Now that we have a proper banana boat, I explained to Kuro and Siegsan how to play with it. Then again, I've never actually ridden one
before, so my explanation was rather vague.
It was a poor explanation, but Kuro and Sieg-san seemed to understand
to some extent, and after nodding with a smile, they turned to the
banana boat and spoke.
[Unnn, I think I understand the gist of it. As for the power needed to
play with the banana boat, I can move it with my magic, so we should
be able to play without any problems.]
[The only problem is the speed though. If we go too fast, we'll get
knocked off…]
[That's right. I mean, considering our physical abilities, I feel like I
would get knocked off.]
Well, I guess you could say that losing balance and falling is also fun to
some extent… but that's only if we're going at a sensible speed.
If our banana boat would be accelerating according to Kuro's or Siegsan's standards, I'll definitely lose my grip along the way. However, I'm
not that worried about this.
If it was Shiro-san who would be holding the controls, we would have to
discuss in detail what speed would be safe, or I would be in mortal
danger.
She can be a bit airheaded sometimes, but she's not the kind of person
who would do something insane in a situation like this.
No, of course, Shiro-san doesn't mean any harm even in such a
situation… but her basic specs are just too high and her experience in
adjusting with others isn't high enough, so she was somewhat lacking
when adjusting with others.
Well, I think the current Shiro-san, who is expanding her gaze to a
wider and vaster range, would likely be able to make such detailed
adjustments to suit the needs of others in the near future.
[Unnn, that's right. That's why I think it's best to match Kaito-kun's
sense. For the time being, Kaito-kun should ride in the middle of the
boat, which has the least vibration, and we'll start out slow and
gradually increase the speed. And then, if Kaito-kun thinks that the
speed is just right, give me a signal and I'll maintain that speed.]
[I see, that would be great.]
[Then, I think it would be best if the pilot Kuromu-sama would ride in
front, while I ride behind.]
Sieg-san and I both agreed with Kuro's suggestion. After all, there
seemed to be no problem. I guess I'll be able to enjoy my first time
trying out a banana boat without any worries.
With this in mind, we moved the banana boat out to sea. Well, of course,
it was Kuro who carried it. Kuro carried the banana boat with one hand
and let it float in the sea, before she got on the front of the banana boat.
After Kuro rode on the front, I also got on the banana boat. I don't know
if magic was used to kept it from shaking or not, but I was able to get on
easily without much trouble.
However… Arehh? This… makes me much closer to Kuro than I
thought… N- No, is this something I just don't know about?
As I was thinking about this, the boat slightly shook and I felt the
presence of Sieg-san behind me. I guessed that Sieg-san had gotten on
board too… As I thought, aren't we too close with each other?
I mean, thinking about it again, I'm between two beauties in
swimsuits… Is this that so-called being sandwiched? N- No, in terms of
height, it made sense for Kuro, the shortest of us three, to be in front,
and it was safer for me, the least physically capable person, to be in the
middle than in the back where the shaking would be greater. It was
inevitable that I would end up in this situation.
However. However, I say. Even though I told myself those things, my
eyes couldn't help but move to the beautiful skin of Kuro sitting in her
swimsuit, and my attention was also being strangely drawn towards
Sieg-san, who was riding behind me.
…Wait, arehh, I see! I was wondering why my attention was being
strangely drawn towards Kuro and Sieg-san… It's most probably
because neither of them, along with me, were wearing any kind of life
jacket.
Of course, I understand that it's not necessary, considering Kuro and
Sieg-san's specs… but I was strangely nervous because the places that
would normally be covered by a life jacket were exposed.
[Alright, then let's immediately depart~~ I'm going to slowly raise the
speed, so Kaito-kun, tell me if you think the speed is just right, okay?]
[Y- Yeah, alright.]
No, I should calm down. I'm just being confused by the situation of
being sandwiched between my lovers in swimsuits. It's not like
anything crazy is going to happen as long as I'm riding normally and the
speed is properly adjusted for me, so as long as I firmly hold on to the
banana boat, things like me losing my balance touching their bodies
wouldn't happen.
Just as such things roll around my mind, as soon as the banana boat
started to move and gain some speed, the strange thoughts completely
disappeared from my mind.
The sun was strong and I could feel the heat, but more than that, the
breeze caressing my skin and the occasional splashes of water felt good.
The surface of the water, reflecting the sun's rays, was dazzlingly
beautiful.
[It's so beautiful. The breeze is also very comfortable.]
[Yes, I agree.]
The banana boat was already going pretty fast, but I could clearly hear
Sieg-san's voice, which wasn't that loud. Since our banana boat wasn't
being pulled by the jet ski, there was no engine noise, which probably
made it easier for us to have a conversation.
[Kaito-kun, how's the speed?]
[Unnn, it should be alright to go a little faster.]
[Okay~ Then, I'll accelerate a little more!]
Kuro seemed to be enjoying it so much that I could tell just by her voice,
and she was even making some exaggerated movements such as
holding the handle with only one hand, which naturally also got me
excited.
[Ahh, going even faster than this might be a bit…]
Yes, I might have gotten "too excited" at that time. That's why "I didn't
notice it", and "overlooked it".
[Unnn, roger that!]
No, in any case, I was the least familiar with magic among us three, so it
would have been difficult for me to notice it unless I had activated my
Sympathy Magic at full force.
The fact that Kuro had secretly used magic while making those
exaggerated movements earlier to make letters appear in front of Siegsan's eyes, and that she had glanced at me for a moment and leaked out
a smile that looked like she was planning some prank…
[Eh? ————!?]
The speed of the boat suddenly slowed down to a speed I hadn't
expected, and almost as soon as I lost my balance, sending my body
forward, my hand that should have had a firm grip on the boat's handle
somehow left my grasp.
With the situation like this, I think it was inevitable that my unbalanced
body would immediately try to cling to the object in front of me.
However, in this case, it was important to know "what was in front of
me".
And thus, even though I must have lost my balance quite vigorously, it
felt as if I was "gently caught by a cushion of air", receiving "no impact",
and as I clung unto Kuro's body who was in front of me, I heard her
whisper into my ears.
[…There are times when I think that "just Shiro is unfair", you know?]