At the Pool

A mirror reflected Miyuki's form back to her. She leaned over the sink, holding onto the edges of the counter. The purple of her bikini complimented her dark hair and highlighted the curvature of her body. Despite having the otherworldly beauty of an idol, she was self-conscious under the scarce material. She had done a photoshoot the previous summer at the beach in the same outfit, but there were only a few people she had to appear in front of, and none of them were the boy that infatuated her.

Behind her, a girl around her age with light brown bangs slipped through the fabric that separated a changing room from the rest of the locker room and paused when she saw Miyuki’s reflection looking back at her. “Oh. My. Stars. Miyuki Haruno!? Am I dreaming?”

Something like this was bound to happen, but Miyuki hoped that since this was her hometown, nobody would panic when they saw her. She turned around with a forced smile to hide her discomfort. “Hi there!”

“I’m such a huge fan!” The girl jumped with overwhelming joy. “I knew you lived here, but I’ve never had the opportunity to run into you before. I’m Nami, by the way. Can I call you Miyuki?”

“S-sure,” she stepped to the side in case Nami needed to use the sink.

“You look even cuter up close!” Nami’s eyes were filled with the stars of sheer admiration. “And that bikini looks so good on you!”

“Oh, y-you think so?” Miyuki looked away, embarrassed.

“Of course! Gosh, I can’t believe I’m meeting my favorite idol at the pool! What brings you here?” She asked.

“Well, um…” She shook her head, hoping to dispel the awkwardness that was affecting her speech. “A friend wanted to come here with me,” she explained. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here. I used to come a lot, years ago.”

“A friend? That’s great! Maybe I could join?” She met Miyuki’s eyes with a pleading expression.

“That might make things a little awkward…” Miyuki replied to Nami’s dismay.

“Okay… Can I at least get an autograph?” She pushed, the distance between her and Miyuki suddenly vanishing in an instant.

“Do you have something for me to write with?”

“Yes! One second, I’ll be right back,” she dashed around the corner, reappearing a moment later with a smooth black pen and a pocket-sized picture of Miyuki in the fiery dress she performed Phoenix in.

“I keep this picture with me wherever I go,” she said as she handed the items over to Miyuki for signing. “Keeping it around brings good luck, and it looks like I got an overdose of luck today!”

Miyuki clicked the pen. “Do you want me to sign the front or back?”

“Either’s fine,” Nami beamed.

She flipped the picture onto its back and took the pen to the cardstock. Once her name was signed, she handed the picture and pen back to Nami.

“Thank you so much! I’ll cherish this forever!”

Miyuki couldn’t help but smile at the pure joy she saw written all over the girl. “It was nice to meet you, Nami.”

Nami’s cheeks turned red when her name was uttered by the lips of her idol. “You too! Thank you so much!” She lowered her head to her knees in a bow.

“Have fun at the pool,” she smiled and turned to leave the locker room.

On the other side of the door was a vast bean-shaped basin of water built around a large white cylinder that flared out like a lamp high in the air. Water cascaded down the rim of the structure, crashing into the pool below. Dozens of people splashed and swam in the water, and some more relaxed on white lounge chairs that lined the walls.

Miyuki looked around for Jin, wondering where he would be waiting. Behind her, she heard the girl she had just spoken with whisper to another girl, most likely about the encounter she had just had. On the other side of the spacious room, she spotted Jin sitting on one of the lounge chairs. He had on a grey swim shirt that matched his trunks, much to her disappointment.

Careful not to slip on the wet concrete floor or run into any of the moving bodies, Miyuki powerwalked over to where Jin was resting on the other side of the pool. “Did I keep you waiting?” She asked as she approached.

“Not at all. I actually just sat down,” Jin turned toward her and froze.

A blush rose to Miyuki’s face as she asked her next question. “That’s a relief. So, how do you like my outfit?” She crossed her arms behind her back.

Noticing the amount of smooth skin he was not used to seeing, Jin pulled his head the other direction. “That’s quite… revealing. I expected you to wear something more.”

Miyuki’s discomfort soared at his feedback. “Well, um… The only other option I had was my school swimsuit, and I-I’d be too embarrassed wearing that in public… B-besides, we’re at a pool, it’s normal to wear something like this!”

“I know, I know.” Jin took a deep breath and brought his gaze back to meet Miyuki’s almost tear-filled eyes. An emotional dagger struck him in the chest, seeing the hurt he caused. “I’m sorry, Miyuki. It was just a surprise. The colors match you perfectly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, so I’m sorry I didn’t compliment you originally,” he dipped his head in apology.

“Apology accepted,” Miyuki beamed. Like a flash of lightning, she reached for Jin’s hand and pulled him into the shallow water.

He let out a yelp of surprise as he was dragged into the pool.

Miyuki giggled and kept pulling him deeper until the water reached her waist. “Take this!” She cupped her hands in front of her and pushed forward to splash Jin with a wave of water.

He flinched, not quite ready for the attack. “Oh, that’s how we’re going to play, huh? You better prepare yourself, Miyuki.” Jin swung his arm through the water, hurling it in retaliation.

She squealed as the warm water drenched her upper body. “Let’s see who wins this battle,” she giggled as she splashed him again.

Unbeknownst to either of them, lounging on one of the chairs against the wall, a blonde beauty watched the two play in the water behind dark sunglasses. “Looks like my trip to Akita wasn’t a total waste,” Luna smirked.