„Can I call you Haruto? I mean, we all just call us with our first name, and since you're also our friend now, it would be strange to call you by your surname.", she said.
Haruto was baffled. He didn't know that they had already become friends.
Still he answered with a smile: „Sure, why not. If you want to."
Naomi's smile seemed to get even brigther if that was possible.
While looking at her Haruto understood why everyone loved her.
Only then did he notice that te others had fallen silent and listend in on theier conversation.
They do know that it's rude to eavesdrop on others, right?, he thougth.
But of course he didn't say anything.
Soon after they finally found a quite place.
After putting down theier bags and spreading out two big beach towels, that Kanae and Yoshi had brought with them, they exchanged a glance and quickly slipped out of theier clothes.
Beneath them they wore swimming suits.
Taro had torquoise swimming trunks, Minato green ones and Yoshi red ones.
Kanae wore a dark blue swimsuit decorated with a very small skirt and a white flower on the upper hem.
Yoko wore a pink bikini with white ribbons and Naomi a lilac one with purpel ribbons.
They threw theier clothes on the towel and ran towards the sea.
Without stopping they reached the edge of the strand, running further until the water reached up to theier hips.
Then the boys jumped forward, diving under the water, while the girls giggling pulled theier arms up to protect theier eyes from the splashing seawater.
Soon after the started playing with the girls contering the boys splash attack.
Haruto sat down in the sand, watching them from afar.
The moment they reached this places the others had forgotten about him, falling back into theier year-long routine.
But that was only good for him.
Like this, he needn't worry about how to refuse them if they asked him to play with them.
After watching a few minutes he opend his backpack and took out his book, starting to read.
…
He had just finished another chapter, his fourth since he started reading, then suddenly a shadow fell on the pages of the book.
„What are you reading?", a voice asked.
Then he glanced over the edge of his book he saw a pair of small feet standing in the sand befor him.
With a sigh he looked up, meeting Naomi's gaze.
„The sailor who betrayed the sea", he answered.
„Oh, I have also readed that book. But isn't it boring only reading here? If you're already at the sea you should go swimming!", she replied.
In truth, Haruto wasn't in the least bit intrested in going swimming and playing in the water right now.
He already wanted to politely refuse then Taro appeared next to Naomi.
„She's right.", he said, „ At least be polite enough to go into the water with us. Especially since I want to challenge you to a swimming duell."
A swimming duell? What was this about again?, Haruto wonderd.
Taro looked down on his sitting cousin annoyed.
What have I done to anger him now again?, Haruto asked himself.
As far as he knew he hadn't done anything rude or wrong.
So why was his cousin angry at him?
Only a little while back Taro had been kind and friendly towards his cousin.
Still, he got the feeling, that he couldn't refuse this duell even if he wanted to.
With one more sigh he stood up, took of his clothes, and nodded.
Only standing there in his swimming trunks he looked Taro in the eyes.
His cousin eyed him arrogantly when letting out a laugh.
„I hope we have a fair match.", he said but his eyes seemed to tell: You know you are going to lose, so just give up.
Haruto really wonderd what he had done wrong to anger his kind cousin this much.
Taro turned around and marched straight back into the water.
The others had also gotten wind of what was going on and had gatherd to watch.
Minato would work as the referee for the match.
„The rules are simpel. Both of you need to swim to the buoy, touch it and swim back here. Who first touches the swimming board, that Kanae is holding, wins. Understood?", he explained.
Both cousins nodded.
„Then get ready. On the pitches…Ready…Go!", he shouted.
The moment the words left his mouth both cousins jumped into the waves and started swimming.
With big, steady strokes Haruto started swimming forward.
The water was around him, the waves there everything he heard, his strokes everything he felt.
His mind went blank, forgotten was the match, his questions and everything around him.
Befor he noticed it he had reached the buoy, touched it, turned around and swam back.
Then he was halfway back he could see Kanae as a small figure holding the board.
The others stood around her, shouting something Haruto couldn't understand.
Only then did he notice Taro swimming right besides him, giving it his all.
Harutos arms started to feel as if they were burning.
One stroke, a second one, third, fourth.
He almost was there.
He stretched out his right hand and touched the swimming board the same second Taro did.
„Over! It's a draw!", Minato shouted.
The others also started shouting and talking muddlely with each other.
Haruto and Taro just stood were, the water reaching up to theier chests, breathing heavily.
The others started storming them with questions.
„How there you able to keep up with Taro?"
„Are you not feeling well today, Taro? Or is the new boy really fast enough to keep up with you in a swimming match?"
For a while this kept going but neither Haruto nor Taro said a word.
Then they had catched theier breath again, they looked at each other and both gave the other one a nod of respect.
But after that Taro seemed to remember that he was angry and his face darkened a bit again.
He turned around and went a few steps away.
The others gave up asking them questions.
Naomi was the one who quickly changed the topic to stop the awkward silence that had followed the end of the question round.
„I'm really hungry, so how about we go back now and grap something to eat at the restaurant of the Suzukes family. They make the best Udon in the world.", she said after clapping her hands together.
Kanae, Yoshi, Minato and Yoko nodded quickly and only a few minutes later they had packed up theier things and were on the way back.
Then they reached the wooden way they brushed the sand of theier feet and put theier shoes back on.
Thought Haruto needed more time with his sneaker he still catched up to the others fast again.
They went down the road connecting with the wooden way and turned right at the end.
If they had turned left they would have gone towards the middle of the village, back on the way the three cousins had come from befor.
Now they went in the opposite direction.
After a ten minute walk they reached a small restaurant.
In his past lives Haruto had also gone here a few times, thougth those times there rare.
Since this was the place Yoko and Taro often visited with theier friends he had avoided coming here, so that he wouldn't cause them trouble.
The group entered and a young man around eighteen greeted them.
„Welcome! A table for seven?", he asked.
Naomi nodded with a smile and the young man leaded them to a wooden table in the back.
All of them sat down, thougth the others made sure that Haruto and Taro didn't sit next to each other.
Because of this, Haruto got the place on the wall, with Kanae sitting opposite from him and Minato sitting right from him.
Taro sat at the head of the table, Yoshi to his left and Yoko to his right.
Naomi sat between Kanae and Yoko.
Soon after the young man, who was a waiter, brought them the menu, but all of them chosen Udon, thougth with slight differences like having chicken(Yoshi) or only having vegetables (Yoko).
Still the atmosphere remaind heavy with no real conversation going on.
But then the food arrived they all started drooling just from the smell.
It also lookes fantastic, Haruto thougth.
And it tasted even more awesome.
I see why they love this place so much, he believed.
Naomi was telling the thruth then she said that they had the best Udon in the world.
They all fell completely silent again but this time it was a pleasant silence in which you could even feel the greatness of the food.
While eating, a few sentences he had once read, hushed through Harutos mind:
Good food brings good peopel together from the greek philosoph Sokrates and sometimes meals can work wonders and food can bring hearts together, thougth he didn't remember there he had read that one.
But seeing how all of them relaxed and Taro even gave a smile to Haruto a while later it seemed like they were true.
After they all had finished eating theier mood was much better.
In a stroke of happiness Taro payed the bill for all of them.
Then the group left the restaurant the sun had wanderd quiet a bit and a quick glance on theier watches showed them that it was already three'o'clock.
Still they decided to go back to the beach and spend the rest of the day there as well.
Said, done.
While the others played in the water and builded a sandcastle Haruto read his book again, but later they made him play a round of beach volleyball with them.
They only went back home when it was already eight'o'clock, all of them still laughing and talking even thought theier energy was completely drained.
On the way back they walked together as far as possible, but they needed to go in different direction earlier or later until only Haruto and his cousins were left.
It was a lot of fun today, Haruto thought while walking, I really hope that these days could continue.
But he knew that it was a useless hope.
He had tried it again and again during so many lifetimes and it had always ended with him being hurt.
Soon after they reached the mansion, all of them incredible tired.
During lunch they were very quiet, with Yoko even falling asleep in the middle of it.
Daikaku and Hina ordered the kids to go to bed now and Daikaku carried the already sleeping Yoko to her room.
Haruto thougth a lot about the things happening today.
Mabey because of the slight changes or mabey because he was used to acting as a twelve year old but today he had really felt like a child even thought his mind was much older.
He took out his futon and quickly changed into his pajamas.
Befor lying down on his futon Haruto opend his window so that he could hear the sound of the waves.
While listening to it he calmed down a lot and befor he noticed it he was fast asleep.
His last thought befor slepping was: I hope we can go to the beach tomorrow again.
…
The next day he woke up early just to notice that the sound of the waves was strange.
Wondering, he looked outside the window just to see that it was raining heavily.
I completely forgot that it always rains today, he thougth, amazed he had forgotten such an important fact.
He quickly closed the window, but on and beneath the windowsill was already a puddle.
Angry at himself that he had made a mistake like this he quickly hushed inside the bathroom and got a towel to clean up the water.
Only after finishing this, did he wash up and put on new clothes consisting of long blue trousers and a t-shirt in the same color.
Afterwards he went down the stairs and to the dining room.
Today, he was the first one here so he sat down and only a little later the maid from yesterday came in again.
Just that this time she was carrying a tray with a traditional japanese breakfast on it.
She put the food infront of Haruto who thanked her, this time using words and not just a nod.
Then he looked over the food.
It was a bowl with rice, a bowl with miso soup, a plate with grilled fish, a second plate with tamagoyaki, another one with tsukemono consisting of cucumber, white radish and carrot, and a plate with dried seaweed.
After thanking the gods for the food, he started to eat.
It was truly delicious.
When he had finished half of his grilled fish the door to the dining room opened again.