"This amuses you?" Vermouth's tone was less than friendly.
"No, cough, it's my own issue." Kurosawa Hoshino waved a hand, looking at her tiptoeing left foot. "Is it bad?"
"It's fine."
"Really?" Kurosawa Hoshino glanced toward Ran and the others, then smiled. "Shall I take a look?"
"Go ahead." Vermouth didn't hesitate at all, directly lifting her foot and placing it on his thigh.
"Phew…" Seeing those snow-white legs resting on him, Kurosawa Hoshino resisted the urge to touch them. He lifted her foot and immediately spotted a small, one-centimeter wound on her heel, with something dark embedded inside.
Taking the half-empty bottle of water he'd been drinking from earlier, Kurosawa Hoshino unscrewed the cap, rinsed away some sand from the sole of her foot, and raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Miss Chris, you're really unlucky. There's a piece of seashell stuck in there."
"I know," Vermouth rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses. If it were just a simple scratch, she would have already gone back to playing in the water with her angel, not sitting here.
Just as she was about to pull her foot back, she noticed Kurosawa Hoshino was still holding on tightly.
With a teasing smirk, she said, "What's the matter, little brother? Can't bear to let go of your sister's foot?"
Kurosawa Hoshino: "…"
Kurosawa Hoshino looked disgusted. "Miss Chris, don't be gross. I'm just planning to get that piece of shell out of your foot."
"How? With your mouth?"
"…"
"If you really want to use your mouth, I don't mind. I'll give you the chance."
"…"
"Little brother…" Vermouth was about to continue teasing, but seeing Kurosawa Hoshino's increasingly unfriendly gaze, she changed her words. "Alright, alright, you're so touchy. It was just a joke."
She leaned back slightly, hands braced on the pavement behind her, swinging the foot resting on Kurosawa Hoshino's thigh as she looked up at the sky and said softly, "I guess I'm just not blessed by fate. I thought I could spend some time with someone important to me, but then I go and injure my foot. It's like heaven is warning me not to push my luck."
"Ran!" A loud call from the side startled Vermouth, who glared at the boy beside her.
Ran, playing in the water with Sonoko, straightened up and looked over curiously. "What's wrong?"
"Did you bring your sewing kit today?" Kurosawa Hoshino remembered Ran always carried one in her bag when she went out.
"Yes, it's in my bag. Help yourself."
"Okay." Kurosawa Hoshino nodded, fetched Ran's bag from beside Vermouth, opened it, and found the sewing kit.
"You're not planning to dig it out with a needle, are you?" Vermouth didn't sound convinced. After all, that's how it is—digging something out of your own flesh doesn't feel as painful as when someone else does it.
"What else?" Kurosawa Hoshino retorted.
"Sigh…" Vermouth sighed. "Fine, go ahead. But be careful not to jab my flesh."
"Don't worry." Kurosawa Hoshino adjusted his position, examined the foot he was holding, then took the needle and slowly approached the wound on her heel.
"Um, should I do it myself?" Vermouth was worried this kid might be reckless and shove the whole needle in.
"Don't move, I've already started."
"Ouch! I knew it—you poked me."
"I told you not to move. That's not my fault."
"Ouch~" Vermouth gasped again, slapping Kurosawa Hoshino's shoulder in annoyance. "Little brother, was that on purpose? That didn't feel like an accident—you stabbed right into the flesh."
"Done." The next second, Kurosawa Hoshino withdrew his hand, holding the extracted shell fragment. He looked at Vermouth calmly. "What were you saying just now?"
"…" Vermouth was speechless. She slowly moved her left leg away and put her high-heeled sandal back on.
Then she noticed her short skirt had ridden up during the earlier movements and she was only realizing it now.
Pulling her skirt down a bit, she turned to stare at Kurosawa Hoshino, trying to gauge his expression.
Kurosawa Hoshino, of course, wore a calm face, his eyes not on her, the picture of a gentleman.
However, the atmosphere had grown slightly awkward, not as relaxed as before.
"What do you think of my taste?" Vermouth asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Huh?" Kurosawa Hoshino played dumb.
"You've already seen. Give me your opinion."
"Seen what?"
"Little Brother Hoshino, your sister has said this much. Is there still a need to pretend?"
Hearing this, Kurosawa Hoshino studied her expression but couldn't read much emotion. She seemed to genuinely be waiting for his evaluation.
After a moment, Kurosawa Hoshino said seriously, "Purple is fine. It suits you quite well, Miss Chris. I think it looks very nice."
"Heh~" A cold laugh, undisguised.
Kurosawa Hoshino: "…"
Kurosawa Hoshino had witnessed firsthand how quickly a woman's expression could change. One moment she was earnestly seeking his opinion, the next she stood with arms crossed, her face icy.
Silently standing up, Kurosawa Hoshino put on the T-shirt draped over his shoulders and walked toward Ran and Sonoko.
Snap. Vermouth reached out and grabbed Kurosawa Hoshino's wrist, saying softly, "Little brother, where are you going?"
"Sigh, I just feel good deeds go unrewarded. I'm going to jump into the sea and end it all."
"I'm not blaming you. Keep me company, or I'll get bored."
Meanwhile, with Ran and Sonoko.
Sonoko had stopped splashing water and whispered, "Ran, look. Hoshino and Miss Chris seem to be getting along really well."
"Really?" Ran glanced back, seeing Hoshino getting up and Vermouth grabbing him. She smiled. "They do seem to be getting along."
"Hehe, I can't help but laugh when I think about how Hoshino was made up as a woman this morning. But he really was pretty. If he wore women's clothes, he'd definitely charm a lot of guys."
"Shh, keep your voice down. If Hoshino finds out you secretly took a picture, you're done for."
"Hehe, I'll send it to you tonight. I'm going to set it as my phone wallpaper so I can laugh at him every day." Sonoko winked at her best friend.
Tempted, Ran thought for a moment, then nodded, her face slightly flushed.
Not far away, Hoshino, who was being held in conversation by Vermouth, remained blissfully unaware that an embarrassing piece of black history awaited him.