When I suggested that we all go swimming together, Rio, Iris, and Maifa were very excited and happy.

　That's why I decided to hurry up.
　After arranging a date with Alma, we left the village a few days later and headed for the coastal city of Seafeet.

　Our party consisted of me, Rio, Iris, and Maifa, along with Cecilia, who had become our housekeeper since the vampire incident.

　Here is what happened before our departure.

　On the night that Alma contacted me, I asked Cecilia if she wanted to go out with me...

"Are you sure?　You don't mind if I go with you?

　Cecilia took a huge bite out of it and grabbed my hand firmly in both of hers.

Yes, yes, ....... But of course, please don't be offended by the sight of my girls in their swimsuits. I'm sure you'll be fine, but I just want to warn you that Cecilia-san's love for boys and girls can sometimes be too much.

"Of course, of course!　I'll do my best not to provoke you!　I'll do my best!

I'll try my best!" "...... Try your best?　Effort?

Oh, no, no, no. ...... No, never!　I'll be ...... very careful. ......

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that," said the housekeeper, her voice gradually fading.
　It seems that this useless brave man is incapable of lying.

　I seriously thought that it would be a bad idea to take him with us, but Rio and the others said, "It's too bad you have to stay home again.

But Rio and the others said, "It's too bad you have to stay home again, so let's take Cecilia with us, brother.

　So I finally gave my permission for Cecilia to accompany me.

　When I gave Cecilia permission, she got down on her knees in the living room of her house and lowered her head, rubbing her forehead against the floor, saying, "Haha, thank you, master.

　One of the best and bravest men in the country was throwing away all his pride to go swimming with my students.

　So, the five of us, myself, the three kids, and one extra person, spent a few days in a horse-drawn carriage.

　We finally arrived at the coastal city of Seafeet.

"Wow, that's ......!　That's the ocean ......!

It's big ......!　Doctor, it's so big ......!

"...... Kun Kun. ...... That's the smell of the sea. It's like the smell of ...... shellfish, but somehow more atmospheric.

　The children who got out of the carriage first seemed to be impressed by the vast expanse of ocean beyond the city.

　The landward entrance to the coastal city of Seafeed is protected by city walls and gates, but the other side of the city faces the coast, and we can see many ships coming and going in the harbor.

　The carriages stop in front of the city gate of the city of Seafeet.

　I followed the children and got out of the carriage.
　Cecilia followed suit.

　The carriage arrived at the site in the late afternoon.
　The sun was a little too strong to be beautiful, and I squinted at the glare.

　At the city gate, the gatekeepers were checking the entry of visitors, and there was some queue in front of the gate.

　As we all waited for our turn at the end of the line, Cecilia suddenly asked me something like this.

I'm not sure if you've ever been to the coastal city of Seafeet before," she said.

I've been here a few times with Alma, yes. What about you, Cecilia?

I've been here a few times too. ...... By the way, Brett, who is this 'Alma'?

　I'm not sure what to make of this.

　Cecilia, who is forbidden to call me "Master" outside the house, asks me that question.

Alma was a colleague of mine when I was working at the Academy for the Brave in King's Landing. She is a beautiful teacher who is so popular that she even has a fan club among the male students in King's Landing. You can find a lot of people who are interested in this kind of thing.

"Hmmm ......, that makes a lot of sense. Brett, you're surprisingly hard to put in a corner. Well, that's true. You can't be unattractive when you're as good as Brett.

　Cecilia then smiled at me.

　I looked at her and sighed heavily.
　That pattern again.

　I put my arm around Cecilia's neck, like two friends standing shoulder to shoulder.

"You know, Cecilia. I don't think it's good to immediately suspect love when a man and a woman are getting along. Cecilia and I don't have that kind of relationship, do we?

"Ah. It's more like a master-servant relationship.

It's a master-servant relationship. ...... But that's beside the point. It's not like Alma and I are what you would call a man and a woman. We are just good friends and colleagues. Please don't take this the wrong way.

　But when I told her that, Cecilia raised her eyebrows suspiciously.

You're a female teacher named Alma. You're not in love with this teacher, Alma, but you've come to go swimming with her, just the two of you?

Yeah. Apparently, Alma is most comfortable with a guy like me. It's hard for her to get along with guys who are her fans, and it's hard for her to get along with guys of the same s*x.

Haha. ......

　Cecilia was still not quite sure what to make of this.
　And then...

Cecilia sister, come here.

　Rio beckoned to Cecilia.


　What the ......?

　Cecilia took it and walked up to Rio, crouched down and put her ear to his.
　Rio seemed to be saying something in Cecilia's ear.

　Cecilia listened to him for a while.
　After a while, Cecilia mumbled, "I see," glanced at me, and sighed heavily.

　Cecilia then stood up, walked over to me again, and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Mr. Brett. I don't dislike that about you, but don't do it too much. You'll get stabbed.

"...... What the hell are you talking about?

　It was like I was being taken aback.
　It's a shame ...... that you're so cocky for a big sister.

　In the meantime, the check at the city gate was over and we were able to enter the city of Seafeed.

　The coastal city of Seafeed is surrounded by the sea on three sides.

　The cityscape, built on the natural terrain, has a structure with a difference in elevation that descends from the land side where we entered to the sea side on three sides, making it different from ordinary cities.

　The sea breeze with the scent of the seashore blows in from the sea side, which is good for tourists, but I heard that the local residents have a hard time with the sticky and salty air.

　The reason why it is called a coastal city, rather than a port city, is because it is famous as a recreational spot that makes use of the coastal topography more than anything else.

　In particular, the beaches to the east of the city are very popular during the hot summer season, and many people come from nearby areas as well as from far away to take a vacation.

　For this reason, there is a thriving lodging industry for tourists.
　Of course, we were one of those tourists, and we had already reserved a room at one of the hotels in the city.

　We were planning to meet Alma at the inn, so I took the kids and Cecilia to the inn first.