CH 39

I could say it’s long-awaited… Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but in a sense, it’s a great opportunity to let loose and have fun.

“Amazing, it’s huge.”

Before me is the view of an indoor pool that has recently been opened. It’s clean, as expected of something newly built, and there are so many people. People of all ages and genders can be seen in various states. Right now, even in front of me, there are children who have come with their friends, running around and making a lot of noise.

“Ahaha! Oh, Uwawa!”

“Oops.”

A little girl in front of me almost tripped, so I instinctively reached out my hand to catch her. Due to wearing a swimsuit, there’s less area to protect the body, so if she were to fall in a place like this, she might get scraped. It would be a shame if she couldn’t enjoy herself due to the pain.

“Thank you, Onii-chan!”

“You’re welcome. Be careful now.”

“Yes!”

The smile of a little child can wash away the mud in one’s heart. As the girl, together with her friends, waves and smiles at me, I wave back at her. Then, someone puts their hand on my shoulder.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Towa-kun!”

“O-ooh…”

The person calling out to me like this can only be Ayana. When I saw her, I was somewhat overwhelmed. Ayana is wearing a black bikini, and while she usually gives off a quiet impression with her choice of clothing, in this open setting, her violently beautiful features are emphasized.

Ayana’s aura gives off a pure feeling, but when she unabashedly exposes her skin like this, her allure stands out even more. Preferences for body types may vary from person to person, but Ayana’s physique feels like the ideal image sought after by women… Well, that’s just my own opinion.

“Fufu, it looks like I passed the test.”

She chuckles and wraps her arm around mine.

“It’s a typical thing to say, but it suits you so well. Though it’s a bit complicated with all the gazes focused on us.”

I can feel the gazes of male customers mostly directed towards Ayana. It’s a bit strange to be concerned about something like this in a place like this, but it’s only natural to be curious about things that catch their attention. Ayana seems to understand that she’s drawing attention as well… and she snuggles closer to me.

“Then let’s show them. Let them know that no one can come between us.”

“…Yeah.”

It’s the second time, but today I’ve decided to let loose completely. I want to enjoy myself and have a lot of fun with Ayana, and also indulge in plenty of lovey-dovey moments.

“Ayana, let’s have a great time today.”

“Yes!”

Ayana nodded with a smile, and as we were about to start walking, a voice reached our eardrums, making them vibrate.

“They completely forgot that we’re here…”

“Ahaha, isn’t it fine? It just shows how lovey-dovey they are.”

Oh… right, these people were here too. When I turned around, there were two women, both of whom have become acquaintances of mine and Ayana’s. Or rather, it’s Iori and her friend, Akasaka-san.

Meeting them was truly coincidental. We had planned to come here today, but we happened to run into them at the entrance.

“…Honjo-senpai, are you really a student?”

“Are you trying to say that I look old?”

Ayana’s words were met with an unsatisfied response from Iori. No, I don’t think Ayana intended that with her words. Iori is taller than others her age, and her facial features are mature, making her body top-notch as well. Her style is even better than Ayana’s, and her appearance attracts even more attention.

“That’s not it, Iori-chan has big br*asts, after all.”

Akasaka-san said it outright without any intention of hiding it. Moreover, she poked those large fruits as if testing them, causing her fingers to sink in. Ah, the man who was watching bent down.

“Stop it.”

“Ow!”

Akasaka-san lightly tapped her head, and tears welled up in her eyes. But… watching Iori and Akasaka-san like this, they give off a sisterly vibe. Compared to Iori, who has an outstanding figure, Akasaka-san is a bit smaller in various aspects.

“Towa-kun, calling Akasaka-senpai ‘small’ is prohibited. Please never say it.”

“Huh? Did I say it out loud?”

“…I thought everyone would think that when they saw Akasaka-senpai.”

Ayana, I feel like you’re saying the most disrespectful things. However, it seems like our conversation was overheard.

“They’re not small! They’ll grow bigger someday, just like Iori-chan’s… Ahhh!”

“That’s why you shouldn’t say things like that out loud!!”

I’ve never seen them interact like that, but they’re really close, aren’t they? It’s such a heartwarming scene that I can’t help but let out a smile, but I still feel like I might end up saying something to Akasaka-san again if I see them as sisters.

“Well then, we’ll be going.”

“Yes, let’s both have fun.”

Saying that, we parted ways with them.

Now then, we’re going to play, but where should we go? It’s not my first time coming to a place like this, but I haven’t been here many times, so I was quite looking forward to it.

“There are so many options…”

“Yes, there is. It’s new, and they’ve put a lot of thought into it.”

The classic water slides seem appealing, but the lines are so long that it seems like we have no choice but to give up. Is there something else? While I was searching, Ayana raised her voice loud enough for me to hear.

“Oh, Towa-kun, what about that?”

“That…?”

Ayana pointed her finger to a place where there was nothing. Wondering what she meant, I was about to ask when Ayana forcefully pulled my arm.

“There!”

“Hey!”

Being dragged by Ayana, we plunged into the pool with a big splash. It was sudden, and I ended up swallowing a bit of water, but I quickly lifted my face from the water surface and took a breath.

“…Puhh. You did that so suddenly, Ayana!”

“Hahaha! Towa-kun, your face was priceless!”

“Well, anyone would react like that to such a surprise… wait.”

“? Is something wrong?”

…Just for a moment, I felt like Ayana dropped her polite speech. Was it just my imagination? That polite speech Ayana developed as a barrier against the outside world, it felt like it momentarily disappeared.

[Towa-kun, where should we go next!? I have a place I want to go to!!]

Suddenly, an image of the Ayana I met when we first encountered each other came to my mind. Obviously, back then she was more lively than she is now… Haha, yeah. No matter how much time has passed since then, the Ayana in my memories is right here with me, by my side.

“Ayana.”

I pulled her arm and hugged her tightly. Lately, whenever I feel nostalgic like this, it feels like I’m hugging her.

“Fufu, Towa-kun, you’re such a spoiled brat.”

“Coming from you, Ayana.”

“W-Well, when you say it like that, it makes me feel weak…”

I couldn’t help but let out a smile at Ayana’s evasive behavior. But it’s natural that various people visit places like this. That’s why you encounter all sorts of people.

“Whoops!”

A guy pretended to stumble and tried to cling onto Ayana. He was probably a student from another high school, around the same age. Despite his words, he reached out his hand towards Ayana’s chest with a smirk on his face… However, Ayana raised her elbow right where his face would be.

“Gah!?”

Ayana’s elbow pierced into his nose… that must have hurt. It doesn’t seem like he’s bleeding, but his face turned red. Clearly, he didn’t expect this, as his smirking expression vanished, replaced by anger.

“Oi, don’t mess with me, you b—”

Extending his hand towards Ayana’s shoulder, he tried to grab her, but Ayana swiftly turned around and spoke.

“Get lost.”

“Yes.”

The guy was repelled.

I couldn’t see Ayana’s face from this angle, but she was probably wearing quite a scary expression… When she turned back towards me, she had a smile on her face, but she rubbed her elbow as if trying to wipe off something dirty.

“Oh, Towa-kun, it looks like the slide is vacant.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

Not sure if we can call that a “happening,” but in order to forget about the recent incident, we headed to the water slide. The two of us slid down from a considerable height and made a big splash as we entered the water.

Both of us resurfaced with smiles on our faces, as if we were truly enjoying ourselves. Now, what should we do next? Just as I was thinking that, I noticed Iori behaving suspiciously, looking around nervously.

“Oh, there you are, both of you…”

“Honjo-senpai?”

We both let out an “Ah!” as we understood Iori’s current situation, with only her head above the water.

“Iori-chan, I found it!”

“W-wait, you idiot!!”

Iori’s face turned bright red as she shouted.

…Yeah, Akasaka-san is definitely quite airheaded. It would have been better if she just brought it over to her, but she’s coming towards us, fluttering the swimsuit she found in her hand.

In the end, Akasaka-san did a fine play by finding Iori’s swimsuit, but it goes without saying that she ended up with a bump on her head later.