Tachibana-san chose a simple black swimsuit with no patterns. I didn’t think I even needed to try it on, but she was adamant, insisting, “Try it on,” so I ended up being pushed into the fitting room.

“…Well, it’s normal. Pretty much what I expected.”

Trying it on over my underwear, I felt no particular impression—it was just as I had imagined. The hem reached right around my knees, making it easy to move in, and there wasn’t anything to complain about. It did feel a little too plain, though.

“Natsuki, how is it?”

Tachibana-san’s voice came from beyond the curtain. I had expected her to hand me something with a bolder design, so honestly, I was a little surprised.

“It’s just normal. Want to see?”

“Of course.”

“Got it. Give me a second.”

I adjusted my clothing and opened the curtain. As expected, Tachibana-san’s expression was less than impressed. See? I knew it was too plain.

“Natsuki, I can’t tell unless you take off your top.”

“Huh?”

Tachibana-san suddenly said something weird.

“Natsuki, do you wear a shirt when you go into the ocean?”

“No, I don’t, but… isn’t this fine for now?”

I didn’t think I needed to take off my top just to check how the swimsuit looked. I wasn’t wearing anything underneath, so if I took it off, I’d basically be naked.

“It’s kind of embarrassing to be bare like that, so I’d rather you just look as is.”

When I said that, Tachibana-san let out an exasperated “I see.”

“…So after seeing me naked, now you’re saying you don’t want to show yourself?”

I mean, yeah, I did see her.

That perfectly toned waist, her smooth, taut stomach, and her well-shaped chest—I saw all of it.

“Ugh… But that was a swimsuit, not really naked…”

“The only difference is whether the chest is covered or not. Come on, just take off your top and let me see properly.”

Before I could protest further, Tachibana-san forcefully shut the curtain.

What the hell? Why is she so determined to accurately judge how the swimsuit looks? Sure, wearing a shirt and going shirtless might give a slightly different impression, but still…

Well, there’s no point overthinking it. I mean, I did see her basically naked. If I refuse to show myself, that wouldn’t be fair. Besides, I’ll have to go shirtless at the beach anyway, so there’s no reason to be embarrassed.

I took off my shirt and checked myself in the mirror. Yeah, same body I see every day. I don’t think I’m out of shape or anything… should be fine, right?

Taking a deep breath, I opened the curtain.

“—Oh.”

Tachibana-san widened her eyes and stared at me. Having her look so closely made me feel kind of itchy.

“So? What do you think?”

“Hmm… Let me see a little more.”

With a serious expression, she slowly looked me over from head to toe. I didn’t think there was much to examine in a plain black swimsuit, but she seemed genuinely invested in choosing the right one for me. That effort was… kind of nice.

“It’s hard to judge with just my eyes. Let me take a photo.”

She swiftly raised her phone. Before I could react, I heard the faint sound of a shutter clicking.

“Does looking at the screen really change anything?”

“Seeing it through a screen allows for a more objective view. Yep, this is a good shot.”

She turned the screen toward me. The photo showed me with an awkward expression. Even on-screen, the swimsuit still looked plain.

“Yeah, I think this works. It suits you well, Natsuki. You should go with this one.”

“You think? I appreciate you choosing it, but isn’t it a little too plain?”

If it’s going to be solid-colored, I felt like a lighter shade, maybe blue, would be better.

“No, this is just right. If you wear something too stylish, you’ll stand out too much. You might get surrounded by girls.”

“That’s definitely not going to happen…”

Tachibana-san seemed to be worrying over something ridiculous. There was no way I’d ever get swarmed by girls.

Well, since she went through the trouble of picking it for me, I might as well go with it. It’s not like I had any strong preferences, and I probably wouldn’t need another swimsuit for a while.

“Alright, I’ll go with this one.”

“Good choice.”

I ducked back into the fitting room, quickly changed, and took the swimsuit to the register.

Glancing back, I saw Tachibana-san looking at her phone with a pleased smile. Did something good happen?