Gasper reflexively looked up—only to see a certain individual who made her unable to resist "getting a piece of the action" every night walk in from outside.
"Gasper, are you... uh?"
Bokue peered inside. Their four eyes met. The air abruptly stilled.
Gulp...
The blonde vampire girl's brain instantly crashed.
"Y-you... how could you just come in like that??"
The blonde vampire girl immediately panicked. Crimson light flared in her eyes as the Evil Eye of stopping the world activated instantly.
But it proved completely useless.
Even the highest-ranked Sacred Gears couldn't overcome quantitative gaps. Time-stop effects became completely ineffective at Satan-class and above—no conscious resistance even required.
She couldn't even stop Nagisa, let alone Bokue.
Gasper could only frantically grab all her clothes from beside her, clutching them before her, then quickly lie down in the cardboard box and slam the lid shut, making not a single sound afterward.
She practically needed a sign reading "The occupant is dead, burn paper for correspondence."
"Ah, sorry sorry. Because Rias and Koneko said you've been avoiding them lately, I was worried knocking would alert you, so I just came in without knocking."
Though apologizing verbally, Bokue didn't exit the room. Instead, he walked right in, approaching the tightly closed cardboard box before crouching down beside it and gently poking it.
"So what's going on? Rias and Koneko both say you've been avoiding them recently. Did you have a fight?"
"..."
No response whatsoever.
Gasper seemed determined to play dead, holding her breath tightly inside the box—preventing Bokue from hearing any sound from within even while crouching right outside.
But as the saying goes, even people pretending to sleep can be awakened—it's just a matter of sufficient force.
After brief consideration, Bokue changed topics.
"By the way, here's a little secret—that time you fainted outside the bathroom during summer vacation? I was the one who brought you back."
"!"
His words barely finished before the box finally showed reaction.
A dull "thunk" sounded—like someone bumping their head—followed by the blonde vampire girl's stammering voice.
"L-lies! Nagisa-san told me she brought me back!"
"Mm~ well, saying it that way isn't wrong."
Bokue shrugged.
"She did bring you back—I was just there with Kuroka too. In fact, I was the one who helped clean you up."
"!"
"Oh right, one more thing I should mention."
Ignoring the commotion from inside the box, Bokue continued.
"Next time you want to join in during nighttime baths, Gasper, you should either come in directly or at least switch to a more waterproof box. Several times now, after I've finished, I've fished you out from the hallway outside and you were practically soaking inside—the box bottom was completely leaking."
"Though Rias and the others still haven't noticed yet, they'll catch on eventually if this continues."
"..."
The vampire girl inside the box fell silent again.
But for Bokue—whose goal was simply prying open her mouth—this was already sufficient.
"Mm, right right. Anyway, let's get back to business."
The young man crouched outside the cardboard box, clearing his throat lightly.
"Tomorrow and the day after, everyone's going to the artificial island seaside resort I just built yesterday. Tonight we need to buy swimsuits first. We'll pick one up for you too, Gasper. Just wanted to ask what style you prefer."
"C-can I not go?"
The vampire girl inside the box asked cautiously.
"That's probably not possible."
Bokue shook his head regretfully.
"Koneko's been avoided by you all this time—she'll definitely use this chance to drag you along. Same goes for Rias and the others. So you can't escape. Give up struggling."
"Nnh... th-then I want a girl's style..."
"Two-piece swimsuit?"
"Black one-piece! A school swimsuit is fine!"
The small vampire girl clearly didn't realize that solid-colored one-piece swimsuits often showed off body lines even more than flashy two-piece designs.
Time turned, and after dinner had passed.
According to their earlier agreement, tonight Bokue and the others needed to prepare everything for tomorrow's beach vacation in advance—swimsuits, swim trunks, and such. If anyone couldn't swim, they'd need floaties and similar items too.
However, as Itogami Island's largest commercial center, all these things could be purchased at the mall inside Keystone Gate.
But since autumn had already arrived recently, seasonally speaking, they'd long passed the peak period for buying swimwear.
So when Bokue and his large group finished dinner and descended en masse to the shopping center, they saw the clothing section's dedicated swimwear and swimming equipment area was completely empty—not a single person in sight.
Even a "30% OFF" promotional sign stood at the area's entrance.
"Alright then, everyone can start selecting your swimsuits~"
Serafall waved her hand with a smile, summoning them like some shopping tour guide.
"And remember, after trying them on, don't rush to take them off—make sure to let our Bokue-kun conduct his appraisal and evaluation first!"
"Hmph... what's there to evaluate? The winner will obviously be me in the end~"
Kuroka—linking the young man's arm beside him—narrowed her eyes, covering her mouth with her kimono sleeve while flicking her cat ears dismissively.
Having followed Bokue for so many years, she understood his preferences inside and out.
Clothing was never about wearing less to be sexier—otherwise the world's sexiest outfit would be no outfit at all.
Simply put, true sexiness required that half-hidden, half-revealed feeling—holding the pipa half-covering one's face.
That's why Kuroka always maintained that "exposed shoulders and sliding fabric" look at home. Her kimono was never properly worn, constantly kept in a loose, about-to-fall state.
At home, there was no need to worry about others seeing anyway. Plus it was convenient for starting a match anytime.
"Well, if it's a competition, bring it on."
Ultimately, competitiveness occupied the high ground. The cat-eared girl gave a light hum before releasing the young man's arm.
"Then Bokue, just wait here a bit. Big sister will go change and be right back~"
Finishing her words, Kuroka turned directly toward the "Adult Swimwear Section," making a beeline for it.
'Though dismissive verbally, she's actually quite competitive...'
Rias—who'd observed the entire exchange—thought to herself.
Then she turned toward Akeno, Mio, and the others beside her, issuing commands.
"Alright, let's start selecting our swimsuits too. As members of the Gremory household, we can't easily concede defeat!"
"Of course not, President~"
Himejima Akeno smiled while supporting her face with one hand.
Beside her, Mio cupped her chest with both hands, seeming somewhat worried.
"Mm... I wonder if they have sizes that fit me. If the size is too small and constricting, it might really hurt..."
"How infuriating! Mio-sama speaks such extravagant words so casually—I wish I could learn magic to shrink chests and make Mio-sama's even smaller than Maria's!"
"You might as well say cut them off completely..."
"Eek~ how mean! Maria does have a little bit—they're not that small!"
With one person leading the charge, the rest became easier to mobilize.
Soon after Kuroka declared the competition's opening, everyone else joined in succession.
The entire swimwear section suddenly bustled with activity.
Forcibly appointed as judge, Bokue found a nearby prominent long sofa to sit on, pulling out his phone to send Saeko a message.
[Saeko-senpai, are you free tomorrow and the day after? I recently created a new resort island. Tomorrow's the weekend—I'm planning to bring everyone there. We'll probably return Sunday afternoon.]
Message sent one second...
Message sent two seconds...
Message sent three seconds...
[Sure, what time tomorrow?]
[Morning departure. I'll come pick you up then.]
Bokue thought briefly before following up with another message.
[By the way, do you have a swimsuit? If not, I'm at the shopping center now—I can pick one up for you directly.]
[Swimsuit... I actually don't have one. Please bring me something.]
[OK, what style?]
[Two-piece, color-wise black or purple-black is fine. Preferably with lace...]
Mm, purple-black lace—quite a mature style. And it feels strangely familiar somehow.
That's right—just like those decisive victory lingerie she'd worn at the dorm that time. That had been the most intense session Bokue had ever put Saeko through.
[Got it. I'll bring it when I pick you up tomorrow.]
Didn't even need to ask about size—Bokue agreed immediately.
Just as the young man finished his text exchange and was about to put away his phone, a silver-white graceful figure carrying pleasant fragrance sat down on the sofa beside him.
Hm?
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~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
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