Jashin-chan continued her stable performance, which was, as usual, followed by a stable beating.

Yurine, having changed into her swimsuit, pulled back the curtain and stepped out of the fitting room, her slender, pale legs walking onto the carpet. She passed by Medusa, who was frowning and looking uncomfortable while being constricted by Jashin-chan's tail, and the wickedly grinning snake-demon. Yurine didn't hesitate for a second. She clenched her fist and mercilessly hammered it straight down onto Jashin-chan's head.

With a loud "BONK!" and a yelp of pain from Jashin-chan, the scum-snake went stiff and slid right off Medusa's body.

"So painful! Yurine, what are you doing?!"

Jashin-chan sat crumpled on the floor, a lump the size of a ping-pong ball already swelling on her head. Her cute face was scrunched up in agony, her eyebrows drooped into a sad "V." She recovered for a few seconds, then glared up at Yurine, outraged.

"How hideous, Jashin-chan!" For more chapters visit novèlfire.net

"Your jealousy is twisting your face!"

"I'm just returning those words right back to you."

Yurine crossed her arms, looking down at Jashin-chan from above. She perfectly mimicked the exact tone and attitude Jashin-chan had used in the car, and then delivered the final line in a perfectly calm voice.

Jashin-chan froze, her eyes turning into blank dots. Her mouth hung open, and a little snot bubble even inflated from her nose. She was completely stunned.

'Wait, are you that petty?!'

'How many times are you going to punish me for that?!'

'Yurine holds such a grudge!'

"Er... Jashin-chan, are you okay?"

Medusa, who had been uncomfortably squeezed, saw Jashin-chan sitting on the floor with a giant lump on her head and couldn't help but ask with concern.

"Do I look in any way like I'm okay?!" Jashin-chan snapped back. She tentatively raised a hand to touch the bump on her head, then immediately sucked in a sharp breath. It stung with a searing pain.

'Yurine, that monster! She didn't hold back at all!' Jashin-chan cursed her internally.

"For some reason, I just feel so much better seeing Jashin-chan get beat up," Ryohei commented with a cheerful smile.

"Hah!? What's that supposed to mean, you bastard?!" Jashin-chan scrambled up from the floor and glared at Ryohei, furious.

But Ryohei completely ignored her. He was busy writing "10" on the scoreboard. He held the sign up, gave Yurine a big thumbs-up, and praised her. "Yurine is super cute! In my eyes, this is a perfect score!"

The swimsuit was adorable, but Yurine was even more adorable. And it wasn't just cute; there was a hint of sexiness, too. The reddish-brown ruffled garter on her pale thigh was a major highlight.

Ryohei thought it was fantastic.

Seeing Ryohei give her a 10, even knowing it was biased because she was his girlfriend, Yurine couldn't stop the corners of her lips from turning up in a delighted smile.

"I'll take this one, then," she decided, running a slender finger over the swimsuit.

"Mhm," Ryohei nodded.

At this point, Yurine had lost all desire to compete with Lucoa. She figured that, as Ryohei's girlfriend, she had already won.

Lucoa's competitive spirit also completely evaporated. Having lost twice in a row, she was feeling a bit disheartened.

...

Seeing that Ryohei was ignoring her completely, Jashin-chan pouted, feeling bored. She looked over at Medusa, and an idea struck her. She immediately grinned, pointed at the swimsuit she was wearing, and said, "Medusa, buy this swimsuit for me! From now on, every time I wear it, I'll think of you!"

"No problem!" Medusa replied, a little surprised by the request but agreeing immediately with a bright smile.

Ryohei glanced over in their direction. For a second, he saw the image of a deadbeat scumbag manipulating his pure, innocent girlfriend into buying him things... The sense of deja vu was strong!

"That's great! Medusa, you're the best!" Jashin-chan cheered, raising both hands. It was as if her earlier attack with the "Jashin-chan Coil" had never even happened.

"Medusa, you spoil her too much," Yurine said, turning her head to look at her.

"Oh, no," Medusa said, waving her hands. She looked over at Jashin-chan with a gentle expression. "Jashin-chan is actually a good kid. She was just playing around with me earlier."

"Mhm, mhm, that's right!" Jashin-chan immediately put on her most pure and innocent expression and nodded vigorously.

Yurine just shot her a disgusted look.

...

After that, Yurine and Medusa went to the fitting rooms to change back into their regular clothes, and Jashin-chan also took off her swimsuit. Lucoa went to try on the other swimsuit she had mentioned to Ryohei.

Her second outfit was an orange-print tube-top style bikini. The visual impact was, once again, stunning. However, Ryohei felt the first one was better, so in the end, Lucoa also decided on her first choice.

...

"Next, let's go buy your swim trunks, Tanaka-kun," Yurine suggested as they walked out of the store, holding her shopping bag.

"Mhm," Ryohei agreed. That was his plan, too.

"Now it's our turn to help you pick!" Lucoa said, walking on Ryohei's other side. She held up one pale finger, suddenly looking very enthusiastic.

'You really don't need to be this excited!'

( ﹁ ﹁ )

Ryohei glanced at her, thought for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "I can pick my own swim trunks. You guys can... help me pick out some beach shorts."

"Eeh?" Lucoa looked at him, completely surprised, and raised her hand. "But I really want to help pick out your swim trunks!"

( ≖_≖)

Yurine shot Lucoa a look, then averted her gaze, puffed out her chest slightly, and said airily, "As his girlfriend, I should be the one to help him pick those out."

"As his familiar, I also want to contribute," Lucoa countered, clenching her fist, looking like a servant eager to help her master.

"Just having the thought is good enough—"

Stare—!

Yurine's sharp gaze shot back to her.

Ryohei felt her glare and quickly cleared his throat, covering his mouth with his fist. "A slip of the tongue..."

"Anyway," he said, looking at Lucoa. "Lucoa, you can help me pick out the beach shorts!"

"Waaah—!"

"Medusa, watch out!"

A sudden commotion came from behind them.

Ryohei turned around and saw Minos holding onto Medusa, who had apparently almost fallen. Jashin-chan was standing to the side, holding her shopping bags in one hand and placing the other on her hip, lecturing Medusa.

"Mhm," Medusa smiled sheepishly, steadying herself from Minos's arms.

Then, as if sensing something, she looked down at her feet, and an expression of shock crossed her face. "Eeh? What's happening...?" Her voice was laced with a hint of panic.

"What's wrong?" Jashin-chan asked, confused by her reaction. She looked down, and her eyes went wide. "Medusa, your feet...!"

"Huh?" Minos looked down, too, and let out a gasp of surprise.

"They're petrifying...!"

Inside her golden, open-worked boots, Medusa's small, delicate feet—which looked like perfectly sculpted works of art—were turning a rocky, grayish-white color.

"Is it a side effect of the contact lenses?" Yurine said, walking over. Remembering what Medusa had said in the car, she couldn't help but guess.

"Medusa, try taking them out and see!" Jashin-chan thought of the same thing and urged her frantically.

"Mhm," Medusa replied, her spirits clearly dampened.

And so, the group headed to the seventh-floor restroom. Medusa washed her hands at the sink and skillfully removed both contact lenses.

Outside the restroom entrance—

Ryohei stood with his arms crossed, looked over at Lucoa, who hadn't gone in, and asked, "Anyone who looks Medusa in the eyes gets turned to stone. Lucoa, is there any way you can temporarily seal that ability?"

"Of course. Something like that is no trouble at all for me," Lucoa replied, hooking a shopping bag over her arm and holding it behind her back. She puffed out her chest, and the generous curve swayed as she spoke with complete confidence.

~~~

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