Three days had passed since I first started imagining Tachibana Iori in a swimsuit.

…Okay, that was obviously a joke, but the truth was, I really couldn’t get the thought out of my head.

“──Natsuki…?”

As I stared out the window, I heard someone call my name. It was Hiura and Souta. Hiura, who was on the track team, had already gotten a deep tan. Souta, like me, wasn’t in any clubs, so his skin was still pale. If this were Othello, Hiura would eventually turn white too… That was the random thought that drifted through my mind.

“Natsuki, wanna go to the beach when summer break starts? We could invite some Suzakura girls or something.”

“You got anyone in mind?”

I immediately shot down Souta’s idea. Considering the current relationship between Aotaka High School and Suzakura High School, going to the beach together felt like nothing more than a pipe dream. It had been about two months since the Aotaka Festival, yet I hadn’t heard of a single couple forming between students from the two schools.

Speaking of which, what ever happened to that Suzakura girl Souta used to be close with? Her name was… Shirataki, I think? He hadn’t mentioned her recently.

“That’s actually what we wanted to talk to you about, Natsuki.”

Souta and Hiura gave me these weirdly strained smiles. A strong sense of déjà vu hit me.

…This was just like the Aotaka Festival.

“We were wondering if you could ask Tachibana Iori to help gather people for the trip.”

I let out a sigh at the predictable turn of events.

“Come on, Natsuki! This summer’s memories are in your hands!”

Hiura pressed his palms together in a pleading gesture. He had an important summer tournament coming up, which should’ve been a big enough event to focus on—so what was this about?

“…The beach, huh?”

The possibility of seeing Tachibana Iori in a swimsuit flashed through my mind. That alone made their request worth considering.

“Just to check, Souta—can’t you ask Shirataki yourself?”

At my question, Souta made a face that screamed, “I knew you’d say that.”

“If I could, I would. But right now, things between me and Shirataki are… complicated. Between you and me, we might actually start dating soon.”

“Oh, that’s big news.”

If that was the case, wasn’t it a little weird for him to be scheming about going to the beach with Suzakura girls?

“Why not just invite Shirataki too?”

“Actually, she told me she’d only go if ‘Lady Iori’ was coming. So please, Natsuki, I’m begging you.”

“I see.”

Was he really on the verge of dating her? To me, it seemed like Shirataki was more interested in Tachibana Iori than in Souta… But I had no idea how romance worked, so what did I know?

Either way… I wanted to support my friend’s love life. That gave me a solid excuse to go along with this.

“I’ll ask her, but don’t get your hopes up.”

Tachibana Iori had helped with the Aotaka Festival, but this was different. The beach wasn’t a school event—it was purely private. I doubted she’d agree.

◆

“I don’t mind.”

“…Huh?”

The answer came so fast that I honestly wondered if she’d even heard what I said.

“Wait, you’re okay with it…? I mean, it’s the beach. Just playing around, you know?”

“You’re funny, Natsuki. What else would we do at the beach?”

“I mean, yeah, but…”

But that meant wearing a swimsuit.

Did she really understand that?

“So, I just need to invite some friends, right?”

“Yeah, but… are you sure?”

“Leave it to me. Believe it or not, I know a lot of people. Acquaintances, at least.”

That was… a weird thing to say. I wasn’t sure how to react. Smiling vaguely, Tachibana headed over to Kobayashi, who was fixing her hair in front of a mirror. Apparently, it wasn’t cooperating today.

“Ririmu, got a moment?”

“What is it, Lady Iori?”

“Natsuki invited me to the beach, and I was wondering if you’d like to come. He seems quite eager to see us in swimsuits.”

WHAT THE HELL DID SHE JUST SAY?!

“Eek! Senpai, you’re such a creep!”

Ririmu looked at me like I was garbage. No, wait, this was a misunderstanding! Okay, maybe not completely, but I definitely didn’t say that out loud!

“I’m absolutely coming! I feel like I’m the only one who can protect Lady Iori!”

Ririmu quickly stepped in front of Tachibana Iori like a bodyguard. I couldn’t even argue back, because about half of her misunderstanding wasn’t actually wrong. I mean, if I got to see Ririmu in a swimsuit too, I wasn’t going to complain.

That was just how a normal high school guy was supposed to think.