolk rowed about town for the benefit of the tourists. There were also shops and stalls for tourists, both on land and in the canal.
I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse: Volume 5 Page 3
