I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 97: The Best Way to Spend a Holiday is Relaxing at a Hotel (5)

When I finished getting ready and stepped out of the changing room, Raven and David were standing near the entrance.

Judging by how they were blankly staring off into the distance, they were probably waiting for us to come out.

Neither of them seemed particularly interested in swimwear, both wearing simple trunks you could find anywhere. The kind of style you’d see at any beach or pool at least once.

Still, both were tall and had noticeably well-toned physiques. Maybe that’s why they gave off a vibe that was a bit too striking to pass for ordinary. Honestly, they looked pretty cool.

“Alice! We’re here!”

“Ah, you’re finally out. What took you so long? We’ve been waiting forever.”

“Haha... sorry for making you wait.”

“Ugh, fine. As long as you know you’re at fault. Let’s just get moving already. This place is so noisy it’s giving me a headache.”

Alice approached with a wave, awkwardly scratching her neck as Raven scolded her.

Honestly, we’d been late because we got caught up chatting and checking out each other’s swimsuits. There was no real excuse.

But, come on, who could resist? Everyone’s swimwear had its own unique charm. And once you start exchanging comments, time just flies by.

Still, maybe because Alice genuinely looked apologetic instead of brushing it off, Raven begrudgingly accepted her apology with a scratch of his head.

Alice, nodding as if she understood, suddenly seemed to remember something. She yanked down the zipper of her hoodie and asked with an innocent smile:

“Oh, Raven! How do you like my swimsuit? Isn’t it cute? I bought it when I went out with Yuria last time!”

“Uh, yeah. It’s... cute. It suits you.”

“What? What’s with that reaction? Do guys not like it? Hey, why are you looking away?”

Sway. The movement of Alice pulling off her hoodie caused her char bomba to jiggle momentarily.

The sheer visual impact must have been overwhelming, as Raven averted his gaze like his life depended on it.

To be fair, Alice usually kept that hidden under her thick, stiff kimono-like outfits. For someone like Raven, who didn’t see her as a woman at all, it was clearly too much to handle.

It felt like the reaction of an older brother seeing his usually carefree little sister in a revealing outfit for the first time. Honestly, maintaining his composure in front of a guy-killer like Alice was nothing short of admirable.

‘Well... not like anything’s going to happen if I leave it alone, but I feel bad for Raven.’

Exchanging a glance with Sabrina, I walked over to Alice and grabbed her hand. My right hand and Sabrina’s left hand each took hold, effectively sealing Alice’s movements.

Perhaps resigned to her fate, Alice allowed us to lead her toward the pool.

Personally, I didn’t mind the idea of Alice and Raven becoming closer someday. They made a great pair in the original story, after all. But now wasn’t the time. That could wait until more romantic flags were raised.

Alice tilted her head in confusion at our sudden hand-holding and pulling. But maybe she interpreted it as us being eager to swim, because she broke into a small, adorable smile and matched our pace.

“You’re that excited to swim, huh? Hehe, alright, let’s hurry!”

“Y-yeah, let’s go.”

“...”

I gave a small nod and glanced back over my shoulder.

There stood Raven, letting out a long sigh as if he’d just seen something he couldn’t unsee.

Hmm, so they really don’t see each other as anything more than friends right now. Was I worrying for nothing?

But as I looked around, a question suddenly came to mind.

Wait... Reyne was right behind us earlier. Where did she go?

“...Don’t look.”

“Gah! My eyes!”

From somewhere nearby came the very familiar scream of a man in distress.

Ah, jealousy. Of course. That’s just how it is with her. It’s pure love, after all.

Leaving behind the sound of David’s lamentable misfortune, we headed toward the pool filled with sparkling water.

At last, the long-awaited fun in the water was about to begin.

*

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The Saint Maria Hotel, famous for being so popular it’s hard to even make a reservation. Naturally, its massive swimming facility, Aqua Marina, was equally crowded with people coming and going.

And with so many people around, there were inevitably a lot of eyes wandering in our direction.

Maybe that’s why I, who usually preferred to cover up my skin, felt a bit self-conscious in my swimsuit.

‘Well... considering who I’m next to, no one’s going to care about me in a mask anyway.’

But perhaps thanks to Alice, who was like a black hole pulling in all the attention, the initial embarrassment started to fade. Before long, I was back to my usual self.

“Whoa, Yuria, why is your skin so pale? Seeing it in bright light, it’s like mochi. Completely baby-soft skin!”

“...!”

“Ah, Sabrina, don’t you think so too? Sometimes when I’m hugging Yuria, I get the sudden urge to nibble on her ears!”

“...!!”

Alice, what on earth are you saying? Are you telling me you want to eat me right now?

Stunned by her horrifying words, I instinctively moved further away from her.

She quickly tried to defend herself, saying she didn’t actually want to eat me, just that she wanted to put my ears in her mouth.

But that’s the same thing! It’s not like she’s joking around here either!

Of course, no matter how much I struggled with my weak body, there was no escaping Alice.

She caught me in no time, pulling me ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) into a tight hug. Feeling the dizzying sensation of bare skin against bare skin, I had no choice but to promise her I wouldn’t run away again.

“Uh, ahem. Anyway, let’s start with some warm-ups first. If someone who doesn’t exercise regularly suddenly jumps in the water, they might get into trouble.”

“Yes!”

“....”

If we’re talking about someone who doesn’t exercise regularly... she’s clearly aiming that at me.

Alice was practically a superhuman, capable of folding an average person in half without breaking a sweat.

And Sabrina, despite her young age, had the physical ability of a full-grown adult. It’s like ordinary people like me don’t even stand a chance.

Still, surprisingly, I was pretty flexible despite not exercising much. Taking up warm-up poses wasn’t a problem at all.

Somehow, my joints moved like they were brand new. With this level of flexibility, I could probably take up ballet.

As I stretched from head to toe, Alice suddenly seemed to realize something. She turned to me with a curious expression.

“Oh, Yuria. Isn’t it hard to swim with that mask on? Breathing and stuff—it seems like it’d be a huge hassle.”

“Ah, right. I was wondering about that too. Yuria, is it okay for you to... you know, show your face?”

“...?”

I understood what they were worried about.

Swimming while wearing a mask did seem inconvenient, and they knew what I looked like under it. Showing my face here, in such a crowded place, might feel awkward for them.

Honestly, the mask could attract even more attention than Alice’s... assets.

‘But there’s no need for all that. I’m just going to swim with the mask on.’

The two of them were making a big mistake.

They thought wearing the mask while swimming would be uncomfortable.

But this wasn’t just any ordinary mask—it was an artifact shaped like one.

It stayed securely in place without any straps unless it got hit with excessive force. It didn’t make me sweat, didn’t obstruct my breathing, and didn’t block my vision.

There were times I even forgot I was wearing it. It also had the added feature of not interfering with breathing underwater. I’d tested it out, so I knew for sure.

“...!”

“Ah! Yuria!”

But how could I explain all that?

So, to provide the best answer, I simply dove into the pool.

Cool water enveloped my body, and I floated up slowly. Then, I popped my head out of the water, confidently showing that everything was perfectly fine.

“You scared me for a second.... Oh, right. Greg said that mask was a gift and an artifact. Then I guess it’s fine.”

“I’m coming in too!”

SPLASH!

Sabrina boldly jumped in after me.

The pool wasn’t deep enough to overwhelm even someone of my height, so she easily surfaced and swam over to me with a bright smile. She’s adorable, really.

Alice, however, didn’t jump in like us. Instead, she gently stepped into the pool, scolding us as she did.

“Hey, don’t just dive in like that. What if you hurt yourselves? Be more careful.”

“Yes, we’ll be careful.”

“....”

“Especially you, Yuria. You’re fragile, so no dangerous stunts, okay?”

Sadly, I couldn’t argue with her.

Compared to others my age, I might seem sturdy, but next to these two, I was like a firefly under the sun.

It was better to just nod and agree for now.

After that, the rest of our group joined us, and we spent time playing in the water.

One particularly memorable moment was Raven sneaking up underwater and grabbing my ankle to pull me under—three times in a row.

By the third time, I was so angry that I forgot my embarrassment and begged Alice for revenge.

We had fun for about three hours, playing around until the high sun dipped into a warm sunset.

After a light rinse in the showers and changing back into our clothes, we walked down the path leading back to the hotel together.

“Ah, that was so much fun. It’s been a while since I’ve gone swimming. I really enjoyed it.”

“You’re such a child. Why do you keep picking on Yuria? Poor thing.”

“...!”

“Well, it’s fun to see her reactions. Pranking the others is boring, but she gets so worked up. How could I stop?”

“You’re awful. What kind of adult acts like that?”

My thoughts exactly!

I trailed behind Raven, smacking his sides with my fists, but my small punches barely seemed to register.

“Alright, let’s rest for a bit, grab dinner, and... maybe stop by to check on Victor’s face.”

“Oh, right. You mentioned meeting him earlier. He’s here for the rare items auction, right? Sounds exciting. It might be fun to check it out.”

Alice and Raven chatted leisurely as we made our way through the connecting corridor and stopped in front of the elevator.

A few steps behind, Sabrina and the others were deep in conversation, arms linked. It seemed like David and Reyne’s relationship had made quite a bit of progress.

As I idly glanced around, my gaze landed on an unfamiliar woman.

At first glance, she seemed like an ordinary beauty. Her being alone was a bit odd, but this was a big place. It wasn’t impossible.

But the moment I noticed the tattoo on her palm, my eyes widened in shock.

The reason was simple—it was the symbol of the Liberation Army, the one that had appeared several times in the original story.

‘...No way, could it really be...?’

A rare items auction, guarded by capable fixers.

The protagonist’s group nearby.

And now traces of the Liberation Army in the vicinity.

Only a fool wouldn’t connect the dots.

This was unmistakably the scent of a brewing incident.