"You three are definitely plotting something bad again!"
Aina pouted, glaring at the three of them. She felt completely left out; every time something like this happened, they never included her!
She thought it was about time she crashed their little eye-signal meetings to figure out how they communicated silently. She had caught a glimpse of it before, but the opportunity had been too brief.
"Just don't mess up the diving license exam," Chisa said casually, already used to these three troublemakers.
Moreover... she was just grateful if they didn't bother her!
"Don't worry, we definitely won't!"
"I'm going to ace it with the highest score!"
"Hmph, the winner will definitely be me!"
(-ι_- )
Chisa and Aina fell silent. These three were competing over the weirdest things again.
Seriously, do boys just have to compete over everything? What was even the point?!
At that moment, Amuro curled up, snapping out of her blissful daze surrounded by the scent of flowers, and remembered why they were here today.
"Everyone! Time to change clothes!"
Her lively voice echoed across the beach~
Sunshine, beach, energetic girls~
This was exactly the life they had imagined!
However...
The words "change clothes" were like a magic switch.
"UURAAAH!!!" ×n
In an instant, five naked guys appeared in front of everyone!
(;'A`)!!!
"What the hell are you five doing?! There are still strangers around here!"
Aina couldn't take it. What if they scared off the examiners?!
However...
"Whoa!!!!"
Rather than acting embarrassed, Amuro was looking at them wide-eyed and sparkling, almost unable to resist reaching out to touch them.
Then, without hesitation, she whipped off her large outer clothes—
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
Aina immediately jumped to shield Amuro. Why was she stripping too?! This wasn't normal at all!
(′｀;)?
"What's wrong, Aina?"
Azusa asked, tilting her head in confusion. Looking around, all the girls had already stripped down to their swimsuits underneath.
(′?`)
Aina nearly coughed up blood. She had forgotten—these people never needed changing rooms! They always wore swimsuits under their clothes!
But why was the examiner like that too? Was this habit contagious, or did all diving enthusiasts just wear swimsuits under their clothes by default?!
Turning around, sure enough... Amuro was now standing there, wearing only her swimsuit, looking at her with innocent curiosity.
"Aren't you going to take yours off too?"
Those pure eyes were full of puzzlement.
"..."
Faced with that pure gaze, Aina didn't know how to explain that she wasn't wearing a swimsuit underneath and needed to find a changing room!
"Looks like the zombie-beast still hasn't completely opened up to us,"
"Yeah, definitely the senpai's problem,"
"Well, you can't blame her entirely; she's just too shy. Should we bring her into one of our betting games?"
The three naked boys folded their arms and discussed. After recalling Aina's drinking capacity, though, they quickly gave up on that idea.
They were scared she'd pass out before the game even began.
Thankfully, there weren't many people in this exam area. Otherwise, three naked guys standing around hugging themselves would definitely go viral.
Meanwhile...
Aina realized something serious!
There wasn't even a changing room here!
(*?????)
She stared at Amuro in disbelief. "Amuro-san, there is a changing room here... right?"
"Changing room? Why would there be one? It's standard to wear your swimsuit under your clothes when diving. Sometimes I don't even wear anything. Skinny dipping feels amazing! Want to try it together after the dive?"
=????(??? ????)
No clothes!
Looking at Amuro's radiant smile, Aina's expression turned extremely unnatural.
This girl... this girl was a wild beast wrapped in pure innocence!
She was even more outrageous than Azusa! Who in their right mind would agree to go skinny-dipping with someone?!
"Sounds great!"
"Let's swim over there later!"
"Kitahara, need me to get you a swim ring~?"
"Damn it! I'm going to learn how to swim!"
"…"
Aina clutched her face in despair. She had forgotten—her entire club was full of weirdos. She fit in perfectly among them.
And Azusa—you're a girl too! Why are you happily agreeing to skinny-dip?! This... this is way too much!
Her mind inevitably drifted into a daydream of herself and Iori skinny-dipping, snuggled together as the waves splashed around them, sharing a romantic kiss in the colorful sea.
Kyaaa!
Just imagining it made Aina's ears burn bright red, her head spinning.
Unfortunately—
Her beautiful fantasy would never come true because Iori couldn't even swim (??ω??).
Chisa quietly backed away from Aina. She seemed infected... better not risk it!
"So there really isn't a changing room? Then how did the previous examinees change clothes?"
Despite her disgust, Chisa couldn't just abandon her friend.
"Ah... about that, there's actually a changing room far away. I thought everyone would just come prepared. As for previous examinees... you're my first group!
Ehehehehe～"
Amuro's words left Chisa stunned. She had thought today's examiner would be experienced, but it turned out she was brand new...
This might be trouble for Kamishiro and the others. Everyone knew that rookie examiners tended to be very strict!
Pfft—
Nanaka hugged Chisa from behind, adding a splash of sunny orange energy~
"Chii-chan, don't underestimate Amuro-san~ She's amazing! She ranked first in all her exams and is the only person I know who can free dive without equipment in shallow waters!"
Nanaka's words shocked Chisa. Free diving without gear?
Even in shallow waters, they usually wore full gear to protect themselves.
Had she learned diving incorrectly?!
"Ahahaha, it's just because I've been diving since I was little. But seriously, don't imitate me, okay!"
Amuro's lively voice took on a serious tone. She knew very well that free diving was dangerous and not for everyone.
Of course, for someone who grew up by the sea like her, it was simple.
Looking at everyone, who had now finished preparing (with Azusa dragging Aina off to change without using the distant changing room (??ω??)), she beamed with excitement!
"Alright, let's put on our equipment and get into the water!"
The diving gear was already set up nearby. Amuro and Nanaka would serve as examiners, while the others waited onshore.
"It's finally starting…"
Shiro's eyes glimmered with a hint of anticipation.
For some reason, his nervousness had faded, replaced by calmness.
Maybe it was because he was about to see that beautiful scenery again?
It felt so wonderful～
"Oh, by the way! To thank you for the flowers, I'll give you extra attention during the exam, okay? Good luck!"
(′?`)
Looking at the energetic girl beside him now dressed in a diving suit, Shiro's pupils began to dilate.
Thank you my ass!!!
There was no trace of human common sense in this girl!
Complaint! I want to file a complaint!
No, he had to cancel that bet, or he was done for!
SLAP!
Just as he was thinking that, two hands clamped down on his shoulders.
"Hey, sounds like you said something pretty interesting just now,"
"Those flowers sure were beautiful. We're really looking forward to seeing your drinking skills, Kamishiro～"
Two demon-like faces loomed behind him—Iori and Kouhei had heard everything.
So this was the "special attention" he was getting, huh～
Seeing the two devils grinning wickedly at him, Shiro felt his soul leave his body.
They definitely weren't going to let him cancel the bet!
Damn it!!!
(*?????)