No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 86
EP.86 Boundaries and Barriers (4)
It wasn’t a micro bikini. I wasn’t crazy enough to pick something like that. But the red bikini that Ria was wearing was definitely on the smaller side. Smaller, in fact, than the one she had confidently worn earlier—the one she had called a tie. It still covered all the necessary areas, sure, but honestly, at this point, wouldn’t it be less embarrassing to just swim in underwear?
And being stuck in this cramped fitting room with Ria, dressed like that… Yeah. I felt like my face was about to explode. If anything, I was probably redder than Ria, whose face was already burning.
To be fair, the bikini itself was a perfectly normal bikini. And because of that, it suited Ria incredibly well. Let me say this again: it wasn’t a micro bikini. The bottom piece at least looked like proper women’s underwear. But let’s be real—when it comes to these kinds of swimsuits, the top is always the most embarrassing part.
The red triangle on Ria’s chest covered exactly what needed to be covered—nothing more, nothing less. Which meant that the top, the sides, and the bottom of that triangle? All still visible. If it covered any less, it would be an underboob swimsuit. But since it was a standard bikini, it instead left her cleavage fully exposed—and, naturally, her sideboob as well.
…It looks good.
And of all things, Ria had chosen now to stand with one hand on her hip, head held high, exuding confidence. Which, of course, only made it look even better.
Damn it.
I wasn’t sure why exactly I felt so frustrated, but I did. And the thought that someone else had probably seen this sight before me? That just made it worse.
So, before I could stop myself, I blurted out—
"Ria."
"What? Don’t tell me you want to call it a tie now."
"Like hell I do."
I growled in response, reaching out to grab the necklace around her neck.
And then—
Crap.
My fingers barely, barely grazed the top of her chest. Just a light brush, but still—there was no mistaking what I had just felt. Definitely not her sternum. Definitely soft.
I swallowed hard, forcing my expression to stay neutral as I gave the necklace a small tug. Ria leaned forward slightly, her face drawing closer to mine.
Our eyes met, just a little too close.
"Why are you wearing this around your neck?" I asked.
"Huh?"
"You could lose it while swimming."
I did my best to keep my eyes locked on hers. Somehow, it felt like if I let my focus slip even a little, my gaze would automatically wander downward.
"It’s not exactly cheap, you know? If you want a replacement, you’d have to go all the way to the Gnome region again."
Honestly, this had been bothering me too. Not that Ria had to wear a friendship ring or anything—it was her choice. And since she was constantly wielding a sword, maybe it was just inconvenient for her.
The ring on my own finger gleamed faintly. So did the one hanging from Ria’s necklace. Of course, that was because I had personally imbued them with divine power.
"……."
For some reason, Ria didn’t say anything.
Slowly, I removed the necklace from her neck. Then, I slid the ring off the chain and took her hand. Without a word, I slipped it onto the fourth finger of her right hand.
When I looked up, Ria’s face was practically glowing red. Any trace of composure she had before? Completely gone.
I smirked.
It was only then that Ria seemed to realize what had just happened.
"You—! You wear yours too!"
Ria shoved a swimsuit at me as she spoke.
At least it seemed to have a little more coverage than the one I had picked for her. But—
“…Huh.”
That was all I could say when I saw it.
I hadn’t noticed earlier when I handed Ria her swimsuit. My mind had been too preoccupied to really pay attention to what she had picked.
But now that I actually looked at it—
“…Why is the color like this?”
I asked with a deadpan expression.
Ria smirked in response, though her face was still burning red.
“What? You picked mine to match my hair color, so I did the same.”
“……”
I seriously thought about it for a moment.
Has Ria ever watched porn?
I mean, even if she has, maybe she’s just never come across that kind. After all, male-targeted and female-targeted porn are completely different categories. The former focuses on the actress, the latter on the actor. There’s an endless stream of those kinds of videos released every day, all with different content.
So maybe it’s just my brain that’s completely rotten.
But still.
Who the hell wears a golden bikini to the beach?
This isn’t some post-apocalyptic wasteland.
No matter how I looked at it, this was obviously meant for cosplay. And not the innocent kind.
I don’t even know why something like this was available at a regular swimwear store.
“If you were picking for a blonde, wouldn’t yellow be more normal? This is just… way too… you know?”
“What? You scared? Too much for you?”
“……”
I narrowed my eyes at her.
“…Fine. You think I won’t wear it?”
When I really thought about it, in the end, it was just me and Ria hanging out. That’s right. If I was embarrassed, Ria would be too.
I snatched the swimsuit from her hands.
After changing in another fitting room, I called Ria over. The moment she saw me, she fell completely silent. She didn’t even blush in embarrassment. She just stared at me, utterly dumbfounded, before finally nodding.
“…Let’s just pick something else.”
Looks like she only realized how bad it was after actually seeing it.
*
It took us a little over an hour to pick out our swimsuits. By the time we stepped out of the store, I was a bit exhausted. But Ria had no intention of wasting the rare chance to be out like this. Even though all I wanted to do was go back and collapse onto my bed, she dragged me off somewhere. It was the same place she had taken me last time—her uncle’s house. Well, “uncle” was just someone her dad was close to.
Once again, the house was empty.
“…Why does this place have a swimming pool?”
“There are lots of houses with pools overseas, aren’t there?”
I mean, yeah, but…
I knew there were probably houses like that in Korea too. Luxury apartment complexes often had pools for residents, and massive private homes might have them as well. There were probably some grand estates somewhere in the countryside with infinity pools. But the pool here felt different. It didn’t seem like a pool meant for leisure. It looked more like something built by the city for public use.
“You didn’t even blink when you saw the shooting range in the house, but a pool surprises you?”
“…I was surprised about the shooting range too, actually.”
Ria chuckled at my response.
Then, she dropped the bags we’d brought onto the floor with a thud.
I was staring blankly at her when she looked up at me and said,
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“We’re at a pool. That means we should change into our swimsuits.”
“……”
Oh, right.
Ria had brought me here to teach me how to swim. And since I didn’t have a proper swimsuit… She had insisted that there was a difference between a swimsuit for swimming and one for playing around, but that was only an issue when other people were watching.
I walked over to my bag, pulled out my swimsuit, and followed Ria to the changing rooms. We changed as far apart from each other as possible.
I had no idea why a private house had separate men’s and women’s changing rooms, or why they were big enough for over a dozen people to change at once. But at least it meant we didn’t have to see each other while getting dressed. And for that, I was grateful.
*
The swimsuit I wore wasn’t too embarrassing. It was yellow bikini. Maybe Ria felt bad about trying to make me wear a gold one, because she ended up picking something relatively normal for me.
Her own bikini, on the other hand, was the one I had chosen for her. Thanks to that, I was currently dying of embarrassment.
Both Ria and I were in the pool, the water reaching up to our chests. Like most beginners, I started by holding onto the edge and trying to float. Ria stood next to me, placing her hands on my stomach and waist to help me adjust my posture.
“……”
Between the sensation of her touch and the water level being just right, I couldn’t help but notice the way the water moved between Ria’s breasts as it rushed in and out. The way her wet skin glistened above the waterline was strangely… seductive. Seriously, could she be any more of a heroine?
But unlike me, Ria was completely focused on my training. She was surprisingly serious about it, which only made me more frustrated. It felt like I was the only one getting distracted by her. Not that I hated it, but… it still felt unfair. I wished I had left this kind of useless imagination behind in my past life.
Standing in front of a transparent glass wall, I see someone beyond it—someone standing in front of an identical wall, just as clear. Sometimes, our eyes meet. But I have no idea if that person is looking at me with any real interest. That suffocating uncertainty made me grit my teeth and focus entirely on practicing. I could only hope Ria saw it as me being deeply immersed in training—nothing more.