Chapter 46: Midsummer Showdown - Let’s Get Swimsuits!

In front of me lay several sheets of paper tucked inside an envelope. They were gift certificates—the prize from our recent Team Race—usable only at the large shopping complex near the training camp.

Hmm… maybe I could use them to buy some new coffee beans or equipment?

Just as I was thinking that, one particular Uma Musume burst into my room.

"Rue-chaaan! I came to play!"

"Comp, you’re loud."

Today was our rest day from training. Even we can’t work out every single day, so we get one day off each week. Personally, I wouldn’t mind training daily, though…

"So, whatcha doing, Rue-chan? Oh, wait—is that a gift certificate? One, two, three… oooh, enough to buy a new outfit, huh?"

"Well, it can only be used at that one place near camp, so I wasn’t sure what to spend it on."

"Then the choice is obvious! We’re getting you a swimsuit, Rue-chan!"

…Huh?

Sure, I don’t own one, but if I asked the Trainer, I could just borrow the school-issued swimsuit. Even if I bought one, I’d probably only wear it once during this whole camp.

"You just don’t get it! We’re going right now to buy one, and then you’re gonna show Trainer what you look like in it!"

"Why would Trainer even be involved in this? Do I have to do that?"

"Yes! You absolutely do! Just imagine it, Rue-chan—Trainer saying ‘You look so cute.’"

"Ugh…"

It’s not like I want to be complimented or anything! But knowing Comp, her ideas—however wild—tend to hit the mark somehow. This isn’t my fault, okay?

Well, it’s not like I had any other use for those vouchers anyway.

"Alright, alright, let’s head out. So, Rue-chan, what kind of swimsuit do you want?"

"Umm… I’ve never really picked one before, but… something with, you know, as little skin showing as possible."

"You’re as shy as ever, huh?"

And with that, we headed for the shopping mall.

Honestly, I had no idea how to choose a swimsuit. I glanced over at Bridge Comp. She turned to me with a grin and gave a big thumbs-up.

What was that supposed to mean? Did she have some kind of secret plan?

"Okay, it should be about time now."

"Huh? You’re meeting someone? Who—"

Before I could finish, another Uma Musume appeared before me.

A red ribbon on her left ear, beautiful gray hair, and a perfectly coordinated outfit—the very picture of cuteness. Curren Chan.

Of course it’s her! I mean, yeah, she’s perfect for this, but… when did these two even meet?

"Yoo-hoo, Curren! So, I called in a special guest today—Curren Chan! With her here, Rue-chan’s coordination will be flawless!"

"Hii~! UmaStar idol Curren Chan here☆ It’s been a while, Rue!"

"Ah, um… nice to see you again…?"

The two of them each grabbed one of my hands and started leading me through the mall.

Aren’t they both a little too hyped about this?

"So, Rue, what kind of vibe do you want? Cute? Cool? Or maybe something bold and dangerously flirty?"

"She said she wants minimal exposure. Rue-chan’s super shy, after all."

"Hmm, okay, then let’s go with ‘cute but modest’!"

"U-um, what about… my own opinion…?"

"Rue-chan’s opinion is on hold for now! You’ll get to pick your favorite at the end, so just hang tight!"

"O-okay…"

At the first store, I was practically sandwiched between Comp and Curren Chan as they held swimsuit after swimsuit up to my body.

Uh, Comp-san, isn’t that one a bit too revealing? Wait—that’s the standard type? Oh… okay…

"I really like this one though. Excuse me, do you have this in a smaller size?"

"I’m sorry, all the sizes we have are what’s displayed."

"Aw, too bad… Rue’s even smaller and cuter than me, after all."

I’m about five centimeters shorter than Curren Chan.

And there’s another problem—I’m actually kind of well-built. Despite being small, I’ve got… well, curves. Which makes finding something that fits way harder.

Can we just go home now?

"This one’s… a little too daring, huh? Maybe if it was just the two of us sisters☆"

"Whoa, Curren, didn’t think you’d be that bold. What do you think, Rue?"

Nope! Absolutely not! I wouldn’t even have the courage to leave my room in that thing!

Isn’t wearing swimsuits embarrassing enough already!? This feels way too much for me!

"Ugh, we can’t find one that fits right… Guess the problem’s before the coordination stage. Rue’s got a better figure than me, after all…"

"Right? If Curren had curves like that, even my big sis would be head over heels for me~"

H-hey, quit poking me like that! It’s not all fun and games, you know! I didn’t even have this kind of body when I was a guy, so it still throws me off!

"Um, excuse me! I’d like to decide soon, if that’s alright!"

"Hmm, yeah… but y’know, none of these are doing it for me. Curren won’t allow anything less than super cute!"

"Alright, next store—let’s go! Come on, Rue-chan, keep up!"

Both of them grabbed my hands and dragged me into the next shop.

"Ooh, how about this one? It looks like it’d fit Rue-chan, and it’s pretty nice, right?"

"Ugh… well, I guess the coverage is a little better with this one…"

"This top might work better. Hmm, not cute enough though? Then maybe if we pair it with this…"

"Ooh, that’s looking really good!"

They kept swapping out swimsuits and holding them up to me for comparison.

Actually… that one might not be bad. It doesn’t show much skin, and I could probably—wait. Am I just getting used to all the skimpy ones we saw earlier?

"Oho, seems like Rue-chan’s got her eye on this one? The fabric on the pareo’s nice and thick too, so it’ll feel almost like wearing a long skirt."

"Then how about this top? Curren thinks this combo’s perfect! Super cute, right?"

A light emerald-green long pareo, paired with a soft sky-blue halter top.

It didn’t expose too much, and honestly, it looked fine.

Still, I’d heard that light-colored swimsuits could get see-through easily…

Before I could say that out loud, Curren and Bridge Comp jumped in to block my escape.

"It’s fine! Proper swimsuits like this have lining, so they don’t go see-through that easily!"

"Yeah! A see-through swimsuit would be so not cute—definitely not recommended."

"Ugh… fine. I’ll go with this one…"

With nowhere left to run, I finally made my choice.

B-but it’s not that bad! I can probably wear this! Honestly, it even covers more than Taiki Shuttle’s racing outfit…

Wait—don’t some of those racing outfits show way too much skin!?

"Alright, let’s go pay! Then we’ll head back to camp and show Trainer! This is perfect!"

"Rue, make sure you message your Trainer, okay? Don’t even think about backing out now."

"Y-yes…"

Reluctantly, I typed out a message to Trainer. My face was burning the whole time.

Ahhh… was that message too awkward? I should’ve worded it differently!

"See? Isn’t it just so cute?"

What’s with this “cute” thing!? I’m the one dying of embarrassment here!

"It’s a shame we can’t upload it to UmaStar—it’s that cute! Hey, Rue, want to take a swimsuit selfie with Curren?"

"No!"

Even after being relentlessly bombarded with “cute” compliments, I somehow managed to survive and make it back to camp.

Once in my room, I started changing into the swimsuit.

"Still feels kinda revealing… I can’t even wear tights under it, and everything feels… breezy."

Sure, for a swimsuit it was relatively modest. But compared to my usual clothes? It felt insanely exposed! My whole back was showing!

Ughhh, maybe I should message Trainer and cancel—

Just then, my phone buzzed. A message from Comp?

"No backing out now!"

Grrr… she knew I was thinking that!

Fine! I’ll do it!

The pareo fluttered nervously around my legs as I walked toward the meeting spot where Trainer was waiting.

Ugh, my face is burning… Why does it have to be like this…

When I arrived, Trainer was standing there holding a sports drink. No turning back now!

"T-Trainer…?"

"What’s up, Rue? Today’s supposed to be a rest da—"

"Huh? Trainer? Say something, please. You’re making this even weirder!"

Trainer froze. I’d never seen him react like that before. The silence only made me even more embarrassed!

"Ah… sorry, Rue. I was just… kind of mesmerized."

"M-Mesmerized!? D-don’t say weird things like that!"

"That’s not weird. It’s just… seeing you wearing something like that—well, you’ve really grown, haven’t you? I’m proud of you."

"Ah… wait, am I being looked at like a father seeing his grown-up daughter?"

That’s… kind of weird!

I grabbed Trainer’s hand and bolted toward the beach.

"Since I finally got to wear a swimsuit, we’re gonna have fun, Trainer! Come on, it’s not like we care about getting wet!"

"Whoa!? Hey, wait, Rue!"

If I was going to show off in such an embarrassing outfit, I might as well make the most of it!

First, I splashed Trainer into the sea and immediately started playing around the rocky shore.

When was the last time I’d had fun in the ocean? Huh… this is actually pretty fun!

"Hahaha! How’s this?"

"Hey! That tail-swinging is cheating! Wait a second!"

"Not letting you escape!"

Ah—what a blast.

Playing in the water was surprisingly tiring, and within an hour, our fun shifted back to the sandy beach.

Returning to my inner child, we started building things out of sand. We didn’t have tools, so nothing too fancy—but thanks to Uma Musume strength, we could make something pretty grand.

"Let’s start shaping this. Trainer, help me out. You take here and there."

"Trying to make something pretty big, huh? Alright, let’s take it slow."

Hmm… this is fun. I said I was acting like a kid, but physically, I’m still an adult.

Inside, I’m a working man, after all.

Still, we can’t play forever. That’s true for time—and even more so for stamina.

"T-tired… we really played a lot…"

"As long as you had fun, Rue, that’s what matters. Hang on, I’ll go grab some drinks."

"Ughhh…"

I lay down under the parasol a little away from the beach.

Ah… I played too much. Damn, it was way more fun than I expected.

After a short break, Trainer returned carrying a few things. Hmm… not just drinks?

"Sorry to keep you waiting. This is lemonade, and this is barley tea. Oh, and here’s shaved ice from the cafeteria. Only one per person, so Rue, you go ahead."

"Huh? Why are you saying that? We can just share it. Here."

I leaned against Trainer and took bites of the shaved ice.

Mmm! Cold shaved ice really hits the spot after all that activity! Ah… bliss…

"Rue… um, could you move back a little?"

"Oh, I’ll have a bit of the lemonade too. You drink the rest, Trainer."

"Ah!"

I sipped the lemonade. This hits just as well… when you’re tired, something sweet and sour is exactly what you want. I can really understand why Teio likes honey drinks so much.

After drinking about half, I handed it back to Trainer.

"Here, drink the rest. Oh, I’ll have half of the barley tea too. Ah… this is pure bliss…"

"Ah… yeah, that’s fine…"

"?"

But… it really was fun.

All that embarrassment now feels silly. Yeah, next time I’ll invite Comp and the others to play too.

Watching the sun slowly descend, I sipped the barley tea.

"I’ll have to work hard in training tomorrow. The camp’s not over yet—and next time, Trainer, you should wear a swimsuit and join in too."

"Yeah… hmm… anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Rue."

Suddenly, a gust of wind made my body shiver. Even in summer, standing in the shade with wet skin feels a little chilly.

I pressed my tail and body against Trainer, snuggling close for warmth.

Warm…

"Ah… Rue… I… I won’t say anything more…"

Summer camp—just one fleeting moment in time.
Somehow, the distance between Trainer and me felt a little smaller.
That’s how the day felt.