Episode 45: A Moment of Peace
Just as summer vacation was about to pass its midpoint, Kazuma had come to the pool with the members of their study group.
Yes, unbelievably, with girls. Kazuma and the others were incredibly excited. They never thought they’d get an invitation from the girls. Their hearts swelled with the expectation that perhaps, just perhaps, a summer romance was about to begin.
“Well, I guess the main reason was probably to use us as convenient guy-repellent, don’t you think?”
“Uwooooon, uwooooon…”
“Why, oh why…”
“It means things are never that good, right?”
Just as Taichi said, it seemed Kazuma and the others had been invited because the girls would get hit on if they were alone, so they were called to be guy-repellent. Akatsuki confronted Kosuke and Kazuma, who were breaking down in tears over this fact, with reality.
The girls participating in the study group were the type who’d be called beauties or lovely young ladies.
Naturally, the guys around wouldn’t leave them alone. No matter how strong they were physically, it’s a wide world out there. There are plenty of men stronger than them. Kazuma would be one such person.
Well, despite their lamentations, Kazuma and the others were actually quite eager. While waiting for the girls to change, they let their gazes wander to other women, leering unabashedly.
“Summer truly is wonderful.”
“Swimsuits and underwear aren’t that different, so why is everyone so okay with it?”
“Isn’t it a matter of mindset? I mean, there’s ‘見せパン’ (fashionable underwear meant to be seen) too.”
“Is that how it is…”
Kosuke and Kazuma were engaged in aくだらない (pointless/silly) conversation. Akatsuki and Taichi looked at the two with exasperation.
As they were doing so, the girls emerged from the changing room. The four of them wore different types of swimsuits, and Kazuma and the others found their eyes glued to them.
“Ooooh…” the boys chorused, voices filled with awe.
The girls noticed their stares, and Miyazono approached Kazuma, clamping down on his head with an iron claw.
“Uboaaaaaah! Why only me?!”
“Because I figured you’d be the one I could get away with doing it to! Don’t you dare look at us with those lewd eyes!”
“You can’t blame me for looking! Ugogogogogo!”
“Well then, at least try to be a little more discreet!”
“I wiiiiiiill!”
Released, Kazuma crouched on the spot, checking if his face had been disfigured. Watching him up close was Miyazono in her boyleg swimsuit. It was a choice befitting her tomboyish nature. Her well-toned legs and firm body were beautiful.
“Are you okay, Kazuma?”
“Hm? Oh, Makimura-san. Yeah, I think I’m alright, somehow.”
“I see. By the way, Kazuma, you’re surprisingly well-built.”
“Well, I do train.”
“Can I touch?”
“Sure. It’s not like I’ll lose anything.”
“Then, don’t mind if I do.”
Kazuma, who had been crouching, stood up, and Kaede began to touch his body. She wore a simple bikini, having chosen the most revealing swimsuit. Of course, with her excellent figure, she was drawing attention from the surrounding men.
She was thoroughly interested in Kazuma’s muscles, patting his arms, chest, and abs.
“Ooh… Hey, show me your biceps.”
“Okay. Hmph!”
As Kaede requested, Kazuma struck a muscle pose, showing off his biceps. Seeing this, Kaede’s eyes sparkled, and she hung from Kazuma’s arm.
“What are you doing?”
“Exactly what it looks like. Hanging.”
“Well, I don’t mind, but…”
“Try spinning around a bit.”
“Like this?”
With Kaede hanging from his arm, Kazuma spun around on the spot.
“Can you go faster?”
“Easily.”
Kaede grew excited as Kazuma spun even faster than before.
“Ooh! Amazing!”
“Hahahaha!”
As the two of them were playing like that, Megumi approached. Her expression was somewhat restless, and she looked like she wanted to say something.
Noticing this, Kaede let go of Kazuma’s arm and landed on the ground, then asked Megumi.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, um, well… I was thinking I’d like to try that too.”
“Is that so? Hey, Kazuma. Megumi wants to do that too.”
“Sure. I can even take both of you, one on each arm.”
“Really? Then, don’t mind if I do. Come on, Megumi.”
“O-Okay!”
Megumi, wearing what’s called a high-neck swimsuit, grabbed Kazuma’s arm, her skirt fluttering, and hung from it. Kaede hung from the opposite arm.
Kazuma spun on the spot, swinging the two of them around. As they squealed with delight, Kazuma increased his rotation speed.
He spun them for a while, but noticing that both Megumi’s and Kaede’s grips were finally loosening, Kazuma stopped.
“Amazing, amazing! Satsuki-kun, you’re really strong!”
“Heheheh. Well, I’d still lose to those two from the Combat Course.”
“Kaori-chan and the others are Body Enhancement types, so that can’t be helped~”
Kazuma was being self-deprecating, but he was stronger than anyone in this world. Well, since it was a secret, no one knew. Still, at this rate, it felt like he might let it slip himself eventually.
“You say that, but I think you’re amazing, Satsuki-kun.”
Kaori said as she drew closer to Kazuma. She wore an off-shoulder bikini, which enhanced her sexiness.
“You think so? Well, I do feel I’m doing pretty well among the Support Course students.”
“That’s not true. Even compared to Combat Course students, you’re plenty amazing. You’d probably win by a landslide in a fight without Gifts, wouldn’t you?”
“I wonder? I’ve never tried, but maybe I could put up a good fight?”
“Want me to train you, then?”
“No, I’ll pass.”
“What did you say?! You little—!”
“Adadadadada!”
Just as he was talking with Kaori, Miyazono cut in, pulling Kazuma into an embrace by his shoulder. It was an incredibly close distance that should have made him flustered, but unfortunately for her, Kazuma was a returnee from another world.
He’d had similar things done to him by warrior women over there and had developed a resistance. However, this time they were in swimsuits, so the degree of skin contact was no joke.
Nevertheless, Kazuma, finding Miyazono’s boisterousness similar to the atmosphere of the other world, responded calmly without feeling any lust.
Miyazono, angered more by his rejection of her proposal than by his reaction, put Kazuma in a headlock.
For Kazuma, while it was painful, he could also enjoy the soft sensation, so in a way, it was an unexpected perk.
The other three boys watched Kazuma in his harem-like state.
“Kazuma really is something else…”
“Yeah. How can he be so calm about it?”
“Damn it~! I wish I could trade places with him~!”
Hearing Kosuke’s heartfelt cry, Kazuma responded.
“I’ll trade with you anytime!”
“No, I’m good.”
“Heeh~. You still seem to have plenty of余裕 (leeway/composure)!”
“Ogyaaaaaaah!”
“Hawawawa…!”
Miyazono applied more force, and Kazuma, squeezed as if by a vise, let out an exaggerated scream. Kosuke, watching this up close, trembled like a delicate maiden.
After that, the group moved and found themselves in front of a water slide.
“Hmm. So it’s the type where two people ride an inner tube…”
Where Kazuma muttered, people were riding inner tubes in pairs down the water slide. The eight of them, waiting in line, discussed what to do.
“Should we just play it safe and pair up guys with guys?”
“That would be a hellish sight, though…”
Kosuke was negative about Akatsuki’s suggestion. Since there were girls present, he secretly thought they should definitely pair up boy-girl.
He didn’t say it out loud because he didn’t want to be thought of as weird.
“Ka-Kazuma…”
Kosuke called out in a small voice to Kazuma, who was watching the water slide with his arms crossed. When Kazuma turned around, he saw Kosuke with a somewhat awkward expression.
“What’s wrong? Need the toilet?”
“No, that’s not it. Um… could you ask them if they want to pair up boy-girl?”
“I don’t mind, but why don’t you ask them yourself?”
“Idiot! What if they think I’m a pervert or something!”
“Ah~, well, true. But if I ask something like that, I’ll feel kind of bad too.”
“Ugh… But you’re the only one I can ask. Come on, you’re the closest to them out of all of us, right?”
As Kosuke said, Kazuma was close with the girls from the Combat Course. He was often physically close, but likely emotionally close as well.
“Aah~, well, I’ll try asking, but if they refuse, you gotta give up, okay?”
“Oooh~! I know, I know!”
And so, Kazuma charged towards the girls. They were waiting in line together, chatting amongst themselves, when Kazuma proposed they slide down in boy-girl pairs.
“Hey, hey, wanna try pairing up boy-girl?”
As expected, the girls froze. It was quite a sight to see how they would react to such an obviously transparent ulterior motive.
Even Kazuma, for his part, had realized this was probably a lost cause.
“Okay.”
“Eh?”
“I’m fine with it.”
“Are you serious? Makimura-san.”
Kazuma was more shaken by the surprising statement than anyone. He had been sure he’d be rejected, yet it was an unexpected OK. Anyone, not just Kazuma, would undoubtedly be flustered.
“Yeah. But how should we decide the pairs?”
“Whoa, hang on a sec. Makimura-san seems okay with it, but I haven’t heard from the others yet.”
“Oh, right. What about everyone else?”
“Eh, what do you mean…” Megumi trailed off, looking to the other two for their opinions.
“Well, if you’re okay with someone like me, then sure.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. Most guys, other than Satsuki, probably avoid me. Well, can’t be helped. They’re probably scared of me.”
It was a fact. Miyazono had sensed that she was being avoided by all the guys except Kazuma. It wasn’t that she felt sad or lonely about it, or anything like that. She simply thought it couldn’t be helped.
“So, with that said, if we’re doing mixed-gender pairs, I’ll be pairing up with Satsuki.”
For some reason, Miyazono slung an arm around his shoulder, giving Kazuma no chance to object.
Not that Kazuma particularly minded, as he didn’t dislike Miyazono. She reminded him of the vibe from the other world, so he was actually quite favorable towards her.
“Ehh~, I wanted to be with Kazuma too…”
“Well, sorry, but this time, you’ll have to let me have him.”
“Hey, I haven’t even decided if I’m doing this, you know?”
Things were moving along smoothly, but just as Kaori said, it hadn’t actually been decided that they would split into mixed-gender pairs to slide. It was just that those two were enthusiastic about it.
“Ah, right. That’s true. What should we do?”
“Megumi, what do you want to do? It seems like those two are already raring to go, though…”
“U-um, well, I… I’d rather not, it’s a bit embarrassing…”
“I see. Then, Megumi and I are against it.”
“In that case, will it just be me and Makimura pairing up with guys?”
“If that’s fine with you, then it’s fine.”
And so, Kazuma returned to the group of guys and told them that Kaede and Miyazono were okay with sliding in mixed-gender pairs.
“Eh…”
“What’s with that disappointed look!”
“So, Miyazono-san is sliding with you, which means Makimura-san will slide with one of us?”
“That’s how it is. Which means, Kosuke. You’re the only one.”
“Why me?!”
“Well, you were the one who brought it up. And you want to slide with a girl, right?”
“W-well, yeah, but…”
He hesitated because his partner would be Kaede. Kosuke had wanted to slide with relatively gentle girls like Megumi or Kaori. Not a violent girl like Miyazono, or an eccentric girl like Kaede.
“Look, since I’m sliding with Miyazono-san, one of you three has to slide with Makimura-san anyway, right?”
“””Ah.”””
In other words, there was no escape. The three of them had to decide who would slide with Kaede, and as expected, it was decided it would be Kosuke, the one who brought it up.
After that, being the first ones, Kazuma and Miyazono slid down.
“Yeeeeeehawwww!”
“Yeaaaaaaah!!!”
Kazuma, who was totally pumped up, secretly used wind magic to accelerate so no one would notice, and made a huge splash at the end point.