Vol. 2 Chapter 78 – The Sea, Popular Types, and a Luxury Resort (2)

Having completed our preparations, we left the cottage and headed to the sea ahead of the others.

Initially, I’d been weighed down by the thought of how to survive amongst this group of Popular Types, but I’d gained a reassuring ally in Komiya-kun.

And so, with somewhat lightened steps, we carried our luggage and walked for about five minutes.

We arrived at a sandy beach, bathed in dazzling sunlight.

A white sandy beach stretched endlessly to the left and right.

Beyond it, a vast, deep blue ocean spread out to the horizon.

Both were glittering like jewels under the strong summer sun.

“Whoooa! Amazing!”

“It’s the ocean! Holy crap! It’s huge!”

One by one, starting with those at the front, everyone was captivated by the scenery, their vocabulary diminishing in its presence.

“Let’s gooo! Yahoooo! First one in!”

“Hey, no fair! Me too, me too!”

As if it were instinctively ingrained in them that this is what one must do upon seeing the ocean.

The group of Popular Types tossed their luggage aside right where they stood and sprinted across the sand, each trying to be the first.

“Seriously, those guys… Are they kids or what…?” (Komiya)

Watching them frolic by the water’s edge like something out of a teen drama, Komiya-kun laughed beside me, exasperated.

“No choice… Guess we’ll set up a base before the girls get here.” (Komiya)

“R-Right. Let’s do that.” (Reiya)

If I just did what Komiya-kun said, I couldn’t go wrong.

Like a baby bird imprinting on the first thing it sees, I had placed my complete trust in him.

The two of us efficiently assembled the parasols, chairs, and other items we’d received from the girls.

“Still, this is a pretty nice spot, huh? Surprisingly few people too.” (Komiya)

“Yeah, I was imagining it’d be incredibly crowded since it’s peak season, but this way, we can relax and have fun.” (Reiya)

I replied, looking around.

For the height of the midsummer beach season, there weren’t that many visitors.

Perhaps the reason was that the large hotel, the core facility of the adjacent resort, stood in a way that blocked off the road and the coast, creating a sort of semi-private beach space.

Whether that was a good or bad thing aside, it might have made it a bit difficult for regular beachgoers just looking for a swim to access from the outside.

Additionally, it seemed they’d succeeded in keeping out local guys looking to pick up girls, thanks to several sturdy lifeguards keeping a watchful eye.

“Phew… Is that everything, for now?” (Komiya)

The two of us somehow managed to finish setting up our base of operations for the day.

Just as we finished, we saw the girls walking over from the direction of the cottages.

“Oh, looks like the girls are here. Hey! Over here, over here! You guys too! The girls are here!” (Komiya)

Komiya-kun first waved to call over the girls, then called out to the guys playing in the sea.

“Reiya-kuuuun!” (Hikaru)

Amidst all this, the first one to rush over to us was Hikaru.

“Sorry, I’m late!” (Hikaru)

“No, it’s fine. We haven’t been waiting that long.” (Reiya)

“Really? That’s good then~” (Hikaru)

She practically leaped to grab my arm, her face breaking into a wide, happy grin.

She was wearing a large hoodie on top, her defenses raised to ensure her swimsuit wasn’t easily seen.

Even so, perhaps due to the liberating feeling of the summer sea, her tension was slightly higher than usual.

“Sorry to keep you waiting~. Oh, you set up the parasols and beach chairs for us.” (Sakuramiya)

Next, the group of girls arrived, and a little later, the guys also returned.

“Yeah. Me and Kageyama did it. These guys were just messing around.” (Komiya)

“What’s that~? Don’t just play around, help out properly~” (A Girl)

“Shut it. Like you guys weren’t just leaving it to others.” (A Guy)

“Girls have a lot to do, so it can’t be helped!” (Another Girl)

“Like I care about that.” (Another Guy)

While an unfamiliar girl and an unfamiliar guy were bickering, a tall girl who had emerged from the back of the group approached us.

“Shuu-kun, sorry to keep you waiting.” (Haruna)

I knew a little about the girl who approached Komiya-kun, calling him by his first name.

Fujimoto Haruna—Shuei Academy’s track club ace, and Komiya-kun’s girlfriend.

Her hair was an even shorter cut than Hikaru’s, and her features were well-defined, though her expression was somewhat blank.

She wore a rash guard on top, increasing her defenses, but her long, slender legs were shamelessly exposed.

“Oh, Haruna. What’s up? You seem pretty down for someone at the beach.” (Komiya)

“Well, the sun’s strong… and it’s super hot…” (Haruna)

“Would’ve been nice if you’d jumped in passionately like Asahi-san.” (Komiya)

“No way, no way… I absolutely can’t do that kind of thing…” (Haruna)

She waved her hands in front of her face, looking away from Komiya-kun shyly.

Being the girlfriend of the top Popular Type guy, I’d wondered what kind of person she was, but she seemed surprisingly reserved.

However, even if their personalities were opposite, they made a strikingly handsome couple standing together.

It was understandable why Hayato, who had seen them walking together, had been so openly jealous.

“Huh? Where’s Kyo, by the way?”

One of the guys spoke up, and I realized that Sakuramiya-san, today’s organizer, wasn’t there.

“She said she’s going to greet her uncle who invited us, so she’ll be a little late.” (A Girl)

“Is that so? Well, too bad for her, but guess we’ll start having fun without her.” (A Guy)

“You guys were already having fun without her, weren’t you?”

While everyone was laughing at the calm, accurate retort—

“Hey, hey, Reiya-kun…” (Hikaru)

Hikaru whispered to me, so quietly that only I could hear.

“Hm? What is it?” (Reiya)

“I heard from Kyo earlier, but apparently, there are all sorts of activities over there, like snorkeling and an ocean obstacle course.” (Hikaru)

“Oh, really? Sounds interesting.” (Reiya)

“Yeah, and if we wear these wristbands, we can apparently get priority access right now, so how about we sneak off later, just the two of us?” (Hikaru)

“Is that okay? I mean, we all came here together…” (Reiya)

“A little while should be fine, right? It’s not like we’ll be together as a group the whole time… Besides, if we can be alone, I’ll show you my swimsuit properly… okay?” (Hikaru)

The last sentence was whispered even more softly, her body leaning closer as she said it.

That alone was enough to make me rethink things and decide that I was glad I came today after all; I was that simple.

“…Well then, after we hang out with everyone for a bit, later—” (Reiya)

And so, as the two of us were scheming when to sneak away—

“Huh? Kage-P?”

As if to thwart our plans, someone’s voice overlapped.

“K-Kage-P…?!” (Hikaru)

The first one to react to that sound, which made my name sound a million times cuter, was Hikaru.

I, on the other hand, managed to stay surprisingly calm, because although it was quite a while ago, I remembered the girl who used to call me that.

“T-Takasaki-san…?” (Reiya)

“Woow! Long time no see~! Kage-P, you came too~!” (Chisato)

When I called her name, a girl emerged from the group.

Takasaki Chisato—according to Hayato, the owner of the ‘number one selfish body in our grade.’

She bounced over to me, her soft, wavy brown hair and her generously endowed figure—the least defended among the girls here today—jiggling.

“Ah, uh… yeah… Sakuramiya-san invited me…” (Reiya)

“Eeeh! Is that so~! That makes me kinda happy~!” (Chisato)

Takasaki-san spoke in a gentle, drawn-out tone.

Thinking she hadn’t changed a bit, I nervously glanced sideways at Hikaru—

“R-Reiya-kun… you were close with Chisato… close enough to be called by a nickname…” (Hikaru)

She couldn’t hide her agitation, her voice trembling.

“I-It’s not like we were close… We were just on reception duty together a few times at the library when I was on the library committee in our first year, that’s all…” (Reiya)

I explained our relationship concisely, trying to be as innocuous as possible and to avoid any misunderstandings whatsoever.

Yes, that was about a year ago now.

During class committee selections, I, being an external exam entrant with no say and not belonging to any clubs, was pushed into being on the library committee.

It was an incredibly tedious role that involved manning the library reception during lunch breaks and after school.

The person I was paired with several times there was this Takasaki-san.

However, it’s not like any sort of youthful, romantic event occurred there.

Aside from being given a weird nickname, we only had a few business-like conversations.

Other than that, it was a very, very thin relationship where I just diligently performed my committee duties next to her while she was constantly fiddling with her phone.

There shouldn’t be anything for Hikaru to be suspicious about—

“Eeeh~! Saying it like that is so meaan~! We got along super well~…” (Chisato)

For some reason, she acted as if she didn’t think so, which flustered me.

What is this, did I wander into a parallel world or something…?

“W-Was that so…? I don’t think we really talked much, though…” (Reiya)

Beside me, Hikaru was looking back and forth between me and Takasaki-san with a sullen expression.

“Eeeh? Was that how it was~? Well, if that’s what Kage-P thinks, then that’s fine too, I guess~… More importantly, weren’t you two talking about something just now?” (Chisato)

“Oh, it wasn’t anything important…” (Reiya)

“Yeah! We were talking about going to do those marine sports over there! Just the two of us!” (Hikaru)

Cutting me off as I tried to play it down, Hikaru threw a 170 km/h fastball right down the middle.

“Is that so~. Well then, maybe I’ll go with you too~” (Chisato)

In response, Takasaki-san swung for the fences without any hesitation whatsoever.

Between the two of them, invisible sparks seemed to be flying.

I take back what I said before.

Maybe I really shouldn’t have come…