Chapter 144: Not Good at Swimming
On a distant sandy beach, Jeanne Alter, wearing a sun-protective jacket, was sitting under a parasol cooling off with the other girls.
She gently tugged at her collar, sneaking a glance at the black bikini she wore underneath the jacket.
Just as Eikou had mentioned, the Dragon Witch did indeed bring a swimsuit.
However, after seeing that the other girls didn't bring theirs, that strange, hard-to-explain pride within her flared up—and by the time she could say anything, it was already too late. Since the others didn't bring one, while she did, it would make her seem like she had quietly but eagerly prepared for this... and she didn't want to give off that impression.
'Haizz… If I'd known Tomoe Gozen was wearing a swimsuit too, I would've just admitted it without hesitation.'
Jeanne Alter thought gloomily.
Click, click.
Just then, from the other side of the lounge chair, Jeanne White was holding a camera, carefully adjusting the angle and zoom. Her slender fingers kept pressing the shutter, snapping so rapidly it almost looked like sparks might fly.
At first, Jeanne Alter didn't pay much attention, but the longer Jeanne White went on, the more absorbed and delighted she looked while taking pictures.
Finally, Jeanne Alter couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer and snatched the camera right out of Jeanne White's hands.
"You gorilla, what the hell are you doing?"
Jeanne Alter shot her a glance and began checking the photos in the camera.
"I—I was just taking landscape photos..." Jeanne White blushed, frantically trying to grab the camera back. "Give it back, you're invading someone's privacy..."
"Compared to saying I'm invading your privacy..."
Jeanne Alter flipped through all the pictures in her album.
What filled the screen were countless shots of Eikou wearing beach shorts.
Why the hell is it all him?!
"More like you're the one who's violated every inch of his privacy already, you damn boy-crazy pervert! You were secretly photographing a man?!"
"I just wanted to keep these photos to use later..." Jeanne White said shyly.
"What do you mean, use them for what?!" Jeanne Alter shouted, face turning red.
"Don't make me say it, even I'd be too embarrassed..." Jeanne White covered her face, "I just wanted to keep them as mementos—to enrich the display collection of our Eikou Club..."
"..."
That… wasn't the kind of reason people would normally think of, but come to think of it, her answer somehow managed to exceed expectations entirely.
Whenever it involved Eikou, her usual graceful and gentle demeanor completely vanished—she instantly turned into an uncontrollable little brother-obsessed maniac.
Wait, he's not even her brother...
...Dangerous. She almost got dragged into that lunatic's pace!
"To be safe, I should just delete all these pictures!"
As Jeanne Alter said that, she immediately selected all the photos and pressed delete.
"Nooooo————"
Jeanne White's anguished scream echoed across the beach.
...
Meanwhile, the boys had finished their warm-up exercises.
They dashed across the soft sand, cold river water slowly rising to their ankles. Soon after, they climbed onto one of the tall rocks beside the river and began raising their arms, preparing to jump in.
A fresh breeze swept across the water's surface—warm yet powerful—making even the blazing sunlight feel unexpectedly pleasant.
"You jump, I jump!"
They all took a deep breath.
"Three, two..."
"One!"
Everyone leaped up at the same time, pushing off from the oyster-covered rock, striking their most "handsome" poses as they dove headfirst into the water.
Splash!
Several boys hit the water at once, sending up magnificent plumes of spray!
Right after, the Round Table Knights and the Twelve Paladins quickly resurfaced.
"Gentlemen, I just thought of where we should go for this summer vacation!"
Tristan was the first to pop up. He flicked his soaked red hair dramatically, looking as though he had achieved enlightenment.
"This semester, we must first work hard and save money. Aside from the pairing plan, we can ride motorcycles to the ocean for diving! Diving is the true romance of men!"
"Oh, like that diving manga?" Roland said, "You know, the one where they drink flammable oolong tea and run around naked?"
"? What do those acts have to do with diving manga?" Tristan looked puzzled. "Sir Eikou, what do you think… huh, where's Sir Eikou?"
Everyone's eyes turned toward the nearby water—where bubbles were rising to the surface.
"Eikou!"
The water was shallow, yet he still hadn't surfaced—so Eikou couldn't swim?!
Gawain reacted instantly, reaching down into the water to pull Eikou—who was about to sink—back up.
"You okay?" they all asked anxiously.
"Cough…"
Eikou, drenched like a soaked chicken, coughed for a long while before speaking: "I'm fine… I just drank a bit too much water."
"Didn't expect you couldn't swim—that's gonna be a problem..."
Tristan frowned. Thinking about their future beach trips, if Eikou wasn't good at swimming, it would be awkward.
And this was with Protection of the Lake activated—if it hadn't been, the outcome might've been even worse.
[You discovered that you're not good at swimming.]
[To fix this weakness, you must either raise the level of Protection of the Lake, or improve your personal technique.]
"You can't stay like this," Charlemagne warned seriously. "When we go to the sea later, everyone will be swimming while you're the only one wearing a floatie—that won't look cool at all."
"Yeah, what if you start drowning, and then a bunch of suspicious married women find you and fight each other to give you mouth-to-mouth?" Tristan said in an utterly serious tone.
"What kind of delusion is that..."
Eikou coughed lightly, calming down after the panic.
"It's fine, I was just caught off guard earlier. I'll adjust a bit and be fine."
"Don't 'adjust' this time," Gawain said with senior-like composure. "If you're not good in the water, don't swim here. There are no lifeguards, so if something happens, it'll be dangerous."
"Alright… fine..."
"It's okay. Just rest for a bit—later we'll teach you how to swim. As long as we're watching over you, you'll be perfectly safe." Gawain reassured him with a pat on the shoulder.
And so, Eikou decided to comply.
[You quickly go ashore with them, breathe and rest for a moment.]
[You glance past Tomoe Gozen, who is warming up before entering the water, seemingly planning to swim alone.]
[And the boys are preparing to begin a special swimming training session for you.]
...