Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume15 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 9===

The next day, it was the holiday after exams.

Although midsummer was still some time away, the temperature had already become quite warm, so there were quite a few beachgoers visible on the shore. This included Haruaki's group.

(Oh dear...)

Haruaki sighed deeply under the parasol. Turning his head, he saw a building behind him. This brand new building was the villa belonging to the superintendent.

(Although he told us to play first since he was arriving later... I'm totally not in the mood for fun.)

Their current location was the very tip of the beach. Going further would enter the rocky area, virtually at the very end. It was almost as though this villa had been built here just to claim the last stretch of sand before the very end, hence this little corner could pretty much be considered a private beach. Compared to the central part of the beach, there were clearly much fewer beachgoers here, hence it was possible to rest and be quite relaxed. Conversely, the vendor stalls and vending machines were much farther away, but that was only reasonable.

However, Haruaki was in no carefree mood to forget everything and have fun. There were many things he needed to think about. After exams, a sense of liberation did rise in his heart but he was not excited enough to enjoy a swim in the ocean from the bottom of his heart.

"What should I say~...?"

Particularly today, there was the additional reason of "his own birthday." Perhaps it was childish defiance, but every year, he would deliberately act very passively. If he were alone, he definitely would have refused to come to the beach on his birthday.

Be that as it may, this time, there was also the objective of listening to his father's explanations together with the superintendent. Apart from that&mdash;

"Nuoh! Guwah! What is this? Numomomomo! This feeling under my feet is so strange, heeyeah!? Nuhahaha! It tickles! But so comfortable!"

Seeing Fear running back and forth along the shore, Haruaki suddenly relaxed his cheeks. Naturally, frolicking in the sea was a first experience for Fear. Ever since the moment she heard about the destination yesterday, she was already fiercely exuding an aura of "I really wanna go!" There was no way Haruaki could have given her the cold shoulder.

"Another wave is coming~ Then it retreated! Nyufufu, it tickles!"

"Ahaha, I think I'm getting addicted to the feeling of the waves breaking over me. Mmmheehee, so ticklish, hyawah!"

"Nuu, damn you, Sovereignty, you must have deliberately pretended to fall over, but actually, you just wanted to be the first to swim! Don't start gloating yet, I'm not gonna lose to you, watch me dive! I knew it, swimming is the main part of going to the beach, as long as I have this swim ringlug glug glug glug&mdash;!"

"Fear-chan!"

Having changed into swimwear, Fear and Sovereignty were playing together. Like a certain visit to the pool last time, Sovereignty was dressed in swimwear that worked for either gender. Instead of the school swimsuit given to her by upperclassmen from the swimming club, Fear was wearing a new swimsuit apparently bought the previous day. Haruaki could not help but admit it was very cute... However, where did she get the money from? Did it come from that bastard Pops? If he had money to throw around like that, Haruaki would rather have him increase the home budget.
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Haruaki angrily turned his gaze, subconsciously searching for signs of his father, but already knowing he was not going to be found. This was because Honatsu was waiting at the villa because the superintendent's arrival time was unknown.

Killing time under the excuse of watching over their belongings, Haruaki stared out at his surroundings.

Shiraho was sitting under a parasol on the side, gritting her teeth hard as though she wanted to rush over to Sovereignty any moment. However, she was unable to move because Chihaya was currently applying suntan lotion to her back carefully as though tending to a work of art. As soon as Chihaya was done, Shiraho was probably going to charge ahead and snatch Sovereignty away from Fear.

As though serving as Fear's substitute, Kuroe was wearing a common navy-blue school swimsuit, still building sand castles with unnecessarily superb skills as usual. With a distracted look on her face, Kirika was helping out next to her. Like last time, Kirika was wearing a t-shirt and pareo. Although there were very few beachgoers in this area, she was still unable to lower her guard, in case her bondage suit was seen.

Further ahead of them was the smiling Isuzu&mdash;it was uncertain whether it was really her, but anyway, there were three identical girls frolicking by the edge of the sea, splashing water at one another. Instead of swimsuits, they were wearing white robes that looked like the ones used in Shinto ritual purification. This was apparently because there was no way to prepare swimsuits for all fifteen of the kagura bells. Although Haruaki felt that it was a bit too unguarded for them to be dressed like that, underneath... Presumably, they were wearing something else beneath. Assuredly.

There was a little interlude happening earlier. In the beginning, all fifteen kagura bells had lined themselves in a row, all dressed in white robes. "Wow~ I haven't been to the beach for so long~" "...(smile)" "...(smile)" Just as they were about to walk to the sea, Haruaki frantically stopped them: "Wait! This looks too much like collective suicide by drowning, it's terrifying!" Since the sight might cause other beachgoers to call the police, the bells seemed to be taking turns to play currently.

Just then&mdash;

"Hah...! Hoo...! Hah...!"

Haruaki heard the sound of panting approaching. Looking back, he saw Kotetsu dressed in a t-shirt and swimming trunks, sprinting across the beach. As a side note, this was not Kotetsu's original attire, but the result after two changes of clothing.

His initial appearance was a plain and old-fashioned "you need to be dressed like this to swim" kind of style, consisting of what could be considered either swimwear or underpants, a ''fundoshi'' loincloth that truly brought to life the spirit of "now this is a Japanese man!" Standing with his legs apart on the beach with his upper body naked, Kotetsu was rapidly taken away by the girls, especially Konoha whose vigor suggested a blood feud against the ''fundoshi''.

The second time was an awkward appearance in a white school swimsuit along with "no helping it, speaking of other swimwear at hand, all I have is this one which Muramasa-sama bestowed upon me in the past..." As soon as Kuroe commented "Oh no, a clash with Second Player colors! Danger!", Kotetsu was abducted by the girls again.

In the end, Kotetsu wore this noncontroversial set of swimwear whose pieces were bought from a beach vendor and a nearby supermarket. Perhaps due to Kotetsu's hairstyle or his general demeanor, no matter what he was wearing, he still looked just like a girl.

"Hoo...! Hah...! Hah...!"

With a serious expression, Kotetsu had been running back and forth on the beach. Now, he stopped near the parasol, glancing at Haruaki while using his arm to wipe sweat from his brow. Although he did not say anything, Haruaki tossed a towel and a bottle of water over to him.

"Muu..."

"Take it. It's very hot, right? Rather, I can't bear it anymore, so let me ask a question."

"What question?"

"...Is it fun running like this?"

While drinking the water from the bottle, Kotetsu straightened his back sternly and instantly answered:

"Fun enough. Running on the beach is helpful for training the legs and the lower back."

"I-I see..."

After arriving here&mdash;and obtaining suitable swimwear&mdash;Kotetsu had spent the whole time dashing silently back and forth along the beach. Single-minded beyond compare. Training for the sake of becoming strong&mdash;

"...I..."

"Huh?"

Instead of looking at Haruaki, Kotetsu faced the horizon while speaking:

"I still have not forgotten everything. Neither have I changed from head to toe. Can I change? Or should I not change? I am still searching for the answer. Hence&mdash;As a sword, born as a sword as I am, I still currently believe that there is nothing wrong with the goal of becoming stronger than everyone else. That is why I do this."

"Is... that so?"

Haruaki exhaled then spoke while staring at the horizon just like Kotetsu:

"I... don't intend to criticize the goal you're working towards. But if your direction is wrong, I will also tell you 'You're wrong!' That's all. If your goal is to become strong, I think that's fine too. Just don't cause trouble for others."

"...Hmph. No matter what you say, it has nothing to do with me. I am simply doing what I wish to do."


Kotetsu replied while wiping his face and head forcefully with the towel. Then he tossed the towel back to Haruaki and threw him a sideways glare.

"I am going for another run. I am not causing trouble to anyone, so you have no objections, right?"

"Of course not, but it's not every day that you get to visit the beach. You could go have some fun without spending the whole time running."

"Truth be told, I really want to return the same words to you. Haven't you been sitting there without moving all this time&mdash;"

"So true~ Haruaki-kun, you should go and play more. By the way, Kotetsu, could it be that you're still bothered by what I mentioned yesterday?"

"Oh! M-Muramasa-sama, that's..."

Konoha joined their conversation. She was wearing a new bikini, displaying her voluptuous body. Like a mischievous child, she cocked her head and looked at Haruaki.

"My, this Kotetsu, yesterday when he ran over to my room with such a serious look on his face, I was wondering what he was going to say, but it turned out he asked: 'Umm, I heard that seawater is saltwater, won't we rust...?' Back then, his face was super serious&mdash;"

"Muramasa-sama!"

"Like I said, there's no problem as long as you wipe yourself dry thoroughly. Absolutely no rusting, I promise. If you're so scared that all you dare to do is sprint on the beach, that's no fun at all. Go swim for a bit, this is an order."

"B-But..."

Smiling, Konoha bent down and spoke as though blowing into Kotetsu's ear:

"''Or mayhap... Thou wouldst defy mine order''?"

"I shall enter the water immediately."

Trembling, Kotetsu dashed forward almost perpendicularly, screaming "Buddha have mercy!" before plunging headlong into the sea. Konoha giggled while watching this scene.

"Ahaha. Isn't such obedience really nice?"

"Y-Yeah..."

Inexplicably, Haruaki felt his heart pounding madly. Konoha was in a swimsuit. Her hairstyle had changed and this was a new swimsuit. Clearly that was all yet she felt different from the usual Konoha. Did her skin appear to sparkle this much? Were her thighs this dazzling to look at? Did her bosom seem so warm? Also, back when he touched those lips of hers that looked so soft, in fact, they really were very soft at the time&mdash;

"Haruaki-kun?"

"Oh! W-What is it?"

Konoha leaned forward as though emphasizing her cleavage to him, giggling "ehehe~" before pointing her index finger lightly at him.

"You tied it on immediately. Thank you."

"Oh... Yeah. Because I happen to have nothing to hang on it anyway."

Konoha was referring to Haruaki's cellphone among the belongings kept under the parasol. Tied to the cellphone was the decorative charm she had just given to him earlier as a present. It was a cellphone accessory akin to a medal or a pin, in the shape of a miniaturized Japanese sword.

"To be honest, I think this kind of present is just right. If I received a very expensive present, I'd feel a huge mental burden instead. Thank you, Konoha."

"Th-That's right! I knew it! I'm so glad, yes!"

Konoha's dainty face instantly brightened up. For some reason, she even clenched her fist and puffed "mufuu" forcefully. She was so touched that she spun towards another direction and murmured quietly:

"Ufufu. What a great success for the strategy of giving a unobtrusive present that could be brought to the seaside... With this, I should be the first person to hand over a present, which ought to leave a memorable impression... And the item I picked was neither too burdensome nor too simple, plus there's the tiny consideration that he would think of me every time he looked at his cellphone... Perfect!"

Haruaki did not understand but at least he could sense that she was overjoyed.

Was it that happy? All he did was accept her birthday present, that was all.

&mdash;Yes... I guess. Because she... she&mdash;

"Haruaki-kun?"

He was thinking he must say something to her, he had that obligation. However, he did not know what he should say. Thank her for the present? He had already said that.

This was related to her feelings and his own feelings.

They stared into each other's eyes. Although this was something they had done countless times in the past, there was a new significance lately. No, was he the only one who thought that? What kind of feelings did she carry when looking into his eyes throughout the years?

Konoha presumably sensed something and looked like she was waiting seriously for him to continue.

However, he still had not prepared what he should say. Hold on. Hold on longer. I still haven't&mdash;

"Yachi, it's time for someone else to watch the&mdash;"

"Hoohee&mdash;I'm so tired from having fun, my throat is all thirsty. Hey~ Haruaki, got anything to drink..."

Just at that moment, Kirika and Fear both happened to approach the parasol. The two of them noticed the situation here at the same time and halted their speech and movements unnaturally.

For some unknown reason, Haruaki could sense nervous tension slowly hanging in the surrounding air. Clearly on the surface, the girls' expressions and attitudes were the same as usual. Really, for some unknown reason.

"I want... to drink something, so let me go buy some drinks. The vending machine is that way, right? If you guys wanna drink something, let me buy them for you while I'm at it? ...Nothing? Then I'm going. Oh my~ The beach is really fun~ So unbelievably fun~"

Fear swiftly took out her purse from her own belongings and ran towards the beach vendors while holding the swim ring around her waist. Her smiling face seemed a bit unnatural. Was Haruaki imagining things?

Almost simultaneously&mdash;

"I wanted to say... It's time for someone else to watch over our things, but come to think of it, I'd like to go to the washroom. So I'll have to count on you for a while longer. Well then, see you later."

"Oh! Kotetsu looks like one of those bald sea goblins with his head out of the water, looking this way! He looks so lonely and very vengeful, so I'd better accompany him for a while. I'm going now!"

Kirika and Konoha also turned around and left as though they had thought of things to do by chance. Kirika walked over to the villa whereas Konoha made her way to the sea.

Finally&mdash;It was just like earlier.

Haruaki was left all alone under the parasol.