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Chapter 5: At the Beach

"We're here!" cried Sakuragi as he and his friends got to the beach.

"Here, let me help." said Miyagi eagerly to Ayako as she carried the cooler.

"Arigato," said Ayako, smiling.

They chose a shady spot at the beach and Mitsui finally put down his and Hiroko's bag.

"Sumimasen, Mitsui-san, I know it's not your job to carry my bag…" said Hiroko apologetically.

"Daijoubu." said Mitsui, trying to smile and ignore his sore shoulders. "By the way, just call me Mitsui."

"Oi, Boy, quit talking to my daughter and come and help us to unload the things." barked Mr Gouhara.

"You call me 'boy' one more time…." said Mitsui, scowling.

"Mitsui, just go." said Hiroko quickly.

The boys unloaded the things they needed for the outing, with Mr Gouhara giving instructions.

"Why do we have to listen to that old man?" complained Sakuragi as he and Kogure put up the beach umbrella.

"We have to. If we don't, he might get mad and forbidden Hiroko to go out with us." said Kogure patiently.

"With you, you mean." teased Sakuragi.

Kogure decided to ignore him.

"Come on guys, let's play a game of volleyball!" announced Ayako.

"Yeah!" said her friends and got up.

"Come on, Hiroko!" said Haruko cheerfully and joined the rest.

Hiroko was about to get up too when her father stopped her. "Hiroko, what are you doing?"

"Joining my friends." said Hiroko.

"They are playing volleyball, Hiroko. You know you can't join them to play such tiring sport."

"But, Otousan…" started Hiroko in protest.

"Stay here, Hiroko." ordered her father.

Hiroko frowned, but didn't say anything. She sat down unwillingly.

"Oi, Hiroko-san, don't just sit there, come and join us!" called Mitsui.

"Baka! Don't you know that she can't join you?" yelled Mr Gouhara back.

Mitsui glared at Mr Gouhara, then he turned and said to the rest, "Let's form our teams, Ayako will be the referee."

As Kogure formed a team with his friends, he kept on looking at Hiroko, who looked extremely lonely.

Somehow he felt that it was a big mistake to let Hiroko to come to the beach. It didn't make her happy, in fact, it made her a lot miserable. She's probably better off staying at home.

Hiroko watched as Kogure and his friends played. They had formed two teams, Sakuragi and his team were on the left and Kogure and his team were on the right.

"Hit it, hit it, Sakuragi!" yelled Miyagi.

Sakuragi jumped up high in front of the net and hit the volleyball with all his might. The ball flew back to Kogure's side and dived deep into the sand before Kogure and his team could catch it.

"Yoshi!" cried Sakuragi in victory.

"Sakuragi's team, 10, Kogure's team, 9." announced Ayako.

Kogure's team started the next round. Miyagi easily hit the ball back to their opponent's side. Mitsui (Kogure's team) slammed the ball back before he hit the sand. Then he got up, brushing the sand off his arm.

"See that, Hiroko? What an untidy activity." said Mr Gouhara.

Hiroko didn't say anything. She knew that she would rather get herself dirty and happy from playing with others, then clean and miserable from sitting aside and watching others play.

After the game, the youngsters decided to take a rest. Some of them lay on the sand with their eyes close while the rest took food out of the baskets and started eating.

Mr Gouhara opened his bag and took out two bottles of medicine and a neatly pack lunch box. "Here, Hiroko."

Hiroko tried not to groan. She just wished that her father would forget about her medicine for a day. She took the bottles unwillingly and received the bottle of water from her father. She looked at her friends eating their delicious food before opening her lunch box.

It was a box of salad, with green vegetables and carrots, not the kind of food you usually eat at the beach picnic.

"Poor Hiroko, she just can't have a day of fun." remarked Ayako as she munched on her hot dog.

Miyagi nodded in agreement as he ate.

Ayako suddenly laughed.

"Nani?" asked Miyagi, bewildered.

"You have oil stains on your cheek." said Ayako, taking out a piece of tissue and handed it to Miyagi.

Miyagi blushed and took it. "A-Arigato…"

Sakuragi saw what had happened between Miyagi and Ayako. He smiled and put his arm around Kogure's shoulders. "Oi, Megane-kun. You better hurry up and confess your love to Hiroko-san. Otherwise Ryo-chin will be the first one in our team to have a girlfriend."

"You talk as if it is very easy." said Kogure, embarrassed.

"It is, for me." said Sakuragi, lifting his chin up.

"Then why don't you confess to Haruko then?" challenged Kogure.

(Sakuragi sweatdrops)

"I… will go and get a drink." said Sakuragi, trying not to show his embarrassment and ran off.

"I win." thought Kogure, smiling.

After lunch, everyone did their own stuff. Most of them just lay under the sun. Akagi, Mitsui, Sakuragi and Miyagi lay together in a row like corpses with their sunglasses over their eyes. Ayako and Haruko were preparing the food for the barbecue in the evening. Kogure decided to help the girls.

"We can handle this, Kogure sempai. Just go and get a suntan or something." said Ayako.

"I'm not interested in getting a suntan." said Kogure cheerfully and continued to help.

"That boy should let the girls to do the work." said Mr Gouhara.

"Kogure is being helpful." said Hiroko defensively.

Her father snorted and got up.

"Where are you going?" asked Hiroko.

"Back to the bungalow. I'm going to take a nap there." said Mr Gouhara. "Don't do anything that tires you out while I'm gone, Hiroko."

"Hai, Otousan." said Hiroko.

A few minutes after Mr Gouhara was gone, Ayako and Haruko finished their job and rushed to Hiroko, handing her a plate full of food similar to what they ate just now.

"Here, Hiroko-san. We save this plate especially for you." said Ayako.

"Ah… Arigato." said Hiroko and took the plate gratefully.

"I don't think we have properly introduced ourselves yet. I'm Ayako, she's Haruko." Ayako pointed at the boys at the beach. "I think you already know about our basketball team members, so there's no need to introduce them. By the way, you have to try Haruko's sushi, they are the best." said Ayako and Haruko giggled.

Hiroko smiled at them. "Arigato, I didn't eat much just now, to be honest. I'm sick of eating vegetables for every meal."

Ayako made a face of disgust.

"Ne, Hiroko-san…" started Haruko.

"Just call me Hiroko." said Hiroko kindly.

"Ok. Hiroko, how did you meet Kogure anyway?" asked Haruko.

Hiroko blushed slightly. "He was hit by my tennis ball. I just played for fun and the ball hit his head as he was rushing by."

Ayako laughed loudly. "That's one odd meeting."

Sitting down under the shade, Kogure opened a book and was about to read when he saw the three girls chatting away merrily. He looked at Hiroko, who was smiling and eating happily as she listened to Haruko and Ayako. For the first time of the day, Kogure thought she looked relaxed.

"Maybe it isn't so bad for Hiroko to come along with us after all." thought Kogure, smiling.