落とし穴番外：夏の海へと (Part1)
**Pitfall Side Story: To the Summer Sea**
**To the Summer Sea**
**Side: Yuki**
*Swoosh, swoosh.*
The pleasant sound of waves rolling in and receding reached my ears. A white sandy beach, an expansive blue ocean, and the sun shining down with dazzling intensity.
"The ocean!"
Yes, I had just arrived at this deep blue sea.
The summer ocean. It is the quintessential staple of summer vacation. However, that blissful time known as "summer vacation" is a far-off utopia for adults bound hand and foot by the shackles of work.
"And yet, you enjoy it to the fullest every single year, don't you?"
"Well, I work hard every day, so I think I’ve earned it."
"I suppose that’s true."
"Honestly, living in another world isn't easy. I’ll say it as many times as it takes: being a working adult is tough in any world."
Taiki and I found ourselves slipping into a conversation about reality, even here at the beach. It’s true—even if you come to another world and use cheat powers to become overpowered, you still have to work to put food on the table. That is the harsh, undeniable truth of this world. In fact, the stronger you are, the more ridiculous trouble seems to pile up on your doorstep...
"..." "..."
We both let out a sigh, instinctively sharing the burden and sorrow of our own lives.
"Taiki-sama, Yuki-sama, why are you both sighing?"
I turned around at the voice to see Airi, Taiki’s wife, dressed in a white one-piece swimsuit, looking at us with a hint of concern.
"Oh, it’s just... I thought for a second that I was finally on break, but then I remembered the mountain of work still waiting for me."
"Yeah. Once you start thinking about the work left behind, it’s hard to stop."
"You two work too much. Today, just forget about all that and let’s have a proper good time."
Thanks to Airi’s smiling encouragement, my energy began to return. That’s right. We came here to enjoy our vacation.
"Besides, Yuki-sama, you have the major event of seeing Stasia-sama in a swimsuit for the first time. You need to pull yourself together."
"I know, I know."
As Airi mentioned, when we came to the beach last time, Kagura, Mikos, and Enora were there, but Stasia was not. Well, back then, she was strictly in her role as a General and a Princess. There was no way she would have been wearing a swimsuit that exposed her skin for no reason.
"But I’m surprised Stasia-san is even wearing a swimsuit, or even came to play at the beach at all. I had the image that she’d be the type to say that such frivolous play is unacceptable."
"She’s not actually that rigid. Well, she was still hung up on the incident with her younger sister, Aju, back then, so you’re right—it definitely wouldn’t have happened."
"Exactly. When you think back to those days, this is a huge deal."
Because Stasia lost her sister Aju, she was known as the "Iron-Faced Woman." No, she was literally a woman who wore an iron mask. It is indeed strange that the Iron-Wall General is now here to enjoy the ocean in a swimsuit.
"But ever since she came to Weed, Stasia has been eating cake, wearing nice clothes, and playing with everyone. Though, it seems she’s still a bit bewildered by it all."
"I’m sure she is. She’s been nothing but work her whole life. Actually, most royalty are either extremely hedonistic or workaholics, aren't they?"
"Ah, I know that feeling well. Princess Carly is all work, and that old man Blade just runs away from his duties. They’re both so extreme."
"I suppose if you’re somewhere in the middle, you’re just seen as having no presence or being mediocre, right?"
"Ah, that might be it."
"Haha. Our former kings of Ranks were quite something, weren't they?"
"Airi. That was an extreme case even by those standards."
"True."
Ranks was certainly extreme in the worst way. But that wasn't just the fault of the kings themselves. According to Kagetora, the people around them were far too consumed by their own greed. You couldn't blame a child raised in that environment; the fault lay with the people around them who never taught them right from wrong.
As we were busy discussing royal theory on a summer beach—by some strange twist of fate—we were interrupted.
"I thought you two rushed off to the beach, but here you are, talking about such serious, trivial nonsense."
I turned to see Seraria, wearing a bright red bikini and standing tall. She still had a figure that made it impossible to believe she was a mother.
"No, look. Stasia has loosened up a bit since coming here, but back in the day, she wouldn't have done anything like this, right?"
"Of course not. Her sister had been killed, after all. There’s no way she would have thought about playing around and having a good time."
"Well, that’s true. But considering that, it makes this swimsuit appearance all the more unbelievable."
"Indeed. Well, I suppose it just goes to show how peaceful things have become."
"Haa~. Why are two Japanese men who value peace above all else both questioning this peaceful situation?"
"Because we understand from the start just how difficult it is to enjoy and maintain peace."
"Yes, yes. Then use that peace to play and enjoy yourself with us. More than anything, you are the proof of Stasia’s peace."
"That’s right."
"Ah, I know."
"So, since Seraria is here, does that mean Stasia is here too?"
"Yes. But she’s a bit shy, just like Samantha, so you should go and fetch her."
Seraria pointed toward the cottage as she spoke. I see. She’s usually so quick to act, but the reason she hadn't shown her face yet must be that.
"Got it. I’ll go get her. Taiki, you guys go ahead and play. This might take a while."
"Understood."
"Yes, Yuki-sama. Do your best."
"That’s right. You have to give love equally, you know. I’ll be relaxing under the beach umbrella."
Sent off to the cottage with a "have a good time," I couldn't help but wonder why they were so shy about a swimsuit... but since getting married, I’ve realized that women are delicate creatures, so I made sure never to say anything so careless out loud. They are easily hurt. Men are delicate too, of course, but the areas in which we are hurt are just different. If there were a man who would be hurt by a comment about a swimsuit, he’d probably be more like a woman.
That said, I could never bring myself to wear a pair of speedos.
While thinking about such trivial things, I arrived at the cottage, knocked properly, and opened the door.
*Silence...*
There was no reaction. The cottage was kept cool with air conditioning throughout, but the total lack of response felt a bit like a horror movie.
"Just kidding."
I could safely say there wouldn't be any horror while playing at this beach. After all, that useless goddess was supposed to be playing with us too. If we were to anger her, we knew full well the beach trip would end in a lecture and being locked out. If we were going to do a test of courage, that was reserved for the night, and that useless goddess wouldn't do anything irregular in that regard.
In that case, she just wasn't near the entrance yet. This cottage was designed with high-spec features for emergencies. Even if we were noisy, it was designed so that sound wouldn't leak outside unnecessarily. That’s what you call resort-style.