This is really too revealing...
In the cramped fitting room, Kirie fretted over the design of the bikini.
She never imagined she'd end up buying a swimsuit for a date, but now that she was actually choosing one, she couldn't help but care about the design.
A swimsuit for the class trip.
Something too plain would make her feel self-conscious, but she absolutely refused to wear anything that would draw too much attention from men.
She had almost forgotten that her participation in the trip had become a foregone conclusion, so focused was she on picking out a swimsuit.
Hmm...
After removing a bikini that didn't quite suit her, she reached for another one hanging on the wall. As she did, her gaze met her reflection in the mirror, and she was suddenly struck by her current situation.
...
By now, Ryosuke was probably killing time in the men's swimsuit section next door.
Unlike our previous shopping dates, this is a swimsuit fitting room. Even if I'm waiting for my boyfriend, men aren't allowed to loiter nearby.
Boyfriend...
The word still makes me uneasy, even now.
So, I'm actually dating Shito.
A few months ago, I never could have imagined this happening.
My reflection in the mirror looks almost the same as before. To Kirie—though it's only natural—I'm still familiar with this sight.
My hair, my face, my shoulders, my chest, my stomach—
But...
Kirie is no longer the same Kirie. This body has already been entrusted to her lover. Bared naked, touched, pinched, licked—
What am I doing again...?
I hug my shoulders, as if trying to conceal my chest beneath my bra.
This body, which flushes so easily now, is infuriating.
Things are different now.
Now that I've experienced the feel of a man's skin and tasted the sweetness of being united with my lover, when will I get to do something like that again?
No...
What if he's already lost interest in me? What if he's disappointed and won't even let me touch him anymore?
Shaking her head to banish these vulgar hopes and faint anxieties, Kirie resumed trying on clothes.
*****
"Find anything you like?" Ryosuke asked when Kirie rejoined him at the checkout.
She seemed restless, avoiding his gaze.
"Kirie?"
"U-um... There were a few that seemed nice..."
For Ryosuke, whether Kirie actually bought a swimsuit wasn't particularly important.
His goal in taking her to the beach was to lower her mental barriers.
I'd imagined she might get confused and end up not buying anything, but it seems she managed to find something she liked.
"This one, or this one?"
She seemed to have chosen a bolder design than usual. She also mentioned that the reasonable price for such a striking look was another appealing factor.
Kirie, for some reason looking rather nervous, asked, "Which do you think is better?"
"Ah, you're testing me, aren't you?" Ryosuke said with a wry smile.
"If I don't say something like, 'Well, your taste is impeccable... no, wait, both look great on you,' you'll get mad, right?"
"N-no...!" Kirie shook her head hurriedly. "That's not it at all—"
"Huh?"
"I-I just thought... if I have to choose, I'd like to wear the one that Shito... that Ryo-kun likes better..."
"..."
"Uh... what's wrong?"
"No, it's just..."
Ryosuke desperately tried to suppress the smirk spreading across his face.
But he failed.
"Heh heh heh... Kirie, that's just too cute. It's cheating!"
"W-What?! Why are you laughing?! H-How embarrassing...!"
After letting out a hearty laugh, Ryosuke said,
"Sorry. Anyway, how about this one?"
Kirie had presented two bikinis, but Ryosuke followed his instincts and pointed to one of them.
It was an off-the-shoulder swimsuit.
The top was white with frills, while the bottom featured a subtle floral pattern, a design that seemed perfectly suited to Kirie's bright personality.
"I'd like you to wear this one, Kirie. Is that okay?"
"...Yeah."
Her face immediately betrayed her at his blunt words, which was typical of her.
"I know I'm the one who brought it up, but are you sure about the amount? I could have paid—"
"It's okay. I have enough for this— but..."
"But?"
"It was really embarrassing. Buy me juice later, okay?"
"Sure, sure."
*****
After buying Kirie's swimsuit, we left the department store.
As we walked, thinking about stopping at a café somewhere, a large raindrop landed on Ryosuke's nose.
"Ugh... Seriously?"
The rain quickly turned into a downpour.
There hadn't been a single cloud in the sky this morning, and the weather forecast hadn't predicted rain at all. Ryosuke was caught off guard and hadn't brought a folding umbrella.
It seemed Kirie hadn't prepared one either.
Like everyone else caught in the rain, we ran, searching for shelter. Still holding Kirie's hand firmly, we hurried under the eaves of the movie theater.
That's when a mischievous idea popped into Ryosuke's head.
Ah...
Beyond the corner of this theater lay a somewhat infamous spot. While we could wait out the rain inside, neither of us wanted to sit in our soaked clothes.
"Ugh, this is the worst. We're completely drenched..."
As Ryosuke watched Kirie sigh, his mischievous idea grew bolder.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"Ah, no... nothing..."
When Kirie suddenly turned to face him, Ryosuke quickly changed the subject.
"Come to think of it, the first time I really talked to you properly was on a rainy day, wasn't it?"
"Ah..."
A complicated expression spread across Kirie's face.
That day should have been a bitter memory for her.
For Ryosuke, it was the day he first became acutely aware of Kirie. Her tear-streaked face, her fragile eyes that belied her attempts at strength.
"Forget that ever happened..."
"At the time, I never thought I'd actually end up dating Kirie, did I?"
"..."
Kirie's expression darkened. "Ryo-kun... do you... do you enjoy being with me?"
Perhaps because she'd been wallowing in unrequited love for so long, Kirie often underestimated her own charm.
That insecurity had been Ryosuke's perfect opening to win her over, but now... it was starting to annoy him a little.
Anyone would be shaken when their own "likes" and "beliefs" are underestimated.
"Kirie, this way."
"...Huh?"
As a unfamiliar emotion, intertwined with his earlier impure thoughts, surged through him, Ryosuke found himself leading Kirie by the hand down an alleyway.
*****
"W-Where are we...?!"
The neighborhood he'd brought her to was packed with a specific type of lodging facility lining the eclectic streets—in other words, it was a love hotel district.
"A-Are we going in...?"
"We can wait out the rain here."
"I know, but..."
Her heart suddenly began pounding wildly.
Ryosuke's grip was strong and forceful, unlike when they were at the aquarium, and his unreadable expression made her feel a flicker of fear.
But at the same time...
A thrill so intense it felt like her entire body was about to boil over hit her, leaving Kirie utterly bewildered.
"I-if you don't do anything... it's fine."
The words that tumbled out of her mouth were worlds apart from what she truly felt.
The "check-in" system was entirely new to Kirie.
The surprisingly sophisticated entrance lobby displayed panels listing room numbers. Despite it being daytime, about 80% of the panels were darkened.
That meant several couples were already occupying rooms—
...!
The thought that he would soon join their ranks made his rain-chilled body heat up so quickly it felt like it was boiling.
Ryosuke seemed relatively calm, but he clearly wasn't as experienced with this as he pretended.
"Which room would you like?"
"Ah, we're just looking for shelter from the rain... Any room is fine—"
Being asked only made things worse.
Feeling like flames were shooting from his face, he managed to blurt out that response.
As the two of them stood flustered in the entrance, another couple walked in.
They looked to be university students, slightly older than Kirie and Ryosuke. Their drenched bodies were pressed tightly together. They, too, seemed to have hastily chosen this hotel to escape the torrential downpour.
"Ugh—?!"
Even though they were strangers, Kirie felt embarrassed about bumping into them here. She instinctively turned her face away and clung to Ryosuke's left arm, driven by impulse.
It wasn't that she intended to confront them; she just couldn't bear to face them.
Ryosuke said nothing, simply chose a room, and led Kirie deeper into the building.
Once they were inside the elevator, Kirie finally turned to face forward, their hands still clasped.
"That was a surprise. Awkward, running into people like that."
"..."
Ryosuke spoke in a deliberately cheerful tone, perhaps to mask his nervousness. Kirie nodded silently in agreement.
Those two, too...
They would soon enter their rooms just like Kirie and Ryosuke had.
And then.
After that...
The elevator arrived at the fourth floor, where their room was located.
The hallway was much dimmer than any hotel Kirie had ever seen. The carpeted floor was so thick that not a sound was made when they walked across it. It all felt unreal.
The door, which automatically unlocked, swung open, and the two of them stepped inside.
The room was decorated in gold and black. The indirect lighting was lavish but not ostentatious. But above all, the enormous bed that dominated the space and drew the eye no matter where they looked made it clear that they had entered a completely different world.
"This room looks so expensive... Oh, should I put the bags here? Thanks for carrying them for me. I wonder if there's a hair dryer over there."
Kirie moved around busily, trying to distract herself from the awkwardness, but...
She knew too.
"Kirie."
Ryosuke embraced her, standing right next to the bed.
"Ah—"
His chest, damp from the rain. His long, muscular arms. They were so close that she could feel his breath.
Kirie could feel that Ryosuke wasn't in his normal state, either.
(He's excited...)
Once, a female classmate confided in me about her worries regarding her relationship with an older boyfriend.
—"Don't you think he only wants me physically? I'm too scared to refuse, so I just... have to go along with it."
At the time, I couldn't understand those feelings.
And even now, that hasn't changed.
(He's really excited...)
My heart raced, pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.
It wasn't my friend who was strange. Her worries were perfectly normal.
But these feelings I have now... no one can deny them.
I want Ryosuke to hold me.
Will he be gentle?
Or, since he looked a little scary earlier, will he tease me a bit roughly?
But surely...
No, absolutely...
With Ryo-kun...
A tingling warmth spread through her core.
Her thighs, where they had rubbed together, burned with an almost unbearable heat.
Ryosuke gently stroked her damp hair.
That was it. She couldn't take any more.
Kirie tilted her face upward, stretching her neck, silently pleading for a kiss.
As if he had read her thoughts, their lips met without hesitation.
I can't... I can't forget this... How can I possibly endure this...?
Struggling to suppress the overwhelming emotions threatening to erupt within her, Kirie, her eyes glistening with tears, finally voiced the feelings she had kept silent until now.
"...Ryo-kun. I love you."