Kaito and Droite. A new couple arises. But we shall return to them later, as now it is time to return to our main cast. The 3 girls and 1 boy all agreed to head somewhere on Sunday, a date for the group. Where? The Beach. Yuma lucked out here, 3 girlfriends who - and one is surely not gonna- might not mind him staring. I mean, Cathy is Cathy. What can we expect from her?
But with the location decided, the girls huddled together for something of most importance; swimsuits. All of them had almost never been to the beach before, and it was no guarantee they would fit in their old swimsuits. Even Cathy agreed to get new ones and even pay. She wouldn't mind Yuma getting a peak, but the entire beach was out of the question.
So the girls went Friday after school to the Heartland Mall, plunging straight into a clothing store where they began looking around.
"Oh my gosh, some of these swimsuits are very… interesting~" the cat lover said with a naughty tone towards her friends.
"Cathy, don't even think about picking out something that you know is inappropriate! If you do, I'll be the one to decide which swimsuit you get!" Kotori told her feline-loving friend in an attempt to stop her from performing any of her shenanigans.
"This is ridiculous. Why can't we just use our school swimsuits at the beach? They get the job done and it saves us this trip." Anna tried to logically point out.
"Of course you're boring self would opt for that idea. The ones from school are lame and not fit for a beach experience at all. But of course, I would expect you of all people to suggest something like that." Cathy taunted towards Anna to mock her for that idea.
"Shut up you stupid cat! I just…" Anna stopped herself.
"You just what? Wait, don't tell me you've never picked out a swimsuit before?! Hahaha! That's too good!" Cathy laughed at that fact which earned her a bonk on the head by Kotori.
"Anna, is that true? You've never been to the beach before?" Kotori asked her redheaded friend as Cathy was still recovering from the bonk.
"Of course I have! I just have never picked out a swimsuit before… my parents always do it for me…" Anna said with a look of embarrassment on her face.
"Well in that case, how about I help you pick one out?" Kotori offered.
"Hey, what about me?!" Cathy pointed out.
"No! All you're going to do is pick out something lewd! So you're not allowed to help her!" Kotori said as she bonked Cathy on the head again.
"Thank you, Kotori…" Anna said as she was still thinking about the fact that she was going to be leaving Heartland City soon. She tried her best to push it to the back of her head though because this is supposed to be an amazing day for the group and she didn't want to bring it down with any thoughts of negativity.
Anyway, enough moping around. She had a boyfriend to impress after all, and, even if she hated to admit it, Anna had the advantage.
The 3 girls walked around the shop looking for fitting swimsuits. Kotori quickly found one for herself but finding one for Anna was more difficult. They ended up choosing several different ones. Meanwhile, Cathy was up to her personal antics.
"Hehe, this is gonna be good. All I need to do is put a naughty swimsuit in there and Anna will end up trying it on. This will be fun!" Cathy thought to herself as she snuck a very revealing swimsuit into the pile that Anna and Kotori picked out.
"Anna, I'll stand outside your changing booth and hand you the swimsuits one at a time," Kotori said as Anna entered her personal changing room and removed her clothes.
"Thanks, Kotori. I really hope that one of these really suits me." Anna said as her green-haired friend handed her the first swimsuit through the curtain.
"Here we go…" she started to try on the different swimsuits one at a time as Kotori handed them to her. The first 3 ended up being too small for her. Kotori then handed the next one to Anna but unknown to her, a second one was mixed in. The one that Cathy secretly placed in the pile.
"Wait, why are there two swimsuits? Kotori must have just given me two on accident. Might as well try them both on." Anna thought to herself as she tried on the swimsuit that Cathy sneaked in.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Anna shouted out as she noticed just how revealing the swimsuit she tried on was.
"Anna, is everything ok?!" Kotori asked as she opened the curtain and saw a sight she never expected to see.
Anna was staring back at her angry, her hands trying to cover her...Damn. The swimsuit she was wearing, if you can even call it that, was composed of 3 pieces of fabric, 2 covering her upper area, and 1 her nether region connected all together by 2 series of strings. It was of a deep crimson as well, which matched her hair a bit, but that was not the important part. What was important now was, apparently, that she was not liking it.
Even if she could get any men out there to drool over her with it.
"WHAT THE HELL, KOTORI?! WHY DID YOU HAND ME SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!" Anna shouted in anger.
"Shhhhh! Anna, calm down, you'll end up making a scene! And I didn't know that was there! I promise that I didn't pick that out… WAIT! CATHY!" Kotori shouted as she realized where the lewd swimsuit came from. Meanwhile, in the other booth, Cathy was now bursting out laughing.
An hour passed and the group met up at the beach. Yuma was the first to arrive.
"Where's Kotori and the others? Don't tell me that they're still busy changing…" Yuma said to himself as he noticed a very welcoming sight before him.
"Yuma, there you are! Sorry that I had trouble finding you!" Kotori said as she ran towards her boyfriend.
Kotori's swimsuit was a basic one, a 2 piece colored in light green, the top is closed and not revealing her - not Anna sized - chest. The bottom is like a little skirt the same color. Overall, a cute design and it suits her well.
Yuma, however, was simple. He had the Emperor's Key around his neck like always, and a simple pair of black beach trunks with a red line running down the right leg.
"So Yuma….. how do I look?" Kotori asked with a blush on her face.
"You look great. I think that swimsuit really suits you." Yuma replied with a smile.
"T-thank you…" Kotori simply replied. Suddenly Yuma could see darkness as he felt someone's hands covering his eyes. He also felt a female chest pressing against his back. With this, he could instantly tell who it was.
"Surprise!" Yuma's cat-loving girlfriend said as she took her hands off Yuma's eyes. The boy turned around and saw a cute sight in front of him.
Cathy's swimsuit was more basic, that being a one-piece that resembled a dress. Purple in color, and a bit loose around the chest- No, bad Yuma. Eyes north of Ecuador.
"Yuma, you're checking me out aren't you~. But at least tell me how I look." Cathy winked as she said this to Yuma.
"N-No I'm not! But you do look… really cute…" Yuma said hesitantly.
"Thank you~. I love you so much Yuma." Cathy said as she ran up to and kissed her boyfriend on the lips.
"C-Cathy! Stop messing with Yuma!" Kotori said as she pushed Cathy away from her boyfriend.
"Wait, why is there a big red hand mark on your face Cathy?" Yuma asked as he now took notice.
"She was messing with Anna so I had to teach her a lesson," Kotori replied to Yuma's question.
"Speaking of which, where is she?" Yuma asked.
"Anna, come out already! Show Yuma your swimsuit!" Kotori shouted out. The red-headed girl was hiding behind a sign a few feet away from them. But eventually came out.
The eyes went south of Ecuador instantly. Anna's swimsuit was a 2 piece, bright red in color, with lace around the edges, and plenty of cleavage showed. Yuma, you lucky bastard.
"Oh wow… Anna… you look really amazing…" Yuma said with a very flushed face.
"Hey, it's not fair! You didn't react that way to my swimsuit!" Kotori complained while pouting.
"Note to self: Yuma prefers them bigger…" Cathy said disappointed.
"I-it's not like that guys! You all look great! I just didn't expect Anna to be so… bold." Yuma said while still having a flushed face.
"Yuma… Thank you…" the red-haired girl said as she was still heavily embarrassed about wearing such a revealing outfit but this was conflicted by her happiness at Yuma's compliment.
"I'm glad that Anna was able to build up the courage to appear in front of Yuma like that… wait, is Yuma…" Kotori thought to herself as she noticed that Yuma was staring at his red-haired girlfriend. She then gave him a light jab in the stomach while pouting. Yuma took notice of the pout in particular.
"I think Kotori's jealous. I better be careful so she doesn't slap me again. But still… she's so cute when she does that." Yuma thought to himself as Cathy giggled at their antics.
"Hey guys, let's go play in the sand! I bet I can build a better sandcastle than you guys~." Cathy suggested.
"You… you're on!" Anna replied which snapped her out of her embarrassment. Kotori then sighed at the two girls and their antics.
"Alright, while you two do that, I and Kotori are gonna play in the water. That ok with you guys?" Yuma said but Cathy and Anna were already too preoccupied in their own affairs to notice. Kotori again sighed but went along with Yuma into the water.
"Yuma, take this!" Kotori said as she splashed Yuma with water. "Hey! I won't back out so easily!" Yuma replied as he splashed her back with greater force.
"This really reminds of that time we played in the river before during that field trip. Only this time, I'm gonna win!" Yuma said as he continued to splash Kotori. She was overwhelmed and admitted defeat.
"Looks like I lost Yuma. Wait… those two are really still going at it?" Kotori said as she looked over towards Cathy and Anna who finished their sandcastles.
"Yuma, Kotori! My sandcastle is better right?!" Anna shouted out.
"Of course they're going to say mine is better." Cathy countered.
Alright, let's see what we are dealing with here. Anna's castle was not half bad, it was a classical one with 4 walls and square towers, she even put in the effort to add holes for windows and even a shell at the entrance for decoration.
Cathy's was...not a sandcastle. She builds a freaking cat house instead of a sandcastle.
"Well um… Yuma I'll leave it to you." Kotori said.
"They both look amazing! But I'm afraid Anna is the winner here." Yuma said. Anna jumped in happiness while Cathy was stunned in disappointment.
"Why, did I lose? Did I mess something up?" Cathy asked.
"As I said, it looks great but… it's not a sandcastle. So Anna technically wins by default. Sorry." Yuma said in as polite a tone as possible. Cathy was shocked that she forgot such an obvious factor.
"Haha! You're so dumb! How did you not realize that what you made isn't even a real sandcastle!" Anna was laughing hysterically. Cathy wanted to give an irritated reply but instead swallowed her pride.
"Yeah, you're right. I lost because I messed up. But I won't lose next time!" Cathy replied in as mature a tone as she could.
"Wow Cathy, I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to take that so well." Kotori commented.
"I'm only going to be making myself look bad if I act like a child in this situation. Besides, the cat castle looks just like what I eventually plan to-" she cut herself off as she noticed what she was about to say.
"What do you mean Cathy? Eventually, plan too what?" Kotori asked.
"Well… I want to eventually build castles all around the world for stray cats… there's so many around the world and I know that it's impossible for them to all find a human home that they'll be fine with. That's why… I want to give them that home so that they don't suffer on the streets. I know it's a silly dream but please don't laugh…" Cathy said in an embarrassed tone which was unusual for the cat lover.
"Laugh? There's no way we could ever laugh at that! I think that's an amazing dream to have. I'm definitely going to be rooting for you all the way!" Yuma said with enthusiasm.
"Yumas right. I think that's a wonderful dream as well. And the idea of so many furry little friends to play with… hehehe!" Kotori said as she was excited at the prospect of Cathy's dream.
"Hmph, well I guess even the stupid cat can have a nice dream," Anna said in her typical Tsundere tone.
"You guys… I won't be able to accomplish that dream without you all. So um… can I count on everyone to help me?" Cathy asked. Kotori and Anna simply smiled while Yuma said "Of course! Let's make it happen together!"
"Yuma… Kotori… Anna… thank you!" Cathy said with tears of happiness coming out of her eyes.
"No problem! It's great to have a dream. Mine is to prove to the whole world that I'm the best duelist ever!" Yuma said with excitement.
"Hey, I have a dream too! Although it's not as grand as both of yours. I just… I just want to be able to marry you Yuma and create a family with us, Cathy, and Anna…" Kotori said in embarrassment.
"A family?! Woah… I never thought about that… let's think about that some other time ok?" Yuma said as he didn't want to think that far into the future just yet.
"So even they all have dreams of their own eh. What about me? What should mine be?" Anna thought to herself.
"Anna, what's your dream?" Yuma asked.
"Well… um… I don't have one yet…" Anna said with a blush.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. Not everyone has everything planned out yet. I'm sure that you'll decide on one sooner or later." Kotori said with a smile as she was trying to help Anna not feel left out.
"Thank you… but there's one thing that I do know that I want for sure. For us 4 to stay together like this forever…" Anna said with a look of embarrassment at the thought that she just said something so seemingly cheesy. The other 3 then gave her a hug and smiled.
The 4 went back to playing around and soon enough the evening came. As the 4 were about to leave after a fun exhausting day, Anna started to remember what was coming the following day and made a sad expression.
"Anna, you ok? You don't look so good." Yuma asked as he noticed the sad expression on the red-haired girl's face.
"Yuma… Thank you for everything. I had a really great time today… I really hope that one day we can meet again… I love you!" Anna said as she then started to run away with tears coming from her eyes.
"Anna, wait!" Yuma shouts as he attempts to run after her but his arm is grabbed by Kotori, much to his surprise.
"Kotori, what are you doing? We have to chase after her!" Yuma irritatingly asked.
"Yuma… I'm sorry. She told me not to tell you this but… Anna is leaving tomorrow…" Kotori stated.
"Leaving? What do you mean?" Yuma asked.
"Anna and her parents are moving out of Heartland tomorrow. Her parents found out from my mom about our 4-way relationship and they don't approve of it… so they're taking her away…" Kotori said with a tear coming from her left eye.
"No way! Why wasn't I told about this before now?! She shouldn't have to leave because of that! If she wants to stay here then she should be able to!" Yuma pointed out in anger.
"I know, but it's not her call! Like or not, we are not of age yet, so our parents or legal guardians make the calls…" She said in a sad voice.
"Damn it! Just when things were starting to look up to us as well!" Yuma cursed, but then an idea came to him. "I know! I will go tomorrow morning to their house and ask them to let Anna stay in Heartland!"
"What?!" Kotori said.
"That sounds exactly like something you would do Yuma. I'd honestly be surprised if you didn't." Cathy pointed out as she heard everything that was said so far.
"Yuma, that's crazy! Do you realize the trouble you could be getting yourself into?!" Kotori Pointed out.
"Not just you, but for us as well! If my mother gets word of such a thing, then-" Yuma shut his childhood friend up by grabbing her by the shoulders.
"Everything is going to be fine." He assured her. "I know that tomorrow I am going to Hi-Five the Sky well enough for Anna to stay," Yuma said with absolute determination. Cathy simply smiled as she knew that her boyfriend would never abandon anyone he cared about, no matter the cost.