Tale of Discovery

"Huh? Seriously?" I mutter upon hearing the choice that members of Ratatoskr made.

"Dead serious," Kotori responds in a solemn tone, "You could also take Yoshino along with you for a change as well."

"If you say so," I reply, deciding that the choice isn't a bad one after all, "Even so… I need to take them out to shop for swimsuits, don't I?"

Well, either that or I create them through Creation.

"We can provide a variety of swimsuits, but I believe that you should pick some along those you are taking out to the Ocean Park for a better experience."

"Right," I say, "Where is this Ocean Park anyway?"

"Don't worry about that," Kotori's confident voice replies, "Leave it to us to guide you there."

"Sure..."

Still, a pool, huh? I am rather looking forward to it now.

"Hey, Tohka," I say, attracting the cheerful girl's attention to myself, "I've concluded where we are going."

"Really?!" she bursts out as a look of excitement covers her face.

"Yes," I say, "We're going to an Ocean Park."

---

"Shido, we're ready!" Tohka says as she and Yoshino step out of the house.

They're both dressed in casual clothes that had seemingly been prepared for them by a certain organization my sister is a part of.

"Great," I say, "It's getting somewhat late, so we should hurry up."

Despite the time not being suitable for going out on such a date, that's not much of an issue according to Kotori as the Ocean Park is 'unique'.

I don't know what she meant by that, but I will see when we get there.

At this moment, another figure steps out of the house, which is none other than Kotori herself.

Unexpectedly, she shuts the door behind her and locks it before cheerfully running over to me and saying, "Big brother, I'm coming too!"

"Why?" I mutter after casting a glance at the white ribbon attached to her hair.

"What's wrong, big brother? Do you not want to take me along?" Kotori says in a downtrodden tone as tears begin to well up within the corners of her eyes.

Seeing this, I roll my eyes before stepping forth and embracing her.

Startled, Kotori lets out a cute yelp as she presses her face against my chest.

Hah~ She sure is spoiled while taking on this 'persona' of hers.

"Well then," I say as I separate myself from Kotori, "We are going to visit a swimsuit store first before heading over to our designated location."

--

Entering a swimsuit store that's quite possibly being run by Ratatoskr members, I take a short look around.

The first thing I notice is the fact the store has no 'customers' present apart from us. If we can be considered as such, to begin with…

Unlike me and Kotori, Tohka and Yoshino are quite excited as they begin eyeing the different swimsuits put on display.

Expectedly, Yoshino walks over to the children's section and begins to skim through swimsuits put on display, which are mostly one-piece ones with cute designs.

As for Tohka, she remains in place, seemingly unsure of what to do.

"Hey, hey, big brother," Kotori says while tugging on the left sleeve of my shirt, "Who are you going to pick a swimsuit for first?"

This girl… Despite being in her spoiled 'persona' right now, she still does her best to cause me trouble.

Releasing a sigh of exasperation, I say, "I'll pick a swimsuit for Tohka first, then move on to you two."

Fortunately, Kotori doesn't start a tantrum but simply skips away and begins to keenly look around.

"Come on, Tohka," I say as I step forth and take her left hand into mine, "Let's go and pick something neat for you, shall we?"

Tohka responds to my suggestion by simply nodding her head once with excitement apparent on her face. And so, I pull her along as I move toward a bunch of swimsuits that are 'moderate' when it comes to the amount of skin they cover.

--

"Are you done changing yet?" I ask while peeking into one of the four available changing rooms through Clairvoyance.

"No!" Tohka responds while gazing into a mirror and attempting to tie the upper half of her swimsuit up.

As for the other two who are also changing, I get nothing other than utmost silence as they seemingly continue to get changed.

"Should I help you?" I suggest with an inkling of hope to get out of the store earlier.

"No!" a collective response from both Tohka and Kotori reaches my ears.

What a pain… For some reason, they decided to turn this into a competition. One that I would be the judge of.

A short while later, both Tohka and Kotori leave the changing room at the same time.

Tohka walks out with a confident smile on her face, showing off her assets properly, while Kotori practically hides everything with a red hue covering her cheeks.

"Now, Shido," Tohka says with a smile on her lips, "Who looks better?"

"I can't decide yet," I answer almost instantly, "The third 'contestant' is still not out yet."

Hearing this, Tohka casts a glance at the dressing room that Yoshino is in and says in a befuddled tone, "Why is she taking so long? Hers is the easiest one to put on…"

Easy for you to say.

Making use of Clairvoyance, I check Yoshino out only to be stunned by the sight of her being teary-eyed with her limbs seemingly stuck in the white one-piece swimsuit she is wearing.

Seeing her this troubled, I walk past Kotori and Tohka before reaching the dressing room and directly pushing the curtain aside.

There, standing before me was a troubled and lost Yoshino with her puppet lying on the ground beside her leg.

Beaming her a smile to ward off unhealthy notions, I step inside the dressing room and close the curtain door behind me.

Then, I proceed to inspect the swimsuit for a brief moment before beginning to aid Yoshino in escaping from her misery.

"Thank you," a meek voice reaches my ears once I've helped Yoshino properly put on her swimsuit.

I immediately hug her body and whisper into her ear, "Don't mention it. If you're ever troubled, make sure to tell me as soon as possible, so I can help you. Alright?"

As a response to this, Yoshino simply hums in confirmation while wrapping her dainty exposed arms around my nape.

Feeling her softness, I pat her back once as a signal to let go before aligning my face with hers and giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"Let's go," I whisper as I get up and extend my arm out to her.

Once she takes my hand, I push the curtain aside before walking out with her, earning me curious looks from Tohka and two female customers who seem to have just entered the store.

"Alright," Tohka says with her gaze lingering on Yoshino, "You can decide who looks the best now!"

"Sure," I nonchalantly respond as I begin scanning their looks one after another.

For Tohka, I chose a set of purple swimsuits upon which I used her 'battle form' as a reference.

The swimsuit covers her mounds and does the same for a good portion of her lower body.

Nevertheless, her thighs are a sight to behold, complimented with the purple which seems to make them look all the better.

Moving on, I set my gaze on Kotori who is wearing a fiery red swimsuit that goes rather well with her hair and 'personality'. And by that, I mean she's a walking bomb that only gets defused by some brotherly punishment.

Shaking such thoughts away, I admire her figure for a few more seconds before moving on to the final 'contestant'.

Despite having already done more than just see her, I keep my sight lingered on Yoshino so that she wouldn't feel 'out' for a short while before nodding my head approvingly.

Seeing this, Tohka moves a little closer and asks, "So?"

Letting out a small sigh, I say, "You all look absolutely great in your swimsuits. Each one of you tops the other in an area, making it rather hard for me to choose one."

"Oh…" a deflated voice escapes from Tohka's lips as she lowers her head slightly and pouts.

Shrugging my shoulders, I move closer to her and proceed to wrap my arm around her back and squeeze her butt after making sure the other two can't see.

This earns me a yelp from Tohka and confused looks from Kotori and Yoshino.

However, I seem to have forgotten the fact that two other customers had entered the store.

Whatever. I decide to ignore the odd looks I'm being given and instruct the girls to get changed back into their casual clothes.

---

Arriving at the Ocean Park, I am met with the sight of a huge stadium-like structure.

"Hey, Reine," I mutter, "Are you sure that this is the right place?"

"Of course," a voice responds to me, "The gate leading inside is up ahead."

"And this thing is open right now?"

"It's available during every hour of the week except Sundays."

"I see."

This place sure is much bigger than what I was expecting. Naturally, I had seen this before from a distance but didn't think much of it, as it simply looked nothing like an Ocean Park from outside.

Still, I wonder what kind of Ocean Park it is to be available even during such late times…

Looking around, I notice that quite a number of citizens are walking to and from the direction of the gate.

The average age of those coming and going seems to be in the mid-twenties.

And so, while being curious about the Ocean Park and feeling refreshed for getting to spend some time here, I begin walking in the direction of the gate, as the three girls follow along closely.