My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 11 - Chapter 1

Day One of Getting Closer

Six-Person Group

Yume Irido

After an hour and change on a bus from the school, we, the students of Rakuro High School, were now all gathered on the first floor of the Osaka Airport’s monorail station. It was an open space, consisting of just pillars and a ceiling, kind of like a parking garage. We could see the terminal for the Osaka International Airport (aka Itami Airport), across the street.

The weather on this mid-May day was cloudy. The destination for Rakuro High School’s trip this year was Okinawa. It was a four-day, three-night trip very befitting of a private school, consisting of peace studies, exploring the ocean, sightseeing in groups, and staying at a resort hotel with a pool. As the student council’s secretary, I’d been the one to make the itinerary, and was thus the most familiar with it.

Back when we went on a school trip in middle school, I didn’t have many friends, so it was a very sad affair, but this year would be different. I’d already figured out my six-person group of guys and girls, and fortunately, they were all people that I’d gotten close with.

“Yume-chan! Did you bring your own shampoo? Let’s swap tonight!”

“Sure...but is that a thing people do?”

“I wanna bathe myself in your scent!”

The girl whose eyes were sparkling as she mouthed off her desires was Akatsuki Minami-san. On the surface, she was a cute, compact, energetic girl with a signature ponytail. Recently, though, I’d been starting to notice more and more the occasional instances when she showed her dangerous side.

Next to her was a guy with brightly dyed hair, trying to hold back a yawn.

“So frickin’ tired... Why’d we have to meet up so early?”

This complaint came from the third member of our group, Kogure Kawanami-kun. He was childhood friends with Akatsuki-san, but apparently they were closer to each other behind closed doors. That being said, he claimed he was a romantic ROM expert; essentially, he was a weirdo that did not aspire to have a romantic relationship of his own. That being said, he apparently loved hearing about other people’s romances.

He was always the cheerful guy that set the vibes, but it was early enough in the day that he wasn’t his normal self. But there was someone who was even worse off, who was threatening to pass out entirely.

“Zzz...”

“Isana, wake up,” Mizuto said, lightly tapping our fourth member on the shoulder.

“Ack! My deadline!” she reacted, frantically looking around as if someone were chasing her.

Her name was Isana Higashira-san. She was a shy otaku with a bit of an unusual personality, with breasts much larger than those of the average high school girl. She’d started with Mizuto as her only friend, but through him, she later became friends with both Akatsuki-san and me. When we’d first met, though, she’d been my romantic rival.

After a series of events, she became not only Mizuto’s best friend but also an illustrator he helped to manage. The amount of time they talked to each other was essentially equal to how much he and I talked, and we were dating and stepsiblings. No biggie. We’ve talked about it, and they’re gonna work on that.

Our fifth member was Mizuto Irido, whom I just mentioned. The only people who knew that he and I were dating were Akatsuki-san, Kawanami-kun, and Higashira-san, but it was easy to get Mizuto in our group by using the fact we were stepsiblings.

Plus, he was close enough with Higashira-san that our classmates and even our own parents thought they were dating. It was pretty much inevitable that the two of them would end up in the same group.

After waking Higashira-san up, Mizuto walked over to the edge of the group where I was standing.

“Look like we’ll leave on time, group leader?” he asked.

“It’s not a question of if—we will. We can’t stop the plane from leaving without us, after all.”

Currently, the teachers were doing roll call. After they finished, we’d finally head to the airport and board the plane. To be honest, this was my first time flying, so I was a little nervous.

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?” Mizuto asked in a low voice.

Though it might not have been immediately obvious to others what he was talking about, I could guess that he was referring to our sixth member. She was currently behind Higashira-san, who was once again beginning to doze off. The girl wasn’t doing anything in particular; she was simply quietly sitting by herself.

Ran Asuhain-san was a fellow member of the Rakuro High School student council. Incidentally, she had recently asked my boyfriend out. Mizuto had already told me what happened. Given my close working relationship with her, Mizuto had deemed it necessary to reveal his secret admirer to me immediately.

Of course, he turned her down, saying that he already had a girlfriend, but...even after hearing that, she had given him a surprising response.

“It’s okay if I keep my feelings for you, though, right?”

I never thought I’d live to see the day that such admirable words would come out of the mouth of Asuhain-san—our resident man-hater. After I’d spent a half a year with her on the student council, it was really hard to believe she’d even asked a guy out.

That day, I had stared at him in shock and asked how the heck such a situation had unfolded. I was in utter disbelief at how much of a plain-girl magnet my boyfriend was.

Okay, she’s not exactly a plain girl. Asuhain-san was a straitlaced honor student who might not have stood out, but at the minimum, she had a voluptuous body that guys liked and a cute, doll-like face. She had too many standout features to be written off as plain.

Even so, she hated men. Because of that, she avoided them entirely, making some think she was out of their league, stopping them from even thinking about asking her out. It was hard to believe that the very same girl had fallen for Mizuto. We already had the whole Higashira-san incident—does he exude some kind of pheromone that attracts these kinds of girls to him?

“That’s what I want to know,” he’d replied, furrowing his brows. “The last time I interacted with Asuhain at all was during the trip to Kobe last year. I have no memory of doing anything to make her fall for me.”

“Are you sure? Maybe you did it without realizing. Like, maybe you got her away from guys who were persistently hitting on her.”

“I don’t think there’s anybody out there who could do that without realizing it.”

“I mean, President Kurenai’s done it.”

“Don’t compare me to her.”

Asuhain-san typically didn’t involve herself with anyone too deeply. The only person she seemed to admire and let her guard down around was the president of the student council, Suzuri Kurenai. From what I could remember, the reason Asuhain-san had become so enamored with her was because she’d driven away guys who’d been persistently hitting on her.

“Besides, it didn’t seem like she was super into me. I didn’t feel any emotion from her words, nor did she seem particularly nervous. I thought that she’d been forced after losing some kind of wager or something, but I didn’t see anyone around...”

“I think you’re a bit too big a target for that kind of dare...”

It seemed that he had no awareness that he was actually secretly popular—and that wasn’t just me trying to gas him up since he was my boyfriend. Mizuto was the silent, stoic type at school, and had great grades to boot. He seemed really mature and cool from the standpoint of all the girls at our school with high grades.

Even so, people thought that he was dating Higashira-san who was, at first glance, a plain-looking girl, which only fed the dreams of girls who were plain-looking themselves. Thinking about how he’d been nothing more than a loner in middle school, I couldn’t help but marvel at how far he’d come.

Also, though there were girls interested in Mizuto, there was a surprising lack of jealousy. Instead, his fans tended to just watch the “couple” fondly. I never asked her directly, but I could only assume that this had been the work of Akatsuki-san.

Either way, Asuhain-san asking him out didn’t make me jealous—just confused. I still had trouble believing it’d even happened because it didn’t make any sense. Well, that, or maybe I was trying to avoid the reality of a beautiful girl asking out my boyfriend.

But also...even if Mizuto wasn’t sure why she’d asked him out, I had a slight inkling. Ever since we’d started our second year, I’d gotten the feeling that Asuhain-san had been avoiding me. Of course, we talked normally while we were doing our student council work, but I got a feeling from her words and actions that there was a sort of...distance she was keeping. Or at least, that’s how it came across to me.

It wasn’t as if her attitude really showed this, but I got the feeling that she was acting the same way as when you’re walking by someone with their dog, and the dog takes a step away from you. But what if the way she was acting wasn’t all in my head?

It would make sense that she’d keep her distance from me if she’d fallen for Mizuto, aka my stepsibling. Or maybe she somehow knew that Mizuto and I were dating. Whatever. Anyway, it’s impossible to pinpoint how someone falls in love. Asuhain-san might’ve hated guys up until just recently, and then woken up and fallen in love. Anything was possible, and I had no right to criticize her for it.

If I didn’t want her getting close to Mizuto, I could publicly state we were dating. But Mizuto and I didn’t want our family to find out, so that wasn’t a real option. Since we were keeping our relationship under wraps, I couldn’t blame Asuhain-san for her feelings since she didn’t know better.

The reason I’d invited Asuhain-san to join our group also lay with that. She was already the type of person who didn’t try to fit in with the class, like Mizuto and Higashira-san. I was the only person who actually knew her in our class, and though she was avoiding me, she had nowhere else to go.

I hadn’t wanted to force her to join us, but I did hope I could help her fit in, even just a little bit. And then she’d asked Mizuto out. So I had a lot to consider here.

Of course, it’d be awkward being in the same group as the person who turned you down, but ultimately I thought it’d be better than being in a group of complete strangers. With that, I’d brought her into our group.

“Well...as long as you’re okay with everything,” Mizuto said. “If she has some kind of ulterior motive, she’ll definitely make some kind of move during this trip. I’ll tell you if anything happens.”

“You don’t have to. If anything, can you treat her kindly? I wanna make sure she enjoys this trip.”

“Wow, you’ve gotten a lot calmer. It’s hard to believe you’re the same girl who’d flip her top whenever I talked to other girls.”

“It’s only a problem if a certain someone leads her on.”

“I would never.”

“Really?”

“You’re cuter than she is.”

He’d said that so plainly that it caught me off guard. “Jeez...” I said after a brief pause.

I lightly tapped him on the shoulder as a way to mask my embarrassment. How can you say that with such confidence when a rare, natural beauty like Asuhain-san is right over there?

“Everyone quiet down!” one of our teachers yelled after finishing roll call.

It seemed that the explanation from the travel agent was going to begin. We needed to get back to the rest of our group, but just as I began walking, Mizuto came close and quickly whispered something into my ear.

“Let’s get some time alone together.”

Most of the time during the school trip would be spent with our classmates, which meant that there wasn’t much time for us to be by ourselves as a couple. And now Mizuto of all people was asking me to make time for the two of us to be together.

“Yeah. I’ll figure it out,” I replied, smiling.

I wished I could’ve shown our middle school selves what we’d become. This was what a couple looked like.

A Gyaru Who’s Kind to Isana

Mizuto Irido

There was a ding and with it, the seat belt light went out, allowing Isana to heave a long sigh.

“F-Finally...” she said, relieved.

“You love to exaggerate. You do know we’re still in the air, right? Wanna look out the window?”

“No way! Absolutely not! Do you wish to kill me?!”

We’d gotten on the plane without any problems and were currently in the air. It was apparently Isana’s first time on a plane, so she was still stiff as a board in her seat.

“Isn’t this your first time on a plane as well?” Isana asked, a dissatisfied look on her face. “You need not put on a brave face. I welcome you to cling to me for comfort.”

“It’s said all the time, but the chance of a plane crashing is much lower than the chance of being in a car crash. I believe in the cold, hard stats.”

“You’re a literary type to your core, but you have the nerve to possess logical thought?”

There’d been some turbulence when we took off, but it was much more pleasant to ride in a plane than a bus once we were actually in the air. We could even watch movies if we wanted to on the monitors in front of our seats. Planes aren’t too shabby.

“I can’t calm down... I don’t even have my tablet with me...” Isana complained.

“Not much you can do, since we aren’t allowed to bring our phones and tablets on this trip. At least you brought a sketchbook.”

“These restrictions are behind the times! What are we to do when we wish to contact someone?!”

“Our group leader has a phone for the sole use of communication. We have physical maps too, if you’re worried about getting lost.”

“We’re cut off from the internet for four whole days... I’m going to lose my mind!”

“Sheesh, you got any more complaints? Did you even wanna come on the school trip?”

“Well...” Isana shrank her shoulders. “You know how we have snorkeling on the second day?”

“I told you already. You don’t have to know how to swim to snorkel. You literally can’t sink if you’re wearing a life jacket.”

“But I’ll need to wear a swimsuit! I thought I’d never have to wear one ever again in my entire life!”

“We talked about this too. You’re gonna be wearing a wet suit on top, so it won’t matter.”

“But I had to go on a diet for this!”

I smiled at her indignant emphasis on that point. “I’d say it came at the perfect time. You’ve gotten really unhealthy recently, y’know?”

“Rrghh,” Isana groaned through gritted teeth.

As part of our ocean experience course on the second day, we were scheduled to go snorkeling in the afternoon. One of the reasons I’d picked snorkeling for my best friend, Isana, despite her being so against it, had to do with her incredible lack of any semblance of athleticism.

By involving Yume and Minami-san in this plan, they’d help Isana get into shape. From what I heard from Yume, Isana had unsurprisingly gotten a little plump around her stomach.

Of course, the reason for her going snorkeling didn’t center around that entirely. I’d thought that being able to see life under the sea would provide some good inspiration for her as an illustrator. Snorkeling wasn’t something that you could do willy-nilly outside of a school trip. She might not have another chance to experience this.

“You’re trying to act cool, but in reality, you want to see me in a swimsuit, don’t you?” Isana dirtily grinned, teasing me. To reiterate, Isana was just a friend. “You’re such a shy boy. You need only ask, and I’ll grant your desire even though I shouldn’t. My mother even said, ‘If a girl like you wears a swimsuit on a school trip, guys are gonna drop dead from havin’ to hold back their lust.’”

“Sorry to interrupt you when you’re in the middle of satisfying your need for approval, but I’m already satisfied on that front,” I said.

“Do tell more! There’s something out there that can put up a fight against my H cups?”

“She’s pretty big too, y’know?”

“Do say more!” Isana made a flat-out gross sound of excitement before leaning close to me and lowering her voice. “She’s well-endowed despite that slender body of hers, you say? Exactly where is she gifted and to what extent? This can be our little secret!”

“How do I say this... You’re more of a guy than most guys.”

I’d let my guard down a little because—at least biologically—Isana was a girl, but she showed much more interest in someone else’s girlfriend than regular guys did.

“Hee hee. I wonder if it’s true that fondling breasts stimulates growth. If so, then it’s a good thing I was turned down. By now, I probably wouldn’t even be able to walk properly.”

“Yeah, be thankful for my excellent decision-making.”

“Well, on the flip side, there’s no time like the present,” she said.

“I’ll pass. I need you to be able to draw unfettered.”

“Impressive! You are the spitting image of a manager who does not give in to their lust!”

“No, that’s normal for people in general, not just managers.”

I really wanted her to think that the default for regular people was to not give in to their desires.

As Isana and I continued our usual conversations, we heard a bright voice from the seat in front of us interrupt.

“What’s goin’ on? You two talkin’ about dirty stuff?”

Peeking over the headrest of the seat in front of us was a girl with flashy, wavy hair, most likely done using a curling iron or something. From the look of her, there was no way she was the silent type.

I looked up at her and searched my memory for her name. “Uh... Yoshino, right?”

“You don’t know my name?! Sheesh, we’ve been in the same class for a month already. Yako Yoshino! The ‘Ya’ is the same character used to write the ‘Yayoi period’ and ‘ko’ is the same character used to write ‘Ono no Imoko’! It’s got a pretty good gyaru vibe, right? So keep me in your memories, Mizuto-kun!”

Our new class of 2-7 was even more boisterous than before, and the reason for that could mostly be attributed to the singularity of our prep school, Yako Yoshino.

She dyed and styled her hair as if it were the normal thing to do and didn’t wear her uniform properly. It went without saying that the teachers had their eyes on her, but the thing was, she had surprisingly good grades, plus she was extremely friendly, making her the type who could bring the class together. Because of all the above, the teachers just barely turned a blind eye to her.

I’d heard a ridiculous rumor from Kawanami that she’d had relations with all the guys in her class, but after spending a month with her, my only impression was that she was a sociable, flashy, loud girl that could have been found in any class.

The reason I could actually remember her was because she tried to talk to Isana a lot. Apparently, they’d been in the same class last year. According to Isana, she was a real-life example of the “gyaru being kind to an otaku” trope. But also, I got the feeling that she was just kind to anyone, not just otaku specifically.

Isana had once tried to imitate the gyaru lifestyle, and this girl had apparently been her model for her behavior. Curiously, however, this girl didn’t say “like” as much as your average gyaru.

“Not really a fan of someone I don’t know calling me by my first name. We’re not even friends,” I said as I looked up at Yoshino’s kind and innocent face.

“Aw, what’s the big deal? If I call you Irido-kun, it’ll get confusing with Yume-chan around. Plus, Isana-chan’s always saying your name, so it’s kinda burned into my brain. Or wait...” Yoshino grinned like a cat. “Is your girlfriend the only one who can call you by your first name?” she teased. “Whew, what a show-off!”

For the record, she was also the only one in our class who teased me and Isana about our relationship. We’d tried explaining that we were just friends, but the more we did that, the more excited she got, so we’d given up.

“Fine, whatever,” I relented. “Just make sure that you’re careful as to not lead guys on and get yourself hurt.”

“Thankies for the warning! But s’all good. I’m used to it.”

“Yoshino! Stay in your seat unless you’re going to the bathroom!” a teacher yelled out to Yoshino, who had her knees on the seat to turn around to face us.

“Okies! My bad!” she said before disappearing behind her headrest.

Thinking about how Isana had been pretty much stuck with her for an entire year made me realize how hard Isana had it. Or well, maybe from Isana’s perspective she’d been a saving grace.

Those thoughts in mind, I looked at Isana. Her head fell on my shoulder at that exact moment, softly breathing as she slept. Oh right, she woke up way earlier than she’s usually capable of doing. It’s been one thing after another, I completely forgot. We wouldn’t have any time to sleep until night, so it was best for her to sleep as much as she could until we reached Okinawa.

I thought I could sense a sharp glare from the direction of where I heard Minami-san—where Yume was sitting, that is—but I decided to pretend I didn’t notice.

Arrival in Okinawa

Yume Irido

“It’s so hot...”

As soon as we exited the Naha Airport, my body was enveloped in humidity. Though there were supposed to be plenty of pleasant days left in Kyoto, it’d been summer temperatures here for a while now and was threatening to hit thirty degrees Celsius. I’d hoped it would at least be a dry heat, but it was straight-up muggy.

Our schedule for this first day of the trip had us wearing our school uniforms until we got to the hotel in the evening. And of course we hadn’t switched to our summer uniforms yet, so we were stuck wearing long sleeves. Even though Rakuro students endured the hellishly hot summers of Kyoto, every time one of us exited the airport, there was a cry and an immediate rolling up of sleeves.

“Oof. So hot... Good thing I brought a fan...” Akatsuki-san said while pointing a handheld fan at her face. “You okay, Yume-chan? Wanna borrow it?”

“I brought a hat, so I’ll be okay. It would’ve been nice to have a parasol, but it’s too bulky to travel with.”

“Ooh, a parasol?! I bet you’d look so good with one!” Akatsuki-san’s eyes sparkled.

“Barely any time has passed since I woke up, yet I must deal with this heat?” Higashira-san complained with a disheartened expression, exiting the airport after Akatsuki-san.

“You should’ve come more prepared. Here. Water,” Mizuto said, following behind her.

Mizuto seemed to be taking very good care of her. On the plane, he’d even let her sleep on his shoulder. No wonder everyone thought they were dating. I’ve gotten used to this now that I’ve known Higashira-san for almost an entire year, but as Mizuto’s actual girlfriend, I definitely have the right to ask for compensation. The only problem was trying to figure out when exactly the two of us could be alone together.

“Group leaders, meet up over here!” the teacher called out.

I jogged over. They gave me a flip phone just for making calls. It had so many buttons, it reminded me of a calculator.

“Hoo boy! For real? This is one of those old-school phones, right? This might be my first time seeing one of these IRL!” Yoshino-san exclaimed from next to me.

She was one of the five group leaders in our class, 2-7. She began clacking around on the phone. I noticed she was wearing an expensive-looking watch.

“Hey, teach? Can I check Insta on this?” Yoshino-san asked.

“Of course not. That’s the entire point of you all getting these phones. You can only make calls and take pictures. Well, it does have a map feature, but that’s the most you can do. It’s a rental, so don’t break it.”

“What’re you supposed to do with a phone that can’t go on Insta or TikTok? Right, Yume-chan?”

I was a little surprised by Yoshino-san suddenly calling out to me, but I managed to give a tactful smile of agreement.

“Yeah, that’s about all I ever use my phone for,” I said.

“I know, right?! But I guess it’s all good if we can use the camera!” Then she skipped back to her group, lightly waving at me.

Yoshino-san had a different kind of cheerfulness than Akatsuki-san. I was always really surprised by how friendly she could be with anyone. My middle school self never could’ve brought herself to get close to her, but maybe due to my own growth or Yoshino-san’s amazing friend-making skills, I could converse with her normally, even though we ran in different circles.

When I returned to our group, Akatsuki-san’s eyes locked onto the phone I was holding.

“Whoa, that’s a flip phone! I’ve never seen one before! Gimme, gimme!”

“Okay, but be careful,” I cautioned her.

Kawanami-kun joined her and watched as Akatsuki-san played around with the phone with wonder. Are they into tech? As usual, Mizuto was still looking after Higashira-san, and the last person of our group, Asuhain-san, was standing a short distance away, simply staring at the blue Okinawan sky.

Her seat had been close to mine on the plane, but we ultimately hadn’t even exchanged a single word. I wanted to ask about her asking Mizuto out, but I had no clue how to even bring it up. There was an invisible wall between us. It was to the point where I couldn’t even imagine her being in love unless someone came up to me and told me flat out. But this wasn’t the time to hesitate. The school trip had already begun. I needed to talk to her, even if I had to force a conversation. With a newfound determination, I began walking towards her.

“Asuhain-san, are you okay? Do you have a hat or something with you?”

She glanced at me before immediately looking away. “I put on sunscreen. I’m okay.”

“Oh...”

And our conversation ended before it even began. I’d had this thought before, but I’d make a horrible detective.

Imitation

Mizuto Irido

After lunch, our tour bus took us to the Okinawa Senseki Quasi-National Park. The two primary reasons Okinawa was frequently chosen as a destination for school field trips had to do with the museum dedicated to the Battle of Okinawa during the Pacific War and the Cornerstone of Peace, which had the names of the deceased engraved in the cenotaphs on the memorial grounds.

There were tens of rectangular cenotaphs neatly organized in a pattern that radiated outwards. Between each of them were white stone paths. While we walked through the memorial, I found myself staying silent and solemn, even though I wasn’t the type to easily grow emotional.

After that, we went to the museum and sat through a ceremony during which they said stuff about how we, the youth, shouldered the future. At the end of it all, we were left with a little time before the bus was scheduled to depart.

While most of our other classmates took advantage of this free time and went to look at the nearby plaza geared towards children, I decided to get away from all the chatter and the sun by sitting on the bus and reading the book I’d brought with me.

It was times like this that people who derived fun from their phones were at a loss. Even though the school banned the use of our personal phones on this trip, they hadn’t banned us from reading physical books.

I’d also thought that this might’ve been a chance for Yume and me to be alone, but she’d already been whisked away somewhere by Akatsuki-san before I’d been able to get to her. I couldn’t help but think at times like this that it’d be more convenient if we were both nobodies in our class like we’d been in middle school.

While I read my book, someone else came onto the bus. I paid her no mind and continued to read, but for some reason, she decided to sit next to me. After she went out of her way to do that, I couldn’t exactly ignore her. It was Ran Asuhain.

Out of all the empty seats, she’d chosen the one next to mine. As she did, she kept her gaze focused on the headrest in front of her, staying silent with her hands on her lap.

Her actions made it seem as if she wanted to say something, but her expression made it seem like she was going to stay quiet. I had the option to continue ignoring her, but if I didn’t understand her intentions here, there was a possibility that it might cause trouble down the road for Yume’s interpersonal connections. I didn’t have much of a choice, so I closed my book, using my finger as a bookmark, and looked at Asuhain.

“What’re you up to?” I asked.

“Is there something wrong with wanting to sit next to the person I like?”

It was as if she’d come with that answer loaded.

“So you really intend to keep this up?” I asked, trying to hold back a sigh.

“I said as much.”

“Does that mean you’re trying to hit on me right now?”

“I guess so.”

“Whatever... Do what you want.”

Thinking that the best option here was to ignore her and go back to reading, I opened my book back up. After a few minutes of nothing but the sound of me turning pages filling the bus, I still saw absolutely no sign of Asuhain trying to strike up a conversation with me. I glanced at her and it seemed that she was looking away, her body as stiff as a board. Seeing this, even I couldn’t help but realize what was happening.

“Let me guess, you don’t know how to hit on somebody.”

Her body shook as a displeased expression filled her face and her ears flushed a light pink. This might’ve been the cutest reaction I’d seen from her since she had asked me out.

“Listen, Asuhain, I’ll be honest, but I don’t believe your confession was real. I feel like it was a means to an end, so how about you tell me what’s really going on so I can focus on the school trip?”

I’d thought about trying to feel out the situation a little further, but it seemed that neither of us was skilled enough to do that. This meant the only option left to us was being direct.

After about five seconds of silence, Asuhain finally spoke up. “What...do you mean? I have feelings for you, and as such, I’d like to go out with you. That’s all there is to it.”

“Yeah, right. When did you start having feelings for me?”

“Well...” Then Asuhain went silent for about ten seconds before speaking again. “Ever since I realized you’re the most preferable.”

“In what regard?”

“All the other guys seem very stupid... I doubt I could successfully converse with them. But then there’s you—the person with the highest grades out of all the guys. Plus, you don’t seem like the type to focus on the short-term.”

“So, pretty much you’re saying you chose me by process of elimination.”

“Yeah... I guess so.”

“Well, I find that strange. It’s almost as if there’s some reason you have to get a boyfriend.” Asuhain pursed her lips in response to my conjecture. “What, did your parents find you a fiancé, and now you need a fake boyfriend to get you out of marriage? If that’s it, I don’t mind helping.”

“Of course that’s not what’s going on here. My family’s completely normal,” she answered, taking my joke seriously. She focused her eyes on mine, staring intensely. “Am I that undesirable? Tell me what I’m lacking.”

“I told you already. I’m dating someone.”

“Higashira-san? If that’s the case, then I’m sure I can fulfill her role,” she said, placing her hand on her bountiful chest.

I knit my eyebrows and returned her intense stare right back into her doe-like eyes. “I have three things I wanna say to you.”

“Yes?”

“First: Isana is just a friend. Second: don’t make it sound like the only good thing about my friend is her chest.”

“I have the impression that she herself says that constantly, though.”

“Yeah, but only she can say that. Third,” I continued. “Based on what I’ve heard from Yume, you hate being objectified, right?”

Yume’d told me that when Asuhain was young, guys bullied her, leading to her hate of all guys in general. She must’ve been the kind of person who didn’t like the way they looked. But even so, she was trying to get a guy to like her solely based on the value of her body? It was extremely out of character.

As soon as she heard this point, she seemed to become disheartened and began mumbling. “That’s...true. You’re right.”

“I don’t know much about you, but I at least know that this is unlike you. Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?”

“It’s unlike me?” Asuhain practically whispered. “I don’t even know what’s like me anymore.” She said this in a passionate yet pleading voice, sounding like a lost child. It felt like this was the first time since she asked me out that I was hearing what was really on her mind. “Do you...mind?”

But before I could answer her, she rested her head on my shoulder. She was using it as a pillow just as Isana had on the plane. It was immediately obvious to me that she was trying to copy her.

“It’s said that when you get close to the opposite sex, your heart beats faster,” she said from my shoulder.

“Yeah, in most cases,” I said, as I felt the weight of her head on my shoulder.

“Is your heart beating faster?” she asked.

My answer was probably very important to her, so I gave it to her straight. “Nope. There’s only one girl who makes that happen.”

I’d already gotten used to Isana’s propensity to be up in my personal space. But also, I wasn’t so simple a guy that I’d get flustered by someone whose heart wasn’t even in what they were doing.

“I see...” she mumbled, sounding somewhat disappointed but also somewhat relieved.

I could tell that she was hiding something, but despite how obvious it was, I got the feeling that it was buried so deep down inside that someone like me wouldn’t get close enough to be able to get it out of her.

At that very moment, we heard some loud voices approaching the bus, causing Asuhain to shoot up and move her head off my shoulder. In the next minute, Yako Yoshino and her two friends got onto the bus. As soon as they did, the three of them froze for a second, seeing me and Asuhain.

The first to approach us was Yoshino. “Oh? Hey, Ran-chan, what’s up?!” For some reason, even though she said this in a cheerful tone, I sensed coldness in her voice. “Hm? That’s not your seat...is it?”

Their glares were boring holes through Asuhain. She looked up at Yoshino. “You’re right. My apologies.” Then, she stood up and moved to a window seat farther away from me.

Yoshino and her friends resumed their conversation while moving to the seats in the back of the bus. We don’t have assigned seats, though... At the very least, I was certain that something was happening behind the scenes that we weren’t aware of.

More Comfortable When Guys Aren’t Around

Yume Irido

Our lodgings for the first day were at a luxurious-looking resort hotel. Before entering, our teacher gave each of the groups their key cards.

We walked into a very spacious foyer, which was connected to a large banquet hall that seemed like it could be used for events such as weddings. Most likely, this would be where we’d be eating dinner. It was now about five in the afternoon, and we needed to put our stuff in our rooms and change out of our school uniforms. I knew this from working in the student council, but students weren’t typically allowed to wear their school uniforms inside of hotels.

So with that, we went up to our respective rooms. The girls from our class were on the seventh floor with four girls to a room. Fortunately, there were exactly four girls in our group, so we naturally became roommates, meaning that Akatsuki-san, Higashira-san, Asuhain-san, and I were all together.

I inserted our room key into the card reader, making the lights in the room turn on. Inside, there were two large beds and then an adjoining room with two more beds. In the back of the room, there was a window where you could gaze at the Naha landscape.

“Phew...it was so hot,” Higashira-san said, dropping her bag next to a bed and crashing back-first onto it.

As soon as I had unlocked the room, the air conditioning turned on, so she was bathing herself in the cool air.

In comparison, Akatsuki-san was very energetic. “The beds are humongous! Let’s decide who’s sleeping where! I call the bed next to Yume-chan!”

“Uh... I’ll pass. That doesn’t feel safe,” I said.

“Rude! Okay, then Higashira-san!”

“I...sense some ulterior motives from you, so I will have to pass as well.”

“What is this horrible impression you two have of me?!”

I laughed while I put my stuff next to the bed that Higashira-san was currently spread-eagling on. Like this, Akatsuki-san had naturally ended up on the bed next to Asuhain-san. There was probably no worry about Akatsuki-san doing anything to her. She wasn’t that uncouth, although...she had fondled her breasts when meeting her for the first time.

I sat down on the bed and exhaled. Higashira-san rolled over and looked at my body.

“Thinking about how you’ll be sleeping right by me evokes lewd feelings inside,” she said without skipping a beat.

“On second thought, maybe I should sleep next to Asuhain-san,” I said.

“I’m so sorry for sexually harassing you! I do not wish to lose my chastity to Minami-san!”

“How about I do that now, then?!” Akatsuki-san said, pouncing onto Higashira-san with her powerful legs, burying her head into Higashira-san’s bountiful breasts.

“Nooo! You’re going to enlarge them!” she wailed, screaming some kind of nonsense.

“It’s okay to play around, but you two should change first,” I said to Akatsuki-san, who was fully enthralled by being enveloped in the big breasts of Higashira-san, who was writhing around from being fondled.

“You’re gonna get the sheets dirty with your sweat,” I said.

“Oopsie. Good point. I wanna get changed,” Akatsuki-san said, grinning at Higashira-san who she still had pinned on the bed. “Want some help changing?”

“Huh?”

But while she tried to process what was going on, Akatsuki-san had already started unbuttoning Higashira-san’s shirt, revealing her cleavage.

“W-Wait! Time out! Full stop! This is far too perverse!” Higashira-san protested.

“I’m gonna strip you down bare. What kinda bra you got on?”

“It’s erect! You’re at full mast! This would be a perfect stopping point!”

I could feel my face getting red, most likely due to her unexpected vocabulary, unbefitting of girls. This is what happens immediately when there are no guys around?!

“Don’t worry, you and your dirty body are in good hands!”

“P-Please at least be gentle.”

“Hey, you two? I get why you’re all hyper, but let’s cut the vulgar language! Asuhain-san’s here too.”

Akatsuki-san and Higashira-san looked at me simultaneously before whispering to each other.

“She acts all prim and proper, but she’s the dirtiest one out of all of us.”

“Indeed! I’m so jealous of how she does it every day.”

“Hey, I can hear you two!” I yelled, throwing a pillow at them.

Upon getting hit, the two of them began laughing loudly, amused. I glanced at Asuhain-san to see how she was doing, but it seemed that she hadn’t heard anything. She’d taken off her shirt and was wiping her cleavage with a handkerchief.

“Ooh, I understand that feeling,” Higashira-san said as she sat up. “Sweat really builds up there, doesn’t it? It gets itchy if you don’t do anything.”

Asuhain-san reacted, looking at Higashira-san. “True... Summer is very troublesome.”

“Bras become easier to see through our summer uniform as well.”

“But then, wearing thick clothes makes you too hot...”

“Precisely! And that in turn only makes the sweat worse!”

Akatsuki-san began to tremble in fear, hearing their conversation. “Th-The tiddies...they’re mutually understanding each other! Sweat builds up?! Where?! That’s never happened to me! You’re with me, right, Yume-chan?!”

“Sorry, Akatsuki-san... I kinda get what they mean.”

“Ack! There’s nothin’ but big tits here! Wait...am I in heaven?”

Akatsuki-san didn’t actually have a complex about breast size, but was simply in love with big boobs. But also...Asuhain-san was talking normally to Higashira-san. Either she was happy she’d found someone she could relate to, or I was right about her ignoring me.

I pulled out my change of clothes from my luggage, laid it on the bed, and then took off my shirt. Higashira-san had been right when she said that bras were easier to see through the thinner fabric of our summer uniform. But even in regard to that, I’d come prepared. I was sure to wear a bra that wasn’t easy to see through our clothes. I’d already picked out my underwear for April based on what wouldn’t show through. I’d chosen simple designs so that I wouldn’t be teased by other girls. I did have some that weren’t as simple, but yeah, those were...uh-huh.

“Whoa! Come over here!”

Around when I was changing into a beige blouse and a long white skirt, Akatsuki-san, still in her underwear, beckoned me over to the window.

I passed by Higashira-san as she was changing to approach Akatsuki-san. “You really shouldn’t be standing by the window in just your underwear.”

“We’re super high up—nobody’s lookin’! But anyway, look down there!” she said.

I stood next to her and looked down. About four floors down, there was a pool with water that sparkled blue. It seemed that next to it, there was a terrace installed with a barbecue restaurant.

“It’s a pool! Totally gives resort vibes!”

“We can’t use it, though. Don’t you remember what they told us?” I reminded her.

“Isn’t that kinda stingy of them? We even brought our swimsuits!”

“Yeah, but just the people who selected the marine course.”

The only people who’d needed to bring swimsuits were other students like us who’d elected to participate in the marine experience course. None of the other students had theirs with them.

“What a waste! The night scenery from the pool’s definitely super pretty!”

“Yeah, I’d love to go on a date there.” But since this was a school trip, there wouldn’t be a chance to get close to that pool...unless. “Oh.”

“Yume-chan?”

“N-Nothing.”

Since this was a school trip, we weren’t allowed to use the pool. In other words, nobody would be going near it, meaning that it might be a good place to meet up with Mizuto.

What I Couldn’t See until Now

Mizuto Irido

My room assignment was me, Kawanami, and two other guys from our class that I’d never really talked to. They were people that Kawanami had personally selected.

When I asked him what reasoning he’d used to select them, he said the following: “Well, of course it’s ’cause they have girlfriends. Isn’t it easier to be in the same room with people like that? There’s more flexibility when certain situations arise.”

Instinctually, I thought he was being gross, but I couldn’t say much because I kind of agreed. At seven, we went down for dinner. The banquet tables were crammed with dishes. We were seated in our groups and had some meat, fish, rice, and various steamed dishes.

It came as no surprise that the biggest eater at our table was Kawanami, but surprisingly, Minami-san ate about the same amount. Yume said something to the effect that it was a mystery as to how that small body of hers got rid of all the energy from the food, and Minami-san quipped back that that’s what she wanted to know.

After dinner, there wasn’t anything left to do except take a bath. We had free time until lights out at ten. We took turns taking baths in our room, so I didn’t have to worry too much about getting back to the room in time.

That being said, it felt like a waste to hole up in a hotel room after coming all the way to Okinawa. So, I decided to go look for a place where Yume and I could secretly meet. As I did, I heard a conversation between girls near the elevator near the banquet hall.

“Right?”

From a distance, I could see that a familiar girl, Ran Asuhain, was surrounded by three girls. Looking closer, I recognized another one of them: Yako Yoshino. She was wearing a camisole and short shorts that almost looked like underwear. Her stomach and thighs were laid bare for the world to see—a fashion sense that only she was sporting. The other girls were ones I saw hanging around Yoshino frequently. Putting it nicely, they were her friends. Not so nicely, her cronies.

It seemed that Yoshino’s group was talking one-sidedly to Asuhain. Their thorny words reached my ears.

“Like seriously, take a hint. We’re all waitin’ our turn.”

“Seriously not cool, tryin’ to cut in line. Or what, did you think that you’re a better match for him? That’s messed up.”

From what I could gather, it wasn’t a very friendly conversation. Yoshino’s group was essentially lecturing Asuhain as a boss would an employee, and she was just standing in silence, listening. It wasn’t the most palatable of situations, but unfortunately, my sense of justice wasn’t so strong that I’d butt in to save her. Plus, I had no way of knowing what they were talking about. Fortunately, I didn’t have to lift a finger because Yoshino stepped in.

“Aw, c’mon, no need to be so harsh, you two. Ran-chan’s emotions just got the best of her.”

“It’s such a dick move, though. Think about how poor Higashira-san must feel.”

Higashira? Wait...are they talking about us?

“Well yeah, trying to get the jump on everyone’s not cool, but I’m sure she’ll be more careful in the future, right, Ran-chan?” Yoshino put her hand on Asuhain’s shoulder and smiled, but as she did, she leaned in and whispered something into her ear.

From where the other girls were standing, they might not have seen, but I clearly saw that she’d whispered something in her ear. As she did, Asuhain’s eyebrows rose in surprise. But Yoshino walked away, simply wearing a smile and beckoning at her two friends to follow her.

“C’mon, let’s go upstairs. The convenience store awaits!”

Then she pressed the button to the elevator and the three of them disappeared into it shortly after. After they were gone, Asuhain got onto the other elevator and left.

From what I could piece together, they were getting aggressive with Asuhain because they thought she was trying to hit on me despite me supposedly dating Isana. It was the kind of pack mentality from girls that I’d heard of.

I couldn’t get the spiteful image out of my head, but it was essentially the same thing that Kawanami and Minami-san had been doing behind the scenes to anyone who had tried to put the moves on me or Yume. It made me realize that Asuhain had gone through the effort of taking a big risk asking me out. But also I couldn’t help but wonder about what Yoshino had said to make Asuhain freak out that much.

Up until last year, I didn’t have the mental capacity to think about anyone else besides Yume and Isana. But now that all of the stuff with them had been squared away, it seemed I was able to take in other situations. It seemed that school was a more complex place than I’d thought.

“Oh, there you are.”

I turned around and saw Yume jogging towards me from the banquet hall. She’d changed out of her uniform and was wearing a sand-colored blouse and a long skirt that went down to her ankles. The exact opposite of Yoshino, Yume looked prim and proper.

“You just love disappearing whenever you get a chance, don’t you?” She pouted.

“I didn’t wanna sit on my hands and wait. It’s all about using time efficiently.” Waiting around the banquet hall for too long would also only earn me a warning from our teachers.

“Sheesh. You really need to remember your promises.”

“What are you talking about?”

But right as I tried to question her further, she leaned in towards me and whispered in a cheerful voice. “Nine o’clock at the pool on the third floor.”

As soon as she said this, I knew what she was talking about. We weren’t allowed to use the pool, but there wasn’t any rule about us going near it. At nine o’clock, there’d only be an hour before we were supposed to be in our rooms, so most of the students would be in their rooms getting ready for bed. That meant we didn’t have to worry about anyone finding us.

“Got it. Nine o’clock.”

Yume nodded, smiling before moving away from me. “Good night,” she said, waving at me before returning to the banquet hall.

It’s hard to believe how the straitlaced Ayai has become so cunning. I returned to my room, genuinely happy that there was one more thing to look forward to.

Discerning Ulterior Motives Is Easier Than You’d Think

Yume Irido

For the time being, my group returned to our room, and as we did, I asked a question.

“Any order you wanna take baths in?”

Higashira-san, who’d sat down on her bed, tilted her head. “Are we getting in already? There’s still ample time before we’re required to slumber, is there not?”

“Uh...” Akatsuki-san began bringing out her own itinerary to look at. “It’s lights out at ten, so we still have over two hours.”

“That’s true, but with four people taking turns using the bath, we’re gonna be cutting it close.”

If each person were to take thirty minutes, it would amount to two hours exactly. If we planned to take baths now, everyone would be done right before lights out.

Akatsuki-san loudly clicked her tongue. “Hmph. Here I thought I’d make sure we ran out of time so we’d have to take baths in pairs.”

“The bath is pretty big, but you clearly have ulterior motives, so hard pass,” I said.

The toilet and bath were in separate rooms, possibly because we were in a room for four. There was even a separate spot for showering.

Then suddenly, Higashira-san’s hand shot into the air as if we were in a classroom. “Can we take baths together if we have no ulterior motives?!”

“Asking that question in and of itself already makes it obvious that you do,” I quipped.

“Oh...” she trailed off, disappointed.

Also, in Higashira-san’s case, if we were to bathe together, there was no guarantee that I wouldn’t have ulterior motives towards her. Those amazing boobs live rent-free in my head.

“I’m fine with going last,” Asuhain-san said. “I don’t take long baths, and my hair dries quickly.”

That’s true. She does have the shortest hair out of all of us. It was a pain for people with long hair to take a bath right before bed. In that regard, it’d make the most sense if Asuhain-san was last.

“Then would it be okay if I went first?” Riding the momentum, I proposed this. “’Cause, you know, having long hair like this means it takes a while to dry. If I bathe after nine, I might not be done by the time we’re supposed to sleep.”

This is why I brought this topic up right after we got back to the room. If I wanted to meet up with Mizuto by the pool at nine, then I needed to take a bath as soon as possible. But I was hesitant about being forthcoming about this, so that’s why I’d opted for starting the conversation and naturally leading things this way. This had all gone according to plan. Nobody would be suspicious of me. Just as I was internally grinning about my success, Akatsuki-san and Higashira-san, both looking apathetic, turned to face me.

“Sure, I guess...” Akatsuki-san grumbled.

“I can’t help but wonder if you’ve some other reason you’d like to take your bath as quickly as possible,” Higashira-san said.

Why are they so perceptive?!

Akatsuki-san sighed, relenting. “Well, whatever. If you happen to have plans around nine, then so be it. I guess I’ll go hang out with some of my friends from other classes while you take your bath. What about you two?”

“I... I think I’ll wander around the hotel. It’s very beautiful, so there may be some locations I’ll be able to use in my art.”

“I...” Asuhain-san started. “I think I’ll stay here. I have my study materials with me.”

“Whew. You’re studying even on the school trip?” Akatsuki-san remarked.

I smiled as I watched Asuhain-san pull out her studying materials. “No wonder you’re the top of our class,” I said.

“Thanks...”

Looks like Asuhain-san really doesn’t want to talk to me, just as I thought.

The Face I Only Show When We’re Alone

Mizuto Irido

After passing through the locker room to get to the pool, I was met with a wide view of the night sky, all to myself. There’d been a flyer posted on the entrance of the pool that said swimming past nine was prohibited, and it seemed that the barbecue restaurant on the terrace had already closed for the night. As a result, presently, at nine o’clock, there wasn’t a single soul in sight.

However, there was a trace of someone having passed by, judging by the two trails of water that went between the pool and the wooden deck. I walked around it to move beneath a parasol over one of the white deck chairs next to the pool. I sat down and gazed at the pool as it seamlessly melted into the night scenery.

The pool jutted off from the side of the hotel, in a way that obscured the dividing line between the sky and the pool. The scenery and the water melded together thanks to that. It reminded me of Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. I’d only seen pictures of that insane hotel with the huge boat or something on top of it, but I got the feeling that it also had a pool like this.

The pool was lit up, and the night sky reflecting off the water made me realize how atmospheric it was here. As long as we stayed beneath the parasol, there was no chance of being seen from any of the higher floors from the hotel at our backs. Though we’d been told we couldn’t use the pool, we hadn’t been told that it wasn’t okay to be by the pool.

“She’s started using her smarts for evil, huh?”

“And who might you be referring to?”

I heard a voice call out from behind me, catching me off guard. When I turned to look over my shoulder, I saw Yume walking up.

“You’re here already?” I asked.

“I’m the type who’s always on time. I’m surprised you’re early, though. Were you just that excited?” she asked with a teasing grin.

“Of course,” I boldly declared. “I couldn’t wait.”

Hearing this, Yume frowned, disappointed by my frankness. “It sounds like a lie when you’re the one saying it.”

“Where’s the trust? How could you say that to your boyfriend who’s trying to convey his sincerity and love?”

“A tiger can’t change his stripes. Anyway, move over.”

I scooted over on the long beach chair I was sitting on to make space for Yume. She squeezed in next to me, our shoulders pressing against one another.

It was incredibly uncomfortable, so I put my arm behind her, resting my hand around her lower half. With me holding her waist, we were the spitting image of a couple secretly rendezvousing at night. Yume leaned into me and stared out at the pool as it melted into the night sky.

“So beautiful...” I said.

There was a clear, starry sky above us and a glittering cityscape beneath us, and then the pool reflected both at the same time. The scenery that sparkled like gems was reflected in Yume’s doe-like eyes. I silently gazed at this sight for a while before her gaze turned towards me.

“You’re not setting up something stupid, are you?” she asked.

Her eyes were reflecting doubt in my words. But who was I to go against her expectations?

“You’re more beautiful, though,” I said.

“I knew it! I knew you were gonna say that!”

“I’m not lying.” I tried to stifle a chuckle.

It was true that I’d been thinking it, but even I thought saying it out loud would sound insincere. After calming down from laughing, I looked again at the sea of lights and began talking as if starting a soliloquy.

“But seriously...I never thought there’d be a day when I genuinely enjoyed my school trip.”

“You’re having fun? You keep disappearing to read, so I couldn’t tell,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

“It’s because you’re here,” I said, answering her seriously. “Even if we don’t have many chances to talk, it’s really nice knowing that you’re not too far away.”

Yume’s cheeks slightly flushed and she began looking around as if she wasn’t sure how to respond. “Wh-Where’s this coming from even? When did you get so pretentious?”

“I’m a new person after reflecting on who I was in middle school. No matter how real my affection for you is, we won’t last if I don’t try to convey that to you. I’ve come to realize that my communication’s been severely lacking.”

But honestly, this applies to last year as well. It is nice to be in a relationship where no words are required to understand one another, but it can’t last forever. If I wanted this relationship to last, then I needed to make sure that I regularly communicated with her. I’d realized this during our deep discussion when we’d decided to get back together. That was why I resolved to stop trying to put on airs and beat around the bush. Consequently, if there was a stage in my life when I’d been acting pretentious, it was definitely the previous year, not now.

“Sheesh... We’ve really changed. Right around this time last year, I was thinking about how I’d never want to be in love again and anyone who wanted to be in love was an idiot.”

“Yeah...” Yume said, smiling nostalgically. “Despite looking down on people with love-addled brains...I’m right back where I started.”

“That’s gotta be why people continuously engage in the cycle of breaking up and getting back together.”

“True...but I don’t have any intention of repeating the breaking up part again.”

“Does anybody?”

“In that case, what makes us different from the rest? We’re repeating this despite knowing the risks. Aren’t we just like everyone else?”

“I don’t wanna think that I’m that much of an idiot,” I said.

I had a certain amount of determination, and I’m sure Yume did too. We weren’t going to repeat the same mistakes of the past. Getting back together showed that determination.

Yume softly giggled. “Mm, I personally think that you’re the smartest person in school.”

“Now that sounds like a lie.”

“There are times when I especially think that. Times on the streets, and times off the streets. You’re quite adorable, you know?” She giggled.

“Well, this is rare... A dirty joke from you?”

“From that reaction, it looks like you have some self-awareness about it all.”

“Look who’s talking.”

“Aw, don’t worry, you’re the coolest at times too,” she said with a soft expression as she snuggled against me, looking up at me with an expression that showed she was up to no good. She softly giggled again as I slightly pulled her thin waist closer.

“I really never would’ve known how dirty you are without having become your girlfriend,” she said.

“That goes for you too. Never would’ve known that about you if I wasn’t your boyfriend.”

“Are you sure I didn’t become this way because of a certain someone?”

“Be honest—you’ve been like this for a while.”

“I’ve always been prim and proper! You don’t even know how rough it is when it’s just the girls. The sheer amount of dirty jokes, I swear...”

I surmised that this was mostly referring to Isana, but I decided that this might not have been the best time to bring up another girl’s name.

“Prim and proper, you say? I have no recollection of you being like that before we got back together.”

“We’re even, then, because I don’t remember you having a cool demeanor either.”

“I don’t remember ever claiming I did.”

“That right there is what I mean! That’s acting cool! You’re such a simple creature. You can’t even hold yourself back after something small like kissing,” Yume teased, grinning, knowing that her words had struck a nerve. “If you’ve got a problem with what I said, why don’t you prove that I’m wrong?”

So that’s what you’re fishing for? Yeah, you really aren’t prim or proper. “You’re on,” I said, moving my face close to hers.

She closed her eyes, accepting my advance. Then, I pressed my lips to hers, eliciting a familiar sensation. After a few seconds, Yume slowly opened her eyes.

“What do you think...?” she breathed.

I stayed silent for a bit, and then this time I put my lips over hers to shut her up. After finishing a deeper kiss than before, Yume whispered seductively in my ear with a smile.

“Hold on until we get home for the rest, okay?”

At that moment, we heard a rustling from somewhere nearby.

A Mysterious Shadow

Yume Irido

Both Mizuto and I jumped and turned around towards the source of the sound. It’d come from spherical hedges that’d been planted near the wall of the hotel. Over there at this minute, there was a person’s shadow that was quickly fleeing towards the entrance of the pool.

“Wh-Who’s there?!”

But while I screamed out in surprise, the mysterious figure had already escaped into the hotel. S-Somebody saw us? Or were they watching us?! They saw everything that Mizuto and I did together?! While I stayed in a state of complete shock, Mizuto quickly took action. He ran towards the entrance of the pool. I chased after him a little later.

Once inside, there wasn’t any trace of the person around. The long hallway forked into the guys’ and girls’ changing rooms. Mizuto turned back to me and we silently nodded in agreement on our next move. Mizuto entered the boys’ changing room and I entered the girls’.

Inside, there were rows of tall lockers, and a dryer for swimsuits in the corner. No one’s here. After confirming this, I left the changing room and returned to the hallway. The soft lighting didn’t illuminate any mysterious figure or even any sounds of anyone fleeing the scene. The hotel floors weren’t carpeted, so there should have been some kind of sound if someone was running away, but it was completely silent in the hallway. Did they already get away?

After a little bit, Mizuto came out of the guys’ locker room. Like me, he also looked both ways down the hall.

“They got away?” he asked.

“Yeah...looks like it.”

“This has turned into a headache...” Mizuto said, slightly knitting his eyebrows. “If they were peeping on purpose, then they’re most likely a student from our school. I have no clue if they could hear our conversation, but it doesn’t matter too much when all they had to do was watch...”

“Wh-Wh-What should we do?! Somebody knows about our relationship!”

There was no chance the news wouldn’t spread; rumors spread like wildfire. It would only be a matter of time before it got to our parents.

“Calm down. We’re not the only ones on this floor.”

Hearing his words, I shut my mouth. It was faint, but I could hear other students talking in the distance. There are other people around here.

“Let’s go back to the pool for now. We need to sit down and talk through the situation we’re in.”

I nodded at his levelheaded words and went through the girls’ changing room once more to go back to the pool. The first thing Mizuto did was to check the bush where we’d seen the person flee from. It was in a row of spherical bushes planted against the wall of the hotel. There was a slight gap between the bushes and the wall, allowing for someone to hide.

“Were they watching from the start?” I asked.

“No clue, but at the very least, I didn’t even notice you enter the pool area, so they must’ve stealthily entered and hidden themselves too.” Mizuto crouched around where the person had been hiding while saying this.

He’s so calm. Is he not scared about what’ll happen if our secret gets out? Mizuto searched around the ground and then shifted his focus to the bushes.

“Wait...” Mizuto said, noticing something. He moved his face closer to the bush and then began rubbing the back of his neck. This was a habit of his that he’d do when he was thinking. “Take a look at this.”

Mizuto moved in farther and pointed at a spot on the bush. I leaned over to look at where he was pointing and saw that the tip of one of the thin branches looked kind of red.

“Is that...blood?” I asked.

“Yeah, and it’s still fresh.”

Mizuto pinched the tip of the branch, staining his fingertips red. “Most likely whoever was peeping on us cut themselves when they were running away.” Now that I think about it, I did hear a rustling sound back then. Is that when they hurt themselves? “Nobody has their phone right now,” Mizuto suddenly said. “In other words, they can’t spread information through social media. Plus, they couldn’t have taken any pictures or videos. Without any conclusive evidence, they can’t spread this as anything more than hearsay.”

“Wh-What does that mean for us?”

“We have a time limit. We have to find this person before the trip ends,” Mizuto said while pointing at the blood traces on the branch. “By then, the wound’ll have healed, and we’ll have no way of tracking them down. What should we do?”

Afterwards, I took the elevator by myself and went straight to my room, going separate ways from Mizuto. Who was it? And why? When he asked about what we should do, I couldn’t come up with an answer immediately. Of course, the best option was to find this person and ask them to keep our relationship a secret, but there was also no guarantee that they would.

If push came to shove, we’d probably need to prepare ourselves to come out as a couple. I never thought that we’d be in such a sticky situation on the first day of the trip.

But Mizuto, noticing how uneasy I was, told me that nothing bad would happen to us. After all, we weren’t doing anything wrong. And...he was right. We weren’t doing anything wrong. Even so, I couldn’t wipe away this anxiety. After that, Mizuto put his arm around my shoulder and comforted me.

I sighed as I opened the door to my room. When I peeked into the room, I saw Asuhain-san opening study materials.

“I’m back...”

Asuhain-san looked up at me. “Welcome back.”

I was feeling really out of it, so I went straight to my bed and crashed onto it. Though things were kinda awkward with Asuhain-san, I felt comforted by having someone else in the room. If I’d been by myself, my anxiety would’ve ballooned out of control.

“Were you studying the entire time?” I asked, trying to hide my anxiety.

“Yes,” Asuhain-san said shortly.

“Have you taken your bath yet? You might not have enough time if you don’t take one soon...” I said, glancing at the clock which had already turned to half past nine.

There was only a half hour before it was lights out.

“Right... I’ll take my bath now, then,” she said, looking at the clock and closing her book.

Ugh...this is such a businessy conversation.

She returned her study materials to her bag, brought out her change of clothes, and went into the bath. But when she’d gone through her bag, I’d caught sight of an opened pack of bandages.

Wound

Ran Asuhain

I put my change of clothes on the sink counter. I unbuttoned my shirt, took my arms out of the sleeves, and loosened my belt, making my jeans fall to the floor. Left in the mirror was me in nothing but my underwear.

Usually I’d feel nothing but annoyance about my needlessly large breasts, but right now there was something that was occupying my focus, making me feel melancholic.

I silently touched a particular spot on my right thigh. There was a bandage that I’d just put on earlier.