In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 3 Read online

  Well, this place would definitely make a great resort, but where exactly are these ruins? Wait, didn’t Jubei say something about it being at the bottom of the sea? Is that really the case? I better make sure...

  I ran a map search for ‘ruins.’ Instantly, I got one hit.

  Jubei hadn’t been lying, it really was at the sea floor. According to the map, it was about a hundred meters ahead, beneath the waves. I couldn’t see anything at a glance. Guess we’re gonna have to dive.

  “Leen. Do you know any spells that allow people to survive underwater?”

  “I only know magic that lets people walk on water. I recall hearing of a Null spell that allows the user to breathe underwater, but I wasn’t interested, so I forgot its name.”

  Dang it Leen, that’s the most important part... Guess I have to dive in and confirm the existence of the ruins first. If I had a bathing suit, I’d already be changing into it, but this world doesn’t even have those. Going in with just my underwear would be embarrassing, too...

  I walked right to where the sea met the sand, where Elze, Linze, Yae and Yumina were having fun in the shoreline waves. From the way they were splashing about, it was obvious that they were enjoying themselves.

  “The cold water feels so good! Sucks that we didn’t bring our swimsuits. I wanna go for a swim.”

  “...Now wait just a minute. Swimsuits exist?” Elze’s words almost made me freeze in place. I’d always been under the impression that this world didn’t have swimsuits.

  “Hm? I-I think most clothing shops sell them. I even hear that there are different types of swimsuits that are sold depending on the region.” Linze answered my question. Oh, so swimsuits do exist...

  “Well, we’re already on the beach, so we might as well make the most of it.” When it came to clothing, there was no better place for us than Zanac’s shop, so I opened up a [Gate] that connected us to Reflet.

  It had been a while since we last saw Zanac, so our conversation dragged on a bit, right up until he began talking about how he had recently stocked up on swimsuits to keep up with demand for the warmer seasons. It was a case of perfect timing.

  I questioned the existence of swimsuit demand here in Reflet-not-by-the-sea and was told that people often swam in the nearby rivers or the lake about half a day’s walk away from town. I was also informed that some of the more affluent locals even had private pools.

  Since the girls were obviously going to take forever to choose their swimsuits, I told them that I’d pick them up later. I made a quick detour back home. If we were going to have fun in the sun, I’d do my best to make sure nobody was left out.

  “The sea, is it?”

  “Wooow. That sounds wonderful!”

  “Miss Cecile, wot’s the ‘sea’?” My three maids gave their unique reactions to my suggestion. They weren’t against the idea, so I opened another [Gate] and basically shoved Lapis, Cecile, and Renne straight through to Zanac’s shop.

  I then went to the kitchen and did the same to Crea. Her husband, Julio the gardener, was soon to follow suit.

  Leaving the home completely unguarded was a bad idea, though, so Tom and Huck couldn’t come with us. I made a mental note to make it up to them somehow later on.

  Laim said he wouldn’t go swimming, so I took him with me straight to Duke Ortlinde’s house. After all, that was the house of someone who’d get really mad if I neglected to invite them.

  “The seas of Eashen, huh? Sounds great! Let’s go!”

  “Father! He invited me, not you!” Is this country seriously that lacking in important business? Why is a duke of all people so eager to go to the sea? The duke and his daughter were in high spirits. Ellen, Ortlinde’s wife, watched them with a wide smile on her face.

  I was about to open a [Gate] to move the duke’s family and their butler, Leim, to Zanac’s shop, but then Duke Ortlinde said something absurd.

  “Why not invite my brother!”

  “Hohoh, Eashen’s seas, you say? How considerate of my little brother to invite us.”

  “Ooh... it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed the salty sea breeze.”

  “...Don’t you have government affairs to take care of?” As His Majesty and Queen Yuel got themselves excited about the prospect of going to the seaside, I cast a rainy cloud over their parade with my question.

  “I have absolutely no plans for this afternoon. I was actually thinking of inviting Al for a game of shogi. It’s been a while since our last game, you know? So there are no problems in that regard! I’m totally free! Ahahaha!” I couldn’t tell if that was good timing or an ill omen. Either way, their regalia stood out like a sore thumb, so I had them change into something simpler. I was fairly sure that the sight of His Majesty’s magnificent crown would make Zanac pass out and drop to the ground.

  Then I went to General Leon to ask for escorts to make sure the king and his family would be fine. He didn’t hesitate to say that he himself would take the role. Wait, are you for real? You’re the general! You have duties!

  “Heh! There’d be something terribly wrong if I didn’t come with the good old king on his holiday! I’ll have some fun, too!” Boisterous and intense as ever, Leon pounded on my back and further splintered my fragile spine. Damn, that hurts! I tried inviting Charlotte, too. She was receptive, but then promptly shut me down when she learned Leen would be there. The trauma must’ve run deep.

  Once the king and his wife came out in their simplistic, but still expensive clothing, I opened a [Gate] to Zanac’s shop.

  Oh geez, there’s a lot of people here now. Wait... I count two more than there should be. When did Micah and Aer get here...?

  “Hey, it’s been a while. You doing well?”

  “Elze invited us. We couldn’t refuse a chance to go to the sea.” Ah, so it was Elze. Well, it’s not really a big deal. I began sending those who had already bought their swimsuits straight to the beach. It was getting annoying, so I just fixed the [Gate] and kept it open.

  Once I was on the beach, I used [Storage] to retrieve some iron and linen, on which I used [Modeling] to create two simplistic dressing tents.

  The girls got a big one, but us guys would do just fine with a smaller one. Elze quickly walked into the dressing tent and shooed me away. You don’t have to treat me like a dog, you know...

  I went on to make some parasols and beach chairs, followed by a sizable sunshade. Relaxation was paramount during a beach episode, after all. Things would get pretty sour if someone got heatstroke. Last, but not least, I used some rubber to make a few beach balls and swimming rings.

  The more people got their swimsuits from Zanac, the more people came through to the beach. There was quite the crowd by the time everyone was done.

  Myself, Elze, Linze, Yae, Yumina, Leen, Lapis, Cecile, Renne, Crea, Julio, Laim, Duke Ortlinde, Ellen, Sue, Leim, His Majesty the King, Queen Yuel, General Leon, Micah, and Aer. Not counting the two small creatures... We amounted to a grand total of twenty-one. Almost a whole third of us were royalty, too. Though, there were things to be said about men being outnumbered in a similar proportion.

  Alright, with all of us kitted out in our swimsuits... Laim and Leim not included, I guess it’s time to close up the [Gate]... Wait... Crap, I forgot my own!

  I rushed back through and bought a simplistic one-size-fits-all pair of swimming trunks. They were black and weren’t made of nylon or polyester, but the material wasn’t too different from them. It was nicely elastic and even had water-repelling properties. I asked Zanac, and he told me that it was made from the threads of cocoons made by a waterside bug called the ‘Aqua Butterfly.’ Apparently, it was often used for fancy umbrellas.

  I thanked Zanac, went back to the beach, and created a fixed [Gate] leading to the living room of my house back in Belfast. I didn’t really want to bother making a toilet or anything, so that would work just as well.

  Now, for food... it’s gotta be a beachside barbeque. All I had to do was prepare an iron plate and charcoal fire
. We had quite a lot of meat and vegetables in our pantry, after all. Wait, what about drinks...? Ah, I can just magic up some icy containers and cool down some fruity water. Oh, what about... Wait... is it just me, or am I the only one doing any work around here? No, it’s clear as day! Nobody’s even trying to help me out here! Damn you all! I want to have fun, too! Hm...? Wait, why’d we even come to the beach in the first place?

  ◇　◇　◇

  I changed into my swimming trunks, walked out on to the beach, and began doing warm-up exercises. Well, I actually had no idea what kind of exercises I should be doing to prepare for a swim, so I just went with the radio calisthenics I was used to. As I faced the ocean and did my one-two-threes, I suddenly heard someone call out to me.

  “What kind of dance is that?” I turned around to see Elze, who was already in her swimsuit. Linze was standing right behind her.

  The designs of their bikinis were exactly the same, plain with white borders. However, Elze’s was red, while Linze’s was blue. The bottom part was a low-riser that had to be tied on the side.

  Linze was also wearing a long, pastel blue parka. I figured she was shy about her attire. It went without saying that they had beautiful bodies, and honestly, I had trouble figuring out where to fix my gaze. I was quickly able to confirm that the little sister was the one with the bigger breasts, though.

  “It’s not a dance. I’m doing warm-up exercises. Don’t want to just jump in and get an instant foot cramp, you know?”

  “Oh, alright then. Is that how it works? Well, I’ll just go ahead and believe it, I guess.” It’s a fact, damn it! I don’t need you to believe me. I glared at Elze as she lightly turned her wrists and ankles, stretched her leg tendons a bit, spun her waist, and ran straight into the sea.

  “Oh, I see that Elze-dono is already in the water, she is. I shall join her, then.” Yae was already at my side, smiling at what she was seeing. I hadn’t even noticed her approach. She was wearing a light purple bikini that had to be tied at the sides, and a halterneck. A part of me expected her to wear a sarashi and a red bikini, but I decided to never speak a word about that. After all, that would be her usual underwear, and this was a situation for swimwear.

  Oh, now’s my chance to get a better look at them... They’re huge. Whoa... she always binds them up with a sarashi, so the difference between this and her normal appearance is really throwing me off.

  Yae completely ignored my dumbfounded stare and ran into the water.

  “You’re not gonna swim, Linze?”

  “Ah, I-I’m not very good at swimming, so I’ll just rest in the shade...” Linze walked into a nearby area devoid of sunlight. Linze didn’t seem like an especially healthy type of girl. I could only hope that she didn’t get sunstroke or something.

  “Touya!”

  “Oi bruv!” Right on cue, the littler ladies stampeded toward me.

  Both of them were in one piece swimsuits. Sue’s was yellow and had frills all over the chest area, while Renne’s was red with white dots all over and frills around the waist.

  They both looked simply adorable. There was no risk of me getting nervous or shy around those two. Sue was in a swimming ring, while Renne was holding a beach ball.

  “Make sure not to go too far into the sea. Not like it’s deep around here, but still, you should stick close to the others.”

  “I know. We’ll be just fine. Let us go, Renne! Onwards!”

  “Gotcha, Sis!” Sue took Renne’s hand and led her to the water. “Sis,” huh? Well, I’m just glad they’re getting along so well. With Renne being younger, I got the impression that Sue was enjoying being able to play “big sister” with her.

  “They get along soo nicelyyy.”

  “Whoa?!” Cecile’s voice startled me into backing away. I’d have preferred it if she didn’t approach people without giving away even a hint of her presence. Then again, it really showed what her real vocation was. Cecile was wearing an emerald green bikini with a pareo of the same color wrapped around her waist. It was a standard swimsuit, with no suggestive properties to speak of.

  That being said... her breasts were even larger than Yae’s, and I couldn’t help but give them an occasional glance. I always thought they were big, but that chest might even pass “large” territory and go deep into “huge.” Guess this is the true power of maturity that I’ve heard so much about. She’s fully equipped...

  “Lady Sueee, Renneeee! Let me join youuu!” Cecile began running. I keenly observed her movements.

  ...Boing... Boing... Boing... Boing... Say it once, say it twice — it was quite a sight.

  “I wonder if large ones really do float...”

  “Large what?”

  “Hyahh?!” Lapis was standing behind me with a puzzled expression on her face. Again?! Quit hiding your presence, damn it! “What’s supposed to float?”

  “Huh?! W-Well, the swimming ring, of course! I was wondering if it’ll float okay!”

  “...It seems to be floating just fine, sir.”

  “Sure is!” Lapis, who was watching Sue and the others, was clad in a navy blue swimsuit that looked like a combo of a tube top and shorts. For some reason, she was holding a silver tray.

  “What’s that?”

  “Well, there’s work to be done. I was just bringing some drinks to the Ladies and the others.” Lapis looked away and I followed her gaze to see the queen and the duke’s wife reclining on beach chairs beneath a parasol. The table between them had a pair of tropical drinks placed on it, seemingly brought there by Lapis.

  “Lapis... you’re free to relax, you know?”

  “Ah, don’t worry about me. I’m having lots of fun! Cecile and I are switching work shifts now and then.” With a broad smile on her face, Lapis walked through the [Gate] leading to our house. She was truly an exemplary maid. I shouldn’t have expected anything less from a member of the Maid’s Guild.

  Huh...? I heard a loud noise, turned to its source, and saw His Majesty the King divebombing into the water. Th-That doesn’t look safe... Oh, he popped out. Guess that spot must be pretty deep. Duke Ortlinde and General Leon were soon to follow after him. Are they... Are they racing? What the hell are they doing now...? These three grown men are acting like little kids.

  “Touya.” I was staring at the king and his friends, completely weirded out by their frolicking antics, when Yumina called out to me. The cutesy white bikini with frills on the chest piece and waist looked really good on her. She spun around and looked straight at me.

  “Well? Any thoughts?”

  “It looks great on you. You’re adorable.”

  “Eheheh. Thank you very much...” Huh, that praise came pretty naturally... Is it because I still view her as a child? Guess it must be that. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m not getting flustered or shy looking at her body. Guess she just can’t capture my heart as she is now.

  “Touya, shall we go swim together?” Yumina hugged my arm. Uhh... You’re pressing your chest against me... I couldn’t tell if she was doing it on purpose or not. I didn’t realize it before... but she’s showing clear signs of development...

  It’s soft... Oh no, my face is gonna turn red, ack...! Wait, I am getting flustered! “Can’t capture my heart,” my ass! SHE’S CAPTURING IT RIGHT NOW! HELP!

  “I-I have to investigate the ruins, you know. I’ll come with you when I’m done with that.” I slipped out of Yumina’s grasp and made a quick promise. She seemed slightly dissatisfied, but didn’t take too long to agree.

  “Make sure to come play with me when you’re done, okay?” Yumina ran off after Sue with a smile on her face.

  Man, that was close... My mental defenses were crumbling just there. Well, maybe it wasn’t so bad... Or was it, actually? Yumina is cute, after all. There’s no real disputing that... If I was forced to say whether I liked or disliked her, of course I would choose the former. But I don’t know if I can look at her romantically or anything... Alright, what about this... Yumina finds a guy she love
s... and she’s just told me she’s gonna marry him. Wait. No, why would you think about that?! That sucks! I just made myself mad by thinking about something stupid! Ugh... what the hell... Was that jealousy just now? I’m... not really sure. No, no. It can’t be that. Yumina is as dear to me as a little sister, so my fatherly instincts simply don’t like the idea of sending her off with some random guy... right? Right. Surely. Definitely... Probably. I think.

  “Why the pensive expression?”

  “Huh...?” I turned around to see Leen, clad in a black, adult-like bikini with white laces, holding a black parasol.

  If she was so averse to the idea of bathing in the sunlight, she could’ve chosen not to wear a bikini, but calling her out on that seemed like it’d be some kind of inexplicable loss in the grand scheme of things. Also, there were things to be said about a person wearing such a bold, side-tie, low-rise swimsuit while having such a small build.

  I wasn’t going to say anything until I saw the autonomous bear doing warm-up exercises while wearing a red and black border swimsuit straight from the early 20th century.

  “Wait. Paula, you’re actually gonna swim?” She pounded her chest as if to say “Of course I’m gonna swim!” I gave Leen a questioning glance, and the fairy chuckled in response.

  “I didn’t give her my [Protection] for nothing. She’s completely waterproof.”

  Man, [Protection] seems like a great spell. I’ll have to cast it on my smartphone. On the subject of my smartphone, I left it in the changing tent. I wonder if Kohaku’s still resting there.

  “Well, I figure it’s time to go for a swim.” I began making my way to the sea, and Paula wasn’t far behind me. Is she really gonna be okay?

  Paula made it to the shoreline, prepared herself for an amazing run into the water... and was promptly smacked in the face by a wave. She rolled back to the beach. Not one to give up, Paula charged back toward the seas. And, like clockwork, a wave hit her and sent her rolling back to the beach. I had no doubts she’d be trapped in this loop all day.