She Comes And Goes As She Pleases (Part 43)
by BrDPirateMan

As we did the dishes together, the kitchen came alive with the sound of music. Or at least Eri's singing.

"Red bikini, blue bikini, that makes two. Black bikini, green bikini, I love you…"

"Wh-What kind of song is that supposed to be?" I asked. It was impossible to not cringe from the horrible lyrics.

"It's a little ditty I made up by myself, 'cuz I'm happy."

"You're happy? What's the occasion?"

"Hello? Is your brain like a sieve?"

She rapped her knuckles on my head lightly, like she was making sure I still had something inside my skull. She didn't have to do that. I knew what this was about.

Tomorrow was the start of our long-awaited trip to the beach. Yes… three days and two nights at The Red Tide with nothing but fun. And no, none of our friends is tagging along. None of that 'romantic getaway with friends in tow' crud that you often see in manga; this was a bona fide vacation with just the two of us. Just me and Eri, just the way we want it.

"Don't worry," I said, grinning. "Of course I wouldn't forget what we have planned for tomorrow. Have you packed your bags?"

"Yup. And you?"

"I have, but I still need to look through my stuff, just to be sure. The last time I went to the beach was back when I was nine years old, so I've long forgotten about what I should be bringing. I do know it's not the same as going to the pool, so I can't just take what I usually bring to our swimming lessons. I've got sunscreen, towels and other important stuff, but I don't know if I'm missing anything else."

"Oh, I can help you with that." She patted a hand over her heart. "Count on me!"

"Okay, let's go through our luggage afterwards and then you tell me what we should pack."

"Yeah. It's no good to go unprepared. This one time I wanted a tan, but I ended up looking like a cooked lobster. All because I forgot to bring sunscreen! I was a real idiot."

"You got sunburn, huh…" I winced from the thought. "Ouch…"

Honestly, I still had trouble convincing myself that I was hitting the beach together with my girlfriend. This was too good to be true! It's gonna be the two of us swimming and playing and chasing each other up and down the shoreline, straight out of a scene from a movie. Our exams went fairly well too, so there was no need to be saddled with guilt. And best of all, Eri will be decked out in a bikini. That's right… our curvy, curvy, curvy friend will be in a bikini. No guy in his right mind would say no to that! The excitement was ripping me to shreds on the inside.

Ah… the things we could do! I made a mental note to pack our schedule to the brim with fun.

Later, Eri popped by my room to evaluate how well I had gathered the necessities for the trip. She took her time surveying my stuff, but ultimately the expression she had for me was one of disapproval.

"You didn't bring a speedo, Neku."

"I… I don't intend to. I'm just gonna bring my jumpsuit."

And to that she protested, "But it's summer! At the beach! Sure, you can wear what you like, but that doesn't mean you have to!"

"Eri, you're getting your word order mixed up."

Getting worked up, she said, "We finally get a chance to enjoy our summer at the beach, but you're gonna waste it by wearing that stuffy shark suit?! I want to see my cute boyfriend with his shirt off! Is that so wrong?"

Conditioned from years of self-consciousness brought about from being super-thin, I still wasn't comfortable with showing off my body, even if I may have bulked up a little from my swimming lessons. But she wasn't patient enough to wait for me to gain some serious muscle mass. She wanted to see skin and she wanted it now.

"B-But, Eri… my body isn't quite – "

"Neku, remind me how many times I've seen you naked? Take my word for it, you aren't too bad looking. You'll be fine! I may even have to put a leash on you in case some beachgoer flirts with you."

Now she's just blowing things out of proportion. "I'm not that photogenic, you know… Anyway, a speedo is simply asking for too much! I can't prance around with two-thirds of my butt showing!"

"I can. What's the problem?"

"That's a terrible comparison, Eri."

"Hey, come on," she grumbled, "work with me here! …Well, fine. At least wear a pair of trunks. If you're so embarrassed, I'll even let you wear the ones that reach up to the knee. But no shirts!"

"Knee-length trunks, huh…"

I stroked my chin, weighing my options. That might work. They're not like briefs or speedos that only look good on you if you've got a fantastic backside. With your behind covered up, that's one less thing to worry about. I suppose I could deal with that.

"I think I've got an old pair somewhere," I said, starting to rummage through my wardrobe. "They'll do nicely."

She raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Really now? And when the last time you could fit in it?"

I hesitated to answer. "Uh… when I was nine?"

"You'll never fit in that!" She threw her arms in the air. "Forget it, Neku. You can't do anything with it even if you do find it." Then she grabbed me by the wrist and pulled, forcing me to pick myself off the floor.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

"What else? To buy you a new pair of swimming trunks!"

"Can't I just use the trousers of my jumpsuit – "

"No, you need something more vibrant! Something with more colour and pizzazz! Something that really shouts the message that you're young and healthy and ready to have fun!"

Eri would hear no further protests. She had already dragged me out the front door and across the street to one of too many boutiques. Then, once we were there, she made a beeline for the swimwear section. With surgical precision she picked out a few pairs of trunks from amongst the clothes racks and plopped them into my arms. Once we had three of them – the maximum number of items per person at a time – she nudged me towards the nearest fitting room.

"Give it a go," she said. "But let me see for myself, okay? I need to give you an expert's opinion."

Wanting to get this over with, I slipped through the curtains of the fitting room without a word.

I took off my cargo pants, opting to leave my shirt on. The first pair I grabbed was blue with a floral design. It looked pretty nice on me, and it was even a snug fit so I wouldn't have to worry about it slipping off while playing around in the water. Yeah… I wouldn't say this was bad at all. Eri wasn't an aspiring fashion designer for nothing.

"You done?" she called. "Let me see!"

"Alright, go ahead."

She poked her head inside to look at me, and I expected a thumbs-up from her. However, against my expectations, she gave me a frown instead. And I'd know why.

"Take off your shirt!" she barked, as though it was the most obvious thing to do. "It's in the way! I can't judge correctly like this."

"D-Do I have to? The… um, air-conditioning is kinda chilly and – "

"No 'buts'. Go on, off with it, on the double! Don't make me go in there and do it for you!"

I hate it when she leaves no avenue for counterattack. I took the shirt off… reluctantly, since her head was still stuck through the curtains and she was staring at me. Once I was topless she was finally happy and that's when the praises rained down on me like a storm.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" she squealed. "Yeah, okay, try another pair!"

"Okay, okay, I'll do it. Don't rush me."

The second and third pairs of trunks elicited the same energetic response from Eri. And when she was satisfied with them and I thought we were done, she just gave me three more to try on. We were supposedly shopping for my swimming trunks, but why did it feel like she was the one calling the shots? I didn't even feel like I was buying them for myself anymore.

Even though she was having fun, I felt that I should put my foot down and choose the trunks that I wanted to wear instead of leaving it to her.

"Try these next!" she said. "Go on, get to it!"

"Uh, Eri? You've made me try on at least a dozen by now. I think I know which pairs I'd like to get for myself."

"These will make you look so cool, I just know it! You'll be the king of the beach wearing these bad boys!"

I adopted as gentle a tone as I could manage. "But I don't want to be king of the beach or anything like that. It's nice that you have so many suggestions for me, but I want to get something that I want to wear. Let's just say I haven't had any say whatsoever in this."

She gradually understood what I was saying, and snapped out of her shopping frenzy mode.

"…Ah. Um, sorry, I kinda got too excited, Neku."

I held up a couple pairs of trunks. "That's alright. Anyway, I think I'll get this and this for now. Is that okay?"

"Ahem… Yes, that's fine. They'll do. Still, while we're at it…"

"Huh?"

She jabbed one arm through the curtains, holding something. I took one look at the dinky little piece of cloth dangling in her hands and immediately recoiled in horror.

"Eri, I already told you I'm not going to wear a speedo."

"I know. But just this once, could you try one on? I promise we're not going to buy it. I just want to see how you look in it."

Looking at it closely confirmed my suspicions: it really was small. Too little was left to the imagination, much too little. Who the hell wears something like this at all?!

I crossed my arms defensively. "Oh no you don't. You'll just get all sorts of weird ideas. If you want to stare at my butt so much, do it in the bath."

She tried again to get through to me, all the while wearing a large pleading grin on her face. "This is the last time I ask of you, I promise. Do this for me, and I'll never get you to put one on again. I wouldn't even mention speedos again, ever. Good deal, right?"

"Why exactly do you want to see me in a speedo?"

"Well, why do guys want to see girls in bikinis?" she countered. "The reasoning is one and the same!"

Fair enough… but this was all such a handful. Still, she promised to give it a rest once she's had her fill of speedo-clad manliness, so perhaps I could grant her request.

"But only this one time!" I warned, reluctantly plucking the offending piece of clothing from her hands, much to her delight. "So you better take a good look and commit it to memory."

"Oh, I will!" she giggled. "Go on, get to it!"

Eri's waiting for me outside. Better get to work. I looked at the speedo I was holding and once again it was its size that got me all hot and bothered. I'd be able to wear it and look great if I had the build for it. But that's the one thing I didn't have yet. Now I'd just look ridiculous!

However, I had little freedom to myself in this matter. The only thing left for my poor embarrassed self to do was to wear it and hope Eri wouldn't get too hyper.

"Neku, you're taking an awfully long time in there…"

"I told you not to rush me, man… This thing is squeamish to put on."

"It'll all be over soon, Neku. Hang in there."

Says the one taking it easy outside…

If we're going to put an end to my misery, I say we do it quickly and then never speak of it ever again. I called out to her, impatience rising in my voice.

"Hey Eri, take a look."

She stuck her head in, her gaze immediately snapping to my crotch like a heat-seeking missile. The speedo was very much to her liking, if her accelerated breathing was anything to go by.

"That's my Neku!" she panted. "So lewd! Great going!"

My cheeks burned like the dickens. "D-Don't drag this out any longer than we need to. We still have things to do!"

"Okay, okay. But first, turn around."

"D-Do I have to – "

"Yes! Turn around."

"Ugh…"

And so I did. I could sense her eyes roving all over my buttocks. Shouldn't our roles be reversed here? I'd rather she put on the swimwear and I do the ogling. Now I knew how girls felt when guys stare at them. It's a good thing I didn't have to wear this during the trip.

"Yeah, that's the stuff," she giggled. "Once more from the front."

"For crying out loud," I grumbled. "You could – "

Unfortunately, that wasn't all that there was to my already unbearable embarrassment. Eri had made a miscalculation and given me a speedo that was slightly looser than usual. When I wore it, I did think it wasn't as tight as I thought it should be, but since it stayed on somewhat I paid it little mind. Big mistake. I should have.

Without warning, the speedo slipped away from my hips and down my thighs, where it clung on for dear life. Eri had been looking precisely in that direction when it happened, and saw the scene unfold first-hand… with disastrous results.

Well, it was disastrous to me, anyway. To her, though…

"Ooh, bonus," she sniggered.

"Sh-Shut up!" And I shooed her intrusive face out with a wave of my hand.

Waiting for me outside, she continued to laugh. Great to know she could see the lighter side of things… If she wasn't used to nudity, I had my doubts that I could live this down at all.

XOXOXOXOXO

The day we'd been looking forward to feverishly was finally here. There was an overall feeling of excitement in the air as we looked over our luggage one last time just to make sure we had everything we could possibly need.

Clothes, check. Money, check. Everything else, check, check, check. And just to be on the safe side, I made a quick phone call to The Red Tide to confirm that the room I had booked for us was still available. Of course, there were no such problems. All that was left to do was to go there and have fun.

I haven't been to the beach in forever and had long forgotten what it was like, what I should be doing, and all the rest of it. So this was going to feel like my first time all over again. I'd be counting on Eri to show me the ropes.

"The train leaves in thirty minutes!" said Eri urgently. "Neku, you done checking your stuff?"

"Um, yeah, looks like we got everything… I think."

"We've gone through everything already, so we'll be alright. You don't need to bring the whole house with you, you know."

"Are you absolutely sure I don't need to bring a first-aid kit along?"

Despite my naivety and obvious lack of know-how, she never once made fun at me. "No, that's not necessary. Although it can't hurt to bring some band-aids."

"Right, I'll take a box."

I flipped through the folded clothes in my bag in order to look for space. Wedging items last-minute amongst my belongings became second nature and I was starting to grow careless. I grabbed a stack of shirts that I'd already packed inside… and that's when I saw something that made me slam it back down in a hurry. Eri noticed.

"Neku? What's the matter?"

"N-Nothing!" I gulped. "Nothing at all…"

"Hmmm, oh well. If you say so."

Seeing that nothing was amiss, Eri went back to checking her luggage. Whew… close call. It'd have been awkward if she saw what I had packed amongst my stuff.

Yeah, I definitely didn't want her to see the box of condoms I had hidden inside. It's not likely anything of that sort was going to happen between us during the trip, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared.

"Straight up from me, Neku: I want to do it with you. I want you to give me my first night… and, w-well, all the other nights after that."

I still remember those words like the back of my hand. Eri said that to me soon after we started dating. Although she has shown considerable interest in, well, sex – and I don't mean all those times she strips down to her underwear and teases me – she never once indicated that she was ready for the real thing. So I'd been patiently waiting for her. I'd say it's been about seven or eight months now, maybe longer.

Don't worry, Eri… Take as much time as you need. But… when you're finally good to go, just say the word. I'm a man. I'll follow through.

There probably was no need to bring this many condoms, though… The way I see it, even if we get to doing the deed, we wouldn't even get to use half.

"Neku?"

I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't see her face right in front of me. It gave me a heck of a start.

"You're kinda out of it… What's wrong?"

"R-Relax! I'm fine, see?"

Her face showed genuine concern, but her words didn't match.

"Neku, I'm not gonna make you wear another speedo. Honest. So… try not to be so uptight, yeah?"

Um, that's way off… but whatever, I'll take it. That's that.

Even when we were lingering around the entranceway, getting ready to leave, I never stopped asking if we'd missed anything.

"Do you have enough bottled water on you, Eri?"

"Yeah."

"You packed in medicine too, didn't you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, that's good… Now, what's left…"

"No need to get your underwear in a knot, Neku. We're both set. Trust me, we have everything we could possibly need. And if we don't, we can always buy it where we're going."

"Hmmm…" If she was so sure of herself then maybe we were more than prepared after all. "Right then, I'll trust your judgment on this, Eri. Still, there might be one piddling little thing…"

"What's that?"

"Maybe we should bring Mr Spiny along? That way we can take care of him, and…"

"Don't worry about it," said Eri with a smile. "Mr Spiny's a cactus, he's a survivor! Earlier this morning, I made sure to water him and add some fertilizer, and I left the curtain by his window sill open so he can get sunlight. He'll be fine while we're away. Maybe a little lonely, though."

That put me at ease. "Can't do anything about the loneliness, but at least he'll be alright by the time we get back."

"You just relax, Neku. Everything will be – "

"Hang on!" I was suddenly gripped by another wave of uncertainty. "I need to check if the stove is off."

"Uh, I've already checked. But… be my guest."

So I did just that. I double-checked to be sure. Just when I thought everything was finally taken care of and I could finally have my vacation in peace, I thought of something else that needed looking at. Damn!

"Gah, maybe we should pack in some instant noodles. Just in case we wake up in the middle of the night and get hungry…"

"That should not be a problem," said Eri, whose patience I suspected was wearing thin. "There's room service where we're going, isn't there?"

"Ah, um, right. I forgot. No wait! Aren't we going to buy some souvenirs? Is there enough space in our bags? I kinda stuffed mine to the brim…"

"It's fine, we'll manage. C'mon, let's pick up the pace. The train will leave soon! At this rate we'll never leave the house."

"I know, I know… It's just… I keep thinking there's still stuff to do! Oh, another thing! What if some beach ape tries to pick you up and gets too clingy? We should at least bring some sort of weapon, like a can of mace, or a newspaper that we can roll up, or – "

Suddenly, Eri clamped her hands onto my cheeks, which surprised me enough to stop talking.

"Neku," she said quietly, "calm down."

"Uh… o-okay."

"Listen to me. We already have everything. You have nothing to worry about. Didn't we go through our luggage just moments ago?"

"Y-Yeah, but… I want to make this trip perfect. I don't want to ruin it just because I forgot to bring something. Just felt the need to be fully prepared, you know?"

She gave me a kind smile and pried her hands away gently. "Thanks for your thoughtfulness, Neku. But believe me, we'll be fine. I don't know how I can convince you, but… we just will. Trust me on this."

It's good that she understood where I was coming from, but maybe she was right. Maybe I should do less worrying and more of having fun because let's face it: we were all good to go. I was just wasting time being unsure of myself.

"I'll take your word for it, then," I said. "But how will you handle the perverts?"

"Have you forgotten? Me and my rock-hard foot are ready to go anytime someone tries to make life difficult for us. They'll never see what's coming and they'll never have kids again. So, I'll be more than fine!" This she said with a beaming smile.

And this was supposed to make me feel better.

Now I was actually a little scared of her.

XOXOXOXOXO

Despite my worries that we might not have brought enough supplies along, we boarded the train at long last without any problems.

It was rather crowded in the train; with all the seats already taken, we were forced to stand around. The only place we had for ourselves was right in front of the train doors. I cautioned Eri to be wary of gropers and sandwiched her between myself and the doors to shield her from potential perverts.

"Neku, if anyone tries to touch your butt, just you give me a call. I'll lick 'em up good."

"I think I should be the one to say that."

"But you can't do a groin kick to save your life…"

Suddenly the train lurched and caused me to lose my balance. I wobbled forwards and held up both hands against the doors to prevent myself from colliding with her pretty head. By instinct her own hands reached up to my chest to hold me steady. I was safe.

And as a nice bonus, our faces ended up within point-blank range of each other. When I saw her trapped in our tiny corner with no leeway for escape, my heart was besieged by some serious palpitations. She was so cute! I had half a mind to go ahead and give her a big kiss right on the spot but I kept my feelings in check. Damn, this wasn't bad at all. Thanks, train!

"It's… crowded, eh?" was my pathetic attempt at a normal conversation.

She nodded listlessly, just as spellbound as I was with our little slice of heaven.

"Um," I continued, "y-you okay?"

"Uh-huh…"

Argh, I couldn't take it anymore! She wouldn't mind if I sneaked a kiss in, right? I bet she wouldn't. And if we made it quick no one will notice. This was a great opportunity.

Turns out, I wasn't the only one who thought the same way.

Eri acted first and lunged forward, catching me completely off-guard. And when the train happened to jostle a second time, she latched onto me and saw this as her chance to deepen the kiss.

It didn't last all that long, though. She pulled back abruptly and much too soon, leaving me high and dry – and plenty dazed – for a moment. I couldn't say I didn't get to enjoy it. Not at all. It was still good. Would be nice if we could pick up from where we left off though.

But there was hope in store for me.

"Neku," she said, "we'll have to do this over sometime."

"Ah, s-sure. Th-That sounds good."

Damn, I should have been the one to say that. It would have sounded so seductive. And Eri's a sucker for sexy talk.

XOXOXOXOXO

The rest of the journey went by relatively uneventfully, so let's fast forward to two hours later when we finally arrived at our destination. We stepped out of the subway station to a complete – and refreshing – change in scenery. The environment was decidedly suburban with more apartments than shops. And it was nice that we need not fight through a throng of people simply to walk around the streets, as was often the case back in Shibuya.

Taking in the sights, I mused openly, "This ain't half bad."

"Yeah… breath of fresh air, this place."

"I know, right? …Wait, you're not Eri."

It wasn't her voice I heard. We whirled round… and there, behind us, was a couple of familiar figures emerging from the crowd coming from the station.

"Oh, it's you!" squealed Eri. "Kariya, Uzuki, what are you doing here?"

Yup, it was them alright. And they were lugging trolley bags behind them too. As they approached us, Kariya gave us a friendly wave. I quickly deduced that it was him who spoke just now.

"We're here on work-related matters," said Uzuki, matter-of-factly as per her usual no-nonsense demeanor. "Bit of a long story, but we're here to work, not play."

"And a mighty fine shame that is!" sighed her lazy friend. "Oh well, at least the weather is nice and the girls are looking great!"

Eri was quick to seize the moment for a quick joke. "Does that include me?"

"Why, of course, mademoiselle! You look very tres bien today! I could – oof!"

"Hey," chided Uzuki, having elbowed him in the arm, "don't go hitting on someone else's girlfriend. And in front of them no less."

He just laughed the pain off. Knowing him, he's probably conditioned himself to withstand her years of harsh treatment of him.

This being the usual co-op comedy shtick between him and Eri, I paid the whole thing no mind. It's just them being the goofballs they were; there's nothing else to it. I was more interested in why these two were even here in the first place.

"So if you're here to work," I said, "what are you working as?"

"We're helping out at a beach café," replied Uzuki. "I've been made a waitress, and Kariya here has been assigned to kitchen duty." She rubbed the back of her neck, not thrilled with the very prospect. "It's going to be really mortifying for me though…"

"Come on," said Kariya. "It's not that bad. And it's a good chance for you to loosen up and let your hair down, you stick-in-the-mud!"

"D-Don't call me that… and, well, I'm not that rigid…" Sorry, but it's the truth…

Eri gasped in delight. "A beach café?! Does it mean you'll be wearing cute swimsuits and stuff?"

Uzuki buried her face in one palm, but she couldn't hide her ears, which were starting to redden.

"…Yes. Unfortunately."

"Awesome!" Eri grabbed her free hand and squeezed it affectionately. "I wanna see you in it! I'm sure you'll look fabulous."

"N-No, please don't come. Seriously, don't. I… I never had much of a choice in this to begin with."

Kariya found the entire exchange amusing and his laughter never once saw a break. "You were the one who was the most excited about earning some extra money over the holidays. Bit too late to regret it now, don't you think?"

"I… I didn't think I'd have to wear such an indecent uniform!"

Eri didn't make things any better for her. "Try positive thinking, Uzuki! The right word to use here is 'sexy', not 'indecent'!"

"Eri," I sighed, "you're not helping."

Uzuki still had her hand plastered over her face but even that wasn't helping anymore; now her whole head had the colour to almost match her pink hair. It was actually funny seeing the normally stoic Uzuki become so flustered.

"Anyway," said Kariya, chuckling, "if you're free, do pop by. The café where we're working is at the beach near The Red Tide. You wouldn't miss it."

"The Red Tide?" Surprised, I blurted, "That's where Eri and I are headed now, actually."

"Really? Oh, that's right. We never did ask you. What brings you here?"

"Neku and I are on our honeymoon!" Eri locked her arms around one of my own, emphasizing our closeness. "We're gonna have so much fun together!"

Kariya raised his eyebrows. "I had no idea you guys were already married."

"We're not," I said. "We're just… um…"

"…madly in love!" finished Eri for me, in the most cringe-worthy way possible.

"Yeah, I can see that," mumbled Uzuki. "Just spare us the public displays of affection and we're cool."

Eri suggested that us four take a taxi to The Red Tide since that's where she thought we'd all be going. She was mistaken though; Uzuki explained that she and Kariya were staying elsewhere at cheaper lodging that their employer had provided for them. We parted ways for now but Kariya promised we'd meet again before very long.

"Drop by if you have time!" reminded Kariya. "Oh, and ignore Uzuki's protests. Her uniform is hot so come and – ow! Not the ear! Owowowow – "

I didn't hear what Uzuki said to him as she dragged him off by the ear. Whatever it was, it probably wasn't pretty.

"Those two go so well together," giggled Eri. "So… a beach café, huh? Well, colour me curious. We'll gladly pay them a visit, won't we, Neku?"

"Sure, let's do that when we get a chance."

"I hope they have spaghetti carbonara. It's one of my faves!"

"I prefer a nice steaming plate of yakisoba myself. Hopefully they aren't too stingy with the ginger."

"While we're at it, I wanna see how Uzuki is rocking that uniform. Maybe I can get some ideas for my next masterpiece! Yeah, I'm totally gonna enjoy the view!"

"Just try not to freak her out too much…"

XOXOXOXOXO

The Red Tide may have a terrible name, but our room was anything but. Granted, it wasn't exactly top-notch, but for the price we had to pay this wasn't too bad at all and we could stay here comfortably.

The main building was twenty floors high and the room we took for ourselves was located on the sixth floor. It was high enough that we could get a good view of the ocean, but not so high up that it was scary.

"Look!" gasped Eri. She tugged at my sleeve and led me towards the source of her excitement. "Our very own tub, out here in the balcony! How cool is that?!"

"It's more like a mini-pool or something…"

Seeing as it was built into the floor, I'd say I had a fairly accurate description going on here. And it was small, just barely enough to accommodate two people, but I guess that was factored into its design in the first place to encourage closeness between couples.

"Pool, tub, whatever. Don't you think it's rad? It's like an outdoor bath, but one we have all to ourselves! Oh god, we simply have to try it out real soon."

"Calm down, Eri. It's not going to grow legs and run away."

As Eri continued to marvel at the amenities at our disposal, I said a silent prayer of thanks to whoever installed the walls on either side of the balcony. There's no need to worry about peeping toms now. The only way anyone would be able to see us was if we leaned over the railing, but on the sixth floor we were high enough to escape prying eyes if we simply sat in the tub.

Eri switched gears and quickly got down to business. She set her trolley bag on the floor and fished out various things such as a towel, a bottle of sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses… yeah, I knew where this was going.

"Don't just stand there!" she barked good-naturedly. "Grab your stuff and let's go! We can't keep the beach waiting now, can we?!"

I thought of tossing her a half-baked retort about how the beach was always patient or something, but she's right. There's no time like the present.

"Wait for me. I'll just be a sec."

I pulled out various things from amongst my luggage and stuffed them inside my knapsack. Eri had her fanny bag, which she trusted to contain all of her belongings with its magical bottomlessness. Then I suddenly noticed she was lacking something important.

"Eri? Where's your swimsuit?"

"Oh, that? Heh, well…"

I shot a blank look at her. "Don't tell me you really are planning to swim naked."

"Why would I forget?" she giggled. "I'm already wearing it. Wanna see?"

"Uh…"

Even as I was "uh-ing", she started to undo the top three buttons on her blouse. Then, shamelessly as always, she peeled her blouse open and allowed me a sneak preview of her bikini top. The combination of white fabric against a backdrop of cleavage was a sight for sore eyes.

"Happy now?"

"Very. Good work, Eri." Without thinking too much, I whistled in approval. My unexpected act of boldness got her laughing and that in turn got me joining her.

"You're funny. Too bad for you, though. 'Cause that's all you're gonna get for now!" And she fixed her blouse back.

"Nothing's ever easy in life, huh."

"No, it isn't. You want a good show, wait till we're downstairs!"

XOXOXOXOXO

We rented a parasol for ourselves to shield us from the sun; naturally, it fell to me to bear the burden of carrying it. Once we set it up Eri spread out a huge towel within the shade and our little makeshift picnic area was complete.

"Grab some popcorn," she said with a sly grin. Her fingers, I saw, were already fiddling with the collar buttons of her blouse.

You know the 'good show' she was referring to earlier? Yeah, she went through with it, and boy she didn't disappoint. She stripped off her blouse and shorts to reveal the bikini underneath, oozing sex appeal from head to toe. She seemed proud that I couldn't tear my eyes off of her the whole time. Many of the beach-goers who caught sight of her also refused to look away. Their unwavering stares made me feel uncomfortable and even possessive – they were ogling my Eri! – but I couldn't stop them. At least she was doing it for me, and that helped to soften the sting somewhat.

But anyway, she was just too beautiful. Her amazing figure and that bikini of hers really helped to drive home the fact that, gosh darn it, she was the sexiest thing alive since sliced bread and I should count myself doubly lucky that I was her boyfriend.

There were so many things she could have said jokingly in response to my mouth which I had left hanging open in awe, but she brought out the sunscreen instead.

"Neku," she sniggered, "when you're done picking your jaw off the ground, could you help a girl out?"

That helped bring me back to my senses. "Ah, right. Sure."

She lay down on her stomach and untied the knots that bound her top together, inviting me to smear sunscreen on her now very naked back. I calmed myself down as best as I could, listing down all kinds of rational reasons to not panic. To quote a few:

A) this was just like scrubbing her back in the bath,
B) she wasn't completely in the nude, and if even she was, I was somewhat used to it by now,
C) she's just asking for a little help; that's all there was to it, and
D) she's delicious and I wanted to eat her up.

Wait, what the hell kind of reason was that last one?!

"Neku?" came her lazy voice. "C'mon, help me out."

Ah, dammit. There's no getting around it. I steeled my nerves for the task. This wasn't the time to be afraid. This was the time for action. And that action was slapping her silly with sunscreen. So I squirted a dollop of it into my hands…

This shouldn't be such a difficult thing to do. At least, theoretically. But my hands were still trembling as they drew closer to that pasture of lovely skin.

And when I finally planted my hands onto her back, the smoothness of her skin hit my senses like a hundred-ton sledgehammer. This… This was the stuff heaven was made of. I know I sound like a dirty old codger, but heck, it couldn't get any better than this!

Eri didn't even budge under my touch. Her arms were folded across each other in a sort of loop and she rested her head in the middle of it. I was worried for a second there that she'd lose herself in a chorus of orgasmic cries but she was strangely silent. Oh well, not complaining…

And so I got to work. I was pretty apprehensive going about it, hoping she wouldn't suddenly moan in the middle of it. But she was well-behaved for once and didn't say a single word. That helped me to maintain control over myself, though I wasn't completely calm. My hormones wouldn't let me. And some of the beach-goers who were obviously jealous of me tried to guilt-trip me with death glares. H-Hey, it's not my problem you're single, guys!

"I'm done, Eri," I said. "You do the rest yourself, alright?"

No response.

"Eri? Um, I said I'm finished with the sunscreen."

Still nothing. Wait, don't tell me she…

I peered round to her face and saw that her eyes were blissfully closed. I knew it. She's asleep! Then what did I get so worked up over?!

I almost wanted to kick her awake and say, "Gimme back the pounding of my heart!" But of course I wasn't going to do something so uncouth.

"Oi, get up, sleepyhead." I shook her by the shoulders gently. "Don't doze off on me now. We're at the beach and we're supposed to swim and have fun and everything. Rise and shine!"

After expending some effort in coaxing her to wake up, she finally stirred to life. Then she sat up in a flourish, forgetting that she was topless. Much to my horror.

She mumbled, "Mmm… whassit?"

"Y-You idiot!" Like a bolt of lightning I tossed a towel around her exposed body. I could only hope no one saw that.

How she could get so dozy and hopeless from a few minutes of sleep was beyond me. "What's for breakfast, Neku?"

"It'll be lunch in an hour!"

XOXOXOXOXO

"Take this…!"

"Ooh, not bad, Eri! Return fire!"

After her wardrobe mishap was fixed up, we quickly settled into the groove of things. There was only one rule to follow at the beach: make sure you have fun and plenty of it. Don't mind if I do!

So now Eri and I were knee-deep in the shallows and splashing each other. There's something cathartic about forcefully scooping up seawater and throwing it into one another. It's one way of letting go of all the stress we accumulated over the duration of the college year.

"Hey Neku," said Eri, narrowly avoiding a splash to the face. "You're a pretty good swimmer now. How about we see how good you are?"

"What's your plan?"

"See that pier?" She pointed at one quite a distance away. "Let's find out who can reach it first. I'll race ya!"

I shot her a wry smile. "Are you kidding? You're the better swimmer here by leagues. There's no comparison. But heck, wouldn't be any fun otherwise, right?"

She beamed. "That's the spirit!"

We waded a little deeper into the water so that it came up to our waists, just like during our swimming lessons at the shallow end of the pool. Before we began, she saw it fit to give some last-minute precautions.

"If at any time you're gonna tire out, just stop. This is just a fun little diversion, so there's no strings attached. Safety comes first, okay?"

"I think I'll be fine. And strings or no, I'm curious to see how far I've come."

"I like that attitude!"

"Um, sure. But… look out there. There are people between us and the pier. I wouldn't want to bump into them while we swim."

I nodded pointedly towards the dozen or so people frolicking about in the water. That put a spanner in Eri's plans.

"Oh, you're right," she mumbled. "It's kinda crowded. Um, then… let's move past these guys and find a better spot."

"We'll have to move closer…"

That's what we did. But when we finally found the right spot, with no one blocking us in front…

"Eri, I reckon there's about ten feet to the pier. It's practically right in front of us."

She cleared her throat. "W-Well, uh… hmmm, better than nothing, I guess?"

"But Eri… this is nothing."

"Meh, details! Let's go, Neku! …Even though it's not really a race anymore at this point."

"You got that right."

"Don't sweat the small stuff! As long as we have fun, nothing else matters!"

So, like a couple of idiots, we took up positions, knees bent and ready to lunge into a good start. With so little distance in between, however, I'd rather we not take too good a start and whack our heads straight into the pier. A splitting headache does not a wonderful vacation memory make.

She did the countdown, and my muscles tensed with each number she uttered.

"3… 2… 1… Go!"

I dove into the water and pounced forward, covering much of the distance. All that was left to do was a few strong strokes and it was over before I knew it. That was the shortest and most pointless race I've ever participated in…

My hand rested on one of the wooden supports as I wiped water off my face. "Uh… okay, I'm done. So who won?"

I looked left and right but she had mysteriously vanished. Don't tell me she was still swimming? Or maybe she was taking the long route as a self-imposed challenge…

"Eri? Hey, where'd you go?"

As if on cue, she emerged from the water, nowhere near the finish line. She combed her wet locks over the dome of her head, and when she waded over to me I saw a big grin on her face.

"Neku, I found something cool! Lookie here!"

She held up a… thing in her hands for me to see. It was dark brown in colour with mottled skin and about the same size as her palm. And it was moving.

"A… A sea slug?"

"Man, this brings back memories! When I was a kid and went on beach trips with my friends, I'd tease them by dropping sea slugs onto their heads. It was hilarious watching them panic."

I think I could more or less piece together what had happened here. She must have caught sight of it as soon as the race began and then promptly forgot about our competition. It's just like her to have a short attention span.

"Adorable, isn't it?" She eyed it in wonderment. "There are other types too! This fella just happened to show up too close to the shore."

Out of curiosity, I gave the slug a poke with my finger. It was soft yet firm at the same time, and kinda creepy. "Well, that's nice and all, but you still lost the race."

Eri's eyes lit up when she recalled what she should have been doing. "Oh, right! I forgot all about that!"

"Come to think about it, we never made a bet or anything beforehand. What do I get for winning?"

"Um… you can have this."

She thrust the sea slug into my hands. I shuddered from its wet, gummy worm-like texture.

"Ugh, I don't want it!"

"So… you wanna do it over?"

"Nah, I'm good." I gingerly released the sea slug back into the water where it belonged. "Let's get back to playing. No matter how you look at it, there's no point racing in such a cramped place."

"Maybe next time then. But for now…!" She slapped her palms together. "We ought to take a break. I was thinking it's time to eat."

I shrugged and went along with it. "Yeah, okay, go back to our place and dry off. I'll get us… um, what'd you like? Takoyaki? Ice cream?"

Suddenly an almighty noise pierced through the din of the crowd. It sounded like thunder, but it was sunny today with no indication of rain. No… it's a different kind of thunder. The kind only stomachs made.

"Uh, whoops."

Eri stifled a giggle. "Leave the snacks for later, Neku. When you're that hungry, a proper lunch is in order."

"…I second that."

XOXOXOXOXO

"Neku? This is the place, right?"

"I should think so. Kariya said we wouldn't miss it. It couldn't be anything else but this."

The two of us gave the wooden shack a once-over just to be sure, but there was no mistake. I wouldn't call it a shack, really, given how large it was. I'd say it was about the same size as a small house. It also looked to be an open-air restaurant with a beach motif – tropical decorations and the like and even an atap roof. The final observation we made was that it was popular, judging from the hustle and bustle going on in there.

"I hope we can find a seat," I said. "Looks to be full house."

The moment we set foot inside, a waitress approached us, carrying a metal platter in her hands. Right away I noticed her loud outfit. The top was a sailor uniform, but heavily customized to bare the shoulders and a good length of midriff. And the sarong she was wearing was so short it was essentially a mini-skirt.

"W-Welcome," she stuttered. "Uh… table for two?"

"Wow!" gasped Eri. "Who are you and what have you done with Uzuki? You're hot!"

Yup… believe it or not, it was her. The person whom we knew to be serious, uncompromising and a complete workaholic… was decked out in an outfit that clashed horribly with her frigid personality. Looking around, I noticed a few other waitresses who were all wearing the same uniform.

Trying to hide behind her platter, she repeated her question. "Um, so… table for two?"

"Oh, yes, please," replied Eri, still admiring the view. "By the way… if I may say something…"

"Y-Yeah?"

"It's one thing to wear an outfit like this and look good, but to pair it up with that nervous attitude of yours just makes it so much better! It's fetish fuel at its absolute finest."

"Fetish… wh-what?!"

A horrified Uzuki was left at a loss for words, and not in a good way. Eri meant no harm, but our Reaper friend didn't take it too well. She's apparently fine with shorts, but anything less and she's reduced to a whimpering wreck. So this was her weakness… She and Shiki were similar in this regard…

I stepped in before things got out of hand. "Ahem… Uzuki, c-could you take us to our table?"

"Oh, um… right. Th-This way, please."

With a clearing of her throat she was back to her usual self. Mostly, anyway. The blush on her cheeks still wouldn't go away. She led us to a small table meant for two people, tucked away in a corner of the restaurant.

"T-Take your time," she said, handing us two menu booklets. "I'll be right back to take your order." Then she scampered away to serve another customer in the meantime, all the while watched gleefully from afar by Eri, who was chuckling to herself.

"Never knew Uzuki had this side to her. It's kinda cute seeing her get so fidgety."

"I didn't know she had such a huge chink in her armour myself. I gotta say… I'm awfully surprised." I just knew Kariya would exploit it to the fullest.

Presently, another familiar face made its grand entry. He sauntered over to our table with a relaxed swagger in his gait. A round of hearty greetings ensued.

"Hello, Mr H," I said. "Nice shirt. Love the Hawaiian look."

"Yeah," remarked Eri cheerily. "It looks good on you!"

Mr H threw his head back and laughed. "I'll take your word for it, kids. But seriously, I do hope I blend with the crowd here. I can't just show up in my usual work attire. That'd be way too stuffy, right?"

"Oh, I know what you mean!"

"Heh heh. So glad you understand. Anyway, how are you finding the service so far?"

I explained that we'd only just arrived. "But Uzuki handled things well enough, considering. I mean, she seemed kinda nervous… and embarrassed… Wait up, why are you asking us about that? Why does it concern you?"

Without skipping a beat, he said, "Because I'm the proprietor of this here establishment."

What, so he's the boss of this place? I thought he was a regular customer! Eri and I exchanged looks of surprise. It seemed I was terribly mistaken.

"S-Sorry," I muttered. "I didn't mean to be rude or anything."

"Hey, don't worry, you wouldn't have known," he said understandingly. "Summer is a great time to do business, so I decided to rent this spot and open a café to capitalize on the influx of beach-goers. This will be a limited-edition, summer-only deal… so once autumn comes round we wrap things up and go back home."

"You sure picked a good spot. So many people come round here… I'm sure you'll rake in a huge profit."

"That's the plan! So far it's going swimmingly."

"Are the cute waitress outfits your idea too?" asked Eri.

"Absolutely!" Mr Hanekoma had his chest puffed out and looked very proud of himself. "I designed them myself; what we get is the perfect blend of freshness and fanservice to draw the people in. It's the least I can do for the customers who grace me with their patronage." So Uzuki was suffering because of you…

"Okay," he continued, "I know it's a little late to be saying this, but…" – he spread his arms wide in a grandiose fashion – "…welcome! Welcome to the BeachKat Bistro!"

"That name is wicked!" squealed Eri. "Just for that – and the outfits – you deserve props!"

"Ah, thank you kindly. But give me a tip and I'll be happier."

"Ha ha ha! Ooh, you're so sly!"

"The word to use here is 'entrepreneurial', my dear. Not 'sly'. Big difference."

That's Mr H for you. He tells jokes effortlessly. Amidst the joviality, I noticed Uzuki trying in vain to catch his attention without interrupting the flow of the conversation. I guess she was finally ready to take our order. Luckily for her he noticed soon and allowed her to carry out her duty. I ordered yakisoba for myself, but there was no pasta carbonara, so Eri had to settle for spaghetti bolognese instead, which was the next best thing. Then, with an awkward smile (she tried her best, to be fair) she left to liaise with the kitchen staff.

"She's a hard worker, that one," said Mr H. "Could work on her poise, but hey, it's her first day. I can forgive a little nervousness."

"Oh, she's doing fine!" said Eri. "Truth be told, her nervousness is part of the charm!"

He raised an eyebrow, amused. "So you're saying I should tell her to panic more? It's a peculiar idea alright, but maybe I could put it to good use…"

"No," I said, almost pleading with him. "Just… no. Seriously, don't listen to her."

Mr H just laughed it off as usual. He liked to see the lighter side of things. That's just how he was.

"I gotta see how everyone is faring in the kitchen. Catch you two later." He left to, well, do the sort of things that bosses usually do. He must have a lot on his hands.

"I'm glad we came here," said Eri. "This place is a lot of fun, and we've only just gotten started."

"Kouzaki Aquarium is just across the street," I said. "We could hang out there if we find the time."

"Let's go collect some sea shells later. I want to find a nice one that we can display in our living room. Ooh, I hope we find a big one!"

As we made fleeting mentions of things we wanted to do over the next couple of days, we realized that we've only scratched the surface. Three days and two nights didn't feel like enough.

"I honestly thought we'd have enough time," I mumbled. "Oh well, I can book an extra day for us. That way, we can do all the things we want without having to rush too much."

"That's nice of you. However, I think we can manage just fine. We just need to not dilly-dally around."

"Anytime you need an extension, just let me know, okay?"

"C'mon, Neku," she huffed. "I know men have this thing about footing the bill for everything in the relationship but I vehemently disagree. If we're going to do something, I say we split the cost."

"I appreciate the gesture, but that wouldn't be necessary."

"No, I insist."

Her face bore the slightest frown, but it wasn't because she was miffed. This was the kind of expression someone would make if she really cared about you. Something along the lines of "don't be silly, we're in this together".

"You can't shoulder all of life's burdens by yourself just because of some silly old-fashioned notion that men should do everything or else they aren't men. So please, let me do my part too. I'm a strong advocate for gender equality, I'll have you know!"

Hearing that from her, it's hard not to be touched. Now, I wasn't about to burst into manly tears right on the spot, but this was the kind of stuff that made me feel blessed to be in a relationship where both parties were supportive of each other.

"Sorry," I chuckled, scratching the back of my head sheepishly. "You're right. Dating is not a one-man show. And I am glad you're helping me out as much as I am you."

Satisfied with my reply, her frown vanished and was replaced with an approving nod.

"That's more like it! I've seen relationships where only one half of the couple does all the legwork while the other half just sits there doing nothing. I don't think that's fair."

"Hmmm, yeah. I guess that's not right either. There's got to be give and take."

"Now you're speaking my language! So back to what we were saying before: if we ever need to stay an extra day, let's split the cost. But I think we can do everything within these few days."

"Deal. We came here to relax, not get into a mad rush to tick all the boxes off of our checklist of things to accomplish."

"That's true. If we need to hurry, let's do so… slowly, at our own pace."

I snorted at this contradiction. "Sure… I'll take my time hurrying with our agenda too."

We got our food shortly afterwards but Eri was disappointed that it wasn't Uzuki who brought it to us. The yakisoba was standard fare but she seemed to like her spaghetti immensely.

And we talked about plenty of things while we ate, choosing not to limit our scope of topics to our vacation alone. The tropical sandy environment had a way of releasing the mind from all manner of burdens. I felt… free. Even though this was at best a temporary respite from the hectic life of Shibuya, these few days were all we needed. No wonder they say going to the beach was a fantastic way to de-stress.

There was a spot of meat sauce on her cheek that she didn't know about and I stopped her mid-sentence to wipe it off.

"Ah, thanks," she said. "So yeah, like I was saying…"

Either she had left her daintiness at home or she just wasn't good with spaghetti. Not long afterwards another speck of sauce showed up on her other cheek. It fell to me to clean her up once more.

"Oh, thanks again. Anyway, have you… ugh."

She pawed her chest with her fist, having swallowed too much in one go. The girl was having trouble getting her food down her gullet.

"Take a sip," I said, gesturing towards her goblet of OJ, which she snatched up and took a hearty gulp from. The relief on her face was instantaneous.

"Right, that's that. So yeah, have you heard of…"

Looks like cleaning duty wasn't over for me. In her bid to unclog her throat, she'd spilled a small drop of juice onto her… um, bosom… the left side. Or was it her right? It's one of them either way…

Muscle memory made me pick up another tissue and want to clean it off, but then I stopped myself when I saw it was her breast that got soiled. I couldn't just reach out and wipe it! Well, maybe I could… It's pretty high up… I could argue that it was resting on her collarbone or something… But it's still gonna be inappropriate…

"Hey, earth to Neku!"

"Whuh?"

"Goodness, listen to me! I'm asking you if you've heard of the seven mysteries of Nakajima High."

"Um… no?"

Eri leaned in to take a closer look at my face. "You don't look too good. Are you not feeling well?"

Her movements dislodged the drop of juice from its resting spot and it cascaded downwards into the valley of her breasts, leaving a trail in its wake. Oh… that looked… rather erotic…

"Now your face is getting red, Neku. It's not heatstroke, is it? I sure hope not."

"N-No!" I said, a little too loudly. "Um, I mean, I'm fine. Sorry. Really, there's nothing wrong with me."

"I could get you some more iced tea if it helps you cool down… Oh, whoops."

Only now did she notice the juice on her breast. She wiped off what was left of it with her hand and then licked it off her fingers. I watched the whole thing happen before me and the underlying erotic subtext was getting to be a bit much for me to handle. I mean, the way she licked it off was so sensual. The funny thing was, she wasn't even trying to be sexy; that's just how she behaved with everything in general!

"Got all dirty there," she said nonchalantly, oblivious to the innuendo in her words. "Um, Neku? How'd you get spaghetti sauce all over your nose?"

"Th-This isn't sauce," I mumbled, reaching for more tissues to plug up my nostrils.

"Huh, is that a nosebleed?" Bingo. "From what? So it is heatstroke?"

Why don't you answer that yourself…

XOXOXOXOXO

Eri and I spent the rest of the afternoon doing various activities – the sort a couple of idiots in love would typically do at the beach.

The splashing wars resumed in full force and we chased each other utilizing every dirty trick in the book to get an edge over the other – not that it mattered; both of us were equally drenched, anyway. Then, when we tired out and the armistice period was in effect, we returned to the shade of our parasol and sat together, cuddling with a towel draped over both of our shoulders as we people-watched. Following another quick skirmish in the water, we took things easy exploring the shoreline and looking for seashells to collect. Today was our lucky day; we managed to find a particularly big and chunky spiral shell – probably once the home of a hermit crab. For Eri it was love at first sight, and once we found that it was empty inside she was quick to pocket it.

Eri had a limitless supply of energy and at times I felt like I was being dragged around by the wrist, but everything seemed to be going great and I never once minded. I did wonder for one crazy moment if she got all her energy from the sun. That'd explain why she never ran out. Was she capable of photosynthesis? Or was she the long-lost cousin of a certain solar-powered superhero? Hmmm, food for thought.

Time flies while you're having fun, and now the evening was making a grand entrance. The clouds were painted orange, like something out of a painting. The waves ebbed and waned in a constant cycle. Many of the beach-goers were gone by now, with only a few remaining, and even those were packing up. Eri and I would have to do the same eventually, but right now we had a sunset to admire.

The serenity of our surroundings lulled the normally chatty Eri into silence.

"It's beautiful," she gushed, her voice a mere whisper. "I could stay here forever to watch the sunset forever."

"Me too. It's not something we get to enjoy everyday. Not with the city skyline blocking the view."

"Heh… yeah."

Side by side we sat under the parasol, speaking little to preserve the quietness of the evening. My hand brushed against hers and I felt the thumping in my chest heighten into a crescendo. Without any hesitation I gently placed my hand on top of hers… She fidgeted very slightly, but not out of discomfort, and her other free hand reached up to rest against her own heart, perhaps to calm what must be its quickening pace. I knew very well about this feeling she too was having.

The two of us were alone. And the moment, the now… I couldn't even begin to describe how right it felt. I was bubbling with joy on the inside that I was able to share it with my special someone.

She turned to me, with bedroom eyes that could melt me into goo. Very softly she spoke to me… so softly I actually had to lean in to hear what she was saying over the roar of the ocean.

"I had lots of fun today. How about you, Neku?"

"Me too. It's so… relaxing being here. Compared to Shibuya, this is a lot less stuffy."

"I hear you. Wanna move here, then?"

I mirrored her cheeky smile. "I would if I could. But it'll be hell having to travel two hours to college. And two hours back."

A short burst of her laughter peppered the air. "Yeah, I know. Plus the novelty of wearing bikinis every day will wear off sooner or later."

"To be fair, you wear just as little at home every day."

More laughter. "You drive home a valid point there."

The sun was now a few slivers of light away from vanishing into the horizon. The sky was getting darker, the orange melting into navy blue, bit by bit. Off in the distance the BeachKat Bistro was still open and all lit up like a Christmas tree in the growing darkness.

"Time to head back," I said, reluctantly lifting my hand off of Eri's. "There's hardly anyone left."

She grabbed my hand, pulling me back down as I was in the midst of getting up. "You're forgetting something important, Neku."

"O-Oh…? Um, our clothes? We have them all here."

That wasn't the answer she was looking for. She let out a sigh of disappointment in the most exaggerated way she could muster. Then, jabbing my forehead with her finger, she informed me, "Bzzzt! Wrong! You fail!"

I gently batted her finger away before it could drill a hole in my face. "Can I get another chance?"

"Okay, fine, but if you get it wrong this time I'm making you run ten laps back and forth along the shore… naked."

"Hmmm… No pressure, then."

I had exactly one idea… I gently grasped both of her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. The glint in her own dewy orbs became a little brighter, which was the indication I needed to know that I was on the right track. With torturous slowness I leaned in, and she closed her eyes, preparing herself…

But no, I decided to kiss her on the forehead instead. When I pulled away, she was flabbergasted for a couple of seconds, after which she called me out on letting her down.

"What in the absolute heck was that?" she sighed, a touch annoyed. "If you're gonna kiss me, do it the usual way."

"Believe me," I gulped, "I would if I could. But…"

"But?"

"…it's embarrassing to kiss in public."

"Neku, look around you." She swept her arm in an arc across the beach, inviting me to survey our surroundings. "Sure, this is a public place, but there's no one around anymore. See the keywords here? 'No one'."

I could mention that there were the two or three other stragglers taking their time to pack up, but they hardly took any notice of us so bringing them up would make for a flimsy counterargument.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," she said, her tone now a lot lighter. "Are you scared we'll get arrested? Or are you just… scared?"

"No on both counts." I knew better than to play into her traps, but this wasn't really a trap in the first place, just her teasing me as usual.

"Then do it over! Here, I'll even give myself a handicap."

And she lay down, shutting her eyes, waiting for me to make my move. How's this supposed to make it any easier for me? If anything, it's going to be a lot more embarrassing trying to kiss her now!

But at the same time, I kind of wanted to do it… It reminded me of that classic scene in Sleeping Beauty where the prince leans in to kiss the princess. Or was it Snow White? I don't recall ever seeing Snow White wearing a bikini in that scene –

Gah! What was I thinking?! What a way to totally bastardize a fairy tale!

Everyone's left now… It's a surreal feeling, being on the beach with just the two of us, like we were the only humans left on the face of the earth. The sight of her peaceful waiting form beckoned to me.

"Neku," she whispered, eyes still closed, "come here."

Oh well… I should make the most of this magical moment. And it would be bad of me to get cold feet and leave her hanging. I wanted to make her happy.

Propping myself up on one elbow, I straightened myself out beside her in a half-lying position so that I could reach her lips without having to contort my back into painful shapes. Her eyes stayed shut, so I took some time drinking in the view from head to toe. Wow, was she gorgeous. Was it even legal for me to have such a beautiful girlfriend?

Sensing I was near, she breathed, "Neku… are you there?"

I smiled, even though she couldn't see me.

"Yeah… I'll always be here."

Because I love you, Eri.

The sun had a pleasant tropical feel to it. But it couldn't compare to the warmth our lips were now sharing.

XOXOXOXOXO

"C-Come on, Eri. Gimme a break already."

"I'm sorry," she giggled. "But it's just too funny."

With the sky now pitch-black, we had returned to the resort and drawn a bath in our balcony bathtub. Eri perched on the edge of the tub with her legs in the water, sitting naked and proud against the evening breeze. On the other end of the boldness spectrum was me as I sat dolefully in the tub, refusing to let my unseen bits be… seen. Normally I wouldn't care, but her laughter had put a damper on my confidence and suddenly I felt like I should cover up.

And as for why she was in stitches, well…

"Okay, so I was a bit of a goof," I said, "but you got what you wanted, right? That should be good enough…"

Still nursing that huge grin, she meshed her fingers together, turned her palms outwards and stretched her arms up and above her head. I gulped as I watched a few stray water droplets slither down the length of her damp body.

"Don't get me wrong. I loved the kiss from earlier, but the lines you said as you did it… 'I'll always be your prince'…? I love it!"

"…I had a lapse in sanity," I said, in a feeble attempt to save face. "I'm a lot less… insane now."

But she continued to relive some of my more cringe-worthy moments, hamming it up with a deepened voice to mimic mine. "'Stay in my arms; I will protect you, my sweet.' Oh god, that's good stuff. You should go into Broadway or something! It'd be a riot."

"I don't know what came over me, seriously… Look, if you could stop rubbing salt in the wound that'd be nice."

She gave one last chuckle as she slipped back into the water, sitting beside me shoulder-to-shoulder.

"Hey Neku, look."

"Huh?"

"The moon… Lovely, isn't it?"

"Ah…"

There was a full moon out tonight. It was so bright I bet you wouldn't need any other light sources to take a moonlit walk. We were left spellbound.

I felt my spine tickle as she nuzzled my cheek affectionately.

"Neku," she said, "let's make lots of good memories here."

I turned to look at her, resting a hand on her cheek and stroking it with my thumb.

"Yeah, let's do that."

I used my hand to guide her face closer; very gingerly I did it so I wouldn't ruin her fair skin. And we shared a brief but passionate kiss.

"I love you, Eri."

"I love you too. By the way…"

"Yes?"

"Before we turn in for the night…"

"Mm-hmm?"

She smiled and gave me a mischievous wink. "Could you say those cheesy lines again? I need one last dose of laughter before I hit the sack."

And thus the romantic atmosphere was destroyed.

My answer for her was, "Heck no. Do it yourself."

She spent the next full minute laughing her head off.

…

…

Author's note: I'm not familiar with sea slugs. Apparently some of them are harmless while others are poisonous. As a rule of thumb, I wouldn't touch them at all, just to be on the safe side. Heck, I wouldn't touch any marine creature I come across.

I don't have much to say at the moment, except that within the next two or three chapters I hope to add in an important plot development. Of course, I can't tell you what it is. What you can count on is that the next chapter will continue the beach shenanigans. Watch this space for Chapter 44! See you around soon!