Chiaki gazed out towards the sea, watching her fellow classmates enjoy themselves. It was a humid day, so she took refuge under a beach umbrella after playing volleyball and building sand castles. Though she wasn't alone. Izuru was sitting next to her. When they all arrived, everyone except Izuru ran first thing towards the water. While they were busy playing, he took it upon himself to set up the umbrellas and lay out the blankets. After that, he just sat in the shade, observing everyone else.

Chiaki wondered if he was having any fun at all. The whole purpose of coming to the beach was to unwind, but she knew that Izuru's version of fun and her classmates' version were two different things. Unless something unpredictable happened, his expression wouldn't show much change.

She hadn't realized that she had been staring at him until she noticed that he was staring back at her. When her attention shifted away from the water, she couldn't remember. She took in his facial features. A part of her wished it was night because she loved the way his eyes illuminated in the dark. Some found it scary and even unnatural, but she found it reassuring because if they ever managed to get separated, she could just keep a lookout for his eyes.

That or his long hair.

There was a gentle breeze blowing, causing his hair to sway slightly. She could see a bit of his forehead, but due to his long bangs, it was difficult to see it fully exposed.

Neither one of them said anything to each other as they continued to stare at each other. They could hear the waves flowing towards and receding from the shore and the sound of Chiaki's classmates laughing, but eventually everything around them seemed nonexistent.

It wasn't uncommon for them to stare each other, though Izuru would do it more so than Chiaki. She didn't think that there was anything particularly interesting about her overall appearance that was worth staring at, but Izuru on the other hand she could understand. Even if he dressed mainly in suits and didn't smile much, she found him handsome.

"Nanami."

She was so deep in her thoughts that she barely heard her name escape his lips. She noticed that he was now standing.

"I was thinking of getting something to eat. Would you like to come with me?"

She nodded and stood up. "Should we ask the others what they want?"

There was a short pause before Izuru spoke, turning his attention elsewhere. "Truthfully, I wasn't thinking about the others."

"Huh?" Chiaki was confused.

"I thought we could eat together."

Chiaki didn't know why, but her heart skipped a beat at the statement. She could detect a hint of emotion in the way he said it, but she didn't want to jump to any conclusions.

Izuru turned his gaze towards her, wondering why she had gone silent. "Do you not want to eat with me?"

Chiaki shook her head. "I-It's not that! It's just a little surprising to hear you say you want to be alone with me…" She could feel the blush forming on her cheeks and hoped he didn't notice. "I was worried you weren't enjoying yourself so I was thinking of doing something together too."

A small glimpse of fondness formed in his eyes. "Then I take it you have no objections?"

Chiaki smiled at him. "None at all."

Izuru waited until they were far enough from the beach to join their hands together. He wasn't a fan of personal display of affection when it was around people. Thankfully, there were hardly any people around so he could do things like pull her into his chest; lick some ice cream that was on her cheek off; gently stroke the nape of her neck; and carry her around on his back when she felt tired from walking around.

Eventually they had to return to the beach, much to Izuru's disappointment, but he knew Chiaki's energy was spent. He hoped they could return, just the two of them and spend some more quality time together.