Bonding

It seemed that Pink Candy was attempting to disguise herself by wearing a big sunhat, sunglasses, and a face mask, but it was unmistakably her. Not to mention the audible gasp that she let out when they said her name, which dispelled any remaining doubts Eloy and Genta could still have about her identity.

“W-What are you two doing here?! Weren’t you all supposed to be participating in the activities?!”

“Y-Yeah, we were just about to join the others,” Eloy said, slightly taken aback by her frantic question.

“Well, then you better go asap, or I’ll tell my companions that you are slacking off,” she threatened, adjusting her sunglasses and mask before turning around to live.

Eloy was about to comply, not wanting to risk being penalized due to the woman’s strange behavior, when Genta spoke.

“I don’t know what kind of mark you’re trying to hide, but I doubt it’s as bad as you think.”

Genta’s comment caused Pink Candy to stop her tracks. She then exhaled a humorless chuckle, removed all her accessories while still giving her back to them, and finally turned around.

“Oh, of course it’s not bad. It’s probably worse,” she hissed, her anger and frustration palpable, as she gestured toward the birthmark that began under her right eye and spread across her cheek and part of her nose. “People will stop following me if they see me like this! If only I had known that my stupid new foundation was gonna react badly to the sun…Stupid brand and its stupid promises. 'Suitable for all skin types'. Oh, I can see that now, you liars!”

Pink Candy continued to insult the makeup brand, and during the outburst, Genta simply stood there, waiting patiently for the woman to finish venting.

“You’re probably right. You might lose some followers if they see you like this,” Genta said once Pink Candy had calmed down a bit. “But the ones you lose will be the ones who weren’t worth having in the first place. Because the fans who truly care about you and like what you do, those will stay. And if people discover that you don’t give a shit about what others think about your mark, you can set an example that there’s nothing wrong with having it, and reach even more people.”

Just like Pink Candy’s, Eloy’s mouth hung open in disbelief as Genta finished speaking. Pink Candy audibly gulped and released a slightly trembling snort.

“I-I didn’t ask for your opinion.” She cleared her throat and brusquely put her sunhat and sunglasses back on. “And now go already. The activities have already started.”

Pink Candy walked away, and Eloy noticed that, after a brief hesitation, she eventually stowed her face-make inside her handbag.

“Come on. Let’s get back with the rest.” Genta stopped when realizing that Eloy wasn’t moving, and frowned. “Why are you smiling like that?”

Genta really didn’t seem to know why there was an impressed smile on Eloy's face.

“Nothing,” Eloy said, still smiling. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Despite Eloy's initial hesitations about how the morning would unfold, he ended up having a lot of fun, and barely noticed when cameras were around them. The teams separation also turned out to be a complete success:

Thanks to Ryo, they effortlessly triumphed in the tug of war; Ayaka shone as the MVP in the sandcastle challenge, since she practically built the entire structure while Ryo and Eloy basically helped with the details; and Eloy was transported back to his childhood during the dodgeball tournament - and probably it was a little childish, but winning with him being the last man standing felt incredibly good. They also managed to score victories in both the frisbee and volleyball tournaments before going towards the stage area, where music activities were being held.

Mai Shiratori, Mr. Shin and King also participated in those challenges. Once again, having a diverse group composed of a singer, a piano player and a violinist gave them the upper hand. Ayaka nailed the ballet dance where all of them participated, flawlessly mimicking Shiratori’s movements. The trio achieved the highest score with the song 'Rivers Flow in You,' with Ayaka as the vocalist and Eloy and Ryo at the piano and violin. And during King’s challenge, where contestants had to remain standing and unresponsive as the former idol performed one of his most renowned - and provocative - choreographies, Eloy emerged as the victor.

However, he really had to make an effort not swallow nor avert his eyes when at some point, King wrapped his arms around his neck, singing with his face mere inches away. He practically drank the entire water bottle that Ayaka handed him afterward, grateful that Genta wasn't present to witness that particular challenge.

Also, Mr. Shin surprised everyone by raising the stakes, proposing that whoever dared playing four-hand with him would earn an additional badge, with the catch that they could forfeit one of their badges if they didn't perform well.

Eloy was the only one who accepted the added challenge, because the opportunity to play with someone as gifted as Mr. Shin far outweighed the risk. He didn’t do it perfectly. They had to stop and revisit certain sections of the score, but Eloy enjoyed playing with the Korean composer immensely. Judging by the slight smile on Mr. Shin’s face when they finished, and the fact he won an extra badge, it seemed that the sentiment was mutual.

After that, they finally went to the lunch area. Genta, Ren, and Kota were already sitting at a table and caught their attention by waving their hands.

“The queues were starting to get crazy so we grabbed a bunch of food,” Ren explained as soon as they arrived.

“Finally. I’ve been starving for a while,” Ryo grunted, sitting next to Ren and attacking one of the many tacos.

Eloy had barely sat down beside Genta when he noticed something that made him frown.

“Wait, are you hurt?” he exclaimed, gently tilting his index finger under Genta’s chin, now with a band-aid.

“I told you he’d overreact,” Genta said with a resigned but amused tone, causing Ren to laugh while Eloy kept examining it with a concerned expression.

“Did you go to the infirmary so that they check it? If it gets infected because of the sand–”

“Oi, relax, it’s just a scratch,” Genta said amid chuckles. “I just stumbled during one of the relay races. There’s no reason to panic, mother hen.”

Eloy narrowed his eyes at the nickname as the others chuckled softly, before a mischievous smile spread across his face. “Well, at least now you’ve called me ‘mother hen’ and not da–”

Predictably, Genta snapped a hand against his mouth again, blushing hard, and though the others rapidly started asking about it, Eloy decided to be nice and rapidly changed the topic.

While they ate, they recounted the various activities and badges they had collected. They realized that they had completed all of them, and that there was a tie between their three teams.

“I wonder if we all will have that advantage,” Ayaka commented with an honest, hopeful tone.

“I don’t think so,” Ren said. “They’ll probably make us compete among each other.”

“Well, I’m sure they’ll tell us at some point,” Genta added, throwing an arm around Eloy and grinning broadly. “But until then, the only thing I wanna do is give this guy a beating in dodgeball.”

Eloy snorted with confidence and adjusted his glasses. “I’d like to see you try.”

Once again, it was probably childish. But when he managed to be the last one standing of his team for the second time, and eliminate Genta with a well-aimed throw, he didn’t bother concealing his satisfaction.

“Damn it,” Genta cursed from the sand while Eloy exchanged high-fives with Ayaka and Ryo. Eloy then approached Genta and extended his hand.

“So, who has given whom a beating at dodgeball?”

Eloy’s provoking words and smirk caused Genta’s eyes to light up with competitive spirit before standing up on his own, ignoring Eloy’s helping hand.

“You’re lucky to wear glasses.”

Eloy arched an eyebrow before removing them.

“Okay, now I’m not wearing them,” he said after placing them on the towel that Ayaka had set down for their belongings. “So what are you going to do–?”

Eloy’s sentence was cut off by an undignified squeak when Genta effortlessly lifted him off the ground, tossed him over his shoulder, and dashed towards the sea to throw him into the water.

When Eloy resurfaced, his face a mix of surprise and shock, the rest of the group was already in the water, laughing and playfully splashing each other.

“That’s for getting cocky, Mr. Glasses,” Genta teased from beside him in the water, his eyes now gleaming with amusement.

Eloy let out a half-curse, half-chuckle as he fought to suppress a grin, then lunged after Genta, determined to duck him before the day ended.