When they returned to shore, Yaoyorozu and the others had already finished applying sunscreen and were playing along the beach. Even Chacha and Jiro—who had been reluctant to enter the water earlier—were now standing waist-deep in the sea, splashing each other happily.
The moment Masata appeared with a massive lobster in his hand, the girls immediately rushed over, excitement lighting up their faces.
"Wow! That's huge! Can we eat it tonight?"
"Masata, you're amazing! I didn't see any seafood at all when I was diving earlier!"
No one had expected that shortly after going back into the water, Masata would return with such a luxurious catch. Everyone found it incredible—after all, even Asui, who had the best aquatic ability among them, hadn't managed anything like this. The only explanation was that Masata's luck was simply absurdly good.
"Then we should reward you!"
Mina clapped her hands as she spoke. After thinking about it, she felt Masata had done a lot today—setting up umbrellas, fetching drinks, and now even providing dinner—so it was only right that everyone give him something in return.
"But what should we reward him with?"
Yaoyorozu tilted her head thoughtfully. "It doesn't seem like he lacks anything…"
She vaguely felt that she had been a little harsh toward Masata earlier today, though she seemed to have forgotten one important detail—he had kissed her that morning.
"Why don't we reward him by letting him cook dinner for us?"
Jiro grinned mischievously and tossed out the suggestion without hesitation.
"That's not a reward at all!"
Masata immediately protested. If this was supposed to be a reward, shouldn't they be the ones preparing a lavish meal and letting him experience the lifestyle of a pampered noble instead?
Mina burst out laughing, never one to miss out on teasing.
Before she could say anything else, Yaoyorozu shoved a bottle into Mina's mouth and made her drink several large gulps of ice-cold water. Mina immediately squatted down, panting from the cold.
"Then how about applying sunscreen to Masata too?"
Chacha finally made a more reasonable suggestion. "If he doesn't use any, he might get sunburned."
The idea was quickly accepted.
Which led to the next question—who was going to apply it?
Chacha had just opened her mouth to suggest drawing lots when she noticed that all the girls—except Yaoyorozu—had already retreated far away, hiding under the parasol at the greatest distance and switching into full spectator mode.
"…What?"
This time, Masata didn't say anything. He lay quietly on the recliner, eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Seeing that he wasn't reacting, Chacha gradually grew bolder.
Meanwhile, the other girls couldn't suppress their playful energy and ran back to the water.
Kurosawa Yoru was now lying on the sand while Mina squatted beside her, repeatedly scooping up sand and tossing it over her body. From the looks of it, Kurosawa Yoru was about to be completely buried.
Jiro wasn't very confident in the water yet, so with Asui's help, she floated around using a swim ring, splashing up white foam as she practiced.
Yaoyorozu sat quietly in the shade, kneeling on the sand and carefully building a castle with damp grains, focused and serious.
Thankfully, there was no one else around—otherwise Masata would've been tempted to melt the entire beach with lava out of embarrassment.
Time passed quietly like this. Without anyone noticing, the sun slowly descended from overhead toward the horizon. Evening had arrived.
Yaoyorozu took out her phone, snapped a photo of her sandcastle masterpiece, and nodded in satisfaction. Then she cupped her hands around her mouth and called out to Jiro, who was happily splashing in the sea:
"It's getting late! Bring your things back—let's head inside!"
"Huh? But I'm not done having fun yet."
Mina, who was collecting shells with Kurosawa Yoru, spoke up, clearly planning to turn them into small souvenirs later.
"It's not like today is the only chance," Masata said lazily, stretching as he rose from the recliner.
"We've got a whole week ahead of us."
Then he smiled faintly and added,
"And it's almost dinner time anyway. Don't forget—we've got a giant lobster waiting."