Vol. 2 Chapter 86 – The Sea, Popular Types, and a Luxury Resort (10)

“Egh…?” (Hikaru)

An incredibly murky “Eh?” sound escaped Hikaru’s lips.

I also shot Takasaki-san a look that said, ‘What on earth is this woman saying all of a sudden?’ but she paid it no mind and continued.

“Hmm? Hika, don’t you feel like doing ‘it’ even when you’re all lovey-dovey alone with your crush?” (Takasaki)

“Th-that’s… um, uhh… uh, uhh…” (Hikaru)

Faced with such an overly direct question, Hikaru was flustered to an extent I had never seen before.

Why was it all talk like this today?

Was everyone’s brain fried and giddy from the summer sea atmosphere and heat?

I’d heard that girls’ dirty jokes are more extreme, but were they really talking like this all the time?

…This wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.

This was too much to overlook, so I cut into their conversation.

“T-Takasaki-san… talking about such a delicate topic here is a bit…” (Reiya)

“Ehh… But Kage-P, you want to do ‘it’ too, right?” (Takasaki)

“No… I mean, that’s not what I’m talking about…” (Reiya)

“All boys like it, right?” (Takasaki)

Wh-what was with this tactless woman who couldn’t hold a conversation…?

She was like a berserker-type character who wouldn’t accept any command inputs at all.

Her sheer lack of restraint made me curse her inwardly.

“But, that’s why if you don’t let them, they’ll immediately start looking at other girls—” (Takasaki)

“Chisato.” (Sakuramiya)

Sakuramiya-san cut off Takasaki-san’s words, calling her name.

“Hmm? Miyamiya, what is it?” (Takasaki)

“Do you know the word ‘delicacy’?” (Sakuramiya)

She continued, her tone sounding a little angry on our behalf.

“Ehh? But Hika said I could ask anything!” (Takasaki)

“Just come here!” (Sakuramiya)

“Aah, nooo…!” (Takasaki)

She then grabbed Takasaki-san’s life jacket and pulled her away from us.

“I’m really… really sorry, both of you… Chisato seems to have gotten way too excited because she’s been looking forward to this for so long…” (Sakuramiya)

“N-no, it’s not something Sakuramiya-san needs to apologize for…” (Reiya)

“I’m the one who insisted you ride with us… Here, Chisato, you apologize too!” (Sakuramiya)

“Sorrryyy…” (Takasaki)

Takasaki-san apologized, her life jacket still gripped at the collar like a pet cat.

That brought a momentary sense of relief, but next to me, Hikaru was still bright red and looking down.

The distance between us, which had been shoulder-to-shoulder until just now, felt somewhat further away.

“Ah, it looks like we’re about to speed up, so you should probably hold on tight.” (Sakuramiya)

The person driving the jet ski in front was gesturing towards us.

It was a signal that they were about to accelerate, so we should hold on tight.

I gripped the handle on the tube firmly.

Immediately after, the jet ski started kicking up a large amount of water spray from behind.

A beat later, that acceleration reached us as well.

G-forces pulled us in the opposite direction of travel, pressing our bodies down and causing the tube to sink slightly.

A wind carrying the faint scent of the tide hit the front of our bodies, and occasionally, when we went over waves, we were assailed by a light, floating sensation.

When the leading jet ski changed direction slightly, centrifugal force exerted an even greater sideways pull on the tube we were riding.

I see, this was indeed thrilling, contrary to its cute appearance.

While the three girls were screaming “Whee!” and “Ahh!”, I, as usual, had a habit of calmly analyzing things.

After being pulled like that for a while, just as everyone was satisfied, the activity ended.

We were slowly towed by the jet ski and brought to the same pier where we had started.

“Be careful, you’ll lose your balance if you stand up.” (Reiya)

I got off the tube first and offered my hand to Hikaru, who was next to get off from the ramp, but—

“I-I’m fine… thanks…” (Hikaru)

She didn’t take my hand and got off the tube by herself.

While I was perplexed by her slightly distant attitude, Takasaki-san got off next.

“That was fun, but I’m tired from holding on the whole time…” (Takasaki)

Perhaps she was as tired as she said, as she walked towards the shade without any energy to bother me.

Finally, Sakuramiya-san started to get off, but then I noticed something was wrong with her.

“Sakuramiya-san, don’t you look pale? Are you okay?” (Reiya)

Her complexion had worsened to the point where it was noticeable even through her makeup.

“Eh? Ah… I might have gotten a little seasick? You know, it was more intense than I expected.” (Sakuramiya)

She passed by me, hiding her face as if she didn’t want to be seen.

“Kyo, are you okay…?” (Hikaru)

“Miyamiya, you alright?” (Takasaki)

The other two, who had started to walk ahead, also came back, concerned about her condition.

“I’m fine… You don’t all need to crowd around me…” (Sakuramiya)

“But you look really unwell…” (Hikaru)

“I’ll feel better soon if I rest a bit… Come on, let’s go. Oh, you two can keep playing. Thanks for joining us.” (Sakuramiya)

“Aah, Miyamiya… Wait up…” (Takasaki)

Takasaki-san chased after Sakuramiya-san, who had started walking ahead alone, with a light jog.

“Kyo… I wonder if she’s okay…?” (Hikaru)

Hikaru muttered softly beside me as we watched her retreating back.

“She seems to be able to walk on her own, so I don’t think it’s anything too serious.” (Reiya)

“I hope so…” (Hikaru)

Hikaru, who had mumbled worriedly, turned to look at me, and our eyes met.

Instantly, we both quickly looked away.

But after being told something like that, it was impossible not to be conscious of it.

“…What should we do next?” (Reiya)

“Hmm… I’m kind of in the mood to just swim in the sea normally now…” (Hikaru)

“Then, shall we do that…?” (Reiya)

“Mm…” (Hikaru)

Hikaru responded with a faint hum and started walking.

Usually, this was the basic pattern where she would take my hand.

But our current mental state made us hesitate at the act of skin-to-skin contact.

Still, the option of not doing so didn’t exist between us.

Just as I reached out my hand, her hand, also reaching out, touched mine.

Our fingers intertwined, starting from the tips, crossing between each other.

“Ah, it’s hot, isn’t it…” (Hikaru)

“Y-yeah… it’s hot…” (Reiya)

Was it the temperature, or was it our body heat?

The parts where we were touching felt hot enough to burn.

“By the way, Hikaru… about what we were talking about earlier…” (Reiya)

After walking towards the sea in silence for a while, I initiated the conversation.

“Earlier…?” (Hikaru)

“You know, what Takasaki-san was saying…” (Reiya)

“Eh… y-you mean… about that…?” (Hikaru)

At those words, Hikaru recoiled, trying to put some distance between us.

“N-not that one… I mean, the part where she was saying stuff about guys’ eyes wandering…” (Reiya)

“Ah…! Th-that, right…!” (Hikaru)

“I don’t know about other guys, but at least for me, no matter what happens, my eyes will absolutely never wander from you, Hikaru… I just wanted you to be assured of that…” (Reiya)

I still couldn’t meet her eyes, but I wanted to convey the most important thing.

In response, Hikaru stopped in her tracks for a moment, as if taken by surprise—

“…Reallyyy?” (Hikaru)

She squeezed my hand tightly and gave me a mischievous smile.

“R-really.” (Reiya)

“But you were sneaking glances at Kyo’s and Chisato’s swimsuits earlier, weren’t you…?” (Hikaru)

“No, no, no, I wasn’t looking that much!” (Reiya)

“Not that much means you were looking, then…” (Hikaru)

She gave me a fixed, suspicious look.

However, she probably wasn’t being serious and was just teasing me.

“Well, since we’re together, they’d naturally be in my field of vision within a reasonable range…” (Reiya)

But, if she was going to be like that, then I too—

“Well, if it’s Hikaru’s swimsuit, I might stare so much it makes you uncomfortable.” (Reiya)

“Hah… Reiya, you’re really hopeless, aren’t you…” (Hikaru)

She said with a sigh, in an exasperated tone.

But, with a light touch, as if she had been dying to show it off all along, the zipper was pulled all the way down.

LEGEND FELLED

I obtained ‘Hikaru and the Summer Sea – A Cherished Memory.’