《Imperfect power》chapter 8

Eric's POV:

We're in a shopping mall, browsing through the women's section. Everyone is on the hunt for clothes, primarily swimsuits for Christine and Ren. Ren has ventured off on her own, leaving the rest of us to focus on helping Christine find a suitable swimsuit.

"Eric, how about this one?" Angie approached with a two-piece frill swimsuit. It's relatively modest, especially considering Angie's usual choices, and the frills give it a cute touch.

"That's surprisingly decent." I remarked at her choice.

Angie shot me an inquisitive look. "What do you mean 'surprisingly'?"

I shrugged. "Well, you did choose a slingshot, right? So this is a more conservative choice compared to your usual."

Angie rolled her eyes and smirked. "Oh, come on, I like to keep my options open."

I selected a vanilla-white casual bikini and presented it to Angie and Jade. Their expressions showed clear hesitation.

"Are you sure about this one?" Jade questioned, her tone filled with concern. I could sense their reluctance.

"Yeah, I think it'll work," I replied, although my confidence may have been more forced than I let on.

Angie nodded in agreement. "Alright, then. We'll take Christine to try it on. You can wait here."

With that, the girls set off toward the changing rooms, leaving me to await Christine's fitting. The atmosphere in the mall was buzzing with shoppers, and I settled in to wait for them.

Lauren approached me with her selected swimwear in hand.

"Eric, buy me these!" she exclaimed, holding up her choices: a black sukumizu and a somewhat transparent white shirt-like top.

I couldn't help but tease her. "That's a great choice, Ren. I can't believe they had it in the children's section."

Lauren's face reddened in irritation. "I didn't go to the children's section! This is a regular swimsuit!" She snapped, frustrated with my jest.

The girls moved the curtain of the changing room to reveal Christine in her swimsuit.

"Why does everything look so lewd on her?" Ren asked.

"That's probably so we can have a hard time." Jade replied with her eyes roaming over Christine's curves.

In the end, I made the decision. "I think we'll take this one." Once the girls changed back, we paid for the clothes and returned to the apartment.

[Might telling me the hell are you doing?] Isaac asked with an irritated voice through the phone.

[Well, isn't it our all-knowing guy?] I replied sarcastically.

[You were supposed to stay, and yet you decided to go on vacation.]

[I was thinking about everything... You know all there is, which would mean that the reason we will encounter Cassandra is because she's planning to confront us. But since you can't really look into the future precisely, like I can, then I thought of a little game.] I began explaining my point of view and what I had deduced from our previous conversations.

[So you decided to go on vacation because you're a fucking asshole,] he said.

[Precisely!] I confirmed his words with a smile.

[Whatever, make sure you'll come back in a week. And if you're looking for some adventure, obviously you do, then I recommend street car racing in three days. You'll figure everything out, I assume.] With that, he hung up the call.

"Lauren, I'm so sorry I didn't find any floatie or sleeves for you." Jade quipped, her smirk slicing through the air.

"Screw you! I swim like a damn sailfish!" And that's something I'd love to witness.

I reckon we've gathered up everything we need for this little trip. And if we didn't, well, I'll just pop back and grab it. With my teleporting skills, we can be at that fancy hotel I booked in no time.

POP

Just like that, we all appeared in the posh entrance of the hotel. I saunter up to the front desk, ready to deal with the clerk and get our keys for the room.

We headed to our room, which was number 028, and quickly changed into our swimsuits. They wasted no time stripping right there, but I decided to walk out of the room, suddenly feeling a bit polite. Not that I haven't seen them all naked before. Excluding Ren, I've had my fair share of opportunities to study them closely.

We grabbed a large beach umbrella, a bunch of towels, and a chest filled with ice-cold beer.

POP

Aaaahhh, Copacabana. The beach itself looks incredible, but the folks crowding the place can be a real pain to endure.

I can't help but feel offended by the sight of their skin... cellulite, cellulite everywhere.

All these tourist girls seem to think they're the pinnacle of beauty just because they're slim. They believe that's all it takes to be called 'hot'. But every step they take, their thigh fat jiggles, and it's a telltale sign that they haven't seen the inside of a gym in ages. Those little lines of cellulite peek out with every movement. It's a real challenge to spot a girl who actually puts in the effort to earn the title of beauty.

On the flip side, nearly all the men around here seem to be in pretty good shape, not overly buff, but well-trained. At least the ones in my line of sight. They don't bother hiding those protruding beer and meal bellies, but their arms show some admirable muscle tone. No homo, by the way. I'll do well to keep my attention squarely on my girls.

I stayed under the umbrella with Christine and Lauren, watching Jade and Angie dash into the water.

"Hey, Eric, can you put some sunblock on me? Unlike the others, I actually get tanned, and that's the last thing I want." Ren's request wasn't out of the ordinary, but it did catch me slightly off guard. There was nothing wrong with helping her; in fact, I was probably the only one who could. Considering the fact that she could control people who touched her.

"Very well," I reached for the bottle.

"Thought you wouldn't do tha-... wait, you'll do it?!"

"Yeah, why not? Or did you plan to make something improper out of it? I don't mind, just don't moan too loud."

This girl... I'm not THAT bad. I can be nice from time to time.

I poured a generous amount of the creamy substance onto my hands, unsure whether it was a lotion or cream, but it didn't matter. I applied it to Ren's arms after she had slid her swimsuit straps off. My fingers gently worked it into her skin, moving up and down. My touch traced her slender, small figure, but I had to remind myself to stay focused on her arms, legs, and neck since her swimsuit would cover most of her body. Despite the clamor of the crowd around us, I could still hear the soft noises she made as I massaged her thighs.

"E-Eric, you're doing it on purpose..." she whispered.

"Do what?" I smiled. "I'm just putting on sunblock, nothing wrong with that."

I continued lower to her calves and ankles.

"Eric... you can leave the ankles and feet, I can manage those on my own... so please..."

The sounds between her breaths increased, and I realized that her ankles and feet must be her Achilles' heel, her delicate spot.

"Seems like you're enjoying your public foreplay, aren't you?" Jade quipped as she returned with Angie by her side.

"F-fuck off, Jade... you had your share..." Ren struggled to endure my teasing.

It was time to wrap it up. Even though it was unnecessary, I pushed my thumbs into the bottom of her foot, hitting a delicate spot. Ren started to twitch as a new sensation washed over her. When I glanced at her face, I realized I might've overdone it a bit. Well, that was clearly too much for her, I guess.

"Fine, you're done." I said, leaving her trembling.

"For a moment, I thought you'd do it in public." Angie pointed out, observing the scene.

"Who do you take me for? Of course, I would, but how dare you say it out loud?" I joked, but in reality, I knew I shouldn't try it with Ren.

"Well, now it's time for Christine..."

"NO!/Don't you dare!/Naaah!" the girls all shouted in unison. They seemed to hold some serious grudge.

"I'll do it, so you just sit on your ass!" Angie proclaimed, stepping up to take care of Christine.

"Look around, it's already getting hard for the crowd to handle. People are staring at you. On top of that, Christine seems to attract a lot of attention, just sitting there on the sunbed with her head covered in a straw hat and shades."

After Christine had her sun protection applied to her porcelain-like skin, I couldn't help but notice the way she glistened. She looked like a delicate porcelain figurine, almost like an angel.

"So, why don't we drink the first ones while they're still cold?" Jade interrupted my thoughts, offering us the beer we had brought. Moments passed, and the first one to succumb to the alcohol was, unsurprisingly, Ren, while Jade and Angie managed to keep their composure. A few more rounds, and they'd be just like her.

"Eeeeeriiic... Why do you keep looking at theeeem?... Am I not good enooough?" Ren's alcohol-laden breath struck me, and she started babbling nonsense.

"Lie down and rest, you're drunk."

"But I don't waaaannaaaa!" She protested.

I came up with an idea that might work.

"Fine, Ren, I'm gonna need your help!"

"Yeeesh! I'll do itt!"

We began digging a hole in the sand, a deep one, deep enough for her to fit in.

"Ren, can you go in there?" I asked, and surprisingly, she didn't protest. She climbed into the hole, and I buried her, leaving only her head visible.

"That should help you chill."

"Waaait! Eric! Don't leave meee!" Ren shouted, drawing unnecessary attention.

"Shut it, I'm right here. I won't leave you."

"But if I'm not moving, you're gonna cuck me! You have three other girls, and I'm restrained!" More people started paying attention to us. It was getting troublesome.

"Eric, if you're really into this, then I don't mind-"

"Shut up, we're leaving!" I interrupted Jade's words before things could escalate.

I pulled Ren out of the hole and walked with her to the water to help her get rid of the sand. I gently splashed water on her body.

"This is not the way I wanted you... to make me wet... *hiccup*."

Ok, that was enough. I pushed her into the water and walked away, putting an end to her drunken ramblings.

Jade and Angie were sober... enough to push Christine's wheelchair, while I carried Ren.

I never really understood how comic characters managed to carry their friends on their back. Not only did it seem uncomfortable, but it was also a bit risky, as the person could easily fall off. Carrying someone on the front had more confidence in terms of safety, like a princess or a baby. There were a couple of other positions, but they were somewhat controversial. I could have just teleported us, but I figured that some fresh air might be a better option for those drunk fucks.

I had been drinking as well, but only five cans of 6.0%, so I was still feeling okay. Jade and Angie had consumed around five or maybe four and a half each since I noticed them sharing, but the sun had clearly hit them harder. Ren had only managed three cans, but she's really weak.

Thank goodness Philip wasn't here; he'd be shaking his head in shame if he saw us. We spent quite a few hours at the beach, and now it was getting darker. The first few stars were visible, even though the sun hadn't completely disappeared yet.

It occurred to me that it was the perfect time to visit the Copacabana night market. With that idea in mind, we altered our route to make our way to this famous place.

When we arrived, the stalls were already set up, and we could see a variety of goods on display: figurines, plates, clothes, purses, pots, food, flags, and even services like hair braiding or whatever you call it. Angie, with her very long hair, couldn't resist getting some nice braids. I wasn't a fan of the look, but I knew that once she untied them, her hair would look beautifully wavy.

Ren woke up, still clearly under the influence, but at least I didn't have to carry her any longer.

"E-eric, is that our wedding night? Why are you... still dressed?" she mumbled, her words stinging my ears. I gently set her down since she seemed well enough to walk on her own.

I handed her an "I ♡ RIO" T-shirt to keep her from crying.

I had also picked up one for myself, but I had no intention of wearing it here. It suddenly struck me that Isaac had mentioned something about car racing. I wondered if we could get in on that. Jade would undoubtedly love to give it a try. Perhaps I could bring her Corvette and lend a helping hand, just a tiny bit, to make the experience even more exciting for her.

"I think it's tomorrow, so I'll fill out the paperwork and try convincing Jade," I thought to myself.

"Jade, do you think your baby would win a car race?" I asked.

"My baby would win any race as long as I drive!" Jade replied confidently.

Her confidence was a good thing, but I couldn't help but wonder if she had the actual racing experience to back it up.

Jade's POV:

*next morning*

"So, you want me to go to the car race?"

"Yes, Jade, I want you to go to the car race."

"Participate and win the race?"

"Yes, participate and win the race."

"Eric, I don't know if I said this already, but... I LOVE YOU!"

He's giving me a chance to show off my driving skills in a street race! This is incredible, like a dream.

"Last time you said that, you were 'shaking'."

Eric playfully added to my previous sentence.

"So when is it?"

I can't wait; I have to make so many preparations. I need a killer outfit, get a new sticker for the car, and prepare a cool victory speech, which is a given, hahaha.

"Today, in about 8 hours."

"Eh?"

My eyes widen in shock, and my excitement takes a sudden hit.

"What do you mean eight hours?!"

I grab him by the collar of his new T-shirt he brought yesterday and used as pajamas.

"Maybe eight and a half."

This man is driving me crazy! What should I do now?!

After a quick calming down...

"Get my baby ready! We're going to win this thing!"

"Maybe you can eat breakfast first? I made you some waffles," Lauren interrupted our conversation.

I stood up and walked past her, giving her a playful nudge.

"You're lucky you're a good cook, little woman."

"Bet ya! Wait..."

Ahhh, waffles. The only thing that can make me forget that I have things to worry about.

I wonder what would happen if I told them that I have zero experience in car races.