Ten days after hearing about the swimming trip from Laguna-san, we
arrived at the beach in Hydra Kingdom, where all my lovers had been
invited and their schedules had been arranged.
With Shiro-san going to the Human realm, the God realm was engulfed
in an uproar… Especially Chronois-san and Life-san, who insisted on
following us, but Shiro-san seemed to have convinced them, as the Gods
settled down when they were arranged to stand guard on the beach,
making sure no one else got near, along with the people from Hydra
Kingdom that Laguna-san had prepared.
The kingdom that invited us had prepared a horse-drawn carriage to
the beach, which was a few kilometers away from the kingdom… but
the security was so secure that it looked like a war was about to break
out.
Thanks to this, the beach and the kilometer area surrounding it were
completely reserved for us, which means the world-famous Shiro-san
and Kuro would be able to enjoy without worrying about our
surroundings.
When we arrived at the site, we got out of the carriage and met upon a
magnificent sight, just as Laguna-san had confidently recommended.
The crystal clear ocean blue and the white sandy beach that I have only
seen in movies. The facilities for swimming, built in a calculated way so
as not to spoil the scenery, made me exclaim in amazement.
Thereupon, we would change our clothes and go to the beach… is what
I would like to say, but there was something that needed to be done
first. Yes, It was about Fate-san's suggestion about grouping.
As I was thinking about this, as if she was thinking the same thing, Kuro,
who had been told about this by Alice, clapped her hands with a
cheerful expression on her face.
[Yes, attention, everyone~~ We've certainly arrived safely at the beach,
and I'm sure you've all heard about Fate-san and Kaito-san's proposal,
but I'll explain it in detail.]
I can rely on Kuro to take charge at times like this. If it were up to me,
I'd be in a panic about how to explain things, so I really appreciate her
help.
[Well, to put it simply, since we can't all act together all the time, we'll
make four "pairs" and each group would hang around each other. Ahh,
of course, we'll play together if we can, but this is when we aren't
together. Meanwhile, Kaito-kun will be free to go around to each pair
and play with them.]
Yes, the method Fate-san suggested was to divide my eight lovers into
pairs and have them hang out together as a team… And being the only
one not grouped with anyone, I'm going to play around with one team
after another.
This way, the people who hadn't had a chance to talk before could
deepen their friendship, and I could play with everyone in order
without being biased.
[Well, it doesn't necessarily mean that everyone should only hang
around in pairs, as we can also hang out and play together with other
pairs. So, the most important thing now is to decide on the pairs… and
thus, I asked Kaito-kun to draw lots to determine who gets paired up
with who. Ahh, I'm sure everyone knows this, but you can't use
Probability Manipulation, okay?]
And as for the important part of the pairing, Fate-san suggested that I
draw lots to decide the pairings.
Thanks to Shiro-san's blessing, I have a large amount of luck in my
favor. So, if I draw lots while thinking "I want people that don't normally
interact with each other to get to know each other", I think I would
naturally draw out good pairings.
[Well, as I said before, it's just an element to add to the fun. Don't get
too hung up on it, and just try to get along with the person you're
paired with. Anyone have any questions?… Unnn, then, Kaito-kun, the
floor is yours~~]
[Roger that.]
After Kuro's explanation, no one seemed to have any objections. Then,
Kuro held out to me the lottery she had prepared beforehand, and
thinking about what Fate-san had told me that day, I drew the lots.
And thus, the four pairs of the day's swimming… has been decided.
Lying on a cushion floating in midair, Fate-san muttered to herself as
she looked at the person who had become her partner.
[…Ahh, I see, a pattern like this would also happen huh. Come to think
of it, we haven't really talked that much, have we?]
[…Unnn… I'm in your care… Fate.]
Fate had expected that she would be paired with Lilia, Sieglinde or
Anima, but she ended up being paired up with Isis.
However, thinking about it again, it is true that there is not much
contact between Fate and Isis, and even though they have known each
other for a long time, they haven't had many conversations.
[Unnn, I'm also in your care~~ However, even if it's said that we would
play together, what should we do? I don't really know much about
playing in the ocean…]
[…Errr… How about we… search for… beautiful seashells?]
[Eh? What's that, does doing that have some sort of meaning?]
[…I- I'm sorry.]
[Ah, no, I'm just lying, okay! Lying! I'm just kidding!!! Please don't look
like you're about to cry!]
Fate couldn't help but retort back, but immediately afterwards, but
seeing Isis clearly feeling down, she began to follow up in a panic.
[Errr, Death King… No, I'll call you Ai-chan, okay!? That sounds great, a
seashell hunt sounds like fun! Ai-chan, let's see who can find a better
seashell!]
[…Ahh… Unnn!]
[…This is troubling. This girl might be harder to deal with than God of
Time and Space… However, since I've already said this myself, I can't
just tell her that I found this troublesome. Ahh, hang in there, me…]
Their personalities were contrasting, but Fate having the willingness to
get along and the fact that she had no problem with Isis' magic power of
death made them a good pair.
[Ahaha, Isis-san is so pure that she might be a difficult partner for
uncooperative people like me and Fate-san… Well, I can't really laugh
much at others either…]
Alice laughed upon seeing the pairing of Fate and Isis, but then, she let
out a small sigh as she turned her gaze to her partner.
Thereupon, her partner gave her a neat salute.
[Alice-dono! I'm looking forward to hanging out with you today! I'm
inexperienced with playing around like this, so I may cause you some
trouble, but I appreciate your guidance and encouragement!!!]
[…This would be quite exhausting. If I mess around with her too much,
Kaito-san will definitely get very angry at me later…]
Yes, Alice's partner is Anima. And as Alice already knows, Anima holds
respect close to admiration for Alice, and even now, she's looking at her
with sparkling eyes.
In addition, Kaito has repeatedly told her not to destroy Anima's dream,
so she can't play around as usual.
[U- Unnn… Well, I'm in your care.]
[Yes!]
Letting out a sigh in a way Anima wouldn't be able to see, Alice felt that,
just like Fate, she would have a hard time today.
While the two pairings were a little confused by the unusual
combination, a certain pairing calmly greeted each other.
[Come to think of it, it's the first time we could calmly talk with each
other like this, isn't it, Sieg-chan?]
[Yes. I'm in your care, Underworld King-sama.]
[You don't have to be so formal, you can just call me Kuromu. We're just
here to have fun.]
[I understand. Well then, I'll call you Kuromu-sama.]
[Unnn! Let's have fun today~~]
Kuromueina and Sieglinde may not have had many opportunities to
talk, but because of Kuromueina's sociable personality, the two
peacefully smiled.
After having a short conversation like that, moving her gaze while her
expression changed a bit, Kuromueina asked Sieglinde.
[…By the way, Sieg-chan. Do you mind if I ask you something?]
[…Yes, what is it?]
Moving her gaze to the same direction Kuromueina was looking at, a
complicated expression appeared on Sieglinde's face… before it turned
into a sympathizing one.
On the end of the pair's gaze… was the final pair.
[…Why is it that Lilia-chan always gets the hardest part? Is she actually
under some unknown curse that I can't even notice?]
[…That's also something I just couldn't figure out… For some reason,
she's just like a black hole that seems to always pull all hardships
towards her.]
Yes, if Fate and Isis, Alice and Anima, and Sieglinde and Kuromueina are
paired together… The final pair would inevitably be…
[I'm in your care.]
[Y- Yesh!? I- I- I- I'm awso in youw cayw…]
The pair of "Shallow Vernal and Lilia". While Shallow Vernal
nonchalantly greeted her, Lilia looked pale as she responded, clearly
overwhelmed and on the verge of fainting.
The pairings hanging out together at the beach
Fate & Isis Pair… Fate's growth is put to the test.
Alice & Anima Pair… She's so adored by Anima that Alice couldn't joke
around with her.
Kuro & Sieg Pair… The safest team, they'll probably play well together.
Shiro & Lilia Pair… The troubled person, who just as usual, absorbed
the troubles for herself. In a way, the noble lady is just as usual.