Why Are You Hiding Your Goods From the World?

"But Sae-san, if you leave Ryū-chan alone with me, we may sneak off to the beach by ourselves!" Kurumi's emotional manipulation had been so obvious it was almost painful, but Sae caved anyway.

The smell of rice porridge drifted up from downstairs. My stomach growled, drowning out any lingering guilt about dragging Sae into Kurumi's shenanigans. I hauled myself out of bed, Little Shit's snores following me down the hall.

Gran Gran stood at the stove, aggressively stirring pot while muttering under her breath.

"These government thieves. Gas prices going up again! And that Balloon Lady of yours!" She whirled around, pointing the porridge covered spoon at me accusingly. "Working for those crooks! Why couldn't they wait until after world ends to raise prices?"

"Pretty sure Sae doesn't control gas prices," I mumbled, but Gran Gran was on a roll.

"Good thing we visited Haruka-kun during Golden Week!" She nodded smugly to herself as she scooped porridge into my bowl. "Your Gran Gran knows these things. I could smell it coming!"

I scarfed down my porridge while Gran Gran continued her conspiratorial rant. The moment I finished, I darted upstairs to my room, where Little Shit was still sprawled across my futon.

I dragged out a plastic storage tub from under my bed, sending dust bunnies scattering. The lid creaked as I pried it open, releasing a musty smell of forgotten clothes.

Digging through the layers of old uniforms and outgrown shirts, my fingers finally brushed against something familiar. I pulled out the two-piece swimsuit Kurumi had forced me to buy years ago for our community pool adventures.

"It's so cute, Ryū-chan! You have to get it!" she said, bouncing around the store.

I held it up. The pastel pink fabric seemed to mock me. Kurumi insisted it was "perfect," but looking at it now, I could already tell it would be way too small. Still, the thought of disappointing her...

With a heavy sigh, I changed into it. Just as I feared, the top barely held anything in anymore, and the bottom rode up in ways that made me want to crawl under my futon and never come out.

Sure, theoretically the world ending soon meant any embarrassment of wearing it in public would be short-lived. But knowing my luck, this would be the one memory that survived the apocalypse.

I quickly threw on my kaiju costume, trying not to catch my reflection in the mirror.

My phone buzzed: a text from Sae saying she was here with the car. I shouldered my bag, trying to ignore how exposed I felt even under the costume.

"I'm heading out!" I called Gran Gran, who was still grumbling about gas prices in the kitchen.

***

"Ack! Kurumi, I can't breathe!" I flailed as my so-called best friend locked me in a chokehold from the backseat.

"Not until you explain why you're hiding your goods from the world! It's criminal to keep them locked away!"

"It doesn't fit right anymore, okay? It's embarrassing!" I wheezed, trying to pry her arms loose.

"Nonsense! Everyone should see how cute Ryū-chan is!"

Little Shit perched on the headrest, squeaking with what I swear was laughter. Oh, just wait until we get home, you piece of shit. No melon bread for a week.

I shot a desperate look at Toukawa-san, who sat peacefully in the passenger seat wearing a modest one-piece under her clothes. Even Sae, in her rash guard and board shorts, looked effortlessly cool. They both met my pleading eyes with a blank stare. Meanwhile, here I was, being throttled by a girl in a frilly polka-dot two-piece.

"Fine! I'll take it off at the beach, just stop choking me!"

"Promise?"

"Yes, whatever, I promise!" The instant her arms loosened, I gulped down air. Empty promises were fair game when your best friend was trying to murder you.

The car rolled to a stop in the beachside parking lot. Sae cut the engine, then turned to face us, pointing toward a fork in the road.

"The road splits here. Stay away from the bluff side. That's where I'll be. Don't come looking for me."

Once we stepped out, I watched her untie Rhino's balloon string from her wrist and gently secure it around Little Shit instead.

"Rhino will protect you if anything happens. You can handle that, right?"

Rhino quivered nervously, causing Little Shit to shake like a bobblehead. Poor thing looked like a kid being left at daycare for the first time.

"You're a strong boy," Sae's voice softened as she patted Rhino's balloon-self. "Your friends need you today."

That seemed to calm it. Rhino steadied itself just as Sae disappeared around the bluff.

The beach wasn't exactly the pristine paradise from Mizuki-senpai's social media posts, but it had its own charm. Surfboards dotted the waves like colorful confetti, their riders whooping and laughing as they caught rides. Further down, kids were building elaborate sandcastles while their parents lounged under umbrellas.

It felt surreal seeing so many people here, especially after the ghost town that was Seven Flags. But I guess it made sense? If you lived for the ocean, where else would you want to spend your final days? The surfers especially seemed to have the right idea, riding waves like nothing else mattered.

I stabbed the umbrella into the sand,, imagining it was Kurumi's head at the end of it. Meanwhile, Kurumi hummed cheerfully as she spread out our beach towels. The nerve of her, acting all sweet and innocent after attempted murder.

Toukawa-san settled onto one of the towels and started methodically applying sunscreen. Little Shit watched her with crossed eyes, Rhino's balloon string wrapped around his stubby arm like a weird friendship bracelet.

"Ryū-chan~ Time to fulfill your promise!"

"No. There's way too many people here."

"Little Shit wants to see you in your swimsuit too, right?" Kurumi grabbed Little Shit's stubby arms, making him dance. Rhino bobbed along helplessly. "See? He's nodding!"

"Your ventriloquist act needs work."

But Kurumi had already darted behind me, fingers finding my zipper. "Come on, you promised!"

"Wait-" Before I could stop her, she yanked the zipper down. Cool air hit my exposed back as she peeled the costume off my shoulders.

I yelped and tried to cover myself, catching Toukawa-san's gaze flickering between my chest and her more… modest… proportions. Her shoulders slumped slightly.

"Gotcha!" Kurumi cackled, waving my costume as she sprinted down the beach.

I bolted after her, my feet pounding against the hot sand.

"KU-RU-MI!"

"Tehe!"

Then something sharp jabbed into my foot, sending me stumbling. I hopped on one leg, grimacing as I checked for damage. No blood, thankfully, but what the hell?

A white crystal jutted out of the sand, way bigger than the one Sae had found at Seven Flags. It had the same eerie glow, but this one looked like it could actually take someone's foot off.

Not that I had time to worry about it. Kurumi was making a break for the water.

"Kurumi!" I splashed after her, immediately regretting my life choices as cold water hit my exposed skin. A wave slammed into me, knocking me off balance. The current dragged at my legs while Kurumi teared through the waves like some kind of crazed mermaid.

I fought to stay upright, managing a few clumsy strokes before swallowing a mouthful of salt water. This was pathetic. I used to be decent at swimming, but I guess two years of avoiding the pool had finally caught up to me.

Then a massive wave crashed down. The current yanked me sideways, flipping me until I couldn't tell which way was up. Just when I was sure I'd black out, my head finally broke the surface.

I coughed, blinking away the salt in my eyes. The concrete road that divided the beach stretched out to my left.

We drifted into the exact area Sae warned us about.

"Kurumi?" I called out, scanning the waves. Relief flooded through me when I spotted her head bobbing nearby. But she wasn't looking at me.

I followed her gaze. A jagged rock formation loomed out of the water and there, caught at the highest point like a flag of surrender, was my costume.

Our eyes met. For a split second, neither of us moved. Then we both shot forward, racing toward the rocks.