"Ellie?"

"Huh? It's Aya senpai! And...hey hey? Is this Chirp? Still as cute as ever."

The person coming in turned out to be someone she knew, a girl with golden twin tails whom she had a good relationship with back when she was a maid. Though her hair was coiled into a bun at the back of her head due to swimming and not styled in its usual fashion, that golden mane still shone brightly.

"Are you here to...swim?"

Aya glanced at the tightly wrapped towel around the girl's body and asked with some uncertainty.

"Of course, why else would I be here? Well, even though the water here is indeed very clean..."

Ellie hummed twice.

"Sorry, I thought there wouldn't be anyone here at this time since the castle just reopened. There's been a lot of work to be done, and everyone is busy. I helped out with some work for others a few days ago, so now I finally have a day off."

As Ellie spoke, she untied the towel around her and hung it on a rack, revealing a bikini-style swimsuit that accentuated her youthful and fit figure. She then stretched a bit before starting to warm up.

Hmm, Ellie's figure is actually quite nice too... Aya's gaze lingered slightly on the budding contours before quickly shifting her sight away.

It's strange, though. Why is it that even though both a bikini and underwear only cover essential parts, it's deemed acceptable for others to see a bikini but not underwear?

Aya suddenly pondered over this inexplicable question.

Perhaps sensing Aya's brief glance, Ellie's cheeks flushed slightly, and her once natural warm-up movements stiffened. "Wait, why are you here, Aya senpai, if not to swim?"

"Ah...cough...cough...there's actually a special reason for that."

Aya subconsciously glanced at the entrance to the pool, only relaxing when she confirmed that there were no other people entering.

"Um, if it's possible, could you please leave, Aya senpai?"

"Huh? Why?" Aya definitely did not want to leave now; she had no idea where Mimi was, and the pool currently having few people meant it was a good hiding spot.

"...Because I can't stand the way you're looking at me," Ellie said, left hand covering her chest as she took two steps back, her right hand lightly scratching her cheek, looking a bit embarrassed.

Is it really that obvious?! Aya incredulously shot questioning looks at Chirp.

"It's actually just Ellie's psychological effect, chirp. Since Mom is wearing regular clothes, Ellie feels a difference in appearance. Plus, there's no one else here wearing swimwear like her, so she subconsciously feels embarrassed about her attire," Chirp said while sitting on a bench behind, swinging her legs.

Well said, Chirp. Bringing you along was definitely the right choice.

Aya ruffled Chirp's head and nodded confidently, "So, I haven't been looking at Ellie in any strange way."

"But I still feel shy," Ellie retorted indignantly, "How about this, Aya senpai, you also change into a swimsuit, then it'd be fair game."

"Well..."

"Please, Aya senpai, I finally found an opportunity to enjoy the pool," Ellie pleaded with her hands clasped in front of her chest and bowed her head.

"Fine...since you put it that way."

Aya sighed. Her relationship with Ellie wasn't bad, and when she was first brought back to the castle, Ellie had helped her a lot with her maid duties. Although Aya wouldn't go as far as to push Mimi into the water to save Ellie, she certainly preferred Ellie over Mimi, who she was a bit afraid of.

Also, Dragon's transformation felt more like an innate ability than Magic, causing minimal magic fluctuations when used, so it shouldn't be considered cheating or get noticed...right?

With a slight activation of the magic in the scales distributed over her outfit that had transformed into a swimsuit, Aya easily changed it back into casual attire.

"How's this? Now you shouldn't feel embarrassed...right?"

"Eek!" Before she could finish, a shrill scream pierced their ears.

"Don't shout like that, geez!" Aya nearly rushed to cover the child's mouth but was relieved when Ellie herself only let out a brief gasp.

"Aya senpai! What did you..."

Although she used her hands to shield her eyes, Ellie couldn't help but mutter softly, "Why is it a men's swimsuit...how shameless."

"What's wrong with a men's swimsuit?"

"Isn't it just a pair of shorts?"

"Apologize to all the swim trunks in the world right now! Immediately!" Aya couldn't fathom Ellie's thought process.

With a long sigh, Ellie's tone suddenly cooled down, and she bowed deeply to Aya, "I'm terribly sorry, I forgot once again that you're actually a boy, Aya senpai."

Aya's face was filled with black lines, a sense of frustration creeping over her.

Darn it, once this is all over, she's shaving her head clean! Bald!

"Anyway," Aya slumped into a nearby bench as if exhausted, tilting her head back to look at the ceiling, "Is this okay?"

"Uh-huh, of course!"

Listening to the splashing water and the rhythmic sound of the waves, Aya couldn't resist letting out a yawn.

Is this place relatively safe? Should she take a short rest?

She had been on edge for quite some time earlier, and with the running and decision-making, she had expended quite a bit of energy. The sound of the water consistently beating against the pool's walls unexpectedly brought a sense of tranquility.

As Aya pondered over this, drowsiness had already seized the upper hand.

After what seemed like quite some time?

A refreshed Aya sprang up from the reclined bench, shaking her face vigorously before swiftly scanning her surroundings.

All clear.

"I fell asleep...too careless." Picking up the hourglass she had left on the bench after changing, not even half of the second hour had passed.

Well, thankfully, it seemed she hadn't slept for long, maybe about five minutes.

"Hey, Miss, could you have given me a nudge? What if Mimi had ambushed me while I was asleep? That would've been so unfair."

"You looked so tired; I thought you needed a proper rest." Tiran looked innocent, "Also, Mimi is just hanging around the training grounds now, so she wouldn't have found you that quickly. Your dearest Tiran is currently keeping an eye on everything."

"Uh, thanks."

Aya mumbled quietly.

Chirp was also waiting nearby, but because she found it boring, she was squatting by the poolside playing with the water. With her mental strength and intelligence, Aya had no concerns regarding the possibility of drowning.

So, everything seemed to be safe...?

"Huh? Aya senpai, you woke up so soon. Want to play together for a bit?" Ellie's voice echoed from the entrance to the pool's changing room. Following the sound, Aya saw the golden-haired girl holding two bottles of iced coffee milk, looking surprised at Aya's awakening.