In the morning, we were already anchored in the bay on the eastern edge of the island. At Seleria's insistent request, we decided to swim first and then head to the town. And upon the even more insistent request of the girls, we were assigned to the shore to prepare everything needed for their arrival.
"Krito, what's this?" Algo unfolded the bundle carefully handed to me by Seleria the night before.
"Seli said to wear it on the beach..." I raised the clothing option offered to us. "Well, the shorts are a bit short... but maybe the girls are feeling self-conscious about us on the beach, so they wanted to even the odds this way?"
"Haah, well, if they asked us themselves..." Grain removed his uniform and tried on the new outfit. "Hmm, not bad at all, considering how quickly Seleria managed to take my measurements."
Grain posed a bit in front of the mirror before heading towards the exit.
"Tch, he's a mage," Algo said with envy, evaluating the earth mage's muscles. "But damn, why does he look so much stronger than me?"
"Yep, I understand you," I patted my battle companion on the shoulder in a friendly manner.
"Really?" Algo disdainfully assessed my chances. "You know, you, despite your fighting style, quite fit the average description of a mage."
Algo gestured towards the mirror, where we were both reflected. Despite defeating him in battle, I clearly lost in the battle of muscles.
"Now, that was offensive," I snorted, picking up my daggers and heading towards the exit.
"Hey, are you not going to part ways with them even during our leisure time?"
"Who knows what might come in handy. There's some suspicious calm in the town. It was the same before the pirates attacked us for two weeks. Maybe it's not the most peaceful time there right now."
"Are you suggesting we arm ourselves too?" Werner cautiously switched to a whisper.
"Caution never hurts, so I'll hide them nearby."
Once gathered on the beach, we decided to set the right atmosphere. Grain built several loungers, chairs, tables, and other furniture from sand. Having an earth mage in the group turned out to be quite handy. He took care to make sure the furniture had a firm, compacted sand base and a softer layer of sand on top.
I collected some branches on the beach and used them to stretch fabric, creating a canopy that covered the loungers.
Algo decided to try his hand at fishing while Werner started a bonfire. Unfortunately, there were no bites, and after half an hour of unsuccessful attempts, the swordsman returned to us.
"I thought this was a fishing village," he said.
"Well, it is. But there has always been little fish in this bay."
"Nevertheless, the beach is wonderful here," the voice of the red-haired princess echoed from the ship standing near the shore, "and we're done just in time."
We turned to the gangway, and the sight before us was quite inspiring. The princess was almost naked, except for a few pieces of fabric covering the essential parts.
"Umm, what are you wearing?" It was very difficult to tear our gaze away from the two red triangles flashing before our eyes.
"Oh, this?" The girl twirled around, allowing us to appreciate her well-shaped figure from all angles. "I think it's a new trend in swimsuits. The market hasn't seen any significant breakthroughs in a few centuries, so our tailors decided to get creative." She paused and added with a playful smirk, "As you can see, everything is covered, and the fabric doesn't get ruined in water."
"Everything is covered? What exactly? Your outfit seems to be exposing everything it possibly can!" I retorted.
"I knew you'd appreciate it," Seleria coquettishly winked. "But really, would you prefer me to wear those shapeless rags you call swimsuits? They are hot, uncomfortable for swimming, and just downright ugly."
"Well, if it makes her feel more comfortable," Werner replied, shyly averting his gaze.
"Yeah, if that's what she wants," Algo also shied away from the debate.
"Ah, they fell for it already. Alright, since no one objects, you can wear whatever you like," I grinned.
"Well then, good," Seleria smirked, "then there's nothing for the girls to be shy about. Come on out!"
"What? Did you dress all of them the same way too?"
My remark remained unanswered as the girls in their revealing outfits started descending the gangway.
"Wow, what a sight," the guys were already immersed in a blissful trance, admiring the view.
Although most of the girls wore swimsuits more modest than Seleria's, and only Katrina and Ragni could compete with her in that aspect, the view was still quite impressive.
Katrina was the first to descend. She wore a golden swimsuit just as revealing as the red princess's.
"Mmm, Princess Katrina looks good too," Algo observed, rolling his eyes blissfully.
"Mmm, although she may be slightly outshone by Seleria in some areas, she has a more slender figure," Werner thoughtfully stroked his chin.
"Yes, yes, we all know about your preferences," Grain played the role of a great thinker and looked thoughtfully in Asura's direction.
Asura was wearing a light-blue swimsuit with cutouts on the sides, and, of course, she did not part with her katana.
"Hmm, Asura looks good too," I nodded in approval. "Although she's a warrior, her muscles don't diminish her femininity."
"Yahoo!" a joyful cry came from the stern of the ship, and something big and lively jumped into the water, using a long stick as a springboard. Well, it was more like a spear...
"Sister, at least have a little shame!" Miriam's voice appealed to her hyperactive little sister, who was already energetically paddling towards the shore.
"Whoa, this is so much more convenient to swim in, and nothing gets in the way!" Vivien reached the shore in an instant. "Seleria, you were right - the less clothing, the more comfortable it is."
I didn't think anything could be more revealing than the red princess's swimsuit, but her attire consisted of two strips of fabric that went from the lower part of the swimsuit, crossed over her shoulders, and tied in a knot around her neck. Although it was technically a one-piece swimsuit, it was much bolder than other options. Following her, Miriam descended in a swimsuit of a similar dark brown shade but in a much more covered version. The girls on the beach had let their tails loose for the first time, and now they differed only in their outfits and body shapes.
"Hmm, I always noticed that sisters look alike in the face, but now it's even more obvious," Werner evaluated the girls with the gaze of an experienced fighter. "Miriam has less developed muscles and is more flexible because she doesn't engage in open combat, but Viv... a tight core, average biceps, hmmm. She is quite beautiful, despite her rough behavior."
Although we, guys, pretended to have serious discussions, I suspect that from the outside, we looked like blissful idiots. Thank goodness the girls were far away from us, and I hope they didn't hear what we were talking about.
A black dragoness stepped onto the sand. We were still struggling to get used to how much she had grown. She wore a black swimsuit similar to Seleria's outfit, but it was slightly too small for her, which made it look a bit tight. This sight left us speechless. Following her, the trio of horned brothers descended onto the beach in their closed white swimsuits, reminding us of a duck walking with ducklings, which somewhat eased the tension.
Next, a miniature cunning merchant in a yellow closed swimsuit and her hair tied into two ponytails joined us. Seeing us, she decided to use her feminine charms and made the sweetest face she was capable of...
Our reaction was ambiguous.
"I think Vina is waiting for our response," I decided to consult with my comrades before doing anything.
"Well, if you look at it that way, she's a pretty cute girl in comparison to the other outfits," Algo commented, rolling his eyes blissfully.
"But if you don't know what a devil she is on the inside..." Grain cast a doomed look at me.
"We wave and smile, guys, pretend that she made a positive impression on us."
Vina waved back joyfully, and then she gave way to the next cutie with sunny-colored hair, who shyly looked at her husband. The girl wore a modest yellow swimsuit, which differed from fully covered ones only by a small cutout in the front, revealing a bit of cleavage. Judging by her embarrassment, it was the boldest move she could make to draw Algo's attention. However, that was enough, and he was completely immersed in a world of dreams at the sight of his beloved.
"Hmm, looks like we're losing him," I shook my head helplessly.
"Well, what can we do? The sight of his beloved girl overwhelmed him. Besides, her very feminine reaction didn't go unnoticed," Werner nodded firmly.
"Yes, yes, she looks very beautiful, despite having less prominent features and a closed swimsuit," I looked at the other girls. "The same goes for Hilda; with her more prominent features, she looks a bit rough in the same white swimsuit."
Hilda, as always, carried her axe without paying attention to the surroundings. Apparently, the hot summer sun prevented her from assessing the situation properly, and she simply walked smoothly towards the shelter.
"Hmm, I never understood where she gets such strength," Werner squinted slightly. "Now it's clear that Vivien has a more trained body, but at the same time, Hilda can handle such a massive axe effortlessly."
"I've heard their clan is connected to ice spirits, perhaps her body is fueled by their mana," I suggested.
"Well, that's the only plausible explanation, but how does she possess such strength?!" Werner pointed to Rizel and Reines, who were descending together.
The necromancers were wearing very short black swimsuits, with only a couple of strips connecting the top and bottom. The gray dragoness's skin and the snow-white skin of the necromancer accentuated their beauty.
"Mmm, when you think of necromancers, you usually imagine painfully skinny magicians with protruding bones under their skin," I observed the refined figure.
"Yes, when I saw her in her khmm... true form, I expected something bonier," Grain mused, "but she is so slim that she resembles a reed. Very, very beautiful."
Rizel apparently felt our gazes on her and blushed suddenly. The girl hugged her silver staff to her chest, and a shadow from under the ship began to slowly creep up behind her. Reines, noticing the changes around her, slyly winked at Vina standing nearby. The girls quickly coordinated their actions: Vina yanked the staff from the necromancer's hands in one swift motion, and the dragoness pushed her into the water, freeing her from the shadow trap.
In an instant, the powerful necromancer turned into an ordinary girl blushing with embarrassment knee-deep in the water.
"What a cutie," we blissfully smiled, observing the amusing scene, "if the necromancer fan club found out what we saw, they'd be consumed by envy."
"Yeah, a girl doesn't need to have an outstanding figure to be attractive," Grain seemed to be looking at Rizel, but his gaze actually veered slightly aside.
A girl with chestnut hair, a bit older than us, stepped onto the ramp. She was wearing a covered white swimsuit and a massive hat, and of course, she was carrying a basket with supplies that could feed an entire army.
"I'll help the teacher," Grain excused himself and hurried to assist Levris.
"Well, he's not too shy about his preferences," I slyly chuckled.
"But it's not really noticeable that Levris is older than us. It's good that she's our teacher. Now, Rumy..." Werner's voice trailed off.
Following the teacher, the millennia-old warrior descended in a simple swimsuit, without any embellishments. She was completely unfazed by the dark blue metallic parts of her body, shining with a metallic glint. The girl jumped off the deck and began to warm up.