Tamaki Shintaro grabbed Imaizumi Keita's hand and shook it vigorously, a near-fanatical light flashing in his eyes.
"Imaizumi! This is... four female members in swimsuits! That's super rare!"
Hearing the President's "otaku bible"-like declaration, Imaizumi Keita felt his temples start to throb again.
"Senior Tamaki, I can understand your excitement, but... as far as I know, aren't you and Senior Tsukinoki childhood sweethearts? You've known each other for so many years; haven't you even seen her in a swimsuit before?"
"How can that be the same!"
Tamaki Shintaro retorted without thinking, his face even showing dissatisfaction as if his professionalism had been questioned.
"The plain and monotonous one-piece swimsuits from swimming class and the 'private swimsuits' that girls carefully pick out themselves to maximize their charm are two completely different concepts!"
"The former is like standard equipment, while the latter is more like their 'decisive weapon.' You get the difference!"
"Then I guess I understand."
Imaizumi Keita nodded. Seeing Senior Tsukinoki walking quickly toward them, he continued to ask, "So, for you, President, what you're looking forward to most is seeing Senior Tsukinoki, who usually wraps herself up tightly, change into that 'decisive weapon' full of girlish sentiment, right?"
"Of course!"
Tamaki Shintaro admitted without hesitation.
Just as he was about to say the next sentence, a slender hand reached out from the side and unceremoniously pinched his ear.
"Shintaro."
Tsukinoki Koto stood behind Tamaki at some point, a smile on her face, but her fingers pinching his ear were applying slight pressure.
"I seem to have heard someone harboring very impure fantasies about my swimsuit behind my back?"
"Ow, ow, ow! Koto! I was wrong!! By the way, Koto, why didn't you choose a bikini?!"
Tamaki Shintaro immediately let out a scream of pain, and Tsukinoki dragged him by the ear toward the sea.
"Honestly, your head is full of such improper things. Since it's so hot, I think you need to clear your head with some cold seawater!"
The two disappeared into the waves, bickering all the way.
Imaizumi Keita watched their receding backs, finally feeling like the whole world had become peaceful.
Seriously, these childhood sweethearts...
They've clearly already crossed the line of friendship, yet they refuse to break through that final barrier.
As he was thinking, he caught a glimpse of Yanami Anna carrying two cups of brightly colored shaved ice, walking toward him over the soft sand.
She was wearing the same yellow-and-white striped bikini he had seen in the photo yesterday.
The sunlight poured generously onto her skin, which was so fair it was almost blinding, outlining the youthful curves of her body.
Perhaps because she had just changed into the swimsuit and wasn't used to being observed by Imaizumi like this, her cheeks were flushed crimson, and her eyes were a bit shifty, not daring to meet his gaze.
She twisted her waist somewhat unnaturally, holding the cup of Lemon-flavored shaved ice in front of her chest, trying to use it as a shield.
This slightly shy defensive gesture actually made her look even cuter.
Even though she had been so bold in testing him on her phone the night before, now that she was physically in front of him, she immediately reverted to that pure-hearted look.
Truly a girl who can easily stir one's emotions.
Imaizumi Keita looked at her, the smile in his eyes deepening unconsciously.
Yanami Anna felt uncomfortable under his gaze and finally summoned the courage to look up and meet his eyes.
"Th-That... how is it?"
She asked Imaizumi with a mix of nervousness and expectation, "Does this swimsuit... look good on me?"
"Yeah, it looks great."
Imaizumi Keita's answer was crisp and direct, without any hint of perfunctoriness.
He watched Yanami's eyes light up instantly at his compliment, then looked over her figure, which was made even more exquisite by the swimsuit, and slowly added the second half of his sentence.
"It's just a bit of a pity."
"A pity?"
Yanami blanked for a moment.
"Yeah."
Imaizumi Keita nodded, a somewhat wicked smile appearing on his face.
"If I could not just look with my eyes, but also touch it myself to feel the texture, that would be even better."
"Y-You, you, you..."
Yanami Anna's cheeks burned through in an instant.
All the follow-up topics she had prepared, like "Really?" or "Where does it look good?", were all choked back by Imaizumi's bold words.
Her mouth hung open, and for a moment, she didn't know how to react.
Should she call him a "pervert" angrily as usual, or should she...
"Anna!!"
Just as Yanami Anna was about to make her choice, Shioyaki Lemon's voice called out from nearby.
Shioyaki Lemon was also wearing a bikini, but hers was a strapless bandeau style with thin strings securing the top.
The most eye-catching part was the contrast between her tanned skin and the paler areas, making it impossible not to look.
Holding a beach ball in one hand, her face was full of excitement as she urged Yanami, "Let's go in the water, Anna! The ocean is so beautiful!"
"Lemon, well, I... I want to finish eating this shaved ice here first before going."
Yanami Anna glanced at Imaizumi Keita; seeing no reaction from him, she tactfully declined Shioyaki.
"Alright then."
Hearing her words, a flicker of disappointment crossed Shioyaki Lemon's face, but she nodded readily.
"Then I'll go play for a bit first. You have to come over once you're done eating!"
After saying that, she seemed to feel that playing alone would be a bit boring, so she naturally turned her gaze toward Imaizumi Keita.
"Since Anna is eating, Kin-chan, why don't you come with me? Let's have a race to see who swims faster!"
This sudden invitation made the atmosphere turn subtle.
Yanami Anna's movement of eating shaved ice paused involuntarily.
She could feel her heart leaping into her throat once again.
No way.
She absolutely couldn't let him go into the sea alone with Lemon.
Who knows what might happen between them in the water!
However, she was currently staying behind under the pretext of "eating shaved ice." If she immediately changed her tune and said she wanted to go too, it would be... too obvious.
Just as she was caught in an internal struggle, thinking of what excuse she could use to keep Imaizumi here too—
"Lemon! Wait a second!"
Yanami Anna blurted out subconsciously.
She set aside the cup of shaved ice she had only taken a few bites of and stood up abruptly from the beach chair, wearing an expression that said, "I really can't do anything with you."
"I'm coming right now! It's just a swimming race! I won't lose to you!"
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