While browsing through the various options, my eyes came to rest on a swimsuit displayed on a mannequin. It was a refined, elegant piece—a floral one-piece with a pareo wrapped around the waist.
...I have a feeling this would look wonderful on Sara-senpai...
"Um, Sara-senpai... what about this one?"
"Yes, I shall try this one on then."
I had braced myself to make the suggestion, but Sara-senpai accepted it immediately, not even waiting for me to finish, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Since she needed to check the fit and size, I decided to wait a short distance away from the fitting room.
Natsumi-senpai, meanwhile, was already in the middle of her own fitting. She had been making quite a fuss about wanting a bikini, so she had picked out a few candidates herself, and we had narrowed it down from there.
Admittedly, I wasn't exactly feeling confident in my fashion sense.
Once I confirmed that Sara-senpai had entered her stall, I moved closer to wait, and that was when Natsumi-senpai stepped out.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! So, what do you think? Does it suit me?"
Ugh...
I realized far too late that I wasn't the type of guy who could just stare intently at a girl in a swimsuit. Was I really expected to give my honest impressions...?
Natsumi-senpai had a very stylish aura, so the bikini suited her perfectly. Her look was entirely different from Sara-senpai's, but being shown off to by such a beautiful girl was, as expected, more than a little embarrassing.
"No, well... it suits you. Very much so."
Natsumi-senpai seemed satisfied after getting a good look at my bashful reaction.
"All right, I’ll go with this one then. It’s set!"
With that, she ducked back into the fitting room, quickly changed back into her street clothes, and emerged again.
"Is Sara still not ready?"
"She's changing right now."
Just as I said the words, the curtain slid open.
Senpai stepped out, looking incredibly shy in the swimsuit I had picked for her.
"........."
I found myself completely spellbound.
It was a relatively modest design, but the floral pattern perfectly complemented her refined beauty. The contrast between her flowing black hair and the white base of the swimsuit was absolutely striking.
She was stunning...
"Hehe, then it is settled."
Leaving me with those words and a radiant smile, Sara-senpai vanished back into the fitting room.
I was certain she had read every bit of my admiration right off my face.
Ugh... how embarrassing.
"Hmm. So Sara was so beautiful that you were literally speechless, huh?"
Naturally, I ended up having to endure a teasing, sidelong glare from Natsumi-senpai.
"By the way, Takanashi-kun, who are you going to invite?" Natsumi-senpai asked suddenly, her curiosity piqued.
"Ah, actually, I'm still torn. It’s either Hayato or my best friend from middle school..."
I really hadn't reached a decision yet.
Hmm.
"Let's see... Come to think of it, things were left on a rather awkward note with that friend of yours I met once, wasn't it?"
...Now that she mentioned it, I had been in a total downward spiral of negativity and misunderstandings back then, so Yuji hadn't walked away with a very good impression of the situation either.
Since we went to different schools anyway, this might be the perfect chance to clear the air.
"Ah, you're right. I'm not exactly happy with how things were left between us either. But are you sure? It might be a little awkward at first with Yuji."
"If he is a precious friend of yours, Kazunari-san, then I would very much like to greet him properly," Sara-senpai added.
"Besides, we can see Yokokawa-kun at school or during club activities anytime," Natsumi-senpai pointed out.
I couldn't help but notice that Natsumi-senpai seemed completely oblivious to Hayato's feelings. However, since the conversation was already flowing toward inviting Yuji—and since I hated the idea of him having a lingering bad impression—the choice was clear.
"All right, I'll try inviting Yuji then."
I’d have to find another way to support Hayato on a different occasion. For this trip, Yuji was the one.
"Hehehe..."
...?
Later that evening.
"Marine Garden Pool?"
I contacted Yuji first to check his availability. Natsumi-senpai had a tennis tournament coming up, so she had a lot of practice sessions to work around. I was hoping our schedules would align.
"Sara-senpai and her friend are coming, so it'll be the four of us. What do you think?"
"I'm in. I can make it work."
It seemed we were good to go. All that was left was the actual trip.
"Got it. I'll let you know the meeting time and place later."
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I’ve got to introduce myself to your girlfriend, after all. I’ll be sure to tell her, 'He's a real handful, so good luck with him.'"
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry for being such a pain."
In truth, I had caused Yuji plenty of trouble and he’d bailed me out more times than I could count, so I couldn't exactly deny his claim.
Still, it had been a long time since Yuji and I had just hung out, so I was looking forward to this pool trip for two different reasons.
Natsumi-senpai was sociable enough that she’d probably hit it off with Yuji immediately.
As for Sara-senpai... she might be a slightly tougher nut to crack.