Now that this wish has been fulfilled, it was time to go figure out what the heck was going on with that couple over there.
There was no way he believed that Kouhei came here on a date!
Even if you beat him to death, he wouldn't believe Iori came for a date either!
Just as he was about to step out from behind the rock, another familiar figure made him stop again.
He crouched back down—and even pulled out a binocular from behind his butt.
Looking through the binoculars, Kamishiro confirmed it—it was Chisa!
What the heck is going on?!
Why were Chisa and Kouhei both here? Don't tell him they made some kind of secret group chat?
He seriously suspected these jerks had created a small side group chat with the senpais, excluding him.
Otherwise, how could it be this much of a coincidence for both of them to be here?
Wait a second… don't tell him Iori and Aina are here too?
Kamishiro looked around frantically. In his memory, Chisa and Kouhei had never appeared somewhere as a pair by themselves.
But…
To his surprise—
There were no signs of Iori or Aina anywhere nearby!
What the hell is going on!!!
Kamishiro felt like his CPU was about to fry.
But that doesn't make sense!
Kouhei has another girl next to him—it can't be that this guy is pulling a threesome, right? If Nanaka-nee finds out, she'll kill that blonde punk!
The Holy Warrior of Pure Love would collapse instantly!
Phew, calm down… calm down…
Kamishiro slapped his own face—there's no way something that outrageous would happen.
This isn't some self-insert fanfic—how could that be possible?
It had to be a misunderstanding!
With that thought, he calmed down a bit and picked up the binoculars again.
This time, he was going to examine everything carefully!
He wouldn't let a single detail slip past him!
And then—
He saw Chisa with a clearly panicked expression, running off in a flustered and unnatural way!
Right beside her, that black-haired beauty was clinging to Kouhei, crying her eyes out. There were even tears still at the corners of Kouhei's eyes.
This was the first time Kamishiro had ever seen Kouhei cry—and for a real 3D girl, not a voice actress!
Even though he knew it was unlikely, a storyline involuntarily formed in his head:
Chisa had secretly liked Kouhei all along. Kouhei had always pretended to be a deadbeat otaku, but now he's secretly seeing another girl. Chisa caught them, confronted them, got heartbroken and ran off. The girl next to Kouhei got moved and hugged him…
Damn it!
What kind of lame soap-opera plot is this?!
Kamishiro's mouth twitched—even he thought this plot was ridiculous.
But… he honestly couldn't come up with anything else that fit the situation.
(*?????)
"What are you doing here?"
At some point, Hanabi, now changed into her swimsuit, had appeared behind him.
"Did you suddenly grow a sense of shame?"
"Not really. I'm just sad about my lack of imagination... and also, I saw something really unbelievable."
"Like, no pretty girls coming up to flirt with you?"
"Not quite that unbelievable…"
Just as Kamishiro turned his head, his voice suddenly stopped.
In that moment, Hanabi was bending over, looking at him in confusion.
A white bikini is something few can pull off—but paired with Hanabi, it looked natural.
There was a kind of sacred angelic beauty—as if an angel had descended to earth.
And that cleavage… made him instinctively want to explore it.
Hanabi blinked, not understanding why this pigeon had suddenly gone stiff. She followed his gaze—
In an instant—
She blushed furiously, covered her chest, and gave him a shy but angry glare.
"Why are you staring so openly?! So ungentlemanly!"
Just as Hanabi was about to say something—
That damn pigeon suddenly flashed a very charming smile.
"It suits you really well~"
(°ω°)
The sudden compliment stunned Hanabi, and she stammered, "It's not that big of a deal…"
"Kinda regret not bringing my Hanabi to the beach earlier."
"W-who's your Hanabi?!"
Hanabi was utterly embarrassed, her skin turning a lovely pink.
Saying stuff like that makes her feel shy, okay?!
"Wow, I didn't expect my Hanabi to have a tsundere side. What happened to the cool office-lady? Anyway, you're my editor-in-chief, so saying you're mine isn't exactly wrong, right~?"
Kamishiro teased her with a smug husky-dog grin. When it came to getting himself in trouble, he had an unparalleled natural talent.
As expected, after hearing his words, Hanabi's expression slowly turned dark, and veins started popping on her forehead.
#GRAB!
"You've got one more chance~"
(.;゜;:益:;゜;.)
"Beautiful goddess, I was wrong!"
Considering the obvious physical difference between them, Kamishiro gave in immediately and apologized very sincerely.
Hanabi snorted, letting him off for now.
"So, what's the 'unbelievable thing' you mentioned earlier?"
"Uhh… I think I just saw Kouhei and Chisa."
"Kouhei? Chisa?"
In Hanabi's mind, a handsome blond guy and a naturally airheaded beauty popped up.
"Your club friends? Did your club come to Okinawa for an event?"
Kamishiro scratched his head, "That's the thing—there wasn't supposed to be any event. That's why it's weird they're here at all."
"Let me take a look."
Hanabi took the binoculars and stared at the hugging pair with a complicated expression.
"You're mistaken—that's not Kotegawa, it's Yoshiwara-san, right? Are they a couple or something? They look pretty compatible."
"Yoshiwara? Aina?!"
Kamishiro took back the binoculars in confusion and looked again.
Still no sign of Aina—just those two embracing and crying.
"Hanabi, are you sure you're not mistaken? That girl isn't Aina. She looks similar, but the hairstyle and face are kinda different."
"Did you ever think it might be makeup? As for the hair, a wig would do the trick."
Hanabi gave him a side glance, clearly confident it was Aina.
Back in high school, she was bisexual—there was no way she'd miss this kind of disguise.
The makeup was indeed pro-level, but some details can't be hidden!
Hearing this—
Kamishiro suspiciously picked up the binoculars again.
Emmm…
Now that she said it, they really did look alike—especially the boob size—an exact match!
As someone with decent makeup skills himself, after closely examining for a while, Kamishiro finally confirmed:
That really was Aina!
Now… the story started to make a little more sense.
Since it's Aina beside Kouhei, it's much easier to accept.
Because of her identity, everything suddenly felt more reasonable—even them hugging like that. Kamishiro could practically feel like it was because Kouhei was dying or something.
He fell silent. Damn—Kouhei, Aina, and Chisa were all here.
The only one left was probably Kitahara, hiding somewhere in a corner…
He had a bad feeling—this trip wasn't going to be simple.
To fully enjoy his beautiful one-on-one time, Kamishiro directly pulled Hanabi and walked toward a more distant area.
"Don't worry about them. Let's go play over there."
"Aren't you going to say hi?"
Hanabi was a little confused—they seemed like close friends, didn't they?
Kamishiro's mouth twitched. His sixth sense told him that if they did say hi, they'd get dragged into trouble.
Because among both those groups… each has a spy.
________________
"Ahem, let's not interrupt their date—come on, I'll take you snorkeling!"
As he spoke, he pulled out two pairs of flippers from behind his back.
Upon seeing this—
Hanabi cast a deep, puzzled glance behind Kamishiro.
Just how was this guy pulling all these weird things out from behind his butt?
Before she could think more about it, Kamishiro grabbed her hand and started running toward the ocean.
"Don't overthink it. This is the perfect time to enjoy the sea!"
Seeing the boy's smile and feeling her hand being held, Hanabi felt momentarily dazed.
Was it the sea or this boy that was unsettling her heart?
Onlookers smiled kindly at the well-matched pair. People are often kind to young love—seeing scenes like this, they can't help but recall their own youthful days.
Memories like that are precious beyond measure.
At that moment, Hanabi dropped her usual act, her smile blooming like a flower as she looked at the boy beside her.
She couldn't tell—was it the ocean or the boy that had stirred her heart?
________________
Not far away
Chisa was teaching Iori how to swim and snorkel.
Even Kohei and Aina, who had been secretly spying on them, couldn't resist anymore.
Faced with the beautiful ocean, no one could hold back.
They too began splashing around playfully in the sea, temporarily forgetting all about Iori and Chisa.
Everyone wore bright, beaming smiles.
________________
Dinner time
"Ah! So refreshing! You have to try the local beer when you're by the sea!"
Inside a small izakaya, Kamishiro was in bliss—mouthfuls of meat and swigs of beer nearly melting him in comfort.
"It's pretty nice. Cool and easy to drink," Hanabi agreed, sipping in a much more refined manner than Kamishiro's hearty guzzling.
She even limited her alcohol intake. The last time at the bar made her question her own tolerance.
Now she didn't dare drink too much—who knew if history might repeat itself?
"Right? Here, try this!"
Excited by her approval, Kamishiro eagerly picked up a chili pepper and offered it to her.
Boys are simple creatures—just a little praise can make them happy for ages.
Seeing the chopsticks he'd used, Hanabi didn't hesitate—she opened her mouth and bit the chili.
She wasn't the type to get shy over an "indirect kiss." That's middle school stuff.
Aina: ???? I'm NOT a middle schooler!
A strong burst of alcohol exploded in her mouth, making her stop chewing mid-bite.
Wait—did she eat a chili or just chug liquor?
The alcohol taste completely overwhelmed the spice!
But... it was kind of tasty...
Swallowing, Hanabi curiously looked at Kamishiro, suspecting he was up to something.
"What was that?"
"Haha, tasty right? That's a local Okinawan specialty—chilies soaked in awamori!"
"Awamori?"
Her hand, reaching for another chili, froze. Her eye twitched slightly.
If she remembered correctly, awamori was around 60% alcohol.
Chilies soaked in that?
Silently, she moved her chopsticks toward the tofu instead.
Until she figured out her alcohol tolerance, she should avoid stuff like that.
She'd test it alone when back in Tokyo.
________________
"By the way, are you sure it's okay not to say hi?"
Hanabi glanced at two nearby groups.
One was Kohei and Aina, the other was Chisa and Kitahara.
Just as Kamishiro had predicted, Kitahara did show up in the end.
Though what he'd been doing all afternoon, Kamishiro had no idea—he couldn't find him anywhere.
Strangely enough, it looked like Kitahara had no idea the other two were even there.
Kohei and Aina were deliberately sitting at a distance, secretly observing.
As for Kamishiro and Hanabi...
They were even more hidden—clearly trying to avoid someone.
Kamishiro waved dismissively, saying casually:
"Let's not ruin their date~"
In truth, he was panicking inside.
Damn it!
He never imagined that even picking a random restaurant would land him in the middle of this group!
Yes.
He had deliberately picked this table to avoid them.
It was the perfect spot—hidden enough to not be seen, but with a clear view of everyone else.
Seeing how concerned Kohei and Aina looked, Kamishiro could guess what was going on.
It must be jealousy on Aina's part.
Watching the guy you like go on a trip with another girl—who wouldn't lose it?
Yup.
And that's exactly why Kamishiro didn't dare show his face.
But…
The longer he watched, the weirder it seemed.
Kitahara and Chisa were one thing—but Kohei and Aina were giving off some serious couple vibes!
Their smiling faces... Were they really here to spy on Kitahara?
They looked more like they were on a date themselves!
Kamishiro shook his head.
Weird couples just kept multiplying.
Snap!
A scene this memorable definitely needed a photo!
When they got back, if Aina or Kohei tried to deny anything—he'd pull out this pic.
(λ_^)
Their reactions would be priceless.