"That will be sufficient. I look forward to seeing the results."
"Y-Yes..."
It was a remark that only served to pile on the pressure.
"Sorry to keep you waitiiing!!"
Just then, a loud voice rang out from the direction of the women's changing rooms. Yuri came running toward us, waving her hands energetically. Right beside her were three glittering Young Ladies.
"The weather is lovely, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is almost dazzling."
"Ah... I feel it... I'm finally experiencing youth...!"
All three of them seemed to be savoring the extraordinary atmosphere of the beach, their expressions bright and lively. My eyes were soon drawn to something Yuri was clutching.
"Yuri, is that..."
"A beach ball. I picked it up when we stopped by the department store."
I hadn't noticed. I'd been standing a bit away from the girls while they were swimsuit shopping, so she must have bought it then.
"More importantly, Itsuki. Don't you have something to say?"
"Ugh..."
I knew, at least in theory, what was expected of me at a time like this.
I took a proper look at the four girls standing before me. Narika and Tennoji-san were acting strangely fidgety, their postures shy. Hinako maintained her Young Lady mode, but her cheeks were tinged with a faint pink.
Hinako's swimsuit was a white off-the-shoulder piece, adorned with frills on both the top and bottom. The ruffles softened the silhouette of her body, giving her a modest yet adorable appearance. There was a pure, innocent beauty to her that made me feel like even reaching out to touch her would be a sacrilege.
Tennoji-san's swimsuit was a blue bikini with a pareo wrapped around her waist. The shoulder straps were made of a unique material that caught the sunlight, shimmering like a necklace, and the pareo was intricately patterned. It was a look that commanded attention while remaining perfectly elegant—very much in character for Tennoji-san.
Narika's swimsuit was a black bikini with small white polka dots. She had likely chosen it with an eye for mobility as much as style. Her body, toned by daily exercise, was free of any unnecessary weight, and she showed off her slender, athletic physique without reservation.
Yuri's swimsuit consisted of an orange bikini top and beige shorts. Although Yuri was short and couldn't be called well-developed by any stretch of the imagination, the swimsuit suited her perfectly, projecting a bright, active energy.
After taking in everyone's appearance, I—timidly—opened my mouth.
"………………Everyone, you look great."
"Wimp," Yuri muttered under her breath.
I didn't have the mental fortitude to compliment girls in their swimsuits with any more grace than that.
It was then that I realized the Young Ladies were staring at me intently for some reason.
"Itsuki, you have a... rather toned body," Narika murmured.
"You're right....Wait, since when did you get so muscular?"
"...Well, a lot has happened."
Mainly the fact that Ms. Shizune had been putting me through a Spartan training regimen.
"Even so, I didn't realize a public beach would be this crowded," Tennoji-san remarked, glancing around at the throngs of people.
"Do you usually go to private beaches, Tennoji-san?"
"Yes. Otherwise, I use indoor pools. I prefer those when I want to avoid getting a tan."
"It's hard to imagine you with a tan, Tennoji-san."
"Oh? I used to get them quite often when I was small. I was a very active child, believe it or not."
That was unexpected, I thought for a moment, but then it started to make sense. Tennoji-san was the picture of grace, but she also possessed a certain underlying energy. If Tennoji-san were tanned... I imagined it would be quite a striking look.
While I was lost in thought, Yuri approached me.
"By the way, Itsuki, did you put on sunscreen?"
"Eh?...Ah, crap. I forgot."
"I figured....Good grief."
Yuri let out a sigh and pulled a bottle of sunscreen from her bag.
"Here, lie down."
"Wait... No, I'll do it myself."
"You can't reach your own back, can you?"
She had a point. Realizing resistance was futile, I stretched out on the beach sheet.
"Hup!"
Yuri hopped onto my lower back. She was light enough that it wasn't a problem, but...
"Um, Yuri? Don't you think you're a little close?"
"What are you getting worked up about? We used to take baths together all the time."
Taking baths together!?
Tennoji-san and Narika's eyes practically popped out of their heads.
"That means you both wore swimsuits in the tub, right?"
"Eh? No, we didn't... why would we wear swimsuits...?"
Hinako was asking something very strange. I wasn't entirely sure what she was getting at, but I assumed it was just her way of expressing shock.
"Just to be clear, we're talking about when we were in elementary school," I added with a heavy sigh. Tennoji-san and Narika exhaled in visible relief, patting their chests. Hinako likewise regained her composure.
I really wished Yuri wouldn't phrase things as if we'd been doing it until last week.
...Though I technically still bathed with Hinako even now, that was a secret I intended to take to my grave.
"Okay, all done!"
"Ow!? Don't slap me!"
A sudden sting on my back made me jump up.
"Ahaha! Look at that lovely red handprint!"
"Why you...!"
Yuri bolted toward the water, and I immediately gave chase. My sandals came off, my feet sinking directly into the hot sand. As I bounded across the beach, the heat of the ground made the reality of summer truly sink in.
"Here!"
With a sharp shout, Yuri launched the beach ball into the air. It traced a high arc through the sky, falling toward me.
"Got it."
I adjusted for the wind, extending my right arm to pop the ball back up. It flew toward Hinako.
"Hah!"
"There!"
Hinako hit the ball up, and Tennoji-san sent it sailing toward Narika.
"Haa—!!"
Narika lunged, jumping to catch the ball as the wind caught it, and sent it back toward Yuri with a powerful strike. Her level of intensity was in a league of its own. Narika's natural athleticism was clearly translating well to beach sports.
"Not bad," Yuri said with a smirk.
It occurred to me then that everyone in our group was surprisingly athletic. Hinako and Tennoji-san were top-tier in both academics and sports, and I'd been training my body as well. Yuri had always been fairly capable too. Naturally, even a simple game of keeping the ball up started to feel like a high-level match.
"Simply hitting a ball back and forth in the ocean is unexpectedly profound, isn't it?"
"Indeed. It provides an excellent workout for the legs and core."
The Young Ladies were focusing on some very odd aspects of the game.
I wondered if they even realized... how much attention they were drawing. A group of girls this stunning, all in one place and in swimsuits, was a rare sight. People of all ages and genders were staring at us.
"...Itsuki. Do you always have to deal with this?"
"...I've only recently learned how to block it out."
Yuri and I, standing at the epicenter of the crowd's gaze, were incredibly tense. I'd recently come to understand that the Young Ladies were aware of how they were perceived and adjusted their behavior accordingly. They surely noticed the stares; it was just that being the center of attention was so normal for them that they didn't care in the slightest.
"But still..."
"? What is it?"
Feeling the weight of the surrounding eyes, I looked at Yuri. I'd always known the three Young Ladies were beautiful, but looking at Yuri standing there with them, she really didn't pale in comparison. Since she was my childhood friend, I knew all about her unremarkable past and her down-to-earth values, but if I put those prejudices aside, she was more than capable of holding her own.
"...You're actually pretty cute too, Yuri."
"Wh-Whaaaaaa!? Are you an idiot!? Are you an idiot!?"
"Ow, ow, stop hitting me!"
She began pummeling me to mask her embarrassment. Just then, the ball came whistling toward me with terrifying force.
Turning around slowly, like a rusted electric fan, I saw Hinako. She was smiling brightly, but her eyes were fixed on me with a certain intensity.
"Tomonari-kun. The ball, please."
"Y-Yes, ma'am."
It was best not to provoke her any further. I quickly retrieved the ball and passed it to Tennoji-san.
With a dull thud, the ball was launched high into the air, falling toward Narika. I expected her to return it with her usual sharp form, but... the ball sailed right past Narika and splashed into the water.
"Miyakojima-san, is something the matter?"
"I-I think I've just overexerted myself! I-I'm going to take a short break!"
With a stiff expression, Narika backed away from us. As I stood there wondering what had happened, Narika shot me a look that was practically a plea for help.
"I-Itsuki. Come over here."
She beckoned me over in secret, so I casually made my way to her.
"What's up?"
"...My swimsuit... it washed away."
"Eh?"
"I-I think I moved a bit too vigorously..."
Now that she mentioned it, her top was—no, I almost reflexively checked with my eyes, so I hurriedly looked away.
"My bad! I'm going to take a break too!"
I made a quick exit under the same guise as her. I approached Narika while doing my absolute best not to look at her.
"I mean, wouldn't it have been better to call one of the girls?"
"............T-True."
Why didn't I think of that? Narika looked genuinely bewildered by her own choice, though I was the one who really wanted an answer.
Narika's swimsuit was black. I scanned the crowded water, but I couldn't see it anywhere.
"Maybe it drifted toward those rocks over there."
"W-Wait. Don't leave me alone."
"I mean, I have to find it... do you want to come with me?"
"Y-Yeah. If I stay low and pretend to be swimming, maybe..."
Narika followed me, crouching in the water. Likely to hide her upper body, she was pressing herself right up against me, but I really wished she'd realize how dangerous that was in its own right. Then again, she was so panicked that it felt cruel to point it out.
Once we reached the rocky area, the crowd thinned out, and Narika looked visibly relieved. I spotted something black floating between two rocks.
"Found it!"
I grabbed the swimsuit and tried to hand it to Narika, who was hiding behind a large rock.
"W-Wait! Don't look!"
"S-Sorry!"
Averting my eyes, I held the swimsuit out to her again.
"...Y-You can look now."
With her permission, I turned back. Narika had successfully put her swimsuit back on.
"That was a close one. Shall we head back to the others?"