Chapter 143: Swimming Prohibited
[June 2nd, noon]
[Outskirts of Academy City, at the shallow riverbank]
[This was the long-awaited summer water activity the boys had been looking forward to, but unfortunately, except for Tomoe Gozen, none of the girls seemed to bring swimsuits.]
[The girls sat farther away on a sandy beach, setting up parasols and enjoying the beautiful outdoor scenery.]
[Meanwhile, the boys were warming up before entering the water.]
[You suddenly notice something unusual…]
"Swimming prohibited?"
Eikou noticed a sign flipped over in the shallow water.
Not far away, half-buried in the sand, there was a dirty sign with most of its letters rusted off. Looking closely, one could vaguely make out the words "Swimming Prohibited."
[Perform a "Fairy Eyes" skill check.]
A die rolled down.
[Result: A, failure.]
[The words engraved on the bottom part of the sign were so faded they couldn't be read anymore; with your current level of Fairy Eyes, you cannot see any additional information.]
"..."
Even though he couldn't read more, the existence of that sign still made Eikou instantly alert.
"Tristan, it seems like swimming is not allowed here. What do you think we should do?"
"What, really? There's such a thing?"
Tristan glanced at the sign Eikou pointed at, then turned back with stylish confidence:
"No worries, this place isn't anyone's private property. Whoever put that sign there probably just wanted to warn people about strong currents or drowning risk. No problem at all!"
"That actually is a big problem."
"No, I—Tristan—am the son of Cornwall, born to befriend the fierce waves of the Celtic Sea," Tristan declared confidently. "This river may be wide, but it's hardly wild. To me, it's no more than a small stream—nothing to worry about!"
"If you drown, don't expect your brothers to come retrieve your corpse…" Eikou glanced at the Sun Knight. "What about you, Gawain?"
"I'm fine. I just don't enjoy water games like Tristan does. Unless a woman falls into the river, I won't jump in," Gawain said. "Sir Lancelot is also excellent—rumor has it he could swim across the Dover Strait."
"But if we're talking about who swims best among the Round Table…" Tristan paused for a moment.
"No doubt, it's Kay—that guy's a total monster!"
The two Round Table Knights laughed heartily.
"..."
Eikou honestly couldn't understand what they were laughing at.
But it seemed he didn't have to worry too much about these potato-brained guys getting into trouble.
Even among the Throne of Heroes, the Round Table Knights were high-ranking and powerful Servants. Eikou truly couldn't imagine a scenario where they might drown.
Given their Endurance, as long as there wasn't some legend about them "not knowing how to swim" or "drowning in a river," there shouldn't be any issue at all.
"No other choice then..."
Still, to be safe, Eikou cast a buff on them.
[You used "Protection of the Lake" on everyone.]
[Everyone's swimming ability increased slightly.]
"Good, now that's reassuring."
After adding that layer of insurance, the uneasiness in Eikou's heart gradually faded.
"Unnecessary, but thanks anyway," Tristan said confidently. "Sir Eikou, Sir Gawain, watch how I conquer this nameless river later... Sir Gawain, what are you looking at?"
Gawain was glancing around, as if searching for something.
"Nothing, I'm just looking..." he gazed toward the sandy shore, eyes distant, "to see if there are any ladies in swimsuits nearby."
"Keep dreaming. There are no women in swimsuits in this deserted place..."
Eikou couldn't help but sigh.
"But I totally get how you feel, Gawain. If only we could see the Lion King in a swimsuit, that would be great."
"Ah, about that," Tristan said, "I actually saw a King in a swimsuit earlier—older, British, long blond hair, and a Lancer."
Eikou shot him a look. "You mean Finn-sensei, right?"
"Damn it, you found out... When I was driving earlier, I saw Finn-sensei wearing beach shorts, carrying a fishing rod and a bucket. Looks like they're also coming to this beach."
"So in the end, it's still all men?!!"
Eikou cried out in despair:
"Damn it, besides Tomoe Gozen, can't we at least get a few beauties in swimsuits? Even married women are ok too!"
"It's fine, summer has only just begun. There will be plenty of chances to go to the beach later," Gawain patted him on the shoulder.
"Wait a minute..."
Eikou suddenly realized a missing piece and thought to himself: what about our cutest Wild Boar-chan, why hasn't she shown up yet?
Artoria had just transferred schools, so she wasn't familiar with the girls' group yet. Normally, she liked to tag along with the boys… especially Eikou.
"I heard Our King brought a swimsuit. She's probably changing in the car right now," Gawain said expectantly.
In that instant, everyone's expressions lit up as though spring sunshine had washed over their faces.
Though they all wanted to see the "visually stimulating" swimsuits of mature onee-sans, the thought of seeing a cute girl like Artoria in a pure swimsuit... was just as wonderful!
"Everyone!"
From the other side of the sandy beach, a small figure with a golden ahoge standing upright on her head cheerfully ran toward them.
As the distance closed, Eikou could make out her silhouette more clearly.
It was Artoria Caster, wearing an oversized white hoodie. The long hem fluttered as she ran, her petite body looking as if it were wrapped in a blanket.
"?"
This was way too pure—there wasn't even a bit of exposed skin; in fact, she was wearing more than she usually did in winter!
... Oh well, modest style can be cute too. That was just Wild Boar-chan's trademark—wearing swimwear that's even more conservative than normal clothes. If she suddenly wore something overly revealing, everyone would feel uncomfortable instead.
Eikou had learned to make peace with reality.
"Don't—don't look at me like that, Eikou… it's embarrassing..."
Artoria blushed as she spoke.
What are you embarrassed about?! Wearing something that thick kills any rom-com vibe completely!
"We thank Our King for her gracious presence..."
The two Round Table Knights behind Eikou were already moved to tears upon seeing the summer version of Artoria Caster.
Hey, you two are overreacting?! Wild Boar-chan's just wearing a hoodie! What about that's so emotional?! I'm honestly terrified thinking about how you'd react if Artoria Archer showed up!!
Or maybe… as long as it's Artoria, anything she does is enough to make you two happy, huh?!
(Author's Note: The hoodie Artoria is wearing is Oberon's swimsuit costume. This is an IF timeline where it wasn't stolen by Oberon.)
...