Chapter 8 Outside the Outpost

”Hoo hoo.”

I re-tied the shoelaces on both sides of my military boots, and after mentally singing two verses of the patriotic song, I finally managed to stand up from my seat.

”Changjae, are you ready?”

”Yes, Mother. I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting.”

”fine.”

When I finally rallied and faced my mother, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Every time she took a step, her mother’s chest would throb and vibrate.

Her exposed pelvis swayed from side to side, and the slight marks left by her bikini bottoms at the base of her thighs…

…What kind of special effect is this?

My lower body, which had finally calmed down, began to stir again.

Quiet! Please behave yourself!

I had to keep humming the patriotic song I had just heard until the third quarter.

It seems I won’t be able to properly face my mother for a while.

”Hmm…it’s really strange, isn’t it?”

Seeing that I was avoiding eye contact, my mother seemed to have misunderstood.

I hurriedly denied what she said.

”Mother, you don’t need to worry too much, this swimsuit really suits you.”

”But…won’t that be too vulgar?”

The mother awkwardly turned her body to check the condition of her bikini.

Every time she twisted her waist, her chest and hips would tremble violently. The destructive power was simply terrifying.

But I must not look away at this moment. I played the fourth verse of the patriotic anthem in my mind, saying:

“Young people these days dress much more outrageously than this. Besides, this is a deserted island, unlike tourist areas where people don’t care about what they wear.”

”Yeah?”

”Hmm. Why don’t you zip up your field jacket?”

I put the field jacket that my mother had taken off while changing clothes back on her shoulders and zipped it all the way up.

”ah.”

However, this move encountered unexpected obstacles.

The zipper got stuck at the chest area.

”…”

”…”

Seeing my mother’s breast deformed by the zipper, we both froze on the spot.

…Because my breasts are too big, I can’t zip them up?

Is this really possible?

But I had to accept this unbelievable reality. Because it was happening right before my eyes.

”Haha… Actually, I deliberately didn’t pull it up because it was too stuffy.”

”Ah… um…”

The mother looked away, embarrassed.

I also cannot look my mother in the eye.

An awkward silence descended once again.

”Oh, right.”

Suddenly I remembered the items I had temporarily forgotten due to the shock.

”Mother, try this.”

To change the mood, I took out the sandals I had received as compensation and placed them next to my mother’s feet.

Pink beach sandals.

Although it looks simple, it should be quite sturdy if the description is true.

”Huh? Where did these shoes come from?”

”I just received it as compensation.”

”Compensation… do you mean what we just discussed?”

’Breaking news! Spy on your partner while he/she is changing clothes!’

Successfully completing unexpected missions will earn you generous rewards!

My mother also heard the notification sound and immediately understood what I meant.

”Yes. I’m sorry, Mother, you said I shouldn’t see it. But this reward seems too good to pass up.”

”No, could it be… because of my shoes?”

”Huh? Yes, I guess so…”

I thought my mother would be happy to have shoes.

For some reason, the mother suddenly bit her lip to suppress her emotions.

”What should I do? Mom didn’t realize anything… I’m so sorry, Changjae!”

”No, Mother, what is there to apologize for? I did it without permission.”

Faced with my mother’s tearful reaction, I was at a loss for what to do.

”I should have listened to your explanation first. Mom got angry again, I’m so sorry.”

“Mother, that’s not it. I did make a mistake this time, you don’t need to apologize.”

Faced with my mother’s attitude, I became even more uneasy.

To be honest, it’s not surprising that a mother would be even angrier from her perspective. After all, no matter the reason, this is something most people would find intolerable.

Besides, my mother didn’t know everything. I’d spied on her more than once…

…Hmm. This secret must be buried with us.

”Anyway, you should try them on first, Mom. We need to see if they fit.”

”Um.”

Before putting on her sandals, the mother lifted her foot and started patting the dust off from the sole.

…Was this the kind of person my mother was originally?

When she lifted one leg, her crotch, which was only covered by simple bikini bottoms, was exposed in a sexy way.

When she bent down and patted it with her hands, her already eye-catching cleavage became even more prominent.

Every subtle movement of my mother’s was full of implications. Have I become strange since I started treating her as a woman? I could only shift my gaze back to the distant mountains.

”Wow, Changjae, look! It looks like your sandals are stuck to your feet.”

When I turned around, my mother was kicking her leg at thin air.

The sandals, though only hanging between my mother’s big toe and second toe, wouldn’t fly off when she kicked her legs. Just as my mother said, they seemed glued to the soles of her feet.

”Really? That’s amazing!”

”Right?”

…But please don’t sway your body too much. You’re swaying in places where you shouldn’t be.

After kicking her legs at the air, the mother tried walking and jumping in place.

Even so, the sandals remained firmly attached to my feet. However, other parts of my feet were wobbling quite a bit.

”Could it really be stuck to my feet?”

”Um?”

Upon hearing my words, my mother straightened up and tried to take off her sandals.

It came off easily this time. Looks like it wasn’t stuck.

”Huh?”

But the mother, confused, put her shoes back on and did the same thing again.

This time, however, the sandals were not taken off. They remained firmly attached to her feet.

”It’s really funny. You can take it off whenever you want, but when you lift your foot, the shoe will lift up too.”

Is that so?

It is indeed amazing in theory, but we shouldn’t be surprised by such things anymore. I should gradually adapt to the rules of this world.

”Hehe. Thank you, Changjae. I’ll wear it properly.”

”……Um.”

A mother as happy as if she had received a gift.

This was the price I paid for seeing my mother naked.

My mother thanking me only made my conscience ache.

”Mother. And this too.”

I then took out the bracelet.

The silver ring-shaped bracelet is called the ‘Guardian Bracelet’.

”Wow, what is this?”

”A bracelet. It’s said to prevent injuries.”

”Injuried?”

[Guardian Bracelet: Protects the wearer from minor injuries.]

Although I don’t know exactly what constitutes “minor injury,” it’s better than nothing.

”Then let Changjae wear this. Isn’t Changjae more prone to injury than Mom?”

”I?”

”Yes. Mom doesn’t need to. Changjae is a soldier, so he should wear it.”

”No need. I’m perfectly healthy. You should wear this, Mother.”

”ah.”

Continuing to argue about it will only waste time.

I forcibly pulled my mother’s wrist and put the bracelet on her wrist.

”I can only move around with peace of mind if my mother is not injured. So please wear this even if it’s just for my sake.”

The mother, wearing a bikini jacket, still had bare legs.

Honestly, I’m worried she might bump into something, so I can’t keep an eye on her at all. I just hope this seemingly fragile bracelet will be of some use.

”……Um.”

My mother sensed my firm stance and stopped refusing.

-Click.

The bracelet clasp was fastened.

A flashing effect appeared around the bracelet for a moment, then quickly disappeared.

Does this mean the bracelet is working properly?

Testing this must be very difficult. You can’t just intentionally hurt yourself to confirm it.

You’ll naturally understand once you’ve lived with them for a while.

”Hehe. I’ve got all of Changjae’s bracelets.”

The mother stroked her wrist with delight, the one adorned with the bracelet.

Thinking about it carefully, I don’t think I’ve ever given my mother a decent gift. Although this can be considered a gift from me, its origin is rather dubious.

If I had known my mother would be so happy, I should have prepared something better while I was away.

I always seem to regret things only after they’ve happened.

”Mom, shall we go out and take a look? We need to find out what kind of place this is.”

”Yes. It’s reconnaissance. Reconnaissance is very important.”

My mother seemed completely at ease, as if we were on a relaxed picnic. I even felt infected by that positive atmosphere.

Hmm… I can’t let my guard down either. According to the tutorial, nothing is surprising.

Wow. This place is all forest.

After exiting the cave, a forest unfolded before us, just as my mother had said.

As far as the eye could see, there were only trees, weeds, and gravel.

Are there no living organisms?

A rabbit heard footsteps, pricked up its ears, and ran away in the opposite direction. Several unidentified birds were circling in the sky.

There was nothing else. Perhaps it was thanks to the bikini that you couldn’t even see any bugs.

I took out my phone and clicked on the map next to the store on the main screen.

Then a map centered on me, like a satellite view, appeared on the screen.

The cave we were in before is marked as a base, and my mother beside me is marked as a flashing blue dot. She’s probably a companion marker.

The map only shows a radius of a few meters. It seems to be a game-like setting where the map only lights up where the view is visible.

What to do? I guess I should keep exploring the map.

Should I travel with my mother or go our separate ways?

I feel uneasy leaving my mother alone. Even if it’s less efficient, wouldn’t it be better to work together?

Just as I was staring at my phone screen, hesitating, my mother cautiously spoke up beside me:

”Um, Changjae.”

”Um.”

”here…………”

”Um?”

”…Where is the restroom?”

”…”

The mother asked with an innocent expression.

I was speechless.