Chapter 7: Can’t Have a Beach Without Swimsuits! ‘Nuff Said.

Chapter 7:
Can’t Have a Beach Without Swimsuits! ‘Nuff Said.

 

AFTER BREAKFAST, I tidied myself up, put on my swim gear, and decided to head straight to the beach. At times like this, men had it easy—strip, put on the trunks, and you’re done. I also wore a jacket, just in case I got cold later. My handheld terminal was in its pocket, but I’d left my gun behind. I doubted I’d need it at the beach.

“I’m going on ahead!” I called out, going downstairs. “Milo, should we take anything?”

“No, the beach is already perfectly prepared for swimming. Umbrellas, beach chairs, drinks, and sunblock are all available.”

“Nice. Okay, then. I’m off.”

I put on the sandals I’d bought alongside my swim trunks and walked to the beach, which was visible from the living room. I could see beach chairs and umbrellas that hadn’t been there yesterday. When did they put those there?

As I approached the beach, I saw three Maidroids waiting in the shade behind food-preparation stands. They waved at me as I walked up and I waved back. They gave me the sweetest smiles.

Aww, such nice smiles for machines. Though I guess that’s pretty basic for machines in the Empire.

Clearly, the machines had learned to deal with human males well. I assumed the majority of the Empire population was human, as I’d only seen a few aliens. I wondered if other alien races had similar societies and thought I might do some research later.

My torso wasn’t worth a show, so I unceremoniously took my jacket off and left it on a beach chair. The sea breeze felt lovely against my skin. I didn’t want leg cramps, so I did some quick stretches. Stretches were really important before exercising; if it meant less injuries, I was all for a tiny bit of extra effort.

I felt eyes on me and found that the three Maidroids were looking my way. What’s up? They can’t possibly be interested in my muscles. What do they want…? Eh, forget it.

It was a while before the girls emerged from the lodge, wearing their swimsuits.

Hmm… They wore jackets too. Good decision, I’d say. It’s warm now since it’s sunny, but if it gets cloudy, we might get cold. Going in the ocean might make us cold too.

“Sorry for the wait,” Mimi said.

“No prob,” I replied. “It doesn’t take me long to change clothes. Make sure you girls stretch before you swim. I don’t want you drowning.”

“I’m sure those rescue robots waiting in the water will help us if we need it,” Elma said.

“Damn, they’re thorough. Still, drowning is scary. And it hurts.”

“I agree with that. Master Hiro, could you help me with my warm-up stretches?” Mimi was the first to remove her jacket and show off her swimsuit.

“Do you actually need help? Ah, heck with it.”

“Erm, what do you think?” She fidgeted, hands behind her back.

“It’s fantastic.” I shot the nervous Mimi a thumbs-up. Her swimsuit was a very simple white bikini with a black border, and it displayed her chest well. It goes without saying, but the top was enormous, cradling her ample cleavage. Thank you, God. I put my hands together in front of my chest.

“Are you seriously praying?” Elma grumbled to herself.

Come on, now. This is a rare sight! A miraculous bod! I’ll never get tired of her being short with such huge breasts.

“Don’t just look at Mimi! I’m here too!” Elma yanked on my ear and made me look her way.

“Ow, ow, oww—ooh.”

“What? Don’t just ‘ooh’ me.”

“I mean, you look good. You’re slender, toned, and you’ve got a really nice figure.” Elma’s swimsuit was a sporty black bikini. Her chest wasn’t even close to Mimi’s in size. Sad, but true. However, she had a perfect hourglass figure. It was like a work of art.

“Absolutely wonderful.” I said a prayer of thanks for Elma as well, and she slapped me. Why?!

“U-um, what do you think of my swimsuit?” Chris’s timid voice prompted me to turn around.

“Looking cute.” It was my honest opinion. She wore a one-piece suit with frills on the chest and hips. Good thing it wasn’t a school swimsuit or a microbikini. If she wore one of those, I’d feel like a predator.

“D-does it suit me?”

“Yeah, it does. I think it’s cute.”

Her fair, slender legs were especially eye-catching. She was youthful and vibrant, filled with the energy of life. I guess you could say she had the unique charm of a flower yet to bloom. But there was a definite sense of danger, like looking too long would be crossing a line. I’d better not.

“Why are you looking away from me?” she asked.

“I mean, it’s kinda uncomfortable if I stare at you, right? It feels like I’m going over the line.”

“But I don’t mind if you do…” Chris gave me an unbelievably charming smile.

“C’mon, let’s do those stretches. I’ll pair up with Mimi,” Elma said, unknowingly making things ten times worse while I shuddered at Chris’s grin.

“Okay!” Mimi joined her.

“I’m counting on you, Hiro.” Chris smiled again.

“Y-yeah.” I gave her a half-hearted smile and started to help her with her stretches. “You’re really flexible, Chris.”

“Yes, I’m quite proud of my flexibility. Hiro, could you push me from behind?”

“Sure.”

I pushed on her back as she spread her legs to either side, bending forward until she was almost touching the sand. Was this yoga? Mimi and Elma were flexible too, and thanks to Elma bending and folding my body lately, I was getting a little more flexible myself.

“Okay, girls,” I announced. “Looks like our stretches are done. Let’s get to swimming. Mimi, can you swim?”

“No. This is my first time.”

“And Elma?”

“I can swim.”

I nodded to her and looked back to Chris, who answered, “I can swim too.”

“Good. Then I’ll just teach Mimi.”

“That’ll work,” Elma agreed. “But first we should put on some sunblock.”

“Oh, true. Hey!” I waved over a Maidroid, who walked over with a basket in hand.

“Yes. Did you summon me?”

“Milo said you have sunblock. Can we have it?”

“Yes. We also have flotation rings and other toys.”

“Oh, yeah, that sounds good.”

“We will bring you a selection. We have many kinds of sunblock: cream, gel, lotion, and spray.”

“Is there a difference?”

“No. They will all protect you from the sun’s rays. It’s just a matter of taste.”

“Huh.” I took each one and tried them on the back of my hand, testing how they felt. I guess I’d prefer the lotion? It was easy to apply.

Mimi picked the lotion as well, while Elma and Chris went for the cream.

“Let’s lotion each other up, since we can’t reach our own backs,” Elma said.

“Okay. Me and Mimi will pair up, then, since we have the same type.”

“Sure!” Mimi said. “I’d be glad to help you too.”

“Maybe I should’ve picked lotion…” Elma sighed.

Chris sighed too. “We’ve failed.”

“It’s not the end of the world, girls. You can put as much lotion on me as you want.” Well, we’d run out eventually, but if they wanted to touch me, they could just do it, as long as they didn’t pinch me.

“Let’s get to it, then.” Elma rushed me. “I’ll put a sheet down for you to lie on.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She unfurled a sheet onto the sand, and I lay on my stomach. I felt a chill when she put the sunblock on my back.

“His shoulders are so broad,” Chris commented.

“Yeah. His body isn’t too shabby,” Elma said.

Three pairs of hands rubbed my back and arms, making me feel awfully ticklish. The smallest hands rubbing my right shoulder blade must have been Chris’s, while the ones at my hips were Elma’s, and the ones on my neck and left shoulder were Mimi’s.

“Okay, back’s done. Roll over,” Elma commanded.

“Huh? Er, I can do my front myself.”

“If you want to make sure it’s even, it’s better to have someone else do it. You don’t want to get burned in spots.”

“Mgh, okay.” Elma was right. If I missed any spots, I’d look awfully lame. So I obediently rolled over.

“W-wow, your abs…” Chris was in awe.

“He never misses a day of training,” Mimi explained.

“Feels good, right? I hope he maintains these,” Elma said.

“Girls…”

Chris blushed and felt up my abs with great interest, while Elma carefully applied lotion all over my arms, and Mimi attended to my neck and collarbone with great enthusiasm. Elma was fine, but it seemed like the other girls had forgotten the point of all this.

“Okay, you’re all lotioned up.”

“Thanks, Elma. Seems like you’re the only one who took it seriously.”

“I-I was also serious.”

“M-me too!”

“Sure you were. Okay, now it’s my turn. Elma, can you get Chris’s back?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Elma laid out another sheet. Once Chris was on it, she started rubbing cream on her.

Mimi switched places with me, lying down on my sheet.

“Th-thank you,” she said in advance.

“No prob,” I said as I started to undo Mimi’s bikini.

“Huh?!”

“What? Don’t you want to be completely covered?”

“Y-yes, I suppose.”

We’d seen each other naked plenty of times, so I wasn’t sure why she was embarrassed. After Mimi had calmed, I poured plenty of lotion onto her back.

“Mmm!” she yelped.

“It startles you with how cold it is, right? Just hang on.”

“Okay. Your hands are warm.”

I spread the lotion over Mimi’s back. Ahh, her skin is so fine. It’s soft and firm at the same time. I could touch her all day.

But I remained controlled and diligently covered her in sunblock, from her upper back to her shoulders, arms, neck, and behind her ears. “Next is your lower body.”

“Th-this is strangely embarrassing.”

I untied Mimi’s bikini bottom and covered her whole lower body in sunblock lotion. She had a really, really smoking hot bod. She had been a little malnourished when she first came aboard the Krishna, but once she got some food and exercise, she’d filled out. Though she sometimes complained she wanted to be thinner. Good thing I’d messed with her AI trainer! I definitely wanted her to maintain her current figure. Her breasts were great, and so were her thighs.

“Okay, all done.”

“Thank you.”

“Now your front.”

She gulped. “…Okay.”

Mimi sat up, blushed, and lay on her back, holding her top in place as her two deadly weapons bounced around. With her top untied, it offered no support. I wanted to offer up another prayer, but I didn’t want a Muay Thai body kick from Elma, so I hardened my heart and applied the lotion. I was as close to nirvana as ever in that moment.

“M-mmn…”

When I poured more lotion on her, Mimi let out an enticing moan. Gah! God, are you testing me?! I had been abstaining since Chris had come aboard. Cease, beast within! Now is not the time to go wild! With all of my mental strength, I suppressed my urges and finished applying Mimi’s sunblock. The arduous battle left me fully exhausted.

“Master Hiro?” Mimi said after fixing her swimwear.

I closed my eyes and tried to meditate. “Let’s take a breather.” I had to calm down, in more ways than one. I tried to recall the face of the old man back at Tarmein Prime’s mercenary guild.

“What are you doing?” Elma sighed in exasperation. “Jeez.”

“Just a little longer… Or maybe I could use a configurator, and…” Chris felt her own chest and muttered something to herself.

I didn’t know what a configurator was, but I figured she should stay away from it. Keep being the Chris you are, okay?

“We apologize for the wait. We have prepared a variety of toys for you.” While I recovered, the three Maidroids appeared with a ton of floaties in tow. There were normal donut rings, one the size of a small boat, one shaped like a dolphin, one shaped like a shark, and more. Why a shark? Not that it mattered, really.

“You don’t have to force yourself to swim at first,” I told Mimi. “It’s fun even if you take baby steps with a floatie.”

“Yeah!” Elma agreed. “Try something like a normal ring-shaped one first.”

“I want to use this one.” Chris picked up the shark-shaped floatie, while Elma grabbed a large ring, the kind where you plunked your butt in the middle.

“Which one should I choose?” Mimi asked me.

“Try the donut one, I say.” I picked up one that was slightly smaller than Elma’s and handed it to Mimi.

“Are you not going to use one?”

“I’m fine for now. Maybe later, though.” After all, I was going to stay with her at first.

“Well? Let’s get to it, girls!” Elma called.

Thus, we began our beach day. I was beyond excited—it had been so long since my last beach trip.

 

***

 

“Wooow,” Mimi gasped. “It feels like the colony’s low-gravity districts.” She looked happy as could be, floating around in her little ring.

“Yeah, you might be right there.”

The sun was blazing bright, the ocean was the perfect temperature, and Mimi’s breasts were bouncing with the waves. Resorts are the best!

“Guh…” Chris groaned, trying desperately to keep up with us as she straddled her shark floatie. Unlike Elma, she still had plenty of time to grow, so I doubted she needed to worry. Elma didn’t have a chance, but she was amazing just how she was.

“Just floating is fun too!” Mimi squealed.

“Totally, right?” I was also enjoying myself. “If you kick your legs in the water like Chris, you can move a bit.”

“I’ll try!” Mimi leaned forward and started kicking. As she did, her breasts squished wonderfully against the donut.

Nice. Keep doing that.

Meanwhile, Elma was off floating in the distance. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

“I’m going forward! Look, I’m doing it!”

“Nice, nice! Keep it up!” Remember: positive reinforcement.

Mimi went wild, swimming back and forth with her floatie. It was always fun when things worked out the first time.

“Hey, girls. Let’s all race to see who can get to Elma first!”

“Sure!”

“I won’t lose!”

Mimi and Chris started swimming toward Elma. Chris was practiced, but her tiny legs made it hard for her to go fast. Meanwhile, Mimi’s inexperience made her movements clumsy, but she’d built up strength after all her workouts. It was a pretty even match. And me? It wouldn’t have been fair if I’d actually tried. Though it had been a long time since I’d gone swimming, I wouldn’t lose. So I held back.

“Boom! I win!” Chris declared as the shark floatie collided into Elma.

“Aww, I lost!”

“Ugh, can you drop the ‘boom’ thing?” Though she sounded annoyed, Elma was smiling.

“Can you swim, Elma?” I asked her.

“I can, but it’s nice to sunbathe once in a while, y’know?”

“That’s very true.”

You couldn’t sunbathe on a spaceship, after all. Any useful cosmic rays were nullified by the shields and plating, so being on the ship meant no sunlight at all. Colonies had facilities where you could enjoy sunlight without the negative effects, but unfortunately, I had never used one.

After the race, Mimi and Chris continued to swim around together, towing poor Elma with them.

“Mimi, let’s take a little break,” I suggested.

“But I’m not tired yet.”

“Swimming is more tiring than it seems, and it’s really easy to pull a muscle if you get too cold.”

“Is that true?”

“Yep. Besides, swimming isn’t the only fun you can have on the beach.” Chasing waves on the shore, feeling your feet sink into the sand as the waves washed over them, and playing games on the beach were fun too. We all decided to hang out on the beach as a break.

“Hawhaa?!” Mimi yelped. “This feels really weird!”

“Doesn’t it?” Chris giggled. “But it’s fun!”

“It tickles. Yes, it is fun, in a way,” Elma said.

Mimi frolicked around on the shoreline while Chris watched her and giggled. Nothing could replicate the feeling of the sand underfoot being snatched away by the water and flowing between your toes.

“Whoa, now,” I warned. “A big wave is coming.”

“Oh!”

I picked Chris up to keep her above the big wave. It only came up to my knees, but it could’ve hit her right in the face if she’d stayed there. Mimi was tripped up by the wave and fell spectacularly.

She coughed up water. “Hrk… S-salty…”

“Are you okay? Any sand in your eyes?” I asked Mimi, still holding Chris.

Fortunately, she wasn’t actually hurt. “I’m okay! The sea is really fun!” Water dripped off of her as she cast a big smile my way.

I’m glad you’re having a good time.

“Oh, sorry for picking you up without warning, Chris.”

“It’s all right. Thank you.” Chris smiled, her feet on the sand again.

Aww, cute. Someone might think I was on the edge of doing something bad, holding up a young girl in a swimsuit, and if we’d been in Japan, the police might have been all over me, even though I’d been protecting her. You’ve got it all wrong! I just saved her life!

Afterward, we made piles of sand, knocked them down, built sand castles, buried Elma when she fell asleep and made her really mad, and generally enjoyed ourselves.

“It’s about time for lunch, isn’t it?” I asked after a while.

“I am starving!” Mimi said.

Chris nodded meekly. “I’m a little hungry too.”

I looked at the Maidroids, who were barbecuing. I get it. Barbecue at the beach, huh? Now that’s living. I guess it’s technically grilling, but if it were real barbecue, we wouldn’t get to eat until tomorrow!

Mimi, Chris, and I walked to the nearby shower room to rinse off the saltwater and sand. By the time I returned, the barbecue was almost ready. Elma was watching the Maidroids from under the umbrella, sitting comfortably in her beach chair.

“Any rare foods today?” I asked.

“Hm?” She looked up at me. “I guess fresh meat and veggies are rare for us, but I’d say those traditional cooking utensils are rarer.”

“Traditional?” I cocked my head and looked at the grill. As far as I could tell, it didn’t use coal or gas; it looked electronic. Where is the power supply? Oh, I guess they have energy packs for laser guns, something similar could power a grill for cooking. No need to get so worked up, Hiro.

“Nowadays, single-function cooking utensils and appliances aren’t common,” Elma explained. “Only hobbyists and professional chefs use them.”

“R-really?” To me, the grill almost looked futuristic, but given this universe’s standards, I could understand. After all, this universe could create delicious food from cartridges using even low-quality cookers.

While we watched the Maidroids prep our meal, Mimi and Chris returned back from their showers. Once Mimi saw the barbecue grill and food, she was over the moon.

I love your love of food.

Chris didn’t seem very impressed, but maybe she’d seen a grill before.

“Let’s get cooking!” I said. After checking the temp on the grill, I used the tongs to place meat and veggies on it. Elma, Mimi, and Chris watched and… Wait, why does everyone look surprised?

“Can you even cook?” Elma asked.

“Ex-cuse me?” I looked at her, shocked. What does she mean by “cook”? You just heat the stuff up and eat it! This hardly enters the realm of cooking. “I wouldn’t call this cooking. It’s just barbecuing.” I pointed at bottles sitting next to me, looked over to the Maidroids, and asked, “Is this seasoning?”

“Yes. In order, they are…” In addition to salt and pepper, the Maidroid listed off seasonings I’d never heard of.

While everyone watched, I checked the progress of the meat and veggies and added some seasonings. Oh, right. You’re supposed to use different tongs for the raw meat and the cooked to avoid cross-contamination and illness. Apparently, you could seriously reduce the chances of getting the runs after barbecues by keeping your tongs off the raw food, or cleaning them in between. I didn’t want to give any of the girls stomach trouble, so I was extra careful, even if it was possible that the meat was disinfected with some tech I wasn’t aware of.

What meat is this, anyway? Beef? Pork? Based on the texture, it looks like beef.

“Hey, is this beef or pork?” I asked. “Will it be okay cooked rare or medium rare, instead of well done?”

“It is beef. It has been disinfected, so it is perfectly edible rare.”

“Neat. Mimi, yours is all done!”

“O-okay. Ah, it’s delicious…”

“I think it’s just good meat,” I replied. “I only added salt and pepper. You could put this sauce on if you want.”

Mimi added my recommended sauce and stuffed her face. Her eyes were downright glowing, so it must have been tasty. The sauce I’d picked was similar to a Japanese yakiniku sauce. It was a little sweet and fruity.

“And there we have it!” I announced as I finished cooking. “You two can eat now.”

“Thanks. You’re surprisingly skilled,” Elma said.

“Were you a chef once, Hiro?” Chris asked.

“A chef?” I blushed. “C’mon, really, I just barbecued it.”

“If you can cook raw meat and make it tasty, that’s chef-tier to me.”

“I agree!”

“You think?”

Those were awfully low standards for a chef, but given that automatic cookers were the norm, maybe it was unusual for someone to cook at all. Maybe once they’d had to take ingredients into space or use what they found on planets as they traveled, but technology had come a long way. The space explorers of old would never have passed down any cooking skills, thus it was surprising even now to see someone capable of turning raw food into edible food.

“It just feels ridiculous to call this cooking, y’know? The Maidroids would be better chefs than me. I should’ve let them do it.” I tried to hand them the tongs, but they shook their heads at once.

“We are able to cook, if you wish, but we believe your companions would prefer your cooking.”

Umm…? I looked at the girls. Mimi was nodding with her cheeks stuffed full of meat, and Elma was thrusting her plate my way as if to say, “Just gimme the meat!”

“Meat, please,” she demanded.

“Yeah, yeah. You too, Chris?”

“Yes!” Chris said excitedly.

I ended up cooking meat, veggies, and even some seafood for a while. It definitely added some flavor to our day at the beach.

 

***

 

“That was delicious!” Mimi said, beaming.

“Good to know. I hear it’s not good to exercise or swim right after you eat, so let’s take a nice long rest to let the food settle.”

We left cleanup to the Maidroids and lay down in our respective beach chairs. Stories of people dying because they got stomach cramps sounded far-fetched, but it was possible for the motion of the water to make you feel sick, and you couldn’t swim while you were throwing up.

“That was a heck of a meal,” Elma said. “Really, Hiro, I didn’t think you’d have skills like that.”

“I keep telling you, anyone can grill meat. Heat it enough to be edible but not burn, throw on some sauce or salt, and eat. It’s as easy as that. I can’t agree with calling that real cooking.”

“Are you able to do more complex cooking?” Mimi asked.

“As long as I have the ingredients, sure.” I’d lived by myself for a pretty long time. I couldn’t make dashi from scratch, though, and I couldn’t begin to explain how bouillon worked. Don’t even get me started on curry.

“Th-then I want you to make us a meal tonight!” she begged.

“Already talking about dinner after you’ve just eaten lunch, huh? Can we do that, though?” I glanced over at the Maidroid standing next to us.

She nodded. “Yes. Some customers only eat food made by their personal chefs, so we offer an ingredient delivery service.”

“Right,” Chris chimed in. “Imperial nobles, especially those among the highest classes, see personal chefs as a status symbol. I would expect resorts to make accommodations for such people.”

I guess that makes sense.

We talked with the Maidroid about the ingredients for dinner. We learned they could help us cook as well.

“What should I make? If I’m taking the time for it, I guess I should go all out, right?”

Boiled fish, maybe? Nah, I should avoid anything with fine bones. Mimi’s only ever eaten food from cartridges, and I could see the bones getting caught in her throat and making her cry. I could do sashimi. Can you eat the fish here as sashimi? I guess I can ask later. Let’s make the main dishes sashimi and deep-fried food. I don’t know what meat they have, but fried pork or fish ought to be just fine. And I’d like rice to go with it. Do they have rice…? And do they have rice cookers? Another question for the Maidroids. I think it’d be perfect with some miso soup too, but who knows if they have miso?

“Can I ask a few questions?”

“Yes.”

I asked about the ingredients and utensils I wanted, and the Maidroid answered promptly. In short, we could get everything except the rice cooker, but they could deliver fresh-cooked rice.

“You’re all thorough as hell, aren’t you?” I said, amazed.

“Why, yes. Thank you.”

“Incredible,” Mimi gasped. “Such a specialized conversation…”

“Hiro is clearly more than a mercenary,” Chris agreed. “He’s a chef too!”

Elma shrugged. “Given his background, it doesn’t sound all that surprising.”

“Do you know his background?” Chris asked.

“A little. It’d be rude for me to spill the beans, though.”

The girls chatted while I discussed dinner plans with the Maidroid. I definitely wasn’t going to tell Chris about my background; there was little point and a whole lot of risk. She seemed to admire me for some reason, but she was even younger than Mimi. At least, I thought she was.

Once I finished ordering ingredients, we got back to playing on the beach. I wanted to go fishing to get fresh fish for dinner, but if I did, Mimi or Chris would want to come. And if they did, their swimsuits wouldn’t cut it. It would be dangerous to go to an islet in sandals; one little slip could be fatal. So we just continued our fun in the sun.

“Take this! Ha ha ha!” I laughed.

“Eek!” Mimi squealed. “I’ll get you back for that!”

We splashed each other by the shore and swam around a bit more. Mimi had mastered the art of wading in the water quickly, though I wasn’t sure whether she was getting better or just being held up by her boobs. Once you were wading, it was easy to start swimming. We’d have to practice putting her face in the water, but first, we tried the breaststroke, which was the most instinctual style.

“I did it! I’m swimming!”

“Great job, Mimi! You learned fast!” Even if she could hardly swim two yards, I praised her. Praise was important. Besides, I wasn’t exactly a professional swimmer myself.

Watching her having a good time was great. Very, very fun. Not only was she bouncing around, but I also got to touch her a lot. Nice. Awesome, even.

Chris let out a little grunt of frustration. “Ngh…”

“You’re just stressing yourself out,” Elma said with a sigh.

“Hiro! Look at me too!” While I watched Mimi swimming in the weaker waves, Chris pulled on my arm and pouted.

“Sorry, Chris. I feel like I’ll get arrested if I look at you.” I didn’t wanna gawk at an underage girl; it just stank of crime. If a guy like me stared at girls like Chris at the beach, it would surely summon the cops and be a whole big deal.

“We’re the only ones here.” Elma shrugged. “Who’s gonna arrest you?”

“The Milo robots?”

“As long as you don’t do anything insane, I doubt you’ll be arrested…” She sighed again in irritation.

Okay, sure, but imagine this. I scream, “I love little girls! They make me feel so good!” How does that make you feel? Cringe, right? I would NEVER do that.

“I guess it is unfair to give Mimi all this attention, though.”

“That’s right.”

“Yup.”

Chris and Elma agreed. I looked at Elma, thinking she might want some attention as well.

She blushed and averted her gaze. “What? Is that so wrong?”

“Not at all,” I assured her. That said, there was only one of me. “Let’s start with Chris, then. Elma, can you watch Mimi? She’s still a beginner.”

“Gotcha, boss.” Elma really was mature when it came to stuff like this.

We left her to deal with Mimi and headed to the pile of floaties.

“Should we play with these?” Chris asked me.

“Nah. That’s what I’m after.” I pointed at a rubber raft that could fit us both with ease. It came with simple oars, so we could paddle our way around, and it was transparent so we could see underwater. “It’ll be fun to take a look around under the waves. Fortunately, the water is calm, so we’re in no danger of capsizing.”

“That does sound fun.”

We grabbed the rubber raft from the pile and dragged it over to shore, where I helped Chris get on.

“Aren’t you getting in?” she asked.

“I am, don’t worry, once the water is deep enough.” I pushed the raft away from the shoreline, and then climbed on. “How about we go out into the open sea?”

“Okay.”

I used the oars to pilot the raft, and it went surprisingly fast. Was it because Chris was light, or because the raft was made with water-resistant material? Or was I just getting stronger?

“Goodness, you’re quite strong,” Chris said.

“Pssh, this is easy. Ooh, it’s getting deep.” We looked through the bottom of the boat and saw sea life under us. I see… Uh, what the heck? “Chris, what’s that?”

“It’s called a filletsalmon.”

“Oookay.”

I watched the fish—which really did resemble a fillet of salmon—swim by. That’s a living thing, and not just a cut of meat? I think I’m going insane. Is this like how if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back? Am I using that adage wrong? Maybe I’m just panicking.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. These are just some crazy critters here.” I could see what looked like a fish with legs wearing fishnet stockings, a fish with a cat-like upper body, and some other hideous species. I was planning to fish the next day, but was it even safe? Would my sanity score go into the red if I caught these fish?

Then, a mermaid with the upper body of a gorgeous woman swam underneath us, scaring the fish away as she waved. Now this is more like it.

“She’s…not human, is she?” Chris cocked her head as she waved back.

“Right,” I confirmed. “You can see machine parts around her ears. She must be an android made for the ocean.”

“A rescue android, perhaps?”

“Maybe. If our boat capsizes, she might come help us.” A mermaid android. A Mermaidroid. When there weren’t customers around, she probably managed the ocean environment. “Ooh. Look at that pretty school of fish.”

“My, it is pretty. So many colors…”

A school of colorful, tropical, sardine-looking fish swam by, accompanied by cushion-like rays. The sun blazed overhead while endless white clouds drifted along the horizon.

“Ahh…” I sighed. “Feels like a long time since I’ve had some peace.”

“You say peace, but my uncle is still after us… Does mercenary work always involve killing?”

“Surprisingly, no. There’s a lot of tension in fighting and ambushing pirates, but the rest of the work is pretty lighthearted. We mainly do jobs that involve killing pirates.”

“Do you have jobs other than fighting pirates?”

“Not really, but other mercs guard merchants, protect colonies, and do recon work.”

Some mercenaries did spy work, taking advantage of their ability to move freely between colonies. Others went around and killed illegal residents and gangs in colonies. Some even carried out assassinations. Though, as an upstanding merc who specialized in cleaning up space pirates, it was all unknown to me.

“Do you not do such work?” Chris asked.

“Nope. I don’t like close-quarters combat, and it’s out of the question for Mimi. I’m not gonna make Elma do it just because she’s good at it. I figured it’s best if I stick to what I’m best at, which is cleaning up pirates.”

“Best for you and for the universe…”

“Honestly, my reasons aren’t that noble. It’s just easy and profitable for me.”

“Goodness. You had me impressed, but that ruined it.” Chris giggled.

I wasn’t trying for laughs, but I was glad I got one. We continued to enjoy a nice chat on the rubber raft.

 

***

 

“Good job out there,” Elma said in greeting.

“Yeah, thanks.”

After getting back to the beach, I accepted a water bottle from Elma and lay down in a beach chair. Chris had asked a lot of questions about me, and being careful about what I said was exhausting. She had seemed satisfied after hearing about the mercenary life, and now she and Mimi were bashing their shark and dolphin floaties into each other. I wondered if that was all they were going to do, but then they started racing again. Must be fun.

“I’m glad we got a moment of peace.” I sighed.

“You worry too much. We took down our pursuers, and we put out a whole load of misinformation. They won’t attack us here, trust me. Even if they figure out where we are, they can’t attack a resort planet.” Elma called a Maidroid over and ordered a drink. She sure was enjoying herself.

“Did you see how many ships they rounded up in a single day? I say we err on the side of caution.”

“Yeah, I know. You’re right. But what can we do? Milo is protecting this planet.”

“Can we really be that complacent…?” We had arrived yesterday. I doubted Chris’s uncle would show up today or tomorrow, but whenever he did, he wouldn’t be alone, and he’d be sure he could finish us off. I didn’t like that thought.

“If you’re worried, I’m a good listener.”

“Not sure I like how you said that…”

I was afraid of what would happen if her uncle pulled out all the stops to kill Chris. They could rent another lodge on Cierra III to get past the defenses and get close to us. It was also possible they’d send a ton of battleships, take down Milo’s defense system, and then use orbital bombardment to finish us off. Once my mind drifted to the bad things, it never stopped.

“Mmm,” Elma moaned. “White clouds, blue sky, bright sun, and a cold drink. This is paradise.”

“Dude, it’s barely after noon and you’re already drinking?”

“Who cares? We’re on vacation! Might as well let my hair down.” She smirked, lifting a glass of some tropical beverage.

Good for her, having fun. In all honesty, the beach really was the best. I just couldn’t fully enjoy it with circumstances as they were.

“Jeez, you’re kind of a coward.”

“Shut up. What’s wrong with a mercenary being a bit of a coward?” I asked the Maidroid to bring me the golden carbonated drink I hadn’t tried yet. “I wonder how good the security actually is. Think we can trust it?”

“Like I said before, they would need machine intelligence with a positronic brain like Milo’s to get past it. And machine intelligence wouldn’t help them kill anyone.”

“I see. But what if they just used brute force to destroy the security system?”

“Brute force? It would be more realistic for them to send people down to assassinate us directly. Even if they were on another island, Milo would arrest them if they left it.”

“Can’t they go by ocean, or fly in with a ship like the Krishna?”

“Not gonna happen. There are Milo terminals everywhere, so they’d be found out fast. Milo can send out an attack squad using the mass driver, or arrest squads, or straight ammunition. They also have a defense platform in orbit for orbital attacks, so attacking us is gonna be tough. Although the Krishna might be able to do it.”

“When you put it like that, it sounds like one hell of a defense system.”

While we talked, a Maidroid returned with a glass of golden soda on a tray.

“Thanks,” I said. “Sorry to trouble you.”

“This is all part of our work; do not worry.” The Maidroid smiled at me.

“Are we screwed if they throw a saturation attack our way?” I asked Elma.

“You mean something that overpowers all the defenses of this planet? I don’t think that’s realistic.”

“It doesn’t have to be aimed at us. What if they attack the Accumulation and Assembly Site on the equator, where Milo is hosted? Can’t they throw a bunch of flak or space debris at the planet as a saturation attack? And if they destroy the defense platform, are they free to use orbital bombardment?”

“That’s all illogical. They could try an obvious attack like that, but Milo or this planet’s sensor arrays would notice all the asteroids and space debris moving and alert the fleet. Then, they’d have to deal with both Milo’s defense platforms and the Imperial Fleet.”

“Gotcha.” It sounded like all my worst-case scenarios had been thought of. “But Milo can’t be invincible, right?”

“Of course not. They could use orbital bombardment if they have the power to take down the defense platform fast. Milo can resist attacks to an extent, but it’ll be bad if they mess with us from orbit.”

“Wouldn’t it be possible to recruit space pirates until they have enough strength?”

“I won’t say no, but…if they took too long, the fleet would come running. It would be risky.”

“Uncertain, but still threatening. If they do that, should we hole up in the Krishna, dodge their orbital bombardment, and try to hold out until the fleet arrives?”

“Yeah. I think that’s the best idea.” Elma agreeing gave me some relief. I also felt better now that we had a basic plan in place if the worst-case scenario came to pass.

“Quite the disquieting conversation you’re having,” the Maidroid said.

I said nothing and just drank my golden soda through a straw. Mmm. Strong carbonation, refreshing taste, and just the right amount of sweetness. This is absolutely ginger ale.

“As the manager of this planet’s security, is there anything that I should know?” the Maidroid asked.

“What do you think?” I turned to Elma.

“We can’t really talk about it.”

“Our client is Chris, after all,” I said. I called to the girls still swimming, and they raced back to shore.

“I win!” Chris pumped both hands in triumph.

“Aww. I lose again…” Mimi sighed in frustration.

The more time I spent with Mimi and Chris, the closer in age they seemed, but maybe Chris appeared older because of her maturity.

“Do you need anything?” Chris asked.

“Milo wants to know what’s going on, since it has to protect us.”

“What’s…going on?”

“Yes,” the Maidroid said. “If you expect danger, I would like to know more.”

Water dripped from Chris’s swimsuit as she hummed in thought. Mimi looked a little flustered and unsure of what to do, so I offered her my ginger ale to try. With one sip, her eyes went wide.

Ha ha ha! That never gets old.

“What should I say?” Chris asked Elma and me.

“I think we should tell Milo the truth and try to work together,” I replied. “But I don’t know how Milo might hurt Count Dalenwald, so I can’t tell you what to do.”

“I figure we can trust the Empire’s machine intelligence to an extent,” Elma added. “This is a battle of noble succession, and they love to manage nobles.”

Chris chuckled; it seemed machine intelligence had a lot to do with keeping the Grakkan nobility upright. “Without my grandfather’s approval, I feel rather uncomfortable sharing our secrets.”

“Didn’t he already mess up by letting his kids get to the point where they’re literally killing each other over succession?”

“Uh-huh.” Elma nodded.

“I suppose I can’t object…” Chris heaved a sigh and began explaining her circumstances to the Maidroid, which was, like all machines on the island, connected to Milo.

“I see the issue now. It will take me some time to look into countermeasures.” The Maidroid glanced upward for less than ten—no, less than five—seconds. “I have harvested a variety of information, including data about the passenger ship attack from three months ago.”

“That was fast,” I said, impressed by the power of machine intelligence.

“Not especially. My duty is to protect those who stay at Cierra III, and I will solemnly uphold that duty.”

“Would you end up blacklisting us if we brought trouble here?” I asked.

“No, we would never. Regardless of your circumstances, you are customers, and I will uphold my duty until the moment you leave this planet.”

“Really?”

“Yes. That is my job.” The Maidroid nodded. “I will notify you at the first sign of danger. You may rest at ease.” She smiled reassuringly at Chris.

It seemed like we might be able to count on Milo’s support, though things rarely went so well for us, and who knew how deeply the AI would get involved.

“It’s about quitting time,” I declared. “Let’s shower and get back to the lodge. We’re going to be here for a while, so let’s not exhaust ourselves.”

“Yeah, fair enough,” Elma said. She was already drinking, so she’d probably been willing to take it easy from the start.

“Okay,” Mimi sighed. “We can have more fun tomorrow.”

“Yeah, for sure. And we can find a fun spot other than the beach. Cool with that, Chris?”

“Yes!”

With Chris’s agreement, we headed to the shower room, washed away the sweat and sand, and went back to the lodge.

I just hope we can get through to Chris’s grandfather before anything bad happens or we have to leave. Will things go that smoothly, though?