As Kouji got himself changed into more appropriate attire. The boy still couldn't shake the bad feeling he had about everything that had led to this. Initially, he'd hoped that whenever they rolled around to getting to the beach, things would be peachy keen. As things had unfolded, that clearly was not the case.
Now he was stuck with his harem divided and it was all his own fault. If only he was more adamant about what he wanted with Isako. But there was no way to do that when he hadn't even thought about what to do with her. Should he reject her? That seemed to be the correct choice due to multiple factors such as their age difference. Then again, he'd be turning 18 soon, so that wouldn't be a problem for much longer. At the same time, being one of her students still got in the way.
On the other side of the coin, he could accept her. But, was that what he wanted? Did he love her in the same manner she did for him? A part of his hesitance came from the uncertainly of his own feelings. At this point, he had never considered anything about her in that manner. So now that he thought about things, was there anything even there?
Admittedly, seeing her nude in his bathroom did do some typical things that a boy would feel. But that was just lust, surely that wasn't love. And while the temptation of his hormones did desire to get closer to her forbidden place after catching a glimpse, Kouji resisted. That shouldn't be how he viewed her if he were to accept her into the harem. After all, that wasn't how he viewed any of the other girls, even if they were admittedly beautiful or pretty or cute.
After taking a moment to breathe, he took a step out of the changing rooms to check to see if anyone else was ready. As it turned out, he was the one who took the longest. Probably due to just standing in their alone to consider the circumstances.
"About time." Himawari complained to him. She was wearing the same bikini he had seen her in last summer. During the time they had that fight, which in reality was due to both of them struggling to admit their true feelings for each other. Somehow, every time he went to the beach with this girl turned out that way. Not a good sign.
"I thought the saying was girls were the ones who took forever." Waa mocked him.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Normally, he'd react more strongly to her teasing. However, his mood just didn't feel like summoning up the energy needed to do so. "Now, let's go to the beach."
What one might expect when a harem went to a beach together would be them sticking together. However, this wasn't the case today for them. The first reason was obvious. However, the second was a little less so, and would've caused this to occur regardless of their circumstances. That being their harem wasn't fully public.
Now, if he was alone with one of them, Kouji had no qualms about being romantic and intimate with any of them in public. The same went for the girls. However, not everyone in their circle were aware that this wasn't just a plain old monogamous relationship. Not even everyone's parents.
Kouji's uncle and Anastasia's parents were aware of the true facts, and supported them fully. However, Yuma's were still under the assumption that this was simply a competition. And of course were hopeful their daughter would win out and eventually marry this boy for the sake of the family business. According to Waa, she said she informed her parents. Though they seemed to be out of it due to overworking themselves. So it wasn't certain if they actually believed it or if they thought this was simply just one of their daughter's delusions. Being an otaku hurt her there.
Meanwhile, Himawari and Teru were yet to inform their parents about this matter. This was due to the obvious reason that both were too self-conscious about the situation to admit the truth to them. Plus, as he thought about it, Kouji never met Teru's mom, or either of Himawari's parents. So perhaps he should get that out of the way first before expecting them to tell their parents about a boy they'd never met before.
As the girls went their own way, he could only look on at them in sorrow. They were all so beautiful in their swimwear, and this was the first time he was getting the chance to see most of them in such outfit.
Teru was probably wearing one of the more basic bikini's among all of them. The horizontal blue stripes that covered both top and bottom were a classic choice among girls around here. And while her chest may have left a little to be desired for most boys, her fit appearance was certainly a sexy look. Now that he finally noticed her with such little clothing, it turned out this girl was packing some abs too. As she walked away from the group, the item she held was of little surprise. The waves definitely looked like they were ripe for some surfing.
Meanwhile, Waa was about to leap into the ocean and swim a bit. Her two piece was a bit more innocent. In fact, it seemed as though what she was wearing was the same she had worn as a child. Just a pretty little two piece with frills along the waist to hide away any sense of her curves, if she had any.
Himwari didn't want to talk to him, but she also wasn't going to be leaving either. Instead, the girl propped up an umbrella and pulled out a book to read. This was merely a ruse so that she could frequently look up and make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid. That made him feel bad for her, as this was an incredible waste of a good summer day at the beach.
"Kouji." As he looked at the blonde girl, someone tugged onto his arm. It was Anastasia who despite feeling a bit down from everything going on around them, was able to maintain that bright smile of hers. "Before you go out into the sun, perhaps we should put on sunscreen?"
Her and Yuma had both set up their blankets closer to the waters. With an umbrella for cover, the latter had already sat down and took out some bottles to apply protective lotions against the sun's rays.
"I guess you're right." He accepted her suggestion, a bit absent mindlessly. All the boy wanted to do right now, was try and return to a bit of normality with everyone as he took one final glimpse towards Himawari while walking the other way.