Chapter 421: Barbecue
With her hands clasped behind her head, feeling the somewhat muggy air and bright sunshine, Eriri straightened her body and said with her eyes closed, "En~~~ The beach feels so comfortable, completely different from home."
Utaha nodded, "That's true. In previous summers, I never really wanted to go out. This is my first time coming to the beach like this."
"Same here, I never used to come to the beach, especially public beaches like this."
Crossing her legs, Eriri swung them back and forth, recalling, "I remember in middle school, I went to a water park with my mom in the summer, and it was so crowded, it was like dumplings being dropped into a pot. It was terrifying."
Recalling that scene, Eriri couldn't help but shrink her neck: "It wasn't much after elementary school, but ever since that time in middle school, I've never been back. When my classmates invited me during holidays, I always refused. I really can't understand what's so fun about such crowded places."
"I'm similar to you. Crowded places, especially those where you have to go into the water, I just don't want to go."
Stretching and sitting up, Utaha said, "That's why I prefer private beaches like this. It's just that they're so rare. Not only is it difficult to book, but they're also expensive."
"Hehe, if you want to come, you can come every summer from now on. If you book in advance, I'll have no problem!"
"That works, let's make it an annual tradition."
"Eriri~~~ Utaha-senpai~~~"
At this moment, Colette in the distance shouted loudly to them, "Asakura-senpai hit the watermelon, come and eat!"
It turned out that Takasu Ryuji had failed to hit the watermelon earlier and passed the baton to Kaede, who then succeeded in one go.
"Oh~~~ We're coming!"
Quickly getting up from the lounge chair, Eriri said with a smile, "Let's go, let's eat watermelon!"
Taking the sunscreen jacket nearby and putting it on, Utaha followed with a smile.
After Kaede started things off well, the next two watermelons were also successively smashed by Shinomiya Kaguya and Usami, and all three watermelons ended up in everyone's stomachs.
After eating, and after another swim, everyone returned to the villa to start preparing for today's dinner.
Since they had talked about having a barbecue at noon, there was a lot of preparation work to be done.
After leaving the chopping of vegetables and meat to the girls, Kaede led the boys to get the barbecue grill from the storage room. After cleaning it, they began to prepare the charcoal for the barbecue.
Looking at the heating charcoal, Shirogane Miyuki said, "The supplies are very well prepared."
"Since it's a beach activity, I had everything I could think of prepared in advance," Kaede said while cleaning the barbecue skewers. "Senpai, you can look forward to it. There are still many things in the storage room that we'll be using over the next two days."
"Eh~ Is that so? Will it cost a lot of money then? We haven't paid any fees."
"You don't need to worry about that."
Kaede waved his hand with a smile, "This was originally an activity that Eriri and I planned. We can afford these expenses, and renting this place was done through connections, so the cost was much lower than the normal price. Besides, Senpai, weren't the pick-up and drop-off cars arranged by Shinomiya-senpai? People from both sides are contributing to the expenses, so you don't need to worry too much."
Kitamura Yusaku nodded with a smile, "Yeah, you see, we haven't worried about it at all and just came to have fun."
"That's because you're heartless," Takasu Ryuji said grumpily, wiping his sweat.
"What about you, Takasu?"
"Me?" Takasu Ryuji paused, then said cheekily, "I don't have any money."
"..."
Kitamura Yusaku silently flipped him off, then said, "Me neither."
Shirogane Miyuki gave the two of them a helpless look, but dropped his idea and helped Kaede take the skewers over to the girls.
With everything prepared, the girls started skewering the barbecue items. Kaede, meanwhile, prepared to make a stew and a salad. Just having barbecue would be too monotonous.
After finishing the skewers she was holding, Kawashima Ami stretched her wrists and said, "I'm going to the restroom. Keep up the good work."
Seeing Kawashima Ami go inside, Utaha gently nudged Eriri beside her and whispered, "Asakura-kun is busy inside, right? Aren't you going to check on him?"
"Huh?"
Eriri looked at Utaha in confusion, then instantly understood: "Oh~~ that's what you mean. There's no need."
"Seriously? You really trust him that much?"
"Of course."
Eriri shook her head proudly and said, "Putting everything else aside, Kaede-kun would absolutely never do anything like that. Don't think I haven't noticed, Ami definitely has a bit of a crush on him."
"Then why are you acting like this?"
As she asked, Utaha felt a little nervous inside.
Well, just a little nervous.
"What's the big deal?" Eriri said. "Kaede-kun is so great, isn't it normal for girls to have a crush on him? It would be weird if they didn't. Besides, Ami is very mature, and her personality has improved a lot compared to before, so there's even less to worry about."
Utaha nodded thoughtfully, glancing into the house, still feeling that Kawashima Ami wouldn't be so well-behaved.
Utaha's prediction wasn't wrong. After using the restroom, Kawashima Ami went straight to the kitchen.
Watching Kaede busy himself inside, Kawashima Ami walked over with a smile and said, "Asakura-kun, do you need my help?"
"Huh? Oh, it's Kawashima."
Turning his head to look, Kaede said, "No need. I can handle this myself quickly. You should go outside and help everyone with the barbecue."
"Are you sure? I actually really want to learn, since I live alone."
Walking closer, Kawashima Ami looked at the knife in Kaede's hand, which hadn't stopped moving, and said in surprise, "I tried researching things at home before, but the only thing I can successfully make is fried rice. Everything else is just buying instant food and heating it up in the microwave."
"Then you really should spend some time learning."
Putting the chopped vegetables into a basin, Kaede smiled and said, "Not only do you live alone, but you're also busy with modeling work. Although I don't know much about that field, models are often busy for half a day or more, making it hard to eat properly. If you can't replenish your nutrition after coming home, your body won't be able to handle it in the long run."
"Mhm, you're absolutely right."
Kawashima Ami nodded vigorously and said, "That's why I really want to learn how to cook, but my mother is also busy traveling everywhere and has no time. Asakura-kun, why don't you teach me first? I really love making soup!"
"I see."
Kaede thought for a moment and then said, "I can teach you, but before that, go put on some clothes. The air conditioning is on in here."
Kawashima Ami realized belatedly that she was feeling a bit cold, and immediately went upstairs to change.
After Kawashima Ami went up, Kaede shifted his gaze toward the two people who had entered at some point and were hiding in the corner, peeking.