Under the big bridge in front of the gate, swims a group of ducks～ ♪ ♪
Shiro hummed as he walked toward the camp, but out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar figure sitting near the rocks.
He paused and turned, heading toward the silhouette.
As he got closer, he saw that Chisa wasn't secretly drinking or doing anything weird—just quietly staring out at the sea, lost in thought.
"You planning to sit here all day?"
!!!
Chisa, deep in her own world, jumped at the sudden voice in her ear.
When she saw it was Shiro, she glared at him. "Shiro? What are you doing here? Don't you know it's dangerous to sneak up on someone like that?"
"Oh, it's fine. If something bad happens, I'll just save you. Hero style."
"...That's called staging your own rescue."
Shiro shrugged and didn't argue. Instead, he climbed onto the rocks and sat next to her.
Though Chisa complained, she subtly shifted her position to make room for him.
"Aren't you guys fishing? Where's Iori?"
"Eh, I don't feel like wasting time with those two idiots. They didn't even bring bait."
"..."
Chisa facepalmed. Iori's lack of common sense never ceased to amaze her.
"So what are you doing here? Not with Nanaka-nee?"
"Onee chan said she didn't need my help, so I came to enjoy the view."
With that, she turned her gaze back toward the ocean.
Shiro followed her line of sight, and the two sat in peaceful silence, listening to the waves.
"It's beautiful."
"Mm."
"The sea floor is beautiful too."
"Mm!"
Seeing the girl's eyes slowly light up, Shiro smiled. This one really was easy to read.
"Chisa, do you want to be a diving instructor someday?"
Chisa nodded. She'd never hidden her dream.
"That's great. It's awesome to know what you want to do so early."
Shiro laid back on the rocks. He figured this pose made him look cool—the perfect stance for giving heartfelt speeches!
...Though it did jab his butt a bit.
"So, Chisa, what do you think a diving instructor should have?"
(´･｀;)?
"You testing me now?"
Chisa looked confused, like a poor student being quizzed by the class genius.
"No way. Just reminded me of something one of the senpai once said."
Chisa tilted her head, not quite understanding what he was getting at.
Shiro sighed. Not just One or two of them—every single one of them is a problem child. Clearly, he's the only normal one here!
"A diving instructor's job is to make sure the guests have fun, right?"
His words made Chisa freeze.
The answer she had instinctively thought of was:
'Safety.'
"Technique."
"Expertise."
She had thought of all of that—but this, this one thing, was the only thing she hadn't considered…
No!
It wasn't that she hadn't thought of it—it was that she had been avoiding it. After all, someone had already told her this answer back when she first decided to become a diving instructor.
Recalling that person's back, a trace of yearning—and defiance—surfaced in Chisa's eyes.
Seeing her expression, Shiro knew his speech was starting to work. Now came the time to show off!
He leapt down from the rocks with a cool flourish and struck a stylish pose with his back turned to Chisa.
"Smile more, girlie. And don't forget to come play some games tonight~"
Chisa looked at his overly dramatic, smug pose and found herself briefly dazed. She used her fingers to pull up the corners of her lips into a smile.
A very awkward, unnatural smile.
Thud!
While Chisa was still lost in self-doubt, the showboating Shiro tripped and face-planted on flat ground.
"Wha—damn! Why the hell is there such a huge rock in this sand pile?! AHHH!! My pinky toe!! (?????)"
Pfft—
In that moment, Chisa laughed. She looked out at the sea and felt as though… she finally understood which direction she needed to move forward in.
"Uuuuu (╥_╥)"
That night, when Iori and the others returned to camp, they were greeted by the sorrowful silhouette of Shiro.
(???)
"What's he crying about again?"
Gotta admit, the way Iori said 'again' really nailed the tone.
"Probably got dumped by a girl."
"Well that's just great news, isn't it?"
"UUUUUHHHH!!!"
Hearing their voices, Shiro cried even louder.
Honestly, they weren't wrong.
After giving Chisa some solid advice, Shiro had planned to go comfort Maya next—but things didn't quite go as expected…
Just as he was about to begin his master move—a dramatic kneel-and-hug—he was instantly taken down by one of Maya's long, deadly legs.
And what greeted him afterward was a screen from the high school forum…
In that moment, Shiro felt immense "gratitude" for his wingwoman, Azusa. He had no idea what she'd said, but it definitely hadn't been flattering.
Azusa-neeeee!!!!
Behind Maya, Azusa peeked her head out, a mischievous grin on her face and a cherished camera in her hands.
"Shiro~ Say cheese~"
Click!
(╥_╥)
Shiro no longer believed in the power of the "wingman." Those rom-com dramas were all lies.
He now had to think up a new strategy to cheer Maya up. He decided he'd give it another shot tonight.
He'd arrange a moment where they could be alone!
After all, nighttime one-on-ones between boys and girls are prime time for human desire!
Just thinking about it lifted Shiro's spirits again. So what if he failed once? No big deal. What mattered now was what they were having for dinner.
"How the hell did you guys catch so many fish? Kitahara, you know electrofishing's illegal, right?"
Shiro was a little shocked by Iori and the others' catch. They hadn't even brought bait—how did they land so many fat fish?
Wait… had they been hiding the bait this whole time?!
Shiro's gaze toward Iori and Kouhei turned increasingly suspicious.
"Knock off that creepy look," Iori said flatly. "These were all caught by the senpais diving into the water."
He then let out a sigh. So the stuff online about catching fish at the beach without bait was clearly nonsense after all.
Shiro relaxed a bit hearing that. As long as those two weren't suddenly badass fishermen, he wouldn't have to feel frustrated all day.
"Ahaha, it's because fish have eyes on the sides of their heads—so catching them from above is actually easier," one of the senpai explained while slicing sashimi. It was a neat little trick.
Though it sounded easy, pulling it off in the ocean was a whole different story.
"You know, now I kind of want to try it too. You two gave it a shot, right?" Shiro asked. This kind of fun, surely they didn't miss out?
"We did try…"
"But we totally failed and drank half the ocean…"
Iori and Kouhei looked a bit sheepish. They weren't nearly as agile in the water as the senpais. The moment they moved in, the fish were already gone.
Kouhei did get close a few times, but Iori… well, let's just say he got his fill of "fish broth."
"Impressive that you could push through that."
This time, Shiro didn't mock Iori for once.
"Haha, gotta try things at least once. If you don't try, you'll never get over it," Iori said, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin. He understood exactly what Shiro meant.
He still had some fear of water, but it had definitely improved. Maybe soon he'd be completely fine. Heck, maybe he could even learn how to swim!
That's right—Iori's biggest goal this summer was to learn how to swim!
While not knowing how to swim didn't prevent him from diving, it did make him less agile underwater… and he couldn't fully enjoy the sights.
More importantly, he didn't want to slow everyone else down.
Chisa, who'd been standing off to the side, looked at Iori in surprise. Her mind drifted to what Shiro had said earlier.
"Try it for yourself, huh…"
"Hmm? What did you say?" Iori asked, tilting his head. Her voice had been so soft, he hadn't caught it clearly.
!!!
"N-Nothing!"
Startled, Chisa's face flushed red. Something like this—she should just try quietly on her own!
"Oh, okay. Hey, try this! It's insanely good!"
"Delicious beyond belief!"
Iori had taken a bite of the sashimi out of boredom—and was blown away.
(;?＿?)
"Is it really that good?"
Shiro looked at him with disdain. "That's just because you haven't tasted real food."
That said, he took a bite of the sashimi himself and… yeah, it was better than any he'd had before. At least among sashimi.
"Not bad at all."
Chisa and Kouhei also gave it a try, their eyes lighting up at the flavor.
"It's that good?"
"Totally! It's even better than Kotegawa san's cooking!" Kouhei answered someone behind him mid-bite.
That voice… sounded familiar.
Wait!
That was Lady Maya's voice!
Kouhei turned around in shock to see Maya standing right behind him, waving at him gently.
"Thanks again for earlier, Kouhei~"
Thud!
Overcome with excitement, Kouhei fell straight to the ground and stammered, "L-Lady… Lady Maya!"
"Um… you don't have to be so stiff, you know. We're friends now, aren't we?"
Maya looked a little awkward. She really hoped her fans could treat her more naturally.
"You've got your work cut out for you," Shiro commented.
"He already passed out from excitement once because of Maya," Iori added.
Seeing Kouhei's expression, the two silently quickened their eating pace. Fewer competitors at the table was always a good thing.
Meanwhile, Kouhei was completely oblivious to the world. He was lost in his fantasy land.
"Uhh… what's wrong with him?" Maya asked, sweat beading on her forehead. She had never dealt with a hardcore fan like this.
"Probably his brain's short-circuiting again."
"Don't worry about him, Maya. Try this sashimi, it's actually pretty good!" Shiro didn't even spare Kouhei a glance. As long as no CPR was needed, all good.
Maya turned her head away with a hmph, looking all tsundere as the sashimi reached her lips.
Just as Shiro thought his feeding attempt had failed, Maya suddenly turned back and snatched the fish right out of his hand with a swift bite.
His fingers still had a trace of moisture left on them.
Maya blushed. "Don't think this means I've forgiven you!"
Seeing the cute expression on the superstar's face, Shiro couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah, yeah, got it, my dear superstar. Want another bite?"
Maya's face flushed even redder, but she didn't refuse.
Eyes closed slightly, lips parting gently, she whispered:
"Ahh~"
From Shiro's angle, he could even see her soft, cute little tongue.
He smiled, confident that his mission to cheer her up was going well!
He picked up another piece of fish.
As for chopsticks?
What kind of sashimi feeding needs chopsticks?! Especially this kind of intimate feeding! (λ?_??)
Of course, you've gotta feel it with your body~
Kekekeke~
…
At that moment—
Just as the sashimi was about to touch Maya's lips—a streak of yellow lightning flashed again!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
A familiar weight.
A familiar position.
A familiar smile.
Shiro was seized by an inexplicable fear!
"Why is it taking so long?!"
Having waited forever without getting any sashimi, Maya finally opened her eyes, puffed up her cheeks, and pretended to be annoyed.
However—there was no sign of Shiro in front of her anymore.
(′｀;)?
Confused, Maya followed the direction of Chisa and Iori's gaze and found Shiro and Kohei locked in a man-on-top, man-on-bottom wrestling position not far away.
Right then, Kohei was grinning maniacally as he shoved sashimi into Shiro's mouth.
"Maya sama, don't worry! I'll make sure this scumbag is humanely eradicated this time!"
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"Uh… Kohei, I think this is all just a big misunderstanding…"
Cold sweat formed on Maya's forehead. She had been so focused on being fed that she completely forgot Kohei had been standing next to her, thinking god knows what.
Whoosh—
Out of nowhere, Kohei pulled out a baseball bat.
"Don't worry, Maya sama! Leave the dirty work to me!"
(.ω.;)
Sweat poured more heavily down Maya's forehead. She tried several times to speak up and stop him, but didn't know what to say. After all, she was the one who had asked Kohei for help…
"So, Shiro… any last words?"
Kohei looked like a demon from hell, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.
Overwhelmed by fear, Shiro suddenly began recalling how he lost his memory last time…
To avoid a repeat, Shiro's brain went into overdrive!
Just as Kohei was about to swing the bat, Shiro blurted out:
"I know how to help you communicate normally with Maya!"
Bang!
The bat slammed into the ground right next to Shiro's head. Kohei, eyes wide with shock, yanked him up and gave him a massive bear hug.
"Bro! I knew I wasn't wrong about you!"
"..."
Shiro was crushed silently in Kohei's arms. Yep, this club really was a haven for scumbags.
One second they're calling you garbage, the next they're calling you brother…
Good thing Shiro never had any illusions about these guys' morals. Otherwise, he'd be seriously disappointed.
He patted Kohei on the shoulder and said, "Leave it to me."
Then he walked over to Maya. "Maya, I need to tell you something very important!"
"Eh?"
Maya blinked her big, innocent eyes. She had heard their entire conversation and was curious how Shiro planned to help her and Kohei communicate.
Was he planning to start with her?
Looking at Maya's clueless face, Shiro said with deep sorrow:
"Actually, Kohei once tried to lure your sister into his room."
"Eh?"
"EH?!"
Maya's eyes went wide in horror as she looked back and forth between the two of them.
She had just wanted to know how to talk to Kohei normally—how did this suddenly turn into an episode of Crime Watch?!
And by the looks of it, she was supposed to be the plaintiff?!
Immediately, Maya's gaze toward Kohei turned dark.
Chisa, who overheard, turned to Iori in shock. "Kohei actually went after a real 3D girl?!"
Seeing Chisa's confusion, Iori nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, yeah, now that you mention it… there was that one time we had a mixer with the 'makeup corpse girl' and her friends. One of them was Maya-san's little sister."
Well, even if the reason wasn't what they imagined, the facts checked out.
!!!
After hearing Iori's explanation, Maya took a few steps back—then turned and bolted!
She called her sister as she ran. She needed to confirm the truth. This was a matter of whether she'd end up suing someone or not.
Watching Maya's fleeing figure, Shiro broke into a cold sweat.
He could feel it—something demonic was awakening behind him.
Whap!
Kohei tapped Shiro's shoulder with his metal bat.
"You little bastard… You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Uhh… I just figured that if she got a bit angry at you, it'd help your communication become more natural…"
Shiro's voice trailed off as he sighed like a man resigned to fate.
"I just have one request. Don't hit my face."
BANG BANG BANG!!!
"AAAAAHHHH!! I SAID NOT THE FACE!!!"
BANG BANG BANG!!!
"I'M SORRY!!"
BANG BANG BANG!!!
ABBA ABBA ABBA—!!!