A long time later—
On the streets—
Aina, dressed in a cherry blossom pink yukata, looked at Shiro with contempt.
Her face still flushed, she grumbled, "So what exactly were you two doing in there? Why did it take longer than it took me to change?!"
It's worth noting—Kiyoko had been super fast helping her change clothes. The second it was Shiro's turn, though, it dragged on forever!
Plus! She was pretty sure she heard faint "mm~ mm~ mm~" noises!
"Hah~ Kids shouldn't worry about adult stuff~" Shiro looked relaxed and smug.
He'd just spent some quality time alone with Kiyoko after ages—there was just a lot to catch up on, emotionally, that's all~
"Tch!"
Aina clicked her tongue in disgust. Did he really think she was a clueless kid? Those two hedonistic degenerates were definitely making out in there!
The image of Kiyoko in that flirt's arms made her glare at Shiro even more fiercely.
(′｀;)?
Shiro scratched his head again. Aina wouldn't be misunderstanding something, right? He swore to the heavens—they really didn't do anything inappropriate!
Not that they had time for it anyway...
Maybe it was because of his ridiculously good looks, but people walking past on the street kept staring at Shiro in awe.
A group of pretty girls even blushed hard at the sight. If Aina hadn't been standing there with him, they probably would've tried to strike up a conversation.
Shiro glanced at Aina with mild disdain, "Should we split up and walk separately?"
"Don't even think about it!"
Aina was going to keep her eye on this trash man for her bestie!
Also—
"Can you please pull your collar up?!"
She said this in a mix of shyness and frustration. Who even wears a yukata like that, with their chest showing?! No wonder people were staring!
Pfft!
"Nope!" Shiro shot her down instantly. "This is the ultimate yukata technique!"
As he spoke, he even tugged the collar down further. Aina could practically hear the girls nearby gasp.
"..."
Aina clutched her forehead in despair. Japanese girls... there's no saving them...
Outside a supermarket—
Iori and the others were waiting under the lead of Azusa and Kotobuki.
"Geez, what's taking that Shiro guy so long?"
Iori, whose yukata made him stand out completely, complained. Their assigned task was to buy ingredients for the gathering.
"Don't tell me that guy didn't even bring a yukata. Also, Kitahara, what even is that...?"
Kohei glanced at Iori's outfit—a big pair of shorts with a yukata top—and hesitated. He'd never heard of a yukata coming with huge shorts.
"You're in no position to judge, man..."
Iori knew his outfit was off, but he still couldn't stand getting roasted by Kohei.
Because—
Kohei was wearing a Rarako girls' yukata! A little too much, maybe?
Was this guy really socially anxious?
"Hah?! Still better than your big shorts!"
"Shut-in loser!"
"Big shorts freak!"
"..."
Chisa sighed. These two idiots could argue about literally anything.
What was supposed to be a normal hangout already felt like it was on the verge of collapse.
Azusa and Kotobuki, on the other hand, were watching it all unfold with smiles—like they were seeing their younger selves again.
"Hey hey hey, I could hear your bickering from halfway down the street. You guys are seriously a handful. And what the heck are those outfits?"
A lazy voice called out—the main character had arrived!
Shiro appeared in a black yukata with his chest exposed, arms tucked casually in his sleeves, and a lazy smile on his face as he strolled over.
No doubt about it—he looked ridiculously good.
A few girls behind him even had literal heart-eyes.
Seeing this walking embodiment of hormones, Iori and Kohei's faces instantly darkened.
So this jerk was off flirting somewhere, huh?!
Unforgivable!
This was a PAB gathering—no outsiders invited. Why dress up like you're trying to seduce someone?!
...Okay, fine. The truth was—they were just super jealous!!!
Azusa, on the other hand, was eyeing Shiro up and down like she'd just unlocked a new outfit in a dating sim.
She leaned over to him, poked at his exposed chest, and chuckled, "Shiro, you're looking super sexy today~ (λ?_??)"
Shiro didn't mind the teasing at all. He even tugged the collar lower. "This is called the yukata ultimate move~ (λ?_??)"
Pfft~
No idea why, but even though she'd seen him naked plenty of times, this subtle peek was way more flustering. Azusa suddenly felt a little faint.
She covered her nose and gave Shiro an approving look.
Tch!
The two idiot boys were now seething with jealousy.
"Hurry up already! We've been waiting on you!"
"Ah, hang on~ There's one more person."
(′｀;)?
"One more?"
Everyone tilted their heads. Was another senior coming to help?
Shiro didn't answer—he just nodded toward someone behind him.
Iori and the others turned their heads—
And then they saw—
Aina, who had been missing for nearly an entire vacation, was now standing in front of them in a cherry blossom yukata, smiling shyly.
"Looks like you guys had a lot of fun while I was away~"
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"Makeup Zombie?!" ×2
"Wow, so rude, you two!"
Hearing that familiar nickname, Aina's expression finally cracked.
She'd imagined so many possible reunion scenarios—this was not one of them!
Aina's sudden appearance left everyone except Shiro shocked—and then excited.
With her here, the whole club was finally together again!
Azusa looked at Shiro, clearly already guessing the answer, but asked anyway, "You did this?"
Shiro calmly pulled Azusa's hand off his chest, straightened his collar, and walked forward.
After getting the distance right, Shiro turned around and gave Azusa a big smile.
"Didn't we say we were going to throw the most memorable and grand summer party? Of course, everyone has to be together!"
That smile successfully froze Azusa in place. In that moment, her heart was pounding faster and faster.
Even faster than the first time she shared a bed with Shiro.
But Azusa quickly snapped out of it, grabbed Shiro by the neck, and gave him a tight, rough hug.
"You little brat, changed your outfit and now you think you're Mr. Cool, huh?!"
"My bad, my bad! I just learned it! But Azusa nee, admit it—don't I look cool?"
"..."
RUB RUB RUB!!!
Azusa didn't say anything. She just sped up the rate at which she was rubbing his head.
She'd been completely charmed.
…
"Waaah! Didn't we agree not to make amazing memories without me? What's this about a deserted island?!"
Aina looked utterly wronged. Missing out on the deserted island trip was just too much!
She had wanted to take pictures of everyone diving together too!
"Well, there wasn't much we could do—it was a last-minute slot given to the store by a client."
Iori scratched his head. This was basically out of their control.
"But—why did you suddenly come back?"
"Done with stuff at home?"
The two of them asked. She hadn't responded to their messages earlier either.
"Uhh, that…"
At this point, Aina's expression stiffened. She wanted to dodge the question, but under the intense stares of everyone, she finally gave in.
" Shiro pulled me out…"
Everyone shifted their gaze toward Shiro, who was drinking beer he'd somehow found.
"Ah, yeah, I got her out. I helped Grandpa Zombie find a more efficient method!"
"More efficient?"
Seeing everyone's puzzled faces, Shiro explained, "I just made a post online about a 'rural experience tour.'
'Experience life in the countryside! Registration fee only 3000 yen! Not only can you experience culture totally different from the city, but there's free watermelon too!'
"So Aina's Grandpa not only got a bunch of laborers—college student laborers, at that—but also made a solid profit. He even mailed us some watermelon. We can take them to the party later."
"..."
Everyone fell silent after hearing the story, then gave Shiro a collective thumbs-up.
As expected of the richest one in their group. He could even make this kind of thing into a money-making venture.
But Iori still had a question. He looked at Aina and asked,
"That sounds great. So why were you so reluctant to talk about it earlier?"
"Ahaha… No reason, I just got a bit nervous seeing everyone so excited. Ahaha…"
???
Everyone gave her confused stares.
Nervous?!
This time, Aina just shifted her gaze away guiltily and didn't explain further.
How was she supposed to say it?
Was she supposed to confess that she got jealous and upset seeing everyone having so much fun—so much so that she drove the truck into a swamp?
They'd laugh at her for sure!
Unfortunately, Aina forgot something—there was still one more person who knew the truth.
With a smug look, Shiro spilled the beans.
"Aina drove into a swamp and got chewed out by her grandpa. The watermelons she ruined probably outnumber the ones the customers got to eat! (λ?_??)"
Hearing this, everyone's expressions turned to understanding.
Only Aina couldn't hold it together. The sound of a kettle boiling could be heard again.
"ShiroII!!!"
～
After all the playing around, no one forgot the real reason they'd come today!
Everyone headed into the mall to shop for the food and supplies they'd need for the party.
A crowd of beautiful men and women in yukata caught the attention of every passerby.
Some people even wondered if they were filming a short video or drama.
After all, people like Shiro, Kohei, and Azusa were ridiculously attractive!
None of them paid attention to the looks they were getting. These were the same folks who'd walked around Izu in just their swim trunks—they didn't care in the slightest!
"Are we only buying octopus and takoyaki flour?"
Iori asked, since it was a takoyaki-themed party—they'd need plenty.
"Don't you think that'd feel like something's missing?"
"Let's get some cheese, sausage, and shrimp paste too."
Senior Su suggested. After all, there were no rules saying takoyaki only had to have octopus~
"Great idea!"
"Kimchi and mentaiko could work too~"
"Slurp~ Just hearing it makes my mouth water."
Kohei wiped the corner of his mouth—he was already craving it.
"How about some pancakes and chocolate?"
"Haha, a bunch of grown men eating sweets?"
"I like them!"
"Me too!"
"..."
Watching everyone so happy, Shiro—trailing behind—curved his lips into a smile.
He didn't go shopping for ingredients with them. Instead, he headed off in another direction:
The Fireworks Section!
After all, what's summer without fireworks?
Summer. The beach. Fireworks.
This was something Shiro had dreamed of across both his lives.
Just then, Azusa, who had been picking avocados, noticed Shiro sneaking off.
She quietly put down the avocado and trailed behind him—
Shiro, deep in thought over which fireworks to buy, didn't notice the little tail following him.
…
"Hmm… Which one should I pick?"
Staring at the colorful array of fireworks, Shiro realized he'd been too impulsive.
There were way too many options!
Not good news for someone as indecisive as him.
Japan really was a fireworks nation. Shiro saw all kinds of fireworks here—
Even Rarako-style ones...
Definitely couldn't let Kohei see those!
Maybe he should go with a heart-shaped one?
Given that most of them featured naked guys, a heart-shaped one might balance things ou—
{{(°△°; ")}}!
His whole body tensed!
That kind of tensed!
Shiro whipped around in fear—someone had just touched his butt!
"Azusa-nee?!"
There she was, right behind him, mid-'Thousand Years of Death' pose!
It was her!
"Eh? Why'd you turn around, Shiro? I hadn't even started applying force yet."
Azusa looked surprised. She hadn't even poked him yet!
(.;゜;:益:;゜;.)
"You… you touched it just now."
Looking at Azusa squatting in that pose, Shiro was sweating nervously. That stance was definitely a launch position!
"Ah, I must've accidentally touched it while I was aiming earlier. Hahaha, sorry about that, Shiro."
Realizing she must've bumped into him while trying to aim properly, Azusa shrugged.
Now that the confusion was cleared up, she reset her pose, eyes gleaming with intent.
"Alright, let's go again!"
??!
Just when Shiro thought the nightmare was over, he backed away furiously, hands on his rear.
"Azusa nee! What do you mean go again?! Who would volunteer for that?!"
"Eh? We can't?"
"Of course not!!"
"Aww…"
Azusa stood up looking disappointed, mumbling,
"It's your fault for sticking your butt out so temptingly. I don't have a [censored], so I could only go with the 'Thousand Years of Death.'"
"..."
Shiro, who had pretty good hearing, twitched at her words.
What kind of degenerate thing is that to say?!
If she did have that thing, he'd never bend over in front of her!
"Huff…"
Shiro sighed. Just as he was about to lecture Azusa, two pale peaks came into view.
Because she'd bent over to stand up, Shiro got a full view of her cleavage from inside the yukata.
He could even see the tips.