15.5 Chapter 4.0: To Each Their OwnGrowth

Everyday life on the luxury cruiser full of luxurious experiences quickly came to repeat itself over and over again.

The wallets of the students, who were enjoying themselves as much as they could for the remaining days, were loosening like never before. Logically, this was a shocking thing for students who aimed for the top to do. But splurging for a short break wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

While refreshing themselves from their accumulated exhaustion, they could experience euphoria and happiness.

Well, though I speak as if I advocate it, I myself am using what little private points I have, so it might just sound like an excuse.

After changing to my swimsuit and stepping past the door, a large pool where no one else was barged into my vision. This large pool has been prepared for the luxury cruise ship, but there is also another pool that has been furnished. It's referred to as a private pool which one can enjoy after they book a reservation. It costs 20,000 points per 60 minutes, so it's not cheap. But time spent with only your close friends has value that transcends money. But the most people who can use it at once is 40. If one class were to reserve it then they could do so with 500 points per person.

Because of that, this private pool is unexpectedly popular with the students. From 8 in the morning when it opens to 8 in the evening, it's just about fully booked.

Swimming freely in a pool packed with many people is difficult, but if it were a private pool it would be big enough for anything. You could enjoy yourself without bothering others.

"Uoh, so big-"

Akito, having shown himself by the poolside a bit later, said in zest. It's the same size as the free pool, but because of the reservation it seemed as if the scale was different.

"What will you do Keisei?"

"I'll go after I use the toilet. As I thought, the girls will be later."

The fact that they wouldn't be finished with changing their clothes in such a short time like the men didn't need to be confirmed at this point.

For whatever reason, Akito took the menu placed beside the beach chair.

"Uoh... that's even more expensive."

The drinks here at the private pool were more expensive than the drinks at the free pool, almost twice as much. If you compare the amount of personnel to prepare it and the amount of people who would order here it's only natural, but it's harsh. It means they're exploiting us without restraint even here. They could have also banned food and drinks. The door to the locker room opened just a little bit.

We looked at it about the same time, but nobody seemed to be coming out.

Instead, a voice reached our ears.

"Come on Airi, what are you doing? Go already."

"Bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-but-but! It's embarrassing, Haruka-chan!"

"What's embarrassing? You have a lot of embarrassing pictures of yourself on the net so it's fine isn't it?"

"That-that's different from seeing me directly!"

"In my opinion, I think that's more embarrassing. Come on."

"Wah! Wait wait!"

Such an inexpressible conversation was happening between Haruka and Airi.

"How should I put it? She's better than she seems."

Akito said that out of the blue.

"What is it?"

"I just thought that even you think of that sort of stuff."

"Hey... it's normal for guys isn't it? Though I won't talk about it all day like Ike. You're the same too, right?"

He looked at me with baffled eyes and an air about him that wouldn't allow for denial. It's not as if he realized he was doing that, but I understood that it took courage for Akito to say that.

It wouldn't do me good to deny it so I acknowledged it.

"Well, yeah."

After I said that, Akito laughed as if he had won.

"If the girls hear this they would probably call us idiots or something."

Usually, Akito was relatively relaxed and wore a poker face. But from how much he was talking, even a bystander would be able to tell that he was nervous.

But it seemed that they were still talking. They wouldn't come out.

"How embarrassing!"

"You know!? I feel the same way too!"

"Haha... Haruka-chan, your outfit is so daring."

"That's because you promised that if I wore this you would show yourself in front of everyone!"

"Hyan!"

Waiting for them to appear, we felt that we were in some sort of life and death situation.

"Daring, they said."

"Seems so."

Expectation, and a feeling of embarrassment that followed.

When they come out, where should we look and what should we say to the girls.

"I can't, I can't! A-at least lend me some kind of coat!"

"No! Hey, you can't run!"

"Uu, this kind of swimsuit really is embarrassing Haruka-chan!"

"It's the same for me too, you know? It can't be helped so I'm going along with you!"

"I didn't ask for this~!"

We were getting tired of anticipating when they would come out, but it looked like the fuss would continue for a little bit longer.

"Hey Ayanokouji. What do you think about Airi?"

Akito had been looking in the girls' direction since a while ago, but when I noticed he was looking at me. He didn't say that half-assedly.

"What do I think?"

I understood what he was talking about right away, but I deliberately pretended to not understand.

"There are some complicated parts about being in a group with girls isn't there? Like someone might fall in love with someone else."

It wasn't difficult to answer that question but-.

"What about you?"

When I tried replying with that, Akito showed a slightly more troubled look.

"Well, uh."

After a short silence Akito spoke again.

"It might be a lie to say, not at all."

Instead of denying it, he somewhat acknowledged that there was someone.

"But if that might destroy this group, I don't feel like forcing it."

Putting his heart aside and leaving it as it is. Whether it's Haruka or Airi, I can't judge yet... What's the correct thing to say here?

Unlike Mathematics, when it comes to guiding others there's no such thing as giving a sure answer.

"Kiyotaka, you-"

"Kyaaa!"

Just when Akito was about to say something, the half-closed door slammed open. Then Airi and Haruka fell forward. She screamed, and my eyes met again with Akito's.

"P-pushing me is mean, Haruka-chan!"

"It's because you wouldn't come out since a while ago."

Saying that, Haruka showed herself right after Airi did.

"O-oi oi..."

Akito was visibly astonished. It goes without saying that I was the same.

What should I say? Both of them wore unbelievably daring swimsuits.

If this weren't a private pool, many people would be staring at them, men and women.

Haruka looked up immediately and saw us.

We felt some sort of guilt from being seen and averted our eyes at the same time.

But as if he was already captivated by something, Akito spoke while looking away.

"Airi really gives a different impression doesn't she?"

I don't want him to pass the ball to me here, but he must be suffering too.

"Yeah. She looks sophisticated."

"Exactly, exactly."

When we mentioned our impressions about Airi, Haruka openly made a disappointed face.

"Conventional and common."

"Don't say that. Uh, we're so surprised that words won't come out."

We absolutely want Haruka to understand that our vocabularies have failed.

"...Let's go swim."

As if their stimulus was too strong, after saying that Akito turned his back on them, stretched hurriedly and dove into the pool. Splashing water everywhere, he swam in the pool alone. I understand that he wants to escape. It's exactly because we don't usually experience going to a private pool that the destructive power these two have shown prevents us from escaping.

In order to expel various worldly desires, swimming away like that is the correct answer.

Nevertheless, if two boys suddenly start swimming as hard as they can, the atmosphere will obviously become strange. Here there is no one to act like a shield and confront them but me.

What's to be done with this... As I peeked at the pair, Airi was blushing and couldn't seem to calm down. Seeing her like that, Haruka happily circled around to her back and grabbed both of her shoulders.

"Hya!"

"Look, look Kiyopon. How is this new Airi?"

Saying that, she shoved Airi forward. She was already close before. If I'm not careful she can get close enough to make skin contact. In fact, she really will touch me with that much force. I retreated to preserve a close distance.

"Wa-ah..."

With a swimsuit that was already showing that much skin, touching her would be problematic.

Not being able to bear the situation any longer, Airi opened her mouth to escape.

"I-I guess I'll enter the pool too!"

"Hey Airi-"

Haruka extended her hand to try to catch her, but she didn't make it in time and failed to grip her arm.

From there she jumped into the pool... is what I thought she would do, but she tightly gripping the stainless steel bars and slowly descending into the pool was more like Airi.

"Good grief. Even though I'm super embarrassed myself..."

That's right, isn't it?

While having the chest emphasized, her swimsuit obviously didn't cover much at all in her lower half.

Even though it's tightly secured with a string, it's still unsettling to think about what could happen in the worst case scenario.

"For now I'll say this in advance. The one who picked this absurd swimsuit was Airi okay?"

"I can't retort. What happened specifically?"

In the first place Haruka isn't the type of student to enjoy showing skin to others.

So such an emphasis on her lower half wasn't normal.

"Specifically - specifically huh..."

She made a difficult face for a second then started her explanation while choosing her words.

"How should I say this? I'm going along with Airi or something?"

"What do you mean?"

She picked her words too carefully. I can't understand.

"That girl is trying her very hardest to change. I am, too. Though if I were to say it myself... that girl has parts that stand out a little bit more than others doesn't she?"

She put it vaguely, but she means without a doubt the thing that troubles the eyes on where to look.

"Even though she knows she shouldn't mind it, I guess she's not comfortable being looked at."

I can understand that, but from a guy's mentality, ignoring it is extremely difficult.

No matter what we do we can't avoid our eyes being drawn.

"When I picked a bit of a bold swimsuit to help her become braver, she replied that she would if I do it too."

That was a good reply. If it were Haruka then I can easily imagine her rejecting the idea of wearing an imposing swimsuit.

Then if she wouldn't wear it then Airi wouldn't have to wear it herself.

"I couldn't allow Airi's reimagination of herself to be set back. That was my pride."

If she were forced to do it by her own proposal, not even Airi could escape, is what it is.

"Besides, neither I nor Airi would've been able to wear these swimsuits if it were in the public pool, but it's not."

Since it's with three boys they were close with, it looks like they were somehow able to do it.

But even men could imagine that despite that, they would feel shy.

"...Well?"

Rather than shyness, Haruka asked as if to hide fear.

"Well, even if you tell me not to look it'd honestly be hard not to."

To begin with when you talk with someone they're usually within sight so it couldn't be helped.

Looking up or down wouldn't work. Aside from turning your back, there was no longer a way to avoid looking at her.

"Okay. I intend to understand the differences between guys and girls, but Airi doesn't."

The fascination regarding the chest, hips and abdomen is something that men and women don't share.

No, not just between men and women but between individuals, there are preferences and intensities. Of course they wouldn't understand each other.

"Oh? By the way, where's Yukimu?"

"It looks like he'll take a bit longer."

Maybe he had a stomach ache. He didn't seem to be coming out at all.

"Hhhmmmm?"

Haruka was probably checking without being so interested. She hummed looking away.

The conversation stopped for a second, allowing a short silence to flow.

"...Ah-I can't. This makes me think of a lot of things."

"Sorry. I was being careful not to look."

No matter what I do, as long as I look at the other person's face in a conversation it enters my vision.

"That's not it. You haven't done anything wrong, Kiyopon. I'm just too self-conscious to start with. I know that you're not looking as much as you like at least."

Eh, no... it's not like I'm not looking as much as I like.

I'll keep that to myself.

"If something stands out it's bound to turn eyes. That goes for anything. It's just that when I think that's happening to me I can't get into a good mood."

In Haruka's case, it's not just the eyes of boys. Even if it were from the same sex, she doesn't welcome attention focused on her chest.

"Sorry, I think I'll take more time to calm down."

"It's fine. If you don't think you can, you can change."

"I can't. As long as Airi is doing her best, I don't want to give in after all."

She did talk about Airi's reimagination. I understood that she had thought about it.

"Let me change the subject. I'm only saying this now, but it looks like Kiyopon barely made it in the island test."

Since the Ayanokouji group couldn't gather for several days, Haruka touched on the topic late.

Maybe it's exactly because this topic is completely irrelevant that she brought it up now.

"Well, I was kind of the same so I can't laugh."

"To be honest, it was really harsh. That was the result of me fighting with all I had. Sorry."

"It's not your fault at all. Rather, maybe I should say it's a bit reassuring."

"Reassuring? Even though the result was so harsh?"

"Look, there's even been a rumor that when it comes to math you're absurd, Kiyopon. Won't the people around you calm down a bit with this? You don't like being pressured for weird reasons right?"

Somehow, it looks like she said that after thinking about my future.

"As I thought, you have some parts to you that are more saintly than other guys."

"What makes you think that?"

I thought she was over-evaluating me so I had my doubts.

Like normal people I, too, experience lust and interest in the opposite sex.

"Your facial expression and your gaze. I feel like I get that sort of stuff from you less than other guys."

How should I say this? If I let my facial expression out here then a lot of people might notice. I'm also thankful that other people are sort of assigned to panicking. Isn't that synergy?

"Uoh..."

Keisei changed his clothes, showed up late and made a surprised voice.

The sensation of seeing the reserved private pool... it was obviously not that.

He saw Haruka's bold figure standing beside me.

"Hey, hey."

Haruka greeted Keisei while playing dumb in an attempt to preserve normality.

"U-uoh..."

He pushed up his glasses which were slipping down and turned his eyes to me.

It means that even Keisei, who usually always studies, is also a healthy young man.

The reaction and escape patterns of being the same for everyone here makes it feel just like this group.

If he were someone like Ryuuen or Kouenji, he definitely would have shown a different reaction.

"Well then... I guess I'll swim a bit."

He dove into the pool and swam violently in order to escape towards Akito.

Airi's feet touched the pool floor because she wasn't able to swim well. She waved her hand towards Haruka.

"Haruka-chan come here~. It feels good, you know?"

"Yes yes I'm coming. Wait a little."

It can't be helped. Feeling like that, she started stretching beside me to prepare.

"After fighting together on the island, it feels like you got closer."

"That's true, I guess? We had to share a lot of things from the top and bottom."

"Waah, it's a little embarrassing so don't say it please!"

Airi, who had been waiting and looking here at the edge of the pool got flustered and started splashing around.

Top? Bottom? Common keywords, but meaningful keywords.

"Like, Airi is basically helpless but I couldn't leave her alone. She's my close friend and my little sister, or something?"

A declaration that would have been unthinkable from the time they had met. That's not limited to Haruka.

Keisei is also like that. And although there's no big change in him, so is Akito.