Chapter 5: August — The Pool

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Tsumugi.
You look wonderful again today—please go out with me!”
During summer break at the public pool, Tsumugi once again ran into Shingo.

“I wasn’t waiting, and don’t you dare look this way!
There’s no way I’d go out with you, idiot!”
The bikini she had chosen by stretching beyond herself still made her feel a little embarrassed.
But her friends had showered her with praise, and she ended up buying it on impulse.

One of her nearby friends offered the hoodie she’d been wearing.
Tsumugi gave a brief thank-you, put it on right away, and pulled the front tightly closed.

“Why are you hiding it?
An athletic body as toned and splendid as yours should be shown off more!
Ah—n-no, it’s not that I want to see it!”
He waved both hands frantically in denial, but Tsumugi’s friends egged him on—
“What do you mean you don’t want to see it?” “Yeah, that’s right!”
“...I do want to see it!”
Clenching his fist, he declared it proudly, and the friends folded their arms, nodding in approval.

“Shut up! All of you, just shut up!
And you—why are you even wearing that!?”
Her face turned bright red, and Tsumugi instinctively averted her gaze.

“Hm? It’s just a regular competition swimsuit.”
With a look that said he truly didn’t understand, Shingo peered into Tsumugi’s face.

“Try that again after you’ve toned up a bit more…”
Turning her back to him, she muttered under her breath.

“I’ll prove myself by becoming someone with a body that Tsumugi-san will want to see!
First, please remember how I look now—as the baseline for comparison! Here I come!”
He spread his arms wide and tried to step into her field of view.

“Shut up! Get lost, you pervert!”
Without even looking at him, she thrust her hand out to push him away.

“I’m not a pervert—but very well. I won’t give up!”
He said it in an oddly composed voice, then quietly entered the pool and glided off with a calm, steady breaststroke.

Tsumugi kept her face turned away, her cheeks burning red as she muttered to herself.
Beside her, her friends laughed, shouting, “See you, perv!” and “We’re not cheering for you, though!”