A vast sky, a blue sea, and white sand.
Under the blazing sun stood Yuzuru.
“This really is an incredible place.”
Dressed in nothing but swim trunks, he looked around in admiration.
This was a private beach owned by his childhood friend, Tachibana Ayaka.
There was even a villa nearby.
Yuzuru had been invited along with Arisa.
“Honestly… I don’t even like the beach.”
That muttered complaint came from Satake Soichiro.
Naturally, he’d been invited too.
“Why not?”
Ryozenji Hijiri, another of Yuzuru’s friends, asked.
Soichiro shrugged.
“You get covered in sand, your hair gets wrecked, the water’s salty, and you could drown… wouldn’t a pool be better?”
“Then why did you come?”
“…Ayaka and Chiharu are going. No way I could not come.”
He answered with a slightly conflicted expression.
Most likely, he’d been dragged along by his childhood friends.
“Besides, I don’t hate it. …If I’m with friends, it’s fine.”
He said it a bit awkwardly.
So he didn’t like the sea—but he did like spending time with them.
That said, neither Yuzuru nor Hijiri particularly cared about Soichiro’s softer side.
Their reactions were… lukewarm.
“Come to think of it, Yuzuru—you’re looking pretty sharp.”
Sensing the awkwardness, Soichiro changed the subject.
Yuzuru blinked for a moment, then realised he meant his body.
“Didn’t you say you’d gained weight?”
“I did. So I lost it. …It was rough.”
Answering Hijiri, Yuzuru lightly flexed his abs.
The extra fat he’d had before was gone now.
“Huh… did you change your diet?”
“Swapped rice for shredded cabbage and broccoli…”
“…You actually endured that?”
“Endured it… or got managed by Arisa, more like…”
““Ah…””
So he’s completely under her thumb.
That was the unspoken conclusion, judging by their exasperated looks.
“…The girls are taking forever.”
Trying to brush it off, Yuzuru muttered.
Soichiro and Hijiri nodded in agreement.
“Seriously.”
“They’re probably just chatting.”
Just then—
“Sorry! Took us a while!”
A lively voice called out.
Looking over, they saw Ayaka waving.
Behind her were Arisa, Chiharu, and Tenka.
“We’re late because Tenka-san was being difficult,”
“…Don’t blame me.”
Chiharu looked exasperated.
Tenka looked mildly annoyed.
Apparently, something had happened.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Yuzuru-san.”
Arisa smiled at him.
She was already in her swimsuit—
Or so it seemed.
He couldn’t be sure, since she was wearing a rash guard zipped all the way up.
“No, we didn’t wait that long, right?”
Yuzuru glanced at the others.
They nodded.
“Not at all.”
“It’s normal for girls to take longer.”
Complaining here would mean turning all four girls against them.
They knew better.
“We actually changed quickly, but Tenka-chan didn’t want to get into a swimsuit…”
Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned to Tenka.
She was wearing a T-shirt and surf shorts.
Probably a swimsuit underneath—
But even more covered up than Arisa.
“I didn’t say I didn’t want to. There’s just… a process.”
Apparently, Ayaka and Chiharu had tried to strip away that “process,” causing the delay.
“Oh? So once you feel more… open, you’ll take it off?”
“…Can you not phrase it like that?”
Ayaka and Tenka started bickering again.
Meanwhile, Yuzuru quietly observed their outfits.
(As expected… their personalities really show.)
Tenka covered herself with a rash guard and surf shorts.
Arisa wore a rash guard too—less guarded below, but very protected up top.
Chiharu, on the other hand, only had a light rash guard over her blue frilled bikini.
Cute, frilly—very much her style.
She also seemed less self-conscious.
And Ayaka—
Just a purple bikini.
No cover at all.
Not so much lacking modesty as being confident in her figure.
…You wouldn’t pick purple otherwise.
“Alright, we’ll deal with Tenka later—what now?”
“…Let’s just split up for a bit. Everyone can ease into the water at their own pace.”
Arisa glanced briefly at Yuzuru.
It seemed she had something in mind.
“Yeah, sounds good. Let’s regroup in an hour. …Tenka-chan should be feeling ‘open’ by then.”
“Stop saying it like that—!”
Ignoring her protest, Ayaka dragged Chiharu and Soichiro away.
“Shall we go too, Arisa?”
“Yes.”
Yuzuru took her hand, and they left together.
Leaving behind—
“…What now?”
“…Good question.”
Hijiri and Tenka.
“So, Arisa… what should we do?”
“Well… from here… ah—no, let’s go behind those rocks.”
She pointed to a large rock formation—
And quietly slipped her arm around his.
A soft warmth pressed against his arm.
“…What are we doing?”
“…There’s something I’d like to ask.”
Her answer made his heart beat a little faster.
Summer. Swimsuits. Something you wouldn’t do unless you were alone—
He had a few ideas.
“No one should see us here…”
Holding back his anticipation, he asked.
Arisa nodded, her cheeks faintly flushed.
“…I’d prefer to do it myself, but it’s difficult alone.”
As she spoke, she rummaged through her bag—
And pulled out a small bottle.
Inside was some kind of liquid.
“Sunscreen?”
“Y-yes. …Couples usually do this, right?”
She pressed the bottle into his hands.
“Usually, huh… what exactly counts as ‘usual’?”
Smiling teasingly, he asked.
Arisa looked away, embarrassed.
“D-don’t tease me…”
“If you don’t explain, I won’t know.”
“…Honestly.”
She pouted slightly, cheeks flushed—
“My back… I can’t reach it. Please put it on for me.”
