CHAPTER 41: EVEN WITH HUNDREDS OF BIKINI GIRLS AROUND, ALL EYES STAY ON ELISS

«About that whole police thing... is everything finally settled?» Ayane asks Aoshi, visibly worried. «It wasn’t enough for me to be flagged by law enforcement — now you and Eliss too? According to the police we’re basically a pack of criminals, since three out of four of us are registered offenders. And it’s insane that the only one left with a clean record is the one who should be thrown in jail on the spot for possessing material that’s not only illegal, but morally disgusting!» she snaps, shooting a fiery glare at Takuma — currently lying on the sunbed beside hers in swim trunks, right at the edge of the massive indoor water park that just opened in Nagano.

«As far as I know, there’s no law that forbids a free and honest citizen like me from collecting erotic loli-themed visual novels,» Takuma grumbles back, hugging his beach towel with genuine affection — a towel proudly emblazoned with a swimsuit-clad loli striking a teasing pose straight from one of the eroge he’s been playing recently.

«Thankfully, it all seems to have blown over without consequences...» Aoshi murmurs, completely ignoring the argument between Ayane and Takuma.

«It really is insane, though...» Ayane mutters. «That Miori girl never stops surprising me, and it’s even crazier that the police actually took her seriously when she reported you for the murder of Renji Kurotani. You were bedridden after getting hit by a car, and Eliss... come on, no one in their right mind would believe a girl like her managed to kill someone way stronger than she is and erase every trace. Luckily, there’s at least someone with a working brain in that precinct...»

«Y-Yeah...» Aoshi replies with a forced smile — using every ounce of self-control not to stare like a creep at Ayane’s small but graceful body wrapped in a violet one-piece swimsuit perfectly matching her hair.

Yes, her hair — a week ago she tried a new color and ended up with a chaotic mix of mostly violet with hints of blue... and random patches of red and green from older dyes she never fully removed.

Ah... if only things had gone as smoothly as she thinks... Aoshi notes bitterly to himself.

As if Miori’s accusations hadn’t been enough, a security camera recording surfaced — one that showed Renji and Eliss walking hand in hand toward the abandoned industrial area on the night Renji disappeared. It wasn’t definitive proof, sure, but it still put Eliss in a pretty uncomfortable spot, especially considering there was a motive — Miori told the police that the day before, Renji beat me out of jealousy.

But fortunately for us, that police station is packed with men, and for Eliss it was child’s play to sway their minds — forcing them to permanently erase every single piece of evidence against us, then close the case for good. Let’s just hope this time it’s really over...

Still, I can’t bring myself to blame Miori too much — anyone with the slightest sense of civic duty would’ve reported a murder if they thought they’d witnessed one...

Even though it had been three weeks since Miori last came to his house, the sensations she had made Aoshi feel were still painfully fresh in his mind. Her tongue brushing against his neck... her massages growing bolder and bolder... her hard nipples pressing against his back...

Despite the deep hatred he feels for her, some sensations are... difficult — no, practically impossible — to erase.

«Aoshi! Hey, Aoshi!»

His attention snaps back at the sound of Eliss’s excited shouting — she’s climbing up the pool ladder like a literal goddess rising from the water.

She’s wearing a white bikini so tight her breasts spill out from the sides, and the thin strap of her bottoms is practically swallowed between her cheeks. Her body is overly sensual, irresistibly perfect — far beyond normal human standards — and absolutely impossible to ignore, especially now that she’s dripping wet.

Water slides down every curve of her body, tracing the line of her waist, her thighs, her chest. Even soaked, her long hair stays beautifully wavy, cascading down her back in shining, wet strands.Despite the dozens and dozens of girls around her, Eliss instantly monopolizes the attention of everyone within fifty meters. More than a few boyfriends and husbands get smacked by their jealous partners for staring too openly.

«Aoshi, this place... it’s amazing! I’ve never had this much fun in my entire life!» Eliss cheers, overflowing with childish excitement. «I want to come back tomorrow! And the day after that! I want to come here every day for the rest of my life!»

«I-I’m really glad you’re enjoying yourself, Eliss...» Aoshi murmurs, shrinking under the pressure — every man around them is staring at Eliss and, by extension, at him now that she’s standing only a couple steps away.

He can feel it — the crushing weight of all those jealous, hateful stares silently screaming: «How the hell is a bomb like her with a loser like that?»

By now he should be used to it — he’s been hearing that exact sentiment from everyone around him since the day Eliss accidentally fell in love with him.

H-How the hell do the boyfriends of supermodels or famous actresses even manage this? Seriously... anywhere they go, people must be thinking: «Why is a bombshell like that with a guy like him? She’s obviously using him for her career — he must be some big shot in the entertainment world, and she’s a gold-digging slut trying to stay on his good side».

Everyone here is probably thinking the exact same thing about me and Eliss, and it pisses me off so much I can barely stand it. I never imagined dating a girl this beautiful could have downsides...Not that I should call it "dating" anymore — Eliss and I haven’t been a couple for three weeks now! So why the hell do I keep thinking of her that way?! Come on, Aoshi — get your damn head straight!

And honestly, these past weeks she’s really been trying her best not to act like my girlfriend anymore — she doesn’t always succeed, sure, but she’s clearly putting effort into it. And yet... ah, forget it. It’s better if I don’t think about it.

«I didn’t expect you to have never been to a water park before...» Ayane mutters, eyeing Eliss with a puzzled expression.

«Yeah — they never really interested me. But I have to admit I regret not coming sooner. Well, it’s never too late for a first time,» Eliss replies with absolute nonchalance.

Aoshi lets out a long sigh of relief at hearing those words.

Phew... I was scared she’d say something like, «In the world I come from, places like this don’t exist», but it looks like she’s fully integrated by now. I don’t have to worry anymore about her saying or doing something weird in public. Still... Ravessia must be a depressingly boring kingdom if they don’t even have water parks. Guess that explains why Eliss ran away from there in the first place.

Who knows — maybe living among humans is growing on her so much that once her punishment ends, she’ll choose to stay here permanently. Even though only a lunatic would prefer a mediocre life with a mediocre boy and a mediocre job... instead of the luxurious royal life waiting for her back home in her kingdom.

B-But... if I could make her love this world — really love it, like, a lot — if I gave her something she could never have in Elyndra... then maybe she really would stay here. And if she stayed... then our story wouldn’t be one doomed to end before it even begins...

Oh, for fuck’s sake, what am I even thinking? She and I aren’t anything anymore. Period. Actually, we were never anything to begin with — and I don’t feel anything for her, so why the hell should I be worrying about convincing her to stay?

But something unexpected interrupts Aoshi’s usual mental spirals — the ones where he keeps trying to convince himself he doesn’t care about Eliss.

A tall, well-built guy appears behind her.

He looks around thirty, with a solid, toned body, neatly styled black hair, a well-trimmed beard, flashy sunglasses, and muscles that clearly come from years of working out. His black swim trunks are completely dry even though it’s already late afternoon — the classic type who goes to the pool to show off rather than to swim. And even though he’s exactly the kind of guy Ayane usually despises, her eyes slide over his body from behind her sunglasses, quietly taking in those perfectly proportioned muscles that most women would find attractive.

«Dude, if she’s your girlfriend, I expect you to give me some private lessons on how to score like that,» he says with a friendly smile, nodding toward Eliss.

«S-She’s not... actually...» Aoshi mutters, barely getting the words out.

«From the way she talked to you, I would’ve sworn she was,» the guy comments, shifting his gaze toward Takuma. «So she must be your—»

He stops mid-sentence the moment he notices the loli-themed beach towel.

«Nope, okay — she’s definitely not your girlfriend.»

Ayane snickers under her breath.

«Well, since nobody here’s gonna get jealous, how about going on that slide with me?» the guy suggests, pointing at a massive attraction where people go down on inflatable rafts. «You need two people to ride it, and I’m here alone... it’d be a shame to leave without trying it.»

«Tsk...»

An involuntary grimace of annoyance slips from Aoshi’s mouth, and Eliss doesn’t miss it.

What a damn nerve! Aoshi grumbles internally. That show-off still has his swimsuit completely dry, and he comes all the way over here to bother Eliss because, out of more than twenty slides in this place, he suddenly has to go on the only one that requires two people? Yeah, I know exactly what he wants to do with her — and it’s not the slide!Whatever. Luckily, Eliss isn’t the type to get charmed by a couple of well-defined muscles, so there’s no way she’ll—

«Sure, I’d really love to,» Eliss answers with a bright, radiant smile.

W-WHAT?!