The main reason most people went to the beach was to enjoy the warm sun, the golden sand between their toes, and the waves splashing against their legs. But it was night now—quiet, dark, and calm—so there wasn't much point in going for those reasons anymore.
Still, the beach at night had its own beauty. The moonlight spread softly over the endless waves, making them shimmer like liquid silver. The stars above were bright and countless, scattered across the sky like tiny crystals. The ocean breeze was cool, carrying the faint scent of salt and flowers from the shore.
Lortell, Esdeath, Maruti, and the others finally reached the hotel they had booked earlier. The building stood tall but strangely quiet, with only a few lights glowing near the entrance. There weren't many people around—neither in the hotel hall nor on the beach nearby.
They had already noticed earlier that the place seemed unusually empty, but now that it was night, the silence felt almost eerie. The sound of waves was the only thing breaking the stillness.
Even inside the hotel, the atmosphere was strange. The reception area was empty—no guests waiting, no chatter, no footsteps echoing through the corridor. The sofas were perfectly arranged, the floor spotless, but it all felt lifeless, as if the hotel itself had fallen asleep.
Behind the counter stood an old man, the receptionist. He had narrowed, fox-like eyes and a long white beard, his wrinkled face showing both experience and exhaustion. When the group entered, he gave them a polite but tired smile.
"There was no need for advance booking, my lady," he said in a slow, raspy voice. "Most of the rooms are empty anyway. You could have walked in at any time and still gotten the best ones. Even now, there are plenty free. If you ever want to invite someone, I'll owe you a favor."
He let out a dry chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.
Esdeath glanced around the quiet hall, her red eyes glowing faintly under the dim lights.
Maruti frowned and turned toward the man. "Why is there no one here, anyway? Did this place become haunted or something?" she asked, half-joking, half-serious.
The old man shook his head slowly. "No, no ghosts, miss. It's because of… a sea monster," he said, lowering his voice a little. "A pervert monster, to be exact."
Everyone blinked in confusion.
"Pervert… monster?" Ravenna repeated, raising her eyebrows. There was a mix of shock and excitement in her voice—more excitement, if anyone noticed.
Maruti immediately caught it and gave her a suspicious look. "You sound a little too happy about that," she said, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm not!" Ravenna said quickly, shaking her head so fast her hair brushed against her cheeks.
Alice leaned forward. "What do you mean by pervert?" she asked innocently.
Everyone's attention turned toward Alice and the receptionist. Alice blinked, realizing all eyes were on her, and smiled nervously.
"Phew, I finally said something. No one ignored me either. I have started to make conversations too!" Alice thought to herself happily, a small, proud smile on her face.
The old man cleared his throat and continued, "Well, it's quite strange, really. The monster appears from the sea now and then and captures people with its long, jelly-like tentacles. But here's the odd part—it doesn't hurt anyone."
He paused for effect, his fox-like eyes squinting.
"It just… melts their clothes off."
"What?!" half the group said at once.
The old man nodded seriously. "Yes. It leaves them completely naked. Doesn't kill, doesn't injure, doesn't even steal. People say the creature simply enjoys seeing beautiful people—both girls and boys—without clothes. A true pervert, through and through."
A faint blush crept up Brenna's cheeks as she hugged her arms around herself. "That's a pervert monster indeed," she said quietly, a shiver of creepiness running down her spine.
The old man nodded again, sighing. "That's why people stopped coming here. Especially women. The creature doesn't hurt anyone, but still—who would risk that kind of embarrassment?"
"Can't really blame him, he feels like a man of culture!" Maruti thought to herself, laughing a little inside, trying not to show it on her face.
"There's nothing to worry about," Esdeath thought to herself as they left the lobby. "Even if that so-called sea monster turns out to be S-rank, Lortell could handle it easily."
She brushed a strand of black hair from her face and turned toward the group. "Let's rest for tonight and meet again in the morning," she said in her usual calm tone.
Everyone nodded in agreement. They were tired from traveling all day, and the thought of a soft bed was too tempting to resist. Together, they walked down the silent hallway and climbed the stairs to the upper floor.
The rooms were simple but clean. There were only two—each with two large double beds. One room was shared by Maruti, Kailith, Ravenna, Brenna, and Alice. The other was for Esdeath, Lortell, and Selene.
Down in the lobby, the old receptionist watched them go before settling back into his chair.
The night was quiet, and from the look of the empty hotel, it was unlikely anyone else would show up. The two security guards outside were already doing their rounds, so there wasn't much for him to do.
He stretched his back with a small sigh. "Maybe I should sleep too," he muttered, standing up.
He bent down to grab a folded sheet from under the counter, but when he stood up—he froze.
Right in front of his face were two glowing, red eyes staring straight at him.
"Ahhhhhhh!" he screamed, stumbling backward and clutching his chest. His old heart nearly gave out from the shock.
But as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he saw the figure clearly—it was Esdeath.
Her pale skin glowed faintly in the darkness, her red eyes gleaming like rubies.
"You almost gave me a heart attack!" the old man gasped, panting. "I still need to live at least another decade!"
"I just came to remind you not to forget the dinner delivery," Esdeath said calmly, her tone flat and emotionless as always.
The man blinked, then quickly slapped his forehead. "Oh, right! I completely forgot! Thank you for reminding me, my lady!" he said hurriedly, bowing slightly.
Esdeath gave a small nod and silently turned around, walking away without another word. Her long black hair swayed behind her as she disappeared down the hallway.
The night passed quietly after that. Everyone had dinner and chatted for a while before going to bed. The air was peaceful, the sound of the waves faintly reaching their rooms.
Before sleeping, Esdeath and Selene stood together on the balcony, looking out at the moonlit ocean. The calm sea shimmered under the silver light. After a few quiet minutes, Esdeath patted Selene's head gently, and they went to sleep.
Morning came quickly. The soft sound of seagulls echoed in the distance, and the smell of the ocean filled the air.
It was finally time to enjoy the beach.
Outside the women's changing rooms, Kailith and Ravenna were waiting impatiently, tapping their feet.
"Come on, hurry up! I wanna see you in your swimsuit already!" Kailith called out, her voice filled with excitement. Her imagination was already running wild, picturing how Maruti might look.
Ravenna wasn't any better—she had a faint blush and was trying to peek through the small gap in the curtain.
"Here!" came Maruti's voice.
The curtain opened, and she stepped out, standing there with a bored expression. She was wearing a black sports bra and white thigh shorts—nothing fancy, nothing fashionable.
Both Kailith and Ravenna froze.
Then, together, they groaned. "No way!"
Their shoulders dropped in disappointment.
Although Maruti didn't look bad—she actually looked quite toned and confident—it wasn't even close to what they had expected. It wasn't even close to a swimsuit.
Kailith rubbed her temples dramatically. "It seems I'll have to take care of you again," she said with a sly smile, like a predator who had just found its prey.
Ravenna waved her hand in support. "I'll be counting on you," she said, grinning as Kailith grabbed Maruti's wrist and dragged her back inside.
---
Meanwhile, Esdeath and Brenna had already reached the beach.
Selene was a few meters away, happily playing in the sand. She wore a small white bikini that suited her age perfectly, her bright laughter mixing with the sound of the waves.
Esdeath stood nearby under a black umbrella decorated with elegant silver designs at the edges. The umbrella shaded her completely, making her look even more like a mysterious noblewoman—or a vampire avoiding the sun.
She wore a black flounce bikini top with thin straps and a matching V-shaped bottom tied at the sides with twin strings over her waist.
Over it, she had wrapped a black sarong around her hips, leaving one leg bare. The way the fabric moved with the breeze made her look effortlessly elegant and alluring, Leaving rest to imagination.
She gazed quietly at the horizon, her red eyes glowing faintly in the daylight as the wind brushed her black hair across her shoulder.
Beside her was Brenna, who was wearing a blue bikini with a sheer white shrug over it. The complete see-through layer made the outfit look unique and soft, perfectly matching her shy nature.
But Brenna was clearly nervous. Her hands fidgeted in her lap, and she kept glancing away every time Esdeath turned her head.
"Stop avoiding eye contact with me," Esdeath said finally, her voice calm but direct. "It's not like I'm going to eat you."
Brenna's eyes widened, and her face turned red. "W-what? N-no, of course not!" she stammered, waving her hands quickly. "It's just that… we don't really know each other, so it felt a little awkward to talk…"
*****
Alice was wearing a casual ruffle bikini set. It was her first time on a beach, especially with so many friends.
She felt quite nervous that she might end up doing something idiotic and make a complete joke out of herself. She walked towards the women's changing area and spotted Ravenna standing there.
Ravenna was wearing a pink-colored bikini with a transparent shrug over it. She clearly gave off the vibe of a princess, elegant and poised.
"Is Maruti ready yet?" she asked, her voice calm.
But at that moment, the door opened, and there was Maruti in front of them, wearing a golden-colored triangle bikini. The fabric's shades were glowing faintly as light poured on it. The bikini stretched as wide as it could, barely holding her large breasts somehow.
In just between the bikini strings, between both of her breasts, a sunglass was hanging there, making her look extremely bold and sexually appealing.
Maruti rubbed her thighs together with nervousness, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"So feminine. Is it even looking good?" she muttered slowly, looking down at herself.
"You are just too sexy, master!" Ravenna added, her eyes wide with admiration. She was having a hard time controlling her drools.
Maruti noticed Alice standing there like a statue, not even blinking. She was about to ask for her opinion but then...
Alice's hand trembled. She tried to say something, but words didn't come out of her mouth. But then she felt something dripping on her chest. As she looked down, she saw drops of blood dropping from her face.
"Blood?" she muttered, touching her nose.
After seeing Maruti in a swimsuit, she had actually started having continuous nosebleeds.
"Are you alright?" Ravenna asked, a little concerned.
"Yes... yes, don't worry!" Alice said, wiping the blood with the back of her hand. Despite having a continuous nosebleed, she just couldn't take her eyes off of Maruti.
At that moment, Kailith finally came out.
"Hahaha... she actually got a nosebleed!" Kailith laughed as she came out, her black tail swinging behind her playfully.
She had also changed into her swimsuit alongside Maruti. She was wearing a black triangle string bikini with a string bottom. She also had a silver belly chain around her waist, making her look very erotic.
"Well, Maruti is just so beautiful after all!" she said, groping Maruti's breasts from behind and fondling them.
"Hey, no touching!" Maruti pushed her away immediately, her face turning red.
"My bad..my bad", Kailith raised both of her in an gesture of surrender.
Maruti then took a brief look at Kailith. Her beauty was not to be underestimated either. She looked just as beautiful as she herself did. Same went for princess Ravenna and Alice as well; they both had their own charms.
"But I wouldn't praise their beauty, or else they'll think I'm falling for them and become more demanding!" Maruti thought to herself, trying to keep her expression neutral.
"Where's Brenna?" she asked, changing the subject.
"At the beach. She wakes up pretty early. She was the first one to change as well!" Kailith replied.
"Then let's go to the beach and enjoy the sunlight!" Maruti said, trying to sound cheerful.