Without shame or hesitation, I found my gaze drawn to Tachibana Iori’s chest.

“So… is it really that noticeable? Here, I mean.”

“S-Sorry! But, uh, I was just kind of surprised.”

I wasn’t trying to make excuses, but if Mount Fuji suddenly appeared right in front of someone, anyone would be startled. Well, it’s not like it’s actually Mount Fuji-sized, but the difference from what I had imagined was overwhelming.

“…Normally, I wear tight undergarments to flatten it. It looks cooler that way, doesn’t it…?”

Maybe I had been staring too much because Tachibana Iori suddenly covered her chest, looking embarrassed. Seeing her get flustered so openly was rare, and now my attention shifted to her blushing face.

“You go that far just for the ‘Prince’ persona?”

“…Well, yeah, something like that. It’d be better if this wasn’t even here…”

No way that’s true!

I barely managed to swallow those words before they escaped my mouth. I never had any particular preference when it came to chest size, but right now, Tachibana Iori looked incredibly attractive. Maybe I did like larger ones after all.

“You look really cute, Iori. The swimsuit suits you, too.”

They say that when faced with Mount Fuji, people stop sweating the small stuff. Right now, I felt the same way. I showered her with as many compliments as I could think of, but Tachibana Iori, looking thoroughly embarrassed, pulled the curtain shut.

“…It’s clear now that Natsuki is a total pervert…”

“N-No, that’s not it! I was just giving my honest opinion.”

As I had imagined, the black swimsuit really did suit her. It was only the first one she had tried on, but I was already convinced it was the right choice.

After a long while, Tachibana Iori finally stepped out of the fitting room. My gaze instinctively drifted toward her chest, only to find that Mount Fuji had once again been hidden by the clouds. I couldn’t help but marvel at the power of undergarments. Wasn’t it bad for her body to compress them that much?

“…Do you have something to say?”

“N-No, not at all. So, what about the swimsuit? I think that one’s perfect.”

“You’re being unusually pushy… Fine, fine, I’ll take it. I was planning to go with your opinion anyway.”

Tachibana walked toward the register. The store clerk seemed momentarily surprised upon seeing her but completed the purchase without any issue. I could only imagine what was going through their mind.

◆

Tachibana suddenly suggested, “I’m tired. Want to go to a café?” So we ended up at a coffee shop inside the mall.

For someone who never shows a hint of exhaustion even during the grueling shifts at Cyberia, hearing her say she was tired was unusual. Maybe the fatigue had been piling up.

The waiter arrived, placing an iced cocoa in front of me and a black coffee in front of Tachibana before walking away. We exchanged drinks with a laugh. If Tachibana Iori were dressed as a girl, I wondered which drink the waiter would have placed where.

“By the way, Natsuki, do you even own a swimsuit?”

Tachibana asked as she stuck a straw into her iced cocoa.

“I do, technically, but I bought it back in middle school, so it’s probably too tight now. It’s got some weird tropical flower pattern, too. Maybe I should get a new one.”

Last summer, I had been working at Cyberia the entire time and never had the chance to go to the beach. I assumed this summer would be the same, yet here we were.

“You definitely need a new one. Absolutely. No question. Alright, once we’re done here, we’re going swimsuit shopping for you. You should suffer the same humiliation I did.”

With that, Tachibana aggressively sipped her iced cocoa. Feeling compelled to match her energy, I downed my black coffee in one go.

So much for taking a break because she was “tired.”

◆

After leaving the café, we headed to the men’s swimwear section. Compared to the women’s section, the men’s area was noticeably smaller. Not that it was surprising—there wasn’t much variety in men’s swimwear to begin with.

“Natsuki, how about this?”

Tachibana handed me a bright green speedo.

Who even wears this? Bodybuilders?

I shot her a suspicious look, and sure enough, she was grinning mischievously.

“…Let me ask you straight. Do you actually want to see me wear this?”

“Of course. I think it’d suit you.”

“That’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one… Absolutely not. Pick something normal.”

For some reason, Tachibana Iori was the one choosing my swimsuit, but there was no way I was going to wear a speedo. Even swim club members wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those.

“Too bad,” she muttered, pretending to be disappointed as she put the speedo back on the shelf.

Just to humor myself, I imagined the two of us standing by the shore—Tachibana Iori in her swimsuit, and me in that ridiculous speedo.

Yeah. That would be a nightmare.

Also, no matter what, she still looked cute.

Was I really this much of a pervert just because of a little extra volume?