As expected, the pool was crowded with people. As soon as they opened, a wave of people rushed in.
Maybe because it was Obon, the place was filled with families. There were a lot of elderlies and children alike and I haven't seen anyone who looked like they were here to pick up girls so far.
Well, maybe it was just my prejudice that those kinds of people existed at every pool.
Anyway, Nozomu and I quickly changed into our swimsuits and waited for the girls.
"Man, it's so crowded. I didn't expect it to be this busy."
"Really? There are less people than usual though. Maybe it's because it's Obon? I don't know… Also, it's your first time at the pool, isn't it, Maki?"
"Yeah. My grandparents' house was close to the beach, so I often went there instead of the pool when I was little. I always hated crowds so I wouldn't go to crowded places like this voluntarily. Besides, I'm not exactly a strong swimmer."
"I see, so that's why you picked kendo instead of swimming for your PE elective."
Nozomu clapped his hands in understanding.
It wasn't like I couldn't swim at all. I could, but I wasn't that good at it. It was a blessing that our school had other options for the elective class because I didn't think that my swimming was good enough for the school's standards.
Until middle school, I had to take swimming electives and made a fool out of myself in the process. I was a slow swimmer, so my times weren't good. There was one time when I messed up and slipped on the deck. As a result, half of my body was red and bruised and everyone secretly laughed at me because of it.
I told Umi this story previously and she probably told Amami-san and Nitta-san as well. Umi told me that everything would be fine and she would teach me how to swim better, so in the end, I agreed to come with the rest of them.
But, after seeing this crowd, I was having second thoughts. A girl was going to teach me how to swim in a crowded place like this?
Well, we probably wouldn't get any swimming done when it's this busy. If we were just playing around in the water, I could still handle it.
Anyway, with the five of us here, I was sure that I wouldn't stand out–
"Hehe, sorry for the wait, Maki-kun, Nozomu-kun!"
Just as I was feeling down because of the horrible memory from middle school, the three girls appeared with Amami-san leading them.
Of course, they were all wearing their swimsuits.
"Sorry for the wait, Maki. It's the second time you're seeing this swimsuit, but how do I look?"
"You look good of course. I don't think that will change no matter how many times you wear it."
"Do I look cute?"
"Of course, uh…"
"Hehe, I see. Yay~"
Satisfied by my response, she immediately clung to my side like usual.
She was wearing the same swimsuit as last time, but it still felt fresh to see her in it.
Maybe I was biased, but man, my girlfriend was so pretty. Also, she was wearing a shark bracelet on her wrist, so it made her cuter than the first time she wore the swimsuit.
"Jeez, you two started flirting already… Anyway, boys, what do you think of my swimsuit? It's embarrassing but I want you two to tell me your impression~ You too, right, Ninacchi?"
"Eh? Not really? I mean, I wouldn't mind if those two were hot, but they're just Rep and Seki, so who cares. Also, stop staring at me, pervert."
"Who's staring at you? Maki, c'mon, tell this idiot off."
"Don't involve me in this."
My girlfriend had been giving me a death glare for a while now, so I couldn't look around even if I wanted to. Still, both Amami-san and Nitta-san swimsuits suited them well. Both of them were wearing two pieces with Nitta-san wearing a dark blue one with a pareo wrapped around the bottom. Meanwhile Amami-san was wearing a light colored swimsuit with a frilly top, similar to what Umi was currently wearing.
"A-Anyway, now that we're all here, let's get in quickly. Look, there's a long line for the water slide already."
"Ah, he got away. Well, if I keep it up, the demonic wife will kill me, so I guess I should leave it at that for now."
"And who is this demonic wife you're talking about?"
"U-Um, Umi-san? C-Can you please stop pinching my stomach?"
I wished that if she wanted to hurt someone, hurt the person responsible for it instead of me.
My stomach would be swollen by the time we were done with this outing.
Anyway, we postponed the swimsuit review for now, but honestly, the reaction of people around us should be enough of an indicator on whether they looked good. Obviously, Amami-san received the most attention and at the same time, Nozomu and I received the most jealous gazes.
Well, we were used to this kind of thing, so as long as they didn't approach us, everything would be fine.
After doing a warm-up exercise, we went to the water slide and joined the line. It was the main attraction of this place. Even though they just opened for the day, there was a long line already and we had to wait for fifteen minutes before our turn came.
At the other end of the slide, I could see everyone screaming while laughing as they came out of it with water splashing around them.
They seemed to be having fun.
"It's so high… Are we really going to slide down from that height? Won't we die? Are you sure this is really okay, Nozomu?"
It didn't look like much from a distance, but when you got closer to it, the height was daunting.
The slide itself was tubular, so we wouldn't be thrown off no matter what, but there were still risks of injuries when riding it. It seemed like it happened from time to time too. That was why they had a signboard in front of the entrance to the slide so you could position yourself correctly inside to avoid injury.
"Maki-kun, you're overreacting~ If you're this afraid, let's go in a group instead! It seems like they allow up to three people to ride together."
"It seems so. People in front of us are going in groups too."
On the signboard, there was also a section that told you how to ride the slide in groups.
It said that to ride it in a group, you just needed to huddle with the others with your hand on their waists. This way, you wouldn't feel afraid because you'd feel the warmth of your friends… Or something like that, it felt like I was reading a scam for some reason.
"Let's go together, Maki. You can just hold me from behind, everything will be fine."
"I'd love to, Umi, but you see…"
Since we were a group of five, we could divide the group to a three person group and two person one. But, if Umi and I went together, then that meant…
Amami-san, Nozomu and Nitta-san would be in a group together. I could sense nothing but trouble when thinking about that lineup.