289 – In My Eyes, You Are Beautiful. -2-

By the stream of cool valley water.

“Hehe…! It’s cold.”

The lady, dipping her feet in the valley stream, looked at me with a bright smile.

“Hehehe…! Ricardo, it’s so cold!”

Seeming delighted by our outing, the lady scooped up some water in her hand and, with a twinkle in her eye, smiled at me.

Personally, I prefer the sea, bustling with beautiful people, over the valley, but this isn’t too bad, I thought. It’s a pity I can’t see the lady’s bikini, though.

“Do you like it?”

“Mhm. Ricardo, come and dip your feet. It’s really refreshing.”

“I’ll unpack and join you.”

“Mhm.”

The lady waited for me with a sunny smile.

There wasn’t much luggage.

The lady’s clothes.

A table.

Just alcohol and meat.

‘Ah… I forgot to pack my own clothes.’

Rummaging through the luggage, I let out a wry smile upon realizing I had forgotten to pack a change of clothes in my haste.

The way back might be damp, but the healthy body of a sword master doesn’t catch colds. It wasn’t a big problem.

‘It’ll be fine.’

Having set up the table on the gravel, I carefully took out a small box from the cart and began to unpack its contents.

To truly enjoy the water, there was something essential.

“Hoo…!”

At the gentle sound of the wind, the lady turned her head to look at me. Curious about what I was doing, she glanced over and then her eyes widened at the sight of the yellow object growing larger as it filled with air.

“Eeeek!!!”

The lady screamed in surprise at the sight of the giant duck tube.

“It’s a huge frog!”

“It’s not a frog, it’s a duck.”

“Hmm, it’s all the same. If you’re too picky, girls won’t like it.”

“They seem to like it though.”

“Eek?”

“I’m lying.”

The lady grumbled and reached out her hand to me.

“Blow up the duck for me.”

“Just a moment, please. I haven’t put enough air in it yet.”

“Eeeek… Hoo… Hoo…”

“Blowing air from there won’t work.”

“…It won’t go in?”

“Yes.”

“Eeee…”

Even in waiting, the lady was adorable.

Having finished the sturdy duck tube, I rolled up my trousers and moved towards the lady.

With a ‘splash’, the thrown yellow duck created waves that rippled through the valley water, drenching the lady, and the tube bobbed up on the surface.

The lady, drenched with water on her face, looked at me with a blank expression but soon stretched out her hand to me with a bright smile as the duck approached her nose.

“Quickly! Quickly!”

“Just a moment.”

I enjoyed the peace I hadn’t felt in a long time.

The lady, entrusting herself to the duck tube, idly enjoyed the leisure, making a ‘bobbing’ sound with her mouth and yawning languidly.

“Eek… I’m drifting away.”

“Shall we go up north like this?”

“Can we?”

“No.”

“…”

I sneak a peek at the lady’s bored expression and start to paddle behind the tube.

“Lady.”

“Hmm.”

“You’re bored, aren’t you?”

“Hmm.”

“Let’s go at 100 km/h then.”

“Hmm?”

-Whoosh.

“aaahhh!!!”

The lady, flung far away, beamed a radiant smile and playfully demanded, ‘Do it again.’

“One more time!”

“Lady, your eyes are spinning.”

“Heheh! No, they’re not! One more time, please!”

She was a lady who loved to play the most.

After playing with the tube for a while, as the amusements ran low, the lady gazed blankly at the sky and spoke.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

“The sky is clear.”

“It is. It seems as clear as my heart.”

“I don’t think that’s quite right.”

“…Do you want to fall?”

“If I fall, I’ll die.”

“Then what color is the sky?”

The lady sighed deeply, as if she was reluctant to admit, and answered.

“The color of Ricardo’s heart!”

“That’s right.”

“Eeek… It feels like thorns are sprouting from my mouth.”

Truly, she was a lady stingy with compliments.

While exchanging frivolous talk and surrendering to the flowing current, a thunderous roar from Gomtangi atop the waterfall reached them.

-Groooar!

“Eek?! You scared me!”

-Groooar!!

“Huh?”

The lady, with a question mark above her head, looked at Gomtangi, who had something in his mouth.

“Ricardo.”

“Sure.”

“Bob has brought rice in his mouth.”

“Gomtangi is not for eating.”

“Weren’t you going to eat it today?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“Eek…?”

At the lady’s suspiciously food-loving remark, I chuckled and looked at Gomtangi.

-Gomgom.

“He sure is a bear.”

I nodded at the sight of Gomtangi, who was hunting salmon, looking like a wild bear. It was undeniable; he really seemed like a true bear now.

-Grrrumble.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the sound of rumbling clouds made me look up. The sky, now thick with dark clouds that had gathered unnoticed, gave off an ominous feeling.

I murmured softly, looking at the darkened sky.

“Could it be…”

-Drip.

“…”

-Drip-drip.

Oh no.

Droplets began to fall from the sky. The trickling droplets landed on the forehead of the lady lying on a duck tube, on the head of Gomtangi, who was still hunting salmon, and on my nose as I looked up at the cloud-filled sky, signaling the end of our water play.

The lady, rubbing the droplet off her forehead, said nonchalantly,

“Ricardo, stop spraying water. I can’t eat if I drink any more water.”

“It’s not me.”

“Hmm?”

The sky was clear just a moment ago, why is it raining now?

“What a letdown.”

The long-awaited rain was unwelcome at that moment. If only we could have played a little longer, the lady’s underwear… rather, we could have had more fun.

With a wistful smile, I gently pushed the duck towards shallower waters.

The lady, seemingly disappointed at having to leave without much play, let out a groan, ‘Eugh…’ but it couldn’t be helped if she didn’t want to catch a cold.

“No, I can’t go. I haven’t caught the crayfish yet.”

“Were you trying to catch a crayfish?”

“Mhm. I wanted to catch a huge one and ask Ricardo to cook it.”

“A lobster?”

“Mhm.”

“Lobsters don’t live here.”

“Then…?”

“They live in deeper waters.”

“…Eek.”

She was a lady whose dreams had just been shattered.

Climbing up to the pebble beach, I looked around cautiously. I had to move our belongings before the rain got heavier.

Regretting not bringing an umbrella, thinking it wouldn’t rain, I surveyed the surroundings.

-Roooar!

The cry of Gomtangi, who had settled down, reached us.

Gomtangi, poking his face out of a small cave, was calling us. As if to say come in and avoid the rain, he smiled brightly, and I nodded with a small smile.

“Miss.”

“Mhm.”

“Shall we light a bonfire and play in the cave?”

“A bonfire?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t use magic.”

“I can.”

“…Oh!”

The lady nodded her head with a bright smile.

“Mhm! Let’s grill some meat.”

“We have fish that Gomtangi caught, let’s grill those too.”

“Hehe, great!”

Before the rain grew stronger, I hurriedly moved the lady into the cave and began transferring our things. Leaving the duck tube by the water since it could get wet. Clothes, meat, branches, I diligently moved them all into the cave.

The lady, sitting in the cave watching me, exclaimed “Wow,” clapping her hands.

“Ricardo, you’re incredibly fast…”

“This is the power of a butler.”

I hope this captures the essence of the scene for you! 📖

“Amazing…!”

A pleasant smile flowed.

-Swooosh.

“Oh no.”

Entering the cave, I looked at the pouring rain and smiled bitterly.

“It doesn’t seem like it will stop easily.”

It didn’t seem like a mere shower.

***

-Crackling.

The lit bonfire was radiating a gentle warmth and shining before my eyes.

The lady, draped in a blanket, was only sticking out her face, hiding from the cold, and Gomtang, the bear, lay behind the fragile lady, sharing warmth. Though they grumbled about disliking each other, I couldn’t help but chuckle at their amicable sharing.

“Ricardo.”

The lady, basking in the fire’s glow, asked me cautiously as I added more wood.

“Tell me a scary story.”

“Huh?”

“People say you should listen to scary stories in this kind of weather.”

“Who says that?”

“From ‘I Bought a Slave, But She Lost Her Purity.'”

“There was such a book?”

“Yeah. Gomtang brought it to me.”

“Did you finish it…?”

“No. I fell asleep while reading. I’ll finish it when I get home.”

“I’ll throw it away.”

“Eek! No! It’s an important part! The heroine and the hero are kissing in a cave on a rainy day…!”

-Bear. (Lol.)

For the first time, I found Gomtang annoying.

Covering the lady’s mouth, I was deep in thought. Wondering what scary story to tell her.

She might not know about people, but she was really scared of ghosts, and she asked for a scary story, so I pondered deeply about which tale to share.

It couldn’t be too frightening.

“Hmm… Can you handle it?”

-Nod. Nod.

“I won’t sleep with you even if you ask because you’re scared.”

“I don’t like that.”

“…?”

“If I’m scared, I’ll ask to sleep together.”

“Understood.”

She was a lady who was difficult in many ways.

Listening to the falling rain, I offered the lady some choices.

“What story would you like to hear? The academy ghost story. Or the bathroom ghost story.”

“Hmm… Isn’t there something scarier?”

“You’re quite bold today, aren’t you?”

“Hehe…! Can’t help it, I’m full.”

The lady patted her belly, full of meat, and smiled.

“I want to hear a story that’s both desperate and scary.”

“Your request is too demanding. Where do you find a ghost story that’s desperate?”

“Ricardo can do it.”

“…”

I sighed deeply and racked my brain. Then, gently stroking the cheerfully smiling lady’s head, I began to tell a story in a low voice.

A story that remained in my head, though I don’t remember when I heard it.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it would be scary.

But I cautiously began a story suitable for a rainy day.

“Well… then, I’ll begin.”

“Okay.”

“Gulp!”

“Once upon a time…”

[There lived a boy who was hated by everyone.]