As for Haruya—
“……W-well, I think they suit each other, don’t they?”
He muttered under his breath and averted his gaze.
Noticing the reactions around them, Rin suddenly put distance between herself and Yuna.
The abruptness of it startled him.
She must have been suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment.
Right as someone was about to tease them with a sly grin, Haruya glanced at Rin’s face.
And there she was—her face bright red. Her small frame seemed to plead, Don’t tease me… Feeling that, Haruya reflexively spoke up. All eyes turned to him at once.
“Uh, uh— Well, I’m kinda hungry too… Can we head inside?”
Haruya looked at Grandfather as he said this.
In response, Sara’s grandfather gave a reserved nod.
“……Mm. Food’s ready… Let’s get inside.”
After saying that, Grandfather added,
“You’re a kind one… But that bangs of yours—too long. You’d look sharper if you cut ’em.”
With that unnecessary remark, he headed into the mansion.
“Akasaki, even he called you out on it.”
Kazamiya grinned.
“……Yeah, maybe you should cut it.”
Yuna smiled faintly.
“I-I think it’s fine as it is, personally…”
Sara fidgeted.
“……………”
And Rin simply looked down without a word.
Inside, Haruya felt a little hurt.
(…Seriously? That bad? My bangs…? Damn, that stings…)
As everyone filed into the mansion with exclamations like “Whoa, it’s huge!” and “Amazing!”—
Haruya and Rin lingered at the back. From ahead, voices already inside chattered: “After eating, we’re heading to the beach!” “Wh—The beach?! First day and we’re already going?!” “…I’m kinda looking forward to it.”
Just as Haruya was about to step inside, tug—
someone lightly pulled his sleeve from behind.
Turning around, he found Rin, eyes still lowered, speaking softly.
“………Thank you, Akasaki-kun. For… thinking of me and covering for me.”
Her voice trembled slightly, as if mustering courage to say it.
“Don’t worry about it. I just wanted to eat sooner.”
Truthfully, he was hungry—he hadn’t eaten since morning.
So, Haruya added,
“Let’s head in.”
He motioned for her to go ahead, but Rin stayed rooted in place.
Steeling herself, she spoke again.
“…………Yeah. And… um. I think your bangs are really nice, Akasaki-kun. …I-I do think you should cut them, but…”
…Wait, which is it?
He wanted to retort, but seeing Rin’s expression—scratching her head, avoiding his gaze—he couldn’t. Her smile was like a summer bud blooming.
That sunflower-like grin was dazzling—probably because the sun was shining brighter than usual. It had to be.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
The sky stretched endlessly blue, thick with the scent of summer.
Though the sand burned underfoot, there was something soothing about it, and the rhythmic waves washed over them, calming their hearts.
After finishing the meal Sara’s grandfather had prepared, Haruya and the others arrived at the beach. Briefly, he reflected on the food.
The spread had been a traditional Japanese feast—small dishes lining the table:
mountain vegetable tempura, somen noodles, veggie-heavy sides.
The quality rivaled that of an upscale inn, each bite a delight.
(…Actually, this is basically an inn… The rooms are huge too.)
Sara’s grandfather’s home was a lavish mansion steeped in Japanese aesthetics.
They’d eaten in a vast tatami room.
[……(munch munch munch)]
The most amusing part of the meal? Yuna silently devouring her food at breakneck speed.
Usually cool and composed, moments like this reminded Haruya of Nayu-san.
It was weirdly endearing.
(The way she looked disappointed after finishing… That was kinda cute…)
Lost in thought, Kazamiya called out as he planted a parasol in the sand.
“Akasaki… You’re more toned than I expected.”
His abs weren’t exactly shredded, but the comment didn’t feel bad.
Probably thanks to picking up running again after rekindling his passion for track.
If anything, he was glad the effort showed.
“You’re pretty fit yourself, Kazamiya.”
“Well, I have been training for moments like this.”
Kazamiya chuckled, brushing it off.
How much of this guy’s banter was genuine?
Sometimes, it felt like he was only joking.
Lowering his voice theatrically, Kazamiya added,
“Getting to see S-tier beauties in swimsuits? Ultra-rare, Akasaki.”
“Yeah, guess so.”
“I thought my heart would give out just staying overnight, but swimsuits too? Blessings…”
“Uh, I’m not the one you should be thanking…”
Haruya frowned as Kazamiya clasped his hands in mock prayer.
“Cuz if you weren’t here, I wouldn’t have been invited.”
Kazamiya flashed a grin, oddly cheerful.
“That’s not—”
“It is.”
Cutting him off, Kazamiya continued,
“When Himekawa invited me, I figured I was just filler. But because of that…”
Pausing, he met Haruya’s gaze squarely.
“Akasaki. I’ll handle things so you can move forward.”
His expression was dead serious—unlike his usual playful self.
Before Haruya could process it, Kazamiya slipped back into character, miming a microphone.
“So, Akasaki! Whose swimsuit are you most excited to see?”
An interview now? Give me a break.
“────Sorry to keep you waiting!”
Sara’s voice rang out from behind.
Turning, Haruya froze, eyes wide.
“What’s wrong, Akasaki-san?”
She stood there with a challenging smile.
Kazamiya pumped his fist. Yes!
(This swimsuit’s way more lethal than I expected…)
Sara’s swimsuit—the one Haruya had called cute while shopping—was orange-based, the kind only someone with a great figure could pull off.
And she more than pulled it off.
“Ugh, Sara’s charging ahead… Quit staring so much.”
Yuna arrived a step behind,
arms crossed, wrapped in a blue pareo that suited her perfectly.
Her mature vibe clashed adorably with her flushed cheeks. Kazamiya started bouncing. Dude, chill…
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to the beach… I’m excited…”
“Me too!”
Sara matched Yuna’s fidgety energy.
“…Sara-chin, Yuna-rin… So cute.”
“Rin’s cute too, right? Sara?”
“Y-yes… Very cute. Of course, Yuna-san too.”
“Thanks. And you’re cute too, Sara.”
“Ehehe… Kinda embarrassing…”
Clunk, clunk—Rin finally appeared, trudging heavily but joining the exchange.
She kept her face turned away, maintaining distance from the boys, her body hidden under a hoodie. Honestly, Haruya was relieved—less awkwardness about where to look.
“Now that everyone’s here, shall we swim or play beach ball?”
“…I’d prefer beach ball. Might use it as material for scriptwriting.”
Yuna nodded modestly at Sara’s suggestion.
“Prefer” was an understatement. She absolutely wanted beach ball.
Haruya knew her well enough—her love for sports, especially basketball (Nayu-san was a hoops fanatic), made it obvious.
“Yeah, beach ball sounds good. You in, Akasaki?”
Kazamiya tossed the question.
Beach ball was safe—no worries about hair getting wet, no accidental face reveals.
No risk of Yuna or Rin recognizing him.
Swimming, on the other hand, would’ve been instant game over…
“Sure, I’ll play.”
“M-me too!”
Rin raised her hand.
“With this many, how about splitting into two teams for rotations? Like, beach volleyball with the beach ball?”
“Match sounds intense…”
Yuna’s lips curled.
“Ooh, nice. Let’s do it.”
Next, Kazami laughed defiantly and thrust out his fist first.
It seemed they would decide by rock-paper-scissors, like when deciding seats on a train.
(…Well, beach volleyball won’t put me in any awkward situations.)
Haruya had completely underestimated the situation.
Beach volleyball under the clear blue sky.
With rotating teams, no pairing should’ve been an issue—or so Haruya thought.
That’s what Haruya had thought when they started playing. But this particular beach volleyball game included a strategy discussion phase among teammates, and that’s when trouble began.
With five players, the teams had to split into either two pairs (one of two and one of three).
The three-person team caused no problems. Even in two-person teams, as long as he wasn’t paired with Sara… The issue only arose when the rotation put Haruya and Sara together as a pair.
That’s when the trouble started (※at least in Haruya’s mind).
“…Akasaki-san. Let’s do our best.”
“Yeah… let’s, Himekawa-san.”
Their initial greetings when paired together through rotation were perfectly normal.
The real problem came during strategy discussions.
Normally, this was when they’d plan how to counter the opponent’s plays, but—
“……Akasaki-san, does my swimsuit look good on me?”
She whispered in a small voice.
“……!”
Haruya involuntarily held his breath.
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