Lilia-san and Sieg-san were the next to emerge onto the sand.
Lilia-san’s swimsuit was a simple white bikini that suited her excellent figure perfectly. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty in a white bikini—it felt like the very definition of a classic, orthodox look.
What caught my eye even more, however, was her hairstyle. Lilia-san had her long hair gathered into a large braid at the nape of her neck, which looked incredibly charming.
"This... this is even more embarrassing than I imagined. Does it look strange?"
"Not at all. The swimsuit is great, of course, but that hairstyle really suits you too."
"Th-thank you very much."
Lilia-san looked lovely with her shy expression, and seeing her show so much skin was almost dazzling.
"I’m quite jealous of Lili; she has such a wonderful figure."
"Sieg-san, your swimsuit looks great on you too. You’re so tall and slender that you look truly beautiful in it."
"I’m glad to hear you say that. Thank you."
Sieg-san wore a light-green one-piece that was a bit on the revealing side... I think they called it a monokini. On someone as slender as Sieg-san, a one-piece style looked dignified and cool.
As I was admiring them, I spotted Anima running toward us, looking a bit flustered.
"I am terribly sorry to have kept you waiting! I struggled quite a bit with this unfamiliar attire..."
"Don't worry about it. Besides, that swimsuit has a unique design, but it’s really cute and suits you well."
"Thank you... Um, well, because I have a tail..."
"Ah, that makes sense."
Anima’s swimsuit featured a standard bikini top, but the bottom was a pair of brown and white striped hot pants.
I see—since she needed an opening for her tail, a swimsuit with very little fabric would be difficult to manage. Still, I thought this look was adorable in its own way.
That made seven out of eight. Only Alice was left. Despite her usual persona, Alice was actually quite shy and rarely wore anything revealing.
Back during the mixed bathing at the Six Kings Festival, she had been the one to bolster her defenses to the absolute limit whenever an event like this occurred.
...She wouldn't actually show up in a kigurumi, would she? Even for Alice, I didn't think she'd go that far, but...
"S-sorry to keep you waiting."
"Whoa?! Since when were you—wait, what?"
"W-what is it?"
"No, I mean... is that even a swimsuit?"
Alice had appeared out of nowhere. As expected, she was dressed in a way that minimized skin exposure as much as possible.
She wore an orange and red checkered... swimsuit? Or rather, a tank top and a skirt, with a hooded parka thrown over the top.
"Technically, it's called a tankini. Honestly, Alice-chan is really bad with this kind of thing. I'm doing my best here, believe it or not..."
"I-I see... Well, you usually wear dark colors, so those bright tones actually look great on you. Yeah, it's cute."
"Auh..."
"And your hair... wait, did you cut it?"
Alice had removed her usual mask, revealing her true face. She looked quite embarrassed, likely because of that. More surprisingly, her hair—which should have been quite long—was now a semi-short cut, slightly shorter than Kuro’s.
"Ah, it was getting in the way, so I shortened it. I didn't actually cut it, though; I just used magic to change the length."
"Heh. You look quite different, but it feels strangely right. It’s hard to describe, but it really suits you."
"Well, it was this length a long time ago. If you count the total time, I’ve actually spent much longer with this hairstyle than with long hair."
I nodded at Alice’s explanation. Just then, Kuro and Shiro-san returned. The tense air between them had vanished, so it seemed their fight was over.
With everyone finally gathered, it was time to split into our pairs. But before that, I had one thing I needed to confirm.
"I'd like to say let's get right to it, but what should we do about lunch? I have various things ready in my Magic Box, and Laguna-san said she could arrange for chefs if we need them..."
It was already past 10:00 AM, so it would be lunchtime after we played for a bit. I wanted to hear everyone’s thoughts. I had ingredients, simple tools, and even food from various stalls stored away.
"In that case, I shall—"
"Whoops, hold it right there!"
"—Mu?"
Alice cut off Shiro-san before she could finish.
"It’s a bit dull to have Shallow Vernal-sama just create the food out of thin air. Since we’re on vacation, let’s have a Barbecue! I’ve already gotten permission from Laguna-san."
"Oh, that sounds great! It sounds like fun!"
Kuro smiled and agreed immediately. A Barbecue under the clear blue sky did sound like fun, and it would be the perfect way for everyone to eat together.
Still, she had already cleared it with Laguna-san... her preparation was as thorough as ever.
After checking with the others, everyone seemed to be in favor, so we officially settled on a Barbecue for lunch.
"Then, for the ingredients—"
"Whoops, hold it right there again!"
"—Mumu?"
Shiro-san tried to speak again, but Alice cut her off a second time. Shiro-san looked a bit miffed.
"I, Alice-chan, have already prepared the ingredients!"
"Wait, you? Are you feeling okay? Do you have a fever or something?"
"Hey, Kaito-san?!"
It was shocking to hear that Alice had handled the food herself. It was very unlike her; usually, she’d be the first to try and make Shiro-san foot the bill for everything.
As I stared at her suspiciously, Alice cleared her throat and gave Shiro-san a defiant grin.
"Well, she upstaged me a bit at the housewarming party, so I figured I’d return the favor. Just leave lunch to me today!"
"U-uh, sure. If you’re okay with it, Alice, we'll count on you."
"Got it! I’ve prepared the absolute best ingredients, so you can count on me."
Alice’s cooking was world-class, so I knew we were in good hands. Shiro-san seemed a little pouted, but since Alice had put in the effort, I decided to go with her plan.
Though... that look of absolute confidence on Alice’s face... she didn’t joke around when it came to food, so I didn't think she'd serve anything weird, but...
Serious-senpai: "Impossible... Alice is providing the food?! I smell a plot afoot..."
Machina: "...She made me make it."
Serious-senpai: "...Ah. So Alice’s wallet didn’t suffer at all..."
Bonus: Depressed Machina-chan ②
Alice-chan: "There, there, Machina. Look, it's pudding~"
Machina-chan: "Alice, you're making fun of me, aren't you? You think you can just cheer me up by feeding me something sweet... it’s cruel... Comfort me more properly... This pudding is delicious."
Alice-chan: "You're totally eating it. And it's working... fine, how about a hug? Come on, jump right in."
Machina-chan: "Your comforting is so half-hearted. So lazy."
Alice-chan: "You shouldn't say that while settling into my arms without a moment's hesitation."
Machina-chan: "Pet my head too."
Alice-chan: "You're so needy... There, there."
Machina-chan: "Ehehe."
Alice-chan: "She's already fine. She's the same as always..."