"Sigh."

How did it come to this?

There was Ligeia, crying and talking about how we weren’t truly friends, with Agnes and Natalie seemingly sympathizing with her. And as soon as I tried to console her by saying I’d grant her a wish, I found myself being practically shoved into the changing room, as if this had all been half-planned.

Now that I think about it, those tears Ligeia shed… they almost seemed fake.

The way her expression changed as soon as I offered to grant her a wish was suspicious. She might have started acting the moment she realized I wasn’t alone. Despite her innocent exterior, Ligeia had always been shrewd.

Thanks to her noblewoman skills and acting prowess, I ended up agreeing to try on her entire swimsuit collection. At least two hours of outfit changes lay ahead of me, with no veto power.

How does she even know my size?

“Lady Lilith, are you ready?”

“Huh? Y-Yes! I’m ready!”

Responding reflexively to her voice outside the changing room, I reluctantly began preparing to change into the swimsuits. Ligeia, with her sky-blue hair, was out there cheerfully sorting through her collection.

“Hm~. What would suit you best~? Let’s start with something a little bold, shall we~?”

“If possible, I’d prefer something… more modest, Miss Ligeia.”

“Oh, right! I think I have that one swimsuit I made as a joke… Ah, here it is!”

With that unsettling statement, I heard her rummaging through hangers. Shortly after, she handed me something through the curtain—a garment I could barely classify as a swimsuit.

Swish!

“Here you go, Lady Lilith. Try this one on first.”

“…What?”

Ligeia handed over a swimsuit with an absurdly small amount of fabric, a bright smile on her face. I couldn’t believe it, but since I’d already said yes, I took the piece from her, albeit reluctantly.

“…Do I really have to wear this?”

“Please hurry, Lady Lilith. There are still forty-nine more to go.”

“…Alright.”

Ligeia closed the curtain behind her with a satisfied smirk, leaving me no choice but to try on the swimsuit she handed me.

You… want me to wear this?!

It was a bikini so skimpy it seemed impossible to cover anything. If this were a web novel illustration, it would require so much censorship it might as well be blanked out.

There’s no way I’d wear this in front of anyone but Ethan.

At least we were all women here, so I figured it was fine. I’d shared baths with other girls like Isabelle and Katarina before. This was just a swimsuit—nothing scandalous about that.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“L-Lady Lilith…?! That outfit is….”

“Does it look strange, Miss Natalie?”

“It’s not so much strange as… I feel a bit sorry saying this…”

“……”

“It looks a bit… indecent.”

Natalie tried to be polite, but considering the swimsuit, blunt feedback was inevitable. Agnes, on the other hand, didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“…Are you a pervert?”

“I didn’t choose this! If you have a problem, take it up with Miss Ligeia!”

“The fact that you wore it without protest kind of makes you one. I wouldn’t wear that skimpy rag even if I were dying.”

“I’m just keeping a promise to Miss Ligeia! I wouldn’t normally wear something this revealing!”

“If you’re going to roll around in something like that, you might as well be naked.”

Agnes shot back with a vengeance, clearly relishing the opportunity to get back at me for earlier. Natalie, meanwhile, was trying her best to compliment me.

“It does suit you very well, Lady Lilith!”

“…Thank you, Miss Natalie.”

It didn’t sound like a compliment at all, though. Being told this revealing outfit suited me only made me feel worse. It wasn’t something for the beach; it was more suited for the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Ligeia had been silent. I glanced at her, and she was just watching, a satisfied grin on her face.

“Don’t you have any thoughts, Miss Ligeia? You’re the one who gave me this in the first place…”

Drip.

“…Ah.”

“M-Miss Ligeia?! Y-Your nose is bleeding….”

“P-Pay no mind, Miss Natalie. I’ve just been working late recently, that’s all…”

…Yeah, she’s the most dangerous one here.

Wiping away her nosebleed as casually as if she were brushing lint off her sleeve, Ligeia pulled a crystal-like device from her pocket. I recognized it as a magic device that could record video.

“It’s so beautiful… Lady Lilith’s body truly is a gift from the gods. I must save this image in the record crystal and frame it…”

“If you actually record this, you won’t see my face again, Miss Ligeia Auguste.”

“It was just a joke, of course! Lady Lilith’s beauty overwhelmed me, that’s all!”

Quickly stowing the crystal back into her pocket, Ligeia handed me the next swimsuit.

“Here you go, Lady Lilith! Why don’t you try this one next?”

“…It doesn’t look like it has much more coverage than the last one, Miss Ligeia.”

“Swimsuits vary, you know! Some cover more, some cover less. And I assure you, not all fifty are like this!”

“Are you seriously planning to make me try all fifty?”

“What? You made us try that many earlier. Is it only fun when you’re making others change?”

“……”

“I… I agree with Miss Agnes to some extent, Lady Lilith.”

“…Fine. I’ll try it on.”

…Seems like I’m alone here. Out of everyone, I should be closest to these three. Yet, somehow, I was left with a profound sense of loneliness among the crowd.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Here’s the final swimsuit!”

“Ah, finally… the last one…”

Ligeia handed over the last swimsuit with a grin. At the thought of finally wrapping up this fashion show, I exhaled in relief.

“…Huh? Oh, no, I wasn’t asleep!”

“…Zzz…”

By now, Natalie and Agnes, who had been making remarks earlier, were slumped in their seats, looking utterly drained. After all, they had tried on thirty swimsuits before I’d even started, so their reactions were understandable. My own arms and shoulders felt like they were about to snap from all the strap-tying.

“It’s such a pity. If only I’d prepared more, I could have found fifty more swimsuits that suited you!”

“…You wouldn’t have gotten through them all anyway, Miss Ligeia.”

Despite watching me change through fifty swimsuits, Ligeia was still lively as ever. She handed over the final outfit, brimming with enthusiasm.

Whether she was naturally this outgoing or genuinely enjoyed watching me try on swimsuits was anyone’s guess. I took the swimsuit and held it up to the mirror, immediately recognizing its motif.

“…What?”

The swimsuit was mainly black, with frills running along the top and bottom, and even a white choker around the neck.

It was unmistakably modeled after a maid outfit—a somewhat special and unique choice for a swimsuit.