章節 14: Chapter 14 : At The Pool

The summer vacation was about to end, and at such a time, I received two messages:

"Let's go to the pool."

I received messages with the exact same content from Ryūen and Arisu, and they were sent at the same time. Honestly, I have no idea what might happen if I turn one of them down, and even if I refuse, I'll probably end up running into them eventually. I could choose not to go, but I also have a desire to try out the pool.

...What should I do?

I thought of a few options, but honestly, none of them seem to have a good outcome. And why did they send their messages at the same time? Could it be that their thought processes are similar?

For now, I decided to start getting ready and sent a reply.

…..

As I made my way to the meeting spot while trying to cope with the gradually increasing summer heat, I found that Ryūen, Alberto, Ishizaki, Shiina, and Ibuki were already there. When Shiina and Ishizaki spotted me, they waved excitedly in my direction.

"Sorry I'm late."

"No, we just arrived a little while ago too."

As I ran up to everyone, I saw Shiina smiling with her usual gentle demeanor. Ishizaki, on the other hand, was approaching with a somewhat intense expression and suddenly cornered me.

"Hey, Hikigaya! Is one of your acquaintances a girl?!"

He asked in a hushed tone, trying to make sure the others didn't hear.

Yes, the choice I made was to accept both invitations. I had informed Ryūen and Arisu that I would be bringing acquaintances, so I wouldn't have to reject either invitation. More importantly, I felt that trying to manage the situation any other way would likely lead to more trouble, so I opted for the path that seemed the least complicated.

"Well... yeah."

"Seriously?! There might be an opportunity for us too!"

"You're amazing, Hikigaya!"

When Ishizaki and the others learned that my acquaintance was a girl, they became excited even though she hadn't arrived yet. It's impressive how eager they are for encounters.

"Hey. Are your acquaintances still not here?"

"They should be arriving soon."

When I answered Ryūen, who was looking at me with a smile, I heard the sound of a cane tapping from the back.

"Sorry for the delay. Are these the people you know, Hachiman?"

Arisu, dressed in a summery white dress and straw hat, was accompanied by Hashimoto, Kamuro, and another boy I didn't recognize.

Ryūen, seemingly knowing about Arisu, smiled happily. Shiina appeared to be frozen in place, while Ishizaki and the others were staring at Sakayanagi and Kamuro, shaking me and exclaiming, "Aren't they beautiful?!"

"Hey, Sakayanagi. You're being even more of a queen than usual."

"Oh? What do you mean by that, Ryūen-kun?"

"Hah, you won't be able to keep up with me if you keep relying on others."

"You've certainly become quite bold, Ryūen-kun. Do you think you can actually manage that?"

"It's not about whether I can or not. One king is enough."

"I agree with that, but whether you can compete with me is another matter."

The two of them, exchanging smiles and seemingly locked in a competitive standoff, were radiating an intense pressure that made everyone around them hold their breath. Come on, we're just here to have fun today.

"But today we're just here to have fun, so let's keep the arguing to a minimum, okay?"

Arisu's words seemed to calm Ryūen down, and we exchanged brief introductions. By the way, the other boy Arisu brought along was named Kito Hayato. Finally, we set off for the pool. Ryūen and the others went ahead, so I followed...

"...What's wrong?"

Arisu, having handed her cane to Kamuro, suddenly hugged my arm tightly. Hashimoto and Ryūen looked at this scene with smirks as if they had found prey, while Shiina puffed out her cheeks for some reason.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's not that I mind, but..."

"Then there's no problem, is there?"

Arisu, smiling as if it were the most natural thing, clung even tighter to my arm. I'm not sure what's "no problem" here, but if she says it's fine, then it must be. Still, I'd prefer she didn't do this. The soft sensation on my right arm is quite distracting.

While I was heading toward the pool with Arisu happily hugging my right arm, Shiina suddenly clung to my left arm, her cheeks puffed and face flushed.

"Sh-Shiina?"

"...What is it?"

"No, I was just wondering why all of a sudden..."

"That's right, Shiina-san. Hachiman-kun looks uncomfortable."

Seeing Shiina hugging my arm, Sakayanagi asked with a smile, though she was glaring a bit.

"Why don't you just hold the cane, Sakayanagi-san?"

"Well, I have Hachiman-kun's permission, and I wanted to hug him."

"Then it's fine for me to do this as well, right?"

Shiina said, hugging my arm even tighter. This only added to the soft sensation on my left arm, but Arisu's smile was accompanied by visible veins on her forehead, making me nervous. Ryūen and Hashimoto watched with unsettling grins, and Ishizaki and the others seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Sakayanagi-san, wouldn't it be better if you held the cane?"

"And Shiina-san, do you really need to be hugging him?"

"Both of you, please calm down..."

""Be quiet.""

"...Okay."

My objections were quickly dismissed with terrifyingly cheerful smiles. With no other option, I tried to ignore the argument on either side of me and quickened my pace slightly, hoping to reach the pool a bit sooner.

…..

"Wow, it's so spacious, Ryūen-san!"

"Shut up, Ishizaki."

We had arrived at the pool, and now we were waiting for the girls. Looking around, I saw numerous recreational facilities. This pool is one of the most popular spots in the school's facilities, and with it being summer vacation, there were quite a lot of people here.

While waiting for the girls, Ryūen and Hashimoto had teased me quite a bit about earlier events, but Kito, who I met for the first time today, offered me some comforting words. Kito, you're such a great guy. I think we're going to get along well.

"I'm sorry for being late."

As I was feeling a strange sense of familiarity with Kito, the girls finally arrived and started walking towards us. Seeing them, I noticed that all the girls who came with us were quite attractive, and most of the guys around were staring at them.

"How do you like it, Hachiman-kun?"

Arisu, exuding a captivating aura, approached me and asked for my opinion. Arisu's swimsuit was a white one-piece, which suited her charm perfectly and looked great on her.

"...I think it suits you."

Even if I had a proper opinion, putting it into words was challenging. I was experiencing that difficulty firsthand.

"I'd like a more specific comment."

She leaned in with an upward glance, which was a bit unfair of her.

"...I think you look beautiful."

"R-Really?"

When I gave my best compliment, Arisu, who had seemed so composed until now, blushed deeply and walked over to Kamuro. It was the first time I had seen Arisu like that.

"So, how about it, Hikigaya-kun?"

Next, Shiina came running up to me, spun around in place, and asked for my opinion. Shiina was wearing a bikini with white frills, which suited her fair skin and matched her usual gentle demeanor.

"...I think it looks very good on you."

"...Is that all?"

Shiina's face turned red as she waited for more, similar to Arisu. She moved closer to me, so even though I couldn't give more specific praise, her body pressed against mine. This was getting problematic...

"I think you look very cute. But... this position is a bit..."

"Position?...!?"

Realizing only then that she was pressed against me, Shiina's face turned a deep red, and she quickly pulled away from me.

"I-I'm sorry! Was it uncomfortable...?"

Isn't that the most difficult question for a guy to answer? If I said "No, it's not uncomfortable at all," my school life would probably be over. I had to find a way to respond diplomatically.

While I was desperately trying to figure out how to handle this,

"Hey Hikigaya! We're playing volleyball, so come join us!"

I saw a glimmer of hope from Ishizaki.

"Don't worry about what happened earlier. But be careful not to do things like that with others."

With that, I dashed towards Ishizaki and the others at full speed, hoping to escape the awkward situation. If Shiina's face was red at that moment, it was probably just my imagination.

"Ishizaki, we'll always be friends. I had faith in you."

"? Oh, yeah!"

….

As we were playing volleyball and enjoying the recreational facilities, lunchtime came around, and I started to feel hungry. I remembered there were some food stalls nearby, so I decided to buy something to eat. I called out to Hashimoto, who was nearby, and we headed towards the stalls.

"Wow…"

There were various stalls selling different kinds of food, and since this was my first time at a food stall, I was a bit overwhelmed. While I was trying to decide what to buy, I accidentally bumped into a girl who was walking with a lot of items she had bought from the stalls. The jolt caused some of the drinks she was carrying to fall.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!"

"No, I'm sorry."

I helped pick up the spilled drinks, which had spilled a bit.

"Thank you for picking them up."

"No, it was my fault for not watching where I was going. I'd like to compensate you for what you lost."

"Eh… but…"

"I insist, it's my apology, so you need to accept it."

My insistence seemed to surprise her at first, but she soon gave a refined smile and looked at me again.

"Well then, I guess I'll accept. I'm Matsushita Chiaki."

"I'm relieved you accepted. I'm Hikigaya Hachiman."

After we introduced ourselves, we went to buy my food and Matsushita's drinks.

"By the way, why were you carrying so many drinks?"

The amount she was holding earlier seemed a bit excessive for one person. She was barely managing to carry it with both hands.

"Well… actually, I came here with some friends, and I lost a game of rock-paper-scissors, so I had to buy drinks for everyone. The shopkeeper was very generous and gave me a lot of extras."

Matsushita smiled wryly as she recalled the situation. So, the extra drinks were a result of the shopkeeper's generosity. Well, Matsushita is quite attractive, so it makes sense that she'd get some special treatment.

"Well, since you're beautiful, it makes sense you'd get treated like that."

Oops, I accidentally voiced what I was thinking. It's definitely weird to comment on someone's looks when meeting them for the first time.

"...Am I being hit on?"

She looked at me a bit bashfully, and given my earlier behavior, it was understandable that she might think so.

"No... just forget it."

"Now that you've said it, I probably won't forget it~"

My attempt to dismiss the comment was met with Matsushita's cheerful reaction. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I joined the line at the stalls with her.

…

"Sorry for making you carry my stuff too."

"No, it's no problem. It's just an extra."

It turned out that the drinks Matsushita bought were from a very popular stall, and there was an incredibly long line. Honestly, I thought I might faint from the heat. Who knew a single drink could generate such a long queue? Food stalls are not to be underestimated. After that, I carried Matsushita's bags while walking with her to where her friends were.

"Oh, there they are. My friends."

She pointed to a group of girls sitting under a parasol. When they saw us, they seemed to be in a bit of a fluster.

"Matsushita-san!?"

"Eh? What?"

The girls, noticing me with Matsushita, ran over and grabbed her shoulder, looking very flustered. Matsushita seemed confused about the situation.

"Who is that person!? Is he your boyfriend!? Is he your boyfriend!?"

"Eh!? W-Wait, calm down!?"

They seemed very excited, and I couldn't do much as I watched. Matsushita managed to calm them down and explained the situation thoroughly, clearing up the misunderstanding.

"Oh, I see~ Sorry for making you go alone."

"No, it's okay. I didn't mind."

"Um, Hikigaya-kun? I'm sorry for the misunderstanding too. Oh! I'm Sato Maya."

"No problem, it's okay."

I placed the bags under the parasol where Sato was sitting and tried to leave with my own things. At that moment, Matsushita asked me to exchange contact information, so we did.

"If you're free, Hikigaya-kun, why don't you join us?"

Matsushita made an appealing suggestion from a romantic perspective. It seemed that Sato, who was next to her, also agreed. However, I didn't want to stray further from my friends, as I wasn't sure what might happen if I stayed away for too long. So, I decided to decline.

"It's a tempting offer, but I'm here with friends today. I'd be happy if you invited me next time."

"Well, I guess it can't be helped."

She looked a bit disappointed, but I needed to get back to my group soon, so I started to leave when...

"I was really happy you called me beautiful, you know?"

She whispered in my ear as she came closer. I felt a jolt like an electric shock at her words and quickly covered my ears, feeling flustered by the suddenness of it all. I ended up running away in a panic.

"Huh? Matsushita-san, your face is red!"

"It's... nothing."

I heard voices from behind but didn't have the luxury to pay attention. I hurried back to where Ryūen and the others were.

It seemed Hashimoto had taken a photo of me with Matsushita, and now Arisu and Shiina were giving me a silent but intense pressure with their smiles. I made an effort to cheer them up and promised to go out with them next time. Somehow, they accepted my apology, but afterward, they continued to tease me, giving me knee pillows, feeding me, and hugging me. My life was quickly running out.

And then there was Hashimoto, smirking, and Ryūen, enjoying the scene.

I will never forget this.

=================================

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