Chapter 53: Sea ②

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Translator: Soafp

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“Alright, done.”

I pointed the UV camera at their backs and confirmed that the sunscreen had been evenly applied across both Nodoka and Airi.

Nodoka said, “Thanks,” and immediately got up from the mat.

But instead of getting up, Airi rolled over onto her back and faced me.

“Do the front too, Ren-kun.”

“…You can do that yourself.”

“Wouldn't it be better if Nodoka had you apply it to her chest too?”

“W-What!?”

There it was again—dragging Nodoka in to outnumber me.

But this time, Nodoka didn't go along with Airi's plan.

“T-There are too many people here, so n-no… A-At least somewhere more private…”

“Hm… you have a point. I don't want anyone other than Ren-kun seeing me either.”

“D-Don't get the wrong idea, Ren! I-it's not like I mind you applying it or anything!!”

“O-Okay…”

That was one of those tsundere lines where you really don't know how to respond.

“Then next, it's our turn to apply it on you, Ren-kun.”

“Ren, you really had fun teasing us earlier, didn't you? Prepare yourself!”

“Do guys even need sunscreen?”

“That's outdated thinking, Ren-kun. Men's skin matters too.”

“But still… doesn't a bit of a tan make a guy look healthier?”

“A guy like you wouldn't look good tanned anyway! You're better off staying pale like you are now! So stop talking and let us do it!!”

The two of them grabbed my arms firmly and made me sit down on the mat.

At this point, I had no choice but to accept my fate.

I tried to lie face down on the mat.

“No, Ren-kun. Stay sitting like that.”

“Huh? Why? If you're doing my back, it'd be easier if I lay down.”

Like they did earlier.

“Hehe, I've got an idea. Nodoka, do you want the front or the back?”

“Huh? Um… I-I'll take the front.”

“Got it. Then I'll take the back.”

“Wait, what do you mean front and back?”

Ignoring my question, Nodoka sat in front of me while Airi positioned herself behind me.

Don't tell me…

A moment later, both of them squeezed sunscreen into their hands.

Then, just like I had done earlier, they pressed it directly onto my skin without hesitation.

Nodoka's hands landed on my chest, and Airi's on my shoulder blades.

“Hyah!”

The coldness made me jump, goosebumps running across my body.

Being touched from both sides at once only made it more startling.

Seeing my reaction, the two of them burst into laughter.

“‘Hyah!' What kind of scream was that?”

“You're kind of cute, Ren-kun.”

“Just kill me…”

For some reason, I felt like a new embarrassing chapter had just been added to my life.

Before long, they started applying the sunscreen—Airi handling my back, Nodoka my chest.

I could've at least done the front myself…

But their determination clearly wasn't going to break.

I'd already learned that the hard way while planning this trip.

In the end, I just let it happen.

“Nodoka, your face is seriously red.”

“Huh!? D-Don't stare at me like that!”

“I can see it, what do you want me to do… close my eyes?”

“Ugh… Senpai! Please switch with me!”

Apparently, she was embarrassed.

Which was normal.

Airi being completely unfazed was the unusual part.

“Nodoka, you want to touch Ren-kun's back too, don't you?”

“W-What!? N-no, that's not it!”

“Then there's no need to switch places. Look, if you do this…”

Airi grabbed Nodoka's wrists and pulled her forward.

Nodoka's body was drawn closer to me, closing the distance even more.

“S-Senpai!?”

“See? Now you can reach his back too, right?”

“W-Well, that's…”

Before I knew it, Nodoka was straddling my legs, wrapping her arms around me to reach my back.

…This was getting pretty awkward, wasn't it?

Just as I thought that, Airi pressed her upper body against my back from behind, wrapping her arms around me as well.

“Nodoka, you should press your ch*st a bit closer. Ren-kun will like that.”

“I-Is that so…?”

For some reason, Nodoka didn't hesitate this time.

She leaned forward and pressed her soft chest against mine.

With me shirtless and the two of them in bikinis, pinned from both sides, unable to move…

It felt like my thoughts were starting to melt.

Their hands moved in smooth strokes.

Nodoka traced around my waist while Airi moved along my abdomen.

Every motion changed the shape of the soft pressure against my chest and back, making it all feel vividly real.

“Whoa, what's with those guys? That's insane.”

“I've never seen a couple like that before…”

This was a packed beach in peak season.

Of course we were drawing attention.

Hearing whispers from around us, I snapped back to my senses.

“Hey, you two, that's probably enough, right? Check with the UV camera.”

“Not yet, Ren-kun. Right, Nodoka?”

“Huh? Y-Yeah! What, Ren? We're putting all this effort into applying it for you—do you have a problem with that?”

“N-No, it's not that…”

Why was Nodoka suddenly so bold at times like this?

…Wait, looking closely, her eyes were completely closed.

If she couldn't see it herself, then it didn't count, huh?

Come to think of it, once Nodoka got worked up, she tended to go all in without stopping.

(Oh right. I need to bring that up.)

At this rate, my body was going to react before my mind could keep up.

Trying to distract myself—and lower their excitement—I suddenly spoke up.

“Airi, that ‘Jirai-chan Syndrome' you mentioned before—that's the same idol, right?”

“Yeah, it is. Why all of a sudden? Did you have another bad dream?”

“Not exactly.”

Nodoka puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

“You're talking about another girl again. Cheater. Don't tell me the two of us aren't enough?”

“It's an idol.”

“She's still a girl! I won't complain if you're a fan, but at least don't talk about her when you're with me!”

“I'm not even a fan…”

I hadn't told Nodoka about that “nightmare,” so she seemed to be misunderstanding.

She'd probably already noticed my precognitive ability to some extent.

If I wanted her cooperation, I should explain at least a little.

“This is important. It involves someone's life.”

At my words, Nodoka's eyes widened.

“A life… So it's something like that…”

“I'll explain in detail when we get back to the inn. There are too many people here.”

“Got it. Ren, I told you before—don't do anything dangerous, okay?”

“I won't. I'm not about to become some red-haired pirate.”

“You promise? Because if anything happens to you, I'll never forgive you!”

So I'd get blamed even if I got hurt?

I let out a small laugh and patted her head.

“It's fine. I'll prioritize my own safety first. Happy now?”

“…Yeah.”

She answered quietly, then rested her head against my chest.

I didn't expect her to worry this much.

Well, she's the kind of person who'd even come all the way to my house for Yuzuki's sake—she's just that caring.

Airi chuckled behind me.

“Looks like you've completely tamed Nodoka, Ren-kun. Maybe you're her number one now.”

“T-That's not true! I—I just think of Ren as…!”

Nodoka glanced at me, her face turning even redder, then quickly looked away.

“…Just as a friend.”

---

We somehow finished applying sunscreen.

After that, Airi looked up information about the Jirai-chan Syndrome live show on her phone.

“Looks like they're doing a surprise live show here the day after tomorrow. It was announced on their official account.”

…Announcing it two days in advance and still calling it “surprise”—does that even count?

I found myself slightly baffled, while Nodoka's eyes lit up.

“Then we'll get to see a real idol live!?”

“Probably. The problem is, if Ren-kun's bad feeling is right, it could turn into a terrible memory.”

“Ah… right. This isn't the time to just enjoy it…”

Nodoka sighed, her shoulders drooping.

It seemed this would've been her first idol concert, and she had been really looking forward to it.

“Well, we just have to make sure it doesn't turn into something terrible.”

“Ren-kun, you're really planning to stop it?”

“Now that I know, I can't just ignore it. It'd leave a bad taste.”

The problem was how to prevent the lightning accident.

If the three of us worked together and rushed the stage, we might be able to stop it.

But then not only me, the two of them would probably get detained too.

If possible, I wanted to resolve this more peacefully.

“But you've got plenty of money, right?” Nodoka said suddenly.

“Yeah, I do.”

She came up with an unexpected idea.

“Then why not just become a sponsor for the concert?”