The beach! It was so exciting! Yukiko got what she needed and headed to Junes to meet the others, admiring their shining bikes. Yu motioned to the second seat on his and she gratefully sat down, smiling at him as she did so. Chie got on hers and winced a bit at her kimono riding up, pedaling around to get a feel for it. Rise had her own bike too, a safety bicycle like the others, and she sat down and pedaled around, going slowly because of her long skirt and bustle. The group pedaled around town for a while to get used to the feeling, then once they all felt ready, they set off, biking for the beach.
Yu did most of the heavy work, so Yukiko just held on tightly to the handlebars and occasionally helped pedal when the turns were sharp, keeping her legs and knees together so her kimono wouldn't ride up or tear. A few guys stopped what they were doing to stare and wolf-whistle at the girls, especially Rise, who had tied her skirts up to her calves to make pedaling easier, exposing her boots and stockings and part of her underskirt.
They rode for the better part of the morning and a bit of the afternoon, being rewarded with the smell of salty spray. Yukiko felt revived and sat up straighter on the bike, smiling.
"Finally! I thought we'd never see it!" Rise smiled back at her. Everyone managed to place their bikes close to where the grass turned into sand, and looked around. There weren't many people there, and the ones that were just stood around aimlessly, relaxing near the rocks.
"What do we do now?" Chie asked, the idea of going to the beach being an unfamiliar one to her.
"Well, we should look for a bathing machine! They're placed right over the water and you change in them!" Rise explained, soon spotting a beige one standing halfway on the sand, halfway in the water. "We'll use that one!"
Yukiko nodded and got her things, following the girls into the bathing machine. What a strange name, anyway. What did it even mean? Chie and Rise began the longer process of getting undressed and then changed into a swimsuit, but Yukiko was thankful she didn't need to do so much. She untied her kimono and carefully folded it up with her things, adjusting her 'swimsuit'.
Calling it that was inaccurate, even though she would be swimming in it. It was simply her underskirt, a folded white cloth that rested just under her breasts, and fell to around her knees. She undid her elaborate bun and let her hair fall down to her waist, then carefully braided it back, making sure it was tight.
Chie and Rise had similar swimsuit designs, just in different colors. Chie wore a dark green belted dress with short sleeves that reached her knees with matching pants underneath that went to her ankles with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Rise wore the same except in a dark brown color and with white trim around the collar and front. Her hair was pulled into twintails and Yukiko realized it was the first time she ever saw Rise's hair not covered by her hats. Rise grinned.
"Wow, we all look so pretty! And you're so daring, Yukiko-chan! Let's go see the boys!"
"Huh? This is just how I swim," Yukiko said in confusion, pointing to her clothes. The three opened the other side of the bathing machine and stepped into the sea, shivering pleasantly at how chilly it was. They waded through it until they came across the boys, Rise waving to them.
"Thanks for waiting!" She smiled.
Yu and Yosuke both wore striped one-pieces that covered a good amount of their bodies with buttons in the front, Yu wore red and Yosuke wore orange. Raccoon hovered close by, dressed in blue. Their jaws all but dropped at the girls.
"Whoa, I wasn't expecting you to look so good, Rise-chan!" He complimented. She giggled and played with her hair. "And Amagi-san, going topless! Are you sure you won't get in trouble for that?!"
"What's wrong with it?" She asked sincerely.
"What about me? Am I everything you ever dreamed of?" Rise teased, winking at Yu. He nodded.
"And more. You definitely look better than your Shadow." He said without thought, making her laugh.
"Well duh! Her proportions are overexaggerated, and she was still covered up! I'm not!"
"Sorry I'm late," Kanji apologized as he finally joined them, wearing a loincloth that barely covered anything with a thin film over the front and a majority of his behind visible.
"What the heck is that?! I'm seeing things I don't want to!" Yosuke demanded.
"Nobody is makin' you look!" Kanji snapped back. "You want to talk about inappropriate, look at the girls! You can see all their lines!"
"Why don't you scold Amagi-san?! Her entire chest is out!"
"She's swimming, like me! You guys are the ones struttin' 'round!"
Chie held her head and groaned. "Only you guys would make a huge deal over swimsuits,"
"I came here to swim, and that's what I'll do! Whoo-hoo!" Raccoon wasted no time and ran right into the water, splashing.
"For once, I agree. Let's go!" Chie said, and Yukiko and Yu nodded, the three of them racing into the water. Yukiko jumped in once she was far enough out and gasped when she resurfaced, smiling. She wasn't that strong of a swimmer so she remained in the more shallow area, floating on her back and swimming back and forth. Chie and Kanji got into the habit of racing each other, trying to beat each other. Yu and Rise swam together, Yu helping her keep her balance and head above water in the deeper portions. Yosuke kept diving underwater, while Raccoon amused himself by transforming into different types of fish, splashing everyone when he dived underwater and making them laugh.
Eventually, the boys grew tired and got out, but the girls and Raccoon continued to swim together, Yukiko trying to doggy-paddle into deeper water.
"Is the belt keeping your whole swimsuit up? What happens if I tug on it?!" Raccoon swam up behind Chie and tried to grab her belt, making her elbow him.
"Don't do it!"
He swam over to Rise instead and tried to throw up her skirt, but the fabric was too heavy. She gave him a light smack and swam away.
"Stop!"
"Come on, wouldn't it be funny to see someone's swimsuit fall off?!" He teased.
Yukiko had dived underwater, so she figured he couldn't see her, and was thankful. Hers was thinner and just had a skirt and she wasn't looking forward to losing that. She eventually resurfaced, gasping. Her braid clung to her neck.
"Okay, I think I'm done. Let's see if there's anything to eat!" Rise suggested, swimming over.
"Yes! Like meat!" Chie drooled.
Yukiko just giggled. "I want something more summery. Not sure what though. Maybe the boys can suggest something."
The three climbed out of the water and hurried over to the boys, freezing when they saw Yu and Yosuke looking away, Raccoon knocked out, and Kanji posing with seaweed everywhere.
"...What's this supposed to be?" Chie's face darkened.
"Uh…" Yosuke started.
"I'm pretending to be a mermaid! I lost my seashell top! Oh no, where did it go?!" Kanji pretended to look around in a high-pitched voice. Chie and Rise promptly ran away, screaming. Yukiko stared in confusion, not embarrassed by the nudity but rather the situation itself.
"I'm…just going to go," She followed the girls, still confused.
"What a perv!" Rise shouted. "Wandering around on the beach like that!"
"Maybe his loincloth fell off,"
"Still, nobody needed to see that!" Chie sighed.
"Fruit! Fruit! Get some summery coolness from fruit!" A man pushing a cart by the road yelled, and the girls perked up.
"Oooooh, I think I found our snack!" Rise grinned, and the girls ran up to the cart, the boys joining them shortly.
"What do you have?" Yu asked eagerly, eyeing over everything.
"Mostly foreign tropical stuff, and fruits from up north. Such as apples. Also have plums, peaches, pears, and then foreign stuff as I said." He explained, pointing out different things.
Yukiko's eyes were drawn to a giant oval that was green and striped, something she hadn't seen before. She pointed to it curiously.
"That? Watermelon. Want it? Good choice, very big and watery so not only will it feed everyone but it'll keep you cool too!"
"Ah, what the heck, why not. My money is back with my stuff so give me a minute," Yosuke ran back and grabbed a bag and tossed some money the merchant's way, Kanji picking up the watermelon with ease.
"Hope you kids enjoy! Glad to see more kids eating fruit," He picked the cart back up and walked off, still yelling, while the group sat on the grass and stairs leading to the beach, Kanji cutting up the watermelon to the best of his ability and giving everyone a slice. Yukiko sat on the stairs and took a bite, smiling at the taste. It was definitely watery, but also a faint sweetness she enjoyed. She ate more.
"This is really good!" Chie gasped.
"We should let Nanako-chan try this, what do you think?" Yosuke asked Yu, who nodded.
"I think she'd really like it!"
The group had nowhere to spit the seeds they came across as they ate, so they simply let them fall into their laps, trying to minimize waste.
Once they finished eating, they left the watermelon shells on the grass, thinking they would decompose naturally. Yukiko suddenly jumped up and down, feeling a distinct urge.
"Sorry, I have to relieve myself!" She blurted out without really thinking about it.
"What?! Why are you just announcing that?!" Kanji shouted back in nervousness and embarrassment.
"It's just something she does," Chie said. "We can go back to the bathing machine-"
"It's just weird, okay?! What else am I meant to do, tell her to pull it out and go like a guy?!" He carried on.
"Stop that!"
Yukiko, on the other hand, started giggling. "Pull it out…and go like a guy!" She snickered. "That's a great idea!" She ran off, making Chie gasp.
"Yukiko!?"
She hid herself behind a group of rocks, looking around to be sure she was truly alone. Once she was sure she was, she undid her skirt and rolled it up to her waist, thrusting her hips out and pulling apart her lips with her fingers, right as Chie finally caught up to her.
"Oh, right, I forgot you knew how to do that," She said, just as Yukiko began relieving herself, her stream landing away from her in the sand, soaking it. She urinated for several seconds more, redressing herself when her stream finally died down.
"Yes, Sir Kanji gave me a good idea!" She smiled in relief and they walked back to the rest of the group, Chie shaking her head.
"Look at what I found in the sand!" Rise was bragging, holding out a perfect white shell.
"It's beautiful!" Yu grinned. "Let's see if we can put it in your hair…."
"Well, I'd say that overall, today was a fun day," Yosuke nodded. "Despite the mishaps we had,"
"Yeah! We should do more stuff like this!" Chie nodded in agreement. Yukiko also nodded.
"This was my first time at the beach, can you believe that? I'd love to see more of the country with you all!"
"Winter will be here before we know it. Maybe we can have a huge party then, go to a snow festival or something," Yosuke said.
The others nodded in agreement before gathering up their things and getting ready to go. Yukiko retied her hair and kimono, looking her part of a gentle maiden once more and not a wild girl having fun at the beach with her friends. Yu dropped her off and she bowed to everyone in farewell, heading back into the inn.
"How was your time at the beach?" Her mother asked politely when she spotted her.
"It was fun! We got to eat this strange fruit called a watermelon. And we're going to get together in the winter again!" She beamed.
"It truly does sound like fun," Her mother held her close. "And you seem much different than you were at the start of the spring season."
"Really?" She felt more social, but that was because she had more friends than just Chie and could actively leave the inn, though still with a chaperone only.
Her mother nodded. "Trust me. I think you're finally starting to realize what you want."
With that cryptic message, she was left alone to get ready for bed.
Nothing happened the next day, and Yukiko spent her time cleaning up in the inn, taking a break to do some calligraphy and poetry sessions. The next day, she was outside folding laundry with another servant when a group of men approached her, looking her over slowly.
"Wow, the princess of Inaba finally makes her appearance out in the world! And she's just as gorgeous as promised!" The tallest man in the group whistled at her.
"May I help you?" She asked slowly, folding up some kimono sleeves.
"We want to write about the inn! Draw more attention to it, especially from the foreign market! They're super into the paranormal and weird, you know. Ghosts and all that. They even make vampire hunting kits, can you believe that?!" He held out his hand.
"What does my inn have to do with that?" She swallowed, feeling nervous.
"Your inn is cursed! Think about it. You're a young heiress from the Far East, getting a cursed inn where everyone who is associated with it dies a horrible death! One of your most notable guests died after she stayed here! The troubles of the Orient, curses everywhere!" He waved his hands around to demonstrate. "Oh, and you're the star, of course! We'll have to change your clothing, make you more appealing to the foreign crowd, maybe expose your shoulders and pose with your hair down? That looks sexy, right?"
Yukiko remained silent.
"Excuse you! Why don't you go bother someone else in town?!" The servant yelled, but the men ignored her.
"It's a good deal, you know? Your inn is old news anyway. Nobody is interested in it because it doesn't offer anything new. It's stuck in the past! You can't even have sex with any of the girls working there, I mean what's the point then?! I've even heard rumors you're no longer interested in inheritance. If that's so, I can hook you up with something better! Like juggling or acrobatics. Hey, maybe even a maiko! You're gorgeous enough to make it happen!"
Yukiko's hands trembled and her face darkened. "...Shut up."
"What? I can't hear you!" He mocked.
She threw down the laundry in the basket. "Shut up about the inn! You don't know anything about it! I forbid you from coming around here again! You can take your sleazy ideas with you!"
The man tsked. "Bitch, you think we're going to listen to you?!"
"If you don't, I'll scream for the police to come, and you can explain exactly what you were doing here, bothering a law-abiding citizen and favorite of the town."
Another man nudged the first. "Maybe we should just go, it's not looking good." The group left, and Yukiko sighed, returning to her work.
"That was amazing! I never saw that side of you before!" The servant praised.
"I couldn't just sit there and let him insult everyone like that. This inn is my parents, and the friends I've made. I don't want them to be badmouthed…" She trailed off. She was so certain she wanted nothing to do with the inn, so why did she care so much about what that man said? Why did it bother her to hear those things said? Was this what her mother meant about acting differently? She looked at the servant for advice.
"You'll always have others to support you. Don't forget that." She smiled at Yukiko. "Would taking a photograph cheer you up? Nobody is using the camera this afternoon."
"Sure," She nodded, still confused. She finished the laundry and headed back inside, allowing the servants to dress and doll her up for the camera, seated on a stool. She smiled sternly and kept her head up, only blinking when she was told to.
Yes, the inn recently and finally procured a camera from an Italian guest who was impressed with the scenery and gifted it to the family, though hardly anyone used it. Junes boasted a far more impressive photography studio after all.
"Now we have another photograph of you! It can go right next to your old one!" Her father gushed, referring to the one of her at the festival. His energy was so infectious she couldn't help but to smile back.
"Yeah. Maybe I can take more with my friends!"
She sincerely hoped so.
The others would be returning to school shortly, their summer almost over, but they all agreed to get together once more for the fireworks festival the town was having. It was something of a tradition in Inaba, and Yukiko was looking forward to sharing it with everyone and not just Chie that year.
She reminded everyone mentally and hurried up the hill to the spot she chose, walking slowly due to her kimono.
"Wow, what a great spot. How'd you get it? Everywhere down there is super crowded," Kanji asked in amazement.
"It's an Amagi secret!" She teased.
"Where's Raccoon?" Rise looked around.
"Left him alone to deal with some girls who were getting super aggressive with their pets. It's what he's always wanted," Yosuke said smugly.
"You're cold,"
"Hey, it's what he gets! Do you know what happened to me this morning?! He was digging around in my room and found one of my special books and had the nerve to show it off at breakfast! Asked me all kinds of questions about things like pegging and domination! My parents were horrified!"
"Hey, that's not stuff to mention around ladies!" Rise scolded.
"Hm? It's just a book," Yukiko said. "Doesn't everyone have naked pictures somewhere in their house? Like woodblock illustrations?"
Rise hung her head. "I don't get how you're so naive yet so frank about that kind of stuff at the same time!"
"Hi!" Nanako waved eagerly, being walked over by Dojima, who was also smiling. "I'm not late, am I?"
"No, you came just in time," Yu reassured her with a smile.
"I actually got to leave work early, which was good. Raced home as fast as I could to get her ready," Dojima explained just as the first firework in green lit up the sky. Yukiko gasped and pointed, getting the attention of everyone else. They scooted closer together and looked up at the sky, cheering on excitement over the colors. Raccoon came over in the middle and helped Nanako get closer so she could see better. Everyone continued to cheer and clap, oohing and awwing over the best ones.
Once the show was over, Dojima took home a tired Nanako but the others remained, hanging around.
"Hard to believe the summer is almost over. Feels like it just started," Kanji sighed.
"Well, we still have a few more weeks of it, because we don't go to school!" Yukiko reminded him gently.
"I had fun! I got to go to the beach and see fireworks, and even attend a Japanese festival!" Rise smiled. "In the big European and American cities, you don't really get a sense of the seasons changing. Everyone dresses kinda drab and any snow or rain that does fall tends to be black and melts fast because of the smoke in the air. It was fun to come here and actually experience summer as it's meant to be!"
"Too bad we couldn't have had a more romantic summer," Yosuke grumbled. "Spending time with the people we're attracted to-!"
"Geezh, do you only ever think about girls?" Raccoon teased, putting one finger on his cheek and leaning over in a cute pose.
"Like you're any better! Tanuki are known for their horniness, you know!"
"Why, Yosuke-kun, you wound me!" He pretended to faint, and everyone laughed in response.
"I just wish we could've invited that one boy with us," Kanji frowned a bit.
"Oh, you mean that detective?" Yu asked curiously, and Kanji nodded.
"We were working on the same case, but now he's probably gone for good," Yosuke said.
"I wish we could've seen them though…I said some harsh things," Rise sighed.
"Well, maybe it's for the best! He's off working on another case elsewhere!" Yukiko tried to lighten their moods.
"Besides, I doubt he'd have agreed anyway," Yosuke said before the cold breeze blew past them. Yukiko hugged herself and shivered, deciding to head home for the night.
It was truly a fun night, and she couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
After a shamisen lesson and breakfast, she was surprised to see Yu at her door, smiling at her.
"We got a watermelon! Want to have it with us?" He offered, and she nodded and smiled.
"Where did it come from?" She carefully stepped down the steps.
"Uncle Ryotaro, one of his coworkers bought one but decided he didn't want it, so he gave it to my uncle, who thought we'd like to share it with Nanako-chan!"
"Yes!" She thought of the cool watery taste, eager to have some more again.
She anticipated everyone else would be there already, and she was correct, taking whatever slices they wanted from the watermelon cut up on the floor. Yukiko thanked Dojima and remained sitting inside, while pretty much everyone else chose to sit outside to eat. She smiled and took gentle bites.
"Next year, you should come to the beach with us! We can swim and eat watermelon there! It tastes better outside, trust me!" Chie smiled.
"Next year?" Nanako hung her head a bit before she glanced at Yu. "Will you still play with me next year?"
"Of course!" He answered without hesitation, smiling at her. She perked up slightly.
"We all will, don't worry about it!" Yukiko gave her a smile too and continued eating.
She wasn't sure about the others, even Yu, he had to go back home after all, but Yukiko knew she at least meant it. But, she didn't want to think about that at all yet. Not yet.
To her, next year was still a long ways away.
-Bathing machines were used from the 1700's up until the early 1900's as changing rooms and swimming areas to segregate the sexes while they swam on the beach. You entered the hut, changed, descended the stairs, then swam in the water behind the machine. It was deemed immoral to see each other in swimsuits because of how revealing they were for the time.
-Speaking of which, in Japan for centuries, men wore thin loincloths while women wore thin skirts and went topless for swimming. This wasn't seen as sexual, but actual swimsuits for women were due to the fact they were tight and showed off curves in a way deemed sexual, so throughout the Meiji era, swimsuits from the West were treated as erotic while topless women going swimming weren't because it was seen as practical.
On that same note, Japan in general had a very different mindset towards sex and nudity as you've no doubt noticed throughout this fanfic. Nudity and sex were just seen as natural parts of life to the point breasts and other private parts weren't viewed as erotic or inappropriate. Like Yukiko says, everyone has at least a few sexy woodblock works laying around.
-A maiko is a geisha-in-training. Japanese jugglers and acrobats were super popular as parts of traveling shows in America at the time.
-The Italian photographer is Adolfo Farsari, a man bored of his old life in the States who started over in Japan, getting involved in photography and leaving behind a lucrative studio when he returned to Italy in 1890. From 1885-1889 he traveled throughout the country, primarily capturing landscapes and buildings. His studio specialized in colorizations and often sold albums coated in silk and mother-of-pearl to interested clients, normally wealthy foreigners. He was one of numerous Europeans operating photography studios at the time, spreading the interest of the art to the local citizens. Unfortunately there's no record of him gifting cameras to anyone.