JohnPeacekeeper: Er, thank you, I guess. But really, the frenetic pace of updates will slow down from here on out. I was just updating quickly because I had a lot of time during Spring Break. Here's hoping the coming chapters will be to your liking.
CapoExecutor: Falling off in a good way, right? XD But yes, one day, Keisaku might start to notice Margery more as a woman and less as a nuisance.
ColinatorGX: Thank you. Most likely, though, Merihim is probably going to be Shana's father figure this time around. As for Bel Peol... *Grins*
"Well, here we are. The ninth chapter. And, of all things, involving infamous Misaki Waterland. Kinda an odd coincidence that summer's around the corner as well."
The Writer of Questionable Stories murmured indistinctly around a mouthful of pita bread and hummus.
"Mhmm."
"Sandy beaches... sunny days and cloudless blue skies... beautiful babes in swimsuits... Bouncing breasts..."
The Writer of Questionable Stories angrily wiped at his face as he fought back tears.
"Stop it... you're making me feel depressed..."
SHAKUGAN NO YUJI?
Chapter 69: The Poolside of Confusion and Envy
Everything's coming along at a steady pace in Misaki. Spring has turned to summer. Yuji's still stalking me as always, but he always gets a little nervous whenever he sees Wilhelmina now. I think he's developed an unreasoning fear of taking baths.
It's no use complaining about the heat, since it's summer, but geez... It's days like this that leave me wishing for ice cream that came in a melon-bread flavor.
"Ah... It's hot."
Shana grumbled as they trudged along the street towards the school. Yuji smiled as he walked alongside her.
"Well, of course it would be hot outside. It is summer, after all."
"Shut up, idiot. I wasn't talking to you!"
"Hahahaha..."
From a distance, Hecate silently watched the two converse as easily as if they were close childhood friends. One of her hands clenched tightly.
They're not... together yet, are they? I pray that it isn't so. I cannot let that happen. Not without a fight. I'm not going to simply give up and let you have Hirai-kun.
Hecate's eyes narrowed slightly as she continued to slowly follow after them.
Shana... I will not lose to you.
As Yuji and Shana entered the classroom, Khamsin was busy handing out small slips of paper to the entire class.
"...Oh, thank you, Khamsin-kun."
"Thanks!"
After another moment, Khamsin approached Yuji and Shana and placed slips of paper into their hands.
"Here you go. Two passes."
Shana blinked at the ticket that nestled in her fingers.
"Uhm... what are these tickets for?"
Khamsin smiled.
"My father has some influential contacts within the city, so he gave me a whole bunch of tickets to that new aquatic playground, Misaki Waterland. I hear that it has been very popular among the younger folk."
Shana looked back down at the Waterland pass.
"Misaki Waterland, eh? I remember watching that commercial on the TV just a few weeks back. Bunch of nonsense from women in shamelessly revealing bathing suits. Hmph. 'Get wet' my ass..."
Yuji blinked down at his own pass, then looked over to Shana.
"Shana, just what is this 'Misaki Waterland'?"
Shana looked up at the Flame Haze in slight annoyance.
"Geez, you really are clueless, aren't you? For your information, it's a gigantic playground with pools and slides. Everyone splashes around, gets wet, and generally makes huge fools of themselves. Think of it like a gigantic bath to play around in. It's a huge waste of time."
Yuji's face suddenly took on a fearful expression.
"Giant... bath?"
An unhappy memory suddenly sprang up in Yuji's mind.
"Gaaaaah! Wilhelmina-san, you're being too rough!"
"Dirt must be eliminated at all levels and and at all costs. Truly, stop moving about so much. You will spill the soap."
"SHANA, SAVE MEEEEE...!!"
Yuji paled and shuddered, closing his eyes as he fought to bury the haunting memory. Shana looked up at him and blinked in mild puzzlement.
"Yuji... are you all right? You're looking rather ill."
"Erm, I think I'll head over to the school infirmary for a bit. Be back soon..."
The Flame Haze gave the Mystes a sickly grin as he headed out the classroom door, running smack dab into something soft as he did so.
"Ooof. Oh. There's something... What's this?"
Yuji had run straight into Margery's chest. The English teacher raised an eyebrow, but otherwise made no huge fuss.
"My, my... Teenage boys are so daring these days..."
Shana, however, was a completely different story. Crimson-faced and trembling as she watched Yuji struggle to escape the suffocating embrace of Margery's cleavage, it took her only a moment to draw her katana and raise it in a fine fury.
"YUJI YOU STUPID PERVERT...!!"
"Gah... that hurt."
Yuji, sitting alone in the school infirmary, nursed a bump on the back of his head as Alastor spoke somewhat dryly.
"You should be thankful that she only attacked you with the flat of the blade. Imagine what would have happened had she gone after you with full killing intent."
The Flame Haze winced at the thought, but his attention soon fell to the Waterland pass that was still in his hand.
"Hey, Alastor..."
"Mmm?"
"What's... this Misaki Waterland all about? Do you know anything about it?"
"I do believe that Shana explained most of it to you. As to why humans play in the water... I guess the exact reasons why will always be beyond the scope of my understanding or comprehension. They simply view it as a form of amusement."
"Is... is it really like taking... like taking a b-bath?"
Yuji couldn't help but shudder as a glimmer of that terrible memory struggled to resurface. The Flame Haze forced it down with extreme prejudice. Alastor's reply was non-committal.
"I do not know. The only way to find out would be for you to investigate for yourself."
"Hmmm..."
Yuji walked back into the classroom by the time the lunch bell rang. Shana looked up from her desk and frowned.
"You've been gone an awfully long time."
The Flame Haze scratched at the back of his head in sheepish enbarrassment.
"Sorry... The swelling took a while to go down."
"Hmph. Idiot. It's your own fault anyway."
Shana then blushed as she pressed a tentative question.
"Does... does it hurt much?"
Yuji just smiled and shook his head as he sat down at his desk and pulled out a package of riceballs.
"No. I've had worse."
Suddenly, another voice broke in upon their conversation.
"...Hirai-kun."
Blinking, Yuji looked up to see Hecate and Khamsin standing nearby, lunchboxes in their hands. He politely nodded back.
"Khamsin-san. Hecate-san. Is something the matter?"
Hecate looked over to Shana for a moment. Shana glared back. For a moment, Yuji felt as if the classroom air had suddenly been crammed full of killing intent. Then the auras abruptly subsided, and Hecate turned back to Yuji.
"I was wondering if you would mind us eating next to you during lunch."
Yuji, blinking in some mild bemusement, simply looked over to Shana. Shana simply grumbled as she opened up another package of melon bread and tore at it in annoyance.
"Don't just stare at me, idiot! Do whatever you want!"
Yuji looked rather nonplussed at Shana's response, but then decided to make the best of it and nodded to Hecate.
"Sure, I don't mind."
Khamsin politely nodded and took a seat near Shana. Hecate gave Yuji a brief smile and sat down at an adjacent desk. She took a brief look at Yuji's lunch, which consisted of nothing but various kinds of riceballs.
"Are you unable to cook?"
Yuji looked up at Hecate and laughed in slight embarrassment.
"Haha... it's not that. My mom once told me that a guy won't succeed in the world if he depends on his mother for three square meals a day. Besides, riceballs are convenient to eat and cost little money."
Hecate seemed to frown at Yuji's lunch.
"But still... It does not seem like a meal that would contain much nutritional value. Would... would it be fine if I made some lunch for you next time?"
Yuji nodded and smiled.
"Sure! That would be great!"
Suddenly, Yuji heard a rustle of plastic wrappers. Looking down, he found himself staring at a package of melon bread, sitting on his riceballs without so much as a "howdy do".
Yuji blinked and then looked over at Shana, who was blushing up a storm. She stammered out her retort as he continued to stare at the young female Mystes.
"W-what!? What are you looking at, idiot!? It's not like... it's just for the sake of your nutrition, that's all!"
Yuji had an oddly contemplative look on his face as he began to open the package of melon bread and eat.
"Uhm, Shana..."
"What!?"
"Mrrnch... Melon bread isn't exactly considered... Mrrrf... by doctors to be healthy, nutritious food..."
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"
Even in the middle of her tirade, however, Shana noticed that Hecate's eyes were narrowing ever so slightly.
Hmph. Makes you mad, doesn't it, Miss Convent? Wait, why am I getting all worked up about who's hanging around Yuji...!?
Before her thoughts could get anywhere else, however, a throat cleared, attracting the attention of the three classmates. Looking up, the quartet found themselves looking up at Sorath and Tiriel. Tiriel smiled in an almost... predatorial fashion.
"Everyone, since we have these passes, I was wondering whether anyone else would like to join me at Misaki Waterland on Sunday."
Yuji shuddered slightly, but didn't actually give an outright negative. Hecate, however, abruptly and unexpectedly spoke up.
"I... would not mind."
Shana blinked.
Huh? Miss Convent, socializing? That's odd... She never socializes... She just prays to whatever God she worships until the cows come home... Wait...
Then her mind clicked as Hecate suddenly turned to Yuji.
"Yuji, would you mind joining me as well?"
Feeling a sudden surge of unreasoning anxiety and vexation, Shana quickly cut in as well.
"I... I'll come as well! Yuji, you'll come along too, right? Right!?"
Yuji blinked at Shana's sudden willingness to join them, but sighed in resignation as he nodded reluctantly.
"Fine, I guess I could come along..."
Tiriel's smile grew wider as she ascertained the reason for Shana's sudden willingness to join in on the invitation, as well as her vehement insistence on Yuji's accompaniment.
"Excellent. Now, since it's a new summer season, might I suggest that all of us girls go on Saturday to pick out new swimsuits? Can't do to make our summer season debut in nothing but our best, right?"
At that, Tiriel returned her attention to her brother and began to energetically resume the frenching of her sibling.
Yuji blinked.
"...Swimsuits?"
Shana groaned as she slammed her forehead onto the surface of her desk.
"Don't tell me you don't know what a swimsuit is, clueless idiot..."
That Saturday...
"Now, now, Hecate-tan... Surely, there's no reason to be so embarrassed..."
"But I..."
Tiriel giggled girlishly as she looked over another rack of swimsuits.
"Come now... I've seen the way you eye Hirai-kun. You're into that nice young man, aren't you? And isn't Shana-tan after him as well?"
Hecate blushed, even as she undid the buttons on her uniform.
"...That is... true..."
"Then you've got to advertise yourself the best you can! I know my brother enjoys all the swimwear I wear for him..."
At that moment, Sorath appeared, clutching several sets of female swimwear.
"Hey, hey, Sis... could you try these on? I wanna see you in them!"
Tiriel gave him a brief, loving smile.
"Of course, Brother. In a moment, as soon as I attend to the needs of our lady friend here... Now go, sit down and be a good boy, and I'll try them on in a bit. I'll take you out for a banana split later~"
"Yaaaay...!"
Hecate sighed.
"I'll never understand the relationship between you two..."
"Now, now, enough complaints. Here, try this on..."
Tiriel slid a white, racy little two-piece under the curtain.
"Isn't this... a bit too showy?"
"Now, now, all's fair in love and war! Besides, it's always a good idea to keep a young man awake at night, thinking about you... perhaps also feeling a little damp below the belt, no?"
"Tiriel-san, I'm just trying to spend more time with him, not seduce him..."
The sister of Sorath grinned diabolically.
"Why not do both?"
Hecate's voice rose slightly in protest.
"Tiriel-san, that's not a topic that should be used in jest..."
Tiriel chuckled.
"Who said I was joking?"
"Tiriel-san...!"
Shana showed up at that moment, holding a shopping bag under one arm. Tiriel turned around and smiled.
"My, finished already, Shana-tan?"
Shana mumbled an affirmation as she sat down at a nearby bench. Tiriel had a distinctly inquisitive look on her face as she gave Shana an appraising glance.
"So... what kind of swimsuit did you pick out?"
Shana blushed slightly and snorted.
"Hmph! None of your business."
"Something nice and well-cut, I must imagine. Something perfect to catch the eye of a certain classmate, no?"
Shana didn't say a word, but the blush on her face intensified. It was all the confirmation that Tiriel needed.
"Hmhmhm, I thought so~"
"Hmph!"
Yuji, sitting on a couch inside Shana's apartment, blinked as Wilhelmina tossed him a small packet. The young Flame Haze looked down at the parcel in his lap.
"What is this for?"
Shana's guardian stared back with an unblinking gaze.
"Truly, I understood from Shana's observations last night that you are currently lacking adequate swimwear. Truly, I decided to remedy the situation."
Yuji hesitantly opened the packet. Inside was a modest pair of baggy swimming trunks, colored a dark navy-blue. Yuji smiled.
"Thank you, Wilhelmina-san."
Wilhelmina briefly nodded.
"Truly, perhaps you should try them on now and see if they fit."
Yuji nodded and began to disrobe on the sofa. At that moment, Shana walked in, still bearing her purchase.
"...Yuji, what are you doing?"
Yuji blinked.
"Changing."
There was a long moment of silence.
THWACK! THWACK! THWOCK!
The entire apartment complex shook as though seized by a seismic tremor. In the background, a thin, feminine voice of fury could be heard shrieking at the top of its lungs.
"YOU IDIOTIC PERVERT STALKER! GO CHANGE SOMEWHERE WHERE WE CAN'T SEE YOU...!!"
Alastor's voice could be faintly heard speaking wryly a few seconds after the yelling had stopped.
"...Mmm, how familiar."
It was a sweltering sunny day at Misaki Waterland. Yuji sat on the bench with Khamsin outside of the changing area. Both of them had already gotten into their swimwear. Yuji, of course, was wearing the pair that Wilhelmina had acquired for him. Khamsin was wearing a loose pair of orange swimming trunks.
All around Yuji were people of all ages, shapes, and sizes. All of them were busily engaged in splashing, talking, yelling, shrieking, sipping cool drinks, and having a good time in general. The Flame Haze slowly sighed and let himself relax, smiling slightly as he took in the scene around him.
I guess it's not as scary as a bath after all...
At that moment, Sorath came out, accompanied, not surprisingly, by Tiriel. Sorath was wearing a maroon Speedo that covered very little. Tiriel wore a two-piece something that was indescribably pink, frilly... and also covered very little.
"Hey, hey, Sis, that looks good on you."
"Your swimsuit also looks very good, Brother..."
Without a moment's hesitation, the two began liplocking and exchanging saliva. Several nearby bystanders looked distinctly discomfited.
Khamsin glanced at them both briefly. He hardly batted an eyelash as he spoke.
"Ah... youth."
Yuji simply gave a wan smile, and did his best to ignore the two siblings. After a moment, however, Tiriel reluctantly broke off her display of physical affection and turned to Yuji and Khamsin.
"Well, I think the others should be appearing any moment now..."
As if on cue, Shana slowly walked out of the changing rooms, sporting a sleek black one-piece that left much of her back exposed, and showed off her legs and arms to good effect. A single thin red diagonal stripe ran down the left side, accentuating the cut of the swimsuit. Her hair had been left undone, and fluttered loosely in the summer breeze.
Khamsin nodded in brief admiration.
"Hmm... that's not bad. Not bad at all. Making the best of what she has, and emphasizing them... Not bad at all."
Yuji didn't say a word. He simply stared at Shana, red-faced and lost for words. Shana looked up at Yuji and similarly blushed as she quickly averted her eyes.
"W-what are you staring at, you perverted stalker!? Don't look at me like that..."
Tiriel smiled and wagged a finger at Shana.
"Now, now, don't be like that. A woman must appreciate a man's honest admiration."
Tiriel suddenly looked over her shoulder as sounds of approaching footsteps caught her ear. She smiled mischievously.
"Oh, here comes our other little beauty now..."
Hecate walked out, dressed in the same white two-piece that Tiriel had slid underneath the changing-room curtain yesterday. Yuji's eyes only widened further.
The two-piece was indeed something that left very little to the imagination. The young Flame Haze wasn't sure, but it seemed as if the swimsuit had simply been made from two lengths of white ribbon that had been strategically wrapped around Hecate's person. All in all, it was definitely an eye-catcher.
Seeing Yuji's face redden even further, Tiriel's mischievous smile only grew bigger. She gently nudged Hecate with an elbow.
"My, isn't this something? It seems that a certain young man here appreciates your taste in swimwear, Hecate-tan..."
A faint blush appeared on the teal-haired girl's face. Shana scowled. Suddenly, everyone's attention was grabbed by a familiar voice.
"Hey, looks like the gang's all here. Has the party started yet?"
Khamsin turned around and nodded.
"Ah, you're here. Good. Thank you for coming."
All of the other students looked up to find themselves staring up at their English teacher. Margery Daw was standing just outside of the changing rooms, dressed in a scanty lavender bikini that seemed hard-pressed to hold back her ample assets from spilling out. A gauzy blue pool towel was wrapped around her waist. Her hair, much like Shana's, had also been left unbound, falling around her head and shoulders like a waterfall of light gold. Yuji was dimly aware that other men in the immediate area, as well as quite a few women, were all staring at her in varying degrees of admiration, desire, resentment, or envy.
Shana blinked and stammered, apparently somewhat taken aback by Margery's... size.
"T-Teach!? What the heck are you doing here!?"
Khamsin smiled faintly.
"I figured that we might do well in having an adult act as chaperone while we were here today. So I took the liberty of asking our English teacher to act as our guardian for today. She was only too happy to oblige. Well then... shall we start?"
Even as everyone started to head over in the direction of the pools, Yuji hung slightly back. Shana, noticing the Flame Haze's hesitation, simply smiled and took hold of his arm.
"Come on, idiot. Let's go swimming."
"How about I do so instead?"
Yuji blinked as he suddenly found his other arm tightly in Hecate's grasp. Shana glared daggers at Hecate as she yanked on the arm that she had claimed.
"Forget it! I'll do it, not you!"
Hecate tugged on the other arm.
"If it is swimming with Hirai-kun, I will perform the task much more efficiently."
"That's a laugh!"
Before Yuji could respond to the two bickering girls or attempt to plot an escape, however, he felt a familiar presence close in from behind. Looking over his shoulder, Yuji blinked in some surprise as he found himself staring at the Chanter of Elegies, clad in a pair of red swimming trunks. Marcosius was slung over his shoulder.
"K-Keisaku? What are you doing here?"
The Chanter of Elegies didn't respond directly to Yuji's question. Frowning slightly, he simply stared at Margery's distant figure.
"Hmph. She just went ahead and did what she wanted, as usual. Insisting that I get off my butt and come out of doors... Saying something about 'growing kids needing enough sunlight' and other sorts of absolute verbal garbage."
His last few grumbling words were muttered and faint to the point that only Yuji's trained ear could pick them up.
"'Growing kid' my ass... I'm centuries older than that little girl..."
Marcosius seemed to visibly tremble with the urge to laugh wildly and speak some sort of half-assed wisecrack, but wisely held his mouth shut in view of the fact that there were ordinary humans, including Hecate, within earshot.
Keisaku's arrival had not gone unnoticed by either of the two girls that were clinging to Yuji's arms. Shana narrowed her eyes at the Chanter of Elegies.
"What's a troublemaker like you doing here? Are you here to pick another fight with us?"
Hecate stared up at Keisaku, but simply looked over to Yuji in inquiry.
"A friend of yours, Hirai-kun?"
Yuji answered their questions, but also simultaneously took advantage of the girls' distraction to wiggle free of their impromptu tug-of-war.
"Haha... I don't think he's here to cause trouble, Shana. I think he's just here to... relax, actually. Hecate-san, this is Keisaku Satou, an acquaintance."
Keisaku gave Hecate the briefest of nods in greeting before turning back to Yuji.
"In any case, you're right about one thing today: I'm not here to start a fight. I'm too tired to fight, or even think of fighting. All I really want to do is-"
Suddenly, Margery's voice yelled out from a nearby pool.
"Oi, Keisaku! Be a darling and get me a drink, will you!? Preferably something iced and cool! And make it snappy!"
Rolling his eyes, Keisaku sighed and slowly walked off to do Margery's bidding. Yuji couldn't help but feel sorry for the Chanter of Elegies as he watched him go. All thoughts of sympathy, however, vanished as he felt two small sets of arms abruptly take hold of his own once more. Yuji gave a silent groan.
I'm really going to be in for it today...
From inside the Cocytus, Alastor winced as he watched his Flame Haze being sieged on both sides by two very determined young girls.
Noon had just come and gone. Yuji, having managed to temporarily evade the exhausting attentions of the two girls, panted for breath as he slumped into the shallow section of a wading pool, blowing bubbles as his head sank deeper into the water. Alastor spoke, not without a little sympathy in his voice.
"I cannot help but think that out of all the conflicts you've faced so far, this one must be the most exhausting."
Yuji nodded.
"Flame Hazes don't usually run out of stamina this quickly, but... those two can really take it out of a person."
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a shadow fell over Yuji's face. Looking up, the Flame Haze found himself staring up at Khamsin, who was sitting near the edge of the pool and sipping at a soft drink. Yuji weakly smiled up at him.
"Ah, Khamsin-san. How are you?"
His tanned, dark-haired classmate gave a vague smile of his own as he gave reply.
"Not too bad. It's fun to do this sort of thing every once in a while. You're looking a little pale, Hirai-kun. Is something wrong?"
Yuji gritted his teeth as he tried to forget the constant human tug-of-war he'd been playing host to the entire morning.
"N-nah... Just a little tired."
"Mmm. Take it easy."
Another, bigger shadow fell over both Yuji and Khamsin, prompting the two of them to look further up. Margery stood over them, holding a piece of paper in one hand and a fruit cocktail in the other.
"Well, this is interesting. Take a look at this."
The English teacher showed the two boys the paper she held. Yuji blinked at the small poster as he read the writing that had been printed on it.
"...'Misaki Waterland Love-Love Water Cavalry Battle. Fight and earn fantastic prizes...' Margery-san, what's this all about?"
Margery grinned.
"Some sort of aquatic competition for romantic couples. The prizes sound pretty interesting, I must admit. The grand prize for the winning couple is a dinner for two at Misaki City's finest four-star restaurant. Runner-up prizes include all-expense-paid shopping sprees and generic electronic junk."
The Misaki High English teacher winked down at the two boys.
"So, feel like participating?"
Khamsin shrugged.
"Why not? But... who are we going to participate in this little aquatic battle with? The poster mentioned that it was for romantic couples..."
A devious glint came to Margery's eyes. Yuji couldn't help but feel a chill run up his spine as her grin grew wider.
"...Well, let's see..."
Keisaku grumbled as he looked askance at the strings in Margery's hand.
"Why do I need to go along with something this stupid?"
Margery only winked at the taciturn Flame Haze.
"Now, now... all that frowning is going to ruin your handsome features. Let's just think of this as another way to have some fun."
Hecate blinked, even as she grabbed hold of the hem of Yuji's swimming trunks.
"...If Yuji is participating, then I see no reason not to."
Inside, the young prayer-nut was busily fantasizing about having a romantic dinner date with Yuji Hirai.
Shana, feeling somewhat vexed at seeing Hecate grab hold of Yuji's swimwear as well as noticing the dreamy look in her eyes, glared at her unspoken rival and nodded to Margery.
"I'll participate as well!"
Yuji felt the sudden urge to gulp.
The girls were all lined up one side, and the guys were lined up on the other. Sorath and Tiriel were sitting on the sidelines and sucking face for all they were worth, having politely declined the offer to participate. Margery gave everyone a final grin, then stretched out her hand, still clutching the strings.
"All right, everyone! Take a straw, take a pick! Moment I let go, we're going to see who our partners are going to be for this little event. If your end of string matches up with someone else, that's your partner."
Once everyone had taken hold of a string, Margery nodded and opened her hand.
"All right! Here we go...!"
Shana glared daggers at Hecate from her perch atop Khamsin's shoulders. Hecate gave an unblinking stare in reply as she leaned on Yuji's head.
Keisaku grumbled, shifting from foot to foot as Margery straddled his neck. The English teacher stared down at her human mount in some amusement.
"What's the matter? Am I too heavy for you?"
Keisaku blinked as he frowned up at Margery.
"...Huh?"
Margery grinned.
"Good answer, young man. You should get a gold star for that."
Keisaku rolled his eyes. Margery, noticing the expression on the Chanter of Elegies' face, winked in flirtatious teasing.
"What, does it bother you that I'm on top this time?"
Turning slightly red in the face, Keisaku snorted and looked away in mild disgust.
"...Don't speak stupid things."
Yuji, still struggling with Hecate on his shoulders, looked over to Shana. The young female Mystes scowled at him and turned away, pouting for a reason that the young Flame Haze couldn't comprehend.
"Hmph!"
"...Eh?"
Any further thought on Yuji's part, however, was rendered impossible as the event's emcee took his place at the microphone, flanked by a lovely model in a revealing swimsuit.
"Welcome to this year's Misaki Waterland Love-Love Water Cavalry Battle! I hope everyone is ready! The objective here is for our lovely ladies in the water to snatch off their opponents' headbands, while holding onto their own! The one with the most headbands while holding onto their own will be the winner! Everyone ready!?"
Immediately, the paired couples braced themselves for the starting whistle, which a nearby model was holding.
"Ready... Get set... GO!"
TWEEEEEET!
Even as the whistle blew, couples began converging and grappling. Khamsin looked over at both Yuji and Keisaku.
"Well, it does no good for us to be trying to take each other down right off the bat, so let's just start off with eliminating everyone else first."
As everyone else nodded, the three pairs broke off and headed towards their own selected targets.
Yuji, not surprisingly due to the fact that he was a Flame Haze, moved exceptionally well through the water. Hecate managed to snag a headband from a contestant who had underestimated Yuji's reflexes. Yuji smiled brightly as Hecate stared at the headband in her fingers.
"Good going, Hecate-san!"
Hecate, blushing slightly, simply nodded.
Even if we don't win... this is nice...
Shana was busily engaged in yelling at Khamsin to move faster.
"Hurry yourself up, slowpoke! I can't do what needs to be done if you don't move your legs faster!"
Khamsin smiled faintly as he moved at his own deliberate pace.
"There's no point in rushing things, Shana. Just enjoy the moment."
Even with Khamsin's ponderous gait, however, Shana did manage to grab a trio of headbands from a group of ladies imprudent enough to rush her without thinking.
Keisaku, also a Flame Haze, had little difficulty in moving about in the water, but moved at a fairly unmotivated pace. Margery dug in her heels in an attempt to make her human mount move a little faster.
"Hey, hey! A little bit more focus on the game, kid! Or do you want to lose?"
Keisaku quietly snorted.
"Hmph. And what are you so worked up about? There's really no point to this game..."
Even with the non-stop bickering, however, Margery managed to craftily hook a pair of headbands from two couples who had been so busily engrossed in grappling with each other that they forgot to check their flanks.
Yuji dodged again, focusing more on simply avoiding opponents rather than actively engaging them. Hecate, even with only one headband in her possession, seemed perfectly content to be sitting atop Yuji's shoulders. The Flame Haze nodded to himself as he sidestepped another oncoming pair.
So far, so good...
However, a loud, familiar voice soon put paid to those thoughts.
"...YUJI! PREPARE YOURSELF!"
Yuji blinked. Khamsin, looking mildly vexed, was running at a pace that he was obviously unused to. Shana was busily engaged in using the flat of her katana blade on poor Khamsin's shoulders like a riding crop as she bore down on Yuji at high speed. Khamsin muttered a single line in obvious displeasure as he continued to run towards Yuji and Hecate at full speed.
"Young lady, I'm very disappointed in you..."
Shana obviously showed little sign of caring as she whipped him again with her katana.
"Blah blah blah! Faster! I NEED TO CATCH THOSE TWO!"
Yuji, looking quite astonished, simply turned and began to run as fast as he could in a wild panic as he struggled to keep Hecate from falling off.
"Shana, why are you chasing me!? Didn't we agree not to go after each other...!?"
Shana angrily shook her head, letting out her vexations on poor Khamsin by whipping him faster with the flat of her katana.
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! JUST STOP AND LET ME GET YOU!"
The emcee, seeing the wild pursuit, whooped with glee.
"I say, there are some very energetic couples in the competition this year! Only one minute left!"
As Yuji turned to curve around as he neared the extremity of the pool, Shana drew within arm's reach and yelled triumphantly.
"I'VE GOT YOU NOW...!"
Yuji, looking over his shoulder at Shana, was paying little attention to what was going on in front of him. That was when he collided full-on into Keisaku, similarly distracted as he continued to bicker with Margery while maneuvering around several opponents. Shana and Khamsin, moving at an uncontrolled velocity, then collided in turn like a domino. The resulting explosion of water created an obscuring spray of mist that momentarily hid the six participants from view. The headbands that all three girls had been holding onto flew off in random directions.
As the mist receded, the revealed scene was one of absolute chaos.
Margery, standing up in the pool, found Khamsin's face buried in-between her enormous... talents. Margery snorted in mild amusement.
"...I'm sure you must find this situation enjoyable, but maybe you could move...?"
Khamsin gave reply in a deadpan voice that was muffled by Margery's cleavage.
"I would, but I wish to enjoy this moment a little longer. No point in rushing things. And also... my legs are too tired to move. My classmate Shana has proven far too... energetic for me."
Margery, seeing the apparent humor in the situation, simply broke out into open laughter. Keisaku, shaking the water out of his hair and eyes, simply shook his head in disgust and turned away.
"Hmph. Idiots..."
Somehow, though, he found the thought of someone else burying their face in Margery's cleavage strangely... displeasing.
Shana, meanwhile, was sitting up in the water. Hecate, still also in the pool, looked around in some concern.
"...I do not see Hirai-kun."
Shana blinked, looking about as well.
"Yeah, that's odd... Yuji, where are you!?"
Meanwhile, the whistle blew, signalling the end of the match.
TWEEEEET!!!
The emcee bellowed into his mike.
"Annnnd that's the end of the competition, folks! It looks like we have an unexpected winner! Bel Peol and Sydonay, principal and gym teacher from our very own Misaki High School!"
Shana stared at the dark horse couple in shocked amazement.
"The p-principal..? And that idiot gym teacher too!? They were here this whole time...!?"
Sydonay waved to Margery with one arm.
"Ah, Margery. Quite a surprise, seeing you here."
"Feeling's mutual. What are you doing here with our school principal?"
Bel Peol chuckled mildly. The Misaki High school principal was garbed in a very revealing wine-red bikini.
"Just settling a debt that our good gym teacher owed me. Nothing personal. By the by, I must thank you, Margery, for making it possible for us to win."
As if to emphasize the point, Bel Peol playfully twirled one of the dropped headbands she'd picked up. Margery sighed.
"Well, it's our loss in any case. Say... where's Hirai?"
Shana, still looking around in the water, began to feel a surge of anxiety well up inside her.
Yuji... where did you go!?
Suddenly, Shana felt a tickle of rising bubbles flow past her legs. The young Mystes looked down into the pool.
"...!!"
Shana abruptly felt her heart stop. Her entire face turned the color of a ripe tomato. Hecate looked over to Shana, concern lacing her soft voice.
"Shana, did you find Hirai-kun?"
Shana had indeed found Yuji. She had been sitting on his face the whole time. The hapless Flame Haze, not surprisingly, was having trouble breathing, being unable to surface due to the female Mystes sitting on him.
"Bllrbrblrlbrgh..."
The entire pool shook with Shana's furious shriek.
"...PERRRVERRRRRT...!!!"
Shana and Yuji bowed to Khamsin and the others as they exited the waterpark. Yuji sheepishly rubbed at the back of his head.
"I must thank all of you for bringing me along. This is the first time I've been to such a place... I had a lot of fun."
Tiriel nodded as she occasionally turned to lock lips with her sibling.
"Anytime."
Sorath was too busy engaged in sucking face to speak.
Khamsin nodded, turning slightly red as he spoke.
"I think I need to thank you as well, in a way. Indirectly, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had such an... interesting summer memory."
Hecate bowed in return.
"There's no real need to thank us, Hirai-kun. You're our classmate. Besides, I had a lot of fun being with you as well. I got to spend some time with you, after all."
"Hahaha..."
Hecate reached over and gently tugged on a sleeve of Yuji's shirt.
"Well... I'll see you at school."
Yuji blushed slightly and nodded.
"All right..."
Shana scowled as she grabbed Yuji by the wrist and began to drag him away.
"Yeah, yeah... come on, Yuji."
Out of earshot of the others, Shana grumped to the Flame Haze in annoyance.
"What're you doing, being so friendly with Miss Convent, idiot?"
Yuji blinked in mild bewilderment, then smiled placatingly.
"Why not? I had fun today with her... and you as well. Shana, thank you for forcing me to come along. I really did have a lot of fun."
Shana blushed slightly.
"Hmph! Don't get any funny ideas, you idiotic pervert stalker! Besides, Wilhelmina's waiting for us. You'll need to take a bath when we get home."
Yuji's face turned as white as a bedsheet.
Margery yawned as she reached her house.
"Well, that was fun, wasn't it, kid?"
Keisaku frowned but said nothing as he abruptly jerked his neck around to straighten out an uncomfortable kink. Margery stared at him for a long moment... then winked as she opened the front door and began to walk inside.
"Don't tell me you're still feeling uncomfortable over what happened this afternoon."
The Chanter of Elegies snorted as he followed her inside.
"Hmph. Don't say such stupid things."
Marcosius sighed then began to angrily berate his Flame Haze.
"Ehhhh... I missed a good show. You're so cruel, my heartless battle-beast, Keisaku Satou! Hmph! Honestly, stuffing me into that dark, stinky, cramped changing-room locker when I should've been ogling all those hot babes this afternoon. You've got no feelings for your partner!"
Keisaku gently chucked the Grimoire with a fist and quietly muttered a rebuke as he watched Margery walk up the stairs.
"...Shut up, stupid Marco."
"Well... that was definitely the odd jaunt. Do you think you crammed enough literary fanservice in?"
The Writer of Questionable Stories shrugged.
"More than I usually write, I suppose. I just hope that the readers are satisfied with this much. In any event, things seem stable enough."
"Psh. Yeah. Famous last words."
To Be Continued...?