Capítulo 52: A Ditz and a Pro
"Sigh…"
An unbefitting, sorrowful sigh echoed in the cute room decorated with countless stuffed
animals of all sizes. The one sighing was Maria, who was lying in bed while clutching a
cat plushie in one arm and gazing at a picture in a golden locket she held in her other hand,
uncharacteristically listless.
"Sah…"
The name of the man she loved fell from her lips. Her voice, which was usually brimming
with mirth when she uttered his name, was now filled with pain and sadness.
"Will we never meet again…?" she muttered pessimistically before almost immediately
shaking her head, burying her face in her pillow, and curling into a ball.
"…Just a little longer. Just until summer break is over…," Maria repeated to herself,
holding the locket close to her heart, perhaps in hopes that they would be reunited one day
—or perhaps fearing their reunion.
Knock-knock.
After a few minutes went by, Maria heard a knock, so she lifted her face off the pillow
just enough to see the door with one eye, and replied, "Yes?"
"…Masha? Can we talk?"
"…! Alya?!"
Maria jumped up in her bed with so much energy and excitement that the gloomy mood
from earlier seemed like a distant dream. She got over things quickly, to say the least.
"Wh-what's wrong?!"
It wasrare for Maria's distantsister to stop by her room—so rare that it would only occur
once every two weeks at most, which was why she immediately ran to the door. Although
Alisa was somewhat taken aback by how quickly her sister answered, Maria's face instantly
lit up with a bubbly smile as if to say, "Alisa's here! Nothing else matters!"
"…Were you sleeping?"
Alisa seemed a bit worried that she was bothering her sister, after seeing her disheveled
hair, but Maria proudly puffed out her chest and smiled even wider, dispelling any worries
Alisa once had.
"Nope! I was just rolling around in my bed! Anyway, what did you need?"
"Oh…"
Alisa rolled her eyes, since her sister seemed to be overly proud about being a lazy bum.
"Uh…"
She then paused for a few moments and looked away. She fidgeted with her hair before
hesitantly continuing:
"You know how we're going to the beach next week…and we need a bathing suit? Well,
I was wondering if you already got yours."
The last time the Kujou sisters went to the beach was more than four years ago, and
because they hadn't gone swimming for fun since then, they had far outgrown their old
bathing suits. Of course, they had their school swimsuits, but even Alisa understood that
wearing those outside school was social suicide. Therefore, she wanted to talk to someone
who was in the same predicament as her. In other words…
"Not yet. I was considering going bathing-suit shopping today or tomorrow, though,"
replied Maria with a brilliant smile, since she had a good idea what Alisa was going to say
next. Lo and behold, Alisa glanced in her sister's direction but immediately averted her gaze
once more and suggested, "Then…how about we go together? I'm free right now, so we
might as well…"
Alisa invited Maria on a date! Maria's IQ decreased by 5!
"Yeah, sure! Let's go! Giggle! Alya and I are going on a date!"
"It's not a date."
"When do you want to go? I'm free all day."
"Oh, uh… How about in thirty minutes?"
"Okay! I'll start getting ready right now!"
As excited as a dog with its tail wagging furiously—she looked as if she was about to
start humming gleefully at any moment—Maria closed the door and started to get changed.
It was hard to believe this was the same young woman who'd been moping in bed only a
few minutes before, but once again, Maria could get over things quickly. After she finished
getting ready, the Kujou sisters departed from their home and started their adventure.
"Vroom, vroom! Let's go!"
The instant Maria reached out to grab Alisa's hand, Alisa coldly brushed her away.
"I'm not going to hold your hand."
"Aww. ♪" Maria pouted and rushed after her sister, who had begun walking ahead
dismissively.
"Come on, Alyaaa! Wait for meee! You're walking way too fast!"
"No, you're walking too slow."
"You're just going to feel even hotter in this sun if you walk that quickly. Come on,
let's take our time and talk."
"I don't have anything I want to talk about."
"Alya! How can you be so cold?!"
They continued this exchange until they reached the closest train station and headed to
the platform, attracting attention all along the way.
"Masha, over here."
"Whaaat? But we'd be closer to the stairs if we got on over here."
"I don't care. We're getting on the women-only car."
"Hmm… Fine. ♪"
Maria reluctantly followed Alisa over to the next train car. Obviously, she knew what
women-only cars were, and she also understood that some criminals partook in molesting
innocent people, but she had never been touched by a creep before, so the reality still hadn't
sunk in. In other words, she lacked any sense for danger.
…Technically, she had almost encountered a few train perverts in the past, but either
her menacing little sister would kick the stuffing out of them or the menacing vice president
of the student council would snap their wrists before they could get their hands on her. So
she was never a victim thanks to them, but conversely, she lacked any awareness.
"You need to take the women-only cars, especially when you get on the train alone. Got
it? And if there aren't any, you need to be alert at all times. Don't be playing on your phone."
"Yes, ma'am. ♪"
And yet, still following the advice of her concerned sister and friend was perhaps one of
Maria's virtues. But after she agreed to be careful, a wrinkle suddenly creased Maria's brow.
"Alya… Did somebody touch you?"
"Huh? No way. I never let my guard down, unlike you."
"Hmm… I usually have my guard up, too. Sah's the only man I'd ever let touch me!"
Maria pouted, puffing out her cheeks and placing both hands on her hips in an offended
manner.
"Yeah… Right…," Alisa muttered, frustrated, while checking out Maria from head to
toe. It was no surprise she feltskeptical, either,since Maria's outfit that day had hershoulders
and midriff exposed, which didn't really come across as "guarded." Her smooth, healthy,
milky-white skin was attracting an incredible amount of attention, and yet Maria mirthfully
placed a hand on her hat and casually posed, either unconcerned by or unaware of their gazes.
"Oh, my outfit? It's cute, right?"
"…I'll admit that it's cute, but I wouldn't wear it."
"What? But it's breathable, so it'll keep you cool on hot days like this."
"You're going to catch a cold," Alisa replied curtly and glared at the rudely gawking
men around them. After she promptly grabbed Maria and dragged her onto the train, they
rode for around fifteen minutes and got off at a large station where they usually went to
shop for clothes. Then they headed over to the sizable shopping mall across the street. But
once they took the elevator up to the women's clothing floor, Maria's eyes instantly began
to sparkle as she took in the various articles of clothing.
"That outfit is so cute!"
And she immediately stepped into a shop that obviously didn't sell swimsuits… Alisa
promptly grabbed her by the wrist and stopped her, as if she had predicted her sister would
do this.
"We're here to buy bathing suits, right? Come on."
"Whaaat? Wait. I'll be quick. I just want to look a little. ♪"
But Alisa continued to drag her away as if her sister's pitiful cries were no concern of
hers. She didn't hesitate at all, since she was painfully aware of how her free-spirited sister
went wherever there was something that caught her eye if left to wander of her own accord.
"Ah! That's the skirt I saw on TV!"
"..."
"Oh, they're having a going-out-of-business sale! Alya, everything is half price!"
Even Alisa was genuinely tempted when she heard that, but she had no intention of
joining one of her sister's never-ending shopping sprees, so she made sure to keep facing
forward and press on. Only when they finally reached the entrance to the bathing-suit shop
did Maria finally begin to calm down.
"Wow! Look at all the cute bathing suits!"
…Calm as a kid in a candy store for the first time. After a brief sigh, Alisa took a quick
look around, then frowned.
"…? Alya? What's wrong?"
Alisa took a sweeping glance of the shop once more…then curiously tilted her head.
"Is it just me, or are all these really revealing?"
"Hmm… I don't know. They all look like ordinary bathing suits to me."
Maria pointed at a one-piece swimsuit hanging on a wall.
"If you're that worried, then you could wear something like that. It—"
"You could see my legs if I wore that."
"…Your legs?"
Taken aback by her sister's unexpected remark, Maria turned around and faced Alisa
with a completely serious expression, only to discover Alisa looked beyond serious as well.
She blinked for a few moments.
"Uh… Alya? You can usually see people's legs when they wear bathing suits. Like—"
"No. This isn't the school pool. There will be boys with us at the beach, right? Your
thighs should be covered just like they usually are."
"Um… So…?"
Maria was officially confused.
"We need a bathing suit that covers our stomach and thighs," Alisa stated with a straight
face as if this was obvious.
This isn't good, immediately thought Maria. While she knew her sister never let her
guard down around the opposite sex, Alisa was going to be the proud new owner of a wet
suit as this rate. From Maria's point of view as a fellow woman, that was out of the question,
and as someone who loved her little sister, she wanted Alisa to wear something cute.
Nevertheless, recommending a bathing suit to her sister would only have the opposite effect.
It was glaringly obvious Alisa would simply criticize her taste in clothes and ignore anything
she suggested, which Alisa made clear earlier today when she said she would never wear a
shirt that exposed her midriff. Therefore…
"Alya, I think it's a good thing that you're modest, but there's a time and a place for
everything."
Saying there was a time and a place for something would get the attention of any decent
person—or at least, anyone who wastrying to be a decent person, and Alisa was no exception.
Her eyebrows twitched, and she gazed down at Maria, who was looking straight into her
sister's eyes.
"Although we're officially going to the beach house for student council business, it's
really just a social trip to get to know one another better. In other words, we're supposed
to relax and have fun, so shouldn't we dress appropriately for the occasion?" argued Maria
sincerely.
"…I get that, but how does showing more skin help anything?"
"Because if you completely cover yourself like you think everyone's a creep, then it's
going to look like you're not even interested in socializing or becoming friends with anyone.
It would kill the mood, at the very least. Besides, you know how Japan has a culture of 'naked
bonding' as they call it, right? Like going to bathhouses and hot springs together, right?"
"Hmm…"
Alisa was at a loss for words, since Maria did have a point, and obviously, Maria wasn't
going to let this rare opportunity slip by.
"Besides, we're going to a private beach, so it's not like a bunch of random strangers
are going to see you in your swimsuit."
"…Masachika and Touya will be there."
"Don't worry about that. Touya only has eyes for Chisaki. And Kuze? I'm sure he'll be
busy staring at me."
"Huh?"
Maria boastfully puffed her chest out before her sister, who was raising her eyebrows
in bafflement.
"Kuze is a boy, after all, and you know how they are. They're obsessed with girls' chests.
They can't stop staring. So…when he sees me in my cute bathing suit, he's probably not
going to be able to look away."
She bashfully covered her chest with both hands and squirmed a bit, but her
uncharacteristically vain remark made Alisa smile stiffly and lit the flames of competition
in her blue eyes.
"Heh… Aren't you confident? Are you suggesting that this plump chest of yours along
with that plump stomach makes you better than me?"
Alisa made sure to emphasize the word me as she crossed her arms, leaning her upper
body back as if to show off her figure. She then glanced at Maria's exposed midriff with a
meaningful gaze and sniffed haughtily, but Maria wasn't fazed by such low-level taunting.
"You still have so much to learn, Alya. Boys like girls with a little meat on them. I
think your well-toned body is wonderful, though," she replied as if to console her little sister
while proudly emphasizing her chest as well. One of Alisa's eyes immediately began to
twitch in annoyance at her sister's unusually bold attitude, since she took a lot of pride in her
appearance. She worked far harder than Maria to maintain her figure, so it was unforgivable
to be told that the fruit of her labor was inferior to what she considered excessive softness
due to a carefree lifestyle; there was no way she would ever acknowledge such as fact.
"Hmph. Aren't we full of confidence today? Don't blame me if you start feeling
embarrassed next to my perfect figure, though."
"Go ahead. I guess that means you're going to be getting a bikini?"
"…Hmm?"
"It'd be pointless if you didn't show off your stomach. ♪ Don't worry. I'll wear a bikini,
too. ♪ Oh, hey. This one would look great on you."
Maria was already picking out swimsuits before Alisa could even process what had just
happened. That was when a sales associate with glasses and hair tightly pulled back
approached them and chimed in.
"Sorry for interrupting, but I believe that swimsuit might be a little too small for you. I
recommend going one size larger," she suggested, pushing up her glasses.
"Huh?"
Maria promptly turned around, looked hard at Alisa's chest, and commented:
"Alya, have they gotten bigger again?"
"L-like you're one to talk."
"Yeah, I guess you're right… Do you think it's Mom's cooking? They just won't stop
growing."
She shifted her gaze away from Alisa, who was twisting her body in odd positions and
looking straight down at her chest in a troubled manner.
"Brace yourself, Alya. Your back isn't going to be happy."
"Brace myself for what? …Is this really the appropriate time to be having this
conversation?!"
But right as she was about to snatch the swimsuit out of Maria's hand, the sales associate
swiftly grabbed one that was a size larger and slid in front of Alisa.
"How about trying this on?"
"Huh? But…"
"You'll never know unless you try. First, put this on and see what you think. It should
give you an idea of what kind of swimsuit is best for you. Please follow me."
Before Alisa knew what was happening, she was being politely pushed into a changing
room.
"I'm impressed. Thank you," said Maria, giving the sales associate a thumbs-up.
"I'm only doing my job."
"A real professional… By the way, I didn't catch your name."
"My apologies. I'm Watanabe, the shop manager."
She pointed at the name tag on her chest while pushing up her glasses, causing light to
reflect off the professional's lenses.
"By the way, are you two sisters?"
"Oh, yes. Yes, we are. ♪ I'm the older sister, by the way ♪," added Maria, since people
always thought she was the younger one due to her being shorter and having a youthfullooking face. But Watanabe conveyed not even a hint of surprise, nodding as if she
understood completely.
"Yes, I can tell. And you are searching for the perfect bathing suit for your little sister,
yes?"
"Exactly! She'd choose a wet suit if I wasn't here to stop her… Hold on."
That was when Maria suddenly realized she didn't hear a single sound coming from the
changing room, so she cracked the curtain open slightly and poked her head inside.
"Alya, is everything okay?"
"What the…?! What is wrong with you?!"
Alisa suddenly turned around in utter astonishment, grimacing, with the bathing suit still
in her hand…just as Maria expected.
"Hurry up and get changed. ♪ The shop manager is waiting for you."
"But… But this…"
It was only natural Alisa would be hesitant, since the bathing suit in her hand was, in
a way, the most bikini of all bikinis in existence. It was solid black with no ribbon or frills.
In fact, there was hardly any bikini. It was thin string with a little bit of fabric attached to
it. That was all. It was like something you'd see a Western supermodel wear on the runway
or in a magazine.
"I can't do it! I can't wear this!" she cried, thrusting the bikini forward…
The hero of this tale, Watanabe, suddenly appeared.
"How about this one?"
In the shop manager's hand was a pink bikini that would clearly cover far more than the
other one. The edges were frilly and cute in a girly way.
"Oh, I guess I could wear this…"
Were these really the words of a girl who claimed she wasn't going to expose her thighs
and stomach? Alisa was completely oblivious to the obvious door-in-the-face technique
being used against her as she accepted the bikini being handed to her. A few minutes went
by, and then she emerged from the changing room in the bikini.
"You look sooo cute. ♪"
"That looks very good on you. That bikinistyle is extremely popular this year, but you're
the first person I've seen who has managed to look this good in it."
"R-really?"
She probably would have just brushed it off if it was Maria saying that, but even Alisa
seemed to fall for the professional's smooth compliment.
"But I feel like pink's a little too cute for me…"
"I see. Then how about this?"
As Watanabe swiftly extended her arm to her side, another sales associate suddenly
appeared with a new swimsuit. Perhaps all the employees there did special training for this
sort of situation.
"This one is the same style, but as you can see, it has a more elegant look to it with its
flower pattern over blue—"
Alisa continued to try on six bikinis in the end thanks to Watanabe not exaggerating or
overselling any single item.
"Hmm… This one could work."
At long last, it was when she tried on a sky-blue striped bikini with big frills did Alisa's
lips finally curl into a pleased smile, and Maria immediately capitalized on this moment,
knowing this would be her only chance.
"Yeah, that bikini is so cute."
"Y-yeah, but…"
Alisa checked herself in the mirror once more asif the excitement had started to wear off.
"Maybe it is a little too revealing," she worried, frowning.
"Whaaat? That's nothing compared with what I'm going to be wearing," Maria
interjected with a mystified expression and held up a white bikini with only a few pieces of
string holding the thing together in the middle. In other words, her cleavage would be in full
view for anyone to see. Being presented with an even bolder choice started to make Alisa
doubt herself.
"But my legs…"
Even then, she couldn't help but feel concerned as she looked down at her exposed
thighs. And once again, Watanabe appeared out of nowhere with a piece of fabric in her hand.
"Then how about wearing this pareu cover-up if you're worried about showing too much
leg? If you purchase this with your bikini, I could give you a special discount of…"
It was as if a calculator magically appeared in Watanabe's hand as she rapidly punched
in a number at the speed of light, then showed it to Alisa.
The words special discount alone had Alisa inclined to accept the offer, and a few
minutes later, she was standing in front of the mirror while wearing the pareu. She nodded
slowly.
"All right, I'll take it…"
"Thank you very much. I'll have someone grab you a new bikini and pareu from the
back."
Once the shop manager, Watanabe, clapped her hands, an employee immediately
disappeared into the back of the store. Although the expeditious procedure somewhat weirded
out Alisa, she and her sister went to the register together and purchased their swimsuits.
"Thank you very much. Please come again."
The Kujou sisters left the store together as Watanabe and her extremely well-trained
employees saw them off. Now that Alisa had accomplished her goal, her mind was already
set on going home…but Maria, on the other hand, acted like she was just getting started; she
looked over at her sister with sparkles in her eyes.
"So what's next?"
"'What's next?' I figured we'd go home…"
"Whaaat? Come on, let's look around some more. ♪"
"No way. You take forever."
"You're such a meanie." Maria pouted, but her complaints didn't slow down Alisa, who
was walking straight toward the elevator. Nevertheless, there was something about her little
sister's curtnessthat was making Maria wonder if there was a specific reason why she wanted
to go home.
Hmm… Oh! Maybe she wants to put on a bikini fashion show? I get that! Buying new
clothes is so exciting, after all!
…Maria could be kind of an airhead from time to time, according to her friends and
family, but she was painfully unaware of this trait of hers, and she would never admit it,
either.
She was probably just too shy to really enjoy herself because that shop manager and I
were there. I bet she plans on having her own little fashion show once we get home. Wow,
just thinking about it makes me want to have a fashion show, too. ♪
Because it all made sense in her head. Everything she said was based on logic from her
point of view. The only problem was that…
"All right, Alya. We can go home, but I want to join you, so can you wait for me before
you start the fashion show?"
"…What are you talking about?"
…Maria always went straight to her conclusion without any buildup, so her so-called
airheaded remarks simply sounded extremely sudden and random to the listener. Obviously,
this was no exception,since Alisa had no idea whatshe wastalking about and shook her head,
giving up trying to understand what Maria meant. This randomness was nothing new to her.
"Anyway, here. I'll take your swimsuit back home with me."
"Really? Thank you so much. ♪"
Alisa took the plastic bag out of Maria's hand before briskly heading over to the elevator.
After Maria saw her off, she checked her watch, pondered silently for a few moments, then
got on the next elevator and took it to the first floor, where she left the mall without even
checking out another store.
"Hmm… I wonder if I can walk there from here?" Maria muttered to herself while taking
a path with her phone's map app open. Her destination was a certain place she would go
whenever she had free time, and she had been doing this ever since she returned to Japan.
Although she usually went there by bicycle, she was going to walk there today. She was
going to walk there, and yet…
"Oh? What's that shop?"
Maria's eyes were still drawn to every cute store in sight, and her legs naturally took
her into a little knickknack store on the street to the right as if she were being slowly sucked
inside. After ten minutes of window-shopping, she departed from the store and took a left
without even thinking about it, despite the fact that she needed to take a right to reach her
destination. She continued walking for a few more minutes when…
"Hmm?"
She suddenly realized that she had strayed extremely far from the path she was supposed
to be taking, so she stopped and checked the map app on her phone again.
"Hmm… Oh, I think I just need to go this way."
And once again,she began walking in the complete opposite direction without a moment
of hesitation. If it wasn't clear…Maria was extremely bad with directions and got lost easily.
She would usually tell her friends and family that she liked going for walks around town, but
in reality, she was merely lost half the time. Of course, she would never admit that, though,
because…
"Oh my. That's strange… I'm here."
…no matter how bad she was with directions, she would somehow always miraculously
arrive at her destination. Out of nowhere, she caught a glimpse of a familiar sight out of the
corner of her eye, so she started heading in its direction in a somewhat bewildered manner.
Her destination was the corner of a large park with tons of equipment for children to play on.
Maria resolutely walked straight down the path until she reached a large dome-shaped piece
of playground equipment with holes of all different sizes. After briefly stopping in front of it,
she climbed up to the top, unfolded a small plastic sheet, and sat on it before briefly scanning
the area as if she was looking for something.
"…Just as I thought. He didn't come," she muttered downheartedly with a pout, looking
up at the sky as if to hide the loneliness in her heart.
"It's okay, though. I'll wait. Destiny is something you create for yourself, after all," she
added as if she was trying to convince even herself of that. She puffed out her cheeks and
began quietly watching the clouds go by. She waited like this for another twenty minutes in
the hot summer sun when…
"Oh, there you are! Hey!"
She jumped, taken aback by the sudden voice, but she almost immediately realized that
it wasn't his voice, and she lowered her gaze with a hint of disappointment. Standing at the
foot of the dome were seven elementary-school kids whom she knew.
"Maria!"
"Big Sister Maria's here!"
"Let's play!"
As seven smiling boys and girls merrily looked up at her, she cheerfully grinned back
and climbed down the dome.
"Sounds good to me. ♪ What do you want to do today? I'm not going to lose this time ♪,"
she replied brightly, and just like that, she joined the elementary-school children and began
to play her heart out. They played a game of hide-and-seek where the entire park was fair
game, they played games together on their phone in the shade when they got tired, and Maria
even enjoyed girl talk with the girls in the group. The entertainment continued until the sun
began to set, and the children had to go home.
"Bye, guys. ♪" Maria returned the children's waves until they disappeared into the
distance. She then looked back at the dome once more and smiled somewhat sorrowfully.
It was as though she could see the endearing young boy from years ago standing there, and
it elicited a sweet heartache.
All of a sudden, a powerful gust of wind blew, forcing Maria to hold her hair down and
look away while closing her eyes. But when she looked back at the dome, the mirage of the
young boy was no longer there.
"…I'll come back to see you again soon, Sah."
Maria left the park with those words, withdrawing from the memorable place with a
slight frown.
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