The sea of faith (pt 2)

When Haru wakes up in the wooden cabin, he notices the empty top bunk. Renji must already have gotten up. He put on some casual clothes and stepped into his slippers. As he creaked the cabin door open, his nostrils were met with the smell of freshly roasted bread. Turning left, he noticed Renji sitting by the campfire, roasting grilled cheese sandwiches.

“The chirping birds woke me up early,” he said as he turned one of the sandwiches.

Soon enough, they were joined by a drowsy Daichi. He stretched out his arms and yawned. “I could have slept for another decade…”

Renji grabbed his back. “In these painful bunks? I’m amazed your spine didn’t file for divorce overnight.”

Daichi glimpsed and pretended he was an elderly man, “You’re just getting old!”

Haru chuckled and looked at the girl’s cabin, “Any idea where the girls are? Should we wake them up?”

“Ahh, you’re worried about your little girlfriend?” Renji said with a teasing tone, “I saw the girls walk off to the washroom like an hour ago. You know how girls are, they take an eternity to get ready.”

Renji grinned, looking at Daichi, “Haru made me a promise last night.”

The goofy friend looked rather interested. “Tell me!”

“He is going to have his first kiss today!”

Haru stared at the ground, “We will see what happens...”

“Bro, you made a promise!” Renji yelled.

“Promise, what?” Ayaka’s voice sounded, “You guys aren’t planning anything weird, aren’t you?”

Haru turned around and saw Ayaka wearing a head full of makeup. She wore some loose clothing, straps from her bikini visible underneath.

“Ayaka…” Renji said while swallowing, “You look… wildly overdressed for a beach day.”

She rolled her eyes and flopped down on the bench beside him.

“Blame Mia. I’m her personal dress-up doll now,” she grumbled, reaching for a cheese sandwich. “What is the point of all this makeup when it’s going to wash off anyway?”

“Swimming…” Haru mumbled, his gaze drifting as his imagination filled in the blank, specifically, what Mia might look like in a bikini.

I guess it won’t interfere with the activity I planned later tonight.

Ayaka gave him a look. “Yes, dork. We are at a beach… what else are we supposed to do?”

Just then, Mia strolled over. She wore a similarly styled outfit to Ayaka’s: a loose, off-shoulder shirt and short denim cutoffs that swayed with each step.

After some stretches, she grabbed a sandwich and took a bite. “Mmm, this reminds me of home,” she exclaimed before plopping down next to Haru. She took her pink phone out of her pocket and started playing with it.

A couple of minutes later, she put the phone away, making eye contact with Haru.

“Done!” she claimed. “My new vlog is live!”

She turned her phone around, showing the boy the footage she had made last night. The campfire and the lake by the moonlight certainly had the spooky-factor Mia was looking for.

“I am so excited about today! Will we meet another ghost?” she exclaimed while taking another bite of her sandwich.

Haru glimpsed, “You’ll never know when a ghost will show up.”

Mia enthusiastically nodded her head. “Totally, and that’s why I am always ready!” she said while pointing her phone at Haru, the camera blinding his eyes. Haru quickly covered his eyes with his hand, trying to avoid further eye strain.

“My bad!” Mia exclaimed with a chuckle. She grabbed a plastic sack, which she blew some air into. Soon enough, it started taking the shape of an inflatable ring.

“Ehhh… done,” she said, her voice all out of breath. She rested her head against Haru’s shoulder as she recovered from blowing up the inflatable.

She turned her head, her face now really close to Haru’s, “Ready to take a dip?”

Mia got up from the bench and started removing her shirt and the denim shorts. Haru instinctively looked away.

"Hey! Don’t look away… I wanted to show you my new bikini. I got it just before I entered the plane.”

The slightly embarrassed Haru turned around and admired Mia’s swimsuit.

It was a sleek, modern bikini - simple yet eye-catching. The top was a bold, deep pink with a halter neck and a small silver ring in the center. The bottoms were high-cut and tied with thin strings at the sides, having a faint wave motif. Her nails were painted to match - clearly, she had planned the whole aesthetic.

Her blonde hair, blown by the breeze, the strains catching the rays of April-sun. She put her hand against her waist, striking a model-like pose. “Well?” she asked, grinning.

Haru’s eyes gazed from her feet to her face, trying his best not to stare too long at the rest. “Pink suits you,” he answered, his cheeks just red enough for her to notice.

A big smirk formed on Mia’s face. “That’s all?” Well, you better change yourself and join me in the water!” She took the big inflatable under her arm and jumped into the water.

The boys moved to the cabin and got changed. Haru grabbed a plastic diving goggle out of his bag, reading to put it on. However, Renji stopped him.

“Please don’t. You just got a girl with such a nice body... You don’t want to drive her back all the way to America, won’t you?”

Haru sighed, putting away the goggles. “They’re practical. I was going to look for interesting rocks under the water.”

Daichi peeked out from behind his towel, grinning. “Just say you wanna stare at her legs underwater, man.”

“I wasn’t - !” Haru’s voice cracked as his ears turned red.

Renji laughed. “See? You need us. We’re your social filter.”

Haru wrapped a towel around his neck and opened the cabin door. Mia was already waist-deep in the lake, and she stretched out her arm and waved at him. “Haru! You’re not making me swim all alone, aren’t you?”

He started rushing toward the shoreline, Renji casually following after him, wearing a pair of sunglasses on his nose.

Next to the beach sat Ayaka, under the shade of a tree. Legs pulled up to her chest.

“Oh great,” she muttered, watching Mia splash a wave at Haru, who entered the water step by step. “She’s really making herself at home, huh…”

Renji, who had walked up to her, smirked sideways at her. “Angry about no longer being the only girl here?”

Ayaka glanced up at Renji for a second before she looked away. “I don’t care about that. I just don’t get why she's always acting like she’s the main character in the movie.”

Renji chuckled, “Maybe she is, and you're just being in denial about being the rival girl.”

The girl snorted. “I’ll rival you in that lake if you keep talking like that.”

“Oh no,” Renji said, laughing, “don’t throw me into that cool, refreshing water.”

He winked at Ayaka, whose face turned red. “Now you’ve done it!” She jumped up and started pushing the muscular boy toward the water. Or at least, attempted to.

“Help me!” Renji yelled sarcastically, as he moved not a little inch. He laughed at Ayaka, frustratingly trying to push him, and then pulled her hand.

“Renji!” she yelled as the boy dragged her into the water alongside him.

The pair joined Mia and Haru in the water, Mia chilling on her inflatable ring. Daichi jumped in from a nearby pier and joined the group. Together, the friends enjoyed the refreshing lake water, and the sun was getting warmer.