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Coming to The Beach Only To Look For Weirdly-Shaped Shells Instead of Swimming Tends to Happen
You know how people often hand out pocket tissues near the train station? Did you ever feel like they actively avoided you of all people? Of course, if it’s an advertisement for a nail salon, they wouldn’t give it out to a guy like me, but there must have been one or two instances where they gave one to the university student walking ahead of you, but not to yourself. That just happened to me again. When I got off the escalator, it felt like the person handing out tissues just didn’t give me any—as the only person out of the group. Of course, that just felt like it, and I couldn’t exactly approach them about it. As such, I still walked to the right. It’s not very nice to keep standing since someone else might try to pass you, after all. But if I constantly move, my ability shouldn’t harm anybody.
The sunlight was a bit rough for the eyes, but since I’m going to school wearing half-pants, it felt a lot cooler than usual. I’m wearing a yellow T-shirt with a white shirt on top. My parents told me to wear a hat so I wouldn’t get heatstroke, but all the ones I tried just looked lame so I decided against wearing one.
It was currently 18 minutes past 8 am. I arrived a solid 10 minutes before we were supposed to meet up at the train station. And standing between the ticket gate and the green reception window stood a large egg. Right at the location where we were supposed to meet, the giant Chief Maid stood out like a sore thumb. And of course, Shinomiya-san was right next to her. And she was the only one present at the moment. She wore a greenish-brown, old-fashioned but still adorable wide one-piece. Cute, adorable, whatever you want to call it. She has the looks of a doll. But calling her as cute as a doll felt like it missed the mark, so I wasn’t sure about using that. Of course, you’d often meet characters like her in games, but using that as another example would be just as bad. Obviously, my vocabulary does not have the right words of praise.
“Good morning. I can’t wait for our trip to Kamakura today,” she said with a beaming smile, politely bowing while greeting me to the point I thought it might be acting.
If my teacher in kindergarten had been someone like her, I would have absolutely experienced my first love with her. The Chief Maid kept on standing like a pillar next to her, but that’s probably because she couldn’t move more considering her body. I guess she’d only really die if her body broke down.
But either way, today is the day the HRRA members are off to the beach. We’re still in July, so imagine how crazy this is that we get to go on a cliché beach trip even before August rolls around. To loners, this is more difficult than going to space. Because we could always ride the rocket by ourselves, but going to the beach or a public bath alone is just unthinkable. It’s harder than breaking through the atmosphere.
“Good morning, Shinomiya-san. I look forward to today.”
I returned a polite greeting, stopping a solid meter and a half away from her. All the while paying attention that no other visitors came too close to me. But once that was done, a harrowing realization hit me—We completely stopped talking. Oh crap, I’m not the kind of person who can throw around conversation topics, and neither is Shinomiya-san. But I have to bring up something. However, we haven’t ever talked much despite her being a part of the HRRA. And if I could easily whip up a conversation topic out of nowhere even with a girl that is close to being a stranger, I wouldn’t be a loner.
“A-Are those other two not here yet…?” I asked a question that was so obvious with a single glance.
That said, it was at least an attempt at conversation.
“That’s true. Then again, there’s still time until we’re supposed to meet up,” Shinomiya-san responded with an obvious response.
And then, more silence followed. In my head, I could see a clock like you’d see in Shogi or Go, allowing the player a limited time to think. And if I run out of time, our relationship will break apart—Well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I can’t let it come this far! There must be something we can talk about…Say it. If not, you’ll be seen as a boring guy who just latches on to everything like a parasite. Just anything! Ask her what her favorite food is! That’s just the worst! She’ll think I’m some idiot who can’t read the mood! Maybe I could praise her outfit? But what if she thinks I’ve got a thing for her, which will make her more cautious of me? Which is it? Which is the right choice? But right as I was plagued like that, I saw the Chief Maid poke Shinomiya-san’s arm. She then raised her hands and looked like she was about to touch Shinomiya-san, but she was most likely telling her something.
“I see wowsie. You really are quite knowledgeable, Chief Maid.”
Then the two of them kept their discussion going on between themselves. Since the people passing us couldn’t see the Chief Maid, they would assume that Shinomiya-san was just talking to herself. Except, the place before the ticket gate was packed so nobody even paid attention to her. Either way, I was relieved. This way, there wouldn’t be any awkward silence between us. And I got away without being branded a boring guy—Or, did I? I mean, I’m just standing here not saying a word while the two of them are still talking. The awkwardness meter inside of me keeps on rising. When you’re with a small group of people and can’t join the conversation, that’s when the solitude really begins to hit. Probably because one feels neglected in this scenario. Of course, it’d all be resolved if I could come up with something to talk about, but I cannot.
I then looked over at the train station clock. The time had barely progressed. I could feel myself forcing an awkward smile. But that’s not good. I can’t run away. We’re going to the beach after all! Damn it…Why can’t you make it so I can hear what you’re saying, Chief Maid?!
“Oh, is that so?”
I heard Shinomiya-san’s voice just a little bit. Focus on your ears, me. There’s still a chance of joining their conversation. And I find it, I’m taking it in a heartbeat.
“That’s true. Bringing out Teilhard is quite outdated.”
What are they even talking about? What term was that? Maybe a popular game? But I don’t think she’s the type to play games. And I can’t ask either, because I don’t want to risk being treated like an idiot.
“Although the hypothesis itself is not at fault in the slightest, it does feel like the most recent theory of evolution belongs to the ancient past.”
Yeah, I guess I’ll give up on mixing in there. I still have time to think. Not to mention the detrimental difference between us which is one and a half meters. To strangers, it might look like we’re not even acquainted. Takawashi and Aika might be used to my Drain ability and know to keep their distance from me. However, Shinomiya-san might still struggle to deal with that. And then there’s also the Chief Maid. No wonder she prioritizes talking with her Chief Maid. And to conclude this segment—it’s become apparent that I just cannot properly talk with a member of the opposite sex that I am not particularly close with. I mean, it’s already a contradiction to expect that I’d be able to do that when it’s someone I don’t really know too well. In that sense, this distance between us could be stamped off as expected.
—No, why am I acting as my own lawyer here? If I keep up this mindset, I’ll never be able to make friends. I need to take the first step and talk with someone I’m not particularly familiar with. I looked over at the station clock. Should I send Takawashi and Aika a message? No, rejected. I’ll just get laughed at and called boring. Seriously, why are human relationships so complicated?! I want a tutorial!
“Good thing it’s such clear weather today, right Hagure-kun?”
Suddenly, Shinomiya-san called out to me. I’d forgotten how kind of a person she is. If someone is being left out, she’s definitely going to scoop in and help them. I should not let that pass go to waste and throw the ball back at her!
“Yeah, I’m glad.”
At that moment, I wanted to punch myself so hard. Not even one second after uttering those words, I asked myself “Why the hell did you say that?” I just commented on what she said! I didn’t even add anything new or incentive to keep going! This is the same as just responding emoji when answering on LINE! It’s the quickest way to immediately cut off any attempt at a conversation! And if I know it’s this bad, why did I do it?! If I knew I was going to regret it, why couldn’t I think of something better?! No, the wound is still shallow. I can recover from this…!
“I just hope it doesn’t get too hot…It is supposed to be 35 degrees maximum today.”
By the way, whenever I’m talking with Shinomiya-san, a part of me just speaks in a really polite tone. It’s probably because our relationship hasn’t solidified yet. Although our physical distance won’t ever shrink, that is. Also, talking about the weather is just cheating, I feel like.
“It’s getting close to summer after all. As people, we must preserve.”
Since she couldn’t ignore my comment, Shinomiya-san gave a brief response. I can only charge forward with what I was given. Just shifting into a different conversation altogether won’t work.
“Maybe this is the fault of global warming?”
“We don’t know for sure, but the sandy beach is probably going to boil our feet.”
“Ahh, that sounds rough.”
“We have to be careful not to get burned, yes.”
This conversation really only existed for the sake of it. It’s like a winning team in soccer is passing the ball between each other to play down the time. Though in my mind, I’m already losing 0-5. Please, can’t either of the two girls just get here? And why did I even come here this early? I could have avoided all of this if I’d just come here right before the time. Then again, that is just a common thing for us loners. We don’t have the guts to actually be late for a meeting. That’s why we’re often one of the first ones.
“With the ultraviolet rays, we have to use sunscreen and everything.”
“The Chief Maid is also going to be careful not to end up black, too.”
Hold on, that can happen?! Is she actually an egg?!
“And if that were to happen, she would have to shed her skin several times until she gets white again.”
Don’t reptiles shed their skin regularly? That’s like pointing fingers at yourself.
“This conversation has been dead on arrival, it seems,” said Takawashi who had appeared in front of us.
She wore black pants that just barely covered up her ankles and wore a T-shirt of some band (that I don’t know). On top of that, she wore a sun-protective shirt. Even as a guy, I could tell that her outfit was rather simple. If you switched out my half-pants, we’d pretty much be rocking the same outfit. She follows her personality and doesn’t fawn over clothes. And yet, she looks almost cool like that, contrary to me. That’s just not fair.
“What’s the name of that band?”
“It’s ‘With Love from The Far-East’. It’s from the band’s tour.”
I’ve never heard that name in my life before. I can tell she’s dead-set on not listening to any popular bands just because. After all, I check all the popular bands myself. Of course, all so that I could have a chance of making friends with someone by talking about it. Naturally, it never worked so far.
“I’m counting on you today. I come from Osaka, so I don’t know my way around Kamakura.”
“Really now…then say something funny.”
That is the quickest way to piss off anybody from Osaka. Anybody would falter when being tasked with that.
“Also, you’re prohibited from comparing it to Kyoto. Because if you do, Kamakura ends up losing.”
What kind of white knight are you?
“Leaving that aside, Gure-kun and I are here today to make some great memories, so I hope I can rely on your support. Our future rests on how today plays out.”
“Understood! I’m here to battle!”
It was an odd start to the day, but she had a point. I’m going to enjoy this summer break! I won’t let it end in failure just because of my Drain!
“This ticket gate is our last stop before the beach! Let’s go!”
“You say, but Ayameike-san isn’t here yet.”
Ah…I have a really bad feeling about this. We only have three minutes left until our supposed time to meet up. And then, a LINE message reached us, being from Aika.
‘Sorry, Aika will be 5 minutes late!’
In the end, she came in 10 minutes late, showing up with a large amount of fireworks. She probably bought this on the way here.
“That’s your excuse?” said Takawashi like she was going to execute her subordinate.
Even if she didn’t look at her, it was clear that Aika already earned herself a few minus points with her.
*
After that, we headed to Kamakura while I made sure not to hurt anybody because of my drain. There were a lot of passengers on our way to Kamakura, but we didn’t run into the regular rush, so standing on the sides where there were no seats, I could do just fine. By the time we reached the beach in question—Takawashi and I were already out of steam.
“Aren’t there too many normies here…? Gure-kun, get rid of them.”
“Yeah…I really wish that people who had no interest in the history of Kamakura wouldn’t come here to the beach. Also, I’m not the creator of this world.”
“Seriously…Who said we should go to Kamakura?”
“Look at yourself in the mirror! It was none other than you!”
“Why are you two so tired? We didn’t even get to swim yet, nor did we enjoy the beach,” said Aika while giving us odd looks.
Her frilly pink skirt was really bad for my eyes. Where do they even sell these?
“I feel like I’ve been walking through a poisonous swamp…”
I’d like to agree with that statement. I figured that we’d see a lot of “Yoooo, dude~” guys that could even silence crying kids over here in Kamakura. That said, I think this whole “That could even silence a crying kid” expression is just extreme. No child would stop crying if you told them “Kamakura is a tourist location. A very famous one” you know? At the train station, I could barely cope with it. This kind of “Dude~” attitude I can handle. In fact, I was almost feeling arrogant that I stood amongst them…But I was too naive. I thought most of the youngsters and couples were visiting the Buddha shrine or other tourist spots of Kamakura. I had no idea the beach would be this terrifying of a place. But when we got closer to the shore, the “Duuuude” guys popped up here and there.
“Isn’t that crazy?”
“Right, I swear!”
We were surrounded by people using the type of vocabulary we could not deal with. Guys with hair dyed blond, dudes walking around with sunglasses, guys with flashy tattoos, guys wearing swimsuits despite them being a fair distance away from the beach. What is this? Are we even from the same species? Are they aliens? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand them. Nor do I want to, really. However, in terms of percentage and sheer numbers, they have the upper hand. Our democratic vote loses against them! Slowly but steadily, (Takawashi and) I was losing our patience. We thought that those guys would stop somewhere eventually, but that never happened. From the opposite side of the pedestrian crossing came another couple of normies munching on ikayaki. The woman seemed to be someone with a supernatural ability because she warmed the food with a faint flame coming from her hand. If I had that kind of helpful ability, maybe I would have…Maybe I would have what?
“And my T-shirt is drenched from sweat even before we arrived at the train station…Why do I have to—”
“Gure-kun, not another world,” Takawashi warned me with a strong voice like she saw this as her duty to tell me. “If you complain about the money you’ve paid, then you’re going to erase all other possibilities. Just staying in your room all day won’t change anything.”
“That is true. We shall look past the hundred battles and attempt to win the war. Surely, there must be to be gained from dealing with the heat,” Shinomiya-san spoke like a war general who died 200 years ago.
Next to her “walked” the Chief Maid. If I held onto her, would she drag me along, I wonder?
“Sorry, I was wrong. I’m going to join them. Get a sunburn and take a bath, to then complain about how much it hurts. I’m going to swallow this pain and persevere!”
Shinomiya-san nodded while saying “Absolutely,” but Aika only returned a confused comment.
“Why is there any need to suffer in the first place? This is something to look forward to, right?”
Hearing that, Takawashi didn’t waste a breath.
“Ayameike-san, can I give you the nickname Snobby Swine?”
No. No, you cannot. We’re still in high school! We’re going to enjoy our trip to the beach! Because being normal in this world is the best! And thus, our efforts were rewarded. Roughly thirty minutes later, I could feel my blood boiling. I wanted to slap myself for being so negative before—While getting slapped in the face by the sight of swimsuits.
“Tada! How does Aika look, Narihira-kun? Is she cute?” Aika showed off her pink bikini with a bright smile.
…She’s got huge honkers. That’s all I could say. I might have stayed alive all these years just to see this. I feel like now I could be able to thank my parents using a hip-hop lyric. It took me a second to decide which expression to make, but I knew I had to keep a straight face and stop myself from grinning.
“I-I think it looks nice? You’re pretty cute…”
Don’t grin. Put up with it. This isn’t me checking out a gravure idol photoshoot. This is reality. If I smile now, they’ll be disgusted by it. What is Takawashi going to say? That said, I had to at least praise her because I didn’t want to be someone who lied to their friends. As a result, I managed to drop that line, albeit just barely. I need to make sure she doesn’t think I’m just staring at her chest. However, when it comes to bikinis, they just automatically emphasize a woman’s chest. It’s like a cooking method that perfectly emphasizes the taste of the ingredients. Thanks to this sight in front of me, even the summer heat didn’t bother me all that much. Even if the burning sand beneath my feet had changed into a sizzling frying pan, I would have been fine—Well, that would have probably killed me, actually.
Still, saying that people have to live honestly and sincerely was a lie. Or maybe it was all just mindless sweet-talk. Because if I became honest here and asked to cop a feel of her chest, I would die as a human being. But I’m sure that 99% of guys in this situation would want to touch them. Even a lot of girls, I bet.
“Say, let’s throw a die and if I get a prime number, I get to crush your eyes, Gure-kun,” Takawashi spit out some harsh words.
That said, her swimsuit is quite the sight, too. Speaking in meat terms, it’s a clear A5, so I don’t mind the sharp tongue. That said, I couldn’t keep staring at her either, so I checked all the prime numbers in my head. 1..2…3…5…
“What do I get from participating in a game where my eyeballs get crushed 2 out of 3 times?!”
“I don’t mind throwing the die directly at you and skipping the whole game.”
Why is she using it as a weapon now?
“Well, I would understand why men would feel excited when seeing Ayameike-san in her swimsuit,” she then looked over at Aika with a judgmental look.
If she was a guy, it’d make her look like a pervert, but she looked more cute than anything.
“Also, Ayameike-san…You should really think about wearing such a…flashy swimsuit. Rather than looking healthy and orthodox, it smells…slutty, see.”
“Say what? It’s not that skimpy at all, though. This much is normal. And it’s cute, right?”
“Oh dear…You might feel that way, but Gure-kun is getting close to giving in to his carnal desires. You might even be able to use him with your ability.”
“Takawashi! That’s enough!” I moved closer and protested, being careful not to cross the 1-meter radius.
But stop commenting on that, or you’ll make things worse! Remember that I’m a guy!
“And Erin, your swimsuit is pretty lewd, too. It’s not fair to complain only about Aika!” Aika didn’t waste a second to go on the offensive.
“I…I didn’t plan on actually swimming, so I was hoping to grab a more plain one…”
So said Takawashi while keeping her gaze away from us to ensure her Heart Open wouldn’t activate, but it would be pretty awkward either way. She wore a navy blue swimsuit with a…cloth bound around her waist. A…phara…No, parao? Paleo? Anyway, something like that. Yeah, I figured she’d wear a swimsuit that doesn’t show much skin at all…But this is a hell of a lot more lewd than I anticipated. Especially because of that cloth. Even though she’s technically wearing more. I believe this needs scientific research looking into. A part of me wondered if Takawashi herself looked erotic like that, but I immediately rid myself of that thought. I can’t be acting this way toward my alliance partner. And it’s all I’ve been thinking about this whole time, too…That said, wearing a navy blue school swimsuit would get her plenty of attention, too, and it might invite people to have the wrong idea.
“Y-You look great…Takawashi…”
I don’t know what I’m supposed to say here. I’d like a textbook that I can use as a reference.
“I don’t know why, but I really don’t feel like thanking you right now,” said Takawashi with a disgruntled tone.
“You two look wonderful!”
As for Shinomiya-san, she wore a one-piece with the lower part acting as a skirt. It might seem innocent and relatively simple, but looking at her directly for too long would be too much, too.
“I’m sure that a certain group of men will certainly come to like you looking like that.”
So said Takawashi, but I don’t know if that could be classified as praise.
“Do people who are into baseball like this kind of swimsuit?”
If I had to guess, she probably meant that in the lolicon sense…
“I bet all the lolicons are into you. You’ve got twintails, after all. Now we just have to put a floatie around you, and it’d be a triple strike.”
“Keep your words in check while we’re in public, okay?!”
Shinomiya-san probably didn’t understand what she was trying to say, or maybe she was playing dumb, but she just tilted her head. I guess that’s the best way to deal with harassment like Takawashi was spitting. Getting angry over every small thing is stressful, too.
“By the way, where is that white egg creature?”
“Right behind you all.”
She uttered words that could come straight out of a horror movie. Immediately after turning around, Takawashi let out a shriek and staggered a few steps back. As Shinomiya-san said, the Chief Maid was staring at us.
“Takawashi! Stay away! My Drain is going to activate!”
“Ah, you’re right! Geez, the Chief Maid ahead of me and Gure-kun behind me…!”
Don’t act like I’m some sort of trap. I’m a trap with a heart. And even we get hurt!
“Can’t you make it show its presence some more?!”
“A maid’s job is to serve her master from the shadows, so it makes sense that she would hide her presence if there is no need for her. And she strives to be the perfect maid. You might even say that she has brought the history of maids to an end with her existence.”
That’s just arrogant at this point. All the employees at maid cafés in Japan are going to start a riot.
“Wait, Chief Maid! You’re not wearing a maid uniform, but a swimsuit that is designed like a maid uniform, right?” Aika pointed out in admiration.
Thinking back on it, it looks like the kind of swimsuit maid characters would wear to the beach.
“How stylish of you, Chief Maid.”
“It’s so cute! Aika’s almost jealous!”
Hearing those words, Takawashi clicked her tongue.
“You’re definitely not jealous, so don’t use that expression…This is how you get enemies…”
“I get where you’re coming from, but just let it slide for now, yeah?”
As for myself, I was wearing plain swimming trunks. That’s all the information you really need so I’ll keep it at that. Either way, we’re all gathered, all in swimsuits, so now the fun can begin. Honestly, I’m glad we came here. I never thought I’d get to enjoy the sight of my female friends wearing swimsuits. I mean, what loner would expect to get a girl as a friend, right? We’re all not popular. I thought it was harder than getting into Tokyo U. And this is all thanks to my effort, too. However, now that we stood at the starting line, another problem showed itself. We realized this as soon as we lined up at the beach.
“What do we do next?”
What does one even do at the beach? If this was a mobile game, a few button presses and we’d be having the next story event, but that’s not how reality works. And even if we all swam around together, it’d just be boring. Because if we wanted to swim, we didn’t have to come to the beach. Nor together, for that matter.
“Maybe we could pick up some seashells?”
“RanRan, that’s only fun when you’re in elementary school!”
Shinomiya-san’s idea was immediately shut down by Aika. That said, I didn’t want us to just all do our own thing, either.
“Maybe we could split a watermelon?”
Yet another classic idea came from Shinomiya-san. I feel like she always goes down the list, whether that’s when making suggestions or during exams. I bet she also starts washing her arms before anything else when taking a bath.
“Did someone bring a watermelon with them?” asked Takawashi.
Nobody raised their hand. If someone did that, we would have realized by now for certain.
“What about a stick?”
“Only some crazy person would carry a stick with them but not the watermelon.”
“That is very true. Also, who’d even bring a stick like that with them? It doesn’t seem to be part of just everybody’s household.”
That is also true. In fiction, splitting a watermelon is standard practice when going to the beach, but where do they even get those sticks from?
“Maybe they got them from a place at the beach?”
“I’ve never gone to the beach like this. My home was located in the mountains between Osaka and Nara. Although we often went to the river.”
“Neither have I. The last time I ever did something remotely like this was when my parents took me to the pool in elementary school.”
So we’re all beach beginners, huh? Well, not like I’m one to talk.
“Huh?! You’ve never bought anything from the beach house?! Like yakisoba?! Or is Aika just the weird one?”
She seemed relatively shocked to arrive at that conclusion.
“You’re the exception in our community, Ayameike-san. Review and impeachment aren’t far off.”
I have to be careful that she doesn’t grasp any weakness of mine in the future. At the same time, the Chief Maid approached Shinomiya-san, who responded with “I wowsee,” which must be an abbreviation of “I see, wowsie.”
“The Chief maid said that the next-best event would be playing volleyball.”
That white egg turned into Shinomiya-san’s advisor at this point. She’s not even human, yet she knows what people would do to have fun at the beach. I guess that just shows how hopeless we are.
“Beach volleyball…Did anybody bring a ball with them?” Takawashi asked once again.
And as before, nobody raised their hand. Even Aika shook her head.
“They should be selling one around here, surely! Aika’s going to buy one!”
Aika seemed panicked for some reason. This feels like when the Brave gathered his allies but they’re all just fooling around. Nobody’s used to this.
“That’s probably not a good idea. We might get a ball, but what about a net? And if that could be resolved, then we won’t have enough space to play it, either.
Takawashi’s words made me look around. All I could see were people in swimsuits, talking with each other. They were a lot louder than I thought. Some were resting on blankets under parasols, so there wasn’t any space for us to play. And I should be careful not to walk around randomly.
“Wait…How are we supposed to enjoy the beach?”
I observed my surroundings just like when I was asked to form a pair in school. I can’t even guess what I should do. I could hear laughter around me. If they just wanted to talk, can’t they sit at a restaurant? There’s gotta be better locations. What are they enjoying about this? I don’t know at all…What about the other HRRA members? Aika seemed to be curious about something as her head moved around. She had crossed her arms which only emphasized her well-endowed chest (which I’m obviously not looking at right now). Shinomiya-san seemed pretty satisfied just with this because she doesn’t seem to be pretty relaxed (and since I’m just trying to check up on her, I’m absolutely not looking at her swimsuit). Takawashi had the expression of Shima Wei when he was fed with a bowl by Zhuge Liang (and although I’m checking up on her, I also want to get a glance at her swimsuit again). She seemingly just dreamed about going to the beach with people, all the while not preparing anything. Maybe…Loners just won’t have fun even if they go to the beach?
I believed that, as a citizen born on this island of Japan, the ocean would accept any individual as a loving mother. Well, I was born in a hospital in the Saitama prefecture, but that’s a minor detail. But I guess that was wrong of me. To people who don’t prepare something to have fun in the first palace, the ocean is just a large pool of water. As proof of that, all I’ve been doing this whole time is looking at swimsuits. Takawashi then listlessly raised her hand. Yet, her gaze was directed down at the sand. I can’t tell if she was just feeling dejected or if that’s a safety measure because of her ability.
“For now, we should get ourselves a place to sit down. We do have a sheet after all.”
“Yeah. Let’s start with the simple things,” I said and looked over at the beach house’s billboard. “I’ll get us some food and drinks!”
I’ve always experienced that just standing still won’t make things any better. It was a loner lesson I learned all the way back in elementary school. Of course, things might be different if I had been a beauty that made everyone stop and turn their heads, but other than that, stopping will never help anybody. There are plenty of people in this world who are willing to ask for help. They stand out and get help first. So what’s important right now is to move my body. While walking left and right past the people, I rushed over. All to limit the damage my Drain could do. Luckily, the inside of the beach house was pretty empty, so I could easily make my way inside. A 500ml bottle was a whole 200 yen, which sounded off to me, but since this might be my first and last chance to come to the beach as a high school student, I can’t afford to be a cheapskate now. I would personally go for tea in these situations, but I don’t know about the others, so I went with the safe choice and ordered juice.
As for food, two portions of Takoyaki should be fine, right? That way, we can share. And no person in this world doesn’t stand takoyaki, right? Should be a safe choice. Not like they’re gonna be any good, either. I ordered the takoyaki and while waiting, I regretted my own lack of foresight. If we’re going to the beach, I should have prepared something. The beach isn’t a theme park. It’s not an artificial space created for people to have fun. It was the same naive thinking as when you buy a reference book and immediately think it’ll raise your grades. But…Now that I’ve made that realization, I must have grown in some way! I carried the bag with the juice in my right hand, and the two portions of takoyaki in my left. I’m going to do what I can so that the others get to have fun! And that way, I can repay them for staring at them in their swimsuits! However, when I returned to where everyone else had been waiting, an eerie atmosphere drifted about. There were more people than before—Three, to be exact. But of course, I realized quickly. It must be because of Aika’s ability, which is why she was called a Succubus by a lot of people at school.
“Hey, just come with us! Please!”
“We’ll treat you to whatever you want! Just 30 minutes!”
Two guys with pierced ears were obviously hitting on Aika! Then again, it wasn’t all that odd. She’s well-endowed, with an appealing bikini, so who wouldn’t at least be interested in her? And with her ability to strengthen the affection people feel for her, it’s no surprise that she would get hit on.
“Sorry, but could you please leave? Aika is here with friends…”
“Then just bring everyone!”
“Yeah! Your friends are all cute!”
In fact, the third guy was already closing in on Takawashi. A single glare from her could send any guy running, but that would risk activating her Heart Open, so she couldn’t. As a result, the guy probably misunderstood that she was just feeling embarrassed and saw his chance. However, I was worried that Takawashi would only create more trouble. The day she tells a guy “Even insects have a higher IQ than you,” she risks putting herself in actual danger. And I want to avoid that at all costs. Takawashi, hold yourself back! You’re going to get beat up if you speak back to them! I’m not letting that happen. It’ll ruin all the good memories we might get today or for the rest of this summer break!
“U-Um…We’re not here for that, so…I’m sorry…”
At first, I didn’t know who even uttered those words. And right after, I initially believed I was just hearing things. That’s just how weak and fragile Takawashi’s voice sounded. And not just her voice, but her words all the same. There was no harshness, no sharpness to be found. It was as spicy as regular seasoning. She’s just…scared. And sure, that at least defused the situation to a certain degree, but it doesn’t change the fact that nobody feels comfortable. That said, the Chief Maid would only stay with Shinomiya-san, so she couldn’t help.
“Chief Maid! Let me go! I’m going to undress to save my friends!”
Naturally, the Chief Maid didn’t say anything. However, she wouldn’t let Shinomiya-san move ahead. Protecting her master has the utmost priority after all. But to the guys, it looked like Shinomiya-san was doing some weird pantomime show. And then there’s me, who happened to stumble into this whole mess. I did stop in my tracks, but I can’t just let this play out. This is the best time to use my Drain ability. If I’m not going to use it now, when will I?
“Heyy, guys! I got us some juice and drinks!”
But juice is also a drink! I only realized after saying it. I’m clearly not used to this, either. But that doesn’t matter. I moved in closer within my 1-meter range, thus activating my drain.
“Sorry, folks. We’re in high school, and they’re all taken. Though I’m just the pack mule who’s working for them. And surely, you wouldn’t want a guy around while you’re trying to hit on them, right?”
I wouldn’t want them to even get a chance to say anything so I just kept on talking while my Drain did its work. And really, whenever people are in a pinch, they can talk like crazy. “If you have nothing to say, silence remains a virtue” is what a famous philosopher once said, but I’m going to try and resolve this by talking. And it’s like a JRPG! If I keep talking, it’ll stay my turn forever.
“And they, you wouldn’t want to stay around in this heat forever, right? What if you get a heatstroke? Considering how wide your shoulders are, you’re an especially easy target! Look, I can already see the signs on your hand!”
I took the man’s hand and pretended to look at it.
“What are you doing?!”
“I’m just trying to help. Oh man, this is not good. All the heat strokes and heat attacks and heat islands!”
Suck up more of this guy’s strength. I gotta at least make use of my ability now.
“Hold on…I actually feel sick right now…”
Of course you do. You’re slowly starting to suffer anemia.
“And you over there! Your friend is suffering from heatstroke, so take them to a doctor!” I said while still using my Drain.
Right after, the man went down on his knees. All right, one done.
“Naoki! You okay?!”
“What are you doing?!”
The other two guys must have felt the danger in the air and helped carry the guy. So his name’s Naoki? I honestly couldn’t care less. With the trouble gone, I looked over at the three.
“That was a struggle, huh?”
Both Takawashi and Aika seemed exhausted from that ordeal, sitting down on the sheet on the sand. Takawashi also proceeded to put on her t-shirt, probably to raise her defense.
“Thank you, Gure-kun…These monkeys happened to speak Japanese and came to annoy us. How troublesome that they didn’t understand logic despite that…”
Any normal guy would have been able to approach Takawashi and cheer her up, which could potentially lead to us getting closer in the process, but the best I can do is act like a half-stranger and keep my distance. If there is some black market doctor who can modify my body to keep the Drain effect in check, I will gladly pay.
“Couldn’t there be a book that turns people into millions of yen into debt if you write their names in there?”
That’s one efficient way of killing someone.
“Sorry about that, Erin and RanRan…Aika’s ability made things complicated again and attracted a few monkeys.”
Aika sat down embracing her knees and buried her face in them. Can you really call them monkeys? I mean, with Aika’s active ability, it might be fairly accurate.
“Aika could feel several people looking her way…It’s scary…”
I remembered the saying that looks matter 99% of the time. Even if you don’t know their name or personality, looks can help you make decisions alone. And if you end up the center of focus thanks to that, it’ll leave you with only more stress.
“Have you never gone through something like that before…? And you were fine…?”
“Well, this is Aika’s first time at the beach since becoming a high school student…Before, Aika always came with her family, and it wasn’t dangerous at all…”
Hitting on a middle school girl is just a crime, after all.
“But…It’s not all bad!” said Aika as her face shot up, her chest bouncing up and down.
“Narihira-kun! You were such a gentleman when you got rid of those monkeys! You’re so cool! Thank you!”
The smile she followed that up with was…too much…I could feel my own temperature rising at least 3 degrees. I really wanna walk down Harajuku Shibuya, or Omotesando with her now. All of those are pretty close, too. All in one go from Harajuku…Just holding hands with her…I wanna go everywhere. But I can’t do that because of my Drain. No doubt, it’s her ability working on me…Calm down, calm down…
“Ah, well…You’re welcome…”
I know that I was sounding stiff when saying that, but it’s not fair if Aika’s that adorable. Is this also thanks to her ability? Or did I actually fall in love with her? Just get rid of these feelings. They will get in the way of our HRRA at this rate.
“You’re right. You did great work, Gure-kun.”
Even Takawashi glanced over at me. Only for a brief second, though.
“So chivalrous, and considering we’re at Kamakura, I almost thought you were the second coming of a Samurai…said the Chief Maid.”
How does that even make sense? Why is an egg lifeform like her using that as an example?
“With this, the vice student council president must have realized how wonderful you are! Let’s look for her and tell her!” Aika suddenly said so, making no sense.
Look for her? What?
“She’s actually here at the beach today. She said so, remember?”
Since I didn’t realize what Aika was talking about, she protested and pouted her cheeks. Even that was adorable. Apparently, Aika is dead set on making sure that Elias and I get along.
“But that wouldn’t work if Elias hadn’t come to Kamakura, right? That’s some coincidence.”
After all, it was Takawashi’s idea that we’d go to Kamakura.
“Well, that’s because Aika told her Kamakura would be the best place to go to the beach!”
She really is proactive. Also, I’m surprised that the plan worked out. If I suggested it to Elias, she would absolutely not show up here.
“So once we had some juice and rested, we could walk around a bit?” Shinomiya-san sat down next to Aika.
Just being able to get that close makes me incredibly jealous.
“If we just stay here, the same thing as the previous incident might happen again. And if Hagure-kun were to walk with us, we’d be a lot safer.”
“Agreed. There’s a chance this might be a cursed place, so let us move,” said Takawashi with an exhausted expression.
Yeah, it’d be best to prioritize her feelings now. On a side note, nobody even bothered with the takoyaki, so I had to eat all the rest.
We then walked down the sandy beach like we were crossing a battlefield (except Takawashi had put on her T-shirt).
“And so, Kamakura acted as a city way before the government was formed, or at least used facilities resembling that. The Chief Maid actually taught me about that.”
“That egg seems pretty useful, actually. She’s like a walking encyclopedia.”
I wanted to join their conversation but walked too far away. The Chief Maid is basically like an AI telling Shinomiya-san everything she needs to know. Granted, we can actually see her and touch her, but I guess that’s close to it. Of course, that would deny her humanity, so I wouldn’t say that out loud.
“She sure isn’t to be seen…” Aika said while doing something on her smartphone.
Even if she bumped into someone, Takawashi was right in front of her, so it should be fine.
“Isn’t it a fool’s game to try and find Elias in this crowd? You know she’s not the tallest. And is she really around here?”
“According to her LINE message, she should be close by. But to preserve the surprise, she doesn’t know we’re here.”
Well, I guess we just have to look for her…After walking for a while, we arrived at a concrete staircase.
“The actual meaning of giving up comes from “to make clear,” did you know?”
I don’t know if Takawashi tried to be subtle about it not, but she’s telling Aika to basically give up.
“At this rate, Gure-kun will have to buy juice for all of us again.”
“Hey! Why am I the only one who has to pay any money?!”
Also, I haven’t gotten any money for the juice and food earlier, so that already ended up with me treating them. Did they forget because of those guys trying to hit on them?
“I mean, you’re looking for Drink Girl, right? So it’s your job to do something for us.”
“I’m not looking for her or anything, you know? I don’t want to meet her.”
“But you’re curious what kind of swimsuit she is wearing, no?” said Takawashi with a condescending tone.
Well, she’s always condescending.
“If she’s here at the beach already…”
Phrasing it that way is not fair. Of course I’d be curious. Who wouldn’t be?
“Surely, you must want to see your childhood friend in a swimsuit. You’re itching for it.”
“Hey, you’re going to invite misunderstandings if you say it like that!”
I’m just wondering what swimsuit she’d be wearing. The school’s swimsuit? Well, when I happened to run into her at the train station during a day off, she did look rather styled up. Suddenly, the Chief Maid raised her small hand diagonally.
“What’s wrong, Chief Maid?” Shinomiya-san while she looked in the direction the Chief Maid pointed.
The rest of us did the same. Lo and behold, there walked Elias wearing a white one-piece. I see, there’s no need to wear a swimsuit even if you’re walking along the beach! Some people are just here to sightsee!
“Well done, Chief Maid-san!” said Aika while rubbing the egg’s head.
Can she really do that without permission from Shinomiya-san? And I’m so jealous of the Chief Maid.
“Let’s go for the kill, Narihira-kun!” Aika then (figuratively) pushed my back and left me unable to back out.
“And don’t tell them we’re here as well. We’re going with a chance encounter, that’ll make it more ex—more likely to succeed!”
Just say it how it is. You’re looking forward to seeing me struggle. Seriously, I can’t ever expect her to show any speck of kindness! Oh, whatever. If I break down now, it’ll harm the overall excitement of the group, and it’ll be my fault. I turned around and walked toward Elias. With this, we would run into each other.
“Yo, what a coincidence.”
“Ugh…I came all the way here to Kanagawa prefecture, and I still have to run into you?!”
Elias reacted as I suspected she would, acting like she found an insect in her room. That alone ruined her beautiful one-piece dress and returned her back to the Elias I know. That disgusted grunt at the start did hurt me, though. However, what am I even supposed to talk about now? If I walk away again, my party is going to laugh at me once I get back to them.
“My trip…My fortune said I was third luckiest, too…Why does bad stuff always happen to me on these days…”
I have to agree with that. When I forgot my smartphone at a restaurant before and I had to come back another day to ask about it, that was also my lucky day supposedly.
“What brings you to Kamakura, Elias?”
I know exactly why, but it’d be weird if I did so I had to create an alibi first.
“What good would knowing that do you?”
“I was just curious, you don’t have to pick a fight with me first thing…”
She then let out a disgruntled sigh. Everything she does is incredibly rude toward me.
“All right, all right. I’ll stop beating around the bush. Ayameike-san told me to go here. I see now, she was probably hoping we’d run into each other. But who would benefit from that?”
If I had to guess, that’d be Aika.
“She’s not hiding around here somewhere, is she…?”
Eeep. Since she doesn’t trust me whatsoever, it’s natural she’d be doubtful about that.
“I’m acting separately from her now. Told me to look for you, and if I don’t talk with you, I’ll get an earful later.”
I’m not lying. It might not hurt to lie to her, but I want to live an honest life.
“I see, so you’ll get yelled at? Perfect, I’ll see you at school then.”
Crap! I forgot she’s a sadistic wench!
“Is what I’d like to say, but I am still indebted to Ayameike-san…The reason the whole ordeal at the commendation ceremony happened was because of me, after all…” Elias grunted while dropping her shoulders.
It’s not like Aika had become like a witch during the witch hunts, leading to her being avoided (in fact, I’m the one who gets avoided even more), but there are still more people now who seem cautious of her. As a result, the plan to make her Seikou’s idol failed spectacularly. Then again, that should have never even been set in motion in the first place. Elias then opened her hand and pushed her palm toward me. It was as white as her clothes.
“I can’t do any palm-reading, you know? Can’t get close enough to do so, either.”
“You’ve got five minutes. We can talk for five minutes, but that’s it,” she said with a disgruntled look.
Normally I’d be pretty pissed off, but it’s been like this since elementary school, so this is nothing new. At the very least, the chance Aika created is going to come into use. Since I got permission, I decided to sit down at the next best location. Elias followed suit and sat down a bit further away from me. Since it was a concrete floor, it felt pretty hot. Five minutes seemed to be the limit for that, yeah. There was a solid two meters between us. It wouldn’t hurt to sit just a bit closer, but getting too close to her would only creep her more out, so I left it at that. I thought back to when Shinomiya-san and I met up today. What if things get awkward again because neither of us talk? If I go through that several times a day, I don’t think I’ll leave my room until the rest of summer break. At the very least, it’ll stick with me for a long time.
“Just forgive Aika, okay? She’s trying hard to help me make friends, you know,” I said without really meaning to.
Huh? I struggled so hard to find something to talk about when I was with Shinomiya-san, and yet it felt so easy this time.
“Oh, don’t worry. I might not be able to stand your guts, but I don’t hold a grudge toward Ayameike-san. I’m a proper citizen after all.”
But what do I gain from being hated by you?
“Phew, at least I can swallow this whole thing better now. This is probably one of her plans to save you from being a loner, right?” Elias placed her hands next to each other and flapped her legs up and down.
If she hadn’t said those exact words, I would have even been able to just admire her as the beauty she is, but now it’s all ruined.
“But does it really make much sense to just charge right into your enemy? At the very least, you should have kept me as the final boss.”
There, Elias took out a bottle of her “Vice President Holy Water” and took a sip. It’s delicious water that has been purified from her own water using her ability “Pure Water Manipulation.” That said, I don’t know how to feel about her carrying around water with her face imprinted on it. If Aika’s order of things is odd, then everything you do is weird as hell.
“I think for Aika, the two people must stand close to each other rather than not having any contact at all.”
Plus, there are really no girls that would really talk to me. Then again, there’s no real need to limit that to girls. I don’t have any guy friends either. That said, a lot of those guys are just using their lack of popularity as a joke to get along with other loners. And I cannot accept that! Why is it acceptable to use your own lack of popularity as a means of creating bonds?! But when you point out you’re a loner in class, they look down on you! If you say “I’m not popular,” you can get a laugh, but if you say “I don’t have anybody to talk about in class,” it’ll create a massive incident. The voices in my mind kept screaming, as Elias continued the conversation.
“I mean, call it close or whatever you want, but I just can’t stand you. Ever since you awakened your ability back in elementary school,” Elias said without hesitation.
That’s right. We never really get along much. We just happened to be in the same class, and since that time, she saw me as her enemy. It’s true that we have a connection, but that only harms our relationship more than anything.
“I’ve been saying the same stuff since back then. There’s nothing good about my Drain ability. With this, you won’t be able to become that hero of justice you yearn to be.”
“Hmph! I can choose who I want to admire or not! And so is the case with my freedom of hating who I want!”
The word “freedom” really carried a negative connotation a while ago, showing selfishness and disinterest in other people’s affairs, but it’s also a common term to use. Well, just hate me all you want. Humans always feel jealous towards people who have something they don’t, so I guess this is normal. And to be fair, I’m jealous of you, too. Given a useful ability like that, being able to help society and be respected, even being able to just make normal friends. Your contribution level is 5, while mine is 0. I’m no better than cattle.
“Though there is one thing I have to correct, I guess,” she said and placed the bottle on the stairs. “I don’t think I hated you all that much before. And even if I did, the admiration was probably bigger than that. I told you before, but I’m in love with that ability of yours. It’s the perfect ability to have if you want to become a hero of justice.”
“You think so? I always got the vibe you just can’t stand me since way back when…”
It almost feels like fate, since we can’t just put an end to this conversation no matter what.
“But when we were in our third year of middle school, I seriously came to hate you.”
Ahh, yeah. In context, that makes sense. There’s only one thing to think of—That one afternoon in our third year. I still remember it clearly. She told me there was something she needed to talk about with me, just the two of us. Naturally, I assumed that it might be a confession. It felt like the only possible explanation. But the reality wasn’t as nice. Instead, she just said things like “You’re a pain in my butt” or “You’re just in my way” and many other things. And since my mental strength isn’t made of steel that could stand its ground against the strongest sword in the national treasury, I easily broke down and crumbled. But there was just something that stuck out to me. Maybe I should use this chance to ask her. We’re talking about how much she hates me, so there’s no need to hold back anything now.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Why would I have to answer your question?”
She’s being a type of annoying that’s different from Takawashi, but I just ignored it.
“Why did you start hating me back then? I don’t remember doing anything. And you awakened to your ability in our first year in middle school, right?”
That’s right. Nothing worth mentioning should have happened between us then. I don’t even remember spending much time with her. Not like I would, considering she kept on talking about how much she hates me.
“Oh, so you don’t know? Well, can’t blame you,” said Elias with an insinuating tone. “Regarding that, you already resolved everything, so it doesn’t matter anymore.”
That only confused me more. If my ability was Heart Open, it would probably show a giant “?” behind me.
“What do you mean? And if that got resolved, you could always stop treating me like an enemy…”
“The gist of the issue doesn’t change. I’ve always been jealous of you,” she said and gave me a hostile look. “Right now, you, Takawashi, and Ayameike are getting along—Or look like you’re getting along, at least.”
“You didn’t have to correct yourself there!”
“Shut up. All your relationships and friendships are such a bother. That’s just the truth. You’re tripping over a step nobody else would. Just admit that,” Elias said while glaring at me. “Personally, I would love to ruin that happiness of yours, but I can’t drag those two into it. This…Human Relationships Research Association you are doing? I’ll let it slide. You better be grateful.”
I see. So she’s got no intention of attacking anybody other than me. At the same time, she once again flicked a bottle cap at me, which hit me right in the solar plexus. She’s clearly made this a habit of hers…
“I’m wearing a pair of swimming trunks here, so that actually hurts…”
“I’m your enemy. You won’t get an apology out of me,” she said and took a sip of her water without bothering to pick up the cap. “And? Which of the two are you dating?”
“Wueeeh?!” A weird voice escaped my throat.
There’s a chance Aika might be listening in on us, so can you not?! I don’t want the two of them to be some candidates just because we’re getting along. Especially not with such weak reasoning. If we wouldn’t be able to stay friends anymore because of that, I wouldn’t know what I’d do. If I had the chance of dating one of them at the cost of losing my friendship with the other, I don’t think I would be able to take that choice. And even if I wanted a girlfriend that badly, it should come from somewhere that has nothing to do with them. And of course, I do want a girlfriend. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just take the next best person from the HRRA.
“Not at all. Plus, how could a loner like me suddenly get a girlfriend?”
“Yup, I knew that,” Elias flashed another nasty smile.
I threw the bottle cap back at her, which she caught with her right hand.
“Since we’ve known each other for such a long time, I’m just gonna be honest with you here…You should really get around to fixing that nasty personality of yours. Or at the very least stop saying whatever you think of. Eventually, it’ll come back to haunt you. Or you’ll be making yourself enemies left and right.”
Having been the student council president in middle and high school, I can tell she knows how to walk her path, but some despise people like her. Every way of living brings its own risks.
“Yes, yes, thank you for the warning. Anyway, the five minutes are over, so I’m going to keep checking out some more places here in Kamakura.”
When Elias stood up, her white one-piece fluttered left and right. Just from that sight alone, she looked like a true beauty, but for that to stay, she’d need another personality.
“I don’t think you’ll ever manage to graduate from being a loner, but I at least hope you be happy. That said, I’ll continue to be your enemy. I still feel jealous of you even now. So much so that it makes me want to cry,” she said with a smug face and walked away.
I don’t see any signs of you crying, though.
“Honestly, I wish I could have been like you…”
That was what I heard from her before she left. Even if you became more like me, you’ll just suffer from being a loner.
After Elias left, my phone rang immediately and at the same time, Aika came rushing over with the others. She must have been watching from the shadows somewhere.
“How did it go?!” Aika asked while basically blasting past my 1-meter radius.
I see, so this is what Elias was talking about…
“Same as always. Surprisingly so. She sees me as an enemy and nothing more.”
No five minutes could help enemies become friends.
“What?! That’s such a shame! That was supposed to be your fateful encounter! It was fate! Your chance to turn minus into plus!”
Don’t give the ocean such a ridiculously overpowered ability.
“Ayameike-san, I believe Drink Girl knew what you were planning and purposefully didn’t jump on it. There’s no way she’d consider that fate. Even if she thought it might be a coincidence, she only saw it as bad karma,” Takawashi calmly exclaimed.
At the same time, the Chief Maid waved her hands up and down…Is that her way of agreeing? She can’t really express herself too well, so it’s hard to tell.
“Wait, really…? But Aika thought she was giving it her all…”
Aika suffered a faint shock.
“Well, this is probably the best you can do.”
“That’s too much, even for you!”
Just to let you know, Aika’s been doing better at school, especially during the end-of-term exams. If she keeps that pace going, she’ll reach the lower middlefield by the end of next term.
“It’s fine. This will have to be a continued effort. If you continue to work hard and show your good faith, it will eventually be rewarded at the end of the summer break.”
Shinomiya-san, that would mean she’s going to push Elias and me together like today.
“Yes! Aika is going to keep on fighting! Summer break has only just begun! Next up comes the operation at the summer festival! The HRRA’s summer will never end!”
Aika was clearly full of energy. Oh right, there’s a good chance Elias will be coming to our local summer festival. Our festival starts in August, right before Obon. I don’t know why they decided on that, but there are a lot of universities over in Hachioji, so they probably want the students to participate in the festival before coming home to their families. I don’t really care about seeing Elias, but I absolutely can’t miss out on the festival. And I hope the girls wear yukatas, too. That is the last thing I want to see in life. Because if not, I can’t brag about it in university.
*Don’t comment on the fact that I might not have any friends in university, even if I join a circle. Thinking that I might be a loner for the rest of my life just kills me.
“By the way, we really came to the beach today, but…” Takawashi looked over at the packed sandy beach.
It’s like the ideal seaside resort.
“It wasn’t all that fun, was it?”
I wanted to complain that this wasn’t fair at all to say, but I couldn’t be that kind of coward. After all, I felt a similar way.
“Aika sure was surprised when those monkeys showed up…”
Seems like that was a rather painful memory for her.
“If they’d tried to touch Aika, she would have sent them flying with a kick to the crotch.”
At least just kick them normally. That version sounds lethal. Also, I had another issue that plagued me.
“Shinomiya-san, uhm…Sorry to ruin the beach trip like this. We always end up like this…messy…” I turned toward her and lowered my head.
She had just joined the HRRA, and she hadn’t been a student at Seikou for long. She’s pretty much still like a guest. And yet, we didn’t do anything about that. In fact, we only gave her the worst possible impression. In fact, a part of me was even afraid she’d just walk away saying “I can’t deal with this group…” Of course, Takawashi had no intention of saying anything about that, and Aika would never talk badly about anybody in this group, so I had to be the acting representative.
“Not at all, it was rather fruitful,” Shinomiya-san said and waved her hand in front of her chest. “Everything is a valuable experience. The Chief Maid always says that everything can be of use. And I agree with that.”
I…No, we realized it now. Shinomiya Ranran is a saintess. She’s like an ideal walking around wearing human skin and clothes. In that sense, meeting the Chief Maid was quite the experience for us…
“So, will you continue to hang out with us…?”
“Yes. I would love to!”
Since we avoided the worst-case scenario, I guess we can let it slide. Since our group was born from a lie, we can only operate in such vague terms. This is my best—or actually, only place. No other community I can stay in exists, so I can only protect this place.
And with that said, we changed back into our regular outfits, and checked out the Shrine of the God of War in Tsurugaoka, as well as the large Buddha statue. My suggestions for sightseeing did get accepted in the end. Even though we didn’t stay long at the beach, I felt incredibly exhausted. During our train ride home, Aika suddenly let out a dumbfounded “Ah!” voice.
“We brought fireworks but completely forgot about them!”
I feel bad for her but I don’t think any of us had the energy to stay in Kamakura until it’d be worthwhile to use them.
Aika and Takawashi (2)
Ayameike Aika
“Heyho! What swimsuit are you buying tomorrow?”
Takawashi Enju
“Something safe that won’t make me regret it in the end.”
Ayameike Aika
“Quite the demand…”
Takawashi Enju
“I don’t want one that’s too revealing, but I also want to avoid Gure-kun thinking that I’m simply going with a safe route. That would be embarrassing.”
Ayameike Aika
“But you’re going to look great in whatever you wear, Erin!”
Takawashi Enju
“Tsk.”
“Seriously, I don’t need to hear that. I mean that.”
“Well, I’ll let you just take the reins tomorrow…”
Ayameike Aika
“Yessir!”
Takawashi and Narihira (2)
Takawashi Enju
“I really don’t have anything to do. Bored.”
Hagure Narihira
“What a coincidence, so do I.”
Takawashi Enju
“But that’s always the case for you, right?”
Hagure Narihira
“Didn’t have to say that…”
Takawashi Enju
“I just wanna know how to defeat my sister.”
“But when I look it up online, I don’t really get any hits that are helpful.”
Hagure Narihira
“You and your sister really don’t get along, huh?”
“By the way, what does she even look like?”
Takawashi Enju
“Oh god, I’m chatting with a pervert.”
“What are you going to do with a photo of my sister?”
“Okay, okay! Enough of this!”
CClaw Translations 
Summer sucks….
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