Chapter 64— Swimming and Suntanning

Kusari

“You’ll help Koneko with her swimming,” Rias said to Issei, folding her arms beneath her chest in a way that would have been distracting even if Issei had not already been on the brink of collapse.

Akeno stopped inching closer to me for a moment. 

Koneko looked at the water.

Then at Issei.

Then back to the water.

Eventually she looked at me.

“I want Kusari-senpai to help me.”

The silence that followed was brief.

The simplicity and directness of it was something Koneko preferred.

No hesitation. No beating around the bush.

Rias blinked once.

Issei’s face fell with such immediate, overblown devastation that I almost respected it.

“Eh!?” he yelped. “Koneko-chan! Am I not good enough!?”

Koneko’s expression didn’t change. “Because I want Kusari-senpai to help me.”

“That somehow hurts more when you say it so plainly!”

Akeno laughed softly into one hand. “Ara ara. Ise-kun got rejected in front of all of us.”

“It isn’t rejection!” he insisted. “It’s...! It’s...!”

“Preference,” Yuuto supplied from her chair near the poolside, tone calm and helpful in the way that made it impossible to argue with her without seeming childish.

“Yes! No! Wait!”

Asia looked distressed on his behalf. “I-Ise-san, I’m sure Koneko-chan didn’t mean it badly...”

Koneko looked at him. “…I didn’t.”

Rias placed one hand against her temple and exhaled the slow breath of a woman who had long ago accepted that her household would never be normal.

Then she looked from Koneko to me. Then to Issei, who still looked personally wounded by fate.

“All right,” she said. “Both of you will help her.”

Issei looked downtrodden. “I don’t know Buchou….”

“No,” Rias said. “You’re helping. Koneko-chan said she doesn’t mind and Asia-chan will need help too.”

I stepped closer to the edge of the pool and looked down into the water.

“Do you actually want to learn,” I asked Koneko, “or do you want an excuse to make Issei-san suffer?”

Koneko looked up at me with the same blank little face she used for half the things she said that were either extremely sincere or potentially rude.

“Both are good.”

Akeno laughed again.

Rias put a hand over her eyes.

Issei looked defeated

“I-I want you to help me swim Issei-san!” Asia chimed in.

Issei immediately perked up and now looked energized.

I sighed.

“Well it will also get me away from Akeno-san.” I muttered.

Her smile sharpened when she heard me.

“Aww Kusari-chan you’re being so cold. I guess I’ll just watch you and Issei-kun in the water and think of what I can do to make sure we get along.”

I  stared at her for a moment before deciding responding wouldn’t help.

Then stepped down into the water.

It was pleasantly cool against my skin after the heat on the deck.

I relaxed into the cool water while trying to keep my hair from getting too wet.

Only to have my attempt wasted when Issei cannonballed in harder than necessary two seconds later.

“Issei-san!” Asia squeaked.

“It’s my first time in the pool. I had to do it!”

“…No, you didn’t,” Koneko said.

She had backed away from the splash and was using Asia as a shield.

Then, Koneko came in next.

Slower and more careful than either of us.

She tried to look unbothered, but the way she held herself gave her away.

Not fear exactly. More dislike. Distrust of the water itself.

Asia sat on the edge of the pool near where Issei was at, her feet dipped into the water. 

I moved closer to Koneko first.

“Hold onto the side,” I said.

She did.

Then, after only the smallest pause, her fingers shifted from the pool edge to my forearm.

Issei noticed too, because he looked at us and then tried very hard not to look too pleased that he was still included at all.

“Okay!” he said, trying to sound upbeat and competent. “First, don’t panic.”

“That’s terrible advice,” I said.

“Huh!?”

“It implies that she would have been panicking before.”

Koneko’s grip on my arm tightened by one fraction.

Issei splashed closer. “Then what should I say?”

“To relax and focus on trying to float.”

“That’s too vague !”

Koneko looked at him. “And don’t panic wasn’t?”

“She’s taking your side too much today.”

I let myself look mildly pleased. “I’m winning.”

He stared at me. “Don’t use Koneko-chan as a competition!”

Rias, from the poolside, shook her head. “You’re the only one who thinks this is a competition, Ise.”

That wasn’t entirely true.

Akeno looked amused by the bickering that was already taking place

Yuuto, seated nearby on her pool chair, had one knee drawn up as she watched us with a faint, calm smile.

She looked relaxed in the sunlight, calm and elegant like always.

Every now and then her gaze lingered on Issei just a little longer than it needed to before she looked away again.

Not enough for him to fully notice.

It had started after the events with Excalibur and Kokabiel.

Koneko kicked once, experimentally.

I adjusted my hold and said, “Again.”

She did.

Then again.

And again.

Slowly, the stiffness in her shoulders eased.

Not all the way as Koneko rarely gave anyone that much at once. 

But enough that her breathing stopped looking like she was preparing for combat.

Issei turned to Asia.

“Do you want me to help you now that Kusari-san seems to have everything handled with Koneko-chan?”

“I’ll wait until Koneko-chan has had longer to practice. I don’t mind waiting.”

She smiled at him as she kicked her legs back and forth slowly in the water.

Issei moved to Koneko’s other side and held out a hand. “Alright then Koneko-chan. Try using me too.”

Koneko looked at it.

Then at him.

Then she took it.

He looked stupidly happy about it.

I glanced toward Rias.

Her expression softened for a second at the sight, though whether that was because Koneko was trying or because Issei was so easy to read, I couldn’t tell.

Probably both.

By the time Koneko had done a few short assisted passes and was no longer acting as if the pool was going to turn against her, Asia’s turn had come.

Asia looked nervous before she even got near the water.

“I-I’m sorry,” she said immediately.

“For what?” Issei asked.

“For taking your time...”

“I always have time for your Asia-chan!” Issei smiled widely as he said.

“You haven’t done anything yet,” I said.

Asia flushed. “I know, but—”

“Kusari-san is right,” Yuuto said gently from the poolside. “There’s nothing to apologize for.”

Asia looked at her, then smiled a little. “...Thank you.”

She slowly stepped into the water like she expected it to swallow her whole.

I moved to one side of her and Issei to the other.

Asia’s fingers went immediately to my wrist and Issei’s arm at the same time.

“Don’t let go,” she whispered.

“We won’t,” Issei said at once.

The answer came easily from him.

No teasing. No jokes. Just simple reassurance.

That was one of the things people who only saw the noisy parts of him missed.

Asia took a breath.

Then another.

“All right,” I said. “Kick.”

She kicked.

Badly.

I had expected as much.

Issei laughed, but not cruelly. “No, no, Asia. That’s more like you’re fighting the water.”

Her face turned pinker. “I-I didn’t mean to!”

“I know. Try smaller kicks.”

Asia nodded very earnestly, as though this were an important mission.

Then tried again.

Still bad.

But better.

We got somewhere from there.

Not quickly.

But with Asia, “not quickly” often still meant “steady.”

She listened. Tried. Got embarrassed. Tried again.

She looked up every few seconds like she needed permission to keep going, and every time Issei grinned at her or I told her what to correct next, she worked up a little more courage.

From the poolside, Xenovia-san watched with her arms folded.

“Do we all need to be trained?,” she asked.

“Do you know how to swim?” Akeno asked back..

“Yes.”

“Then no.”

Xenovia nodded once then went to lay down on a pool chair.

Akeno gave her a confused look before shaking her head and deciding it wasn’t worth thinking about.

Koneko had climbed out by then and was drying off, though her eyes stayed on us.

I mainly was assisting Issei with helping Asia at this point.

It made more sense to let her experience this with him while I only helped when needed.

Asia tried another pass.

This one got a little farther.

When she came up sputtering, Issei looked genuinely proud. “See? You did it!”

Asia blinked water out of her eyes. “R-Really?”

“Yeah.”

Her whole face lit up.

That was cute enough that even I had to look away.

Unfortunately, that was when Issei’s head turned.

Toward the far side of the pool.

Toward Rias.

Who was stretching one arm back over her shoulder and doing absolutely nothing wrong except being Rias Gremory in a swimsuit under direct sunlight.

Issei stopped paying attention immediately.

Asia noticed.

Of course she did.

She looked at him.

Then in the direction he was looking.

Then back at him.

The wounded silence of it was almost impressive.

I said, very flatly, “Issei-san.”

“Huh?” He looked back too late.

Asia’s lower lip had already pushed out slightly.

“I-If you want I can just have Kusari-san help me,” she said, sounding like she felt bad for being the one wronged.

That was ridiculous.

“No, wait! Asia, I was paying attention!”

“You weren’t,” Koneko said from the side.

Asia’s grip on his arm tightened. “Were you looking at Rias-san?”

He panicked instantly. “Only for a second!”

“That means yes,” I said.

Rias, hearing her name, looked over.

Then at Issei.

Then at Asia.

Then, with a small smile and a sigh, she flicked a little burst of water at him hard enough that Issei yelped and went under.

He came back up spluttering.

“Buchou!?”

“Pay attention to the girl you’re helping,” Rias said.

She didn’t sound truly angry.

Just exasperated in that familiar way of hers. Like this was a natural consequence of loving an idiot.

Issei wiped water out of his eyes and looked immediately back at Asia. “I’m sorry!”

Asia, because she was Asia, softened at once. “I-It’s all right...”

“…No, it’s not,” Koneko said.

Asia looked like she was nervous she was causing trouble for others.

We kept going.

Long enough that Asia finally managed a few assisted strokes without looking like she was going to be dragged under at any moment.

Eventually Xenovia-san got bored of watching us and decided to swim laps. 

Akeno and Rias had started swimming at the far end of the pool as well.

Issei struggled not to stare at them while he helped Asia.

The sun climbed higher and the heat started settling heavier over the pool deck.

Eventually Asia got out and nearly collapsed onto one of the vinyl sheets.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, exhausted.

“For what this time?” I asked.

“For getting tired...”

I looked at Issei.

He looked at me.

Then, together, we sighed.

Koneko lay down nearby, claiming a sunlit pool chair.

Asia ended up resting beside her, eyes drooping almost immediately.

Rias smiled a little when she looked at them.

Then something black flapped down from above and landed near Issei’s shoulder.

A bat.

My eyes narrowed.

Issei blinked at it, then at Rias.

The bat turned in a tiny circle, then faced him.

“Come here,” Rias mouthed from across the pool.

Issei froze.

Then, because Issei was Issei, his face changed all at once.

Hope, excitement, and a stupid perverted grin all showed on his face quickly.

It was bound to happen eventually.

He ran.

“….Pervert…” Koneko quietly muttered.

I watched him go.

Then looked toward Rias.

She had a small bottle in her hand.

Oil.

Of course she would think of something like that

I leaned back onto my hands after getting out of the pool and stared up at the sky for a second.

It was impossible to be around this peerage for long without becoming desensitized to certain things.

When I looked back at them Issei was already at Rias’s side.

Akeno had moved closer as well.

She noticed my gaze and smiled at me while giving me a small wave. 

And then there were days like this that reminded me desensitization had limits.

Issei

The bat came.

Buchou called.

And I understood.

No, more than understood.

I felt it.

There was only one possible meaning for Buchou summoning me over to her side while she held a bottle of special oil at a private pool under the blazing summer sun.

This was fate

This was a reward.

This was the answer to prayers mankind had carried silently for generations.

I arrived in front of her so fast I was pretty sure I had broken some kind of personal speed record.

“Rias Gremory-sama! Your servant has arrived!”

Buchou blinked at me.

Then smiled in that beautiful, slightly exasperated way that meant she’d already figured out exactly what kind of thoughts were racing through my mind.

“I can see that. You really are easy to understand, aren’t you Ise?”

I went red immediately. “W-What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

She smiled at my embarrassment.

My desires being seen through so easily!

Still, she had called me over. She had oil in her hand. We were by the pool. There was no way this meant anything except—

“Devils can’t get sunburnt,” Buchou said, handing me the bottle, "However, we should still protect ourselves from the sun. So I want you to take this oil and rub it onto my back for me. Could you do that Ise?”

“Yes! With pleasure!”

No hesitation.

None needed.

This was what I had been born for.

She gave me that indulgent, half-amused look again, like she expected nothing less.

Then she turned and undid the back of her bikini top without much ceremony.

My soul left my body.

Her skin.

Her bare back.

The way her crimson hair spilled forward when she moved it out of the way.

The fact that her breasts were only a slight turn from being visible.

I almost started crying from gratitude.

“Now then,” she said, lying facedown on the sheet she had placed on her fully reclined chair “Go on.”

I poured oil into my hands.

My fingers shook.

No one can blame me for that.

This was Buchou.

Rias Gremory.

The most beautiful girl in the world, letting me rub oil on her body.

I touched her carefully.

And nearly blacked out from the feel of her skin alone.

Soft.

Warm from the sun.

Smooth enough that my brain stopped functioning correctly the second I started rubbing the oil over her shoulders.

“This is heaven,” I muttered.

“What was that?” Buchou asked.

“Nothing!”

“Hmm.”

That “hmm” clearly meant she knew exactly what I’d said and was choosing to spare me.

Or possibly choosing to enjoy it.

My hands moved lower.

Across her back.

Not in a way that would get me murdered immediately.

Just enough to spread the oil properly.

Buchou made the tiniest little sound.

That nearly killed me.

Then, naturally, because nothing can ever be simple, I heard someone moving behind me.

A shadow fell over us.

Then warmth pressed against my back from behind.

Soft.

Very soft.

Dangerously soft.

Akeno-san’s voice slid into my ear like a caress.

“Ara, ara, Ise-kun. What an enviable position.”

Akeno-san’s voice brushed against my ear so softly and made it impossible to think for a moment.

Then I nearly jumped out of my skin.

She had come up behind me so quietly that I hadn’t noticed her until the warmth of her body was already at my back. When I turned my head, she was right there—smiling with that dangerous, sweet expression that always meant I was about to suffer in some wonderful, terrible way.

“A-Akeno-san!?”

Her chest pressed lightly against my shoulder as she leaned in farther, peering down at Buchou and then at my hands still slick with the beauty oil.

“Ara, ara,” she repeated, eyes half-lidded. “Rias is so unfair. She calls you over with that little familiar of hers and keeps all of your attention to herself.”

Buchou lifted her head from the chair and looked over her shoulder at us.

“Akeno.”

She said her name like a warning.

A very pretty warning.

Akeno-san only smiled wider.

“Yes?”

Buchou’s cheeks were a little pink now, though whether from the heat, the oil on her skin, or the fact that I was touching her, I didn’t know. Maybe all three.

“I called Ise over because I wanted him to apply the oil for me,” she said. “You can wait your turn.”

“How cold,” Akeno-san said. “You say that as though I’m intruding on something private.”

Buchou sat up, holding her bikini top to her chest to cover herself.

I thought I might faint when she moved closer to Akeno-san and I to glare at her. 

“You are.”

That answer came instantly.

Akeno-san laughed.

I died a little as they both pressed closer with me between them.

Buchou wasn’t going to let Akeno-san mess around. 

She was not interested in giving Akeno-san more room than necessary to play with me in front of her.

Akeno-san leaned a little more against me on purpose. “Rias, you’re acting possessive. Isn’t she being scary Ise-kun?”

“U-Ummm, I-”

“I’m acting like I asked my pawn to do something for me.”

“Mmm. But if you should share. Ise-kun is so enthusiastic, shouldn’t you let the rest of us benefit too?”

Buchou sat up higher, one hand catching the loosened bikini top against her chest.

“That isn’t your decision. Right Ise?”

“Ah, wel-”

“And yet here I am, in need of someone to help me oil myself.”

“This is not something you need.”

“Oh?” Akeno-san’s eyes slid to me. “Then perhaps I should say I want some of the same treatment you’re getting.”

I stood between our two bickering Onee-sama’s and didn’t know if I should enjoy this or be concerned.