Mori Shinra dug out his swim trunks and a Hawaiian shirt from his suitcase.
He then looked at the sandals on his feet, thought for a moment, and decided to change into flip-flops for a more summery, beachy vibe... even though there was no beach.
After tossing his sweat-drenched dirty clothes into the washing machine, Mori Shinra walked out of his room.
Coincidentally, Totsuka Saika from the next room also came out, fully geared up.
Hmm... how to describe Totsuka's outfit.
He wore a white zip-up hoodie over his swim trunks.
The overall impression was as if he was only wearing a single shirt.
His fair skin, androgynous features, and a build that was relatively petite for a boy his age, made it genuinely difficult to tell his gender at first glance.
He's prettier than many girls.
"Mori-kun." Totsuka Saika trotted over to Mori Shinra. "I don't think Hachiman ever came back."
"He's probably not done with work yet."
Hikigaya had been assigned the task of stacking the firewood in a log-cabin style, which was the last link in the work chain, so he was bound to get off later than them.
"By the way, aren't you hot wearing that?" Mori Shinra asked, pointing at Totsuka Saika's clothes.
Unlike Mori Shinra's quick-dry shirt, Totsuka Saika's white hoodie was long-sleeved.
The fabric didn't look very breathable, and he even had it zipped up.
"That's because my skin is quite sensitive, and it's not good for my body if it gets too cold," Totsuka Saika said with an embarrassed smile.
His skin was naturally paler than a normal boy's, but it sunburned very easily, which was why most of his clothes were long-sleeved.
"I see. Well, be careful not to catch a cold when you're in the water later," Mori Shinra reminded him politely.
"Mhm!"
Although that careless guy Tobe hadn't told them the exact meeting spot, considering there was only one stream nearby, Mori Shinra and Totsuka Saika weren't worried about finding them.
As the sound of flowing water grew clearer, the surrounding trees began to thin out.
The small stream soon appeared before their eyes.
The stream wasn't wide, only about a meter across.
The current wasn't strong, and the water was just deep enough to cover their ankles.
It was like a farm ditch.
It was fine for cleaning mud off shoes, but probably not quite enough for playing in the water.
Mori Shinra knew this was just a tributary.
If they walked upstream, there should be a larger, more suitable place.
Sure enough, after he and Totsuka Saika had walked for a few dozen meters, the stream widened noticeably, and more exposed rocks began to appear.
Further ahead, they saw a natural riverbed made of gravel.
At the end of the riverbed was an open river beach.
Looking up, Mori Shinra saw several figures standing by the river, and he could faintly hear the sound of laughter coming from that direction.
"It's so cool!"
Yuigahama tentatively dipped her toe into the water.
The icy-cold sensation made her immediately pull it back.
Then, realizing it wasn't as cold as she'd thought, she put her whole foot in, feeling the coolness as the water rushed past.
A comfortable, dog-like smile appeared on her face.
Komachi, who was already standing in the water, seemed to sense a gaze from nearby and looked over at Mori Shinra and the others.
"Ah, it's Shinra-nii and Saika-nii! Hey~~ Over here, over here!"
Komachi waved, signaling them to come over.
Soon, the group converged.
Once he was closer, Mori Shinra got a clear look at their attire.
Mhm. All swimsuits.
First was Yuigahama Yui.
She was wearing a blue bikini.
Her fair skin, combined with the bright color, was very visually striking.
But even more striking than the color was her impressive figure.
It wasn't as obvious when she was wearing her school uniform, but once she changed into a bikini, her "large and beautiful" assets were on full display.
If her school uniform form was an 8/10, her bikini form was a solid 9/10.
Next was Komachi.
Her swimsuit was light yellow, adorned with ruffles.
The overall style was cute.
She gets a... can't rate this. She's a minor.
"Is it just you two here? Where are Yukinoshita and the others?" Mori Shinra asked.
"Ms. Hiratsuka and Yukino-chan went to get drinks... Ah, here they come."
Just as Yuigahama finished speaking, Mori Shinra followed her gaze.
He saw a girl with a clear, beautiful face and skin as white as snow.
Her skin was as fine as jade, glowing faintly in the sunlight.
Her waist was slender, enough to be encircled by one hand.
Her legs were straight and long, with smooth, natural lines, without a trace of excess fat.
An undisputed 9.9/10. The remaining 0.1 was deducted for her slightly barren chest.
It was worth noting that on top of her base swimsuit, Yukinoshita Yukino had tied a white sarong printed with a light purple maple leaf pattern.
It looked both beautiful and fashionable, and it matched Mori Shinra's own beach attire quite well.
"Huh? Your aesthetic sense is surprisingly good," Yukinoshita noted, also noticing Mori Shinra's outfit.
"The way you say that, it sounds like my usual fashion sense is terrible," Mori Shinra retorted, annoyed.
"Isn't it?" Yukinoshita tilted her head.
"That's because I don't go out much. Naturally, I just wear whatever is convenient."
Mori Shinra wanted to state that although she was cute, she couldn't just say things like that.
His daily attire might be a bit casual, but that didn't mean his fashion sense was bad.
He just didn't put effort into coordinating.
There's a big difference between 'don't want to' and 'can't'.
While the two were bickering, Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had been following behind, also approached.
She paused when she saw Mori Shinra's outfit and couldn't help but tease, "Your clothes... are they a couple's outfit?"
"Sensei, have you been on so many blind dates that your judgment is starting to resemble a matchmaker's?" Yukinoshita asked, puzzled.
"Urk..." Hiratsuka Shizuka felt as if an arrow had struck her heart.
Wait, does Yukinoshita know I've been going on blind dates?
Don't tell me... you snitched!
Feeling Hiratsuka Shizuka's gaze on him, Mori Shinra felt very innocent.
Who doesn't know about it at this point? Does anyone even need to snitch?
Hiratsuka Shizuka decided to temporarily avoid Yukinoshita's sharp tongue and turned to Totsuka Saika.
"That guy Hikigaya should still be back at the bonfire site. Could you do me a favor and drag him over here? Otherwise, with his personality, he'll probably stay in the dorm all day."
It seemed Hiratsuka Shizuka had also found the way to deal with Hikigaya—dispatch Saika.
"Okay!" Totsuka Saika nodded and happily ran off to find his good buddy.
It's worth mentioning that Hiratsuka Shizuka was wearing a white bikini.
As expected of a mature woman approaching thirty. Her full thighs and ample bust were not something a high school girl could compare to. You could also tell she exercised regularly. Her skin was firm, and not only was her stomach flat, but you could even see her ab lines.
"Sensei clearly has the goods. If she said she was thirty, people would probably believe her. So why can't she find a man?" Mori Shinra mused.
As soon as he said this, Yukinoshita silently put some distance between them.
A moment later, Hiratsuka Shizuka's face bloomed with a smile as warm as the spring breeze.
"SPLASH~"
A huge splash erupted.
The flip-flops floated to the surface first, followed by Mori Shinra.
He looked a little... dead.
Floating with the current to the riverbank, Mori Shinra heard a curious child's voice from above.
"Can you dive in water this shallow?"
It was Tsurumi Rumi.
"Who calls 'dumping a body' 'diving'?" Mori Shinra retorted.
He then tensed his abs, turned over in the water, and stood up on the gravel of the riverbed.
He looked at Tsurumi Rumi.
"Are you alone?"
"Mhm." Tsurumi Rumi nodded.
As if discussing something that had nothing to do with her, she added, "Isn't today free activity time? After breakfast, I went back to my room, but I couldn't find anyone..."
"That sounds kind of sad."
"I think being thrown into the water is sadder."
"That was the punishment for misspeaking. Some things can only be kept in your heart. Once you say them out loud, no one can predict the consequences... You should understand that, right?"
"If I had the choice, I'd rather not understand."
"Well, do you want to come play with us?" Mori Shinra offered.
Tsurumi Rumi shook her head, her voice lifeless. "No."
"Is it because you don't have a swimsuit?"
"I have one. I just don't want to go."
"I see~"
Mori Shinra didn't say much more and turned to walk towards the center of the river beach.
Tsurumi Rumi hadn't expected him to just leave.
Normally, shouldn't he have said something like, "Well, I'm heading off then," or some other social pleasantry? Are high schoolers all this rude?
Thinking this, Tsurumi Rumi still didn't say anything.
She watched Mori Shinra's retreating back, then quietly found a spot in the shade and sat down, hugging her knees.
Her gaze was empty, lost in thought.
"Splash."
That was the sound of Mori Shinra coming ashore.
He wrung out the hem of his shirt, tossed the flip-flops he'd retrieved onto the ground, and squish-squashed over to sit down next to Tsurumi Rumi.
"Why are you back?"
"I never said I was leaving. I was just getting my flip-flops."
"Aren't you going to accompany your girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?"
"The one who took a picture with you earlier."
Tsurumi Rumi had a deep impression of Yukinoshita.
She had mercilessly crushed her lingering hope, leaving her with a deep-seated apprehension.
"You mean Yukino? We're just friends right now."
"Friends... Do you still have any friends from elementary school?"
"Not really."
Mori Shinra had come to Japan in middle school.
Living in two different countries, any friendships he'd had in elementary school were long gone.
"If you're looking to him for comfort, you're probably out of luck, Rumi."
The speaker was Yukinoshita Yukino.
She had noticed Tsurumi Rumi when Mori Shinra had "dived" into the water, but she hadn't known how to approach.
After seeing Mori Shinra successfully make contact, she decided to come over and check the situation.
With her was Yuigahama.
When the pink-haired girl noticed Tsurumi Rumi's gaze, she even gave her a friendly wave.
Unfortunately, Tsurumi Rumi didn't react to her friendly gesture.
Instead, she looked at Yukinoshita and couldn't help but ask:
"Why?"
"Because he didn't go to elementary school here. If you really want a reference... you can ask Yuigahama."
Tsurumi Rumi looked at Yuigahama, who was staring at her with an expectant look.
She quickly turned her head away, avoiding her gaze.
Yuigahama's face fell with disappointment.
Seeing this, Yukinoshita took charge and asked for her, "Yuigahama, how many of your elementary school classmates do you still see?"
"Let's see... If you mean just hanging out, maybe one or two?" Yuigahama said, tapping her chin as she calculated.
"And how many people were in your grade?"
"Thirty kids per class, and three classes in total."
"So, about ninety people. From this, we can easily conclude that five years after elementary school graduation, the probability of maintaining a friendship is between three and six percent. Even someone as sociable as Yuigahama can only manage that."
"Sociable... me? Hehe." A silly smile spread across Yuigahama's face, thinking Yukinoshita was praising her.
"Yuigahama-san, 'sociable' isn't a compliment." Yukinoshita reminded her, exasperated.
"Eh! It's not?!" Yuigahama looked disappointed again.
Yukinoshita continued, "And this data needs to be filtered further. In a normal situation, the actual probability is probably around one percent. From this, you can see, friends from elementary school aren't as important as you think. The vast majority are just brief passersby in your life."
"Oh, that's right! Rumi-chan, you don't have to take it so seriously. Just try to look on the bright side," Yuigahama chimed in, trying to help.
Hearing the two older girls' words, the expression on Rumi's face softened, but she was still hesitant.
"...But my mom won't accept that. She's always asking me if I'm getting along with my friends. She even bought me this camera specifically, to take a lot of pictures at camp."
She bought the camera just for camp?
Mori Shinra was surprised.
But considering the special nature of things like graduation trips, spending money on a camera for it was reasonable.
"I see... you have a good mom, to worry about you so much."
Yuigahama didn't think Tsurumi's mom was a problem... and she really wasn't. A mom who would buy a camera just so her daughter could preserve good memories is undoubtedly a good mom.
But, a mother's love, while good, put all the pressure on Tsurumi Rumi. If she hadn't been ostracized, this task would be easy. But in this situation, forget taking pictures, she probably couldn't even find anyone to take pictures with. That brand-new camera probably only had the photo of him and Yukinoshita in it.
Mori Shinra felt that if it was just about appeasing her mom, there were plenty of solutions.
Even if Rumi didn't have friends her own age, they could be her friends. Being friends with an elementary schooler versus being friends with high schoolers... obviously, the latter has more value. It's unclear if it would please her mother, but at least it would be something to show?
Just as Mori Shinra was about to teach Tsurumi Rumi some essentials of "journalism," Yukinoshita suddenly activated her gravity field.
"Is that so... In my opinion, that is a symbol of control, discipline, and possessiveness."
...
I almost forgot, Yukinoshita Yukino's problems are also related to her mother. How can they be so similar?
Yuigahama clearly hadn't expected Yukinoshita Yukino to say that.
Not knowing the inside story, she was at a complete loss.
"Huh? Wait, th-that's not right, is it? To say that... isn't that a bit..."
"A bit too extreme." Mori Shinra finished the sentence for Yuigahama. "Generally speaking, if a parent didn't love their child, they wouldn't bother with such things, let alone specifically remind them to take nice pictures with friends."
Hearing Mori Shinra say this, Yukinoshita pursed her lips and turned her head to the side, as if unable to meet his gaze.
She was silent for a moment, then slowly exhaled.
"You're right... Under normal circumstances, that is the case."
She then apologized to Rumi for her earlier outburst. "Sorry, I lost my composure. I said some irresponsible things."
Rumi hadn't expected Yukinoshita to apologize for that.
She was at a loss and subconsciously looked at Mori Shinra.
Seeing this, Mori Shinra very naturally stepped in to smooth things over. "In that case, why don't we take some more pictures? That way you can also satisfy your mom's request. It's worth mentioning, my photography skills are pretty good."
"Is that okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be? I can be your friend, too. But you don't have to take pictures of me. You can take pictures of those big sisters. Your mom will be more relieved that way."
"You just want their pictures, don't you!" Tsurumi Rumi saw right through him.
She then looked at Yukinoshita Yukino and asked, "He's like this, and you don't even control him?"
"Control him?"
"Aren't you his girlfriend? Even your swimsuits are a couple's set."
At this, Yukinoshita couldn't hold her expression.
She blushed and corrected, "We are not!"
Just as Yukinoshita was thinking about how to explain her relationship with Mori Shinra to Rumi, someone else joined the conversation.
"Yui, what are you doing here? Come on over and play!"
The speaker was Miura Yumiko!