The very strong wind made my hair messy but I don't really mind. Even as my skin was caressed by the strong sea breeze, I still found it hard to believe my current situation. I knew that the school would provide a cruise ship and Sensei had also explained all the luxury it had, even so, when I saw it in person I was still quite amazed.
This cruise ship has many restaurants and cafés, a large swimming pool, gym, futsal court, arcade, and many other recreational facilities. Even the restaurant is on the same level as the five-star restaurants you usually see in TV dramas, and they also have a spa and massage parlor. We were truly pampered by the school. All the students immediately became infatuated the moment they set foot on this ship. Shinji even asked me to slap him to make sure this wasn't a dream.
Every day my classmates never stop having fun. All the anxious feelings we felt because of the upcoming special exams have now disappeared. Everything was replaced with the intoxicating joy of summer. In the end, I decided to relax with them and forget for a moment everything that was on my mind.
Currently, I'm enjoying the ocean view from the side deck. I could see birds flying around and even dolphins jumping out of the water. This was my first time seeing dolphins so I was as excited as a child when I saw them. Unfortunately, they were too far away so I couldn't take a picture.
"Yukii! Look over here!" I heard my sister's voice calling my name. When I turned to her she immediately snapped a picture with her cell phone. She chuckled as she saw the results. "Hahaha...your hair is so messy."
"Don't take my picture so suddenly, besides, with the wind this strong of course my hair will be messy."
"It's okay, the results are still pretty good, look..." Nee-chan showed me the photo. Hmm...not bad, and it looks like Nee-chan used a bit of filter to improve the image a little bit.
"Here," Nee-chan handed me her cell phone. "Take a photo of me as well..."
I sighed. "Nee-chan, you've taken a lot of pictures, this is probably the hundredth time."
"So what? It's not a common occasion to spend summer holidays on a cruise ship. I want to capture as many moments as I can."
She's right, it's not every day we get to enjoy a vacation as luxurious as this but I still don't understand why girls like to take hundreds of photos of every moment of their lives. For me, a few photos are more than enough as a keepsake. Even so, I decided not to argue with her and took the cell phone from her hand. Nee-chan fixes her hair before posing. I took a step closer to her.
"Smile..." I asked and Nee-chan showed her sweetest smile. If Nee-chan smiled this sweetly at Shinji, the guy would probably faint. The strong wind blew her wavy hair but somehow it made her even more beautiful. I pressed the phone screen and took a few photos before showing them to her.
"Gosh, look at my hair..." Nee-chan complained.
"It's really windy today so it can't be helped..."
"Take one more,"
"Why? It's not that bad..."
"Just do as I say..."
Once again I sighed. In the end, I complied with her wishes to avoid a prolonged arguments. Nee-chan told me to take dozens of pictures in different poses and ended with a close-up photo with the sea in the background. When I showed her the last photo she was very happy and immediately used it as her profile picture.
"Later we should call Teiichi-kun to take a photo together..." Nee-chan suggested.
"Speaking of the devil..." I said while turning towards a man who was walking towards us. Nee-chan's eyes sparkled brightly when she saw our pal Teiichi.
"Teiichi-kun! Come here! Let's take a photo together..."
Teiichi responded to Nee-chan's invitation with an apologetic look while pointing at the bag he was carrying. "I'm sorry Yukie...but I have to deliver this to Osamu-sensei."
"What is that?" Nee-chan asked.
"Just some books, lately I often consult Osamu-sensei about classical literature...sorry, I have to go...we can hang out another time..." After saying that Teiichi walked past the two of us.
Nee-chan immediately became sullen at that. "Hmph,..what the hell is that? How could he be happier spending time with a pile of books... on a summer vacation?"
"Some people have their own way of having fun," I responded. "It's possible that he found a good book and then became addicted to it. Honestly, some novels written in the past tend to have a charm that I can't describe. I mean...there's a reason why people still read it to this day..."
Nee-chan shook her head in disappointment. "I still don't understand...we've spent time studying for the final exam and now we have the chance to enjoy a beautiful summer...I can't understand why anyone would enjoy spending time indoors when there's a really nice pool right over there...just because he wears glasses doesn't mean he has to act like a nerd all the time, right?"
"Like I said, everyone is having fun in their own way. You don't have to understand but at least don't force him to comply with your whim..."
Nee-chan sneered. "Well, whatever...if he wants to rot in the library then so be it. What about you, do you have an appointment with someone?"
"Not at this time..."
"Then how about we go to the pool?"
"We swam yesterday..."
"What's wrong with swimming again?"
"Nee-chan, you're like a child..."
"No, Yuki...you're the one acting like an old man," Nee-chan bit back. "Come on, it's a holiday. We should have fun until our heart's content..."
"Okay, if that's what you want...I guess I can accompany you until lunch..."
"Good, then I'm going to get my swimsuit...meet me at the swimming pool in ten minutes."
"Yeah-yeah..."
"You can also invite your friends, especially Minami-kun." Nee-chan specifically mentioned Shinji. For a moment I thought that Nee-chan might already be interested in him but then I remembered that Nee-chan probably wouldn't go swimming by herself. She will definitely invite her friends, especially Haruno, and maybe use this opportunity to bring the two of them closer.
"Okay, I'll call them..." I kind of felt sorry for Shinji but in a way, this was also a good opportunity for him.
With that, I walked back to my room to get my swimsuit. The corridors inside the ship felt very quiet. How could it not be quiet, a ship this size only carries 160 passengers, not including the crew and staff who work in the recreational area. Even so, it's still quite lively because we could freely enjoy all the facilities on this ship for free. High school students all over Japan would be very jealous if they found out about this.
Even though there are many empty rooms, we are still required to share rooms with our classmates. One room is occupied by four people whose division is arranged by the school. I was assigned to the same room as Arai, Matsunaga, and Gilang. When I entered the room, Matsunaga was nowhere to be seen, probably going out.
Meanwhile, Arai and Gilang are busy listening to songs on Gilang's cell phone while Arai tries to learn the chords with a guitar. Since they became roommates, Arai often talked with Gilang about his country. Because Arai was a musician, he obviously became interested in music from another country and asked Gilang to play some of the most popular Indonesian music. You can say that he likes it quite a lot.
"Hey, Kurose..." Arai greeted me, "How's it going? Did you get bored after strolling around the ship?"
"Well, that's what it is...I'm going to the swimming pool...along with my sister, do you guys want to come?"
Arai smiled broadly. Instantly I regretted mentioning my sister. "Your sister? Oh, lucky me...it seems that today my eyes will be spoiled by one of the most beautiful flowers on the mountain..."
I was amazed he could say that right to my face. Shinji always warned me not to let this guy meet my sister, unfortunately, it was too late. Arai used to hang out with other class as well so it's not surprising that they already knew each other. At least Nee-chan isn't the type of girl who can easily fall for his advances.
"You better not mess with her..." Gilang warned in a half-joking manner. "Shinji got a huge crush on her, you better stay away if you don't want to kiss his fist."
"Oh, is that so? It's a shame then...but a girl with a look like that is sure to be targeted a lot, Minami better step up his game if he doesn't want her to be taken away..."
He had a point about that but Shinji probably wouldn't be happy to hear it from his mouth. I walked to the cupboard near my bed to get my swimsuit. Arai, who was looking past, then said to me. "You're very calm, aren't you, Kurose... I thought you would be annoyed to hear me say something about your sister..."
"If you think it would make me mad, then why did you say it anyway?" I said curtly. "Trying to mess with me on purpose?"
"Oh, no-no..." Arai waved both hands. "I was just careless. Understandably, sometimes I can't stop myself from expressing my joy, that's all..."
I rolled my eyes. Sometimes it's quite unpleasant to hear but in the end, you can't prevent the burning hormones of teenagers. At least I can still tolerate it as long as they didn't say anything too inappropriate. "So, did you guys come or not?"
"Of course, we will," Gilang answered. "It would be a shame if a day as sunny as this was spent indoors..."
They also changed into their swimsuits. When I asked about Matsunaga they said that he was enjoying the view on the top deck with someone special so it was best not to disturb him. It seems that spring has come to Matsunaga. Iwa will be very jealous hearing this.
Before leaving I almost forgot my sister's request to take Shinji with me. Right now he's probably spending time at the gym or arcade with my other friend, Iwa Kouki. I immediately sent a message to him.
"Shinji, let's go to the swimming pool."
Shinji: "Sorry, bro, can't. Kouki just challenged me to play Wangan Midnight."
"My sister will be there,"
Shinji: "On my way."
The last reply came less than three seconds after I sent the last message. It felt a little funny seeing him so excited like this but once he got in front of my sister, he barely showing it and tried his best to act like a gentleman. Indeed, sometimes it's not easy for some people to remain themselves in front of the people they like.
***
The swimming pool that day was busy as usual. We arrived almost at the same time as Shinji and Kouki who got there at lightning speed. The girls from our class and some other classes were there too. Satonaka is playing in the water with Kashiwagi and Tsukimi. Miwa and her friends were taking photos by the pool, and Kasai was sitting on a lounge chair while drinking a smoothie. Because my sister and her group hadn't arrived yet, we decided to approach our classmates.
"Hey, guys!" Miwa waved at us. Each of the girls in front of us wore swimsuits that made the men around me drool. Ever since swimming lessons at school, the boys at my school never get bored looking at Miwa's body. This time she wears the strapless type. Kouki didn't even try to hide his lustful gaze. At least Shinji and Gilang could still restrain themselves.
"You guys come here to swim again? You guys never get bored of the swimming pool, huh?" Miwa quipped as she approached us with her three friends.
"How could that be? As long as you and your friends are here, there's no way I'll get bored..." Arai, as usual, didn't waste the opportunity to flirt. Several girls giggled at that, including Miwa.
"Charming words as usual, Arai-kun," Miwa said with a chuckle. "We were just going to rent a ball, want to play volleyball with us? In the pool?"
"Oh, of course, it would be fun..."
Right after he said that the class B group arrived. Nee-chan came with Shiraishi and their friends, of course, Haruno was also included. They all look beautiful in their swimsuit, especially Shiraishi. Hers was a purple bikini with a lacy skirt. That voluptuous body...oh no, I better divert my attention before indecent thoughts arose. It seems that Nee-chan also invited some guys from her class because I saw Masaki, Shimada, Isogai, and some other people behind them.
"Ah, Saki-chan! Yukie-chan!"
"Mitsuki-chan!"
Miwa immediately waved her hand towards them. Apparently, they already knew each other. Well, that's not surprising at all.
"Look at that...you brought a lot of people, there's a celebration or something?" Miwa asked.
"No, we just want to hang out together," Shiraishi answered in an equally cheerful manner. "Wouldn't it be more fun with more people?"
"You're right, and it's a coincidence that we were just about to play water volleyball. How about we play together? Class C against Class B?"
Shiraishi seemed happy to hear Miwa's invitation. "Sure, we would love it,"
"Good, you all don't mind, right?" Miwa turned to us.
"Of course not," Arai answered on behalf of all of us. "Who would mind playing with such a lovely bunch,"
"Okay, then I'll go get the ball..." Miwa left and while waiting for her to return some of us went straight into the water while the others started chatting. Some go to order some beverages.
"Hey, Minami-kun...how are you?" Haruno approached Shinji shyly. Followed by my sister who looked at the two of them with an amused look.
"I'm fine...um...what about you? It seems your hair looks a little different today..."
Haruno immediately lit up when she heard that. "Oh, you realize? Well, I cut it a little before the holidays, do you like it?"
Haruno's hair does look a little short but I didn't notice until Shinji mentioned it. So this guy apparently paid a little attention to Haruno. Does this mean the girl has a chance with Shinji? That assumption was immediately shattered when I saw Shinji glance briefly at my sister and immediately turn his gaze back toward Haruno. Apparently, the reason he was paying attention to Haruno that much was because he wanted to take his mind off my sister's swimsuit. Even though her swimsuit wasn't that revealing. It's just a blue tankini with a Hawaiian motive, but it was enough to make Shinji embarrassed. Haruno, you better step up your game if you want to compete.
"Oh, you're quite attentive, my brother over there wouldn't say anything even if I dyed my hair blonde,"
"Oi, what the hell was that?" I frowned. I didn't expect her to suddenly take a jab at me. "I didn't say anything because there was nothing to say. Do you expect me to compliment you every time you comb your hair?"
"See! This is what I mean, this brat can act so insensitive sometimes." Even though I was kind enough to take a picture of her and now she's complaining about me? I swear, sometimes she makes me confused with her sudden mood change. Seeing our little quarrel, Haruno and Shinji chuckled.
"Don't be like that, Yukie-chan," Haruno intervened. "Yuki-kun may not have much to say, but I think he's pretty kind."
Thank you, Haruno for defending me. Nee-chan could learn a thing or two from you. Well, at least our banter makes the atmosphere feel lighter.
"That's because you don't know him that well," Nee-chan argued. "There are so many shortcomings in him that often make me worried, sometimes I feel that he hasn't grown mentally at all."
I sighed. "Whatever, I don't care anymore...I'll go order drinks, you guys want to do something?"
"Just match mine with yours, but don't make it too sweet," Shinji said. Meanwhile, Nee-chan and Haruno both ask for smoothies. It seems the smoothies on this ship are quite popular.
After returning from ordering drinks, I saw Miwa had returned with the ball. The students in classes C and B are now having fun playing in the pool and I see that Satonaka has also joined them. In contrast to the lively atmosphere, Kasai was still sitting in her lounge chair under the shade of a parasol while enjoying the sea breeze. She wore a swimsuit with a cardigan of the same color. I saw Kouki talking to her for a while before finally going to the pool after being called by Shinji.
I walked over to the girl. I still had no intention of joining their game yet so I decided to talk to Kasai for a bit. "You're not playing?"
As usual, she greeted me with a devilish smile. "Me? Oh, I'm playing, alright. It's just that there are already too many people in the pool, so maybe I'll join later... how about you? You're not gonna join them?"
"I just don't have the mood to join right away. I think I'd like to enjoy the scenery for now."
She grinned "Which scenery? The pool? The ocean? Or my bikini?"
I looked at her with a rather bemused face. "What makes you think that?"
"Isn't that what you guys always do at moments like this? Your friend from earlier couldn't take his eyes off my cleavage. Gilang looked very embarrassed at the sight of other girls, even Minami-kun also looked frozen for a moment when he saw your sister."
So she was aware of that. Well, if you pay close attention, Shinji's behavior is quite obvious. But I don't want to talk about that. "Don't compare me to them."
"Oh, so you consider yourself different? Are you sure? Do you really feel nothing when you see beautiful girls in swimsuits?"
"..."
I wanted to say no but she would know I was lying. In the end, I'm just an ordinary teenage boy so of course I'm going to be attracted to women's bodies. It's just that, unlike Kouki, I don't like showing that side of me openly.
"Hah! I knew it. Don't think I didn't notice how you tried to avert your gaze from Shiraishi-san. You and Minami-kun are not so different in this matter."
Damn, she knows. Of course, she would know. It seems that I really can't hide anything from her. At least I try to be respectful, unlike Kouki.
"It's okay Kurose-kun. It's summer...I wouldn't blame you if you acted a little unwise..." This girl seemed to be in the mood to tease me.
"Oh, so you're saying you don't mind if I look at your body?"
"Of course, I don't mind. I would never wear this if I did."
"Well...that's true," I know several girls who deliberately wear revealing swimwear but end up feeling uncomfortable when their bodies attract men's gazes. Of course, I agree that men should also guard their eyes but still...
"It's not just me," she added. "It seems that your sister is also of the same mind...I'm sure she is also aware that she has been the center of men's attention for a while but she doesn't care at all. As his brother does that bother you?"
Apart from Shinji, I also realized that currently, several men were feasting their eyes on the sight of my sister in her swimsuit. Obviously, I'm not so comfortable with that fact. "It's not that I'm not bothered, but what can I do? It's not like I can stop people from staring..."
The last time I did that was in junior high school and as a result, they called me a siscon. Luckily there are several of my classmates who can understand my feelings because they also have sisters. Now I'm pretty aware that I can't stop my sister from being the center of attention. All I could do was make sure the men didn't go too far.
"I see, so you tend to act chill about it? Well, that explains why you tolerate Minami-kun's feelings."
"He's a good person, so I don't really mind if he gets together with her..."
"That aside, don't you think our class changes their attitudes too quickly? Even though a few days ago they were all very worried about the upcoming special exam, but as soon as they set foot on this ship, they seemed to forget everything."
"I don't think that's a bad thing," I said, turning towards my friends who were having fun playing football. "We don't know how hard the upcoming exam will be so I think we can just let them have as much fun as they can."
"You are right. Besides, there's nothing we can do until this ship reaches its destination..."
It's not just that. Currently, we don't know how much the other classes know about the special exam, which is why I ask my classmates not to talk about it. As long as we are still on the ship, it's better to pretend as if we know nothing and just play around all the time.
"Yukiharu! Kasai! What are you guys doing there? Come here!" Shinji called out to us both. It seems that Miwa and her friend had to go on some business so the class was short of people for round two.
"They called us..." I said. "Maybe it's time we went there..."
"Yeah, let's just go..." Kasai got up from his chair. She put her hat and cardigan there before walking with me to the pool.
Our first special exam is right around the corner. I felt worried and excited at the same time and I kept feeling curious about what kind of exam that was waiting for us. But as I said before, let us enjoy our holiday for a while.
***
Current class standings:
Class A: 1084 (+72)
Class B: 892 (+82)
Class C: 534 (+50)
Class D: 317 (+81)
***
Chapter 1 and Chapter 20 have been updated with new artwork. You can go check it out. Some images from other chapters will probably be replaced with better ones as well if I have the mood to make them. As usual, I hope you like this chapter, don't be shy to share your criticism, and see you next time.