Bölüm 11

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I went back to my room after taking a bath and noticed Ryou had already sent me the filming schedule.

“Wha…?!The beach?”

Was there such a scene?I flipped through Shii’s script and found it.We definitely had to film at the beach.Even the dialogue mentioned it, so she must’ve really wanted to go to one if she included it in the movie.

The schedule itself wasn’t very detailed, but it took note of all the important points: it was just like Ryou to do that.

“Good job!”

I lay down on my bed and merrily fluttered my feet.

We’re going to the beach!I can’t wait.

I felt like I could function for three days just on the energy this was giving me.

Wait a second… We’re going to the beach…

“Which means…I need a swimsuit… I can’t use the same one from middle school!I need a new one!”

My instinct told me it would be the wrong choice if I didn’t.

I had only my school swimsuit—you know, like the typical blue one with your name written on the chest.

I checked my wallet—it was empty.Darn it, I shouldn’t have bought that novel and Blu-ray!

“D-Daaad!”I hurried downstairs.

After much begging, I successfully obtained a five-thousand-yen bill.

As I expected, he told me to just use the one from middle school.Trying to explain a girl’s heart to a middle-aged man sure was exhausting.He didn’t seem entirely convinced, but in the end, he gave me the money.

“Will this be enough, though…?”

I searched online and found more than enough cute swimsuits within my budget.

I began to type my response to Ryou but then stopped.

“No, he must be thinking I’d bring my middle school one.Let’s surprise him.”

I deleted the text saying,I wanna go buy a swimsuit.Come with me!

Right then, I got a message from Shii.

Are you bringing a swimsuit to the beach?

For sure!

Just like me, she must have been worried about having nothing besides her school swimsuit.

Wanna go get one together?I’ve never bought one for myself; I dunno what’d be good.

I immediately jumped on board.

Yeah!Let’s go!

Let’s go with Takamori’s sister, too.

Mana?I tilted my head, but I had no reason to say no.

We made a group chat for the three of us and settled on a date.

We all just happened to be free the next day around noon.

I invited Ai, too, but she turned me down, saying she already had one.

I was meeting Mana at the nearby station.She was already there when I arrived.

“Oh my…” Mana closed her eyes, as though she had a headache.“I’ve gotten used to this already, but it’s still as shocking every time.”

“What is?”

“I’m glad I brought a change of clothes.Here.Put this on instead.”She handed me a paper bag.“I’m not letting you go to Hamaya in that.”

Hamaya was the biggest shopping district in the area.Middle and high schoolers around here mostly went there to go on dates and for shopping.

“Is it that bad?”I tilted my head.

Mana had on a sad, heartbroken expression.

“It’s terrible.”

Oof…

That hurt.

“Dreadful.”

You can stop now.

“Hurry—we’ll be late meeting up with Shizu,” she urged.

Why must she be so blunt?I grumbled as I changed into the clothes Mana gave me in the restroom.

It was a minidress with a big ribbon around the navel area.

There was also a pair of sandals that completed the outfit, so I changed into those, too, before leaving the restroom.

“Now we’re talking!I’m an absolute genius!”

“Mana, are you sure my underwear won’t show in this?It’s too short.”

“You’re fine.The dress is supposed to be cute and sexy like that.”

Sexy…

Right, I’m already in my second year of high school.I can wear this sort of thing.

I felt my self-confidence rise.

We were meeting Shii at Hamaya Station and arrived five minutes late, as it took a while to change my clothes.

“Sorry for making you wait!”

“Whoa!The Boss is here, too!”

Yup, Shinohara was there.

We waved at them, and they responded in kind.

“She said she wanted to come, so I said,‘why not?’”Shii explained.

I felt reassured by Shinohara’s presence, though I didn’t know why.Maybe because she had the aura of someone who could provide emotional support, and that’s probably why Mana called her the Boss.

It felt nice, the four of us hanging out together.

After a short round of greetings, we walked toward the mall Ryou and I had visited once before.

“There’s this store on the second floor that sells nice stuff at really good prices.”

We got on the escalators and headed to the shop.

Since it was Mana who recommended the place, I expected it to mainly sellgyaru-style clothing, but although they did have some of that stuff, there was also a large variety of other neater or more casual pieces.

I grabbed the first swimsuit that caught my eye and held it up to my neck as I asked Shii for her thoughts.

“Heh, that’s too gaudy.”

“Huh?You think?”

“Hina, I think you’d look best in a school swimsuit…”

No, Mana.What’s the point in coming here, then?

“Fushimi, I think one-pieces would suit you best,” Shinohara said.

“Really?Aren’t they too childish?”

Mana checked out some of the designs and grabbed one to show me.

“This one doesn’t look childish at all.”

“Hmm.Hmm, hmm, hmmmm.”

“Hiina’s turning into an owl.”

The swimsuit exposed the shoulders and back, so it really didn’t look like a one-piece at first glance.

“I could even walk around the streets in this!”

All three gave me weird looks.

“No, Hina.This is a swimsuit.”

“Huh?I…I was just kidding.”

I was honestly confused.They all sighed in relief.

They then proceeded to look for their own bathing suits.

They were all such nice friends.

I talked about the designs with Shinohara while Shii and Mana chatted about something else.

“Sis.”

“Yes, Shizu?”

“Wanna be our stylist and hairdresser?”

“Hmm?”

“For our movie.I mentioned it before, remember?I think you’d be perfect.”

“Really?Are you okay with me?Shouldn’t it be one of your classmates?”

Mana noticed Shinohara and I were listening in, and she pointed at herself and looked at us as she said that.

“I think you’d be great!”I gave her a thumbs-up.“Ryou didn’t even think about that position.I also thought we would be fine without one, since it shouldn’t be too complicated.”

Thinking about it now, though, you always saw the stylists’ names in the credits of any movie.

“See?And you’re very good at dressing people up.So I think you’d do great,” Shinohara said while looking at the swimsuits.

“If you say so, Boss.Maybe I’ll give it a try.”

“How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?”

“Sorry, sorry.Don’t get mad.”Mana giggled.“I’ll ask Bubby.If he says it’s okay, I’ll do it.”

That was it, then.We had a stylist and hairdresser.Besides, Ryou had no reason to say no.

“I mean, you do have someone who’s tough to handle, with whom I have experience.”

Why’s she looking at me?

The conversation soon turned back to discussing the swimsuits.I asked Mana for her opinions, then the clerk, and after much deliberation, I decided to buy the one-piece.

I was hoping to get a bikini, but Mana and the clerk cleverly guided me away from that whenever I brought it up.

“What did you buy, Shii?”I asked her on the way home.

“I…just got a normal one.”

“What’s it like?”

“I-it’s nothing amazing… I’ll be wearing a jacket on top anyway.”

She’s flustered.How cute.

“I think you were right to follow Mana’s and the store clerk’s recommendation, by the way,” she said.

“You think?Why?”

“’Cause you don’t really have a chest.”

“But I do?”

“We can’t have your top slipping off with the slightest motion.There’s nothing to keep it in place.”

“There is!And I’d stuff it!”

“This isn’t a tooth cavity we’re talking about here.”

That got a chuckle out of me.“What?”I started laughing.

Shii also laughed with me.

“I’ve always wanted to go to the beach with friends,” she said.

“Me too.Is that why you included that scene?”

“Not really, but maybe it was part of the reason.And haven’t you been there with Takamori?”

“A looong time ago.Sooo long ago.”

Does he even remember?

We parted ways with Shinohara and Shii at the station, and Mana and I took the next train home.

I had to give back her clothes, so I stopped by the Takamori house.

“I’m home, Bubby!”Mana shouted as soon as we arrived, loud enough so he’d hear from upstairs.

“Yeah, yeah, welcome back.And I told you to stop calling me that…”

I heard the soft steps of his slippers as he came down the stairs with an irritated expression.

“Hi, Ryou.”

“You’re here, too?”

“I have to give these clothes back.”

“Oh…” He seemed to have grasped the situation right away.

“Have you been studying for your makeup test?”

“Yes, thank you.Though it’s gonna be the same exact content and questions anyway, so I could just memorize the answers.”

“That’s not the point of math!”

“Whatever.The point is avoiding remedial classes.Anyway.Have fun.”He waved as he walked to the living room.

I went to Mana’s room upstairs.

“Why?!”she shouted as soon as I took off the dress.

“Why what?”

“Why are you wearing the swimsuit you just bought?”

“Because…I didn’t want my underwear showing.”

“And you don’t find the swimsuit showing to be embarrassing?”

“No.”

I could easily forget I was wearing a shorter skirt than usual and let my guard down; I knew myself.

“C’mon, what’s so bad about showing a little?☆”

“Never.”

Mana started laughing; she knew I’d say that.

I had put my outfit from earlier in the day inside the paper bag, so I took it out piece by piece, when…

“Huh?”

“What’s up, Hina?”

“…My underwear’s not here.”

Mana’s eyes shone sharply.

“No way… You came here without wearing any undergarments?”

“Of course not!”

“So you’re the kind of girl to leave her panties behind at the baths during a field trip?”

“Wha—?What’re you implying?”

“You left them at the store!”

I curled up in a ball and covered my surely flushed face.

N-no way…!I totally did that…!

“Gooosh!It’s your fault for giving me this exhibitionist dressss!”

“Huh?Why me?It’s your fault for being such a scatterbrain!”

The clerk must be in a panic thinking someone left the store pantyless and braless.

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“Wh-wh-what if they think I stole it?!”

“Did you…pay for it…while wearing it?”

“No, I just went back to the dressing room afterward, since you all weren’t done yet…”

“Hey!What’s the commotion?”Ryou asked from beyond the door.

“Bubby, you gotta hear this!”

“Mana, hold on!”

I’m still wearing the swimsuit!

Mana opened the door.

“What’s with all the fu…?”

My eyes met Ryou’s, and I immediately felt my face turn red.

“Why’d you open the door, moron?!”He looked away and slammed the door shut.

He saw… I wanted him to see it at the beach… It was supposed to be a surprise…

“Ahhh… It’s over…”

“It’s a swimsuit!What’s the harm?!”

“That’s not the issue…”

She couldn’t bear the sight of me sitting on the floor and hugging my knees, and she called the store.

“They found them.A lost bra and pair of panties.”She grinned at her own words.“Who loses her own underwear?”

“Did you tell them I didn’t steal anything?”

“I didn’t.Just take the receipt with you, and it’ll be okay.”

How am I supposed to go back to that store now, though…?I’m going to die out of sheer embarrassment…

“Hina, as ancient philosophers first said…”

“Yes?”

“Don’t sweat it.”

“Yeah… Thanks…”

“Y-you look dead inside… I’ve never seen you like this.”

I went back to the store, wearing Mana’s dress and the swimsuit underneath.

I don’t even remember how many times I apologized, but the clerk just kept smiling, as she said she was glad they found their way back to their owner.

…They must think I left this store without any underwear… I mean…technically, they’re not wrong…

I blocked out my emotions as I thought about it.

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