We leave the house and head for the beach. It was not very crowded, but not deserted. Kids were running around and swimming, adults were enjoying beers…casual summer vibes.

  Mai grabs the volleyball, heading to the water with her chestnut hair shining in the bright sunlight.

  “Kaito, come play volleyball with Hikaru and me!”

  I suck at volleyball.

  “Uh…I’m not that good.”

  Kaguya grabs the snorkeling set.

  “Come swim with me, Kaito!”

  “We just got here…”

  Mizuki grabs a shovel.

  “Come grab shells with me, Kaito!”

  “I guess I should do something with everyone…”

  Hikaru laughed at me.

  “Look man, haha, what a situation. You’re requested by everyone. Who are you going to pick?”

  Mai shouts after Hikaru, signaling him to come.

  “Hikaru, come play with me!”

  “Sure thing!”

  Hikaru leaves and now I’m all alone with Akane, who was chilling on the beach chair, under the umbrella.

  I take a look at her, intrigued as to why she is doing nothing.

  “What do you want?”

  “Nothing…aren’t you coming in the sea?”

  She turned her stare away, leaving a cold reply out.

  “I’ll come later. Leave me alone.”

  “Fine…I guess.”

  Kaguya came out of the water and pulled me by my hand to the sea.

  “Come with me! I want us to swim together!”

  Caught by surprise, Kaguya startles me and I reach out my hand to hold on to the beach chair, but no use. She had the grip of an iron claw.

  Akane laughed, taking her phone out and capturing a photo.

  “Thank you for your service, Kaguya.”

  What service could you possibly mean?!

  Mizuki found some pretty shells and came with us in the sea, her bucket dangling as she entered the cool water.

  “It’s perfect! Not too cold, but not too warm. It reallyhits the spot! I wish this would last forever!”

  Kaguya was snorkeling and Mizuki was splashing me with water.

  “Take that, Kaito!”

  I laugh with her, water getting in my eyes.

  “Haha, take it back!”

  Mai and Hikaru came to us, after an exhausting volleyball game. For some reason Hikaru looked devastated, while Mai looked proud.

  “I beat Hikaru! I’m the best! (12-3)”

  “I’m trash man…”

  “Don’t stress it Hikaru. You two, come here with us, and grab the ball if you want to. We can throw it around if you want.”

  The sea was calm. No big waves, perfect for a fun activity like this.

  Akane was looking at us. She wanted to join us but something was holding her back.

  I want to play with everyone too...I love the sea more than any other place...

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Mai called out for her, waving.

  “Akane, come here!”

  “I will come later.”

  She got out of the water and went to our beach chairs. The rest of us were kicking the ball around.

  Mai sat next to Akane, looking worried.

  “What is actually going on, Akane? You love the sea more than everyone.”

  “I forgot…my sunscreen. I don’t want to get sunburned.”

  Mai halts for a second. That's the cheapest reply she found on discount!

  “So it’s just a small thing! Come on, I will lend you mine! It’s 50SPF+, so it’s not going to be a problem of getting burned.”

  “But-“

  Before she could reply, Mai took the sunscreen and turned Akane around, applying sunscreen on her back.

  “The real reason, is Kaito. Right?”

  Akane's face turned red.

  “W-what are you talking about?!”

  “I know you love him. You’re stressed out.”

  “But I’m in my swimsuit…”

  “He won’t really care. Remember the reaction at the villa? Look at them, everyone is having fun.”

  “I guess…”

  “There, sunscreen is all applied!”

  “Thank you-“

  Mai grabs Akane’s things and takes her in the water where everyone was.

  Akane reminds herself of a moment from a few years ago.

  She always has been like this. Trying to gather everyone in the activities…just like when we were kids. I wasn’t embarrassed of Kaito back then because we were just friends, but now…it’s different! I don’t think my heart can take it!

  They reach our group which was still kicking the ball around and laughing.

  “Now we’re all here!”

  Akane was visibly red.

  “You already got sunburned, Akane?”

  “No! It’s nothing. Let’s just play.”

  We resume our activity and Akane starts laughing with us too.

  Mai looks reassured at Akane, who was enjoying herself.

  Splashing water, having fun with her friends…these were the things she enjoyed most at the beach. I know that she now sees Kaito as a love interest, but that should not mean she can’t have fun with us in a place like the beach. We’re a group, after all.

  After one hour we go and swim around, then find shells again with Mizuki. It’s almost evening.

  Everyone lies on the beach chairs. Mai was visibly exhausted. Akane was the most energetic one out of all.

  “Guys, let’s go to a restaurant!”

  “We have a private chef at our villa.”

  “FOR REAL?!” replied Akane enthusiastically, as her eyes lit up.

  “Yes. He can cook pretty much everything for us.”

  “WOW! Let’s go then! Now!”

  We pack our things up and leave the beach, leaving behind us the burning orange sunset fading into the cool sea.

  Mai goes in front of the group with Akane to have a chat, while the rest of us move slowly due to exhaustion.

  “See? You had no reason to miss out on the fun!”

  “But you know how I sometimes become when I’m speaking to him…I didn’t want to ruin his fun.”

  “If anything, he had the most fun. Stop worrying about trivial things and just enjoy our time together. We need to have our girls time too! We used to have it all the time, remember?”

  “I guess you are right…haha.”

  She is right...we used to play a lot togheter at the sea. Not just with Kaito, but alone with her too.

  Mai started working out the situation like a detective.

  Akane’s face lightened. She could finally enjoy the trip. What was actually holding her back, was the distance she wanted to keep from Kaito. She knew that she would make a scene and didn’t want to push Kaito away from her, given how much she loves him. She didn’t want to ruin everyone’s fun.

  “Let’s go and enjoy some food!”

  “You’re on, Mai!”

  Akane smiled even brighter. Just like when we were kids. We both start laughing helplessly.

  The group behind noticed, flashing smiles one at the other.

  “Aren’t they close, Kaito?”

  “Best friends since they were kids. Their bond is unbreakable. We went to many trips when we were young and they were always laughing like that.”

  We reach the villa, unpack our stuff, and head to the kitchen.

  The table was full, leaving us speechless.

  Seafood boil, Chicken Katsu, Miso Soup, Corn on the cob, Teriyaki Chicken. Everything looked divine.

  Everyone’s eyes were glittering. After such a day, we were starving. We sit down and dig in the food.

  “It’s so good! Mizuki, I hope you become the greatest idol in the world!” (Akane)

  “Haha, thanks.”

  “Shinobu-sama, anything else?” said the chef in a formal tone.

  “I think that’s enough for now. You can go home, we can handle it if we want some more.”

  “As you wish.”

  The chef leaves the house. Kaguya was stunned by the food, remembering herself of a restaurant where she went as a kid.

  “It’s so good! Are your parents that rich?”

  “Not really. We built this when I was young, my dad had a construction company, and we made a villa for ourselves.”

  “I see…what more do you have?!”

  “Haha, that’s all that belongs to me or my parents. I got some connections but I can’t say they’re mine.”

  We all laugh and keep enjoying the food in front of us.

  We finish eating and head to our rooms. It’s late.

  “Mai, Hikaru, go ahead without me. I want to take a shower.”

  “Sure…good night, Akane!”

  They leave the hallway and it’s just Akane left, curling her hair in her fingers, getting a bath towel and heading to the bathroom.

  She turns on the shower and gets in the bathtub.

  “Today was so fun…Mai is so aware of how I feel. She wants everyone to have fun.”

  Akane lets off a small laugh.

  “But then again…why was I embarrassed of Kaito to begin with? I guess, at least during this trip, I should allow myself to spend more time around him…”

  She goes with her face halfway under the water.

  “Kaito…I love you.”

  Kaito knocks on the door.

  “Anyone in there?”

  Akane jumps from her comfortable position, embarrassed at the thought of Kaito hearing her say that.

  What's this timing?! I thought everyone was asleep!

  “Don’t enter! I’m taking a bath!”

  “Akane? Okay, good night!”

  “Good…night!” (DID HE HEAR ME?!)

  Kaito returns to his room, half-asleep, almost falling over the door.

  “I can’t be like this anymore. I need to tell him how I actually feel. He will eventually grow to hate me in this rhythm.”

  Akane exits the bathtub, gets in her pajamas and hurries to Kaito’s room, opening the door softly.

  “Kaito, are you asleep?”

  “No…what’s up?”

  Looking sideways, pointing her fingers one into the other, she murmurs a soft reply: “Can you come with me on the balcony? I want to talk about something.”