The weather was perfect.
Fresh air, laughter in the background, and a cold piña colada in my hand. Honestly, if there was a better combination in this world, I hadn't discovered it yet.
At this very moment, I was at the school pool. An enormous facility, more like a luxury resort than an educational institution. Students from all grades and classes were gathered here, probably trying to forget, even just for a while, the stress of exams, responsibilities, and the eternal threat of teachers who seemed to have PhDs in psychological torture.
Me? I was doing what I do best: absolutely nothing.
Lying on a comfortable beach chair, sunglasses on, attitude of a millionaire tourist, I was delighting in the view. And no, I don't mean the clear sky or the rabbit-shaped clouds.
But just when I was at the peak of my visual nirvana, my world went black. Literally.
—"Enjoying staring at the girls' boobs, huh, Endo-kun?" —a familiar voice whispered as soft hands covered my eyes from behind.
—"Who needs sight when you have auditory sarcasm?" —I muttered without moving—. "Hello, Matsushita."
—"Don't change the subject. I saw you. Scanning like a military drone."
—"Really? That's what you think of me? What a disappointment. Just when I was about to invite you to a piña colada from the cafeteria..."
—"Empty promise. Piña coladas are only for third-years." —Matsushita circled the chair and stood in front of me, one eyebrow raised—. "So, the boobs, huh?"
—"Not really," —I replied, adjusting myself as if nothing—. "You said 'boobs,' but I'm more of a... butt and thighs kind of guy. You know, the classic. The perfect balance between artistic and biological."
She looked at me like I'd just said ketchup is soup.
—"So boobs don't matter to you?"
—"It's not that they don't matter, it's just... when they're too big, they throw off the figure. It's like putting balloons on a marble sculpture. On the other hand, good thighs, a nice curve of the hips... that, dear Matsushita, is aesthetic harmony."
—"Wow..." —she blinked slowly—. "Do you realize you just gave a near-philosophical explanation of asses?"
—"I take my passions seriously."
—"Your 'passions'?" —she repeated, crossing her arms with a mischievous smile—. "I can already imagine your epitaph: 'He lived for thighs, he died for thighs.'"
—"I don't deny it. If I'm going to die, let it be crushed by something worthy."
—"You're insane."
—"Maybe... but who wasn't looking where she was going when she decided to cover my eyes? I almost spilled my piña colada."
—"Almost. But you didn't. So you owe me one."
—"A piña colada?"
—"No. A detailed explanation of your physical preferences while we throw you into the pool fully dressed. By the way, I already told Satou and Ichihashi. They're very interested."
—"Great... a committee meeting about my fetishes. Just what I always dreamed of."
—"See? You get yourself into these situations."
—"And you enjoy watching me drown in them... literally."
...
—"Fine, fine, I surrender," —I said, raising my hands as if being arrested by the police of common sense—. "But at least let me keep my dignity."
—"Dignity? Endo-kun, you just compared the female body to a marble sculpture crushed by balloons," —Matsushita said with a mocking laugh as she sat in the chair next to mine—. "Your dignity already swam away a while ago."
—"...And it didn't even leave me a towel to say goodbye," —I whispered.
We spent a few minutes chatting about nonsense. Laughter, jokes, shameless innuendo... you know, the usual when you try to sound casual but are about to be the victim of some girly mischief.
And, as written in the stars, disaster arrived.
—"There you are, Endo!" —a voice shouted behind me.
Before I could turn fully, I felt a push on my back and, out of reflex, clutched my piña colada like a newborn child.
Splash.
—"My drink survived!" —I exclaimed from the water, raising the glass triumphantly like the Holy Grail.
—"And you didn't!" —Ichihashi laughed from the poolside—. "Did you really think you'd get out of here dry today?"
—"Well, I had hopes... naïve ones, I know."
—"Watch out, Satou's coming with the ball!" —someone warned.
Not a second later, an inflatable ball smacked me in the head.
—"Aha... the universe is against me today."
After a while, between laughter, shoves, and more forced plunges, I decided that was enough.
—"Alright, change of scene," —I said, climbing out of the water like a defeated castaway—. "I need shade and silence. And preferably a zone where people don't throw things at my face."
—"Does that include uncomfortable truths?" —Matsushita asked, following me with an innocent smile.
—"Especially those."
...
Minutes later, I was at the school café. A terrace overlooking the garden, surprisingly peaceful by this place's chaotic standards. I ordered an iced coffee. Because, well, why not keep ruining my nervous system?
While drying off with a borrowed towel (thanks, random student #3), I checked my phone. A couple of messages from my class group, homework reminders, and... one from Kushida.
Kushida:
Don't forget we have to review for the presentation tomorrow. Don't be late or I swear I'll throw the projector at your face.
—"Ah... pure sweetness," —I murmured with a smile.
At that moment, Matsushita appeared and sat in front of me, carrying two muffins on a tray.
—"So you can't say we only ruined your day. One chocolate, one banana. Guess which one's yours."
—"Chocolate?" —I asked hopefully.
—"Nope. That one's mine. But you can watch me enjoy it."
—"...Psychological torture with a cocoa flavor. Such an elegant form of punishment."
—"See? I want to educate you in more refined styles of suffering."
I sighed.
—"I definitely need a vacation. Preferably somewhere with no vengeful women."
—"Then you shouldn't have been born in Japan, Endo-kun."
...
—"You know?" —Matsushita said while breaking her chocolate muffin in half—. "Sometimes I wonder what it'd be like to have you as a boyfriend."
—"Oh? A social experiment? A divine punishment? Or just extreme boredom?" —I replied, raising an eyebrow with a half-smile.
—"No, more like a kind of training... like 'if I survive Endo, I'm ready for any idiot.'"
—"Hey, that's offensive... though I don't know if it's because of the 'idiot' or the 'training.'"
She laughed, took a small bite of the muffin, and looked straight into my eyes as she exaggeratedly savored it.
—"Though now that I think about it... maybe you'd be a fun boyfriend. Immature, sarcastic, half perverted... but fun."
—"I'm flattered by your brutal honesty. In fact, I should put that on my dating résumé: 'Endo Akira: immature, sarcastic, and with questionable visual tendencies.'"
—"Don't forget to add that you like thighs more than boobs," —she added, resting her elbow on the table and tilting her head—. "Very specific detail. Almost like you've written a thesis on it."
—"Let's just say I have... practical experience. And a good eye. Unlike others, I admire art for its form, not its volume."
She raised an eyebrow, amused.
—"Wow, so philosophical. So when you look at me, it's for... artistic appreciation?"
—"What if I told you your thighs deserve an exhibition in the Louvre?"
—"I'd say you're shameless..." —she replied with a dangerous smile—. "But secretly, I'd be flattered."
—"Didn't know you liked guys who say bold things."
—"Didn't know you knew how to say them without sounding pathetic."
—"You bring out the best in me. Or the worst. Same thing really, depending on who's watching."
She leaned a little closer across the table, lowering her voice.
—"Tell me, Endo... if I said I was free tonight... what would you do?"
—"Double-check you're not recording me for some hidden camera prank show," —I answered, pretending to be paranoid—. "Then, if I confirmed it wasn't a trap, I'd say yes. But cautiously. I don't want to end up tied to a chair with tape over my mouth."
—"And if I told you... that's the idea?"
I went silent for a second. Then smiled.
—"...Still in."
Matsushita burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand.
—"You know, Endo... you're troublesome. But sometimes, I like playing with fire."
—"And you're the kind of fire no one tries to put out."
We stared at each other a second longer than we should have, until the waiter arrived with my iced coffee, brutally cutting off the moment.
—"Thanks for ruining the climax, champ," —I muttered under my breath.
—"Climax?" —Matsushita repeated, still smiling—. "Such a suggestive word, Endo-kun."
—"Oops. It slipped. Like many things when you're around."
—"Careful, if you keep this up, I'll start thinking you like me."
—"And if it's already too late..." —I dropped the phrase like a gift-wrapped bomb.
Matsushita gave me a sidelong glance. The glimmer in her eyes was a dangerous mix of teasing and something else... something that could be mistaken for interest if you were very optimistic. Or very stupid.
—"Too late for what? For me to slap you again for being a creep?"
—"Nah," —I said, lowering my sunglasses to look at her better—. "Too late for you to stop me from liking you."
She went silent for half a second. Just half. Then let out a soft laugh and took a sip of her piña colada.
—"Your cheekiness should be illegal... but I admit it's entertaining."
—"I didn't come to this school to be legal. I came to graduate... or die trying."
—"Dramatic and perverted. An irresistible combo," —she said as she leaned just enough for my eyes to get lost in her curves for an instant. Yes, she did it on purpose. And no, I wasn't complaining.
—"Are you trying to tempt me, Matsushita?"
—"Trying?" —she smirked—. "Endo-kun, if I wanted to tempt you, you'd already be drooling on the floor."
—"I'm already drooling. I just hide it well."
She shook her head and stood up with that shameless elegance only girls who know their effect have.
—"See you later, Endo-kun. If you can still walk without thinking about my thighs."
—"Worry about yourself if I start staring at yours in class. You might trip looking back at me."
—"Who said I'd need to look back? I'll just adjust so you can see them from the front."
And with that, she walked away, swinging her hips in a rhythm that screamed I've got you in the palm of my hand. I just sighed, like a man accepting his fate.
—"Damn... if I flunk out of this school, it'll be for two reasons: exams... and Matsushita."
I got up and gathered my things. Time to change spots. If I stayed there any longer, the temperature was going to rise higher than a Japanese sauna.