Chapter 2: I’ll Show It to You, Shikimi, and Only You, Later
Inside the quiet car, where I could barely feel any vibrations, I was just looking around, fidgeting nonstop.
“Don’t be so tense. Just relax and make yourself at home.”
The chairwoman, Kichijoji Yoshino-san, moistened her lips with the sparkling water poured into her champagne flute.
We were in a limousine.
The kind of long, black vehicle I’d only ever seen in dramas and movies, in scenes where mafiosos or politicians were on the move.
Inside the spacious, rectangular interior, plush seats lined the perimeter, where the four sisters, the chairwoman, and I were all seated. Outside the window, endless soundproof walls were flying by at high speed. We’d already left Tokyo some time ago.
I just couldn’t relax… This space was so wide and comfortable, yet I was more nervous than when I was riding my bike.
Just then, a glass of orange juice was smoothly offered to me.
“I get it, Shikimi. I’m still not used to Yoshino-san’s rich-person sensibilities either.”
It was Meru, who had cleverly secured the seat next to me.
I accepted the juice she offered.
“I’m glad there’s at least one normal person here…”
“Yoshino-san’s a nouveau riche, so she loves this kind of stuff. Just think of it as an attraction and enjoy it.”
“That’s a bold thing to say. Though she’s right about the nouveau riche part.”
The chairwoman chuckled. I’d never seen her talk with the sisters at home, but their current exchange felt somewhat like family. Come to think of it, Meru was the first one she had adopted. I understood that feeling of being both a stranger and family, being an adopted child myself. I felt like the two of them might have that, too.
“What do you think you’re doing, sneakily racking up points?”
Chinana, sitting on my other side, glared at Meru past me.
“That’s your strategy, isn’t it? Empathizing with Senpai, who’s feeling unsettled in an unfamiliar environment, to earn his favor? You can be pretty cunning yourself, Meru-nee!”
“I’m just doing what’s natural for a girlfriend.”
“Grrr…!”
Chinana still seemed to be burning with a sense of rivalry toward Meru, but for now, it seemed like Meru was handling her with ease. As long as I was able to analyze the situation from this objective standpoint, I doubted any of their little approaches would work.
“You should use what you have. The best thing to have is rich parents.”
Kikuri said, crossing her legs elegantly on the plush seat and enjoying an expensive-looking drink.
Among the four sisters, she seemed the most at ease in this wealthy environment. Right, she was the only one who had lived in that tower mansion before being taken in by the chairwoman. Which meant she was the only one who had been a rich girl from the start. She didn’t really give off that vibe, but now that I thought about it, she did occupy the largest room like she owned the place.
“True. And it's way easier than taking the train.” Ranka said, quietly gazing out the window.
Ranka was quiet today. She wasn’t being prickly, and she seemed somewhat melancholic… I thought she was the type who would enjoy a trip like this.
“…”
Meru was sending a suspicious glance toward Ranka. Was Ranka’s behavior today unnatural even to Meru?
“We should be able to see the ocean soon.”
A woman’s voice came from a speaker somewhere. It was Takimoto-san from the driver’s seat, beyond the partition. I thought she was the concierge at the tower mansion, but did she also serve as the Kichijoji family’s chauffeur?
I turned my gaze to the window, and my vision suddenly filled with blue.
The Pacific Ocean, stretching endlessly, reflecting the sunlight under the blue sky…
The last time I saw the ocean was at Meru’s tournament in Ariake. But this was completely different from Tokyo Bay. Ocean, ocean, ocean—no matter which way I looked. When was the last time I’d seen the ocean like this? All I could remember was from before the Kiminaga family business went bankrupt—
“Whoa! The ocean! It’s the ocean, Shikimi!”
—A voice.
A girl’s.
Turning to me, smiling happily—
—Her face overlapped with Ranka’s profile as she stared melancholically out the window.
“What’s wrong, Senpai?”
Chinana peered at my face, concerned.
“Are you getting carsick?”
I shook my head slowly. The image from a moment ago immediately dissolved and vanished.
“It’s nothing…”
Was that… a memory?
I thought that as I gazed at Ranka’s profile.
—Seven years ago, we visited this place, Izu.
And here, I chose someone from among the four of them.
Just as Kikuri said, the answer might be sleeping in this land of Izu.
The thing I’m searching for right now.
The truth about me, about us, that was sealed away seven years ago—
Our lodging was apparently in Shimoda, but first, we stopped at the Izu Highlands.
Before us towered a trapezoidal mountain covered in lush green grass. It was a local tourist spot called Mt. Omuro. It was a (probably) inactive volcano, and the flat rim of the crater was visible even from the base, making it look more like a tall hill than a mountain.
“So this is the place of your memories?”
At my words, Kikuri looked up at the bowl-shaped mountain.
“Our memories. Don’t say such lonely things.”
She said it without a hint of loneliness.
It seemed insensitive to retort with, Well, I don’t remember, so what do you expect, so I just offered a light, “My bad.”
According to Kikuri, we had also visited Mt. Omuro seven years ago. Kikuri had arranged the itinerary to trace the spots from our past in order to jog my memory.
I stared at the ski lift climbing the green mountain slope and searched the depths of my mind.
So far, there was no sign of any memories returning…
“Shikimi.”
Meru called out to me, and at the same time, she lightly grabbed my elbow and gave it a little tug.
“Let’s ride the lift together.”
The slope of Mt. Omuro looked climbable on foot if you tried, but apparently that was forbidden. We had to go up on a two-person ski lift. Since there were six of us, we’d need to split into three pairs.
Ah, sure—I was about to answer when Chinana rushed over, her eyebrows raised in protest.
“No fair! I want to sit next to Senpai, too!”
“I’m his girlfriend, so of course I’m going with him.”
Chinana glared at Meru with frustration.
Sorry, but I have to say that Meru is in the right this time… Even if it’s provisional and temporary, since we’re dating, I can’t just choose another girl to sit next to over my girlfriend.
I lightly placed a hand on Chinana’s slender shoulder.
“Sorry, Chinana. I can’t just ignore our arrangement.”
“Senpai…”
“You too—”
What I was about to say was kind of embarrassing, and I felt like I was being presumptuous, but I had to say it.
“—Even if you did end up dating me, you wouldn’t want a boyfriend who didn’t prioritize his girlfriend in a situation like this, would you?”
I still didn’t understand what it meant to be a lover, but I thought that was the general consensus.
Chinana looked down and sighed softly.
“I… see. You’re right, Senpai. I’ll back down this time!”
“Well then, Chinana, why don’t you ride with your big sister?”
Kikuri took Chinana off my hands, and I let out a sigh of relief. It reminded me of when I had to pacify my pouting little sister.
“Shikimi.”
Meru pressed herself even closer to my arm and said in a slightly lower voice.
“You know, I don’t like having a boyfriend who’s overly nice to other girls, either.”
“Huh? W-Well, I wasn’t trying to be that nice…”
As I faltered, Meru’s expression suddenly softened.
“But I’m happy that you prioritized me.”
“I-Is that so.”
“Putting aside the fact that you referred to our relationship as a ‘contract.’”
“Well, that’s what it is, isn’t it…?”
But for now, it seemed I had fulfilled my duty as a boyfriend.
And that made me surprisingly happy.
The grass-covered mountainside passed slowly beneath my dangling feet.
“It’s not that high, but this is pretty nerve-wracking…”
“I’m used to heights, but having nothing under my feet is unsettling.”
Said Meru, sitting next to me. Apparently, even someone who lives on the 30th floor felt the same way.
I looked back at the ground, which was gradually receding. Beyond the thicket of trees, glimpses of the blue ocean were becoming visible.
“Shikimi, have you ever been skiing?”
“No… now that you mention it, I haven’t.”
I’d just described this as being like a ski resort, but that was just knowledge I’d picked up from TV or somewhere.
“Me neither.”
Staring down at her dangling feet, Meru’s lips curled into a slight smile.
“…? Why do you look so happy?”
“When I find something I have in common with you, it makes me a little happy.”
My heart… skipped a beat.
It seems I… just found Meru’s comment to be cute.
“Want to go together sometime?”
Meru looked at my face and smiled.
I gave a wry smile.
“You’re not the type to enjoy something like skiing. You, the super indoor-type.”
“If it was with you, Shikimi, I might consider it for a little bit.”
“Just consider it, huh?”
Meru smiled, like a flower bud opening.
To see her, who barely even smiled during her streams, showing me a smile reserved only for me… it would be a lie to say I wasn’t happy.
It seemed Meru was steadily teaching me the charms of having a girlfriend…
“It’s so high! This is scary, Shikimi—!”
“Hey, hey, stop shaking it!”
That… memory just now.
“Shikimi?”
I had been staring intently at Meru’s face without realizing it.
For just a moment… I felt like the face of a young girl had been superimposed over Meru’s.
I tried to recall the image with more clarity, to see whose face it was… but in the end, it remained a blur. I couldn’t make it out.
The face of Meru in front of me slowly closed its eyes.
“…And what am I supposed to be waiting for?”
“Aren’t you going to kiss me?”
“Sorry, but no.”
I said nothing more than kissing.
Meru opened her eyelids and said poutingly.
“You’re a bit of a tease, Shikimi.”
“You’re just full of yourself.”
When I retorted, Meru’s lips quirked up in amusement for some reason.
It seems that for a couple, even a casual conversation like this can be fun.
Having reached the summit first, Meru and I waited at the lift’s arrival platform for the other four to come up.
When the lift carrying Kikuri and Chinana arrived, I beckoned Kikuri over, and we subtly moved away from the others.
“Do you remember who rode the lift with who seven years ago?”
At my question, Kikuri furrowed her brow slightly.
“I think I rode with one of my parents, but… I don’t know about the other pairings.”
Seven years ago, our chaperones were, of course, not the chairwoman, but Kikuri’s biological parents, who ran the group home at the time. Kikuri had said she kept a bit of a distance from us foster kids, so that made sense.
“Did you remember something?”
“Yeah… A memory of riding the lift with some girl…”
“That must have been one of the other three. I’m sure they fought over who got to sit next to you. Just like Meru and Chinana did just now.”
Since I remembered it while riding with Meru, does that mean it was Meru…? Or was it one of the other two…?
“I was too popular seven years ago…”
“You’re one to talk, present-day you.”
Kikuri smiled wryly. Well, it was three of them seven years ago and two now, so things were better now.
“Well, don’t rush it. You can just remember things slowly. Rushing is never good.”
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
As we were talking, I heard Chinana’s surprised yelp, “Hya?!”
I looked over and saw Chinana holding down her skirt, which was being billowed by the wind. We were 580 meters above sea level. The wind was strong here.
Seeing this, Ranka said with exasperation.
“That’s what you get for wearing a skirt to climb a mountain.”
“But… this is cuter…”
“You’re trying too hard to be sexy.”
A clean cut. I felt like I’d been cut down too. The pathetic feeling from the other day came rushing back just a little.
The crater of Mt. Omuro was a basin 300 meters in diameter and 70 meters deep. At the bottom wasn’t lava, but for some reason, an archery range.
The rim of the crater was paved with concrete, and walking the full circle of this path was the classic tourist route called ‘Ohachi Meguri.’
We walked along the concrete path, taking in the panoramic view that filled our vision. The green trees and towns of East Izu mingled with the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean, stretching on forever. We could even faintly see Mt. Fuji on the horizon. It was a truly spectacular view.
“This brings back memories. Seven years ago, the weather was clear just like today. I think we could see Mt. Fuji even more clearly back then.”
Kikuri, walking beside me, said as she held down her wind-swept hair.
“You and Ranka walked ahead, with Meru and Chinana following… and my parents and I watched from a distance. As for me, I stopped walking partway through for a certain reason. You came back for me later.”
“Why’d you stop walking?”
“This.”
From the bag slung over her shoulder, Kikuri pulled out a worn-out sketchbook.
“That’s…”
“I found it when I was looking. I think it was… right around here.”
Stopping in front of a view overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Ito City, Kikuri opened the sketchbook.
The page she opened was, without a doubt, a drawing of the scenery right before my eyes.
“Not bad, my seven-years-ago self.”
It was a black-and-white sketch, but it was as detailed as a photograph. It was hard to believe an eleven-year-old had drawn it.
That sketch, which seemed to capture Kikuri’s exact view at the time, made me truly feel that we had been here seven years ago.
That’s right.
A girl… stopped here… with her sketchbook, her pen flying across the page…
“How about it? Did you remember anything?”
The face of Kikuri who turned to me matched that of the girl.
“…Yeah…”
I nodded, feeling like a weight had been lifted.
“I remember…”
It’s still here.
It’s definitely still here.
The memories of this place, irrefutably, inside me.
That’s how deep of an impression it left.
So fun, so brilliant that it couldn’t be sealed away—
—And so bitter.
the actions of the other sisters, and above all, she’s a shameless woman who’s always trying to show me her naked body.
As for Meru, she’s declared from the start that she intends to use her feminine wiles on me. That tendency will only get worse with Kikuri egging her on.
Sharing a room with those two until the morning after tomorrow…
If I don’t keep my guard up, I won’t be able to live as I have until yesterday.
I found a bookshelf in the inn’s lobby and scanned the spines. They were all serious dictionaries and art books, which helped to clear the pink-tinged air from my head.
I’d come on this trip hoping that my memories from seven years ago might return, but maybe I was being a little naive. Will I really be able to get through these three nights and four days peacefully…?
“Senpai.”
A voice suddenly called from my side.
Chinana, dressed in a summery outfit, stood with her hands behind her back, looking up at my face.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing… just a little meditation…”
“Eh? Are you training for something?”
“You might not be wrong.”
At least for now, it was nothing less than spiritual training.
“If you’re free, come with me for a bit. There’s a souvenir shop on the first floor.”
This inn was built in such a way that the entrance was on the fourth floor, and you went down from there. It was built along a seaside cliff. So I hadn’t been to the first floor yet.
It was true that just standing here would only lead to me thinking about unnecessary things, and my sister had asked for a souvenir.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
“Okay! Let’s go!”
I got into the elevator with a happily smiling Chinana and went down to the first floor.
The first floor seemed to be where the service facilities like the restaurant and spa were gathered. Among them was the souvenir shop.
It was lined with traditional crafts and rice crackers like any other souvenir shop, but as expected of a high-end inn, it had a refined atmosphere. The ocean should have been right there, but I couldn’t even hear the sound of the waves.
The price for that, however, was that every souvenir was priced for celebrities. There was no way a student could afford any of it…
“Senpai, isn’t this wooden box stylish? The wood grain is so beautiful.”
“I-It’s just a wooden box, but it looks so expensive…!”
“Why are you so scared?”
“It’s not scary at all~” Chinana said, cooing as if to a child, as she brought the expensive wooden box closer to me. She giggled at my terrified expression.
I’d thought Chinana was pretty forward with her temptations, but seeing her like this, she was a lot more manageable than the two back in the room. It felt like I was just messing around with my little sister.
As I felt time pass peacefully, Chinana looked at a shelf of expensive folk crafts and muttered.
“…Honestly, I’m glad. That I’m not in the same room as you, Senpai.”
“Eh?”
Does she actually hate me?
If so, that was terrifying. What was all that temptation about then?
As I trembled at the scariness of women, Chinana glanced at me out of the corner of her eye and said.
“If that had happened… my heart would have pounded so hard, I would’ve died.”
Her faintly blushing cheeks and her smile, tinged with affection and shame, were seared into my retinas.
Pleasure and confusion swirled in my head.
It feels so good to have someone’s affection directed at you.
But what should I do?
How can I… face their feelings properly…?
Would the me of seven years ago have known?
Dinner was a barbecue on the first-floor restaurant’s terrace.
“This is more your style than some stuffy course meal,” was the Chairwoman’s consideration. I was extremely grateful. It would have been nice if she had also shown some consideration for her daughters’ impure heterosexual relationships.
By the time dinner was over, the night had deepened. The time for bed was drawing near.
I would now have to sleep in the same room as that Kikuri and that Meru… I couldn’t imagine it ending without incident. The battle to protect my reason and my principles was about to begin.
Overcome with gloom, I found myself wandering aimlessly through the inn.
The gentle sound of waves echoed in my ears. The sea… Come to think of it, I’d only seen it from a distance; I hadn’t actually gone to the shore yet. It would be pitch black now, but that had its own charm.
As if fleeing the impending battle, I was drawn toward the sound of the waves.
If I went outside from the second-floor terrace and down the stairs, I should come out onto the sandy beach.
With that thought, I stepped out of the building and found a small pool just before the stairs.
It was one of those so-called night pools, luxuriously lit up.
And there, floating on her back on the luminous surface of the pool, was a familiar woman.
It was Ranka.
Lit from below by the lights shining up from the bottom of the pool, she was in a bikini that showed a lot of skin. Her wet, pale skin reflected the light from below, further accentuating its smoothness.
But as if she didn’t notice any of that, she was just floating, expressionless, as if in a zero-gravity space, gazing up at the starry sky.
Somehow sacred, yet sensual.
The otherworldly sight made me stop in my tracks for a moment.
Eventually, Ranka’s eyes caught my figure.
She suddenly lost her balance and sank to the bottom of the pool with a splash.
Then, she burst out of the water, her face slightly flushed, and covered her chest—which was barely hidden by flimsy, reddish fabric—with both arms.
“Wh-What are you looking at? Are you a pervert?”
Her outrageous accusation finally brought me back to my senses.
“This is a public facility!”
“Staring without saying anything is being a pervert. I thought you were some kind of creep.”
“You’re right… I’m sorry.”
Feeling that Ranka had a point, I bowed my head.
Perhaps she hadn’t expected me to apologize so readily, because Ranka looked chagrined as she got out of the pool.
She then wrapped the pareo that had been thrown on a deck chair around her waist. Covering her lower half like that didn’t make much of a difference since her upper half was still exposed.
I thought she would head back inside, but Ranka sat down on a deck chair.
…I missed my chance to leave.
It felt awkward to just walk off toward the sea in silence, so I kept about three meters of distance from Ranka on the deck chair and spoke.
“Couldn’t wait for the beach tomorrow?”
We were scheduled to go to a beach right near the inn tomorrow. Her swimsuit must have been prepared for that occasion.
Wanting to cover up my awkwardness, my words took on a teasing tone. Ranka turned away from me curtly.
“It’s not that. I just felt like swimming alone.”
…Ever since this trip started, Ranka has been acting strange. She often seems to be looking off into the distance, and she’s much less talkative than usual.
No, that’s not it. Not just since this trip. It’s been happening for longer—ever since that time she said to me, “If I… forced myself on you like this… would you date me, too?”—since then, she’s seemed different from the Kichijoji Ranka I knew.
What was the cause?
Was it because Meru became my girlfriend? Or was she being considerate of that fact and refraining from talking to me? Was she really the type to be that considerate? But if there was another reason…
As I stared at Ranka, lost in thought, she hunched her shoulders awkwardly and covered her chest again.
“…Perv.”
The sudden insult, paradoxically, drew my attention to the drops of water trickling down into the dark valley of her cleavage. I hadn’t been thinking anything lewd just a moment ago, but a sudden wave of guilt washed over me, and I averted my eyes.
“…It’s your sisters’ fault…”
That’s right. I wasn’t originally the type of person to think such wicked thoughts. But Kikuri, Meru, and Chinana had made me so conscious of these things that I’d started noticing things I shouldn’t.
If I had never met them… I could have just kept thinking only about myself, like before.
“It’s your fault for being so wishy-washy.”
Ranka said in a sharp tone.
“Because you won’t make a decision… just hurry up and properly choose one of us—”
She trailed off, suddenly clamping her mouth shut.
Puzzled, I looked back at her. She abruptly stood up from the deck chair, tucked a towel and a rash guard under her arm, and quickly went back inside the inn.
Only the sound of the waves remained.
What was that all about?
I stared for a while at the hotel entrance where Ranka had disappeared—
And then, a ringtone sounded from my smartphone.
“…?”
I looked down at my pocket with suspicion.
The only people who knew my phone number were my parents, my sister, and the people related to the Kichijoji family. Could it be Shinomi calling? Or maybe Kikuri or Meru were summoning me back to the room.
Thinking that, I took out my phone and looked at the screen.
—No Caller ID.
That’s what it displayed.
“Good evening, Shikimi-kun. It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”
“Sakurato—”
A voice I hadn’t heard in about two months, filtered through a voice changer.
It was unmistakably the voice of one of the four sisters who claimed to be my ex-girlfriend—Sakurato.
“The atmosphere was so nice, I wanted to share it with you, Shikimi-kun, so I decided to call for the first time in a while.”
Behind her voice, I could faintly hear the sound of the tide.
She was definitely here. Somewhere in this inn by the sea.
“Yeah, it is a nice night. It’s quiet, and it feels calming.”
I kept the conversation going casually as I turned and walked back toward the inn.
All I had to do was find the person on the phone right now. Or, if I could confirm that the other three weren’t on the phone with anyone—
“It’s no use trying to stall for time to catch me in the act. If I sense anyone getting close, I’ll hang up right away.”
I stopped walking.
“You saw right through me…”
“Of course. We’re all pretty smart, you know?”
We—she was trying to prevent me from narrowing down the suspects. She knew the risks.
“You’re making good progress conquering everyone, Shikimi-kun. It makes me jealous, but I’m also a little happy. It proves that you’re the same charming boy you were seven years ago.”
“Flexing on me as my ex-girlfriend without even revealing your name? How pathetic.”
“Don’t say that. You’re starting to remember too, aren’t you, Shikimi-kun? The memories of me from seven years ago.”
Memories…
“You mean like the two of us riding the lift on Mt. Omuro together?”
“Oops, I’m not falling for that. You’re just fishing, aren’t you?”
Tch, she’s sharp.
In reality, I hadn’t remembered who I rode the lift with, but I could guess that it was someone I was particularly close to among the four. Which meant there was a high possibility that it was Sakurato…
“The more you remember, the more you should remember the feelings you had for me back then. When that happens, I’m sure you’ll understand how I feel, Shikimi-kun.”
I frowned slightly.
That statement… something about it felt off.
“Didn’t you… last time we spoke, say something about wanting to be chosen again, regardless of the past?”
There was a faint sound, like she was holding her breath.
That’s it.
Last time, she said that, but now she’s appealing to past feelings to promote herself.
“Are you getting desperate? Because the other sisters are starting to make their moves—no, is it because Meru has settled into the position of my girlfriend, even if it’s just provisional?”
Sakurato didn’t answer. Was she searching for words?
Without giving her the time, I pressed on.
“If that’s the case, then you can’t be Meru. That’s one suspect eliminated.”
There was no solid proof. But if she were Meru, there would be no reason for her to call and make her presence known at this time. I had a feeling this deduction was hitting close to the mark.
“…Even if you back me into a corner like that, I won’t give up, Shikimi-kun.”
“I know. You and I will settle this eventually. Not over the phone like this, but face to face.”
After a short pause, I sensed something like a smile.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
The call ended.
Staring down at my silent phone, I thought about the sound of the tide I’d heard behind Sakurato’s voice.
The reason she called as Sakurato at this particular moment… Could it be that it was too awkward to talk to me in person? Is there a reason we have to have the mask of Sakurato between us…?
It was all just speculation.
For now, I should check their alibis.
When I returned to the room, Kikuri was sitting in a chair by the window, elegantly reading a book in her yukata.
Meru was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did Meru go?”
Kikuri looked up from her book.
“She’s been gone for a while. Probably just walking around the inn. There are no games here, after all.”
“I see…”
If my guess was correct, Meru wasn’t Sakurato.
However, Meru’s absence meant that Kikuri’s alibi was gone…
Kikuri tilted her head quizzically.
“What is it? Staring at me with such a passionate gaze… Cheating on her already?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
If Kikuri was Sakurato, it would be difficult to make her confess… She was the type of person whose thoughts were always a mystery. She would probably just dodge the question and that would be the end of it.
Besides, before I came back to this room, I had visited the other room—the one the Chairwoman was also staying in—but it seemed Ranka and Chinana weren’t there either.
It seemed she had deliberately chosen a time when all four of them lacked an alibi.
“Well then, are you planning a rendezvous with someone? In that case, you’d better keep a good track of your girlfriend’s whereabouts, or you’ll be in trouble.”
“Don’t joke about that. I wouldn’t do something so unfaithful.”
When I said it with real anger, Kikuri shrugged playfully.
“…Why are you so invested in me getting closer to the other sisters?”
I asked the eldest daughter, whose true feelings I couldn’t grasp.
“You did… like me in the past, right? So why…”
“Let me correct one thing.”
Kikuri raised her index finger and said.
“Not ‘in the past.’ I still like you now. Casually.”
“…Huh?”
Did she just confess to me?
Kikuri continued as if nothing had happened.
“But more than that, if the five of us can all get along, then I’m happy with that—no, that’s what I want.”
“…Are you telling me to start a harem or something?”
“That might be the ideal.”
“That’s impossible.”
On this one point, I declared without hesitation.
“That, and only that, is impossible.”
I awoke to the gentle sound of waves.
Last night, I had surprisingly managed to go to bed peacefully. I stayed awake for a while after getting into bed, on guard, but neither Kikuri nor Meru ever attacked me. Not that I was expecting it, but it was an anticlimax.
I quietly sat up and looked at the other two beds. Both had the thin sheets mounded up. I could see their hair, so it didn’t seem like they were using the classic trick of stuffing pillows under the covers as a decoy.
Now’s my chance…
I quickly got out of bed and slipped off the yukata I was wearing as pajamas.
Last night, I couldn’t take a bath because I was conscious of their gazes. But after all the intense skinship, I couldn’t just not bathe. Fortunately, both Kikuri and Meru were not morning people. If I was going to do it, it had to be now, while they were sleeping.
I grabbed a towel and went out onto the veranda, where the giant wooden bucket-like tub was. …However, this one was in plain sight from the room.
To the right of the veranda, there was a sleeping bath partitioned by a glass door. This one was more like a normal bathroom, and as long as no one peeked in, they wouldn’t notice I was in there.
I went inside, turned on the shower, and quickly washed my hair and body. The side facing the sea was made of glass, probably to enjoy the ocean view, which made me feel rather unsettled. It felt like I was naked outside. The celebrities who enjoyed this probably called this feeling ‘liberating,’ but for a poor person like me, it was a luxury too noble.
After washing up and feeling refreshed, I submerged my body in the sleeping bath.
As the name suggests, it was a bath with a shallow tub where you could lie down as if in a bed. I see, this was relaxing… A monitor hung from the ceiling in a position perfect for watching while lying down, and it seemed I could watch some kind of program on it.
To my side, a vast blue sea. The faint sound of the tide reaching my ears. The warmth of the water enveloping my entire body… Having just woken up, I felt myself about to drift off to sleep… what a luxurious second sleep…
“…What do you think of that, Kiku-nee?”
“I wonder. I’ve only ever seen it in porn…”
…Hm?
I thought I heard voices. Was I dreaming?
Thinking that, I opened my eyelids and lifted my head—
“I wonder if it’s big…?”
“But I hear if it’s too big, it’s a problem.”
“Come to think of it, Mine said something like that too.”
“Well, what’s important isn’t its size when it’s normal, but when it’s in combat—”
“Nnngggghhhaaaahhh?!”
I let out a genuine scream upon spotting two faces peering in at me from the veranda.
…Huh?!
The dazzling sunlight brought me back to my senses.
“Where am I…?”
My memory was fuzzy after seeing the faces of those two criminals peering into the bathroom… I think the plan was to go play at the beach right near the inn—
“Senpaaaai!”
I heard the crunch of sand, and Chinana’s face appeared above mine.
“Are you finally awake? We’re at the beach!”
I sat up. I was on the sand. To be precise, I was sitting on a picnic blanket spread out on the sand.
“This is rare for you, Senpai, isn’t it? Being this out of it for so long.”
I looked to my side and saw Chinana, clad in a yellow and white swimsuit, looking down at me with her hands on her knees.
It was a bikini with a frilly top. Her waist was so slender it was almost worrying, but it looked healthy under the sun. A few grains of sand were stuck to her young, still-developing thighs.
Chinana grinned mischievously.
“Are you finally captivated? Your Chinana is waiting for your words of praise~?”
Cut it out. Don’t assign a heavy task to my head that’s not done rebooting yet.
I somehow managed to wrack my brain and squeeze out what I thought was an appropriate word.
“Your belly button is small and cute.”
“My belly—?!”
Praising a part that wasn’t normally visible seemed appropriate. It reminded me of when my sister was little.
Chinana’s face turned red for some reason.
“H-Huh… s-so you have a fetish for that kind of thing, Senpai… Well, I mean, if that’s the case, you can look at it as much as you like…”
What was she talking about? Her words were too difficult for my freshly rebooted brain…
“Well, hello there, Kimiko-kun. Finally awake?”
From behind Chinana, Kikuri walked over. She was also, naturally, in a swimsuit. A white, one-piece type. If my vague knowledge was correct, white was an expanding color, so you had to be pretty thin to pull it off.
I was sure she would demand praise, just like Chinana. In order to preempt her, I worked my brain.
“Your thighs are supple and beautiful.”
“My thi—?!”
Kikuri also, for some reason, blushed.
“Wh-what’s with him… isn’t he just… letting it all spill out? His inner thoughts…”
“I know, right…? Is he still half-asleep…?”
Kikuri and Chinana huddled together and started whispering.
What was going on? I just praised them as they wished.
As I tilted my head in confusion, I heard the crunching sound of sandals approaching on the sand.
I looked over and saw Ranka walking toward us in silence. Her swimsuit was the reddish, rather daring bikini I had seen last night—
Hm?
—or so I thought.
What she was actually wearing was a one-piece swimsuit that looked like a normal dress, with a skirt that covered her thighs.
It’s different from yesterday’s?
As I stared, puzzled, Ranka glared back at me without a word.
I didn’t get it, but maybe yesterday’s was just for the night pool… Ranka cared more about her appearance than her other sisters… Or maybe she had an embarrassing experience in yesterday’s swimsuit?
“Senpai, you should rest for a while. You don’t seem to be all there yet!”
Chinana said, then pulled Ranka along. “Let’s go, Ran-nee!”
Kikuri followed them.
I watched the three of them from the picnic blanket, suddenly feeling worried.
Was it really okay for those three to be playing around normally at a public beach like this…? When we went to Meru’s tournament, they even used fake names to avoid being recognized…
This beach seemed to be a hidden gem, not too crowded, with a quiet atmosphere. But you never knew who might be watching—
“—Hey, miss, where are you from?”
“You’ve got a real vibe going on! Are you a company president or something?!”
I heard some sleazy voices from behind me.
I turned around and saw a group of tanned guys with dyed hair flocking around a woman who was the very embodiment of the word ‘gorgeous.’
It was the Chairwoman.
Lying on a deck chair under a parasol as if she were on vacation in Guam, the Chairwoman noticed my gaze and gave me a silent thumbs-up.
Was she trying to draw attention to herself to protect her daughters…?
Or did she just come to the beach to be fawned over…?
“Some things are better left unsaid.”
A voice suddenly came from next to me. I turned, a little startled.
Meru, fully covered in a rash guard, was sitting with her knees drawn up, playing a game on her phone.
“…Aren’t you going to play in the sea?”
“Do I look like the type who enjoys that?”
“Then why are you in a swimsuit…”
She was covered by a rash guard, but it certainly looked like she had changed into a swimsuit underneath.
Meru glanced up at me from the phone she held on her lap and gave a faint smile.
“…I’ll show it to you, Shikimi, and only you, later.”
I was at a loss for words.
This girl… she changed just to say that.
She was the type who seemed completely uninterested in romance, but she was starting to pull some seriously tricky moves…
“Senpai!”
As I was trying to think of a comeback, Chinana had returned without me noticing and was staring at me with a slightly angry face.
“Come play with us after all! You’re wide awake now, aren’t you!”
“Eh? Ah, no, but…”
“It’s okay, you can go.”
Meru said, tapping quickly on her phone.
“I’m not the kind of woman who gets jealous over babysitting.”
She looked at Chinana and smiled faintly, triumphantly.
Chinana made a face, then said, “Well then, let’s go!” and pulled my arm, forcing me to stand up.
As I was made to walk across the hot sand, I looked back and saw Meru, sitting small on the picnic blanket with her knees drawn up.
“Is that more fun for you, Meru?”
“…Yeah.”
Faintly, from the far reaches of my memory, the image of a young, shy girl emerged and overlapped with the girl before me now.
◆
From the beach, I watched as Shikimi was tackled by Chinana and went down spectacularly into the sea.
Shikimi is obsessed with regaining his memories from seven years ago. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have come on this trip.
For me… it doesn’t matter either way. Even if he doesn’t remember what happened seven years ago, my feelings for him won’t change. More importantly, the Shikimi I fell for is the Shikimi of now. If someone told me it was because of my memories from seven years ago, I’d feel a little weird about it.
But I’m sure it’s important to Shikimi.
The curse his father put on him—‘Get a girl.’ His rebellious spirit against those words—he must believe that the memories from seven years ago will break that curse. And that’s something he needs to do to face my feelings… In a way, he’s trying to regain his past memories for my sake.
Or maybe not just for my sake.
The fact that Shikimi, who had so adamantly rejected romance, is now seriously thinking about our relationship… that alone was enough to make me happy.
As I let my feelings float around me in private, tapping the notes that flowed down my phone screen, a drenched Ran-nee came back from the sea.
“Phew…”
Sighing tiredly, Ran-nee sat down about a meter away from me. She seemed to have come to take a break.
I couldn’t bring myself to speak to her right away.
‘Do you remember, too?’
Those words… those were definitely the words of someone on the ‘remembering side.’
Does Ran-nee remember what happened seven years ago?
Did she think that I, who had suddenly become Shikimi’s girlfriend, remembered too?
If so, the one who sent the email to Shikimi… the one who took the photo from the side table in Yoshino-san’s room…
I don’t care about what happened seven years ago.
But… if revealing it will make Shikimi move toward me.
“Ran-nee.”
I called out, and Ran-nee looked at me.
“Seven years ago… do you remember?”
For a moment, her eyes froze.
But Ran-nee quickly put on a bewildered smile.
“What are you talking about? Seven years ago… we weren’t even a family yet.”
“Don’t try to dodge it… You said it to me before, didn’t you? ‘Do you remember, too?’ I’ll answer first: I don’t remember. But I know something happened between us and Shikimi seven years ago… You said that because you remember it clearly, didn’t you, Ran-nee? You thought I remembered what happened seven years ago and fell for Shikimi because of it…”
“…”
Ran-nee fell into a sullen silence.
That silence was the same as an affirmation. There was no escaping it now.
Perhaps realizing this, Ran-nee looked down at her knees and answered as if throwing in the towel.
“I remember. …Even things that were better left forgotten.”
At that—moment.
“Who do you really love? You have to properly choose just one of us!”
A voice came back to me from the depths of my mind.
“…Ah…”
And with that, I knew the truth that Shikimi was seeking.
◆
After the great commotion of tumbling around in the sea, I was lying on my bed in the room like a seal.
“S-so tired…”
I prided myself on my stamina, but I was no match for a middle schooler with her excitement levels maxed out… It reminded me of my elementary school days, being dragged around everywhere by my sister.
Back then, I was much more introverted, or rather, prone to bottling things up, and Shinomi’s—to put it nicely, sunny, to put it badly, insensitive—personality saved me and made me who I am today. Physical activity can be a pretty effective medicine when you’re dealing with internal problems. You can recover your mental state while not thinking about unnecessary things.
I feel like this trip, thanks to them dragging me around, is helping me not to worry more than necessary… Though peeking in the bath is still a crime.
“Shikimi.”
As I was staring at the ceiling, Meru’s face interrupted my view.
“If you’re tired, want to go somewhere to refresh?”
“Somewhere to refresh?”
Come to think of it, this inn had various other service facilities besides the hot springs… I think I remember Ranka and Chinana talking about a spa or something.
“Let’s go to the sauna.”
“…Eh? A sauna? You and me?”
“It’s okay, we’ll be wearing swimsuits.”
Now that she mentioned it, Meru was wearing the same rash guard she had on at the beach.
“I told you, didn’t I? That I’d show it only to you, Shikimi.”
How far was I supposed to refuse a girlfriend’s invitation…? I had no idea what the standard was, so for now, the option to refuse didn’t exist for me.
Well, to be honest, I wasn’t entirely uninterested in saunas. I’d often heard rumors about how good they felt, and it was a fact that my body was craving refreshment. I felt like sweating it out would clear away any unnecessary thoughts.
And so, we came to the sauna on the lower floor. The selling point of this sauna was apparently that you could dive into the sea instead of a cold bath, and its entrance was located just a short walk down some stairs to the beach.
Stopping in front of the orange wooden door, Meru put her finger on the zipper of her rash guard.
When her shoulders were revealed, I was startled for a moment. The shoulder straps that should have been there were missing.
Had she lied about wearing a swimsuit, and was actually naked underneath—I had a wicked thought, but it turned out to be unfounded.
What appeared from under the rash guard was a navy blue tube top bikini.
It had no shoulder straps, a complete off-the-shoulder design, with the fabric wrapped tightly around Meru’s chest. Whether the size was a little too small, or it was designed that way, her squeezed tits were pushed up, looking like they were about to spill out any second.
T-too bold…!
The level of exposure was one thing, but the lack of shoulder straps made it even more unsettling. Wouldn’t that thing just slip down if it got caught on something, revealing everything? Was that really clothing meant for swimming?!
Meru put her rash guard in a changing basket and looked at my face, saying calmly.
“Let’s go in?”
The fact that she didn’t ask for my opinion, unlike the others, showed a girlfriend’s confidence.
“Y-yeah…”
I wasn’t breaking any rules, but I felt like I was doing something wrong.
Calm down. You’ve seen more risqué things, haven’t you? Compared to that, a swimsuit is just normal clothing…
I followed Meru into the sauna.
The sauna was about the size of a slightly large bathroom, with benches set up along the walls.
In a corner, there was a pile of blackish stones, which I remembered were used for something called löyly. You pour water on the heated stones to generate steam.
We sat down next to each other on the bench along the wall. The sauna was already filled with a humid steam, and my whole body quickly broke out in a sweat.
“Haaah…”
My hearing acutely caught the sigh that came from next to me.
As expected, in this heat, Meru didn’t cling to me. However, her sweaty figure in a swimsuit had a sensuality that was hard to believe for someone younger than me.
This was incredible… absolutely incredible. Even the iron-walled me from when I had just started housekeeping for the Kichijoji family would surely have been unable to hide my agitation at this sight.
Her sensual thighs, glistening with sweat. The drop of sweat trickling down the cleavage of her pushed-up tits. Even the steam rising from her slender shoulders held a sexiness that undeniably appealed to my primal instincts.
What was messing with my thoughts more than anything was the fact that a girl like this was my girlfriend.
No, it’s only temporary… only provisional, but it’s true that I agreed to be her lover… no, but we promised nothing more than kissing… what? What am I thinking? There’s no need to think about that…
Ah, my head is spinning… Is it because of the unfamiliar sauna…? Yeah, that must be it…
“Did you remember anything at the beach?”
Because my thoughts were muddled, I couldn’t immediately process the question that was suddenly thrown at me.
“…Eh? Sorry, what did you say?”
“At the beach, did you remember anything? You came on this trip to remember what happened seven years ago, right?”
“Ah, yeah… that.”
It was surprising that Meru brought up that topic. I had a vague feeling that she wasn’t interested in me remembering what happened seven years ago.
For her, who had settled into the position of a girlfriend, even if provisionally, there should have been no merit in me remembering the past and finding out which girl I had chosen back then.
But the fact that she brought it up herself must have meant that she understood.
That finding out about seven years ago was also related to her.
“I remembered a little bit.”
If that was the case, I had to report it properly.
“A small you, sitting all alone under a parasol… I understood that you were that kind of person, and I didn’t force you to play, I just… went back to the parasol from time to time and talked to you a little… And each time, you were quiet, but you always responded to the conversation.”
During the day, the image that had overlapped with the present-day Meru—it was definitely linked to a past memory.
“Well, I didn’t find out anything important, though. After that, Kikuri and Chinana dragged me around, so I didn’t have time for anything else.”
But I’m a little happy.
Kikuri had described what happened seven years ago as a sad memory, but there were memories that were breaking through the seal, which meant we had spent a time that was that precious.
Even if the ending was sad, the process was not necessarily so.
Meru didn’t answer, just looked down at her own knees. Her eyes held a hint of hesitation. As if she had something she should tell me, but didn’t want to…
“Meru?”
When I called out to her, she remained silent for another ten seconds or so before finally opening her mouth slightly.
“…Shikimi, I…”
And then she closed her mouth again, shook her head slowly, and stood up straight.
“Meru?”
Without responding to my voice, Meru quickly walked out of the sauna.
“Hey, Meru?!”
I reflexively chased after her. Meru’s back quickly descended the stairs outside the sauna.
At the end of those stairs was the sea, dyed in the colors of twilight.
Meru crossed the sandy beach barefoot and fell into the seawater with the same momentum.
“Meru?! What are you doing!”
I hurried into the calm sea, splashing through the water. The coldness that shot up my leg at that moment finally made me remember.
Right, the selling point of this sauna was that you could dive into the sea instead of a cold bath.
Meru’s face, as she rose from the sea, had lost its redness. Having expelled the heat that had built up in her body from the sauna into the sea, she stood up amidst the ripples.
“Shikimi, I…”
She said again.
“I know who’s calling herself Sakurato to you.”
I stopped about a meter away from Meru.
You know?
You know who Sakurato is?
“Wh-who is it?!”
Meru just smiled weakly and shook her head, not answering.
“Figure it out. You’re my boyfriend, aren’t you?”
…She doesn’t want to tell me.
Even if it was temporary. Even if it was provisional. Since she was the one with me now—she didn’t want me to remember the girl I chose seven years ago.
The fact that we were in this relationship now was the result of her being pushy.
But the one who had allowed it was me, because of my own weakness.
I didn’t have a clear answer. All I had was the curse planted in me by my father, and I was just using that as an excuse to be afraid of Meru’s feelings.
I already knew that wasn’t good enough.
I had to come up with an answer to my relationship with her, Kikuri, and Chinana not because of my damn old man’s curse, but with my own firm will.
Until I did that, I would probably keep hurting Meru.
The proof was right here.
Even though I had accepted the title of boyfriend, right now, I couldn’t even… bring myself to hug Meru’s anxious body.
“You don’t have to look so pained, Shikimi.”
Wading through the sea, Meru, her body sticky with sweat and seawater, slowly wrapped her arms around me.
“I just have to make you so happy that you won’t care about what happened seven years ago… that’s all there is to it…”
I could only stand there, passively feeling her kindness, her strength.
“You’re… cool.”
“You’re just as cool, Shikimi.”
“I hope so.”
I thought that from the bottom of my heart.
After surviving the unfamiliar course dinner at the restaurant, the second night of our trip drew to a close.
Starting tomorrow morning, we would be moving to Shuzenji, a hot spring town located in the center of the Izu Peninsula, so tonight was our last night at this inn.
Now that it had come to this, I would have liked to have tried the open-air bath on the veranda, but with Kikuri and Meru in the same room, that was a wish that would not be granted… I couldn’t imagine the two of them willingly leaving me alone.
“Kimiko-kun. Since it’s our last chance, why don’t we have a naked fellowship?”
“Huh?”
Kikuri’s sudden proposal made my jaw drop.
Immediately after, Meru spoke from beside Kikuri.
“It’s a shame that you’re the only one who can’t properly enjoy the bath, Shikimi… so why don’t you get in with us?”
What was she saying, this girl who hated baths? A naked fellowship? Get in together? As if they had planned it—ha?!
Come to think of it, after dinner, I saw the two of them whispering about something… Was that them getting their story straight for this?! Kikuri instigates and Meru counters—seeing that they were getting nowhere, they joined forces…!
“D-don’t be ridiculous…! I don’t care how broken your sense of shame is, bathing together is—”
“Kimiko-kun.”
“We’re… serious.”
And then, right in front of me, the two of them untied the sashes of their yukatas.
With a soft rustle, the yukatas slid down to their feet.
And what spread out before me were the figures of two beautiful girls—
—in the swimsuits I had seen during the day.
“Too bad, it was swimsuits~♡”
“I figured you’d be shy, Shikimi, so I made a concession.”
I let out the breath I was holding.
What, swimsuits…? Well, there were certainly mixed-gender hot spring facilities where you wore swimsuits, so maybe this wasn’t that weird…
“Alright… I’ll go change too, so could you two go somewhere else for a bit?”
“You could do it here.”
“Of course I can’t!”
As I took out the swimsuit that was making its third appearance today, I tilted my head. ‘Huh?’
In the end, it didn’t change the fact that I was getting into a bath with two almost-naked girls. Was this really not weird?
"Come on in, Kimiko-kun."
"It feels so good."
Kikuri and Meru, clad in their swimsuits, smiled faintly as they looked up at me from inside the tub.
I glanced between their bodies, distorted by the clear water, and the space they'd intentionally left open for one person. Steeling my resolve, I took a step.
As I gently dipped my foot into the full bath, water spilled over the edge, displaced by my volume. Even something so simple felt like an obscene luxury to the poor boy in me. But here I was, about to stain my hands with an act worthy of an aristocrat—bathing with two girls who were, by any objective measure, gorgeous. I could feel my sense of reality breaking down.
This wasn't normal.
It had the broken atmosphere of the other side of the world, a place where the ethics everyone in normal society abided by were ignored. After all, there were two girls in swimsuits in the same bathwater as me.
"It's a little tight with three of us, isn't it?" Meru said, a hint of amusement in her voice. Her huge breasts looked uncomfortably constricted by her tube top.
"Kimiko-kun, could you pull your legs in a bit? Your leg's touching mine, and it tickles."
Kikuri smiled, leaning her shoulder against the edge of the tub.
I hugged my knees to my chest, making myself smaller.
This was supposed to be a relaxing hot spring, but I couldn't unwind one bit... If I stretched my right hand out a little, I'd touch Kikuri. If I stretched my left hand a little, I'd touch Meru. If I extended my right leg, it would brush against Kikuri's calf; my left, against Meru's inner thigh. My limbs had never been in so much peril.
"Shikimi, you're way too tense."
Meru's lips curved into a soft smile as she called me out, and my ears burned with shame.
"Wh-what do you expect...? This is my first time in a bath with girls, other than my sister."
"Heh heh! Even you can't lump our nice bodies in with your little sister's, can you!"
Shinomi's not that little... but it was a fact that these two had far more womanly figures than her.
"An opportunity like this doesn't come around often, you know? You're allowed to just enjoy it," Meru said, sliding through the water to press her shoulder snugly against mine.
"That's right. Most guys in the world would kill to be in your position, you know?" Kikuri added with a grin, pressing against my other shoulder.
Sandwiched between them , I shriveled up even more.
"Wrap your arms around my shoulders and squeeze me tight. I'm all yours, Shikimi."
"You've got a beauty in each arm, you know? You need to be more of a man."
"Should I go find one of those fans made of weirdly-colored feathers?"
"Should I 'ahhh' feed you a platter of fruit?"
"Maybe I should've worn a dancer's outfit instead of a swimsuit?"
"Yeah, the kind with the pink veil covering your mouth!"
"Stop getting all worked up roleplaying as some pervy king's mistresses!"
Kikuri and Meru burst out laughing on either side of me.
It seemed they were just as hyped up by the unusual situation as I was.
Realizing this made me feel a little calmer, as if it were the middle of the night on a school trip and we were all just bouncing on the beds. To tear my consciousness away from the feel of their thighs pressing against the outside of mine, and from the sight of their chests that filled my vision whenever I glanced down, I turned my eyes to the ocean spread out before me.
We could lower the bamboo blinds to block the view from outside, but if we raised them, we could soak in the hot spring while gazing out at the endless Pacific Ocean at night. It was the ultimate luxury, something unimaginable back in my shabby old apartment.
Kikuri gazed at the ocean as well and said, "This is nice... The feeling of freedom is addictive."
"You've been addicted for a long time, haven't you?"
"Kiku-nee, you sometimes stand there staring at Tokyo Tower from the living room, completely naked, right? It's really surprising, so stop it."
"What's wrong with that? Being able to stand by the window in the nude is a privilege reserved for those on the upper floors of a tower mansion."
That actually sounds kind of nice... To my dismay, I found myself sympathizing.
We made small talk, and just as the tension was finally leaving my body, Kikuri glanced over at the shallow "sleeping bath" connected to the veranda.
"...Hey, I just had an idea."
"What is it?"
"I wonder if that sleeping bath could fit three people?"
Huh?
While my brain was still processing, Meru latched onto the idea.
"It could probably fit two, right?"
"Yeah. In terms of width..."
"It's like an upgraded version of a futon. It might feel nice to lie down together."
"So what's the plan?"
"Rock-paper-scissors."
"You're on."
"Rea-dy, go!"
In front of my chest, they slapped the surface of the water as they played their game.
Hold on a damn second. What exactly are they deciding here?
"I win."
"Can't be helped. I suppose I'll graciously concede to my lover."
"Let's go, Shikimi."
"Hey!?"
Without giving me a choice, Meru grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the tub.
She led me, of course, to the sleeping bath just beyond a single glass door.
"Don't tell me... you're not saying I have to get in this with you..."
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"Whoa!?"
A light push on my shoulder was all it took. The back of my knees caught the edge of the shallow bath, and I fell backward into it with a splash, landing on my ass.
Following right after, Meru knelt in the water and pressed her weight onto my body, forcing me onto my back.
"Shikimi, get closer. My body's sticking out of the water and I'm cold."
"You've got to be kidding me...!"
Meru peered down at me from over my shoulder, her lips curling into a teasing smile.
I was holding Meru's soft body like a dakimakura in the warm water. My mind was boiling over at the situation that had, against my will, come to pass. The sleeping bath felt good. Meru's body felt good. Together, they felt fucking amazing... My reason and ethics were melting away.
Kikuri watched this unfold from the side of the main tub, framing us with a camera she made from her thumbs and index fingers.
"Nice! That's a pretty novel situation! Miyoshi-san would love to hear about this!"
"Stop it! What kind of older sister are you!?"
"Hee hee hee, Kimiko-kun."
Kikuri's face was flushed as if she were drunk, and she grinned wickedly.
"Both I and Meru have long since reached the point where we can't think about anything but perverted things."
"That's right," Meru whispered, her voice wet with arousal.
"It's because you keep teasing me so much, Shikimi. I've been keyed up this whole time."
"It's not teasing, you're just being too forceful—hyowa!?"
A strangled noise escaped my lips.
Meru had just traced a line with her fingertips from the base of my collarbone down to my chest plate.
Her hand stopped over my left breast, and she placed her palm over my heart.
"You're all keyed up too, Shikimi."
Thump, thump, thump—
The sound of my own heartbeat echoed in my head, so loud I thought the blood vessels in my ears would burst.
And melting into that rhythm, Meru's sweet whispers flowed into me.
"(Shikimi... are you happy?)"
This isn't what happiness is!
"Go on, Meru! Try pressing your tits against him more!"
"Ngh... like this?"
Meru shifted in the water, pressing her weapons against my bicep and chest.
I tried to create some distance, but then I noticed it.
Because she was moving in small increments while pressing her chest against me, the tube top barely concealing those mounds was gradually slipping down—
"Hey Meru! If you move around too much—"
"Ah."
Pop.
Just like that.
I felt as if something cherry-blossom-colored had just popped into the center of my vision.
Meru, still in her swimsuit, was straddling my hips as I lay on the bed.
"Now you can't run away, Shikimi."
Meru called my name sweetly, her tongue darting out to wet her lips like a lioness before a prime cut of meat.
My throat felt strangely tight, but I managed to force out the words.
"You idiot, what are you doing!? Get off...!"
I tried to sit up, but a pair of cool hands gently cupped my face.
"Now, now, you can't struggle."
Kikuri's face appeared in my upper field of vision.
It was only then that I realized. My head was resting in Kikuri's lap.
"Your cute girlfriend has worked up so much courage. As her boyfriend, you have to accept it..."
What is she talking about? We promised nothing more than kissing!
For some reason, my throat was clogged and I couldn't make a sound.
What's happening? Why can't I speak? I have to stop them somehow, these two are seriously—
"You should just be honest with yourself, Shikimi."
Meru hooked her bent fingers into the tube top covering her chest.
"The truth is, you want to do things like this with us, don't you?"
She slowly lifted her fingers, which were still hooked into her swimsuit.
The swell of her breasts rose with the fabric, but gradually, they began to slip down under their own weight—
—and with a soft slide, two white mounds tumbled out from within the tube top.
They bounced softly right in front of my eyes—and as I caught sight of the cherry-blossom pink nipples standing out so shamelessly at their centers, my throat went bone dry.
"Shikimi... let's be happy together?"
Meru leaned forward, her two breasts swaying below her face.
N-no, stop...!
Please, just stop————!!
I woke up at that exact moment.
"............!"
A voiceless sound escaped my dry throat as I stared up at the tropical-style ceiling.
...A dream...
Of course, it had to be... Even Meru and Kikuri wouldn't do something so forceful...
As I let out the breath I'd been holding, something tickled both of my cheeks.
"...Nnnhh............"
"............Huuu......"
To my right was Meru's sleeping face.
To my left was Kikuri's sleeping face.
I was lying in a single bed with both Meru and Kikuri.
...Huh??
My head spun with confusion.
Both of them were in yukata, and we were all sharing a single rumpled sheet pulled up to our stomachs, probably because it was hot. Their yukata must have been disturbed in their sleep; the collars were wide open, and their white thighs were peeking out boldly from between the hems.
What... happened yesterday?
As I stared at Meru's innocent, childlike sleeping face, the memories slowly came back to me.
That's right... after we got out of the bath, Meru just flopped down on my bed—
'Shikimi, let's sleep together.'
—and invited me.
Of course, I refused, but that's when Kikuri stepped in to support her. She grabbed me from behind and then fell forward, pulling both of us down on top of Meru.
Yeah, their tension had been completely off the charts.
As we tussled on the single bed, I tried to resist using our 'nothing more than kissing' promise as a shield. But Meru countered with the bizarre logic of 'you saw my nipple so that promise is void now' and clung to me. And then—
—...it seems we all fell asleep, worn out from the excitement.
We had played a lot at the beach yesterday, after all. The exhaustion had clearly caught up with us. Well, Meru had just been sitting and playing games, but... it looked like that fatigue had saved me.
Maybe their bugged-out tension was also partly due to being tired. I wanted to believe that.
I looked back and forth between the two of them, sleeping peacefully on either side of me, and a faint smile touched my lips.
They're such idiots... when it comes down to it.
I slowly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake them.
Then, listening to the quiet sound of the tide, I left the room.
I'll take a little walk to wake myself up.
I took the elevator up to the fourth floor, where the lobby was. Next to the lobby was a lounge with sofas, and through its wall of windows, I could see the Pacific Ocean glittering in the morning sun.
A familiar face was gazing at it.
Ranka, in a yukata, was looking out at the shining sea with a distant expression.
"Isn't that Ranka? It's rare to see you dressed like that."
Ranka's fashion sense was stylish even in her loungewear; she was always impeccably put-together, even at home. It was a little surprising to see her outside her room in a casual yukata.
Ranka glanced over at me.
"What's it to you?" she answered curtly.
Her cold attitude towards me was nothing new, but her voice seemed to lack its usual energy. Her face, too... despite it being morning, she looked tired, as if she hadn't slept well.
Something's... definitely off.
"Is something... troubling you?"
It was a long shot, and I probably could have phrased it better. But it was the best my just-woken-up brain could manage.
"Of course not. I don't have any troubles."
Predictably, Ranka gave a dismissive reply, then turned a reproachful gaze on me.
"More importantly... you haven't been doing anything weird, have you? To those two."
"I'm the one having things done to me, if anything."
That much I had to say, for the sake of my honor.
Ranka snorted cynically.
"You have it rough, don't you."
"You have no idea. ...But surprisingly, it's fun."
"Huh?"
Ranka looked at me as if I were some kind of beast.
I quickly clarified.
"Not in that way! ...It's just, messing around like this until I can't think straight, and then just sleeping. It's been a long time since... I've had that kind of time. So, it's just a little... fun."
Ever since the Kiminaga family company went bankrupt, ever since I started studying like a madman... I haven't had any time like this.
So, setting aside the whole romance thing, if I can just spend time like this... then maybe, this time with them won't be so bad.
Ranka's eyes widened slightly as she stared at my face.
And then.
As if the words just slipped out of her throat.
"When you say 'a long time'... since when?"
That's what she asked me.
I was taken aback, at a loss for words. Since when...?
"Sorry. What do you mean by... 'since when'?"
When I asked back, Ranka suddenly looked away.
"...I just thought, you must have been a loner for a long time. How pathetic."
With that stinging remark, she walked past me.
I watched her back as she disappeared towards the elevators, the hem of her yukata swaying.
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