"Hrrrgh...! Which one? Which one should I pick!?"
While Marcos and Ryuga were locked in their heated duel, Melt stood alone, arms crossed in deep thought.
The girls were out shopping together today. This wasn't just a casual trip to the mall with friends; it was a mission with a very specific purpose: preparing for the upcoming School Trip.
The destination was Wind Island, a nature-rich paradise in the south. There, the students would follow their own itineraries and engage in various learning experiences. Naturally, though, there were group activities scheduled as well, one of which was an outing to a beautiful beach.
On paper, it was just time for recreation... but the crucial detail was that they would be at the sea.
Being at the sea meant dressing for the occasion. And the only appropriate attire for a beach day was, of course, a swimsuit.
A swimsuit. Yes, the swimsuit... a garment that held profound significance for certain girls and a great many boys.
For this particular School Trip, the academy had issued a notice stating that students were free to wear whatever they liked, provided it didn't violate public order or standards of decency. In other words, there was no need to wear the Luminous Academy Specified School Swimsuit. Every girl was free to pick out whatever she thought was the cutest.
Naturally, the boys were already eagerly anticipating the sight of the girls in swimwear under the tropical sun. While some girls loathed that kind of attention, others saw it as a golden opportunity.
"What do I do? What’s the play here!?"
Melt groaned, her brain likely working harder than it ever had in her life as she stared at the massive rows of swimsuits on the racks in the Swimsuit Section.
Scanning the kaleidoscope of colors and designs, she struggled to decide which equipment would be optimal. She didn't look like someone shopping for fun; she looked like a general preparing for war.
And that was exactly what she was doing. Melt wasn't choosing a swimsuit for recreation. She was selecting a weapon to ensure victory in the great war known as love.
Several months had passed since she first met Yugo. She had come to see him as a man and had made her own subtle advances, yet there was no sign of their relationship progressing. If anything, with the arrival of rivals like Anhel, Setsuna, and Sakura, she felt as though her initial advantage as his first and only friend was slipping away.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—the pathologically dense Yugo hadn't been swayed by the advances of these other beautiful girls, nor did he treat anyone with special favoritism. However, Melt didn't expect that to last forever, nor was she satisfied with the status quo.
She had been the first to become his friend. She had been the first to fall for him. There was no way she would just stand by and let someone else swoop in and claim the position of his girlfriend.
The upcoming School Trip to the Southern Island was her greatest chance to break the stalemate. By showing him a different side of herself in an unfamiliar environment, she wanted to push their relationship forward. Ideally, she wanted to cross the finish line then and there.
But the opponent was Yugo... a man so incredibly dense that he defied logic, much like the transformation sequence of a certain Fruit Basket Shogun.
How could she make such an oblivious man see her as a woman? The swimsuit was the answer.
Under the brilliant sun, if she flashed a radiant smile while emphasizing her prized proportions in a revealing swimsuit, surely even Yugo’s heart would skip a beat. Back when she had tripped and accidentally flashed her underwear, he had clearly been flustered. He wasn't devoid of typical adolescent male emotions.
An opportunity like this wouldn't come again. She had to go for broke.
Melt’s expression grew intensely serious as she scrutinized her options for this essential piece of equipment.
"The classic Bikini is definitely the strongest choice. Should I go with purple to match my sword... or maybe pink to match my hair? Ugh, I have to consider the pattern and the cut, too...!"
Waist: toned. No excess fat there; she wasn't ashamed to show it off.
Bust and hips: check. Well, she wasn't sure if they were "perfect," but she was confident they were well above average.
This would be a decisive battle fought with these biological weapons and the ultimate armor known as a swimsuit. She had to give it her all to secure a sweet, sunset moment alone with Yugo.
Just as Melt clenched her fist in renewed determination, she felt a piercing gaze directed toward her, sending a jolt of static through her brain.
(A presence... a malicious presence!!)
With a mental ping, Melt whipped around to see a group of girls staring back at her. Their eyes met.
Yes... this was the start of the campaign. This wasn't just a battle for Yugo’s heart; it was a direct confrontation with her rivals.
As the other girls approached with smiles on their faces, Melt returned the gesture with a smile of her own. In that moment, a covert war erupted right there in the Swimsuit Section.