Chapter II: Ocean at Eleven
Chapter II: Ocean at Eleven
“Look! It’s the ocean!”
As the bus pulled out of the tunnel, the girls riding erupted in excitement. Their first day at the shore was blessed with perfect weather. The sun’s rays gently caressed the water, as a relaxing sea breeze stirred the air.
“Whoa. I can’t wait to get in the water.”
“Yeah. You’re right.” In the seat next to me was Charl. But the whole drive here, it seemed like she wasn’t really paying attention to what I was saying. Even now, she just kept staring down at her hands in her lap.
“You like that thing that much?”
“Ah, yeah. I guess.” Charl giggled.
I had bought the bracelet around her left wrist for her as thanks for going shopping with me. Now, she kept looking down at the silver encircling her wrist, with a grin that seemed like it would break out in the laugh of a happy memory at any moment. I felt a little bad. If I’d known she would be so taken with it, I may have chosen something more expensive. She told me to ‘pick what I thought would look good on her,’ but I still wasn’t sure I’d made the right choice.
“Ehehe~♪” Wow, she was really in a good mood.
“Well, you’re certainly in a fine mood today, Charlotte.” From across the aisle, Cecilia stifled a sullen scowl.
“Yeah. It’s wonderful. Sorry.” Charl giggled again. Even Cecilia’s poking couldn’t take the smile off her face. Wow, this was almost scary. I guess she was really looking forward to the ocean. Not that I wasn’t.
“It’s unfair enough that you two snuck away alone yesterday, but a gift, too?”
“Ahh... Well, uh. Maybe I’ll get you something later?” It seemed like Cecilia wanted a present, too. She didn’t have to sulk like that, though.
“Do you promise?”
“Sure. Can’t guarantee you anything too expensive, though.”
The promise was enough to secure me a “Very well, I suppose that makes up for it.” Still, if I was going to be spending money like this I’d need to find another job. I had no interest in burning through my savings.
Surprisingly, quietly seated next to Cecilia was Laura. She seemed like she wasn’t feeling well, as she kept glancing around oddly.
“Are you okay? You’ve been acting like this since we ran into each other yesterday. What’s wrong?”
“.........”
“Hey, Laura. Heeeeeey.” She didn’t respond at all, so I got up to get a closer look at her face.
“Huh?! W-Wait! Don’t get so close, you idiot!”
“Oomph!” She pushed me back by my nose, as I let out a strange sound. She must have had a cold or a fever or something, as her face was beginning to flush. Oh well. There was no need to worry too much, she knew how to take care of herself. Since Laura seemed like she’d be okay, I turned my attention to Houki, who was in the seat behind her.
“Hey, let’s go swimming once we get there. You’re a great swimmer, right?”
“I-I guess. Sure. I used to go for long swims a lot.”
Hm? Something was up with Houki, too. She seemed nervous, like she couldn’t calm down for some reason.
“We’re about to arrive. Everyone, sit back down.” Chifuyu’s orders were obeyed immediately. She certainly has a talent for command. She was right, too. Almost immediately after, our bus pulled up in front of the resort we were staying at. The first year students of IS Academy poured out of our four buses in single file.
“This is Kagetsu-sou. We’ll be staying here for the next three days. I don’t want any of you causing any trouble at all for the staff, understood?”
“Hello!” After Chifuyu finished speaking, we greeted the innkeeper. A kimono-clad woman, her polite bow spoke to many years of successful class trips here.
“Of course! We hope you enjoy your stay. You all seem so energetic this year! That’s wonderful.”
She seemed to be in her 30s, and gave off the air of a hard-working and reliable woman. Maybe it was just because of the constant smile her job called for, but if anything, she seemed a bit young to be the innkeeper.
“Oh, and is that him?” As I made eye contact with her, she asked Chifuyu.
“Sure is. Sorry to make you rearrange the baths for just one boy.”
“No, it’s no problem at all. He seems like such a fine young man. So reliable.”
“And wouldn’t it be wonderful if he actually was. Hurry up and say hello, silly.” Chifuyu gave a peremptory nod. Wait, didn’t I already? Seriously...
“I’m Orimura Ichika. Pleased to meet you.”
“Polite, too. I’m Kiyosu Keiko.” She gave another bow. It was just as proper and formal as the previous one. It made me nervous, as I wasn’t really good at dealing with grown-up women.
“Sorry to inflict my useless little brother on you.”
“Why, Ms. Orimura! You’re so strict with him.”
“I learned the hard way.” I didn’t think it was that bad, but there were plenty of reasons I couldn’t really argue with her. Ahh, how I wish I was grown-up and out of her hair...
“Anyway, everyone, let me show you to your rooms. If you’re going to swim, we have a separate beach house for you to change in. Feel free to make use of it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of our staff.”
With a chorus of ‘yeses,’ the girls set forth into the resort. It seemed like the plan was to drop our bags off first. Oh, and the first day was completely free time. We could have a meal at the kitchen anytime.
“Hey! Hey, Orimu!” Ugh, no one would be calling me that but Miss Casual. She waved, and walked toward me as sloooowly as ever. She had the expression of someone who’d probably dozed off on the bus. Didn’t seem to have any makeup on, either. “Where’s your room, Orimu? You weren’t on the list. Tell me! I wanna hang out!”
Overhearing her, the other girls gathered around and pushed in to find out for themselves, too. Why did she want to know which room was mine? There was nothing interesting in there. At least, I didn’t think there was.
“Honestly, I don’t know either. Maybe they have me in the hallway.”
“Hey, that sounds fun. Maybe I’ll try it, too. The floor’s probably nice and cool.”
It was summer, so she was right, it might actually be enjoyable. Nah, probably not. Anyway, since it’d be a bad thing if I had any girls sleeping over, my room was somewhere else. At least, that’s what Ms. Yamada said. She didn’t give me any other details.
“Orimura, your room’s this way. Follow me.” Oh, that was Chifuyu calling for me. I couldn’t keep her waiting, so I left Miss Casual with a “Talk to you later.”
“Uh, Ms. Orimura? Where’s my room?”
“Shut up and follow.” No questions allowed, I guess. This place really was nice and spacious, though. Beautiful, too. It was amazing enough that they’d found a place that could fit the entire class, but it was even more impressive that it was somewhere that did such a good job of blending traditional ambiance with modern conveniences. It was great to have working air conditioning. The halls were cool and comfortable.
“Here it is.”
“Eh? But this is...”
A sign reading ‘Faculty’ hung from the door. Um...
“We thought about getting you your own room, but we had no idea how we’d keep the girls away from it at night.” Chifuyu rasped out a sigh. “So you’re staying with me. This way, they won’t have such an easy time of it.”
“Well, that’s true, but...”
No guts, no glory. Though I don’t think anyone would be gutsy enough to risk her for me.
“I shouldn’t need to remind you, but in case I do, I’m still a teacher.”
“Yes, Ms. Orimura.”
“Very well.” With that, she let me into the room. It was quite large for a double room, and the exterior wall was one wide row of windows. The view was a beautiful expanse of sea. It was east-facing, so I was sure the sunrise would look fantastic as well.
“Wow, this is amazing.”
The toilet and bath were separate. Even the sink had its own small room. The spacious tub was huge enough for even a guy to stretch his legs out.
“If you want to use the main baths, you’ve got your own time. They’re usually kept split down the middle, but we’re not exactly an even group. It wouldn’t be fair to cram them all in just for you, so keep it to the time set aside for you. If you want to bathe early in the morning or late at night, use the one in here.”
“Understood.”
Man, even when we were alone together Chifuyu was so focused on her job, but that was how she was. I totally would have just called her Chifuyu earlier if she hadn’t reminded me.
“Anyway, the rest of your day is free. Leave your things here and go do whatever.”
“And you, Ms. Orimura?”
“I have to meet up with the other teachers, check things out, and stuff. But—” Chifuyu coughed, clearing her throat. “I suppose a quick swim wouldn’t hurt anyone. After all, I have the swimsuit my brother picked out to try on.”
“I see.” I gave a disinterested reply, but my heart sped up a little. I was actually really happy that she went with my pick. And how long had it been since I’d seen her in a swimsuit? Hmm...
Knock, knock. A rapping at the door interrupted my chain of thought.
“Do you have a minute, Ms. Orimura?” That voice had to be Ms. Yamada.
“Sure, come in.” Hearing the response, Ms. Yamada opened the door. As she did, she came eye to eye with me, just across from the entrance.
“O-Orimura!”
“You don’t have to be that surprised...” It seemed like she was there for whatever the teachers had to go over. She’d been reading over some paperwork as she stepped into the room. It was only when she looked up that she saw me.
“S-Sorry. I’d forgotten that he was staying in your room.”
“Ms. Yamada, wasn’t it your idea to begin with?”
“Y-Yes. Yes, it was. I’m sorry!” Ms. Yamada shuffled back and forth under Chifuyu’s glare as if it were the gaze of a snake ready to strike.
“Anyway, Orimura, I need to get to work. Go find somewhere else to be.”
“Yes. I think I’ll head straight to the ocean.”
“Try not to overdo it.” One more acknowledgment of her warning, and I was gone. In the light backpack I’d pulled from my luggage, there was my swimsuit, a towel, and a pair of clean underwear. Set sail for the sea, full speed ahead!
◇
“.........”
“.........”
Houki and I happened to bump into each other on the way to the beach house where we could change. There wasn’t anything really strange about that. Especially not compared to the sight that greeted us shortly after.
Smack in the middle of the footpath was a pair of bunny ears. Not, like, the ears of an actual rabbit. Bunny ears. The kind a bunny girl would wear. They were white. Dangling from them was a sign reading ‘pull me.’
“Huh, what’s—”
“Dunno. Don’t ask me. Not my problem.”
Shot down before the question was even out of my mouth. This absolutely had to be her, then. Someone of limitless talent. A genius among geniuses. The woman who claimed to put in 35 hours a day. The inventor of the IS, and Houki’s big sister. This had to be none other than Shinonono Tabane.
“Um... Should I pull them?”
“Do whatever. I don’t care.” Houki stalked off down the path. Hmm, it looked like she still hadn’t patched things up with Tabane. Left alone, I shrugged and gave the ears a swift yank.
Pop.
“Wha—” I’d been convinced Tabane herself was hiding buried under them, but I was wrong. I’d put so much force into it that I fell over. “Oww...”
“What on earth are you doing?”
“Oh, hey, Cecilia. I just found a pair of bunny— Ah.”
I cast my gaze in the direction of her voice. Unfortunately, since I was still on the ground, that meant I was looking straight up her skirt.
“Ichika! What’s gotten into you?!”
Noticing my line of sight, she pressed down on her skirt while backing away. They were white, with lace. Wait, what kind of idiot am I? Why am I paying attention to that?
“Sorry. I, uh. I saw a pair of bunny ears growing, so...”
“So... What?” Cecilia fired back with an incredulous voice. I mean, it made sense. If someone had told me the same thing, I’d be looking at them like... Well, like they’d just grown bunny ears. Oh, and Cecilia’s cheeks were burning red, partly from embarrassment and partly from anger.
“No, I mean, Tabane is—”
Fshoooom!
Huh? It sounded almost like something was swooping down on—whoa!
BA-BOOM! An unidentified flying object pierced the ground. And, of all things, it looked like...
“A... carrot?”
Cecilia and I both gasped. It wasn’t even shaped like a normal carrot, it was shaped like a cutesy drawing of a carrot. What the hell was going on?!
“Hahaha! I can’t believe you pulled that, Icky!”
The carrot split in half, and preceded by her own laugh, the aforementioned genius Shinonono Tabane stepped out. I doubt she had any idea how to make a normal entrance...
“Oh, hey, since I flew here in a missile I almost got shot down by an interceptor! Looks like I learned my lesson about that. Argh, I can’t believe their nerve, though!”
Tabane was wearing a blue and white one piece like Alice’s from ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ She took the bunny ears from my hand and immediately placed them on her head. Alice in Wonderland in one outfit... Her fashion sense was as inscrutable as ever.
“Long time no see, Tabane.”
“Yeah. It’s been forever. Seriously. Hey, Icky, have you seen Houki? I thought you were just with her. Did she have to go pee or something?”
“Um...”
Houki had gone somewhere to avoid Tabane, but I couldn’t exactly tell her that, so I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Well, I can find her with the scouter I invented, easy. See you later, Icky!”
Tabane ran off. Wow, she was fast. It seemed like the scouter she was talking about was those bunny ears, and they perked up in the direction Houki was in like a dowsing rod. Wait, was that how dowsing rods worked?
“Ichika? What was that?”
“Tabane. Houki’s big sister.”
“What? Really? That was the Professor Shinonono?! The one who’s missing and being hunted by several countries?!”
“Yep, that Shinonono Tabane.”
Oh, and the point of this seashore class trip was to allow the wide-area unrestricted operation of IS. So mountains of the latest models were arriving, addressed to the various national cadets. However, since of course piloting by outsiders wasn’t allowed, it seemed that they were being delivered by special landing craft. Except, of course, for Tabane. She dove right in, damn the regulations. What was she really after, anyway?
“Ah, well. She wanted Houki for something. It doesn’t really have anything to do with us. Anyway, I was heading down to the ocean. What about you?”
“Why, of course, I was as well.” Cecilia cleared her throat. Is she trying to imitate Chifuyu? “I can’t exactly put suntan oil on my own back. I don’t suppose I could ask you to do it for me?”
“Mm? Why not get a friend to do it?”
“Well, really, if you wouldn’t mind...”
Jeez, wasn’t she just embarrassed that I saw her panties? Cecilia fidgeted back and forth, trying to avoid eye contact.
“Hmm, why don’t you just pour it down your back instead?”
“No thank you!”
She refused immediately. It was a joke, but it seemed like she took it the wrong way. It’s always scary trying to joke around with girls.
“I was just kidding. Anyway, sure, it’s no big deal.”
“Really? You’re not going to change your mind later or anything?”
Wow, was she really that concerned about burning? I hardly ever saw her that enthusiastic about something. And there I was, not bothering with sunscreen at all.
“Of course not. See you later, then.”
“Very well, then. Later!” Nodding twice, she ran off toward the beach house. She wasn’t as fast as Tabane, but she was still quite fleet of foot.
“I should get going, too.”
It should have been no surprise that I was asked to use the changing stall furthest in. Oh, and they weren’t kidding when they called it a beach house. It opened right up onto the sand. That said, the changing stall furthest in meant that I had to walk by everyone else’s on the way. Of course I wasn’t able to see inside, but it was still awkward hearing the high-pitched voices from behind the curtains.
“Wow, Mika, your breasts are so big. Have they been growing lately?”
“Eek! Don’t touch them!”
“Tina, your swimsuit is so daring! I can’t believe you’re wearing that in public.”
“Really? This is about normal in America.”
Ah, the things you overhear... Honestly, I couldn’t really deal with it. It was kind of embarrassing, though I wasn’t quite sure why. Walking swiftly, I made my way to the boys’ changing stall. Dressing was quick for men. By the time I’d decided what order to do my warmup exercises in, I was done. Big blue sea, here I come!
“Oh, it’s Orimura!”
“No way! Already?! My swimsuit isn’t too weird, is it? It’ll be fine, right?”
“Oh wow! He looks great! He’s so cut!”
“Orimura! Let’s play some volleyball later!” a girl cried out to me.
“Sure, if I have time.”
Just barely out of the stall, I ran into a few of the girls who must have been using the neighboring ones. Their swimsuits were all cute, if a little bit awkwardly revealing. Eventually... I took my first step onto the sand, and in the same moment, the sand on which the July sun pounded down scorched the soles of my feet.
“Ow, that’s hot!”
It’d been many years since I’d been to the sea, and the sensation was nostalgic, even enjoyable. Yes, it wouldn’t be the sea without this. Tiptoeing across the dunes, I made my way to the water’s edge. The beach was already full of girls, some tanning, some playing volleyball, and some already swimming. Their swimsuits were a rainbow of colors, and shone brighter than the July sun in their own way.
“All right.” I started on my warmups. It’d been so long since I’d been to the sea, it’d be a shame if I got a leg cramp and drowned. “Okay, stretch my arms, stretch my legs, stretch my back!”
“I-chi-ka!”
Huh? Wait— What?!
“Why’re you taking this so seriously? I mean, really, warmups for a swim? Hurry it up, I wanna get in the water!” Rin suddenly leapt onto me. Be it middle school or even in elementary school, put her in a swimsuit and she’d do this kind of thing. Just like a cat. Oh, and her swimsuit was a sporty tankini. It had orange and white stripes, and the top was cut high enough to show off her belly button.
“C’mon, do your warmups. I don’t want you drowning.”
“I’m not gonna drown. I think I was a mermaid in a past life.”
As we argued, she clambered up onto my shoulders. Mermaid? More like a cat, or maybe a monkey. Oh, and did you know, the first drawings of merpeople were actually mermen?
“I’m up so high! I can see forever! You make a great watchtower, Ichika.”
You’re welcome. I was just thinking about how I needed a job. Maybe this would work. Wait, not like this!
“Watchtower? Not even lookout?”
“What’s wrong with that? It’s useful, isn’t it?”
“And who’s gonna climb me every day, then?”
“Hmm... Me?” Rin answered with a chuckle. Ugh, what’s gotten into her?
“Ah, ahh, ahhh! What on earth are you doing?” Cecilia arrived with a question. She held a beach umbrella and towel, as well as a bottle of tanning oil. Hers was a vivid blue bikini. The sarong wrapped around her hips added a touch of class. Honestly, she looked like a model. The emphasis her swimsuit placed on her swelling breasts was more provocative than I’d expected, and I struggled to make eye contact.
“Riding his shoulders, duh. Or if you’d rather, we’re playing watchtower.”
“I’ve never heard of that game.”
“Well, what else could it be? I’m not qualified as a life preserver.”
“I... I can’t argue with that.”
“Like, totally. I mean, if someone was drowning, I’d try to help them, but...”
“Stop ignoring me, you two!”
Huh, that ended up being a completely vertical conversation. Oh, and as for why I was fine with Rin perching on me like this—well, I’d never tell her this to her face, but it was because she had no breasts. Also, she’d been doing it since elementary school, so I was just used to it.
“Anyway! Rin, get down from there!”
“I don’t wanna.”
“Why are you acting like such a child?!” Cecilia planted her umbrella in the sand with an audible crunch. No need to get so heated Cecilia, leave it to the sun instead.
“What’s going on? Is there a fight or something?”
“Hey, wait! Someone’s riding on Ichika’s shoulders!”
“Ooh! I wish it was me!”
“Let’s take turns!”
“First come, first served!”
A crowd of chattering girls had gathered, under the mistaken impression that I’d give them a shoulder ride. Oh, no... This wasn’t good. I wouldn’t be able to handle that many. Not physically, not mentally, and not as a man.
“Rin. Could you get down before anyone else gets the wrong idea?”
“Mmm. Guess I have to.” Rin hopped down from my shoulders, somersaulting forward as she landed. She really was like a cat.
“Ling? Wasn’t that just against the rules?” Cecilia grit her teeth into a forced smile. She must be mad. Meanwhile, I was busy explaining to the other girls that they couldn’t actually take turns on my shoulders. This was all Rin’s fault.
“Wasn’t Cecilia here for something from you, too? So we all should get a turn, right?”
“No, I...”
“What, you weren’t about to? Okay, then I’d like—”
“I-I was! Ichika, hurry and oil me up!”
“EHHH?”
Just as I was clearing up the misconception, Cecilia set them off again. Ugh, why’d she have to be so loud about it?
“I’ll get the tanning oil!”
“I’ll get a beach towel!”
“And I’ll get an umbrella!”
“I’ll rinse my tanning oil off!”
You already had some on, why make more work for me? Ah, dammit, you’re already in the water. Come on... Anyway, the group that gathered because of Rin dispersed because of Cecilia.
“Ahem. If you could be so kind as to get started.” Cecilia unwrapped and dropped her sarong. Somehow, it came off as extremely sexy, and my heart started to pound.
“Er, just your back, right?”
“If you’d like to oil my front, I’m fine with that, too.”
“Just your back. Please.”
“Very well, then.” Cecilia suddenly reached back to untie the string holding her top up, and layed down while covering her breasts with her beach towel. “Go ahead.”
“Of course.”
I was left looking at Cecilia’s bare back, as her top was held up only by the weight of her towel pressing it to her chest. Sideboobs squeezed out from below her arms. This was really, really sexy... Maybe it was just because she was lying down, but her butt, which was already firm and round like a woman’s, stuck up as well. I hadn’t realized earlier because of her sarong, but her bottoms were also a very skimpy cut. I involuntarily gulped as I looked down at her curvy legs.
“Okay, I’m starting now.”
“Eek! Ichika, let it warm up a little in your hands first.”
“Oh, okay. Sorry. I’ve just never done this before.”
“Oh, I see. This is your first time? I suppose it makes sense.”
For some reason, she sounded happy about that. I must have been imagining things. Anyway, I let the oil warm a bit in my palms before putting it on. After it was less chilly, I began to spread it on Cecilia’s back. Wow, her skin’s so smooth. It feels really nice.
“Mmm... That feels good. Can you get a little lower?”
“I thought you just wanted your back done.”
“Well, you’ve already started, so can you get everywhere I can’t reach? My legs, too. And my behind.”
“Your wha—”
Oh no. This wasn’t good. Even if it was because I was rubbing her with tanning oil, I couldn’t touch her butt.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you nice and oiled up!”
“Eek! Rin? What are you doing! That’s cold!”
“What’s wrong with that? You’ll tan just as well either way. Here goes!”
“Ugh, that’s enough! Knock it off—” Cecilia, angered, stood up. At the same time, the swimsuit she’d untied fell to the sand.
“Ah...”
“KYAAAAAA!” Cecilia barely managed to cover up, but her face and ears still burned a bright red.
“Ah, so sorry.”
“And now you apologize, Ling? I’ll make you pay for this!”
“Then I’ll run away. Smell you later.”
Gulp.
“Hey! Don’t get me involved in this! Ugh, dammit... Sorry, Cecilia! I didn’t see anything, okay?!” I pleaded.
“Wha—” Cecilia glowed an even brighter red, but unable to move her hands from where they were, she froze up. Meanwhile, Rin dragged me away toward the sea.
“Whoa! Rin, what are you doing?!”
“Race you to that buoy, Ichika. If I win, you owe me a partfait from @Cruise by the station. Ready— Go!”
“Hey, no fair! Wait up!”
“Ahahaha. Your fault for not paying attention!”
And that was how I got dragged into chasing after Rin. After all, the cheapest parfait at @Cruise was 1,500 yen. I literally couldn’t afford to lose.
◆
Sorry to be so mean, Cecilia, but it’s my turn. Rin thought to herself as she raced Ichika. The plan she came up with last month, when she woke up early to make sweet-and-sour pork, had been a complete failure. She’d never expected Houki and even Cecilia to cook for him, too. That was a really good plan, too. When she’d thought it up, it went something like:
[Don’t heat Ichika’s portion.]
↓
[Wait for him to want warm sweet-and-sour pork.]
↓
[“Guess we’ll have to share.”]
↓
[“Say ‘ahh.’”]
But it didn’t go well at all. Sure, she’d managed to feed him the pork, but it was after Houki took her turn, so it felt like just an afterthought. At the same time, she’d also only bought rice for herself, hoping for something like:
[“Can I have some rice, too?”]
↓
[“Guess we’ll have to share.”]
↓
[“Say ‘ahh.’”]
But since Houki made a lunch box, that had failed, too. Really, though, it’s skin-to-skin contact that gets through to guys, and Ichika knows that if I’m in a swimsuit, I’ll be all over him. At the same time, though, his obliviousness around girls was a worry in its own right. It’s okay! No one else has the guts to get this close to him! Though Cecilia was a close call...
Rin thought back to moments before. Tanning oil, huh... Ichika did kind of look like he realized something was up. Maybe I should ask him to do my back after this. It may have been Cecilia’s idea first, but there was no reason it couldn’t work for her. He’d have to touch me, though. I don’t mind touching people, but being touched... It’s kind of embarrassing... She ducked her face under the waves to cool off her rapidly-reddening blush. However, this didn’t stop her heart from beating even faster.
Ugh... I bet all the other girls are going to be after him too... Her sigh bubbled to the surface and was washed away. Get a hold of yourself, Huang Lingyin! You made it into IS Academy, you can’t give up now! She took a deep breath to match her newfound determination. However, she was still underwater. What rushed into her mouth wasn’t fresh air, but rather seawater.
“Graaak!”
Surprised, she panicked and slipped under the water. I’m under water! I need to go up! But she couldn’t tell which way was up. Rin was drowning, but then, a strong arm wrapped around her and pulled her to safety. Ichika... This must be Ichika’s arm... Suddenly, she was filled with a sense of relief. Holding on to that muscular arm, she floated to the surface.
◇
“Rin! Are you okay?!”
Rin coughed up water, “I’m fine...”
“Jeez, I told you. You needed to do your warmups.”
“That isn’t the problem! It’s your fault!”
“Huh? Anyway, let’s head back to shore. C’mon.”
I couldn’t really make out what she was saying, but it’d be better for her to be back on dry land. I turned my back to Rin.
“What?!”
“Get on. I’ll carry you.”
“It’s fine. I can make it back.”
It didn’t matter what she said, I couldn’t just leave someone who was half-drowned behind. This time I insisted a bit more firmly.
“Rin.”
“Hmph. Fine...”
This time, she listened. Picking her delicate form up out of the water, I began to swim back toward land.
A long time ago, Chifuyu had taught me how to swim while carrying someone. It was tough. You had to hold your back higher than you’d think to keep them from dipping under.
“Hit me on the shoulder if any water gets in your mouth. If you open it to talk, you’ll drown.”
“Mm.” As she gave a closed-mouth response, I swam toward the shore. Going too fast would be dangerous, so I took it slow. “Er, Ichika...”
“You’ll swallow more water if you talk.”
“It’s fine. Anyway, um...” She spoke quietly, softly, but I heard her last word as clear as a bell. “Thanks...”
She must have been embarrassed, talking to someone who’d just saved her from drowning. I responded with a nod, and began to carry her up onto the beach.
“I’m fine. I can walk the rest of the way.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. C’mon, let me down.”
As I walked out of the waves, a group of girls approached me. Rin squirmed, perhaps out of embarrassment at being seen while she was carried.
“Okay, I’ll let you down. Take it slow, though. A fall wouldn’t be good for you, even if you were a cat in a past life.”
“I was a mermaid, not a cat...”
Sure, whatever. I squatted to let Rin down.
“I think I’m just going to sit down for a bit.” Rin stumbled off toward the beach house. Her face was a bit red following the events that just transpired. Ah well, I couldn’t blame her for feeling awkward after what she said earlier.
“Oh, Ichika. That’s where you went.”
Hearing my name called, I turned around to see Charl and—
“Huh? Who’s the towel ghost?” That was certainly a strange sight. Whoever it was was wrapped in bath towels from the top of her head all the way to below her knees. Who on earth could it be?
“C’mon out. It’s fine.”
“I’ll be the one who decides when it’s fine...”
Hm? That voice... Was it Laura? She was normally so confident, I could hardly believe that timid voice was hers. Charl, being her usual self, was trying to convince Laura of something. I hadn’t the foggiest what.
“Come on, you went through all the effort to change into that swimsuit, and you’re not even going to let him see it?”
“W-Wait! I’m not ready yet...”
“Jeez. You keep saying that, and you’ve wrapped yourself up like a mummy all day. I helped you out, I don’t know why you think you should hide it from me.”
Oh, by the way, Charl and Laura had ended up in the same room. Even though they’d fought fiercely in the incident last month, they got along fine as roommates. No matter how standoffish Laura was, I guess being with a girl as positive and friendly as Charl opened her up a bit.
“Anyway, if you’re going to stay wrapped up, maybe I’ll just go hang out with Ichika by myself.”
“What?!”
“Hm, yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Let’s go, Ichika.” As she spoke, Charl took my hand. With our arms linked, she began to pull me back toward the water.
“W-Wait. I’ll go too.”
“Dressed like that?”
“Fine, fine, I’ll take them off!”
A pile of towels fell to the sand, and Laura’s swimsuit-clad body stepped into the light. Her swimsuit was—
“Go ahead, laugh!”
—Black, but decorated with lace frills. At first glance, it looked like a grown-up’s sexy lingerie. Her hair, normally left unstyled, was pulled up into tails on either side of her head. She almost looked like Rin that way—but more importantly, she looked adorable. Seeing her nervous and uptight for once just reinforced it.
“There’s nothing weird about it, right, Ichika?”
“Oh, of course. I was a little surprised, but I think it looks good on her.”
“Wh—?!” Laura didn’t seem to be expecting that response, and she wavered for a moment before turning beet-red. “I don’t need to be lied to.”
“No, it’s not just flattery. Right, Charl?”
“Yeah. I told her so too, but she doesn’t want to believe it. Oh, by the way, I helped Laura put her hair up. She doesn’t dress up often, so I thought it’d be nice to go all the way.”
“Oh, really? By the way, your swimsuit looks great, too.”
“Oh, thanks.” Charl twisted a lock of hair around her finger as she shied away from the praise. The bracelet I’d bought her yesterday glimmered on her wrist.
“You’re sure that won’t degrade?”
“It’s fine. I put a protective coating on it, and I’ll wash it off right after. It’s a gift from you, after all.” Charl giggled as she smiled. She really did seem to like it a lot.
“Ichika.”
“Hm?”
Laura’s voice was clearer than before, as if she’d gotten over her worries.
“That’s no fair. I... I want a present too...”
I’d expected Cecilia to be jealous, but not Laura, too.
“Sure, the next time you have something to celebrate. Your birthday, maybe?”
“I see. I’ll be expecting something then. You’d better not forget.”
“Okay. But it won’t be anything too expensive. I mean, I am just a schoolkid.”
“Very well. Three months’ wages, perhaps? My squadmates tell me that’s standard for a present of that sort in Japan.”
The girl with all the wrong ideas about Japan must have given Laura some bad advice again. Well, ‘wrong’ wasn’t the proper word so much as ‘inappropriate.’
“Is there something you want? I don’t really see you wearing much jewelry.”
“I suppose. I’m not particularly accustomed to it. But... if it’s something you choose, I think I’d love it.”
“Oh? Hmm, I wonder what would work best? A choker, maybe? Or your hairstyle now is off your ears, earrings would look good. I think they’d make you look cute.”
“C-Cute?!” Her new hairstyle must have had her on edge. She flusteredly intertwined her fingers.
“Orimura!”
“You promised you’d play volleyball!”
“Yay, I get to play with Orimu!”
A nearby girl was making a ball-spiking gesture. It was the one I made a promise to before, her friend, and Miss Casual again. I realized I really needed to start remembering peoples’ names.
“There! Passing to Orimura!”
She gave the ball a slap and sent it flying my way. I caught it, and quickly set up teams.
“All right, if Charl and Laura are on my team, it’s a fair three-on-three. Let’s get started!”
As soon as I called it out, the two girls spread the net while Miss Casual drew the lines in the sand. Wow, she was slow.
“All right, ground rules. Shoot by your third hit, no spiking twice in a row, ten points decides the set.”
“Okay. You serve first.”
I tossed the beach ball over. The girl who was setting up to serve had a gleam in her eye. I think her name was... Kushinada?
“Hehehe. I’ll show you why they call me the July Summer Devil!”
Whew! A jumping serve straight off! It was fast, and she had a good angle on it, too. I couldn’t do anything.
“Got it!,” Charl called out. She really was the class ace, in more ways than one. I’ll have to tell her that later.
“Whoa!”
I heard a thud, and then Charl cry out. Turning around, I saw that Laura, who’d been staring off into space until then, had suddenly shoved Charl out of the way to return the serve.
“Are you okay?!”
“Oww... What was that, Laura?”
“He... He said I was cute... Wow...”
As our eyes made contact, her expression emptied and she blushed. Then, she darted away like a startled rabbit.
“Uh... Hey, Laura! What are you doing?!” I called out to her, but by the time the words left my mouth she was already inside the beach house. Me, Charl, and a speechless trio remained.
“Well, well. Looks like it’s Orimura the Heartbreaker in action.” Miss Casual broke the ice. By the way, she was wearing something that was less of a swimsuit and more of mascot costume; it covered her whole body up to her ears. Tabane and her would probably have a lot to talk about, fashion-wise.
“Well. Anyway, let’s keep playing. We can check on Laura later.”
“Agreed!”
Thus continued a game of two-on-three—though Miss Casual may as well have not counted—beach volleyball.
“There!”
Charl nimbly moved in for a spike. As I watched out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her breasts bouncing as she jumped. Dammit! Why didn’t I ever notice how curvy she really—Ugh, no! Once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it. The breasts of the other team were bouncing whenever they jumped, too.
“.........”
“What’s wrong, Ichika?”
“No! Uh, it’s nothing! Nothing at all!”
As I wondered whether they’d noticed me staring, my heart leapt into my throat. Trying to deflect attention, I began waving my hands around. Watching me, Charl gave a bemused grin.
“Hehe. You’re so silly, Ichika.”
“Well, it’s summer! Gotta get warmed up!”
“That was pretty weak, even for you.”
She really wasn’t putting up with my jokes lately. That ‘I know what you’re thinking, Ichika’ felt like getting scolded by a neighbor as a kid. Pretty embarrassing.
“It’s getting close to lunchtime. What are you doing this afternoon, Ichika?”
“I want to swim a bit more, but it’s a bad idea right after eating. I think I’ll just relax for a bit.”
“Oh? Let’s go get lunch, then. Oh, hey, by the way, which room did you end up in?”
“I want to know too!”
“Me three!”
“I’d like to know where to find a cool pillow.” The rest of the team was confused by that one from Miss Casual.
“Uh, Ms. Orimura’s room.”
At once, their excitement turned to ice, as if the sudden reveal jolted their train of thought off the tracks.
“Ah, so it’s dangerous to come hang out.”
“That’s right... But we can still see you at meals!”
“Yeah! No need to go raiding the demon’s lair.”
“And who are you calling a demon?” Her entrance rang like a gong. I’m not even sure it was my imagination. All three of the girls craned their necks around in terror.
“M-Miss... Orimura...”
“Yep.”
Ah. She was wearing the swimsuit from before. It was black like Laura’s, but gave a completely different impression, proudly highlighting each and every curve on her body in the bright sunlight. Honestly, if she wasn’t my sister, my heart would have jumped out of my mouth right then. Even the hand on her hip, usually so strict, came off as sexy. Between that and her model-like good looks, the rest of the girls were completely outclassed. It was hard to imagine when they were held in by a suit, but now, even an unfavorable observer would have to admit that her breasts were bigger than average. And that swimsuit was designed to draw eyes directly to her cleavage and keep them trapped there.
“Stop leering, Ichika...”
“Charl?! What are you talking about?” I tried to laugh it off.
“You were just practically drooling.”
Ugh. I couldn’t really argue with that.
“Hurry up and go have lunch.”
“What about you, Ms. Orimura?”
“I’m going to enjoy the little bit of free time that I have.”
She was right. The teachers had almost no unscheduled time, so I didn’t want to waste any more of it than I had to.
“All right, we’ll go get lunch then.”
“Don’t be late coming back.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
With that, we left the beach. It was just past noon, so plenty of other students were leaving, too.
“Did you see Ms. Orimura’s swimsuit? It looked great! She looks so awesome in it.”
“I’m jealous.”
“Keep being jealous, because you aren’t ever gonna be like that.”
“I-I won’t know until I try!”
Everyone was excited. Hearing a family member being praised was like being tickled, I didn’t know whether to laugh or be nervous. They were right, though. It did look good on her. She looked awesome. Like a model—no, better than a model.
“Ichika, is Ms. Orimura your type?”
“My... Huh? Why are you asking me that all of a sudden, Charl?”
“Oh, no reason in particular. I just thought you were looking at her a lot differently than you looked at us.”
Was Charl... Mad? But why?
“Looks like I have a lot of rivals. And not easy ones, either. Especially if Ms. Orimura is on the list.”
Yeah, she was definitely tough. Last month we saw her wielding an IS blade with her bare hands. How much skill and how much strength must that take?
“Yeah, she really is amazing.”
“I’m not sure you understood what I meant, Ichika.”
“Eh? Really?”
“Really. Definitely. Sigh... Sometimes I think you, yourself, are the toughest one.”
Huh, really? Honestly, I’d rather not spar with her if I could avoid it. We’d teamed up before, so she knew all my tricks.
“Oh well, no sense in thinking too hard about it. C’mon, Ichika. Let’s go!”
“Sure.”
I didn’t really understand why, but it seemed like her mood had passed, as she took my hand and led me toward the beach house to change. Sure, I wanted to swim again later, but who would go get lunch in their swim trunks?
“I wonder what’s for lunch? We’re at the ocean, maybe we’ll get sashimi.”
“Sashimi! That sounds great, I love it when it’s fresh.”
It seemed like Charl had really taken to Japanese culture. If it was Cecilia, she’d be complaining about how unthinkable it was to eat fish without cooking it. And Laura, on the other hand, would go “Don’t worry. I’m trained in jungle survival, I know what I can eat raw safely.” It’s not like that, Laura. Speaking of which... I realized I hadn’t seen Houki all morning. Didn’t she go down to the beach? She’s a great swimmer, I wonder why not. As I thought about that, I split from Charl to go to the boys’ changing stall.
◇
In seemingly no time at all, it had become half past seven. I was eating dinner in the banquet hall, which was composed of three separate wings.
“This is great! It’s awesome that we get sashimi for lunch and dinner.”
“Yeah. They really spare no expense at IS Academy.”
Charl, sitting to my right, nodded as she spoke. Like everyone else here, Charl was wearing a yukata. I didn’t really understand why, but it seemed to be a resort rule.
“Yukata are required while dining.”
Isn’t it usually the other way around? The first year students, packed together in straight rows, were all kneeling, as was proper for a tatami room. Each had a small table placed before them. The menu was sashimi, a simple hot pot, and two different wild vegetable salads. There was also dashi red miso soup and a quick pickle medley. Now, this all may sound completely average, but the sashimi: it was filefish. It even had the liver left in. I couldn’t believe it. My tongue silently bathed in its unique mouthfeel and mild taste. Even the liver was simply rich, rather than gamey or off. I was beginning to understand why it had become so popular lately.
“This is really good. It even has real wasabi. I’m amazed that they’re actually feeding this to high schoolers,” I said aloud.
“Real wasabi?”
“Oh, didn’t you know? It’s the kind grated straight from the root.”
“Eh? Then what’s the stuff we get when they have sashimi at the dining hall at school?”
“Oh, that’s prepared wasabi. That stuff’s normally made with horseradish. They just dye it to look like the real thing.”
“Hmm. So this is the real deal?”
“Yeah. Though prepared wasabi’s gotten pretty good lately, too. Some restaurants even mix it with the real stuff.”
“Huh.”
She took a bite. Wait, Charl, did you really just eat that whole mound of wasabi?
“MMPH!”
Yep, she really did. Now she was pinching her nose as tears streamed down her face. I couldn’t believe she just did that...
“Are you okay?”
“Hm fnnh...” As she spoke in a nasal voice, Charl tried to keep up a relaxed grin, but her tears belied her efforts. “It... It’s certainly flavorful... It’s delicious... I think?”
Sometimes she tries way too hard.
“Ugh...”
Oh, and Cecilia, sitting to my left, had been groaning like this all meal. It seemed like she wasn’t at all used to kneeling. She had hardly eaten her food.
“Are you okay, Cecilia? You don’t look well.”
“I... I’m perfectly fine...”
She definitely didn’t seem fine. Was kneeling that difficult for her? She was trembling harder and harder, but something—maybe her pride as an Englishwoman—still made her take her chopsticks to hand.
“I suppose... I’ll try...”
Her slow gulps made it clear that she was having difficulty even with the soup. Speaking of which, since IS Academy took applications from all around the world, the students and teachers around me were a very diverse group. Even the wall of yukatas around me was broken up by blonde hair here, silver hair there, brown skin and blue eyes. It almost felt like I could take a world tour without leaving the room. Nah, not really.
“It... It’s quite good...”
A smile slowly appeared on her face. Wow, she really looked like she was forcing herself.
“You don’t have to keep kneeling, Cecilia. Why don’t you go to a table? Plenty of other girls from our class have. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Since there were so many nationalities, races, and religions represented, they’d thought to provide an adjoining room with tables for those who had difficulty eating while kneeling. The small tables we had also separated into a frame and a serving tray, so anyone who wanted to move could just bring their food with them.
“I’ll endure. It’s nothing at all compared to what I went through to get my hands on this seat.”
Hm? What did she mean by ‘get my hands on this seat’? I thought we just sat down in the order we walked in. Was I wrong?
“Ichika, there are things girls have to deal with.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
I guess she was right. Speaking of which, where was Houki? Oh, there she was, sitting at the far end of the next row. You could tell she was raised in a dojo by how straight she held her back even eating while kneeling. She was carrying on a lively conversation with classmates, and didn’t notice me looking. It was no real surprise that she looked amazing in a yukata. Was this what they meant when they talked about the flower of Japanese womanhood?
“Oh, Orimura! Hey!”
The girl next to Houki noticed me and waved her hand. At once, Houki’s expression changed from enjoyment to a steely glare in my direction. I could just tell she wanted to shout over, “Stop leering at girls, you creep!” I gave a halfhearted wave back, and went back to my dinner. They’d probably have a hard time eating if I kept staring at them.
And hey, where did Tabane go, anyway? After all the fanfare of her entrance, she’d disappeared completely. I still didn’t really understand what went through her head.
“Ughhh...”
And then there was Cecilia. It really seemed like she couldn’t handle kneeling at all. She’d just dropped her sashimi twice.
“Cecilia?”
“I am not going to move.”
She shot me down before I could even ask.
“You’re not managing to get any food down, though. Should I feed you? I did it for Charl befo—”
“Ichika!” yelled out Charl.
“S-Sorry...”
Whoops, I let it slip out. It must still have been embarrassing for her to have been fed because she couldn’t use chopsticks. I quickly covered my mouth and apologized.
“Is this true, Ichika?!”
Wow, Cecelia seemed really interested. How could I change the subject?
“Well, Charl was sick that day, and—”
“I don’t care what you did or didn’t do for Charlotte! J-Just... Will you really feed me?!”
“Err, sure, I don’t mind. By the time your legs calm down your food would probably get cold, otherwise. And the sashimi’s filefish. It’d be a shame to let it shrivel up.”
“Ah, of course! Yes, yes! Allowing such a wonderful meal to spoil would be an insult to the chef!”
That was definitely true. You couldn’t just take for granted that someone would be there cooking for you. If you forgot to be grateful, you weren’t even human.
“Very well, then. Shall we begin?” Cecilia handed me her chopsticks as she spoke. I took them and immediately picked up a piece of sashimi.
“Are you okay with wasabi, Cecilia?”
“I suppose, if it’s a little bit...”
So not very okay, then. That was a shame, it was good.
“Here goes.”
“Okay. Ahh...”
Just as she was about to bite down, though, trouble started.
“Hey! Hey, wait! No fair, Cecilia! What are you doing?!”
“She’s getting fed by Orimura! What a cheater!”
“No fair! That’s playing dirty! What a minx!”
Ugh, it looked like the other girls saw us. I shouldn’t have been surprised by that, though. We were all sitting in straight rows, it wasn’t like it was that hard.
“Why, this is perfectly fair! It’s simply a privilege of sitting by his side.”
“That’s exactly what isn’t fair!”
“Orimura, feed me, too!”
Suddenly, I was almost crushed under an avalanche of girls seizing the opportunity to experience it for themselves. They needed to cool it. It was pretty obvious that they could all eat by themselves.
“Hurry!”
“Ahh!”
The girls crowded in further. What were they, baby birds?
“Can’t you all even quiet down when you eat?” A voice rang out, and the room froze in place.
“Ms. Orimura...”
“Looks like you’ve all got a lot of excess energy. Very well. How’s an after-dinner run on the beach sound? Let’s go for a distance of, hmm... fifty kilometers seems about right.”
“Oh, no, no! It’s fine! We’ll be quiet now!”
The girls rushed back to their seats. After watching them, Chifuyu turned to look at me.
“Orimura, you need to start less trouble. It’s a pain to clean up after you.”
“Understood.”
Was it really my fault? I guess so.
“So, uh, Cecilia. I’m sorry, but—”
“.........”
Her face had the poutiest pout I’d ever seen. If you typed out the sound you’d imagine it making, you’d have to put at least four tildes on the end.
“Er, ah...”
“No, no, I understand. You certainly value your sister’s opinions very highly.”
Sigh. Looks like she was mad— Oh, right.
“I’ll make up for it, Cecilia. Come to my room later.” As I almost whispered it, Cecilia blinked in confusion.
“Your room? Then, that means—” Suddenly, she clasped my hand between hers and murmured back intensely. “Of course! I understand! Simply give me a short time to prepare!”
Prepare? Prepare for what? As I wondered what she meant, Cecilia seemingly sprang back to life as she devoured her meal. I guess she’d gotten used to kneeling. That was nice, at least.
“Ah, it’s all so wonderful!”
She was definitely hyped up about something. And, I mean, it was good food. I understood where she was coming from. What was this hot pot seasoned with? Ginger, Japanese pepper, and... Hmm. I couldn’t quite make it out. It had a deep, rich flavor, so delicious it made me curious. I guess I was growing more and more domestic as time went on. As I hemmed and hawed over the ingredients, before I noticed, I’d eaten until my stomach was full.
◇
“Ahh, that hit the spot.”
After eating, I went to the hot spring. It was incredibly luxurious. I was in quite the good mood as I returned to my room, after having an open-air bath that looked out over the sea all to myself. Ah, I guess Chifuyu went to bathe too? She wasn’t in the room, so it was probably a safe assumption. Wait— Speak of the devil. Or demon, as may be...
“Aww, you’re alone? You’re going to bore me to death if you don’t try to sneak at least one girl in here.”
“I told you— Oh, never mind. Forget it.”
This room was still pretty much Ms. Orimura’s. It might well have caught up with me later if I’d tried anything indecent. Oh, and it seemed like she had been to the hot springs, as her hair was still wet. Even though she was my sister, seeing glossy black hair like that made my pulse speed up.
“Hey, Chifuyu.”
Thunk. A sharp chop bounced off my head.
“Call me Ms. Orimura.”
“C’mon, it’s fine. There’s only the two of us, and we just got out of the bath, and besides, it’s been forever—”
◆
“Hm-hmhm~♪”
Cecilia hummed happily to herself as she dressed, following a relaxing post-dinner bath and shower. She’d put the resort’s yukata back on, but underneath it was a different set of underwear. Well, it certainly didn’t hurt to be prepared! A confident smile spread over her face as she thought to herself. Cecilia’s classmates, though, couldn’t help noticing her confidence and excitement.
“Did something good happen, Cecilia?”
“Oh, nothing!”
“It... sure doesn’t seem like nothing.”
“Oh, is that so?” she giggled. “Fine, whatever. What a disappointment this trip is, though. I came all ready to have some fun with Orimura, but he’s staying with the demon, so...”
The surrounding girls nodded in shared disappointment.
By the way, the resort’s suites were set up with games from playing cards to Uno, hanafuda to Life, and even what every boy—or in this case, every girl—wanted an excuse to play: Twister. Some things didn’t change, even in the 21st century. Not that I need to waste my time playing games tonight. Cecilia continued humming as she sprayed on a light perfume. Her beautiful hair, full of body, was at least 20% more gorgeous than normal.
“Ooh! Ceci’s wearing her grown-up panties!”
Miss Casual may have spent most of her time with her eyes half closed, but it clearly did nothing to dull her perceptiveness. Hearing those words, even Cecilia couldn’t help letting out a nervous yelp. After all...
“Oh really? Lemme see!”
“Take it off! Take it all off!”
“Eek! Stop it, don’t yank!”
The old saying was that ‘three women make a market,’ so a suite with nine girls was practically an auction house; especially with all the pent-up energy and newfound free time from not having Ichika to play with. Cecilia knew all too well just how fired up and ready to jump on any distraction they were.
“Oh wow! Those are so sexy!”
“Dirty, dirty!”
“Why are you wearing your date panties, anyway? It’s not like you’re gonna get in to see Orimura.”
“Well, well. Little Cecilia’s grown up for her age.”
Each girl had their own take, but eventually they settled on one shared opinion.
“Cecilia, you’re so naughty!”
“I am certainly not ‘naughty’! This... This is just what quality lingerie looks like!” Cecilia blushed and rewrapped her yukata as she fired back, praying in her heart that no one realized she’d been invited to Ichika’s room alone.
“You sure did take your time washing up, though.”
Twitch.
“You showered afterward, and you even put makeup back on.”
Twitch, twitch.
“Are you sure you’re not up to something?”
“I very much am not! This is simply how any proper woman should take care of themselves. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a prior engagement!”
She stood as she attempted to cut off the line of conversation. Once I make it out that door, he’s as good as mine! Or so she thought, but...
Sniff, sniff.
“That isn’t your usual perfume. Is that Leliel No. 6? Wow, that’s the really good stuff!” As they heard Miss Casual speak, the other girls’ faces twisted. It was over. Over before she even realized it. The other girls had already latched on.
“Leliel No. 6? I heard that cost tens of thousands of yen a spray!”
“Isn’t that the one they only make a few hundred bottles of a year? And every one has a serial number?”
“You really have one? Let me see it!”
“Well, I don’t mind showing you, but perhaps we could save it for—”
“No way!” Cecilia sighed internally as the other girls grabbed onto her arms. It was a firm grip, one she was sure they wouldn’t relax easily.
“Where’d you get this?! I’ve heard you can’t even walk into a store and buy it!”
“A relative has an acquaintance at Leliel.”
“Wow! You really are loaded!”
“It’s not so much me as my family.”
“Let me smell it!”
“I don’t even mind if you try it on, but I really must be going now.”
“No way!” Cecilia sighed internally, as the cycle began again.
“That’s such a waste, though!”
“You already put it on, we’ll just sniff you!”
“Sniff! Sniff!”
The girls spread their arms as they stepped forward. Cecilia, realizing the trouble she was in, backpedaled, only to soon find a wall.
“Hehehe. You’re not getting away.”
“Now, lie back and let us sniff you!”
“This is gonna be fun!”
Step by step, the girls closed in, Their eyes gleaming with a strange light.
“N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
◆
“Ugh, that was terrible...”
Cecilia, thoroughly worked over, stumbled out into the hallway without a moment to catch her breath. But now I can go to Ichika’s room— The mere thought made the exhaustion and the frustration fall from her shoulders. In no more than 10 seconds, her clothes were fixed. I should clear my throat, too. Mhm! Her bliss was mirrored by the spring in her step, as she nearly skipped down the hall to her destination. But...
“.........”
“.........”
Two girls stood by the door to the room.
“Ling? And Houki? What on earth are—”
“Ssh!” Ling hushed Cecilia swiftly. As she stood in confusion by the door, she heard voices from inside.
“We haven’t done it in so long. Are you nervous?”
“Of course not, you idiot— Mm! B-Be a little bit gentler...”
“Okay. How about... here?”
“Ah! Wait, no, not—”
“It’ll feel good soon. It’s been so long since the last time we did this.”
“Ahhn!”
“Whatever could they...” Cecilia’s lips trembled as she forced them into a smile and asked. But she was answered with only silence.
“.........”
Ling and Houki had empty stares. The stares of those who were completely drained.
“Now I’m going to—”
“Wait, Ichika.”
Their voices cut off as the trio pressed their ears to the door in eager curiosity...
Bam!
“BWAH!” The door slammed open. The moment it was pushed, three teenage girls shouted in unison.
“What are you fools doing?”
“Aha... Hahaha....”
“Good evening, Ms. Orimura...”
“Good night, Ms. Orimura!”
They sped off like hares, but were caught almost immediately; Ling and Houki by the napes of their necks, Cecilia by a well-placed stomp on the hem of her yukata. They were no match for Chifuyu in IS combat, and even less so on foot.
“Eavesdropping is a nasty habit, but you have good timing. Step inside.”
“EHH?”
Their ears perked up at the unexpected invitation.
“Oh, but first, call the other two—Bodewig and Dunois.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am.” Ling and Houki, now set loose, scrambled to find them. Cecilia, meanwhile, adjusted her collar as she entered the room.
“Oh, hey, Cecilia. I was wondering when you’d get here. Let’s get started!”
Ichika patted the bed as he invited Cecilia in. Cecilia, shocked by the nonchalant and direct invitation, blushed.
“Er, um, your sister is here, so I’m not sure—”
“Huh? Nah, it’s fine. I’m all warmed up already, let’s get going.”
“I, er, I mean, the atmosphere isn’t quite...”
“Huh...?”
Ichika, not understanding what Cecilia couldn’t bring herself to say, simply made a strange face and patted the bed again. Nervously, she glanced over at Chifuyu, who silently stared back as if to say ‘Don’t mind me, go right ahead.’ Well, I certainly have to mind you at least a little bit! Still, this was getting nowhere. And since Chifuyu had called for Charlotte and Laura, things would be even worse if she waited. Ugh... I suppose a girl needs determination! Screaming in her heart, she laid down, half out of desperation. The pounding of her heart almost tore open her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut as her mind swirled between anticipation and fear.
“.........”
But, nothing happened. Surprised, she opened her left eye just to peek, and Ichika spoke.
“Cecilia, I can’t do this unless you lie on your front.”
“Eh? Eh? O-On my front?”
“Yeah.”
“I-I see...” Cecilia was momentarily put off as that certainly wasn’t what she’d read about, but soon she understood that perhaps that was how they did it in Japan.
“Anyway, here I go.”
“Yes! Oh, yes!”
She was too far gone to consider her response, let alone be embarrassed by it. Waiting for the sensation of a hand on her back, Cecilia’s heart pounded faster and faster toward its limits. And then—
“All right...”
Poooooooooke.
“Oww! Ichika! What are you— Ah!”
“What do you mean, ‘what?’ It’s shiatsu.”
“Shiatsu?”
“Yeah. For your back.”
“M-My back...” Cecilia blankly echoed Ichika’s words. “Ah, Ichika? Of all things, was this why you invited me to your room?”
“Yeah. I thought I’d give you a massage. And you’re in one of the suites, right? I didn’t think you could relax there, so I invited you here.”
A crow cried out. Deep in her heart, Cecilia wept.
“How awkward...”
“Eh? What’s wrong? Does it hurt that badly?”
“Extremely. As if I’m dying.”
“Oh, whoops. I’m sorry. I’ll be gentler.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore...”
Cecilia let out a deep, deep sigh, deeper than the darkest night. Alongside it, her face twisted into a blend of exhaustion and despair and resignation and self-mockery, as if her soul was trying to fight its way out of her body. Still, as the massage began, its comfort and the chance to talk with Ichika restored her spirits.
“Is that about right?”
“Yes... It feels good...”
Ichika’s thumbs worked the pressure points alongside her spine.
“Your back is so stiff, though. What have you been doing to yourself?”
“Mm. I’m a bit of a violinist. Ah, wait— That hurts a little.”
“Oh, sorry. I should try something other than shiatsu there, then.”
She felt his thumbs withdraw, to be replaced by the weight of the heel of his palm. The weight of the spread-out, rather than focused, massage relaxed her. Soon, it became pleasantly invigorating, and she unthinkingly let out a moan of pleasure.
“Ahh— Ichika, you’re quite good at this...”
“Well, I always used to give my sister massages.”
“And with the girls...”
Her voice, though condemning, was quiet enough for Ichika not to hear. Perhaps, because of the pleasant sensation of the massage, it carried no real anger. If anything, it was the typical teasing of a close friend, hoping to be indulged.
“All right, now I’m going to work your spine directly.”
“Yes... Go ahead...”
Her good mood and the comfort of the massage soon put Cecilia half to sleep. She relaxed, daydreaming.
“Is there anywhere you want me to work harder?”
“Why, wherever you feel needs it.”
“All right. I’ll try here first.”
Ichika pressed, firmly but gently, with the palm of his hands. He didn’t just press down, but also inward from Cecilia’s sides—in a pattern which not only relaxed her muscles, but carried her off to sleep. As he’d said himself, “A good massage makes you tired. It’s great if you can drift off during it, it’ll just carry your exhaustion away.” And he wasn’t wrong. A painful ‘massage’ may as well have just been torture. A real massage was as much about relaxation as working out knots. It invigorates the body and the soul.
Mmm... I’m really sleepy... The longer she let her thoughts drift, the better she felt. At the same time, she noticed the smell of a man—Ichika—in bed alongside her, and her heart silently leapt. He smells nice... Already half-asleep, she was about to let herself be carried off to Dreamland on that sweet scent. When suddenly—
Squeeeeeeze!
“......?!?!?!”
Cecilia was yanked back to reality by a sudden pinch on her butt. I-I-I-Ichika?! Even for a massage, that’s going too far! Clutching her right hand to her pounding chest, she hesitantly turns around, and...
Chifuyu had wholeheartedly grabbed onto Cecilia’s butt. Her face was that of a successful prankster, but without one shred of innocent glee. Her grin was that of a panther. “I can’t believe you’re wearing panties like that at your age. And black ones, too?”
“Ah... Eeeeeek!”
As Chifuyu grabbed Cecilia’s butt from below, her yukata flipped up, revealing her hips and also the underwear in question. They were special date night panties, woven together from scant patches of lace. Each side was tied together with cord, for easier removal.
“.........” Ichika blushed deeply and turned away. It was obvious that he’d seen them. Cecilia, realizing this, was beyond embarrassed, and just wanted to find somewhere to hide.
“Ms. Orimura! Let go of me!” As she flushed bright red and shouted, Chifuyu unexpectedly did just that.
“Well, well. Only fifteen, and already trying for harlotry right under the nose of your teacher?”
“Ha-Harlotry?!”
“I was just kidding. You four out there— Feel free to come in.”
Rattle, shuffle.
“..................”
After a few seconds of silence, the door opened slowly. Standing outside were Houki, Ling, Charlotte, and Laura. Each was wearing one of the resort’s yukata.
“Enough massaging for now, Ichika. Everyone, find a place to sit down.”
The four, waved in by Chifuyu, nervously entered. As instructed, they each found a place to sit—not that the options of bed or chair were that varied.
“Phew. I sure have worked up a sweat massaging two people in a row.”
“It’s because you don’t know when to back off. You need to be more efficient,” jeered Chifuyu.
“I’d feel like I was wasting the other person’s time, then.”
“You’re too honest for your own good.”
“It wouldn’t kill you to praise me for once, would it?”
“Who knows? Maybe it would.”
The girls took in the scene as they followed the repartee. It soon became obvious that both Cecilia and Chifuyu had, when overheard, simply been massaged.
“Aha... Hahaha....”
“Well, I guess that makes sense.” Houki sighed out her tension, while Ling tried to seem in control.
“.........”
Meanwhile, Charlotte and Laura, who both seemed to have more detailed imaginings of what had been going on, were both bright red and looking down at the floor.
“Go take another bath. I don’t want your sweat stinking up the room.”
“Mmm. Fine.” Ichika, nodding at Chifuyu’s suggestion, took a towel and left the room. His last comment was “Just relax. Well... If you can.”
“.........”
And, just as he’d said, five girls remained sitting in nervous silence.
“What is this, a funeral? A wake? What happened to all that enthusiasm?” Chifuyu was the first to shatter the still air.
“Well, um...”
“We’ve never...”
“I don’t think we’ve ever talked with you like this.”
“Okay, okay, fine. Drinks are on me. Shinonono, what do you want?”
Houki’s shoulders trembled as she was singled out. Unable to answer, she squirmed in her seat. Chifuyu stood, opened the resort minibar, and pulled out five cold drinks.
“Here. There’s one ramune, one orange juice, one sports drink, one coffee, and one black tea. Trade ‘em around until everyone’s happy.”
As she spoke, she handed them out in order to Houki, Charlotte, Ling, Laura, and Cecilia, who were each satisfied and felt no need to trade.
“T-Thank you very much.” Words of gratitude passed each pair of lips in one direction, shortly followed by cold drinks in the opposite. As each girl swallowed, Chifuyu broke out into a grin.
“So you drank it?”
“Er, yes?”
“Well, of course we did...”
“Did you put something in them?!”
“Have some gratitude. Plus, I wanted to make sure we were all in this together.” As she spoke, she pulled forth something else from the minibar: a can of beer with a shining star logo. Chifuyu pulled the tab, causing foam and droplets to fizz forth. Pressing the can to her lips, she chugged the contents down.
“.........”
As the others gasped, she sat down on the bed, self-satisfied.
“Hmm. It’d taste better with Ichika’s cooking, but I’m just gonna have to wait, aren’t I?”
The girls stared, not recognizing the person in front of them as the strict, by-the-book Ms. Orimura. Laura, especially, had been blinking in shock, as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“What’s with the faces? I’m human, aren’t I? Can’t a girl have a drink? Or did you expect me to crack open a can of 10W-40?”
“Well, it’s not...”
“Not like that, we just...”
“Just were thinking...”
“Thinking, aren’t you technically at work right now?”
Laura’s jaw was still hanging slack in shock. Rather than let out words, her mouth furiously chugged in coffee.
“C’mon, don’t be so cold. Besides, I thought I gave you a little something to keep everyone’s mouths shut.” Chifuyu looked around at the drinks in everyone’s hands as she grinned. The girls gasped as they finally realized what she meant. “Anyway, enough small talk. Let me get to the point.”
She motioned for Laura to get her another beer, which she cracked open, then continued.
“What do you like about him, anyway?”
Everyone knew exactly who ‘him’ referred to. It had to be Ichika.
“I’m just annoyed that he’s fallen behind on his practice,” Houki answered as she tipped her ramune back.
“We always end up together, whether I like it or not,” Rin muttered as she fiddled with the cap of her sports drink.
“As class representative, I want to make sure he’s actually doing his best.” Completely the opposite from before, Cecilia replied forcefully.
“I see. I guess I should tell him that.”
As soon as the words left Chifuyu’s mouth, the three startled, then leaned in.
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO!”
Chifuyu laughed off their reaction, and tipped her own beer back.
“I... Well, he’s kind, and...” Charl, shyly and quietly, yet still firmly, gave her own answer.
“Oh? But he’s kind to everyone.”
“Well, yeah... Sometimes that bothers me.” Even as she pretended to laugh it off, she fanned her burning cheeks. The three others stared silently at her, as if jealous or resentful.
“And what about you?” Chifuyu spoke to Laura, who’d been silent the whole time. Seemingly unprepared, she jerked to attention, trying to form words.
“I suppose... Because he’s strong...”
“But he’s weak.”
A blunt rebuttal. Chifuyu spoke matter-of-factly, but Laura, for once, argued with her.
“He’s strong. Stronger than me, at least.”
“If you say so,” Chifuyu began, as she finished her second beer. “Anyway, whether he’s strong or not. He’s certainly useful. He can clean, cook, and even give massages. Right, Alcott?”
Cecilia answered with a blushing nod.
“Anyway, I know just the kind of girl he’s looking for. Wanna find out?”
The girls looked up at her in shock.
Nervously, Laura asked, “Will... Will you tell us?”
“Hahaha, of course not!”
The girls sighed internally.
“If you wanna be a woman, you’ve gotta learn to come and take it. Gotta step it up, kids.” Chifuyu brought her third beer to her mouth, and broke out in a heartfelt grin.