That was quite the move coming from Youna. Especially when she knew that he didn't care about going to the beach, but would go if she asked. Realistically, she missed a massive opportunity to invite him over to her place while everyone else was too preoccupied with the waves and soaking in the sun's rays.
It was too late to think that now as she was stressing over something much more pertinent to the situation. That being what swimsuit she should wear to the beach.
There was always her go to option, that being the school regulatory swimsuit that was a one-piece. Then there was also the one she went out and bought with Ishi, would he like that one more because of the sentimental aspect? And finally…
"You should wear this one." Her mother pulled out the dreaded one that she got for her own daughter. It was very skimpy by Youna's standards, even if it really didn't show anything inappropriate off.
"M-mom, don't you think this shows off too much?" She pleaded. Youna was a reserved girl. Her skirt was worn longer than the rest of her peers at school. Even during more casual times in public she had on an outfit more befitting of a grandmother than a teenage girl.
"You got your robe so you don't have to be just in a bikini until you make it to the beach." Her mom was less worried about the concern. "Besides, don't you want that Ishi boy to notice you?"
"Please don't say it out loud." Even though they were in the privacy of their own home. She still felt paranoid that someone who shouldn't know the truth would listen in. "And he's not the type of boy who cares about that type of thing."
"I know that." Her mom laughed. "I talk to his mom all the time, so she tells me things about him." As much as the young girl wanted to ask her to divulge on some of the details, she also knew that Ishi wouldn't be very appreciative of it. "Still, maybe he just hasn't found that one girl to make his heart race."
"…" Fortunately, her mother wasn't going to force her to pick that bikini as her swimsuit of choice. However, Youna deeply thought about her options as she sat alone in her room trying to decide on which to pick. Her first thought was to play it safe and take her school's one. It fit her style the most, basically going with what covered her the most.
Except at the same time, she really did want to strongly consider her mom's choice. Maybe it would be the one to go with, if she really wanted to impress Ishi. He was still a boy and it could give her a sense of what was going on in his heart.
"I should've just picked something else." She murmured to herself after making her decision. Her mom was glad to see her go with her choice in the end. Though now that she was sitting downstairs in the kitchen, she was already regretting doing so. Also, as she was thinking of things logically, there was also a lot more of her body that would need to be covered with sunscreen.
Otherwise, she collected all the necessary goods to make for an enjoyable beach experience. A towel, an umbrella to cover from the sun, and a water bottle for hydration. There were more things she wished to bring along, but her mother said that it would be too much for one girl like her.
Finally, there was a knock on the door. When she answered it to not only see Ishi, but Rinse as well. The idol was an absolute dream in her two-piece bikini. It was ocean blue, just like her hair and eyes. Compared to Youna, it was clear who had the better assets between the two. Actually, compared to everyone else they knew, Rinse was much more beautiful than some could even dream of being.
Just seeing her already made Youna feel self-conscious. Especially with Ishi standing with them, easily able to see their differences.
"H-hello." Instinctively, she used the robe she was wearing to cover a bit more of her chest. It was a futile effort to try and conceal her body so that no one could tell just how much more pretty Rinse was.
"Heya, you ready for some fun under the sun?" Rinse was unaware of the circumstances between the two. She was too excited of the prospect of the beach to care.
"Yeah, we should get there soon." Ishi continued. He had with him a rather large bag. "My mom wanted to make sure no one was hungry, so she made me bring all these sandwiches."
"Right, let's get going." Youna wanted to leave before her mom saw him and embarrassed herself even more. Unfortunately, at this point, she was more than just regretting wearing this two-piece swimsuit now that she saw Rinse. Now it was too late to back out now.
"Your mom makes some wonderful sandwiches." Said Rinse. "She's always making some when our families hang out."
"It's just an excuse to show off to you." He replied. "But, it was nice of her to make some for everyone." The two of them chatted, with Ishi standing between the girls as they walked to the beach. Meanwhile, Youna quietly stared at the pair as they lived their lives without a second thought.
She really wanted to try and talk to Ishi, but it was very difficult to try and speak up small talk with him when there was someone else with them. If they were alone, then she wouldn't be so worried. The problem was Rinse was right there with them. That girl was always dominating their conversations when they walked to school.
"Is something wrong?" Oh no, she had been caught staring once more. "I hope there's nothing wrong with our outfits." Ishi was also wearing only a pair of swimming trunks with him. So he was shirtless and his upper body was exposed for the world to see. When the girl went to go stare off into space, she had inadvertently ended up looking directly at him like this.
First off, he had a real fine and toned body for someone his age. Despite not being one to care about appearances, it seemed that he took care of himself really well. Secondly, this was completely embarrassing that it looked really bad for her.
"Oh, um." Even though she was thinking of wanting to talk with him, she hadn't actually figured out a topic to use. On the spot, she could only randomly come up with something. "Where's your cousin? Did you not invite him?" Koto was notably absent among them.
"Koto? Oh, I just told him to head to the beach first." He answered. "What, you didn't think what I had in this bag was for everyone, did you?" Both the boys were actually tasked with catering for all the students. When their mother heard how many people were going to be in attendance, she labored the night before to make all the food for their classmates. So his cousin simply went on ahead as was asked by Ishi. Since he was planning on picking up Youna on the way.
"That makes sense." Unfortunately for her, there also entered another dark thought within her mind. So he had told his cousin to leave him alone when he went to go pick her up. That sounded nice enough until one also pieced together that Rinse joined him to come by.
Did he… Want to walk with Rinse alone here? That would've gave them ample private time together without any interruptions. Especially since she was going to be talking to a lot of other people when they arrived at the beach. Youna shook her head to try and remove these thoughts. It did her no good in doubting things between them. The problem was in how difficult it was to not think about it. After all, Rinse was a popular girl in school, and an idol at that. Those two had spent a lot of time together, so comparing herself to someone so confident was challenging.
"So anyway, what were you two planning on doing when we get to the beach?" Asked Ishi. "I was probably just going to go lay back and relax under my umbrella." That sounded so typical coming from him. Surely he was going to be able to get what he wanted today at the beach. Not.
"A lot of people will probably want to go swimming with me." Rinse was completely aware of what was going to happen, if only because it had happened before when they went to the aquarium. "But maybe I'll try out some surfing. I hear the waves are going to be ripping out there." When he heard the news from his mom, it sounded like the waves were going to be strong. But it didn't matter to him, since things were unlikely to become dangerous.
"I was probably just going to also just lay in the shade." Youna's plans were made obvious by the gear she was bringing along.
"That's cool, then why don't just you lay next to me." Her face immediately turned fifty shades redder when he made the offer. Ishi really just told her to lay right by his side. It was something she had always dreamed of, but never imagined it would occur in real life. This was an opportunity she couldn't afford to waste.
"I'd love to!" She answered, sounding way too enthusiastic. "I mean, sure I'll join you." Rinse eyed in on this conversation. Was Ishi a really dense boy or something? He didn't seem like the type, but he didn't seem to worry too much over how this girl acted around him.
Unfortunately, she didn't get much time to think over that. They had arrived at the beach and along with it, a crowd already gathered around them to talk with her. Most of it was a lot of boys ogling at her bikini, which showed off her fair skin wonderfully. Meanwhile, as there were a lot of people by her, Ishi took the chance to drag Youna away by the arm to a more secluded spot at the beach.
"This looks to be a nice place." He said as they put down their towels and set up their umbrellas. "I don't think anyone's going to bother us here."