Volume 4 - CH 5.2

TL/ED/Proofreader: NaCl

Masachika swam freely in the relatively calm ocean.

The water was clearer than he had imagined, and through his swimming goggles, he could clearly see the seabed three meters below. 

(Oh, there's quite a lot of fish. It's amazing, I never get tired of looking at this)

While regretting not having brought snorkeling equipment, Masachika enjoyed the underwater scenery by swimming slowly.

"Buwhaa."

Because his breathing was getting worse, he decided to return to the shallow area first. He then swam toward the shore breaststroke, and after swimming for a while... Masachika was surprised by what he saw.

Because he saw... Ayano, who appeared to be completely drowned, being tossed around by the waves with the back of her head and back exposed to the surface of the sea.

"Wait-, Ayano!?"

"Yes?"

When he hurriedly called out to her while crawling closer, Ayano raised her head as if nothing had happened. She pushed away a few strands of hair from her face, removed the snorkel from her mouth, and looked back at Masachika with a curious gaze.

"Ah... Eh. Are you okay?"

"What?"

"No, it's nothing...."

Judging from her reaction that she wasn't drowning, Masachika then asked with a stiff smile.

"...Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes, I enjoyed it very much."

"...I see. Then thank goodness. Sorry for bothering you."

"No, you weren't bothering at all."

"Then, I'm going back to the beach first..."

"Yes."

After bowing lightly and putting the snorkel back in her mouth, Ayano began to float again. Instead of swimming under her own power, she let her body be tossed around by the waves. While slightly curious at Ayano's unique way of enjoying the sea, Masachika returned to the shallow waters. Then, he lay down on the shore and enjoyed the sensation of the waves and sand that came and went.

(TN: I understand Ayano's action though. I went snorkeling once and did the exact same thing. It kinda feels nice (?) that you're able to look underwater while limp without the fear of not being able to breathe)

"Ah~ How nice~"

Up in the sky, the sun was still shining red on his eyelids even with his eyes closed. The scorching sunlight burned his bare skin, but on the other hand, the sea water touching his legs and pelvis felt cool and comfortable.

When waves came crashing in, he could feel his body being pushed up towards his head and splashed against his cheeks. And when the waves receded, Masachika felt that his body was being pulled back into the sea, and he also felt the sand underneath his body being swept away and his back was slightly buried in the sand. As he was lost in this indescribably pleasant sensation, he suddenly heard the sound of water gurgling nearby. Immediately afterward, a splash of seawater poured onto Masachika's lying face.

"Bwuaah?! Wha, Wh-?"

Panting, he lifted his upper body and wiped his face with his hands while exhaling through his nose as best he could. When he managed to prevent seawater from entering his nose, Masachika turned his head towards the sound of the thud.

"Ehehe~, did you enjoy it? My onii-chan~"

"Shittt......"

Needless to say, there was his little sister with a grinning smile.

"Gosh... is that okay? Showing your true nature like that."

"No problem~. Besides, the others are all away."

Yuki looked at the sea while saying that and tilted her head curiously.

"Approximately... when will the giant octopus appear, huh? I've been waiting all this time."

"No matter how long you wait, that kind of creature will never come out, okay?"

"Impossible!!! When it comes to the sea, there's bound to be a giant octopus, giant jellyfish, or giant anemone that will appear, and then a cry of 'A~re~' or 'I~yan~' would signal the start of a clichéd scene of erotic tentacle play!?"

"That only happens in fantasy, okay! If such a creature were to appear in the real world, everyone would panic!"

"I-Impossible... then, what am I going to the sea for..."

"Isn't it for swimming?"

Masachika calmly replied to his sister's words who fell down on all fours, and made a disappointed face. Then, Yuki stood back up and said with a sigh.

"What the heck... If the clichéd erotic event doesn't happen, I guess I have no other choice but to realize another another event as much as I can... Let's do that, .... that one."

"That one? What is it?"

"You idiot!!! If I told you to do it in the sea, of course we'd do the water splashing game!"

"How did I know! No, well, I know that it's a common occurrence, anyway!"

When thinking of scenes often seen in manga and anime, such as 「Soryaa~!」「Kyaa~, it's cold~! You started it~ Ei~!" . Masachika also thought 'Well it is indeed a cliché scene'.

Yuki then immediately bent down and dipped both hands into the seawater, and splashed the water vigorously towards Masachika.

"Feel this!"

...... But her scream was a little different from the cliché scene.

"Oi... tsu"

Masachika turned his head away from the splash that hit his face, .... his cheeks twitched slightly from the water that was splashed at him. He then turned around and splashed water at Yuki as hard as he could with his right hand.

"Wuoo-ii!"

Yuki cried out strangely and shielded her face with her hands when the water splashed against her. She then immediately swung her arms and began to fight back.

The fight continued several times, and eventually developed into a merciless water fight that stopped being turn-based (TN: as in splashing one by one). The two siblings continued to fight splashing water at close range.

"Don't expect you to beat me with such small hands!"

"Abhua, doryaaa!"

"Wait-, you were using your legs, right."

"Ahahaha"

"Fyu, hahaha"

"Aha, ahahaha .................. hah."

"Don't suddenly stop like that..."

Masachika stopped his hand as he turned his gaze towards Yuki who suddenly stopped smiling cheerfully and sighed. At the moment when the splashing stopped, the water droplets dripping from her hair and chin, somehow began to look melancholic.

"No... it turned out to be more boring than I thought."

"You started it yourself, but you're also the first one to realize. I'm getting annoyed, you know."

"I think it's only a couple who can enjoy this endlessly."

"The way you talk, keep it up, oi."

"My head, it's boiling."

"Who was it that said that bathing makes it boil. It's just a matter of expression-"

"So talkative!"

"Hey, what the-?"

Suddenly, Yuki closed the distance and jumped at him with all her might, Masachika's feet caught in the sand and waves, making his fall on her back. His back slammed hard into the water, causing a loud splash.

"Uhuk, bwahh!"

The water depth around here is only knee-deep at most, but if you lie down forcefully, you can still drown. Hastily lifting his upper body with his hands at the bottom of the water, Masachika exhaled through his nose and glanced at Yuki who was clinging to his neck.

"Suddenly what the-?"

"Feel this! Drown! Drown!"

"-You, guha!"

However, Yuki who was clinging and kept trying to push him with difficulty, then Masachika who lost his support, was pushed back into the water. He landed on his back again, and his head sank into the sea.

"-Drown, you jerk!"

This time, Masachika's nose was completely filled with water, he then got up and pushed Yuki back with all his might. while holding back his tears as pain began to stab at the back of his nose.

"Unu...fufufu, so naïve. In any battle, the side that takes advantage of the opponent is the stronger side...!"

"But, it looks like you're getting tired already? Kuh, I'll show you that a younger sister can't beat her brother...!"

Masachika tried to fight her younger sister in a childish way, utilizing the difference in size and muscle strength. He vigorously lifted her upper body and tried to push Yuki in the opposite direction.

Yuki also tried to defend by stretching her legs, but it was difficult to counterattack after being pushed back so far.

Feeling confident of his victory, Masachika smiled with a grin... but at that moment, Yuki shouted next to his ear.

"Ayano! Do it now!"

"I won't let that hand-"

"Excuse me, Masachika-sama!"

"Why are you here!?"

As soon as she heard Ayano's voice that should have been drowned out a moment ago... An instant later, Masachika was quickly grabbed from behind. Beyond that fact, Masachika was deeply shaken by the soft, rubbery sensation of a thin piece of cloth pressed against his back. Suddenly crushed by two beautiful girls. Well, he didn't really care about the little sister in front of him, but Masachika couldn't stay calm with his childhood friend behind him. Yuki seized the opportunity and pushed Masachika's body to the side. Masachika landed unbearably on his shoulder, and his face twitched as he felt the water enter his ears.

"Guuhhh!"

"Ayano! Right arm!"

"Please forgive my impudence!"

"If you want to apologize-"

Masachika was repeatedly drowned by two girls who held his arms and legs, locking and pulling his body down.

It was a highly coveted situation for any guy to be hugged by two beautiful girls in swimsuits, but he could not enjoy it because what they do to him is no different from the behavior of a naughty boy. Seriously, he tried to get out of the sea water. A few minutes later, Masachika managed to escape from their restraints and fled to the shore, he crawled on all fours, breathing heavily.

"Why .... did .... we have to wrestle .... all over the sea..."

"Are you okay? I'm sorry for overdoing it."

"No, Ayano is not at fault at all ....... all this is Yuki's fault. Oi, don't grin like that."

After turning his attention to Ayano who squatted beside him and stroked his back, Masachika glared at his sister who was squatting on the other side with a grin and blushing cheeks.

"It's not wrestling, you know~, but it's swimsuit sumo with a bunch of pretty girls."

"Gosh, what have you been doing in the middle of the sea like that?"

Feeling satisfied with his brother, who was dripping water from his hair and looking at her with a sharp gaze, Yuki raised one eyebrow and her shoulders without any hint of guilt.

"Even if you say so, you must be enjoying the feel of our soft skin to your heart's content, right? Look at that, your face is so red~."

"No, that's just from lack of oxygen."

Yuki skillfully ignored Masachika's calm tsukkomi and stood up.

"Well, since I've had my fill of playing with Onii-chan, I'm going to go to the sea again, ah~. Oh yeah, if I'm not mistaken there's a big board-shaped buoy, right? Let's blow it up, shall we?"

"Umm..."

"Ah Ayano, you can go accompany Yuki. I'm going to rest for a while."

"...Really? Then you'll have to excuse me."

After seeing Yuki happily running towards the villa and Ayano who followed behind her, Masachika sat down on the beach and turned her gaze to the sea.

"Huh? The President and Sarashina-senpai aren't there...?"

There were only the two Kujou sisters visible in his eyes, and Masachika tilted his head slightly. He squinted to the rocky area, where the two of them should have gone, but there was no sign of them either.

"...Well, as far as those two are concerned, I guess there's no need to worry about them."

Just those two alone probably wouldn't drown. It was possible that the two of them were enjoying the opportunity to be alone on the other side of the rock. So, there was no point in interfering with them. With that in mind, Masachika casually turned his attention to Alisa swimming on the left side of his view, and he continued to look towards the opposite side. Then, slightly offshore, Maria, who was wearing a life ring, was seen floating... 

... Hmm? Didn't she get swept away?

"Uh, is she okay?"

Remembering Maria's words that she couldn't swim, Masachika immediately swam towards her with a little patience..

"Masha-san!"

"Oh, Kuze-kun~. Your swimming is surprisingly fast. I was surprised~."

"Ah it's nothing much, but putting that aside... Are you alright, Masha-san? Didn't you get swept away by the waves?"

As usual, Maria greeted him with a gentle smile, and Masachika asked while standing up to swim. Then, Maria placed her right hand on her cheek and tilted her head as if she was a little troubled.

"I guess, you must think so, don't you."

"So you're really drifting away, huh!"

"I've been trying my best to get back to shore, but... for some reason, I've been getting more and more away... hahaha that's weird, isn't it~?"

"No, no, it's not something worth laughing about."

"Hmm, but crying is also pointless right~? The sea water will become sweet~."

"Huh?"

"Ah, but if I do that and become like a seal, I might be saved?" (TN: not a miss-TL (hopefully), she’s just spouting nonsense)

"Masha-san?"

"I'm sure that Alya-chan will be surprised~"

"Why are your words suddenly so incoherent, Masha-san!"

"Uh, what?"

When Maria tilted her head with a look of astonishment, Masachika slapped his own forehead. He then gave up trying to understand Maria's strange words and returned to the topic.

"...Anyway, since Masha-san can't swim, if you capsize in the middle of the beach and let go of your float, you'll probably die, right?"

"Hmm~, during that time, I wondered if someone would notice and help me."

Masachika thought, "Is this person really okay?" with a little worry at Maria who didn't seem nervous at all and only showed a troubled smile

"Please ask for help faster..."

"I'm sorry~... but in this way, Kuze-kun came to save me, right?"

"...It was just a coincidence that I saw Masha-san being carried offshore."

"Fufufu, even so, thank you very much. For saving me."

Masachika felt embarrassed when Maria thanked him with a smile that seemed to indicate that she trusted him completely.

"Haa... well, it's okay, anyway."

Maria's smile widened even more as Masachika quickly averted his gaze and replied briefly. That smile of hers was as if she was looking at something captivating, and it made Masachika feel uncomfortable, as if she could see through his inner thoughts.

"Then, we'll go back to the beach, okay?"

"Um, please yes~"

"Etto..."

When it came time to take Maria to the beach... Masachika wasn't sure how to take her. If the other party was a man, he would put one hand into the life ring and pull her along, but he felt hesitant to do so with a woman. It would be easier if the buoy had a rope attached, but unfortunately, he could not find anything like that either.

"Then, please take me, huh~?"

"Ah, yes...."

Maria extended her right hand in front of the confused Masachika. He then reluctantly took that hand. A hand smaller and softer than his own. A hand that was so delicate, and if he grasped it too tightly, there was a high chance that it would break... however, it felt somehow quite soothing.

"Fufu~"

"Wha-What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, really~?"

Turning his gaze away from Maria's face that showed a meaningful smile, Masachika started swimming towards the shore. In order to avoid kicking Maria's legs, he tried to keep his feet low and pulled her along with his breaststroke while using only one hand.

"Great~, that was fast. Kuze-kun, you're surprisingly strong, huh~."

Maria's voice, which was filled with half admiration and half cheering, sounded behind his back, and he could feel his back heating up. Masachika was also a man. If there was a cute girl giving innocent cheers like this, anyone would definitely feel like "Okay! I guess I should do my best!". However, Maria suddenly raised a voice that sounded a little worried.

"Ara...? Kuze-kun, there's a bruise on your shoulder..."

"Eh...? Ohh."

In response to Maria's words, Masachika glanced at her while thinking, "There are also such incidents, huh."

"It's an old bruise, really. Besides, it doesn't hurt anymore."

"Really...?"

Maria still looked worried, but the bruise was indeed not too painful, and since it was on the side of the back of his shoulder, Masachika often even forgot that there was a bruise there.

"Have you been in an accident?"

"No, no, it's not something so exaggerated. I was just bitten by a dog when I was little..."

Masachika was a little nervous when he turned around and said this, he felt that his hand that was holding Maria's hand was being grasped tightly.

"Really, it's no big deal, really. It's all because I didn't heal it properly because I was trying to look cool, so it left a bruise..."

The incident happened while Masachika was spending time with the girl. As usual, when the two of them were playing together in the park, there was suddenly a large dog that seemed to go berserk and attacked the girl.

Masachika rushed to protect her and tackled the dog, but as he struggled to restrain it, his right shoulder was bitten by the dog. Fortunately, the dog's master immediately rushed to the scene and pulled the dog away with all his might, so the scar wasn't too deep... At that time, Masachika was just trying to look cool and didn't want to worry the girl. 

He was also afraid that his paternal grandparents would be blamed by Gensei, so he only gave it minimal care. At the time, the doctor told him that his scars would gradually become less noticeable as he grew up, but he ended up with a small grayish bruise on the back side of his shoulder. Masachika himself didn't really care about it anymore.

"Unlike girls, having a few bruises isn't too problematic for guys. Instead, my grandfather even laughed happily and said, 'This is called a man's medal! Oh, in case Masha-san is curious, this is a scar from protecting a friend."

"...I see."

Sensing the unprecedented awkwardness in the low tone of Mariya's voice, Masachika continued to face forward and continued swimming without showing the slightest fatigue. Then, when the distance to the shore was reduced by more than half in an awkward atmosphere, he thought that his feet would soon reach the bottom. But suddenly, Maria's hand jerked and stiffened while in the grip of Masachika's hand.

"Masha-san? Is something wrong?"

While switching to backstroke, Masachika looked at Maria who was behind him. However, Maria did not answer his question, but instead stared into the water over his shoulder.

"Masha-sen..."

"KYAAAA~!..."

A small scream, like a jolt. Immediately afterward, Maria let go of Masachika's hand, placed her hand on the buoy, and began trying to pull her body out of the buoy, then kicked her legs and stretched.

"Wait-, what are you doing! That's danger-"

The startled Masachika warned her, but it was too late. Due to the weight on the front side of the buoy, the back side of the buoy suddenly lifted, and Maria flipped over onto her front side. A huge splash ensued, and Maria's legs kicked the air violently inside the upturned buoy. Then, she sank into the sea as it was.

"Uh, wait, are you okay-"

Maria's outstretched arms from the sea, immediately wrapped around the neck of the bewildered Masachika. Before he  could think, 'Eh?', Maria with her hair sticking to her forehead and cheeks, jumped out of the water and hugged him.... no, she clung to Masachika with all her might.

"Wha--!?"

Maria's cheek with sticky hair touched his cheek. Maria's soft arms touched his neck and shoulders. And above everything... there was a soft, rubbery sensation pressed against his chest and stomach.

"~~~~~~!?"

The overly stimulating feeling made Masachika feel heat rising in the depths of his body. However, soon after that, the sea surface approached his mouth and he hurriedly resumed his buoyant swimming.

"Watch out──"

"Jellyfish, there's a jellyfish!"

"Eh, jellyfish!?"

Masachika immediately turned his gaze to the sea when he heard the cry in his ears. Then, sure enough, there it was, floating in the water, and Masachika tensed his body... but if you looked carefully, it didn't seem to be swimming on its own. Instead, it was just bobbing along with the flow of the waves...

"...Hmm? Masha-san, that doesn't seem to be a jellyfish, but a plastic bag..."

"Eh? Pla-Plastic?"

"Umm, maybe..."

"Don't be so sure!!!"

*

As soon as Masachika said that in a less confident tone, Maria, who had loosened her arms for a moment, began to hug him tightly again.

"Wuooohhh!? Then it must be a plastic bag!?"

"Ааа! Помогии! Она меня ужалила!" (TN: rougly translates to "Help! It's going to sting me!)

"Oh! When you panic, you end up speaking Russian!"

Masachika was very impressed by Maria's cries of utter panic. Masachika himself was in a different state of panic. But, naturally, he reacted that way. Maria's bare skin felt very hot in the cold sea water. It felt so soft. Especially the aura of motherhood that crushed Masachika's chest. In addition, the scent of Maria's own body filled his nostrils, mixed with the scent of sunscreen.

(S-shit, seriously, I'll drown if this continues ......!)

Not by Maria's motherly aura (TN: as in her chest)... but the sea, of course. Feeling a sense of crisis as his body was slowly sinking, Masachika quickly searched for the life ring and soon discovered that it was floating a few meters away. Perhaps it had been pushed there by Maria's panic.

"P-Please calm down first, okay?"

"Я оюсь едуз! Сaкун, омогии!" 

(TN: I literally do not know how to translate this, I guess the author just put random gibberish)

Masachika put his hand on Maria's back to calm her, who was still babbling about something, and trying to grab the life ring. Then, just as Masachika managed to grab the buoy and breathed a sigh of relief, .... he heard a stunned voice from nearby.

"What are you two doing?"

When Masachika turned his face toward the source of the voice, he saw Chisaki looking dumbfounded as she raised her swimming goggles on her forehead. The expression on her face made Masachika impatient as he contemplated the state of himself who was being hugged by Maria.

"Ah, no, ummm that... a jellyfish appeared."

"Jellyfish...? Ohh."

With a suspicious expression, Chisaki looked around and suddenly reached out to grab something.

"...You mean this one?"

After saying that, Chisaki raised the object in her hand... indeed, it was a jellyfish. Not a plastic bag. Without a doubt, a real jellyfish. Subconsciously, Masachika immediately felt alarmed, and Maria's arms around his  neck also clung tightly. However, Chisaki's expression grew even more dumbfounded when she saw both of their reactions.

"No, you don't need to be so cautious at times. After all, it's already dead."

"Uh, i-it's dead?"

After being told, the jellyfish was indeed motionless... and just lying there. It felt like it was just a lump of gelatin.

"I saw a few of them while swimming earlier, and I finished them off quickly... it seems that the dead jellyfish happened to drift here."

After saying that, Chisaki threw away the dead jellyfish as if they were a piece of trash. What an extraordinary power.

"So? How long are you going to hug him, Masha?"

"Uh, t-that's..."

Maria looked away from Chisaki's cold gaze and laughed awkwardly.

"My waist came out of the life ring..."

"It's not because your leg is cramping?"

"N-No."

As her gaze warmed up with Chisaki, Masachika handed the life ring to Maria and worked together with Chisaki to bring Maria to a shallow place. When he finally reached the point where his feet could touch the bottom, Maria staggered slightly and began to walk to shore on her own.

"I'm sorry Kuze-kun, thank you very much."

"No, I'm just glad that Masha-san is okay. In that case, I'll go swimming again."

After waving his hand towards Maria who lowered her eyebrows with an apologetic expression, Masachika then headed to the beach again. ...Now, he couldn't get out of the water. Don't ask him why. What can be done, because Masachika is also a healthy teenager. (TN: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) )