“The ocean! Woo-hoo!”
Sakurazuki rushed towards the beach, spreading her arms wide and cheering. I couldn’t help but smile wryly as I watched her brush the sea breeze-blown hair from her face, gazing at the sparkling ocean.
“Aren’t you used to the ocean from photoshoots?”
“Well, yeah, but it’s a different feeling coming here for work versus coming on a date, isn’t it?”
“I guess so.”
Sakurazuki and I were at the beach. Originally, the five of us were supposed to come, but unfortunately, the other three caught a cold, so it suddenly became just Sakurazuki and me.
“Well then, let’s get ready.”
“Okay!”
I took the parasol pole and decided where to stick it in the sand. After checking the shade it cast, I carefully spread it out on the sand. Each time the wind blew, the edges would lift slightly, so I placed pebbles on the four corners to secure it firmly.
“Phew. All done!”
Sakurazuki smoothed out the sheet with her hands, finally creating a comfortable space. I somehow averted my gaze from Sakurazuki.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
Sakurazuki had her prized cherry blossom-colored hair in a ponytail. A white bikini gently enveloped her supple figure. She wore a light gray hoodie casually over her shoulders, adding to her allure.
Then, Sakurazuki looked at me with a mischievous smile.
“You see me naked all the time, so why are you getting shy?”
“…No comment.”
There’s also an eroticism that comes from being hidden, you know. Besides, you shouldn’t say things like that in front of everyone. All eyes are on me now.
Then, Sakurazuki lay face down on the sheet, exposing her defenseless back to me. She reached into her bag and handed me something.
“This is… sunscreen?”
“Yep! Apply it carefully, okay? If you miss a spot and my delicate skin gets exposed to UV rays… you know what’ll happen, right?”
“Yes…”
Since I was threatened, I carefully applied the sunscreen.
“Mmm…”
“…”
“Ah… there…”
“…”
“No…!”
“…”
There’s no way I can concentrate like this!
“Can you be a little quieter?”
“Ehh, it’s just that Satoshi-kun is too good at it.”
“There’s no such thing as being good or bad at applying sunscreen…”
“Yes, there is. Satoshi-kun is a technician!”
“Can you keep your voice down?”
Thanks to Sakurazuki’s bombshell, I felt the gazes around us sharpen even more.
“Well then, next is the front.”
“Don’t get carried away!”
“Ahhyu.”
I chopped Sakurazuki on the head, and she made a cute groan.
◇
I went into the ocean with Sakurazuki. Each time I stepped barefoot on the white sand, a gentle heat spread through the soles of my feet. And then, the waves that came and went caressed my ankles. The gently cool water blended into my skin.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“It does.”
Since I can’t use my right hand, I can’t go too deep. But just being knee-deep is enough.
“Take this!”
“Bleh!?”
Water splashed on my face. Seawater got into my mouth, and I couldn’t help but groan. When I looked resentfully at the culprit,
“I just felt like playing a prank. Sorry?”
She had the expression of a girl who had succeeded in a prank, contrary to her words.
“Should I give Sakurazuki the same treatment… No, never mind.”
“Huh?”
Taking advantage of Sakurazuki’s dazed state, I kicked up the water with force. Then, a larger splash than expected was created, attacking Sakurazuki.
“…”
Before she could even scream, Sakurazuki’s entire body was mercilessly soaked. Her hair stuck to her skin, and droplets ran from her forehead to her cheeks. Because of that, Sakurazuki’s vision was completely blocked, and I couldn’t see her expression.
For now…
“…I’m kind of sorry.”
When I honestly apologized to Sakurazuki, she brushed back her bangs and splashed water at me. Then, she grinned and said,
“Payback.”
“You little…”
While frolicking at the water’s edge, we had become completely like children. We splashed each other with water, our laughter echoing.
◇
“Ugh! That felt so good!”
“Yeah.”
After playing for a while, we returned to the parasol. Sakurazuki put her hoodie back on, and we sat side by side.
“It’s hot, isn’t it?”
“It’s supposed to be over thirty degrees today.”
The heat was trapped on the beach, and the scenery was swaying like a mirage.
“I’m going to buy something to drink. Do you want anything?”
“Huh? I’ll go with you.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll go by myself!”
“Ah, wait!”
Ignoring my attempt to stop her, Sakurazuki ran off.
It’s good that she’s energetic, but she forgot her wallet…
“Oh well, I guess. I’m worried about Sakurazuki being alone.”
Sakurazuki didn’t seem to notice at all, but she was monopolizing the attention at the beach. She’s already beautiful and stands out, and her figure is outstanding, so it’s impossible not to notice her.
Until just now, I was with her, so there were no guys trying to pick her up, but now she’s alone. Sakurazuki could easily handle a pickup, but you never know what might happen. I became worried and jogged after Sakurazuki. I saw Sakurazuki’s back without taking much time, so I tried to call out to her.
At that moment…
“Hey there, mister.”
“Huh?”
I was reflexively looked to my side because I was called out by someone I didn’t know, and there was a group of four college-aged gyaru.
“Excuse me, I’m not familiar with this area. I’m having trouble figuring out how to get there. Do you know?”
“Sorry. I’m a tourist too. I don’t know anything about the geography around here.”
“Oh, is that so? That’s a problem.”
I’d like to help if I could, but I’m worried about Sakurazuki. I’ll pray that they meet good people and try to leave this place… but my right arm was grabbed.
“Mister, won’t you play with us?”
“Eh, aren’t you in a hurry?”
“That’s true, but since we came to the beach, I want to have fun… Hii!”
The gyaru in front of me, who had been speaking in a sweet tone, suddenly turned pale. I also felt a murderous aura behind me, and when I turned around, Sakurazuki was there. The light had disappeared from her eyes, and she tilted her head with a snap, staring at us like a doll with a broken string.
“What are you doing with my boyfriend?”
“Eh? Well…”
“Get away from my boyfriend.”
“No, that’s…”
“I said disappear already. Are those ears just for show?”
“S-sorry!”
The gyaru were intimidated by Sakurazuki’s overwhelming fear and quickly went somewhere. Then, Sakurazuki turned her head with a snap and looked at me. And then,
“Are you okay!? Were you scared!? Is your right hand okay!?”
“Ah, yeah. I’m okay.”
“That’s good.”
Sakurazuki was frantically asking me questions, looking worried, but what was scary was…
◇
“Seriously, Satoshi-kun is too unguarded.”
When we arrived at the beach house, we sat side by side at a wooden table for four. There was almost no distance between us. The gyaru from earlier seemed to have been trying to pick me up, unbelievably. Perhaps because of that, Sakurazuki wouldn’t leave my side at all.
Sakurazuki ordered curry and cola, and I ordered yakisoba and cream melon soda. There was curry on Sakurazuki’s mouth, so I wiped it off with a tissue.
“I’m sorry. They really seemed to be in trouble.”
“You’re too soft. Too soft. Softer than the melon soda you’re drinking now.”
Sakurazuki looked like she wanted to drink it, so I offered her the cream melon soda, and she sucked on the straw without hesitation.
“Thanks. By the way, that was a common pickup tactic. If you take advantage of people’s kindness, the person making the approach won’t feel guilty. Ah, here, say ahh.”
“Mmm. Delicious.”
Sakurazuki held out a spoon. The fragrant aroma of spices tickled my nose, and my stomach stirred with anticipation. Why is curry eaten at a beach house so delicious?
“Aww. I was hoping you’d rescue me from being picked up, but it turned out the opposite.”
She was thinking about that…
“Was forgetting your wallet part of that?”
“Ah, I just forgot it normally.”
“That’s no good… Do you want to eat yakisoba?”
“Yeah!”
I fed Sakurazuki the yakisoba. I mixed the red ginger and green seaweed firmly with the noodles and fed them to Sakurazuki.
“Yakisoba has to be like this!”
I was going to talk about trying to improve her habit of losing things, but when I saw Sakurazuki looking so happy, I hesitated. More than that, the sauce was spilling, so I wiped Sakurazuki’s mouth with a tissue.
We’re done eating, so let’s go back to our spot quickly.
“Thank you for the meal!”
I don’t know if our voices reached the busy staff, but we shouldn’t forget to thank the people who made the food.
“A married couple…”
“Too in sync…”
“Are they the real deal?”
◇
“Well, that was fun.”
The sea offing was dyed orange, and the sound of the waves gently lapping was pleasantly resounding. As if the daytime hustle and bustle was a lie, only couples were left on the beach. Just as we were thinking of cleaning up and heading home, Sakurazuki found a large conch shell rolling on the sand and held it to her ear.
“You can really hear the sound of the waves, here, here.”
“Seriously…”
I held the conch shell to my ear and listened to the mysterious sound. For some reason, I felt like the sound filling the shell was filled with the fun memories of today.
Then, Sakurazuki leaned on my shoulder. Beyond our line of sight, the sun was sinking beyond the horizon. We were simply captivated by the fantastic scene of the sparkling water surface and the sun’s wake being swallowed up by the blackness.
Without either of us doing anything, Sakurazuki’s fingers intertwined with mine.
“Let’s come again, okay?”
Sakurazuki smiled softly. That expression was illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun, shining gently.
“Yeah…”
The next time we come here, I’m sure we’ll have just as much fun and beautiful time.
━━━
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