“Suo-senpai, grab the other side of the leisure sheet.”

“Got it.”

Holding the fluttering sheet against the sea breeze, Suou-senpai and I pull it taut, pegging down the corners.

We set up a beach parasol, creating our base on the beach.

Placing our belongings on the sheet, we assemble the rented beach chairs. Noticing the stylish items at the beach house, I take a breather after finishing the setup.

“Phew, that should do it. Huh? Where did Suou-senpai go?”

The senpai who was helping me set up is nowhere to be seen. Looking around for him, I hear voices.

“Hey, you girls are cute! Come hang out with us!”

“Forget about those kids.”

“Let the kids go swim far out and get hungry.”

I hear some sleazy guys chatting up the girls.

Oh boy… it looks like they got hit on during the short walk from the changing room.

Despite wearing rash guards and T-shirts over their swimsuits to avoid attention, a group of beautiful girls—a silver-haired beauty, a fit and tall woman, a petite sisterly girl, and a mysterious girl with a blend of innocence and allure—caught eyes quickly.

“Get lost. Stay away from my Marin.”

“Onii-chan…”

Protecting his sister Marin from the guys’ lecherous stares and taunts, Suou-senpai stands up to them alone.

Ah, Marin-chan seems extremely happy being protected by her brother.

It looks like she sees these guys as mere props for their play.

As the other three girls watch jealously, they spot me approaching and look at me expectantly.

You all could easily deal with those guys if you wanted to…

“Hey, these are my friends. Back off.”

I step in front of Mina and the others, glaring at the guys with a hostile attitude. In such situations, being overly polite can make things worse. The guys probably want to avoid trouble, so this should make them back down.

“What? You think you’re tough?”

“Showing off in front of the girls?”

“Do you not get that we outnumber you?”

Ah, it seems they’re not as reasonable as I thought. Maybe they were too enamored with the high-level beauties to give up, or their pride was hurt by a high school kid standing up to them. Probably both.

(Bzzt)

“Aaah!”

Behind me, I hear a crackling sound and a vocal warm-up. I don’t need to turn around to know: Kotomi is generating stun gas with Chuusuke, and Mina is warming up to use her sonic bomb, Kohou. This is bad. I need to resolve this before they make a move.

(Whoosh)

The sound of something slicing through the air.

“””Whoa!”””

The front of the guys’ swim trunks splits open vertically, flapping to the sides.

The sudden cool breeze makes them panic, hastily covering themselves.

“What the hell did you do!”

The middle guy tries to kick me, despite my innocence in the matter. Guarding his high kick with my left forearm, I push his right knee with my palm to unbalance him.

He topples over, his position revealing everything.

“Ahhh! A flasher!”

Marin-chan screams at the perfect moment. Soon, sunburned lifeguards are sprinting towards us.

“What happened here!”

“These guys exposed themselves out of nowhere…”

Kotomi calmly explains, pointing at the trio covering their groins.

Mina and Hayami-san cover their faces in embarrassment.

Seeing the situation, the lifeguards understand quickly.

“Alright, you three, come with us.”

“No, we didn’t—”

“Enough. Any more nonsense and we’ll call the police.”

“The police?!”

“Move it!”

“Hey, don’t walk so roughly!”

Surrounded by the lifeguards, the pickup artists walk away awkwardly.

“That was unlucky. Oh, Mina, Hayami-san, they’re gone. You can open your eyes now.”

I reassure them, and they slowly uncover their faces.

“Damn… what were they thinking?”

“Meeting flashers right after getting to the beach, so unlucky.”

They grumble, but it wasn’t like the guys were wearing modified trunks.

“Impressive, Suou-senpai. You managed a clean cut without a sword.”

“…Of course, you figured it out.”

Suo-senpai shows his wristband.

“Is that a soul armor support device?”

“Yeah, with this, I can slash without carrying a weapon. Though it’s not as powerful as a proper sword. I got it from Kirigaya-san yesterday for testing.”

He grins, stroking the wristband. No wonder I didn’t sense any slashing motion.

“The way you sliced right down the middle was so precise it looked like those trunks were designed that way.”

“I had to concentrate to avoid cutting off more than the fabric.”

“That’s impressive control.”

“What! That was you?! We almost saw… things we shouldn’t!”

Mina, still blushing, protests. Hayami-san looks away, still embarrassed.

“Oh dear, the older girls seem to dislike male anatomy. That’ll be tough when the time comes.”

Marin-chan teases, making Mina glare.

“Y- Yuu’s is fine!”

“Hmm? I just said ‘When the time comes’. Why mention Kamiya-senpai? What are you planning with him?”

Marin-chan smiles wickedly.

“N-no! It’s not like that!”

Mina, you can’t win against Marin-chan…

“How cute, Kohou-senpai.”

Teased by Marin-chan, Mina’s pride is hurt, showing her competitive side.

“I’m used to boys’ parts! I’ve seen Yu’s many times!”

(Freeze)

Time stops for a moment.

“Mina, that’s not what I—”

“It’s true! We bathed and played together as kids! I have photos!”

She digs out her phone.

“Why do you have those?! Don’t show them!”

I try to stop her. Why am I being humiliated over their spat?

“A childhood photo display? Annoying, but I’ll allow it if I can see.”

“Name your price.”

Kotomi and Hayami-san surround Mina. Why is Kotomi interested?

“Ugh… this is bullying…”

I defended them from the pickup artists, yet I’m the one suffering. I cry softly.