To Commemorate the Book Release: Kitagawa Reine
In the very midst of the rainy season, after a continuous downpour, the sky finally cleared up for the first time in a while. The weather forecast predicted a sunny day, which put me in a great mood.
‘At the usual bookstore’
I reread the simple message from Reon. Classes were only until noon today, but since I had already submitted my report, Reon, who also finished her classes at noon, had gone to the bookstore ahead of me.
The excessive overprotectiveness of the Four Beauties has subsided quite a bit, and I’ve gradually been able to spend more time alone. Everyone has been spending more time on their own, whether it’s working part-time, hanging out with friends, or indulging in hobbies.
Seriously, thank goodness…
About thirty minutes later, I headed to Reon’s usual bookstore. Reon’s silver hair is beautiful and stands out, so it shouldn’t take too long to find her.
“Okay, found her right away… What’s she doing?”
Reon was staring intently at the upper part of the bookshelf. I wondered what she was doing, and then she reached out and started jumping up and down. She looked around, and then our eyes met.
Then, looking down in embarrassment, she came over to me.
“Um, that, I can’t reach it. Could you get it for me…?”
The destructive power was too strong, and I covered my face with both hands.
“Satoshi?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Reon looked at me curiously. Regaining my composure, I reached out with my left hand and took the book Reon wanted.
“Thank you.”
“It’s not a big deal for me, so don’t worry about it.”
Reon took the book from me and gently placed it in her shopping basket. I confirmed it and took the shopping basket. Then, Reon looked at me in surprise.
“Is that all?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Then, I’ll go pay.”
“You don’t have to go that far. I’m happy just with the thought.”
Reon smiled happily, but I wasn’t trying to treat her out of such noble intentions.
“I saw Reon’s embarrassing situation, so I’m trying to atone for it by treating you.”
“My, embarrassing…!”
She seemed to realize. In short, I was just repaying the price for making me swoon earlier with money.
“Idiot…”
How many times are you going to kill me…?
◇
There’s a relatively large aquarium for a city center right next to the school. Reon forcibly brought me here, saying that she couldn’t forgive me just for buying her a book.
Dating alone without permission is against the Four-Way Agreement. Even if I thought we wouldn’t get caught, we would definitely be found out in a few days.
My girlfriends’ detective skills have broken through the limit.
Glancing at Reon, her fashion today was a white frilled blouse and a black long skirt. It was a simple outfit overall, but she was wearing a watch that looked expensive for a college student, giving off a sophisticated adult atmosphere.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to an aquarium. What about you, Reon?”
“Me too. It’s been since a field trip in elementary school, I think.”
Including my previous life, it’s been a long time, so it’s been almost thirty years since I’ve been there. Reon and I walked with our arms intertwined as lovers. Reon’s beautiful skin was slightly red, making it obvious that she was embarrassed.
Entering the building, the lights dimmed, and we walked through the dark night sea.
“Oh… how beautiful.”
Reon gently touched the water tank. The pale blue light reflected on the surface of the water faintly illuminated Reon’s eyes.
“Indeed. It’s a fantastic scene…”
Inside the tank, the fish were swimming gently.
Reading the explanations and nodding in understanding, we moved on to the next tank. Reon stopped in front of each tank, pressed her face against the glass, and her eyes sparkled each time.
“She’s like a child…”
I smiled fondly as if I were watching the youngest child in my family, and then Reon’s eyes met mine.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, I’m happy that Reon is having fun, so I’m happy too.”
“What’s that?”
Reon chuckled and, satisfied with the exhibit in front of her, intertwined her arm with mine and urged me to go to the next one.
Next up was a giant octopus.
“Looks delicious…”
“I wonder about that reaction…”
Reon gave me a dumbfounded look. I certainly didn’t have a shred of atmosphere, so I reflected a little. Then, Reon’s gaze went back and forth between me and the octopus. She seemed to be thinking about something.
“You know, male octopuses are very gentlemanly and devoted.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Once they find the one woman they love, they mate and then die. I think it’s very honorable as a woman. It’s the same as being told, ‘I love you so much I could die.'”
“Huh, I feel like I’ve changed my opinion of octopuses.”
Octopuses are quite manly.
“Conversely, that means the one in front of us has no experience with women.”
“You…”
I felt sorry for the male octopus. Even if they graduate, they die. Even if they survive, they’re ridiculed as virgins. Their lives are too hard.
“Some people have four girls they like, don’t they? Unlike octopuses, they don’t die even if they pick and choose women.”
“Let’s not say things like that…”
Even though there aren’t many people in the building, it would be bad if someone heard us.
“When will I ever be number one?”
“Please have mercy…”
I had no choice but to raise the white flag to her grinning, yet half-serious pursuit.
◇
“Ooh…”
As for me, I couldn’t wait to see the big fish.
I’m a guy, that’s just how it is, right?
Thinking about that, a large tank appeared in front of me. Sharks, rays, and fish with vivid colors were swimming gracefully.
I couldn’t help but stop and was captivated by the fantastic scenery. I could only hold my breath at the beauty, as if a part of the sea had been cut out.
“Hey! That tank is amazing!”
“So emotional! Let’s take a picture!”
…How annoying.
Just as I was moved by the world in front of me, I heard a loud voice. When I looked, a group of normies were taking pictures with the giant tank in the background.
Look at the fish, look at the fish!
As I was complaining in my mind, my sleeve was suddenly pulled. Reon was preparing a selfie stick with clumsy movements.
“L, let’s take a picture together.”
“Huh, oh.”
“What’s wrong?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
I couldn’t nod so easily, considering I had been criticizing the normies.
Well, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If this is a nest of normies, we should follow suit. Reon snuggled up to me so that we would fit in the frame, and we were so close that there was no place where we weren’t touching.
“C, cheese.”
“Ah, cheese.”
My timing didn’t match Reon’s unfamiliar photo cue. We ended up taking multiple shots, including continuous shots.
“Finally, we got it…”
Reon moved away from me and immediately checked the photo. When I peeked in, Reon’s snow-white skin was flushed red.
I was just as red as Reon, but…
“Shall we go to the next one?”
“Yeah.”
I held hands with Reon and headed to the next exhibit.
Suddenly, when I looked at the passage where we had come from, I made eye contact with a young man about our age. His eyes seemed to be eloquently saying, “Look at the fish.”
◇
“I had a lot of fun today.”
“Me too… Honestly, I didn’t think it would be this fun.”
I don’t think it would be this interesting if I came alone. It’s just that being with my favorite girl turned just fun into super fun.
Reon must have felt the same way, as she intertwined her hands even more tightly.
Then, it started to rain in drops.
“Rain…?”
As Reon muttered, it started pouring.
“This is the worst.”
Since the forecast said it would be sunny today, I didn’t bring an umbrella. Looking around, I saw a bus stop with a roof, so I took Reon there to take shelter from the rain. There was no one around, so we calmed down a bit and sat on the bench.
“We got wet.”
I checked the bus schedule at the bus stop. There was about ten minutes until the next bus arrived.
“…The forecast said it wouldn’t rain…”
Reon, who was soaking wet, looked up at the sky resentfully, trying to shake off the rain under the roof. Water droplets ran down her cheeks, her wet silver hair clung tightly to her skin, and her rain-soaked clothes were slightly transparent, barely revealing the line of her shoulders.
I didn’t want anyone to see Reon like that.
Impulsively, I pulled Reon closer, and she opened her eyes wide in surprise, but then smiled softly.
“Hehe, you’re a possessive boyfriend.”
“Is that bad…?”
“No. I can’t be tied down unless you’re like that.”
Reon, wet with rain, had a strangely erotic and dizzying aura.
“I love you.”
As those quietly spoken words melted into the sound of the rain, her lips gently approached and touched mine softly.
“What a wicked woman…”
I said with a wry smile, looking at Reon.
“Yes. But for now, the rain will hide us no matter what wicked things we do.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Once again, Reon’s lips touched mine.
The roaring rain isolated us from the world, transforming this place into a secret space.
For a few minutes until the rain stopped, our own world certainly existed here.
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