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Some time before they reached the indoor beach, near the changing rooms…

Going to the beach obviously meant changing into a swimsuit, so Kou went there without thinking too much.

“Hey, Kou, you shouldn’t come here.”
“Kou? Come with us.”
“Ah…right, I didn’t notice.”

Kou nearly followed Subaru into the men’s changing room out of habit. That was a common mistake for her at school too, and she always avoided getting near the women’s bathroom or toilet too.

Subaru quickly held her shoulders to stop her, and then Hijiri took her hand and gently guided her to the women’s changing room. Now, she found herself standing in front of the women’s changing room, still adjusting to the change.

“Come on, let’s go change.”
“I think…I’ll just go change in the hotel…”
“Seriously? If just changing into swimsuits gets you like this, what are you going to do at the hot springs tonight?”

Kou froze realizing that she had not put enough thought into that.

“Well, let’s go in already.”
“O-Okay, excuse me…”

Kou’s remaining male mind put an immense amount of guilt on her as she stepped in, with her eyes shut. All she could do was repeatedly chant in her mind, “I’m a girl now, I’m a girl now, I’m a girl now…”

In the end, the changing room was divided into individual booths, so Kou did not have to see anything too extreme.

Somehow I feel exhausted before I even get to the beach.

All of that stress was replaced by a strong feeling of mental exhaustion.

She was safe for now, but it only meant that the issue of going to the hot springs that night was only being delayed, making her feel dejected. But that only lasted until she was done changing and went out to the beach.

“Ah…woah…”

After descending a set of concrete stairs, Kou reached the beach enclosed within the building. She had once believed she would never be able to swim in the ocean again, but now the sight of the blue water and white sand filled her with new hope. The water was also heated, ensuring it would never feel too cold.

All potentially dangerous debris had been cleared from the beach, leaving the white sand pristine, with small crustaceans scuttling about. The water was filled with fish, their scales shimmering in rainbow colors.

However, just ahead was the edge of the dome, a wall of light with a painted horizon, reminding her that this beach was within a man-made structure. The stark contrast between the natural and the artificial filled her with a sense of wonder, much like the excitement that such sights stirred in the heart of any young boy.

It felt like stepping into a sci-fi world, and as she stared in amazement…

“We’ll go on ahead, Kou!”
“Ah, wait, be careful, Hinagiku!”

Two small figures, hand in hand, dashed past Kou. They were Hinagiku and Miyuki.

““It’s the seaaa!!””

The two ran down the steps and crossed over the sand. Kou watched them for a moment with a smile, then she too made her way onto the beach.

But then she felt many eyes on her. They were all fixated on her, though not in a judgmental way. Looking around, she saw the people watching her.

“Ah…”

Curiosity. Desire. It was nothing unusual. That was how men often looked at girls they found cute, almost as if it were an intrinsic part of their nature.

The only difference was that this time, their eyes were focused on Kou specifically. And she was only wearing a swimsuit to protect herself from those stares, which barely covered more than underwear. She felt their gazes like snakes coiling around her slender chest and hips.

The more she thought about it, the more pressure she felt in her lower stomach, which eventually pushed something acrid up her throat…

“…Kou!”
“Ah…Hijiri?”

Hearing that familiar voice behind her, she snapped out of it, though she also thought she heard a sad chuckle in the distance.

“Kou, are you okay? You look really pale. Is the sunlight too strong? Should we find some shade?”

Hijiri had just come out of the changing room and rushed up to Kou, carefully studying her face. Subaru followed shortly after, looking worried as well. Seeing Hijiri’s concerned face so close made Kou regain her bearings and calm down.

Huh? Why was I overthinking things so much just now?

“Sorry, I’m okay. I was just overthinking something weird.”
“Are you sure?”

Hijiri blinked a few times in disbelief, surprised at how quickly Kou had recovered.

“Anyway, I feel like everyone is looking at me… I’m not wearing my swimsuit inside out or something embarrassing like that, right?”
“You’re good, you look really cute!”

Kou looked around timidly, but Hijiri replied almost instantly with a bright smile.

“Or rather, you’re already really cute, so add a swimsuit on top, and everyone will want to look at you. It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.”
“I see… Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Subaru also chimed in, sounding baffled that Kou hadn’t realized this. She couldn’t argue with their assessment. Earlier, her mind had been so preoccupied with going into the women’s changing room and putting on her swimsuit that she hadn’t stopped to think about why everyone was looking at her.

She thought she had gotten used to that sort of attention, but now she sighed, realizing how long the road ahead of her was.

Right, this is the same as always. I shouldn’t think too much about it.

It was still embarrassing to be seen that way by men, so much so that she felt like she was about to cry.

“…Are you okay?”
“…Yeah, don’t worry, Hijiri.”

Kou forced a smile, trying to keep Hijiri from worrying more. Then, she finally remembered there was something else she needed to say.

“Also, I know it’s a bit late, but… your swimsuit looks really good.”
“Ah… Heheh, I know, right? I did my best so I could look just as good as you.”

Then she added that having such a cute childhood friend was making her put in extra effort now.

Hijiri was currently wearing a revealing bikini with straps behind her neck, something she would have never worn normally. But that also made Kou try her hardest not to stare at her jiggling cleavage, which was so close to her now.

Ah…I want to suck some of her blood.

At the same time, Hijiri’s nape began to look very appetizing, tempting Kou to bite it.

“Um… umm… I still think you look way better than me. And…”
“And? And what~”
“…Other than Subaru… I can’t stand that there are other guys staring at you while you’re wearing that.”

Kou had tried to keep those feelings a secret, but she could no longer hold them in, so she whispered that to Hijiri, who surprisingly seemed glad to hear it.

“I see… Then why don’t we go over to those rocks where no one can see us!”
“Huh? What? Ah, wait!!”

Hijiri happily grasped Kou’s hand and pulled her along, and Kou had to hastily try to keep up. Behind them, Subaru let out a defeated sigh and caught up to them for a moment.

“Hijiri, Kou, listen… Just remember that they’re still testing the facilities, so don’t overwork the air conditioning, alright?”
“What are you talking about, Subaru?”

Kou was genuinely puzzled by what Subaru meant, tilting her head in confusion.