Chapter 58 The Promised Trip
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Takatsuki Aika decided to go out together just before Chihiro and Riko returned home… one third of the way through August. It took some time to persuade Hana, and with Aika, it was difficult to arrange the schedule, which is why it took so long
”As I listened to your story, I became interested in this Takatsuki-san”
That’s what Hana said when she finally agreed to accompany him
He doesn’t know what tugged at Hana’s heartstrings, but he was glad that the conversation was going well, and he and Riko made sure not to do anything unnecessary
Then, on the appointed day
”Good morning, Izumi-kun”
Aika is dressed in a light dress, with a small bag in her hand and a separate, larger sports bag. Her hair fluffy as usual, she turned up at the rendezvous point
She smiled at Chihiro and then looked at the three figures standing behind him in turn
”Then Riko-chan, Fukami-san and… Mishuku-san, good morning”
She smiled at them with her usual warm smile
”Uh, yeah”
”…Yes, good morning, Takatsuki-san”
”Hello”
Riko replies a little self-consciously, and Maria replies a moment later with a polite smile. Hana, unconcerned, bowed her head from a distance
The girls are also dressed in their casual clothes
Maria in a black one-piece dress, Hana in a white one, Riko in a shirt, denim shorts and her usual choker. Chihiro, by the way, is wearing the outfit that Riko picked out for him beforehand
”Let’s go, then”
”Yes, sure”
Chihiro nodded to Aika, who gently urged him, and started walking
The five of them are headed for the pool. The pool is the second largest in the area, and they meet in front of the nearest station. They avoided the biggest pool because it would definitely be crowded this time of year
…Well, the second one might be just as good
It was mainly Chihiro’s idea to go to the pool. Aika didn’t have any particular wish, so she chose it while listening to Riko and others’ wishes
The deciding factors were mainly time and budget
Going to the beach is quite far, and a day trip is not realistic. Chihiro was willing to pay for Aika’s portion, but it was a little difficult to pay for the accommodation
The mountain, on the other hand, is easy to get to from the nearest station of the school, but that’s why it’s not worth it. In addition, the image of that mountain is something for adults to climb as a hobby
A fireworks festival or a test of courage. If they went there, there would be no mood, and it would be a little dangerous to go in the dark when Hana is there, so it is better to avoid it
Therefore, it was decided to go to the pool
Currently, Aika is in a good mood
She didn’t complain when the schedule was adjusted by e-mail, and she wrote “I’m looking forward to it”. In fact, she is walking next to Chihiro with a smile on her face
That said, there are some concerns. She is too quiet
He wonders what happened to her in the classroom at the closing ceremony. What’s going on in her mind when she meets Maria and the others?
It’s tempting to look into her mind, but it seems like a bad idea to do so now
Chihiro is sure that the girls behind him are even more awkward than he is
And he glances back at them
The three of them are following Chihiro and Aika, each with a subtle sense of tension
When he was relieved that Hana was quiet for the moment, a voice came from next to him
”Are you worried about Riko-chan and the others?”
”Yeah. Uh, yeah.”
”Yeah, I guess so. They’re Izumi-kun’s slaves”
The word “slave” came out of Aika’s mouth, and Chihiro os startled
Aika’s expression barely moved
And yet, the impression he got from her changed drastically to the same one as that time
””Everyone”, is “that” right? The three of them?”
”Uh, yeah”
”I see. So, you kept your promise”
With that, Aika let the mysterious pressure dissipate
All that remained is a gentle, soft, normal girl
”Oh, we’re almost there”
Aika said as if nothing had happened, and Chihiro couldn’t help but feel something akin to fear
Anyway
The five of them arrived at the entrance of the facility. They paid the fee and went inside. The changing rooms are separate for men and women, so they are separated from Aika and the others here
He wonders if they will be okay
Chihiro can’t hear the conversation going on in the women’s locker room. And he can’t interfere with them. While feeling a little uneasy, he took off his clothes and changed into his swimsuit
A man’s change of clothes does not take much time
And after changing, he made sure to lock his locker to prevent anyone from taking his valuables. As expected, Aika and the others had not yet arrived
He had told them that they would meet near the entrance, so he waited for a while
Thinking it would be a waste of time to just wait, he checked out the food stalls available in the facility. It’s not a good idea to get shaved ice and drinks here. And he wanted something that would not fill him up too much and that he could share with others
So, he bought french fries from one of the stalls
When he came back, Aika and the others had just arrived. Is it imagination, or is the tension increasing again?
”Oh, Chihiro, you’re eating something!”
Riko, who noticed Chihiro, spotted the fries and ran up to him. She smiled, took one from the bag, and threw it into her mouth
”Thanks. These are rather tasty”
”I see. That’s good”
Then Aika walks up to him
”Izumi-kun, can I have one too?”
”Yes. Sure.”
”Thank you.”
And Maria said, “I’ll have some too”. Then, Hana also said, “You’re not going to leave me out, are you?” and she took a piece of fries
Before he knew it, there is only one piece left, and Chihiro picked it up and threw the paper bag into a nearby trash can
At this point, he finally looked intently at the girls
Each of them is wearing a different style of outfit
Maria is wearing a black one-piece type. And it’s surprising that she didn’t expose more of her body, but seeing her luscious body wrapped in a swimsuit, it makes sense. After all, if she wore a bikini, she would have attracted all the men’s attention and it would have been impossible for her to have fun
Riko is wearing a lime yellow two-piece. Although the fabric area is thin, the color is rather plain, and as a result, it gives a strong active impression. It matches her hair color, which is a typical choice for her
Hana’s swimsuit is a two-tone black and white two-piece with a fluttering skirt on top. Perhaps she couldn’t give up both her cuteness and her lack of exposure
…On Riko and Hana’s stomachs, the slave marks can be seen, but they are so small that they are not so noticeable. The pattern is too complicated for others to see it as anything more than a bruise
And Aika is wearing a two-piece, very light pink swimsuit
A darker shade would have made her look more attractive, but she kept the color light
She does not have a body as attractive to men as Maria. She is also not as healthy and s*xy as Riko, and not as delicate as Hana. That’s why she has an ordinary girlishness, which matches her atmosphere
As Chihiro stiffened, speechless, Aika opened her mouth, her cheeks slightly flushed
”How is it, Izumi-kun?”
”You can tell us what you think, one by one”
Hana followed suit
From the irreverent look on her face, it was easy to see that she was trying to annoy Chihiro
Riko and Maria didn’t seem to be able to help him, so Chihiro had no choice but to endure the embarrassment and spit out his words
”…Sorry, I was fascinated. Maria is beautiful, Riko is cute. Mishuku-san is elegant, Takatsuki-san is… well, I don’t know, it’s comforting”
It’s hard to put into words, but he dared to put them into one word each
And as he was afraid of the four girls’ reactions, he had a hard time looking at them, but when he looked at them, they looked at each other and smiled
Some of them are smiling bitterly, though
”Okay, I forgive you. Let’s go”
Riko pushed Chihiro’s shoulders with both hands and urged him to move to the pool
”So, what do you do in a place like this?”
Maria asked, as if she didn’t understand
She probably wasn’t used to being in a place like this with friends
”Well… I don’t know much about it either…”
In a large swimming pool facility like this, the basic idea is not to swim but to enjoy the water. There are too many people, and it is not suitable for swimming
Well, it is possible to swim a short distance if it’s careful not to bump into people – backstroke, floating rings, etc. – but it’s better to give up swimming 25 meters straight like in the indoor pool of a gym
”I see. I guess we’ll just relax and cool off”
”We don’t have to all stick together, do we? Can’t we just set a time and split up?”
”Yes, I think that’s a good idea”
Maria nodded, Hana made an unsubtle suggestion, and Aika calmly agreed
As soon as that’s decided, Hana and Maria walk away. It was now past eleven in the morning, so they would meet at one in the afternoon, two hours later
”Well, I’ll just go for a swim”
”Uh, yeah”
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