Shopping mall.
Inside a swimsuit store.
A group of girls passing by turned their gaze toward a boy sitting on a bench in the rest area, his expression slightly vacant.
"Wow, he's handsome," "Is he a celebrity?" "Waiting for his girlfriend?" , whispers like these reached Toru's ears.
Really now…
He wasn't even dating anyone, yet he was already experiencing the awkwardness of a boyfriend accompanying his girlfriend on a shopping trip.
"Toru-kun, come here and help me."
Ryo's cool, slightly detached voice called to him.
Toru hesitated for a second, wondering if he should go in, but…
Fine. He didn't really have a reason to refuse.
Pulling back the curtain to the fitting room, Toru stood frozen, unsure what kind of face he was supposed to make.
"The buttons won't close."
Ryo turned her head expressionlessly. "Help me, Toru-kun."
He looked at her smooth, fair back and stepped forward slowly to fasten them.
Was this her way of teasing him into doing something questionable, or was she simply bad at tying strings?
Ryo-chan really was hard to figure out.
Even in the simulation, after years of dating her, Toru never quite understood how her mind worked.
All he knew was that she had a mischievous streak, when others were in trouble, she'd laugh quietly on the side.
"Does it look good?"
Ryo turned around, spreading her arms slightly to show off the swimsuit that revealed a generous stretch of pale skin.
Sorry, Bocchi.
Ryo apologized inwardly, already preparing to sneak away.
No, in fact, she was already sneaking away.
"It's a little revealing, isn't it? A bikini." Toru didn't really mind, but honestly, not many girls liked wearing bikinis. Even in relatively open-minded Japan, conservative swimwear still dominated most beaches.
"It's fine. I'm only showing it to you."
Ryo's words could so easily be misunderstood.
Ryo-chan, I'm definitely misunderstanding this.
Toru thought to himself with a sigh.
"Do you like it?"
"Cough, cough!"
Her sudden, direct question caught him so off guard that he nearly choked on his own breath.
"You don't?" Ryo leaned in closer.
Their faces were now less than twenty centimeters apart.
In the cramped fitting room, Toru could even feel the faint warmth of her breath.
"I… kind of do," he muttered, turning his head away and adding, "I mean, the swimsuit."
He wasn't sure what she was actually asking about the swimsuit or something else entirely.
But saying "the swimsuit" felt like the safest answer.
"That's good."
Ryo stepped back, as if she had genuinely been asking about the swimsuit after all.
"…He said he likes it."
He liked it.
That made her, just a little, happy.
————
At the same time.
Kita was shopping with Nijika.
"Ijichi-senpai, is Ryo-senpai busy today?"
Kita-chan had really wanted to shop with her beloved Ryo-senpai.
"She said her family's dog, Bass, is at death's door again, so she's going to the vet to stay with it."
"Eh, is that okay?"
"It's fine, really," Nijika said, then added with a sigh, "This is already the fourth time Bass has been 'critically ill' this year."
Ryo always came up with some unrealistic excuse.
When Nijika first met her, she'd been completely fooled, but after learning the truth, she stopped believing anything that came out of Ryo's mouth.
"So what do you think Ryo-senpai's actually doing?"
"Probably went to a record store to listen to music. She likes being alone," Nijika guessed.
On such a hot day, there's no way Ryo would be wandering around outside.
She'd most likely hole up somewhere she liked, spending the whole day like a mushroom in the shade.
"As expected of Ryo-senpai, that's so cool!"
Kita admired that kind of lifestyle.
Super stylish.
"I wonder what Bocchi-chan is doing today."
"Maybe teaching her little sister guitar at home?" Kita said instinctively.
The air suddenly turned cold.
After a long silence...
"That's… quite possible."
"Ijichi-senpai, should we add a few more group activities for our summer training camp?"
"Yeah."
————
The next day.
It was finally time for the beach trip.
Since none of them were old enough to have a driver's license, the job of driving was handed to Ijichi Seika. As a result, most of the work at the live house today fell on PA-san.
The spacious Toyota HiAce had just enough seats for everyone.
Nijika looked ahead, imagining the future. "Someday, when Kessoku Band makes it big, we should get one of these for our equipment. It'd make touring all over Japan so much easier."
A used van wasn't that expensive.
The Toyota that Seika was driving today was originally used as an equipment van anyway, so it was a perfect stand-in for a road trip.
"Heh, talk about that after you get famous first," Seika said, unwilling to let these kids dream too big too soon.
A band had to stay grounded.
After that, the proud blonde older sister glanced at Toru through the rearview mirror.
She hadn't expected the band to bring a boy along on this trip.
As an adult, she could easily read what her little sister and her friends were thinking.
Love was such a scary thing.
Four girls and one boy.
This trip was shaping up to be a palace drama waiting to happen.
She only hoped their friendship wouldn't crumble over a guy.
Seika wasn't against her sister dating, but she wasn't about to help either.
She was nearly thirty herself and still single; she had no business meddling in teenage romances.
The continuation of the Ijichi family would probably rest on her sister's shoulders anyway.
Seika had already accepted a life of solitude.
"Toru-kun, want one of these?"
Kita offered a Pocky stick from the box in her hand, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Ijichi Seika turned back and started the engine.
It seemed the battle was already beginning.
Fortunately, it had nothing to do with her.
————
A few hours later.
The group arrived safely at the Yamada family's seaside villa.
After the van stopped, Toru unloaded the luggage. Then he noticed all the girls looking at him at once...
As if asking, Whose luggage are you going to carry?
Toru stepped forward, grabbed two suitcases in his left hand and two in his right, and started toward the villa under their stunned gazes.
"So strong," Nijika murmured in awe.
She already knew Toru was physically fit, but seeing it in person was another thing entirely.
"Yeah, really strong," Gotoh Hitori whispered, her legs suddenly weak.
She knew his strength all too well.
"Toru-kun, let me help."
Ryo jogged up beside him, taking one of the bags.
"Ryo-senpai and Kitahara-kun get along really well," Kita said with a bright smile.
Neither she nor Nijika noticed that Ryo was already making her move.
Only Gotoh Hitori sensed that something about the atmosphere felt… off.
An observer sees clearly what the players cannot.
Perhaps among everyone present, only Ijichi Seika truly understood.
Ryo's level was far above the other girls'.
The question was...
Would Toru take the bait?
————