Chapter 58

A Moment on the Beach
With the swimsuit showcase over, it was finally time to fully enjoy the vacation.
First and foremost, there was the vast ocean stretching before me.
I had to dive in and embrace the essence of summer with my whole body.

"Claire, come swim with me!"
"I-I've never swum before…"
"Then I'll teach you how!"
"T-Thank you, Connie."

Oh.
Before me was a sight as dazzling as the shining sea itself.
Kindhearted as ever, Connie was helping Claire, who was slowly pushing herself to try new things.
Both of them had overcome painful pasts to regain their smiles… perhaps that’s why they’d become such close friends, able to truly trust each other.

"Well then, I suppose I shall go for a swim as well."

Next, Student Council President Tricia, having finished her warm-ups, made her appearance.
But would she really just swim?
She gave off the impression of someone who might come back with a massive shark in tow.

"… Lake? You’re not thinking something strange, are you?"
"Nonsense."

I responded instantly, keeping a straight face.
Making sure not to raise suspicion, even for a second—that was one of the essential techniques of Gallard-style hospitality.

"Young master Lake, aren’t you going to swim?"
"The water feels amazing!"

With Connie and Claire calling out to me from the sea, I finally started heading toward the water.
Behind me, Lucina also—

"Huh?"

Something felt off.
Normally, I would always sense Lucina’s presence right behind me… but this time, it felt different.
Not that she wasn’t there—she was—but something about it was… unusual.

I turned around and saw her standing there.

… Somehow, she looked smaller than usual?

"Lucina? Something wrong?"
"Not at all. Please, enjoy the summer sea without worrying about me."

She was talking incredibly fast.
Wait… could it be that she’s afraid of water?
She had never shown any signs of it before, though.

"Want me to teach you how to swim?"
"I have no idea what you’re talking about."

She abruptly refused to acknowledge my words.
This might be a deeply rooted issue.

"If you don’t want to swim, that’s fine, but how about just playing in the water a little? It’s nice and cool."
"Thank you for your concern."

Perhaps realizing that doing nothing at all would be bad, Lucina cautiously walked toward the shoreline.
Then, hesitantly, she dipped just the tip of her toe into the water.

"It is indeed cool and refreshing."
"That’s not enough to know for sure!"

I couldn’t help but blurt out a heartfelt retort.
I never imagined she disliked water this much… this was unexpected.

"Oh my, it seems the genius blacksmith has an unexpected weakness."
"Yeah, seriously—wait, whoa!?"

Tricia, who had finished her swim and returned to shore, stood behind me… and for some reason, she was holding a massive fish under each arm.

"Um, President… those fish?"
"These? I thought we could have them for lunch."

Did she… catch those barehanded?
While swimming?
Everything about her was just on a completely different level.

She handed the fish over to the maids, while Lucina continued her battle against the tiny waves.

Seeing that, I decided to head back into the sea with Connie and help teach Claire how to swim—
But just as I turned, a figure at the edge of my vision caught my attention.

That was odd.
This was the Heartland family’s private beach.
No outsiders should be able to enter.

Changing course, I made my way toward the rocky area a short distance from the shore to identify the mysterious figure.