It was obvious that they were approaching the beach from the change of scenery: the thick trees lining the edges of the road were turning thin and there was more open space to observe the natural beauty. The dirt and grass were morphing into sand and soon the road they were taking became unpaved and bumpy, making Sakuma clutch the steering wheel harder to keep it under control.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" The question came from an uncertain Amari, the businessman glancing out of the window and seeing the thin trail they were on and only spotting the clustered palm trees that supposedly separated them from the beach. "Shouldn't we have seen a parking lot by now?"

"The map says this trail leads almost directly to Yuuki's beach house. According to Siri, it has its own garage we can park in."

"... Never trust a Howard, Sakuma. These kinds of roads are where people go to get murdered."

"It's a public beach. No one is going to get murdered." Sakuma didn't bother correcting Kaminaga about his phone not being named Howard, but doing so would have amounted to nothing.

"Well, if we're going to die out here, I'd rather not meet my end with a sunburn." Miyoshi leaned down in his seat and dug through his bag before pulling out a small bottle. "Kaminaga, I'll need your help."

"I'm not putting that on your face. My hands will be oily."

"You won't have to." Miyoshi pulled out a small hand mirror. "You'll just be holding this while I apply it." He handed it to him and popped the cap open, squeezing the lotion onto his fingers. "I'm more offended that you accused my sunscreen of being some cheap rip-off brand, honestly. Do you really think I'd want to put something that gross on my skin?"

Kaminaga shrugged. "I'm sorry my choice of skin products isn't on par with yours. I'll be sure to remember that next time I peruse the isles looking for sunscreen."

"I will squirt this in your eye."

"It wouldn't be the worst thing you've done to me."

"It's probably not the worst thing he's squirted in your eye, either."

The collective groans that echoed in the van were enough to know that Sakuma was not the only one disturbed by the comment as he continued to navigate through the sand and brush, finally making it onto a paved road again.

"Hatano, was that really necessary?"

"Absolutely not."

Sakuma could see the clearing now and soon they were out, the road expanding and revealing near-white sand that stretched until it met cobalt blue. Crowds of friends and family were gathered around picnic tables and a large gazebo, all enjoying lunch together after a morning swim at the beach.

Up ahead was Yuuki's vacant beach house, just half a mile down the road from the entrance of the beach. It popped out from the rest of the scenery, its white frame standing out from the seafood restaurants and hotel buildings that were scattered throughout the town. It looked more like a house one would find in the suburbs, not the beachside.

Sakuma merged in with the traffic and eventually pulled into the driveway provided by the property. Yuuki had given him the garage remote and the spare key to the place before Sakuma had even agreed to the vacation, so he was already equipped with everything they needed to settle in.

"Yuuki said there was a stairway in the back that led directly to the beach, so we don't have to worry about parking or walking all the way to the entrance." Sakuma had activated the garage remote and waited for the door to lift before he pulled the van inside. The beach house itself wasn't ridiculously large, but with three bedrooms and a direct route to the beach, Sakuma knew it had to have been expensive. He wondered why Yuuki hardly ever used it.

Sakuma had barely closed the garage door behind them before Hatano and Jitsui let themselves out. It gave the rest incentive to leave the van too, before Sakuma had even put the vehicle in park. He was the last to leave, letting the cramped space clear out as they entered the beach house through the door connecting the garage to the living room.

"I call dibs on the second-floor bedroom!" Kaminaga bolted towards the stairs, his large beach bag and Jitsui's backpack slung over his shoulders as he raced Hatano through the house.

Behind him, Hatano shouted, "You can't call dibs on a bedroom if you're sharing it!"

Their voices became muffled after they rushed to the second floor, their thundering footsteps louder than their shouts now that they were probably fighting over the bedroom that overlooked the beach. It was the room with the largest window and the best view, but Sakuma had a feeling Kaminaga only wanted it because Hatano wanted it first.

The rest of them were dropping their bags onto the couches and looking around. Amari sunk into a nearby chair and sighed, stretching his legs out. "I always forget how cramped long car rides can be."

Tazaki hummed in agreement, sitting on the arm of the couch. "I can't nap when there's hardly any room to rest my head."

"You could have just slept on me." Fukumoto was searching through his bag for something, absentmindedly contributing to the conversation. "It would have been better than against the window, with Sakuma's driving."

It was an obvious jab directed at Sakuma, who was just a few feet away and staring through the French doors that led to the stairs connected to the beach. Sakuma was going to ignore them in favor of the scenery until shouting was heard from the second floor again.

"Onward! Towards the sunset!"

Everyone looked back in time to see Kaminaga running down the set of stairs, Hatano's arms on his shoulders and legs wrapped around his sides. They had changed into their swimming trunks and Hatano had swimming goggles hanging from his neck as Kaminaga ran towards the French doors that Sakuma was admiring.

Odagiri was walking to the kitchen, crossing by the doors and opening them before moving out of Kaminaga's way.

They hadn't even hesitated bolting out and down the second set of stairs, Kaminaga's charge losing momentum as his feet were catching in the piles of sand and slowing him down. Hatano's insults of encouragement could be heard from inside the house, the intern urging Kaminaga to hurry or else they were never going to make it to the water.

"You think we should send someone out there to watch them? You know, in case they drown?" Sakuma was concerned for them, at least.

Tazaki was the first to respond. "Not it."

"Not it."

"Nope."

"They can drown for all I care."

Sakuma gave an exasperated look to Miyoshi that was supposed to be aimed at everyone, but his comment was the most inappropriate, so he felt it was justified.

"We'll be heading out soon, anyway. I'd say we let them run around for a while so no one associates them with us." Jitsui's tone was playful, but his face was passive. Then he turned around and headed for the second floor, most likely to retrieve his stolen backpack that was left up there.

"He does have a point. We can all relax and settle in before we go out." Amari grinned and put his arms behind his head, sinking further into his chair. "I don't have boundless amounts of energy to spare like they do."

"Now you just sound like an old man." Odagiri replied from the kitchen. Fukumoto joined him and they stocked the refrigerator with drinks and various snacks for whenever any of them got hungry. "I'd hate to imagine how Emma feels playing with someone as boring as you."

"You leave Emma out of this. She loves when I play with her!"

Fukumoto grinned. "I'm sure you host wonderful tea parties."

"I do."

Kaminaga had made it to the water with no help from Hatano, who was still attached to his back. The water was cool against his legs, but the extra weight was making his feet sink into the sand and walking was becoming difficult. "You can get off me any time, you know."

"Why?" Hatano leaned down to stare at the water below him, his feet barely grazing the blue surface. "You're not afraid I'll drown you, are you?"

Kaminaga huffed. "No, but you're heavy and I don't want to seem like I'm carrying around a child on my back." Hatano was too big to be considered a child, but too small to be seen as an adult. No one Hatano's size should have been hanging from his back like a kid.

"I thought chicks loved the older brother types?"

"I would hate to be related to you."

"Why is that?"

Kaminaga trudged along the sand and a little further into the water until he was nearly waist deep. "Because you're an asshole."

He could practically feel the grin on Hatano's face after he said that, Kaminaga bracing himself for whatever came out of his mouth next.

"Am I, now?"

Before Kaminaga could even roll his eyes, he felt himself tip back, his feet lifting from the sand as the rest of him began falling towards the water. His only hint that Hatano was responsible were the hands clasped under his jaw that yanked him back before he was submerged under the waves.

He splashed and floated back up to the surface, Kaminaga sputtering and wiping his eyes of sea water before he began searching for Hatano. The little shit was swimming by his legs, making his way further from land and away from his reach. His head emerged from the water when he was far enough out, a grin plastered on his face.

Everyone else had took their time getting changed before going out on the beach. The sun was brighter than expected, Sakuma shielding his eyes from the rays and searching for a place to relax. To his right were a group of unoccupied lounge chairs. They were most likely out for public use, considering that almost every other lounge chair scattered around the beach looked exactly the same.

Miyoshi seemed to have the same idea because he was already dropping his bag in the sand and taking a seat in one of them. His sunglasses were back on like before, except now Miyoshi was dressed in maroon swimming trunks instead of his earlier attire.

The rest of the men were moving closer to the water, save for Tazaki and Amari. Sakuma was pretty sure Fukumoto was headed towards the tiki bar instead of the ocean, but he doubted Fukumoto would spend most of his time drinking.

"You're not going to swim?"

Sakuma turned around to see Miyoshi looking at him, a careful curve to his lips that made him look contemplative rather than amused like Sakuma believed he was. "Are you?"

Miyoshi made a noise before he leaned back in his chair. "The salt damages my hair."

Sakuma gestured out towards the water. "You don't have to get your hair wet."

"Salt damages my skin, too."

"So does sunbathing." Sakuma walked around Miyoshi's chair and took a seat next to him, watching the group of people that passed by. He noticed Miyoshi looking at him from the corner of his eye, Miyoshi's sunglasses slipping down the bridge of his nose slightly.

"These are Ferragamo swim trunks, Sakuma. I'm not going to ruin them by getting them wet. You wouldn't understand."

Clearly. Sakuma wasn't in the mood to fight over a pointless argument any longer, deciding to just bask in the sunlight and the sound of the ocean while tolerating Miyoshi's presence. He didn't take vacations very often, but he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the beach every once and a while.

It felt nice to get out of the office and actually unwind. He was free of those restricting suits that he had grown accustomed to and was able to rest his mind as he took in the salty air. The sand sticking to his toes was annoying, but it was nothing a little shower wouldn't fix later.

He heard Miyoshi shuffle some things around in his bag as he searched for something, but Sakuma couldn't bother himself to wonder what it was. A breeze went by and rustled his hair, Sakuma's eyes fluttering as he began to relax. The spell was broken when something was shoved in his face.

Sakuma looked down and immediately noticed the tin box that was decorated in green. Miyoshi seemed to be offering it to him.

"Well?" Miyoshi kept his arm extended despite the strain from his angle on the chair. "Do you want one or not?"

Sakuma sat up and grabbed it from him, inspecting the tin box. It was in a language he couldn't read, that was all he could get from it. "What is it?"

Miyoshi nearly huffed, brushing his bangs from his face as a bit of wind picked up. "They're mints."

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

"I'm trying to be nice."

Sakuma knew Miyoshi finally noticed his tease when his features relaxed and Miyoshi gave a small grin of his own. "Then I'll take your offer." He popped the lid off and took a mint from the pile, snapping it closed and handing it back to Miyoshi. The flavor was strong, like mouthwash, but Sakuma didn't mind. "It's not drugged, is it?"

Miyoshi settled back into his chair and placed the box back into his bag. "I would have no reason to drug you right now. It wouldn't benefit me, anyway."

"How so?" Sakuma finally spotted Kaminaga and Hatano in the water, watching as Hatano tackled the other into the waves and proceeded to hold his head underwater. He felt a small part of him want to get up and help break them up, but then he saw Jitsui sitting in a beach chair and realized he was much closer, though less obligated to help Kaminaga. The book in his hands was enough to know that he wouldn't be moving any time soon.

"I need you to help me."

"I'm not putting sunscreen on your back." Sakuma hadn't thought about his answer before it left his mouth and he internally cringed when he remembered Hatano's comment in the minivan from earlier.

"Why does everyone– look," Miyoshi cut himself off, probably deciding it was best to keep his comment to himself, "I need you to watch the time so I know when to turn over. I don't want an uneven tan on my skin." He saw Sakuma's blank stare. "Unless you want to put sunscreen on my back."

"I'm fine, thank you."

Miyoshi placed both of his arms on the wooden arm rests and flattened himself out, leaning his head back against the curve of the beach chair. It looked a bit strained, but Sakuma assumed it was because he wanted himself evenly tanned.

"You know, you're probably going to get tan lines from your sunglasses." The thought of Miyoshi returning to work with darker skin but pale circles around his eyes was enough to make him fight back a smile.

"My face is the only place that really burns, but the sunscreen from earlier will take care of it." Miyoshi didn't move from his spot to even look at him. "The degree of my tan won't be obvious enough for something like that."

The conversation never carried on after that, Sakuma deciding to leave Miyoshi alone until it was time for him to roll over on his stomach. Until then, all Sakuma wanted to do was relax in his chair and watch the beach-goers enjoy their time off with their kids and hope that Kaminaga wasn't going to drown.

"Are you even allowed to have her on the beach?" Amari had settled on using his beach towel to lounge in the sand, looking over at Tazaki who accompanied him. They agreed on a less crowded spot on the beach, closer to the vacation home, so they could have more peace and quiet.

Tazaki was beside him, sitting on his own towel, with a pigeon nestled inside the pocket of his swim trunks. Its head was poking out from the open slit and settled against his leg, perfectly comfortable with its hiding spot.

Tazaki reached down to rub its neck under its feathers as if to make amends for Amari's question. "She's my service bird, of course I'm allowed to bring her. It's not like she's going to disrupt anything."

Amari had worried that her presence would have drawn predatory birds over, but he had never seen her fly very far from her owner, if at all. She was always nearby, either hiding in his clothes or resting on his shoulder.

"Thanks."

Amari looked up and met Tazaki's eyes that were creased from the smile he was giving. "For what?"

The other didn't seemed bothered by his obliviousness as he gently pulled the pigeon from the pocket and cradled her in his hands. "For picking this spot. I know you did it for me."

Amari watched the scene for a moment before turning back to face the ocean, trying to act nonchalant. "It's just nice to get away from everything once and a while." It was true, though he did have Tazaki in mind when they made the decision. Being with everyone from work was great and Amari was never bored around them, but he appreciated peace just as much as Tazaki did.

He wasn't the one who suffered from anxiety attacks, but he'd be damned if he let his friend get one while they were supposed to be having fun. "Would you be up for a swim later?" Amari watched as his Tazaki's pigeon climbed up his friend's arm and rested on his shoulder. "Unless she doesn't want to get wet."

"No," Tazaki tilted his head as she rubbed her cheek against his in an affectionate manner. "Lily likes getting baths." His eyes widened a bit after he paused. "Though, I'm not sure if she would like salt water."

Odagiri swirled his drink around in his glass, leaning against the waxed counter with an unreadable expression. He watched the colorful liquid swirl, the ice shifting and clinking against the glass and disturbing the fruit that was mixed with the alcohol.

Fukumoto gave him a side glance as he tipped his head back and finished off the rest of his cocktail. "You're not getting drunk on me already, are you?" He saw Odagiri shake his head. He wasn't lying, but Fukumoto could see that his eyes were beginning to glaze over. It had only been three drinks, but he supposed Odagiri could get buzzed after a few specialties.

"You know, I convinced Sakuma to switch rooms with me tonight." Odagiri brought it up so casually, but the look on his face indicated that there was more to the story than he was revealing.

Fukumoto raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the mention of Sakuma, and then at the switch. "I'm not sure if I can prevent Hatano from doing anything to you while I sleep." He wasn't truly planning on keeping Hatano under control like Sakuma had wanted him to, so whatever Sakuma's fate was the morning after was entirely up to Hatano's imagination.

Though now, Odagiri was going to be taking his place. Which meant Sakuma was now going to room with Jitsui and Miyoshi. Which would still lead to problems, no doubt, but Hatano didn't really have anything against Odagiri. Maybe his night would be free from hassle after all.

Odagiri shrugged, taking another sip of his drink and humming. They didn't need a conversation to enjoy each other's presence, but the shorter man seemed more lost in thought than usual.

Fukumoto watched him as he scanned the beach like he was looking for something until his eyes settled on two figures in the distance. Fukumoto recognized them as Hatano and Kaminaga, who were just now leaving the water and playfully shoving each other.

Just then, Sakuma appeared at Fukumoto's side. It didn't startle him, but his arrival was rather sudden and Fukumoto hadn't been expecting him to come over. "Did you come for the specials? The bar has a two-for-one deal on rum and coke." Fukumoto recalled Sakuma drinking a similar mixture at one of the business parties some time back, though he didn't seem like the heavy drinker type.

Sakuma took a seat next to him and rubbed the back of his neck. It was less of a gesture and more of a way to rub the sore muscle there. It was probably induced by stress. He ignored the look the bartender gave him when he spoke. "Miyoshi fell asleep in the middle of tanning. I didn't want to wake him up, so I figured I'd just leave and let him rest."

"Won't he burn?" Odagiri wasn't fiddling with his glass anymore, drinking the rest and setting it back down on the bar counter. He stopped the bartender from refilling his drink, both out of courtesy for Fukumoto and for a sense of control. He didn't want to get drunk so early in the day when Fukumoto was treating him.

The question caused Sakuma to dig out his phone from his shorts, squinting at the screen in the sunlight before tucking it back in. "He still has another fifteen minutes before he has to flip over."

Both men nodded simultaneously, now aware that Sakuma was probably forced to keep track of the time. Jitsui was usually the one Miyoshi went to, since he stayed put on the beach, but Sakuma may have been the only one conveniently nearby that was fit for the job. This vacation wasn't much of a vacation for him, now that they thought about it.

Fukumoto was going to say something about Miyoshi's own lack of responsibility when he noticed that Kaminaga and Hatano were hunched over Miyoshi's sleeping form, as if trying to decipher if he was truly asleep. They were some distance away from the bar they were sitting at, but it was clear to him what they were planning to do the moment they both hunched down and grabbed the underside of Miyoshi's beach chair.

His staring must have caught Sakuma's attention because he was preparing to turn around and discover just what had caught his eye when Fukumoto decided that he had enough to worry about for one day. Miyoshi's well-being could be crossed off the list just this once, if only to prevent him from getting caught up in whatever was going to happen.

He placed a hand on Sakuma's shoulder, the action enough to abort his turn and look back at the taller man. "Why don't I get you something? You look like you need to relax a bit more."

"No, thank you. It's not necessary —"

"I insist." Fukumoto called the bartender over before Sakuma could argue, choosing a drink on the cheaper side so the other wouldn't complain about the price even when he wasn't the one paying. It was a simple drink, nothing overwhelmingly sweet or heavy. Something Sakuma would like.

Something that could keep him distracted so he wouldn't have to watch his co-workers get murdered.

Kaminaga was wiping his wet bangs from his forehead as he emerged from the water, shoving Hatano who was by his side. They had finally had enough of swimming in the ocean the moment they began to drift and the seaweed brushing past their legs was too much.

They passed by Jitsui, who was absorbed in the pages of his book, a piña colada beside him on a beach towel. He looked so content that Hatano really didn't want to disturb him from his book. The empty seat beside him was rather tempting, though.

However, first they needed to dry off if they were going to keep sand from clinging to their wet skin. "Jitsui, did you bring our bag with you or did you leave it in the house?" Their bag originally had both of their beach towels inside, but he didn't see it anywhere by Jitsui's feet.

"I moved the bag to the guest room I'm staying in. Just look on the bed when you get to the room closest to the bathroom." Jitsui flipped another page in his book, scanning the first line before looking up at Hatano. "You're free to join me if you want." He had said it as if reading Hatano's mind, a knowing smirk on his face.

"I'll take you up on that offer later. Do you want anything from the kitchen since we'll be going inside?"

"No, thanks."

Hatano shrugged and continued on, catching up with Kaminaga as he walked towards the beach house.

"Do you think Miyoshi will let me borrow his towel?"

Hatano almost laughed. "No way. It's probably some brand-name fabric from some over-seas country we haven't even heard of."

"Well, it's not like he's going to use it."

They were getting closer now and Hatano could see the stairs that led up to Yuuki's vacation home, which also included the view of Miyoshi lounging in a beach chair not far off from their goal. "No harm in asking him. The worst thing he can do is say no."

The two of them went together to ask Miyoshi, if only to spare Kaminaga from searching for his own towel to dry off with. The man hadn't moved in the chair as they approached, but the sunglasses he was wearing didn't help them, either. "Hey, can I borrow your towel if you're not going to use it?"

Kaminaga waited for a scoff or a sarcastic remark about having to go get his own towel, but Miyoshi didn't reply. He knew he had heard him, since they weren't far apart. "Hey, Miyoshi?" He waved a hand in front of his face in case he wasn't paying attention, but there was no response. "You're not dead, are you?"

Hatano observed Miyoshi laying in his chair, staring at his features before realizing that his jaw was slack and the rest of his body was rather relaxed. He was slumped against the chair, something that Miyoshi would never allow himself to do consciously. "Kaminaga, I think he's asleep."

"Nope. Definitely dead." Kaminaga grinned and leaned down so he could touch the rim of Miyoshi's sunglasses, carefully pulling them away from his eyes to confirm their suspicions. Once the discovery was proven that, yes, Miyoshi had fallen asleep in the chair, Kaminaga set his sunglasses down in the sand and placed a hand on Hatano's shoulder.

"Our dearly departed Miyoshi didn't deserve to meet his end like this. Only a proper funeral may justify his death so that his beautiful soul may find peace as it departs."

Hatano seemed to have questioned Kaminaga's point during the speech.

"We must bury him at sea, my dear Hatano."

It took Hatano a few seconds to process what he meant, the look of bewilderment on his face becoming the familiar grin Kaminaga was used to seeing when he was up to something mischievous.

"Help me lift him up."

It had taken three tries to successfully boost Miyoshi's chair over their heads but they had been careful to not wake him up. Hatano was walking in front, the majority of Miyoshi's weight on Kaminaga's end as they both carried the lounge chair and its occupant towards the lapping waves.

Strangers on the beach were staring at them as they passed, some deciding to mind their own business while others continued to watch and see how it played out. All Kaminaga wanted to do was get Miyoshi back for carelessly falling asleep. Not even Miyoshi was safe from letting his guard down on vacation.

The sand under their feet became softer and they were walking until their ankles were submerged in water, both men glancing at each other before they flipped the chair over and Miyoshi's limp body was dumped into the ocean. It was obvious when Miyoshi had woken up the moment he was forced from his chair because his eyes snapped open just before he was pulled under the waves.

Kaminaga lost it, dropping the chair and clutching his sides as he replayed the frightened look on Miyoshi's face in his head. He slapped his hand on Hatano's shoulder as he laughed, watching Hatano's reaction mimic his own through misty eyes. Hatano struggled to walk and make his way out of the water as he fought to control his laughter.

Kaminaga watched as two arms flailed around in the ocean a few seconds later before the rest of the body came up, Miyoshi sputtering and looking around to get a glimpse of his surroundings. He was facing away from the beach as if the horizon was to blame for this, which made Kaminaga laugh even harder.

The sound of his voice attracted Miyoshi enough to turn, his body soaked and brown hair drooping over his face as he glared at Kaminaga. "Why am I in the ocean, Kaminaga?"

Kaminaga snorted, his face red as he took in a breath and tried to appease his amusement. He brought a hand out to tap Hatano on the shoulder again, but his hand met air as he tried to find purchase. Hatano wasn't next to him anymore.

His laughter was quick to leave him once he realized that Miyoshi hadn't taken their prank lightly. He was standing there, letting the water soak his designer swim trunks and never making a move to fix his hair. "It was Hatano's idea, honest!"

Miyoshi didn't look very amused. "Hatano's idea?" The rhetorical question was spoken with a skeptical tone. More water dripped from his bangs and down his face.

"Yeah —" Kaminaga turned around to prove his obvious lie, searching for Hatano. He hadn't expected him to wander very far during his laughing fit, but Kaminaga had spotted him sitting beside Jitsui, leaning over his shoulder and laughing with his friend like he had been there the whole time.

A cold hand was placed on his shoulder and Kaminaga flinched, looking back to find that the hand belonged to none other than Miyoshi.