Chapter 13:

Trouble In Paradise

Blue Memory

2 days after my C-Card celebration party, we all decided to go to the beach together. BUT not just ANY beach, mind you.

According to Hana and the others, the beach we were going to today, was the island’s most beautiful, and it’s apparently a local secret. The amount of people visiting every day was close to zero, and that made for the perfect spot for a lousy gang such as us, to spend the day at.

We all made no other plans for today, and to my surprise the devil AKA my grandma let me have the day off from the café, after Hana’s pleading of course, meaning we could spend as much time as we wanted there.

That secret beach, was a little ways from the main area of the island we all lived in, so Daichi had to drive all of us there in his father’s car.

And so, with our spirits high, we drove to that local secret place.

“Row, row, row your boat…!”

Daichi who was driving, and Chinatsu, who was sitting in the middle of the backseats, sang together happily.

“It’s a car, guys…” Emi interjected lazily, resting her head on her arm, that is prompt up against the window shill.

“Gently down the stream…!”

“Gently down the stream…!”

But the two of them continued anyway, paying her no mind.

“It’s a road, not a stream…” The girl voiced once again.

“Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream!”

And for that last part, even Hana joined in.

“You too, Hana…?” I turn to her smiling face, with a mixture of confusion and disappointment in mine.

“Hey, we’re going to the beach! Of course I’m gonna be excited!” She notices that, and explains her reasoning.

“Uhm, Mr. Driver, can you focus on actual driving instead of your usual boat fantasies?” I lean forward, grabbing the driver’s seat in front of me.

“Hahaha, fret not, Yukio-kun! I am a master at driving!” Daichi, gave a hearty laugh in response.

Somehow, Daichi using my own mocking tone to reassure me makes me feel even more uneasy.

Thankfully the ride there was no more than an hour, and after Daichi parked the car underneath the shade of a tall tree, we all got out and stretched. For me, hour-long drives were nothing I wasn’t used to, since the commute from Tokyo to other prefectures was sometimes even longer than that.

“We’re finally here!” Hana said stretching her arms out, and turning towards… nothing.

“Uhm, sorry to say this, but are you SURE we didn’t take a wrong turn or something?” I voice hesitantly, noticing there’s not a beach in sight. Sure I can see where the shoreline ends from here, but I don’t believe the beautiful secret spot they talked about is just some rocky cliff.

“Oh, it’s here all right! Come on!” Hana giggled before she grabbed my arm and guided me down the cliff. It was nice to see her back to her old self now, since yesterday she had been avoiding me ALL DAY, probably embarrassed by what she did while drunk.

At first I thought we were in the middle of nowhere, but as soon as we went down the small stone steps and walked along some greenery, we came to a clearing. And that clearing was none other, than the beach itself.

The golden white sand spread out before me, and a few ways from where I stood, the gentle, crystal blue waves overlapped with its glow.

The whole beach was shaped like a cove, enclosed from the sides, with two tall cliffs emerging up to hide this spot from prying eyes. At the far end of crystal clear waters, another rocky cliff laid, wrapping the beach in a circle of rock. But that cliff, unlike the others, was shaped like a gate, allowing us to gaze at the open sea far beyond.

“Wow…” I dropped my backpack on the sand, my mouth agape in shock.

This sight was so unique and breathtaking, I couldn’t even find the words to express how it made me feel.

“So? Thoughts?” Hana grinned, as she let go of my hand, and spun on her toes excitedly, arms held out.

“Seriously? You’re asking for my thoughts?!” I replied shaking my head, before throwing the white t-shirt I was wearing, off. “Let’s just get in there already!” I kicked off my flip flops as I run past Hana.

“Hey, wait for me!” She quickly threw off her clothes too, stripping down to her orange bikini, before racing towards me.

…

“Wow, these two are on a world of their own…” Emi commented, as she looked at the two teenagers racing down the shoreline.

“Well, since Yukio can’t help carry all this, you will!” Daichi said and dumped a really heavy box of unknown contents on the girl’s arms.

“W-Whoa! What’s all this…?!” A pained voice escaped her, as the pull of gravity from the heavy box hindered her ability to speak normally.

“Fireworks!” Daichi replied cheerfully.

“Firewhat?!” Emi gritted her teeth.

“Come on, less talking, more carrying!” The brawny young man hurled every other bag on the car’s trunk over his shoulder and walked off.

“Chinatsu-chan, help…” Emi looked pleadingly at the little girl.

“You can do it, Emi-onee-san.” Chinatsu replied with a grin, trailing behind Daichi.

“You little brat…”

“Daichiii, Yukioo! Damn youu!” Emi’s voice echoed around the enclosed cove, but without overpowering the cheery and playful sounds coming from the two teenagers on the water.

…

“Oh wow, what’s all this?” Just as I got back to the shore, I asked, noticing the cardboard boxes resting on the sand, while I dried my hair with a beach towel.

“What’s all this? Haha, what’s all this…?” Emi repeated, and I swear I could see her soul escape her body through her mouth.

“These are tonight’s main event!” Daichi chimed in,

“Main event?” Hana joined, as she wrapped her own towel around her body.

“Let’s see here…” Chinatsu stuck out her tongue in concentration, as she opened the box and revealed a set of items.

“Fireworks?” I asked, looking at the sets of small sparklers, some cylindrical rods and a pair of medium sized boxes.

“Indeed, my friend! These are all fireworks!” Daichi voiced, clearly proud of his decision to bring them along.

“Where did you get all this?” Hana raised a valid point.

“Yeah, and they look like they cost a lot...” I added.

“Oh, these? I just picked them up from the store and told them to put it on my tab!” He gave a nonchalant reply, shrugging off a potentially bankrupting subject.

I wouldn’t wanna be held accountable for a tab like that…

“Are there any loan sharks in this island?” I whisper, cupping my hand over Hana’s ear.

“Not that I know of…” She whispers back after a shake of her head.

I don’t know if I should be relieved or not…

“Onii-sama, what does this item do?” Chinatsu turns to me, holding the familiar cylindrical rod. Unfortunately, I can’t answer her question accurately.

“I’m sure Daichi knows, right?” I give him a look, and he clears his throat before he starts explaining.

“This is a “Roman Candle”. It fires off three to four small fireworks and, you can also hold it in your hand while it does so.”

“And this?” The little girl points to the medium-sized boxes, clearly intrigued.

“These are called “cake fireworks”. They vary in size, and depending on how large the box is, the more fireworks it fires. THESE will be the best out of them all, tonight. They are grade F3 fireworks, meaning they are just a grade below the grand fireworks we have at the festival!”

“Whoa…” Chinatsu voices in awe, gently touching the boxes.

“And these are called “sparklers”.” I point at the sticks stuffed at the back of the box. “…These are a type of hand-held firework that burns slowly while emitting bright, intense colored flames and sparks. They can barely be called fireworks, but they are the safest you can find out there.”

“Wow, onii-sama you really know everything!” Chinatsu beams, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Didn’t Daichi just explain everything else?

“Where is MY praise?” He voices dryly.

“Meh.” The little girl ignores him, turning back to the sparklers, while Hana giggles to herself, bringing a hand over her mouth to hide it.

“You made me carry all this shit! You don’t deserve any praise!” Emi suddenly gets up, pointing an accusing finger at Daichi, her foul mouth a stark contrast to her lady-like appearance. “And you!” She then points at me.

“You just had to run off with your little girlfriend and leave me to do all the work, huh?!” Emi voices, clearly fuming with rage.

“G-G-Girlfriend?!” Hana’s face turns beet red in 0.1 milliseconds, before she raises her voice, trying to deny it.

“I-I-I’m not a girlfriend! We are not… like that!”

How do we always get SO loud, SO quickly?

….

After Emi’s lecture, and some splashing around the water, we all gathered for lunch. THIS time, we couldn’t avoid Hana’s meat monstrosity of a meal, although Daichi was ecstatic about the quantity of steaks and chicken wings.

After we finished eating, we all gathered underneath the parasol we had set up, chatting about everything and nothing at the same time.

That was when…

“Hey, guys… did it get cloudy or is it just me?” Emi voiced, as she looked over to the horizon.

“You’re right…” I nod in agreement with her, noticing the grey clouds overhead.

“You checked the weather forecast before we came here, right?” Emi turned to Hana, who shrugged in response.

“No, I thought Daichi did.” She replies nonchalantly, making everyone turn to him instead.

“Wait, I thought Hana did…” Daichi said, raising his eyebrows in realization.

You have to be kidding me… right?

“This is preposterous…!” The little Chinatsu exclaimed.

Just as she raised her voice, the faint sound of a drizzle hitting the top of our parasol could be heard.

“Oh cool, now it’s raining…” Emi sighed, hugging her knees.

“Hey guys, relax! I’m sure it will pass!” Hana voiced in an attempt to sound optimistic.

10 minutes later…

“Okay, maybe it won’t…”

The rain hasn’t only not let up, but it’s gotten even stronger and with the wind that has picked up as well, we are already soaked, despite ditching the parasol and taking shelter underneath a large rock.

Then, as we’re about to comment on Hana’s pessimistic attitude, the loud crack of thunder interjects.

“EEEP!” the three girls all exclaim simultaneously.

“Okay guys, we’re getting the heck out of here!” Emi is the first to announce, as she rises to her feet and we all rush to the car behind here, after grabbing our things first.

Desperately trying to cover ourselves with towels, we scramble towards our only saving grace, meaning Daichi’s car.

We get inside and shut the doors closed in a rush, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

“That is why I shall not travel far from my room, ever again…” Chinatsu voices, her tone a mixture of relief and fear.

“What are you waiting for, dude?” Emi looks at Daichi inquisitively, who fumbles with his keys around the ignition.

“Uhm, guys…” He finally breaks the silence, as we all pause and look at him.

“It won’t start…”

“It won’t what?” I ask, while everybody falls silent, their anger bubbling up like soup on a stove.

“Hey, at least we’re not getting wet anymore… right?” Hana chimes in, earning a glare from every single one of us.

“Just kidding, haha…”

You HAVE to be kidding me, RIGHT?!

After Daichi desperately tried to see what’s wrong with the car, and of course failed miserably, we decided to take shelter in a small nearby cave, formed inside one of the cliffs enclosing the beach, since it was stuffy and cramped inside the car.

And of course, we had to have no reception all the way out here, so there was no other option but to wait it out, since we couldn’t call for help.

“This SUCKS…” Emi complained, trying to dry out her hair with a towel. It was right around 7 in the evening and most of our day at the beach had been ruined, turning everyone’s mood sour.

Hana sighed leaning against her friend’s shoulder.

“We can’t even go swimming…” She voices dejectedly.

That’s her concern?

“Well, we can’t do anything about it, can we?” Daichi said ruffling his own wet, spiky hair.

There was INDEED nothing we could do about it. But we were still all together, and complaining would only add more reasons to our bad moods.

What if we had something to do…?

I think to myself, as I look at my backpack, and an idea flashes through my mind.

“Heh…” I grin cockily, having come up with a time-killer. “Tah-dah!”

I present to everyone… a deck of cards.

The wind was mostly cut off from the cave’s entrance, so it wouldn’t really hinder our playing experience.

“Cards?” Hana raised an inquisitive brow.

“Yes, cards.” I sit back and cross my arms over my chest, while she inspects them.

“What are we gonna play?” Daichi chimes in.

“Cheat!” I reply with confidence.

“Cheat?” Chinatsu tilts her head to the side, confused.

“Well, why not?” Emi gave her seal of approval with a shrug.

Soon, everybody agreed to play, as I gave Chinatsu the run-down of the rules.

Cheat was a rather simple card game.

You start by dealing the cards out evenly. If there are remainders, you place them face down in the center as the beginning of the discard pile.

Play begins, with the first player, having to place the Aces in his hand face down on the discard pile and announce his play to the table: “One Ace.” If the player does not have any Aces, or if he wishes to get rid of more than one card, he may bluff and play non-Ace cards while announcing: “Two Aces.” The next player plays 2s, the next player plays 3s, and so on. If a player doesn’t believe an announcement, he can call out, “Cheat!” The person who played the cards must turn them over and show the challenger whether he is bluffing or not. A player who is caught bluffing must pick up the entire discard pile and add it to his hand. If a challenged player is not bluffing, then the challenger must pick up the discard pile. When the rank to play reaches Kings, it then goes back to Aces and the numbers start again.

The first player to get rid of all his cards wins. Usually this is the first player to actually have the last card that must be played on his turn.

“So, you guys ready?” I voice after dealing the cards.

“Born ready!” Hana replies with confidence.

“Let’s see here… one ace…” Emi takes that chance to look over Hana;s shoulder.

“Emiii!” Before she notices and pulls the cards close to her chest.

“Hmph, my victory is pretermined.”

“Let’s goooo!”

Chinatsu and Daichi voiced respectively.

“Oookay, Hana’s first.” I declare, and nod towards her.

“Got it. One ace.” Hana steps us and places one card face down.

“Cheat.” Emi, declares flipping the card open.

Indeed, what Hana called an ace turned out to be, a 4.

Why would you lie right off the bat?

“Oh come oooon…” Hana took up all the leftover cards and her 4 and stuffed them in her hand, while Emi watched her with a grin.

“…Okay, Emi’s turn.” I said, stifling back a chuckle over Hana’s crestfallen face.

“One ace.”

“One 2.”

Then it was Chinatsu’s turn.

“Cheat.”

“What?!” Daichi exclaimed as he rose to his feet, hitting his head on the ceiling of the cave in the process.

“It was obvious.” Chinatsu voiced confidently, with her mischievous grin ever present, as she flipped over the cards.

Actually both Daichi AND Emi, had bluffed but Emi, the mastermind, had gotten away with it. Seeing that, Hana’s eyes sparkled with new-found confidence.

Then it was Chinatsu’s turn.

“Two Aces.”

I turned to my hand. I don’t have any aces, Hana has one, since Emi said so, and Emi cheated so there’s no way I can know if Chinatsu is lying or not.

Deciding to let it slide, I play the next set of cards.

“Double 2s”

“Three 3s!” Hana slams 3 cards down.

“Cheat!” Everybody shouts almost simultaneously.

“Awww!”

And of course it is revealed Hana was bluffing, meaning she gets to add all the cards from the pile, to her hand.

Emi’s turn came round.

“One Ace.” Again, she voices.

“Cheat!” Hana calls out immediately, this time her confidence apparent on her face.

She flips the card to reveal…

An ace.

“I don’t like this game…” She sniffles, as she adds the ace to her hand, and the game continues.

Poor Hana…

At the end of the first game, Emi is the winner.

Can’t believe she outsmarted me!

I grit my teeth, holding back the bitterness from my defeat.

“Emi, you meanie…” Hana on the other hand, is on the verge of tears, as she hugs her knees and whimpers like an injured puppy.

“Here, here…” Emi pats her head, and hands her a chocolate bar she seemingly pulled out of nowhere.

Emi and I were really close there during the end, but she managed to one-up me. Apart from that, she completely destroyed Daichi, and especially Hana, who she called out for EVERY bluff. I guess she just knows her that well.

“I… Don’t want to…” Hana says, hungrily eyeing the chocolate.

“Come on, it’s strawberry flavor.” Emi giggles.

“Strawberry?” Suddenly Hana raises her head.

“Yep.”

“Okie.” Hana simply voices, taking the bar from Emi’s hands and gulping it all down, after removing the wrap.

“Deliissh!” With her spirits finally lifted, Hana now wore a brilliant smile instead.

Is she that simple?

“I can’t believe Emi bested me!” Daichi voiced, still bitter himself.

“She didn’t best you, man. She destroyed you.” I comment.

“I shall be the winner next time.” Chinatsu declares, as Emi shuffles the deck.

“Is THAT a challenge?”

“I’ll do better this time!” Hana rose to her feet, determined.