“Ugh, Nagisa, seriously, put the water gun down!”
“Nagi-chan! That’s cheating!”
“Fufu. You all use whatever weapons you want when you fight, so why shouldn’t I?”
“Ha.... Annoyingly, that’s not wrong.”
“Right?”
“It’s a wrong answer that needs beating!”
Haruta drove a fist down, pouring strength into the water beneath him.
Splash-boom!
Water burst upward and crashed toward Nagisa.
“Haruta?”
Bang!
“Waa~o☆”
“Hahaha! If you come to the beach, you should be prepared for this much!”
Mika silently loaded her water gun behind him.
“Hey, Mika! I can see everything!”
“Ahaha☆ I got caught!”
------------------------------
“So, did you enjoy yourselves?”
“Yeah. Nagisa and Mika swimmi—”
He broke into a cold sweat at the sight of Nagisa holding one roll cake in one hand and Mika in the other.
“I’m sorry.”
“How utterly indecorous.”
“Yeah☆ Haruta, if you even glance at another woman, I’ll kill you then and there☆”
“Yes... of course...”
“Good!☆”
“Haah...”
“? Nagisa, you’re sighing even on a trip?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Uh... sure. Then let’s go rest at the lodging.”
“Yes. Let’s.”
------------------------------------------------
20 minutes later
“Waa~o☆”
“What kind of ocean view is this?”
“Fufu. You can only truly enjoy yourself if you spend money at this level.”
“Huh? Hey, what are we eating for dinner?”
“Hmm.... I originally planned a cruise ship party, but that felt a little excessive, so I’ve put it on hold for now.”
“Wow... you really are on another level.”
“Yeah☆ I’m not exactly short on money either, a☆”
“Ah, Mika, you’re loaded too, right?”
They spent some time chatting with Nagisa and Mika.
“Oh, by the way, does this place have beds?”
“Yes.... but because of recent construction, there’s only one bed.”
“?? Ha... shit. What about blankets?”
“There are about two blankets.”
“Is there a convenience store or a general store nearby?”
“No.”
“Ah....”
“Yeah☆ Tonight’s going to be fun☆”
“What kind of insane thing are you saying?”
“Then you don’t like it, Haruta?”
“No, I do, but right now I’m a little...”
“What were you thinking about?”
“Huh? Obviously s—”
“Mika?”
“Yeah☆ I’m ready.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Well, let’s just think about that later for now...”
“Then what are we doing next? Nagi-chan?”
“Hmm... probably beach activities like surfing or sunbathing, I’d imagine.”
“Wow, way to be a total planner.”
Nagisa had a roll cake in her hand.
“Come on, give me a break today.”
“Fufu, we still have plenty of time left.”
“Right? It’s only day one.”
“For now, let’s go eat lunch.”
“Uh... hey, Nagisa, what ingredients do you have here?”
“Well, I think we have most common ingredients. But why the sudden question?”
“Fufu. There’s one food I’d say is absolutely the best thing to eat after swimming.”
“Oh? Then let’s have that.”
“Hey, you two go out and have some more fun.”
“Huh?”
“No, there’s a reason.”
“Yes... then we’ll go play for a bit.”
“And when I call, come right back.”
“Okay~”
“Mika’s eating too?”
“Yeah!☆”
“Good. I’ll call you when everything’s ready.”
--------------------------
“Oh, this turned out better than I expected.”
What Haruta had prepared was ramen to eat with kimbap, something his mother had taught him back in Korea.
“Heh. Ramen and kimbap after swimming are among the finest delicacies.”
“And I made plenty, too, since I took Mika’s appetite into account.”
A little later.
“Mika!!! Nagisa!!! Dinner’s ready!!”
“Oh? Haruta is calling us.”
“Haah... Nagi-chan, I’m so tired...”
“Well, we did play quite a bit, so I can sympathize.”
“? What kind of food is this?”
“Fufu. It’s a real delicacy. Try eating it with the ramen beside it.”
Nagisa picked up a piece of kimbap with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth with some ramen.
“Mm...? This is.... very delicious.”
“Heh.... Haruta, you can cook too?”
“Isn’t this something most Koreans can do?”
“Korea?”
“Ah, just talking to myself.”
“Yes... well, it’s delicious. Strangely delicious.”
“They have sushi here, but not kimbap.”
“Huh? Is this called kimbap?”
“Yeah, just kimbap.”
“This is... delicious...”
“Haruta... make this for me again later!”
“Yeah, eat up.”
--------------------------------------------------------
“Wow, you finished all of that.”
“Indeed...”
“I can’t... eat... any more...”
“Haha... summer means watermelon too.”
“? Haruta, you brought watermelon too?”
“No? It was just in your villa’s fridge.”
“I see.”
“Wait here. I’ll cut it up.”
While Haruta went off to cut the watermelon,
“Mika?”
“Hm? What is it, Nagi-chan?”
“What do you think of Haruta?”
“Huh...? Why all of a sudden?”
“Yes. I’d like to know whether Mika feels the same way I do, so please answer honestly and don’t feel pressured.”
“Well... just a close friend?”
“Mika? You’re far too bad at lying.”
Just then, Haruta came back in carrying the watermelon.
“Hey! Watermelon’s ready!”
“Then shall we go eat some watermelon?”
“Yeah...”
“Hey... later, let’s make fruit punch with half the watermelon.”
“Fruit punch... what kind of food is that?”
“Ah... you don’t know?”
“No, I’ve never heard of it.”
“Hmm... do you have sparkling water or cider here?”
“I’m not sure, but we do have sparkling water.”
“Oh, that’s enough.”
“Why? What kind of food is it?”
“Just a cold watermelon stew?”
“Waa~o☆”
“No, I mean that as a figure of speech. Once you try it, you’ll change your mind.”
“I’m a little unsure about watermelon stew too...”
“No, really.”
“Ahem. For now, let’s just eat the watermelon.”
“Okay.”
Nagisa took the first piece and put it in her mouth.
“Mm... it’s sweet.”
“...Really? What did you do to the watermelon this time?”
“Nagi-chan? What exactly did you do to the watermelon?”
“It’s just a slightly expensive watermelon, that’s all.”
“? How much was it?”
“200,000 yen.”
“??? What? 200,000 yen?”
At that, Mika and Haruta swallowed the watermelon in their mouths and nodded.
“Yeah☆ Nagi-chan? This feels like it’s worth 200,000 yen☆”
“No, what kind of fruit costs 200,000 yen...”
“Isn’t that pretty cheap for this level?”
“Your sense of money is completely shattered...”
“Nagi-chan needs to save a little more.”
“Hmm... if you say so, I’ll try to be more frugal.”
“Yeah, live a little more carefully with your money.”
“But making fruit punch out of a 200,000-yen watermelon really seems like a bad ide—”
“Since we’ve already finished eating it, why not try making it?”
“Hey, do you happen to have any candy here?”
“Hmm... we do have a lot of candy, but why do you ask all of a sudden?”
“No, no. Someone taught me a method before.”
Haruta took the candy basket and searched for something as close as possible to “that” candy.
“Oh, this should do.”
“What exactly are you planning...?”
“Nagisa, you’re smart, so you’ll probably figure it out right away.”
“Pardon?”
“As for Mika...”
“What! That look that says you don’t know!”
“Kukukuk, no, no.”
Then he fixed the watermelon in place, leaving only a small opening at the center, and secured the sparkling water.
“All right.”
“? This is....”
“I don’t know if it’ll work, but I have to try.”
The moment Haruta finished speaking, he dropped the candy into the sparkling water.
Psssh!
“Ooooh! It works!!!”
“Waa~o☆ What is that?”
“This is... truly amazing.”
“Right? This is how you enjoy summer!”
“So how do you eat this food?”
“Do you have spoons?”
“If you mean my spoons, then yes, I have plenty.”
“Bring me three spoons.”
“What are you going to use them for this time...”
“Nothing, just for scooping.”
At that, Nagisa and Mika both blushed for a moment, though Haruta had no idea why.
“Ahem... they’re in the first cabinet in the kitchen.”
“Oh, thanks.”
And so, once again, Mika was the first to eat the fruit punch.
“Mm! This is sweet! It’s so good!!!”
“Haruta? Where do you learn about foods like this?”
“I figured there’d be fruit punch here...”
“Well, it doesn’t matter where you learned it from. Right now, let’s just eat what’s in front of us.”
“Yeah, after you finish that, throw away the spoons and the watermelon rind. I’ll do the dishes.”
“Ah, we’ll help too.”
“No, no. It’s easier if I do it.”
“...Then thank you.”
“Then later, just once, let me reall—”
“You want some roll cake?”
“I’m sorry.”
----------------------------------------------------
5 hours later
“Haah... I’m confident in my stamina too, but this is seriously draining.”
“Huh... huff... I-I’m tired too...”
“Nagi-chan... Haruta, let’s rest.”
“We need to head back to the lodging anyway; it’s already dark.”
“That’s true.”
“Haah... Nagi-chan, I’m so tired.”
“Fufu. Still, I think it was well worth it.”
“Right? It was fun.”
“And we ate a lot of delicious food.”
“Oh! Nagi-chan, I really loved the fruit punch and kimbap!”
“So did I. It was my first time ever eating food like that...”
“Fufu. How was it?”
“Then it’s late, so let’s go to bed soon.”
“Yeah. I’ll wash up first.”
“There are plenty of bathrooms here, so feel free to use them.”
“Then I’ll go upstairs. You two... do whatever.”
Haruta’s point of view.
I went to wash up first, quickly took off my clothes, and started bathing.
“Wow, the water here is really just the right temperature... Gehenna really was insane...”
“Nagi-chan? How many bathrooms are on the second floor?”
“Hmm... I think there are three.”
“Then why is there only one bathroom on the first floor?”
“Hmm... I have no idea.”
I could hear Mika and Nagisa talking outside.
For a moment, my mischievous side kicked in, and I decided to quietly watch without saying anything.
“Haa... then, Nagi-chan? I’ll use this bathroom?”
“Yes, I’ll use the one next to it.”
“Okay☆”
I could hear the faint, unmistakable rustling of clothes being removed outside.
That was definitely the sound of someone undressing.
“Hmm... if Mika comes in like this, I’m dead, right?”
I slowly let the steam rise.
“This is basically a bathhouse.”
Just then, the bath door slowly opened and someone came in.
“Hoo... finally, I can soak in warm water...”
“Hey. Welcome, Mika.”
“Yeah☆ Haruta, hello.... wait, Haruta?!?!? Why are you here?!”
“Hold on? Mika? Before you start yelling ‘pervert,’ I was here first and you came in, so wouldn’t that make you the pervert?”
“Y-you saw my body too!”
“I couldn’t see anything because of the steam, so let me take another loo—”
A Japanese bath bucket flew straight at my head.
“Ghk!”
“Huff, huff!”
Mika climbed into the only tub.
“Oh, I was just about to—”
Mika reached for the bucket again.
“Sorry.”
---------------------
30 minutes later
“Ahh, this is nice and warm.”
Mika silently stared at Haruta’s body.
“What are you staring at so hard?”
“N-nothing☆...”
Mika’s face turned red, but that much was easy enough to laugh off.
Haruta’s body was covered in all kinds of wounds and scars, with a large burn mark across his chest standing out in particular.
“What... ugly, isn’t it?”
“N-no!?”
“Haah... I just wanted to talk for a bit, so don’t read into it weirdly.”
“First of all, why did you abandon me back then?”
“....Sorry...”
“Haah.... This isn’t the kind of thing I set this up to hear.”
“The truth is, I wanted to stay with you longer...”
“Yeah, that’s enough.”
“Really? You’re just forgiving me like that?”
“Well, your parents probably decided I knew too much and tried to get rid of me.”
“...”
Mika couldn’t even lift her head properly, weighed down by guilt.
“Haah... it doesn’t matter anymore. The past is the past. We have to face the present.”
Mika silently looked at Haruta with tears in her eyes.
“Hey, hey, why are you crying?”
“No... I’m just so sorry...”
“Don’t cry, princess. You’ll ruin that pretty face.”
“Yeah☆ Thank you...”
“All right, I’m heading out first.”
“Wait...”
“???”
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