This was the first time I've been out with so many people at once. However, it wasn't a happy experience, as I was left isolated by the rest of the group as I followed them like a shadow. I would've talked to Yukina and Nora, but they were being preoccupied by other people.
When I arrived at the Drachma Red recreational indoor swimming pool facility for the first time, what caught my attention was the unique layout of the building. The facility was fronted by a reception desk and lobby, which granted students access to a long corridor that connected the two halves of the facility.
On the left half, there were the changing rooms, which were split by gender. On the right half, there was the actual pool itself. Obviously, we had to go to the changing rooms first, but being in E Class, we weren't given the best conditions to change in. Disappointingly, there were only two changing stalls, one for men and women each, with a wall of about thirty lockers separating them. This meant that we'd have to form lines and take turns changing.
"Ugh! This is the worst!"
Fujimura immediately whined.
"Takayuki-kun and Takanori-san got really lucky, didn't they?"
Katsumi was right, since me and Nora were the only boys present in the group, we wouldn't have to wait as long for each other. Meanwhile, there were five girls present, so changing would take much longer for them.
At the very least, they gave us lockers to put our stuff away. That much was appreciated, but the lockers themselves didn't actually lock. They just closed fairly tightly. That meant, theoretically, they were free for anyone to go through, which was a massive privacy and security concern. However, since we were all classmates, and we knew who was present, if anything was stolen, the possible culprits would be obvious.
"U-um, Takanori-kun... is it okay if I go change first?"
"Go ahead. Take as much time as you need."
Nora nodded, and shyly entered the stall. I waited outside, leaning against the wall of lockers. For the girls, Sakigamiya went to change first.
"Oi, we need to talk privately."
As I waited, Fujimura demanded to speak to me. I couldn't understand why, but with her aggressive tone, I'm guessing she wanted me to stay out of her way as much as possible.
I complied, and we went into the long corridor, where Fujimura slammed me against the wall, and clicked her tongue at me. Narrowing her eyes, she hissed a very real threat.
"Look, you piece of shit, I want you to stay as far away from our group as possible, and go swim by yourself in the corner of the pool like the sad loner you are."
"Do I bother you that much?"
"You shouldn't even be here in the first place. I thought I'd have a nice weekend, but you just had to go and ruin it!"
Fujimura was acting as if she was above me, despite being in the same class. I knew that she didn't like me, but I never realised it ran so deep.
"I'm sorry."
"If you were really sorry, you'd leave quietly now, you eyesore."
"I can't. I came here to have fun with Nora-san."
"You won't be going anywhere near Takayuki-chan. I'll make sure of it."
"I see."
With my dry response, Fujimura returned to the changing rooms. Unfortunately, there was a lot of truth to her caustic words. Assuming that Yukimura will vie for Sakigamiya's attention, Mitsuba and Tanaka will pervert on the girls, and Fujimura will keep Nora away from me, I really had no one to play with.
Suddenly, what should've been happy summer memories, just instead reminded me of my dark past. It really was a mistake coming out here after all.
I returned to the changing rooms a little later, and it seemed Nora hadn't finished yet. Sakigamiya however, already did, and she was standing around talking to her friends. I noticed that her swimsuit was both stylish and cute. It was a two-piece orange bikini that had frills on the cups and rim of her underwear. It seemed that, instead of rushing to the pool to enjoy herself, she was waiting for everyone else to be finished.
While Fujimura was changing next door, Nora stepped out of the male changing room. Unexpectedly, he was wearing a black rash guard, and had switched his glasses for contact lenses. It explains why he took so long, since it must've been a hassle to put them on.
"Y-your turn, Takanori-kun."
Even though he was a reserved person, I could feel how excited Nora was for today. Even though he was nervous like me, I think he honestly wanted to enjoy himself with his friends. As I entered the changing room, Nora was putting away his stuff in one of the lockers.
This changing stall was pretty standard, with a bench to sit on and a mirror to check your appearance. I opened my drawstring bag, took off my shirt and pants, and put on my swimming trunks and goggles. After that, I placed everything else into the bag, and walked out of the changing room.
"Wow, that was fast!"
Nora was surprised at my speed. I put my bag into the locker below his.
"I just had to change into my trunks... that's all."
Considering he needed to put on a full rash guard and contacts, it's no wonder that Nora would take much longer than the normal guy.
"L-let's go to the swimming pool... I can't wait to see Yukimura-kun and the others!"
However, before we could leave, Fujimura just finished changing. Her swimsuit was a dark purple two-piece bikini, like Sakigamiya, but it was much raunchier, showing more skin. It was like her swimsuit was designed to accentuate her curves. If there was one thing Fujimura nailed harder than anyone else, it was beauty.
As expected, Fujimura ran over to Nora and grabbed his hand. Nora yelped, going red in the face. Giving me a glare, she focused her attention to Nora and smiled.
"Nee, Takayuki-chan, let's go! I can't wait to swim together!"
It was scary just how Fujimura could switch from a bitch to a sweetheart in seconds.
"U-um, but I..."
"Also, what's up with the wet suit? Are you scared of people seeing your body? You're so much cuter without glasses!"
Fujimura dragged Nora away while asking those sorts of questions related to his swimsuit. Nora looked over his shoulder and gave me an apologetic face, but I understood that there was no fighting a gyaru once she got her grip on you. I hope he survives.
"I think Shouko-san just stole your friend, Takanori-san."
Sakigamiya teased, walking over to me. With her eyebrows raised, she began casually prodding my arm. I don't remember giving her permission to touch me... it can't be helped.
"Oh wow, since when did you have muscles? I thought you were skinny, but you've got a good body!"
"It's only a little bit, so it's not impressive."
"Kou-san, look! Takanori-san has muscles!"
"I said it's only a little bit..."
It sometimes feel like my voice isn't heard by others. Katsumi, who was obviously interested, walked over. She grabbed my arm and started to feel it up. I didn't appreciate becoming a zoo attraction for these girls.
"They're developing, but they're not quite muscle yet."
Thankfully, Katsumi corrected Sakigamiya. It was probably because she liked sports that Katsumi knew the difference. I agreed with her.
"Yeah."
"But they look so defined!"
Sakigamiya still didn't buy into it. I guess that, appearance-wise, they did look like muscle, but actually touching them, they weren't impressive.
"I wish they were muscle."
"By any chance, do you like sports?"
Katsumi was hoping she'd make another friend who had the same interests as her. Unfortunately, I wasn't into sports or anything.
"No. Just blessed with good genes."
It was an obvious lie, but I wanted them to stave away from me. Since Katsumi wasn't very smart, she bought into it immediately, but Sakigamiya remained a little more sceptical. However, she decided to just accept my answer. As we talked, Yukina tapped Katsumi's shoulder.
"It's your turn to change, Kou-san."
"A-ah! I'll be right back!"
As Yukina shuffled in to take her place, I looked away. If I looked at her directly, it'd be all over for me. This was another reason why I was nervous about going to the pool with all the girls. I didn't want to see Yukina in a swimsuit.
Yukina was my closest friend, and to see her in a swimsuit would be wrong of me. For the other girls, it was easy, but when it came to Yukina... it was impossible to look.
I knew I'd hate myself afterwards, since I didn't want to be anything like him. I didn't want to see her that way. However, I wanted to overcome this obstacle, as today would be a good chance to try and talk to her properly. As these two interests conflicted, I had to decide what I wanted to do.
"I like Yuu-kun's shorts. I thought he'd wear something plain, but that design is cool, isn't it, Alice-san?"
"Yeah, it's definitely flashy, unlike him."
To the best of my ability, I tried to face Yukina. My eyes wandered to her hand, where I noticed she had lavender nail polish. However, that hand rested on her hip, which revealed that she was wearing a two-piece bikini. I looked away, repeatedly apologising to her in my mind.
Why was I so scared? It was just a swimsuit. If I could look at Sakigamiya's without issue, then Yukina's shouldn't be difficult to look at either.
"Yosha! I'm changed, you guys!"
Katsumi's enthusiastic voice stole my attention. Unlike most girls, she was wearing her school swimsuit, which was a one-piece and covered her entire torso. However, I could tell that she was muscular underneath, with a six pack that could rival Yukimura's.
"Kou-san, what's up with the school swimsuit?! Today we were going to show off our personal ones to each other!"
Sakigamiya was in distress seeing her friend appear in such a lame swimsuit. I didn't see a problem in it, personally. It suited her in a way.
"My one didn't arrive on time..."
It seems that, just like me, Katsumi went to buy her swimsuit online. Difference was, mine came on time, while hers didn't.
"Alright, since everyone's changed, let's go!"
It seems Suzuki had already left to go to the pool, as it was just us four left standing around outside the changing rooms. As Sakigamiya was talking to Katsumi, it gave me a perfect chance to talk to Yukina. But would my own mind let me do that?
"Do you like it?"
Before I could initiate any conversation, Yukina made the first move.
"...like what?"
"My swimsuit."
"Eh? Why are you asking me that?"
As we talked, I looked in front of me, at my bare feet, instead of at her.
"Well... it's like you've been trying to avoid looking at me... so I thought there was something wrong with the outfit I chose."
I felt like such an idiot.
"It's not like that... it's just... a guy's trouble."
I replied so vaguely and awkwardly, I'm sure I confused her even more. However, Yukina just laughed.
"A guy's trouble? I thought you weren't like that, Yuu-kun."
My eyes widened.
"...you're right."
I'm not the type of person who usually worries about that stuff. Thinking about things like that would make me as bad as Mitsuba, and I was nothing like him. Thanks to her words, I had a much needed realisation. Even though it wasn't cool of me, I looked at her properly for the first time.
"Hmm? Yuu-kun, is something wrong?"
Yukina stopped, and turned around. Without even realising it, I had stopped walking down the corridor.
I was mesmerised at how stunning Yukina looked. Her two-piece bikini was a mature and sophisticated choice, suited for her. The cups were shaped like flower petals, coloured pink, and purple straps criss-crossed to form an elegant pattern. The edge of her underwear also followed this same pattern, with a light pink sarong hugging her hips. Adding to her beauty was a hibiscus flower accessory in her long pink hair that wrapped around her torso.
"...nothing. Don't worry."
I was getting uncharacteristically flustered over this. I shook it off and continued to walk, entering the pool area alongside Yukina.