Chick 291
by Cristae291
“……”
After a moment of silence, Bailach slipped his legs into the swimsuit and pulled it up to his chest.
The swimsuit was a cute, one-piece style, with frills spreading neatly from the waist.
If it had been any other robust male hamster, he would have protested such an unmanly swimsuit—
But, as Bailach had little interest in the style itself, he finished putting it on without a word.
While Bailach was tying the straps attached to the top of the swimsuit securely around his neck, Mephisto and Wooju waited anxiously for his response.
Once Bailach had donned the cute swimsuit, he wriggled into a small tube around his waist. His plump belly fit snugly inside.
“Mew.” (To be perfectly honest……)
He stared intently at the two of them.
One was a bird, and the other, a child……
Bailach suppressed a sigh that threatened to escape.
However one looked at them, neither seemed anything close to suitable as the master’s husband.
“Mew-mew.” (Neither of you are good enough. Come back after you’ve grown up, brats.)
With a sour expression, Bailach shook his head at the two.
Dododododo!
Then, determined to escape the bothersome pair, he shot out of the changing room like lightning.
“Wait! What did he say?”
“Peep!” (Don’t be ridiculous!)
“Kyuu!” (W-wait for me!)
“So cute~”
Click! Click! Click!
Having changed and entered the pool, Nayeon took out her phone and began snapping photos of On Groo.
Groo, her hair tied into twin buns atop her head like dumplings, struck a pose with practiced ease.
Beside her, a Maltese in a one-piece swimsuit lounged on a sunbed with its chin propped on its forepaws.
Just then, Mephisto, who had belatedly followed Bailach and Wooju, fluttered up and perched atop Groo’s head.
“Pipit.”
Wearing his triangular swimsuit hiked all the way up just below his chest, Mephisto attempted to show off his swim outfit to Groo.
“……?”
He realized something was off.
He glanced around at Groo’s familiars.
“……!”
Yurian, Bailach, Lucifer. All of them wore cute one-piece swimsuits.
He had thought something was different, and indeed, only he was left wearing a simple briefs-style swimsuit.
“Peeeep……!”
Face flushing red, Mephisto covered his chest with both wings.
In response, Yurian and Bailach both frowned in distaste.
“Ah.” (You’ve always been naked anyway.)
“Mew.” (Why cover up now, of all times.)
The two exchanged glances for a fraction of a second, then quickly looked away.
Oblivious to Mephisto’s embarrassment on her head, Groo, with her chick-shaped tube around her waist, strode confidently towards the children’s pool.
A thick pane of glass separated the kids’ zone from the adults’ pool, where the first team and the filming crew were busy recording footage.
As Nayeon carefully lifted Groo into the water, Groo shot a sharp glance toward the far side of the glass.
Kang Jei and Goo Heeyeon had supplied a checklist of criteria to determine the best candidate for number one.
Physical attributes were the first category Groo would observe.
Gidan and Sergey, both wearing their uniforms over their swimsuits, displayed toned muscles built through rigorous training.
‘As expected of Orchestra’s top candidates.’
Groo floated around the children’s pool in her tube, spinning in circles as she ticked off the “Physical” category on her tablet.
[Physical: Gidan S / Sergey S]
Secretly, she snapped a photo of Sergey and sent it to Kang Jei.
Kang Jei
OK
Five yogurts
Strawberry flavor
Kang Jei
OKOK, strawberry
Thus, the devilish deal for five yogurts was struck.
Heh heh heh. As Groo grinned with villainous glee, Wooju, too, seemed to be observing the two intently, marking something on his own tablet.
Groo sidled up to him and asked,
“Wooju, what score did you give?”
“Oh? That’s… I can’t tell you. For fairness.”
“Chee.”
Groo sulked, pouting her lips.
After a moment’s hesitation, Wooju tilted his tablet just enough for Groo to peek.
“Don’t say anything. Shh.”
“Okay, got it.”
As the two giggled and shared their tablets, Mephisto puffed his cheeks in indignation, eyes wide.
He couldn’t lose to Seo Wooju just like that.
Meanwhile, as Groo floated lazily about the pool, Bailach, Lucifer, and Yurian also drifted on the water.
As Nayeon snapped away at their adorable antics—
“Peeeeep!”
From atop the children’s diving platform, Mephisto cried out, wings spread wide.
“Hm? Mepi?”
Dodododododo!!
Ta-at!!!
After ensuring all eyes were on him, Mephisto stretched his wings high overhead as he dashed down the diving board. At its end, he leapt gracefully, curling his body and spinning midair, aiming for a spectacular entrance like an Angry Bird.
But just then, Bailach, playing nearby, leapt up from the water and collided with the diving Mephisto.
Fwoosh!
Mephisto’s beak sank into the tube around Bailach’s waist with a hissing sound.
Fsshhhhhh!
As the tube deflated, both Bailach and Mephisto began to sink into the water.
“Mew, mew!”
“Peeeeep!”
With the awkward hamster and the plump bird slipping beneath the surface, Wooju hurriedly sliced through the water to the rescue.
Soon, a small hand lifted both animals out of the pool.
Groo, who had rushed after them in alarm, clutched her chest in relief upon seeing Bailach and Mephisto safe in Wooju’s grasp.
“Mepi, you have to play nicely! That was dangerous!”
Peep! Mephisto’s beak trembled as Groo scolded him.
Regardless, Groo bundled the teary-eyed Mephisto and the dazed Bailach together in a towel and gently rubbed them dry.
Their fur stood out in unruly tufts.
Bailach, dizzy, sat blinking as his eyes spun in circles upon the towel, while Mephisto sat slumped, weighed down by gloom.
All he’d wanted was to show Groo something impressive.
‘I’ve been scolded…….’
Tears rolled down Mephisto’s cheeks, plopping into the pool.
Seeing this, Lucifer watched him with a sympathetic gaze, before bounding away, as if heading off on a task.
Bailach, watching, clicked his tongue, convinced it would be another useless endeavor.
Meanwhile, Groo quickly turned her gaze to the adult pool.
Left unchecked, mishaps were bound to happen—best to finish her checklist and leave as soon as possible.
‘Next up is conduct!’
Time to see how diligent they were.
Peeking inside through the glass, Groo entered the adult pool area, prompting exclamations from all around.
“Isn’t that Groo?”
“How adorable!”
“What’s going on?”
The first team and film crew greeted her warmly, and Gidan and Sergey, who had been playing in the water, approached.
“Groo-groo!”
“Here for fun? The kids’ pool is over there.”
“Why not just play here with us, Groo?”
When Gidan asked the crew for permission, the cameraman gave the okay sign.
While a crew member affixed a sponsor logo to Groo, planning to include her in the shoot, Wooju also poked his head in.
“Oh!”
“Seo Wooju?”
“So Groo’s friend showed up too, Wooju!”
“Wooju, I’m your fan!”
“Hello.”
Wooju bowed politely and stood beside Groo, causing hearts to fly from the eyes of the crew.
“We can have team one play with the kids and shoot at the same time.”
The team leader beamed and gently pulled Wooju closer.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Nodding, Wooju followed Groo’s lead.
As the film crew busied themselves, Wooju took a quick look around, then quietly adjusted something on his tablet.
“……?”
He seemed to be up to something.
Mephisto noticed at once, narrowing his eyes sharply.