On the beach, the blonde girl focused intently, using a small shovel to perfect the shape of the sandcastle.
Tsurugi, not far off, was observing Hifumi's movements while awkwardly trying her hand at it herself, clearly struggling a bit.
As for Azusa and Mashiro, the two had agreed to go do some warm-up exercises first, preparing for the later tasks, and had run off somewhere, nobody knew where.
I stood a little distance away, camera in hand, planning to take a group photo once Hifumi finished and Azusa and Mashiro returned.
"Ta-da! Success! It's done!"
Hifumi looked around to confirm everything was correct, then stood up with delight. A perfectly classic sandcastle now stood before us.
However, her joy quickly faded when she noticed Tsurugi staring intently at the sandcastle, her mouth stretched into a grin.
"Wh-what do you think, Tsurugi?" Hifumi asked nervously. "Do you… like it?"
Truthfully, Tsurugi's expression clearly showed she liked it very much.
I was about to offer a word of explanation when a sudden series of gunshots rang out.
Under everyone's eyes, bullets struck the sand at Hifumi's feet, scattering the freshly built sandcastle into irregular chunks.
"Wh-what!? The sandcastle I just made!?"
From the direction of the gunfire came wild, triumphant laughter.
A few delinquent mobs, dressed in skimpy swimsuits, wearing sunglasses and black masks, appeared.
"Ahahaha!"
"Who allowed you to play in our sand here? Huh?"
"This unclaimed beach has been ours since yesterday! Pay up your site fee, got it!?"
I couldn't help but suspect this provocation might be a roundabout way to flirt, trying to get my attention.
Otherwise, why risk being alive?
I glanced at Tsurugi; her lips twitched, and a dark, ominous aura seemed to emanate from her side.
Amid the mocking laughter, this JTF president of Trinity slowly rose to her feet.
Then, like an arrow released from a bow, she shot forward toward the delinquent girls, who had yet to realize the danger.
"You bunch of—!"
With a furious roar, Tsurugi punched the first delinquent square in the stomach, sending them flying in a breathtaking arc several meters away.
The accomplices froze, horrified: "Wh-what kind of superhuman strength is this!? Even getting hit by a car wouldn't do this!"
Perhaps Tsurugi had held back?
The stunned delinquent raised their gun, intending to attack Tsurugi, but before they could fire, they were sniped and screamed in agony.
"Daring to destroy the sandcastle Hifumi made! And making sensei wait even longer!"
Azusa, having noticed the situation, dashed in decisively, yelling as she came.
…Isn't the second half of that sentence the real focus?
Apparently impatient to complete all the tasks and fully enjoy the ocean with me, Azusa was fuming:
"Unforgivable… Let's work together, President of the Justice Task Force."
"Kehh ahhh—!"
That scream likely meant agreement.
What happened next goes without saying.
Together, they quickly overwhelmed the delinquents, who fled in panic, shouting clichéd lines like "You'll pay for this!"
Hifumi, sitting beside me and watching both the battle and the remnants of her sandcastle, muttered:
"Wh-why did it turn out like this…?"
"Well, after all, this is Kivotos," I said, taking the chilled drink Mashiro had brought back and handing it to her.
To prevent heatstroke, Mashiro had carried a small cooler filled with homemade popsicles and canned drinks.
"Th-thank you."
After a few complex sips, Azusa and Tsurugi returned triumphantly.
Azusa held her head high, disdainfully remarking: "Hmph, that kind of action without strategy wouldn't have won otherwise."
Then Azusa added: "Not bad for the Justice Task Force Pres, definitely skilled."
For the record, Tsurugi had used dual shotguns.
But as if ignoring the compliment, Tsurugi didn't respond, her expression carrying a faint, inexplicable sense of wistfulness.
Azusa didn't seem to mind.
She turned to Hifumi: "What now? Will you make another one, Hifumi?"
"Hmm…"
Hifumi paused to think, her expression shifting.
Then she reached a conclusion.
"Ahahaha… th-then, I'll go to the restroom first…"
With that, the blonde girl hurried off, seemingly in some real urgency.
Azusa pondered for a moment, then resumed chatting with Mashiro. Surprisingly, the two seemed to get along well.
I, meanwhile, approached Tsurugi:
"Tsurugi, are you okay?"
"Mm…" She looked at the sandcastle she had made, also damaged in the battle, and her tone was low: "It sh-shouldn't have turned out like this… ocean, summer, friendship…"
The disappointment was likely from coming to the beach she had longed for, only to be interrupted by a fight, seeing even her hard work vanish.
I spoke softly: "But thanks to you, Tsurugi, it was properly protected."
"R-really…"
Tsurugi immediately felt embarrassed, but her mood improved noticeably.
I thought for a moment, switched my camera to video mode, and asked seriously:
"Tsurugi, is this your first time building a sandcastle?"
"Eh? Y-yes…" Tsurugi hesitated. "Sensei, this… is this for…?"
"An interview," I explained. Besides the checklist, I wanted more memories to help the girls enjoy it more. "But if it bothers you—"
"N-no, it's fine. I don't fully understand, but if sensei wants to do it, it must have meaning, right?"
She really was so obedient!
The more I looked at Tsurugi, the more I liked her.
"So, how did it feel building a sandcastle for the first time?"
"Umm…" After thinking for a long moment, Tsurugi whispered: "It was… fun… That student who demonstrated… had real skill… I tried my best to imitate it, but I'm still clumsy in many ways…"
She pursed her lips and timidly stared at the camera: "If there's another chance, I hope we can do it again… I wonder if there will be one?"
"There should be, right?"
We hadn't gotten the perfect photo yet; once Hifumi returned, we'd rebuild the sandcastle.
Just as I was thinking this, I heard the sound of splashing behind me.