Chapter 44: Beautiful Girl, To the Sea (Part 4)

The dazzling sun, an endless blue sky, and the sea gleaming as it reflected the light—
it was a perfect day for the beach, so bright it made yesterday’s rain feel like a lie.

Since we couldn’t play yesterday, we decided to make the most of today, heading out just before noon.

With such clear skies, it was no surprise the place was packed. The bus stop that had been deserted yesterday was now crowded with people, and the parking lot was nearly full too—guess plenty had driven here as well.

After a quick change in the beach locker room, we stepped onto the sand and rented a few things—float rings, an inflatable boat, the usual beach gear.

Float rings are essential! I can’t swim, and the ocean’s way scarier than a lazy river. Without one, I’d be stuck splashing at the shoreline or building sandcastles all day.

When I told the rental guy I wanted a float ring, for some reason he handed me one covered in characters from a morning kids’ anime for little girls. It was ridiculously cute—maybe too cute. Honestly, I thought it was kind of cruel. But Aika-chan said it was “adorable,” so… I borrowed it anyway.

Oh, and sunscreen? Already applied back in the locker room. No way am I letting people watch me smear it on out here in public.

Sakurako-chan and Moeka-chan are wearing the same swimsuits they had at the pool. That means Sakurako-chan’s got her pastel-striped bikini, and Moeka-chan’s wearing her light-blue tankini.

Aika-chan’s in a pink bikini with a matching skirt. The top has frills and a big ribbon on the chest—it’s just so cute.

Yoshino-san’s bikini is pure white. Simple, but the quality of the fabric really stands out. Paired with her calm aura, she looks incredibly graceful.

From an outsider’s perspective, our group of four is impossible not to notice. Moeka-chan and Aika-chan draw attention just for being so cute, Sakurako-chan has this mature elegance, and Yoshino-san—well, she’s literally a fashion model. Her figure in a bikini is stunning. Honestly, with these four together, any guy would find it hard to look away… but at the same time, they’re too dazzling to even approach.

As for me, I’m wearing the polka-dot bikini and pareo skirt Aika-chan picked out back during Golden Week. Everyone said it suited me, which made me happy, but compared to Yoshino-san or Sakurako-chan, I still look kind of small and childish. Not that it’s a competition—but improving my looks is kind of my lifelong goal, you know?

We spent a while playing by the shore—splashing each other, feeling the cool waves wash over our feet. After a bit, we got bored and decided to head farther out. (And no, I wasn’t about to overdo it.)

The water here stays shallow for quite a distance, so even far from shore, it’s still pretty safe. I paddled behind everyone, clinging to my float ring. As long as Moeka-chan’s feet could still touch the bottom, I figured I’d be fine—we’re about the same height, after all.

"Ayu-chan! Ayu-chan!"

Aika-chan suddenly popped up behind me, surfacing from underwater and patting my back with both hands.

"What is it?"

"That swimsuit looks great on you!"

"Thanks."

I smiled, and Aika-chan grinned back with that goofy, satisfied look of hers.
To be honest, this was about the tenth time we’d had that exact exchange. She’s just so happy that I’m wearing the swimsuit she picked for me. She’s been swimming right beside me all morning, absolutely beaming.

Well, if me wearing it makes her that happy, then I guess that makes me happy too.

"Ayumi-chan, want to practice swimming?"

Sakurako-chan turned around to look at me as she waded ahead.

"Um… I don’t kno—"

Before I could finish, a big wave rolled in and swallowed me whole.
Hit head-on, I choked and sputtered on seawater. Ugh—some went up my nose too! It burned like crazy, and my eyes stung so much I couldn’t help tearing up.

"Ayumi-chan, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah…"

I looked up at Sakurako-chan—only to see her suddenly freeze, turn bright red, and start backing away fast while holding her nose.

"Wh-what’s wrong!? Why are you backing up!?"

"C-calm down, me! Remember, you promised you wouldn’t hug Ayumi-chan today…! That teary, upward look—ahh, that was close, I almost fell for it again!"

Sakurako-chan muttered to herself like she was casting a spell.
Seriously, what battle is she fighting right now?

While I was staring in confusion, Yoshino-san arrived, pulling an inflatable boat—with Moeka-chan already sitting in it.

"Ayumi-san, would you like to ride too?"

"Come on, Ayumi-chan, let’s get on together!"

I figured, why not? So I climbed aboard. It was surprisingly comfortable. No worries about getting swept away, for one thing. Even with a float ring, you still drift around in the open sea—it’s nothing like a lazy river.

I sat there catching my breath when my stomach suddenly let out a loud growl.

"Ayumi-chan, are you hungry?"

Moeka-chan asked, smiling sweetly.

"N-not at all!"

And right as I said that—it growled again. My stomach really has no sense of timing.
Moeka-chan just giggled, saying "That’s so cute~," and patted my head. Meanwhile, I wanted to sink beneath the waves and disappear.

I mean, of course I’m hungry—we’ve been playing in the water!

Still… being patted on the head like that feels kind of nice. Calming, even.
I don’t like when people ruffle my hair too roughly, but gentle pats are fine. Ever since everyone asked me yesterday in the bath what kinds of contact I was okay with, I said head pats were fine—and now, whenever something happens, they just automatically pat me.

It does make me feel a little like a kid, but… they’re all so kind when they do it that I can’t help being happy.

"It’s about lunchtime anyway. Let’s head back to shore," Yoshino-san suggested, turning the boat around.

Sakurako-chan finally seemed to have won her internal struggle and joined us as we started paddling toward land.
Aika-chan suddenly appeared beside the boat again—she must’ve swum underwater the whole way. That girl’s like a ninja in the sea.

Back on the beach, we made our way toward the food stalls.
We decided to go to the seaside shack run by Aoi Ryokan. The lady at the front desk had given us a coupon when we left this morning—half off yakisoba!

There were banners with the same logo as the one on Aoi-kun’s bike, so it was easy to spot.
Since it was lunchtime, the place was packed—families, couples, everyone laughing and chatting. It felt lively and warm.

As we stepped inside, I looked around curiously. Sakurako-chan gave me a puzzled look.

"What’s up?"

"I was kind of hoping I could talk to Aoi-kun if he was around, so I was looking for him."

At my answer, Sakurako-chan blinked in surprise, her eyes widening slightly.

"Really…? That’s unusual."

"What’s unusual about it?"

She seemed unsure how to answer—actually, more like she wasn’t sure whether to answer at all. But after a moment’s hesitation, she spoke slowly.

"Hmm… I guess you don’t realize it yourself. It’s just rare for you, Ayumi-chan the shy one, to say you want to talk to a boy."

Was it really? I thought back over how I’d been until now.
Now that she mentioned it, aside from the four girls in the cooking club, I hadn’t really gone out of my way to talk to classmates—at least not actively. I’m the passive type by nature, and come to think of it, I hardly ever start conversations myself.

And yet, even though I’d been so resistant to showing anyone my swimsuit, I didn’t feel embarrassed about it right now. If anything, a little part of me was hoping he might compliment me.

How strange. Even I couldn’t quite explain why I suddenly felt that way.
It’s not that he’s boring to talk to or anything… but still, I didn’t get it.
I shook my head briskly, trying to clear it.

"Ayumi-san, we’re going to our seats," Yoshino-san called.

Only then did I realize I’d zoned out again.
The others had already taken their seats, and Yoshino-san must’ve noticed me standing there lost in thought.

Our table was meant for four—two chairs on each side—but since there were five of us, they’d squeezed in an extra one.
Sakurako-chan and Yoshino-san sat opposite us, while I sat with the Moeka–Aika sisters. Even for us smaller girls, it felt a bit cramped.

We ordered yakisoba and fried rice at random and started eating. I’d always thought beach-house food was kind of bland—like yakisoba with no toppings—but this place was different. The noodles were loaded with vegetables and tasted genuinely good.

Once we’d finished, I got up to use the restroom. Moeka-chan and Aika-chan said they’d come along too.

After I was done and waiting for them outside, I spotted Aoi-kun sitting at the counter, hurriedly slurping his ramen. Judging from the speed, he must’ve been on a tight break.

"Why don’t you go talk to him?"

A voice whispered right by my ear—Moeka-chan, of course, somehow right behind me.

"Eh!? N-no, he looks busy. It’s fine…"

"We’re going home tomorrow, remember? If you want to talk to him, you should do it now."

Her tone was unusually serious.
She wasn’t wrong, but still… interrupting someone’s lunch felt kind of rude.

Maybe I was just overthinking it after what Sakurako-chan said earlier. Realistically, I’d only met him yesterday. Sure, I did want to talk a bit more, but it wasn’t like I had to.
If it didn’t happen, it didn’t happen. Every time we’d spoken so far had just been by chance anyway.

"Let’s just go back to the table, okay? I don’t want to bother him."

"Alright," Moeka-chan replied simply—but there was a faint hint of disappointment in her voice.

Before heading back, I glanced toward him again—
Wait, is he looking this way?
And—hold on, why is Aika-chan over there with him!? She was supposed to be with us! Now she’s standing beside Aoi-kun, smiling and waving at me like this was all part of her plan.
She’s only met him once at that convenience store—how does she even remember him that well!?

"Ayumi-chan, sorry! Aika went and rushed in on her own!"

Moeka-chan stuck out her tongue, apologizing playfully.
Yeah, no kidding—I can see that!
And now Aika-chan’s waving me over!

I sighed deeply, resigned, and headed toward them. How did it come to this…

"Ayu-chan, Ayu-chan! Look, I found him for you! You were looking for him, right?"

Technically true… but this was definitely not how I’d imagined it going. I could only manage an awkward smile.

"Aoi-kun says he’s on lunch break right now! Since you’re here, why not chat for a bit?"

"Uh… okay," I answered weakly.
Was this really okay? Interrupting his break like this?

"Alright then, me and my sister will go back to our seats!"

Aika-chan said, giving Moeka-chan a little push toward the exit.

"H-hey, wait!" I reached out quickly.

"Come on, we’ll just be in the way, right, sis?"
"Right. Good luck, Ayumi-chan!"

Good luck with what, exactly!?
If we’re talking about bothering him, I think we already crossed that line when we walked up here in the first place!

And—yep, they’re actually gone now. Great. Why am I suddenly alone in this?

"Sorry, Sakura-san. Looks like they kind of dragged you into this," Aoi-kun said, sounding apologetic.

No, no, no—we’re the ones who barged in! Don’t apologize, that just makes me feel worse!

"Oh, right. Want some shaved ice? Since you came all this way, my treat."

"N-no, it’s fine! We just came over without asking. I’d feel bad!"

But he just smiled and said, "Don’t worry about it," before calling out to another staff member to order some shaved ice anyway.

"Sakura-san, that swimsuit really suits you. It’s cute—looks good on you."

"Huh? Ah, um… Th-thank you very much."

"Why are you talking like a robot?"

He chuckled softly. I could feel my face heat up, and somehow my already short height felt even smaller.

Ugh, seriously.
Don’t just toss out something that straightforward with that kind of refreshing smile—it’s too much!
I mean, sure, it’s nice to be complimented, but still…

"Was the food good?"

"Yeah."

"I see, that’s good."

Just then, the shaved ice arrived—fluffy ice covered with strawberry syrup and a drizzle of condensed milk on top. A little chill rose from it, and it looked irresistibly cold and sweet.

I scooped up a spoonful and brought it to my mouth. The cold ice and the rich sweetness of the strawberry and milk blended perfectly. It was so good that a smile naturally spread across my face.

I felt someone’s gaze and glanced up at Aoi-kun.
The moment our eyes met, he looked away.
He’d been doing that a lot since yesterday. Whenever I asked, “What’s wrong?” he’d just say, “Nothing.”

When I finished my shaved ice, he glanced at his watch.

"Sorry, looks like my lunch break’s just about over."

"Back to work?"

"Pretty much. After helping clean up this afternoon, I’ve got to head to my club meeting."

He really was busy.
As someone who used to be a loner, belongs to a cultural club, and has zero part-time experience, his schedule honestly sounded exhausting to me.

He barely even gets time to rest at noon, and yet here he was, eating with a guest from the inn.
Even if it wasn’t on purpose, I couldn’t help feeling guilty—especially since it all started because Aika-chan charged in without warning. Maybe I really should’ve held back then.

"So, Sakura-san,"

he said, standing up and looking down at me.

"Could we talk again later this evening?"

"Huh? Sure, I guess."

At my answer, his face lit up. He looked like he might actually pump his fist in triumph.

"Really? Then, how about around eight o’clock, in the bathhouse lobby?"

"Okay."

If we’re making such a casual plan, it’d be easier if he just texted me… except my smartphone’s currently locked away in a coin locker.
Also, minor detail—I don’t even remember my own email address. Total beginner here. I mean, who memorizes that kind of thing anyway?

"Alright, see you later then."

He raised a hand in a casual wave before heading back toward the kitchen. I decided to return to the others’ table.

The moment I sat down, Moeka-chan and the others pounced.

"So? How was it?"

What do you mean, “how was it”? Nothing happened!
When I told them exactly that, they all made disappointed faces and went, "Eeeehh—" in unison.
Seriously, what outcome were they even hoping for?

Only Yoshino-san giggled quietly to herself.

But when I mentioned that we’d promised to meet again around eight, their eyes suddenly lit up like fireworks.
What is wrong with these girls…?

"He’s got some nerve," Sakurako-chan murmured under her breath.

Once again, I was the only one completely lost.

"Sakurako-chan! Hey, Sakurako-chan! Let’s text Ryoji-kun about it!"

"Good idea! His reaction might be fun to see. Hand me the locker key!"

"Wow, sis, that’s evil!"

Why is Ryoji even part of this conversation!?
That’s mortifying—please don’t!
Also, if you open the locker, you have to pay to close it again! Don’t waste money on something this stupid!

The girls, however, didn’t stop. Their chaos rampaged on unchecked.

And me? I could only sigh and slump in exhaustion for the first time in ages.