"Heh heh heh...! Score! I got the boyfriend shirt! Man, I’m so glad I chose such a skimpy swimsuit today!"
"Gunu-nu! Anhel, you’re getting way too cocky...!"
"The strategist was drowned by her own schemes. I failed..."
"But I was the one wearing that haori! It was the one Yugo-dono gave to me!"
"Hahaha! Your petty jealousy is music to my ears! I just hope my chest isn't so big that I stretch the fabric out before I give it back to Yugo! Hahahahaha!"
While cleaning the beach ravaged by the Sahagins, the girls were making quite a scene, caught in the middle of a bizarre dispute.
Anhel was triumphantly gloating with her head held high, while the other three looked on with envy. The cause of their friction was none other than the jacket Yugo had handed over.
Earlier, Yugo had lent the jacket to Sakura to cover her outrageous sarashi and fundoshi outfit. However, he eventually noticed that Anhel’s attire was also quite revealing. Given that she boasted the most "explosive" physique among them, he had concluded it would be safer for her to be covered while moving around during the cleanup.
Thus, Yugo's Rash Guard had been transferred from Sakura to Anhel. Now, Anhel was bragging about her prize while the rest of the women looked on in jealousy.
"Ugh! Uwaaaah!"
"I’m sorry, Sakura-chan. It’s my fault for suggesting I lend you my jacket instead..."
Sakura was stamping her feet, her eyes brimming with tears of pure frustration. Raiha, the owner of the jacket currently tied around Sakura's waist, apologized profusely. Her well-meaning suggestion had ultimately been the catalyst for her best friend losing Yugo’s jacket.
Raiha had figured that since the sarashi offered enough coverage on its own, Sakura would be fine as long as her exposed rear was hidden. She had lent her own jacket to serve as a waist-wrap with the best of intentions, but seeing the current outcome, she felt terrible.
"It is not Raiha's fault at all! But it is so frustrating! The tears won't stop! I am a girl too, after all!"
"Ah, yeah... I'm sorry..."
Thinking that Sakura was especially distraught because she had actually worn the jacket once before being forced to give it up, Raiha tried to comfort her friend, who was in a state of frantic agitation.
Ignoring them for a moment, Melt and Setsuna—who were far more accustomed to being frustrated—secretly scanned their surroundings.
"We’re being watched," Melt whispered. "From a distance, but still."
"Yes. While it’s not exactly a threat, it’s certainly unpleasant."
Most tourists had fled the beach after the Sahagin attack, but a few Luminous Academy students lingered. Among them was a specific group—the self-proclaimed Hero Candidate Party—whose lingering stares were making Melt and the others feel sick.
"Do they think we don't notice? That kind of gaze is painfully obvious."
"They probably think they’re being subtle since there’s some distance between us. But it’s clear as day to the ones being watched."
Whenever the girls bent down to pick up trash from the sand, they could feel those lecherous gazes boring into their cleavage or the curve of their hips. They could pinpoint exactly which boy was looking just by the angle of the stare. If you have time to stare, you have time to help us clean, the girls thought with a collective sigh, reading the minds of the Hero Candidates who wanted to see girls in swimsuits without putting in any of the labor.
In the midst of this, they spoke up out of concern for Raiha, who was drawing the most attention.
"Raiha, are you okay? They’re staring at you like crazy..."
"I-I should give the jacket back after all! It is ten thousand times better for me to be seen than for Raiha to be!"
"No, you can't! If you do that, then you'll be the one they're staring at, Sakura-chan, and that would be even worse!"
"In that case, it might be better if Raiha went back to the hotel alone. If that gets exposed, it'll be a disaster."
"But can we really leave her alone? There are tons of those guys over there looking like starving beasts. Isn't that even more dangerous?"
Raiha was wearing a one-piece swimsuit that wasn't particularly revealing, but as expected, they hadn't been able to find a size that properly fit her. Her petite frame simply couldn't contain her ample curves. With her cleavage visible and her rear slightly peeking out, her "busty loli" physique was a magnet for the vulgar gazes of the Hero Candidates.
However, the girls' concern went deeper than just lewd stares. They were terrified that the large scar on Raiha’s chest might be seen. Though currently hidden by magic and cosmetics, one wrong move could expose the evidence of her identity.
While the women fretted over how to shield her in such a public place, a large jacket was suddenly tossed toward Raiha.
"Wah...!? Ryuga-san? What’s this?"
"Don't ask me questions about things you can see for yourself."
Raiha, having been pelted with the jacket Ryuga had been wearing, looked back and forth between his face and the clothing in her hands. Ryuga had answered her bluntly, but seeing her standing there frozen, he frowned.
"Just put it on," he muttered. "It'll be a hassle if that scar on your chest is seen."
"Y-Yes!"
Raiha hurriedly bowed at Ryuga's words and quickly slipped into the jacket. The onlookers who had been enjoying the sight of her in a swimsuit projected a palpable wave of disappointment and irritation, but Ryuga ignored them entirely.
"You really are quite large, Ryuga-san..."
"You’re just small. It’s not that I’m particularly big."
"That... is true."
Raiha muttered as she stood there in the baggy jacket, the sleeves and hem dwarfing her. Ryuga responded in kind, his expression neutral. Raiha's mouth moved hesitantly before she finally met his eyes.
"Um, thank you very much. You saved me."
"It wasn't for your sake. It was to prevent trouble before it started."
"I know. But... that doesn't change the fact that I am grateful to you, Ryuga-san."
Having said that, Raiha bowed once more and moved away. Yui, who had approached her brother as Raiha left, spoke in a teasing, slightly exasperated tone.
"Honestly, Brother, you should learn a thing or two from Raiha-san and just be straight about your feelings. You just didn't want those Hero Candidates leering at her in her swimsuit, did you?"
Ryuga’s shoulder twitched ever so slightly. For a fleeting second, his composure wavered. He took a short breath, looked at his sister, and delivered his signature response.
"...Don't ask me questions."