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“It’s finally overrrr!”

After their last exam, Kou and her usual friend group left the school. As soon as they were outside, the class president, Kasumi, stretched and announced that happily.

“Ahahah… Good job, prez.”
“I’m so exhausted… But I have a really good feeling about it thanks to all your help!”
“I’m glad to hear that.”

Kasumi smiled at Kou as she said that, who also smiled in return.

“You didn’t even seem bothered by the exams though…”
“That’s because Kou is back in top shape~”

Hijiri joined the conversation. Kou’s period had ended the day the exams started in earnest, so Kou was freed from her plight and was able to focus fully on the exams. They had also compared answers with each other and she had done everything right, so they all were enveloped in the unique relief that came after exams ended.

“Now then, Hijiri…should we go right away?”
“Yes, of course… It’s time to go swimsuit shopping!”
“…yay…”

Saying that, Hijiri and Kasumi grabbed Kou’s shoulders from both sides so she could not escape. Those two had gotten awfully close during the exams. The two girls had a lot of built-up stress from the exams that they needed to release, so nothing could stop them anymore. By now Kou knew she would not be able to get away from them, so she just went along with them in resignation.

But…

“Well, I’ll be heading home then… Wait, Kou, let go of me.”

Subaru tried to go back home alone before anyone noticed, but then he realized someone had a firm clutch on his sleeve.

“Heheheh… Subaru, I’m not going down alone.”
“…You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲.”

Kou laughed menacingly, as if saying that if she had to suffer, they all had to suffer together, and Subaru sighed and followed them. When they got there, they agreed to pay off Subaru with sweets from a local cafe if he helped them carry things.

Wait, I don’t think I’d be able to eat a whole regular-size dessert on my own anymore.

Recalling what a regular-sized plate of pastry with a pile of ice cream looked like, Kou sighed in regret. After turning into a girl, her stomach had clearly reduced in size. Before she was able to eat just as much as Subaru, but that was impossible for her now.

◇◇◇

After class, they all took the train together with the class president and went to the large mall they had visited as Kou’s first outing back when she was still in the hospital.

It was hot outside on the streets, but the temperature inside the building was carefully monitored to keep it fresh, and there were plenty of sales on swimsuits and other summer gear. Most of the people currently there were girls, all trying to find their ideal swimsuit.

Amidst them, Kou stood out the most, and could feel everyone turning to look at her, making her feel nervous about each step she took.

“So tell me, what kind of swimsuit would you like, Mitsuki?”
“Umm… To be honest I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“Right… Well, at least I can tell you that white would be a bad choice.”

Hearing the class president’s response, Kou nodded. The reason was simple. Kou’s skin and hair were nearly pure white, so there would not be nearly enough contrast if she wore a white swimsuit.

The class president continued to explain that a white swimsuit was usually only a good fit for girls with black hair, since that way it would make a stark difference. Hijiri also nodded, agreeing with everything the class president said.

“But that also doesn’t mean that you should limit yourself to wearing black. Oh, why don’t you try out this one?”
“Hmm, I don’t think something so suggestive goes along with Kou’s figure very well. Kou, Kou, how about this one instead?”
“But maybe this could work with more bright pastel tones? Okay, try this one too.”
“Wait, stop you two, you’re moving too fast!”

Hijiri and the class president would pick set after set for Kou to try on, and she was so overwhelmed that she could only cry for them to slow down.

Everything she tried was displayed in AR through her NLD, so it was not as cumbersome as having to change out all her clothes, but going through so many sets in succession, and being showered with compliments each time, was starting to get exhausting and there was only so much embarrassment her psyche could handle.

All of that was quickly draining all of her energy, her eyes losing their sparkle as she prayed that the other two girls could make a choice soon.

“Ah.”

And then a certain set came into Kou’s view.

“Hey, you two, what do you think of this one?”

Saying that, Kou pointed at a swimsuit set. It was a bikini-style swimsuit, mainly black in color and adorned with white and light green frills, in what could be best described as a chocomint palette. But it also had a sort of translucent dress on top, reaching all the way to the knees, and greatly reducing the amount of skin directly exposed.

“Ah, that’s a surprisingly cute choice.”
“Alright, try it on! Try it on!”
“O-Okay…”

Pressured by the two, Kou loaded the AR data and tried it.

““…So cute!!””
“Woah?!”

The two nearly crushed Kou between them, making her take a step back. Kou had finally found something that the two could agree on, but she still felt awkward seeing how excited they had gotten about it.

“Subaru, look, isn’t she really cute like that?!”
“Ah, umm…yeahh, I guess.”

Hijiri took Kou by the shoulder and made her stand in front of Subaru, who was the only male in the general vicinity. Being shown like that made Kou fidget with her hair, feeling nervous, and Subaru turned red and looked away, only momentarily glancing at Kou before agreeing with Hijiri in a half-hearted way.

“Alright, then let’s get this one!”

The class president also gave her seal of approval, so Kou took the swimsuit and placed it in their shopping basket.

They had completed the main task of finding a swimsuit for Kou, so now the two girls began to search for ones for themselves. Kou looked exhausted by then, so she and Subaru went to sit down on a nearby bench while they waited for Hijiri and the class president to return.

“Oh yeah… The next event will overlap with the trip, huh?” Subaru muttered out of the blue.

Kou had been dealing with too many things lately, so she had not paid too much attention to the game. She needed to search through her memories for a bit to remember what the next event was.

“Right…it’s that event to search for that creepy floating city that terrorizes the sea around the continent, or something like that. It’s going to start the second day of our trip.”
“I already hate it from that description alone…”
“I know what you mean…”

Both of them were thinking of the same thing from a cosmic horror story that had too many u’s in its name. They would need to find that place and investigate it, and PK was allowed there. Kou was seriously fearing for the mental health of whatever part of the development team was in charge of making those decisions.

Though funnily enough, Kou’s parents were the backbone of that team.

The two continued talking and making some light complaints. They had also gotten some cold drinks from a nearby vending machine, which they drank fully. By the time all of the ice in their drinks had thawed and turned to water, the other two girls finally came back.

Both of them looked satisfied with their finds, and their selection had also obtained the approval of the other. But they refused to show Kou what they had gotten, and Hijiri simply said, “You’ll have to wait until we’re there to see it, okay?”

They still had more shopping to do, as they needed beach sandals, rash guards, sunglasses, as well as various other small trinkets to make their stay at the resort’s lodging comfortable.

By the time Subaru could hardly continue to carry everything, Hijiri and Kasumi finally ended their shopping spree, happy with everything they picked, letting Kou and Subaru sigh in relief.

That meant it was time to give Subaru his promised reward, so the group headed to a certain famous cafe from a franchise that had existed for a long time. They also used the occasion to celebrate the end of their exams. By the time they left the shopping mall, the sun was already starting to set…