On the third morning of their vacation, Kirito woke and wandered to the living room, finding it empty.
"Hey, anyone here?" he called, roaming the house.
No one answered. Tilting his head, Kirito caught faint voices from somewhere.
"Those voices… they're in the garden?" he muttered.
Stepping outside, he called out, "Morning! What are you three doing out—"
His words froze. There, lounging on beach chairs in swimsuits and sunglasses, sipping tropical drinks, were Hachiman, Asuna, and Lizbeth.
"What the…?" Kirito stammered.
"Yo, Kirito, you're up," Hachiman said. "Your drink's ready. Get in a swimsuit already."
"Kirito-kun, aloha!" Asuna chirped.
"Kirito, aloha!" Lizbeth echoed.
"A-aloha… wait, what's going on?!" Kirito blurted.
"Hachiman-kun wanted to laze around, so we just… went with it?" Asuna said.
"It's great, Kirito! Totally chill vibes!" Lizbeth added.
"I mean, maybe, but…" Kirito trailed off, his eyes lingering on Lizbeth's swimsuit before he shyly looked away.
"Hey, Kirito," Hachiman said. "Took you a solid second to tear your eyes off Liz."
"Wha—!" Kirito flushed.
"It's fine, Kirito-kun," Asuna said. "Hachiman-kun stared at me three times as long earlier."
"That's not a fair comparison," Hachiman muttered.
"Don't sweat it!" Lizbeth said, patting an empty beach chair. "Your spot's right here, Kirito!"
"Fine…" Kirito sighed, changing into a swimsuit and flopping onto the chair. He took a sip of the tropical drink Hachiman handed him.
"Oh…" Kirito said.
"Not bad, right?" Hachiman asked.
"Yeah, perfect for chilling," Kirito said.
"Here, breakfast sandwiches," Lizbeth said, handing him one.
"Thanks, Liz," Kirito said.
"I made them!" Lizbeth said proudly. "Ahem!"
"Really? Let's dig in!" Kirito took a bite. "Mmm, tastes great."
"Phew! I haven't cooked much lately, so I was worried about my skills," Lizbeth said.
"Nah, this is legit good. Thanks," Kirito said.
"You're welcome!" Lizbeth beamed.
Hachiman's mischievous side sparked. "Hey, Kirito, you got to see Liz in a swimsuit because I wanted to laze around. You're welcome."
"Ugh, don't get all high and mighty," Kirito grumbled.
"It's fun, right? We don't get days like this often," Lizbeth said.
"True," Kirito admitted.
"By the way, Kirito-kun, aren't you forgetting something?" Asuna said suddenly.
Kirito blinked, clueless. "Sorry, no idea…"
Asuna sighed. "Fine. Hachiman-kun, let's reenact the scene."
"Got it. Roll the flashback!" Hachiman said.
They stood and launched into an impromptu skit.
"Asuna, I'm feeling like lounging on beach chairs today," Hachiman said.
"Love it! I'll whip up some tropical drinks and throw on a swimsuit," Asuna replied.
"Perfect vibe. Let's set it up," Hachiman said.
"Morning, you two! What's up?" Lizbeth cut in, joining the skit.
"Oh, Liz! Here's the plan," Asuna said, explaining.
"Sounds awesome!" Lizbeth said.
"Hang on, I'll get everything ready," Asuna said.
"And… done! Yo, I'm ready too," Hachiman said.
"Let's all change into swimsuits!" Asuna said.
"Woohoo!" Lizbeth cheered.
"Asuna, that swimsuit looks amazing. As expected of my Asuna!" Hachiman said.
"Thanks, Hachiman-kun!" Asuna replied.
"Hey, what about mine?" Lizbeth asked.
"Uh, looks good, I guess?" Hachiman said vaguely.
"Wow, so half-hearted," Lizbeth laughed.
"Liz, what Hachiman-kun means is, he's too busy praising his precious Asuna, so someone else should properly compliment you," Asuna said.
"Asuna's Hachiman-translation mode is top-tier," Lizbeth said. "Got it!"
The three turned to Kirito, staring intently.
"…" Hachiman stared.
"…" Asuna stared.
"Figured it out yet?" Lizbeth asked.
"Uh… Liz, your swimsuit looks great," Kirito said.
"Yay! Feels like I forced it out of you, but I'm happy! Thanks!" Lizbeth said.
"You're welcome," Kirito said.
"Case closed," Hachiman said.
"Let's keep chilling!" Asuna said.
"Nice to do this for once," Kirito agreed.
They lounged all day, and by evening, Kirito and Lizbeth headed home.
"Hey, Hachiman-kun," Asuna said.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"Things got lively with Liz and Kirito-kun, but… was it okay not including Silica-chan?"
"Oh, that? I checked with her yesterday via message," Hachiman said.
"What? When?" Asuna asked.
"Had to clear things with Silica and Argo beforehand," Hachiman said.
"Argo-san too?" Asuna said, visibly surprised.
"You didn't notice?" Hachiman asked.
"Nope, not at all…" Asuna admitted.
"Silica said in her message that she sees Kirito more like a big brother than a love interest," Hachiman said.
"That makes sense," Asuna said.
"Argo said info brokers shouldn't get attached to anyone specific," Hachiman added.
"That's… but…" Asuna trailed off.
"She's got her own principles," Hachiman said.
"But is that really okay?" Asuna asked.
"Nothing's set in stone. Let them figure it out," Hachiman said.
"Yeah…" Asuna said.
"If you're worried, invite Silica and Argo for dinner tonight. We've got enough Ragout Rabbit left," Hachiman suggested.
"Yes! Let's do it!" Asuna said.
Asuna messaged them, and both agreed, setting up another dinner party.
"Ragout Rabbit stew is great, but what about a Japanese-style steak?" Hachiman mused.
"Probably delicious too," Asuna said.
"Let's go with that," Hachiman said.
"Yup!" Asuna agreed.
Suddenly, a knock knock came from behind. They spun around to find Argo sitting in a living room chair, eyes gleaming, clutching a knife and fork she'd been tapping on the table.
"Hey…" Hachiman said.
"What's up, Hachi-bou? Dinner ready?" Argo asked.
"We just messaged you! How are you here already?" Hachiman asked.
"I just ran over after the message… full speed," Argo said.
"You really wanted to eat, huh?" Asuna said.
"No worries, I brought my own knife and fork," Argo said.
"That's not the issue…" Hachiman muttered.
"Oh, and Silica's here too," Argo added.
"What?" Hachiman and Asuna said, scanning the room.
They spotted Silica peeking from behind the door.
"Silica, you too?" Hachiman said.
"S-sorry! I missed the right moment to say hi!" Silica said. "Oh, I brought my own knife and fork, so no worries!"
"Again, that's not the issue… Is this knife-and-fork thing a trend now?" Hachiman asked.
"Didn't I mention?" Asuna said, surprising them. Apparently, she'd found a stylish knife-and-fork set while shopping and gifted them to all the girls in their group.
"Nice taste, Asuna," Hachiman said. "Real classy."
"Right? I saw them and was like, 'This is it!'" Asuna said.
"You girls carry those around and show off my wife's great taste," Hachiman said.
"I was winning this convo, but now I'm losing…" Argo muttered.
"Scary stuff!" Silica said.
Asuna cooked, and soon the table was laden with dishes.
"Let's eat!" Silica cheered.
"Looks tasty!" Argo said, diving in.
Argo and Silica ate with gusto, leaving Hachiman and Asuna stunned. Something must've been on their minds. They overate and couldn't move afterward, so Hachiman and Asuna gently looked after them. Too stuffed to leave, they stayed over, and the girls gathered in one room for an all-night chat fest.
"Well, I'm off to bed. Have fun, you three," Hachiman said.
"Night, Hachiman-kun," Asuna said.
"Thanks, Hachi-bou," Argo said.
"Thank you, Hachiman-san!" Silica said.
"Later," Hachiman replied.
Hachiman didn't hear their late-night talks, but the next day, Argo and Silica looked radiant, reassuring him. Yup, my wife's the best, he thought, slightly off the mark.
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