"...Ugh, it's sticky."
After wiping the moisture from my body, I squeezed out some sunscreen and rubbed it between my hands.
A disgusting, sticky sensation clung to my skin.
I have to put this on? Should I just skip it?
[Reader?]
...No. It's too late.
The author was already nagging me, scolding me for what I was doing to my precious skin as they watched over me.
There was no backing out now.
Plus, it was true that my skin stung a little.
I couldn’t just leave it unprotected.
"Shit, it's cold..."
[If you just slap it on like that, it won't work! You have to apply it thoroughly!]
"..."
Why were they making sense?
The author’s unusually normal advice left me slightly annoyed.
Well... it *was* sticky. Maybe it was fine to just apply it lightly.
It’s not like they were my parents or anything.
Then again, maybe they *were* like parents.
After all, the author was definitely the one who made this body.
...Wait, hold on.
"Author."
[Yes?]
"How did you make this body?"
A sudden question popped into my head.
The author had said they made this body themselves.
So where the hell did it come from?
That curiosity was neatly resolved by the author’s answer.
[I just made it.]
"What do you mean by—"
[I set the traits for a person like this and created it.]
"..."
[Should I call it your one and only creation? It wasn’t something that already existed—it was new...]
A chill ran down my spine.
I shouldn’t have asked. Why did I even bring it up?
Was I even human? Or was I just a doll?
A doll that *thought* it was human?
The famous thought experiment of the brain in a vat flashed through my mind.
The horrifying possibility that even my past had been fabricated by the author.
Just thinking about it made my head spin, but the terrible imagination reared its head once more.
[...I’m so glad you’re here! Hmm? What’s wrong?]
"...No, it’s nothing."
No, that couldn’t be right.
Even if the author made this body, they couldn’t have made my mind too.
So they might be able to change my body, but they couldn’t change my mind.
I had no proof. But I *was* human.
I crushed that line of thought, forcing it back down into the depths where it belonged, to sleep forever.
"...Hah. It’s so sticky and gross. Do I *have* to put it on?"
[I *told* you to! Any exposed skin—*absolutely* has to be covered! No matter what!]
"Fine."
Smile. Just smile, Arte Isis.
Like always. Calmly.
Following the author’s instructions, sometimes offering my own opinions.
That’s how I’d live in this world.
"...This feels awful."
I smeared the thick, sticky sunscreen all over.
Unlike my body before coming here, my arms were now pale and soft, their shape shifting under my touch as they became coated in the viscous liquid.
The slick, glossy texture combined with the stickiness made it even more unpleasant.
"There, done, right?"
[Not enough! You have to apply more!]
"Huh? But where else—"
[Your chest and back too! You can’t just leave those parts to burn!]
It’s not like anyone else was going to see them. Did I really need to go that far?
Even if it tans a little, it’ll go back to normal after some time.
I agonized over whether there was any need to protect areas already covered by three layers of clothing, then gave up.
There was no point picking a fight with the author over something this trivial.
"…It’s heavy."
[Somehow, I feel a sense of defeat… Did I make it too big?]
"You should’ve made it smaller. It’s bigger than I thought, and it’s uncomfortable."
[Uguuuuk…!]
She kept complaining as she slathered sunscreen thickly over her chest.
To be honest, I used to think this size wasn’t all that big either.
After being exposed to countless 2D art styles, I’d assumed “big” meant something more… how do I put it.
Face-sized? That’s what I’d considered truly big.
What a ridiculous thought. Maybe I’d just been too desensitized by that kind of art. I hadn’t realized it was actually plenty big.
"Phew, I’m done. Now let’s just relax by the sea."
[Huh? You’re not done yet!]
"Huh? What do you mean…?"
[Your back! Your back! Don’t you know your back is important too? Bikinis expose your back!]
"Well, yes, but… I can’t reach my back."
What was she even saying?
I *wanted* to put sunscreen on my back, but I couldn’t.
My hands don’t reach.
I *could* use my ability, but I’m wearing a swimsuit right now.
If I used it here, I’d end up a naked lunatic in public.
And since the surface area is so small, even a little use would tear it apart.
[Then there’s a simple solution! Just ask someone else to do it for you!]
"…Huh?"
[Oh, look! He’s coming this way! Come on, hurry!]
I saw Yu Siwoo walking slowly toward us.
Maybe he was wondering why no one was around?
The author suggested asking Siwoo, but there was one *huge* problem.
"But Siwoo’s a guy."
[That doesn’t matter…! In fact, it’s better!]
Better? What the hell was she thinking?
"Then maybe Amelia or Dorothy—"
[They’re not here right now!]
I froze.
Only then did I realize it.
Right now, the only person who could apply sunscreen for me was Siwoo.
Weren’t they supposed to arrive in an hour?
I couldn’t just do nothing until then.
…I steeled my resolve.
How the hell did this happen?
Siwoo let out a silent scream.
Cold sweat dripped down his entire body, and he couldn’t calm down at all.
"Sorry for asking you to do this."
"Uh, w-what?! N-no, it’s fine! I don’t mind!"
Even to his own ears, his voice sounded unnaturally stiff.
But Siwoo was in no state to care about that. He couldn’t wrap his head around the situation.
Arte was lying face-down, her entire back exposed, and his hand was holding sunscreen.
"By the way, what did Amelia write?"
"I-it wasn’t anything important…! U-um… what was it again…?"
Arte’s unexpected question sent his mind blank.
What should he say? How should he answer?
Amelia’s note hadn’t contained anything complicated.
It was the perfect chance to enjoy Arte’s back—do your best!
That was the *only* thing written on it.
He’d wondered what this crazy woman was thinking when he read it, but then Amelia and Dorothy had left for the villa for a bit.
Arte was applying sunscreen but said there was no one to help with her back.
I didn’t know the exact details, but one thing was certain.
This was Amelia’s doing.
“…Sigh. Looks like she’s pulled another prank. Fine, I’ll do it.”
“Uh, y-yeah… Okay. Thanks…”
Luckily, I didn’t need to come up with an excuse.
Arte was well aware of Amelia’s usual antics.
She must have guessed that Amelia had set up another troublesome situation.
“Come on, hurry up and apply it.”
“Uh, y-yeah…”
*Gulp.*
My anger toward Amelia vanished in an instant, and I was hit with a fresh wave of bewilderment at the unchanged situation.
…So what? Arte just wants me to put sunscreen on her back?
She’d said Dorothy and Amelia wouldn’t arrive for another hour, so I was the only one left to do it.
That was the gist of it.
It made sense. If there was only one person available, asking them was the right call.
Except for the fact that I was a guy, and Arte was a girl.
I looked at Arte again, lying face down.
Her long, outstretched legs. The firm, slightly flattened shape of her chest pressed against the ground.
And the nape of her neck, exposed because she’d swept her hair aside.
Her black bikini covered her, but that only made her alluring backside stand out even more.
My mind was in chaos.
“Please, just do it already. I want to finish and rest.”
“Uh, y-yeah…”
Right. I had to do it. Yeah.
I steeled my resolve.
This was just applying sunscreen to her back. Nothing more… Really, nothing more!
I smeared the sticky sunscreen on my hand and, determined to finish quickly, pressed it against Arte’s back.
“Hyaa?!”
“?!”
W-what? What was that sound?
I yanked my hand away and stared at Arte.
“…Uh, it was just… a little cold…”
“O-oh, right.”
Arte’s face was slightly flushed with embarrassment, her red eyes narrowing as she muttered in a barely audible voice.
…This was torture.
“I-I’ll do it again…”
“Mm-hmm…”
When I touched her back again, Arte flinched.
If I looked at her face, she was probably bright red with shame. But I couldn’t bring myself to check.
The smooth texture of her skin brushed against my fingertips.
Like the skin of a newborn baby.
No one who hadn’t tried it would understand how hard it was to keep my hands steady.
Feeling Arte’s body twitch beneath my touch, I slid my hand down her back.
“…Thank you.”
“N-no, it’s nothing.”
“Are you going back to the sea, Siwoo?”
“…No, I was just going to rest here for a bit.”
“I see. Thanks again.”
For a while, I could only watch Arte as she ran toward the ocean, knees pulled to my chest.
I couldn’t let her notice.
Especially not in a swimsuit—what if she realized?
Luckily, Arte had buried her face in embarrassment, so she seemed not to have noticed.
“So? Feel good?”
“Amelia?!”
“Ohhhh my~ What a sight~”
The two of them, who were supposed to arrive in an hour, had snuck up on me.
Both wearing wicked grins.