18以下岁禁止1000部x

Chapter 275 This One Simple Trick Will Make Every Seabound Vacation a Journey to Remember

The knight addressed us while we stood in the lobby of a fancy-looking inn. One of the governor’s servants had not only shown us to it, but also handled all the logistics behind our lodging.

“Already, ma’am?” asked Thello.

“Of course.” Carlotta nodded. “Rest is as important a duty as any other, and being on the road is stressful.” She looked between the two drivers. “Nazulle, Thello, I’m sure that the two of you deserve a nice, long break. Besides, not all of us normally get to see each other as often as we would like.”

The meaningful grin she put on as she gazed at Nell and I quickly spread to all the other paladins.

“In that case, commander, I’d be glad to go ahead and start resting right up,” said Thello, with a chuckle.

“Same here. I’m going to go kick back and relax.” said Nazulle.

It wasn’t long before all the other knights excused themselves and retreated to their own rooms, leaving Nell and I as the only two remaining. They… really went out of their ways to make that as god damned obvious as they could.

I smiled wryly, while Nell watched them go with a huge blush spread all over her face. She had even shouted “Geez, you didn’t all have to get in on the joke!” at their backs as they went.

“Anything in particular you want to do?” I asked.

“Uhm… I don’t think so.”

“Alright, then let’s head out and have some fun.”

“Sure, but where?”

Where? More like where else. There’s only one place to go if you’re half a step away from the ocean: the beach, of course!

***

One of the things I always end up thinking when I’m around Yuki is that he’s a really big idiot. And this time, he’s really gone ahead and proven it.

“Hmmm… not bad… not bad at all.”

Geez, Yuki, you really need to knock that off… It’s really embarrassing. He nodded in satisfaction as he looked me up and down. And though I could feel my cheeks burning, I chose to return his gaze.

“I put it on because you were insisting, and it doesn’t look like there’s anyone else here, but…” I glanced at the two tiny pieces of clothing covering my chest and waist. “This is just underwear, isn’t it?”

The man in my life had taken me to a deserted beach, handed me two pieces of underwear, made of a slightly thicker cloth than the usual, and asked me to put them on. The design was cute, and I was very happy that he’d prepared a gift for me, but it showed so much skin that I couldn’t help but feel on edge. I had only agreed because both my enemy detection skill and the instincts that I’d honed as a hero told me that we were all alone.

“Nah, it’s not underwear. It’s a swimsuit,” he insisted. “This is the kinda thing you’ve gotta wear if you’re planning on taking a dip.”

“Aren’t swimsuits supposed to look more… normal? This one doesn’t cover much of anything…”

I’d seen sailors in swimsuits on several occasions. And while I didn’t have any detailed memories of them, I was certain that they weren’t anything like the swimsuit he’d given me. The clothes that the girls in town were wearing were already thin and revealing, but this was even worse. My entire body practically lay exposed.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “It looks super good on you. Hell, any guy that spots you will probably end up with his eyes glued right to you. Though I’mma probably have to gouge out said guy’s eyes if that does happen.”

“Please don’t.” I smiled, awkwardly.

He wasn’t wearing much either, besides what was likely a swimsuit of his own, a pair of shorts made of a similar type of fabric. His body was perfectly to my taste. He was well toned; his abs were well defined enough for it to be obvious that he was every bit as manly as he should be, but he wasn’t so muscular that his body was completely lacking in elegance.

“W-what the hell are you doing!?” He stammered.

“Huh?” For a moment, I looked up at him, confused, only to then realize that I’d unconsciously began poking his abs with my index finger. “O-oh, sorry. I didn’t realize I was touching you.”

I retracted the digit as I appreciated—and began to miss—how nice it’d felt to touch him.

“Wait… there isn’t even anything wrong with me touching you!” I said. “We’re married, which means your abs are mine!”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how that works!” he declared in confusion.

He had an argument, but so did I. I kept trying to persuade him, this time, with more confidence.

“But you always tell Lyuu and Lefi that their ears and horns are yours. By that logic, I should own your abs. It makes perfect sense!”

“Perfect sense? More like perfect nonsense! I mean, sure, I say dumb shit like that from time to time, but that doesn’t meaaghh!?”

He squealed a rare but cute squeal as I began to touch the sides of his stomach.

“Sit still and let me touch them!” I said.

“Ahahaha! Stop! Stooopppp! Hahahaha!” He pushed himself off the ground despite being short of breath and darted off.

“Wait! Come back!” I started running after him, giggling all the while.

And as I did, I felt a gentle warmth work its way through my heart.