Kaede Akamatsu reclined on the golden-white sands of the beach. The rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the shore created a soothing backdrop, blending with the gentle rustling of palm leaves overhead. The golden sun turned the sky azure, casting a burning light over the harmonious scene. The Ultimate Pianist's fingers absentmindedly traced patterns in the sand, never still, even while she was. Her thoughts drifted away like the tides. A content smile graced her face, her eyes closed in serenity.

Across the way, someone else strutted onto shore with her usual flair. Spotting Kaede from the beach gates, Miu Iruma's eyes lit up with recognition and mischief. "HEY! AKAMATSLUT!"

Kaede flinched when she heard a voice—even louder and more grating than a seagull—shout across the scorching sand. She looked over her shoulder angrily, then recognized who it was and what they said.

"MIU?!" At first, outrage flashed through the Ultimate Pianist. Then it was replaced by a quiet despair. Why me…?

The Ultimate Inventor pounded eagerly across the sand like a golden retriever puppy. Her chest bounced comically in her pink bikini.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" she muttered under her breath as the sand burned her bare feet with every step as she raced over.

"Hello, Miu…" Kaede sighed once the Ultimate Inventor screeched to a stop beside her, showering her in sand.

"Sup, gal pal?" Miu grinned, face, voice, and pose sassy and flashy.

"Not much, just enjoying a day at the beach." The Ultimate Pianist decided to answer the other girl in good faith. "And you?"

"Hell yeah! Same girl, same! Tryna get dat beach-bod and sexy-ass summer suntan!" Miu fist-pumped the air.

Well, I suppose she's trying to enjoy a beach day too, even if in her own way… Kaede smiled weakly, then another Ultimate wandered over. Tsumugi Shirogane. Kaede and Miu greeted her in surprise, but she approached them solemnly, silent and expressionless. She bowed to them.

"The hell's wrong with you?" Miu's nose crinkled as she looked the blue-haired glasses girl up and down. "I mean other than usual."

Tsumugi sighed, breaking character as she stood back up. "I'm Archer Artoria from Fate Grand Order!" She gestured to her swimsuit. It was, as all her cosplays were, handmade, homemade, and made with love! That was why she was so offended that no one got the reference. It wasn't the insult to her ego, but the character! Not recognizing Artoria?! Perhaps that was what Tsumugi got, though, expecting better of normies.

"Don't tell me you came to the beach just to model and show off!" Miu snickered. "Conceited much?"

Tsumugi shot her a deadpan look. "You know I don't like to model my own outfits! I was simply trying to enjoy a plain day at the beach!"

"Do I know that?" Miu asked, half-sarcastic and half-serious. Did Tsumugi ever tell her that before? Maybe. She probably forgot either way.

Do most people go to beaches for plain days? Kaede thought. Then again, this was Tsumugi. Everything about her was plain, boring, and normal. But not normie! Never normie. Her prayer went unanswered, for not long after crossing paths with Kaede and Miu—

"Hey! Guys! You wanna be my volleyball team?!" In another cloud of sand, another girl came sprinting over. It was Tenko Chabashira, Ultimate Neo-Aikido Master. Tucked under one arm was, as she said, a volleyball.

"What?" the other three muttered amongst themselves. Only after Tenko screeched to a stop, dusting Kaede a second time, did they get the context.

"Those other third-years!" Tenko pointed excitedly behind her. In the distance was a volleyball court, a quartet of other girls waiting, cheering, and jeering. "Rika Seto, Saori Hidaka, Marika Mizushima, and Dalia Matsuyama!" Ultimate Arsonist, Calligrapher, Model, and Dancer. "I was just jogging on the beach when I crossed paths with them and I- I- I-!"

"All right, girl, damn, breathe!" Miu muttered under her breath. Tenko was literally breathless with excitement.

"We both need four players four a game!" The Ultimate Neo-Aikido Master concluded, eyes shining hopefully.

"Don't tell me you chose us just because we were the first trio you saw?" Tsumugi quirked an eyebrow, already knowing the answer.

"You can't say no to girls like these!" Tenko instead pleaded, jerking a thumb over her shoulder.

ooo

"HUP!" SMACK! Rika Seto took the lead. The volleyball seemed to glow with a corona of fire—perhaps it was only the sun—as she spiked it down towards Tenko's team.

"Oh, shit!" Miu voiced the thought of three out of four of them. They scattered and dove out of the way while Tenko lunged forward.

"Hiiii… YAH!" She slapped the ball right back over the net, expression as fiery is at.

"Not bad, girl, not bad at all!" Rika's orange pigtails wiggled and waggled as she laughed, nodding approvingly at the other third-year.

SMACK! Dalia Matsuyama was next to hit, rushing forward like Tenko had, intrigued by the spirit on the smaller girl. She was a fellow martial artist, even though she practiced Neo-Aikido and Dalia didn't. Upon closer inspection, Tenko and Dalia realized that they recognized one another. Though they were not close, they were friendly, crossing paths at the gym more than they did at Hope's Peak.

Dalia the Bear! Tenko thought with a grin. She'd seen Dalia wrestle before, and she could even take on the likes of Nekomaru Nidai and Sakura Ogami! One of the other girls who sat in on that demonstration was Maho Akashi, an old pupil of Dalia Matsuyama. Tenko also somewhat recognized Rika, as another athletic student. Kaede knew Dalia, as they were both musical Ultimates, though they did not know one another as well as Dalia knew Tenko. Then Tsumugi knew Marika, the Cosplayer and the Model.

While Tenko continued to fight Merm4id—mostly Rika and Dalia—Kaede struggled to get any shots in because of her. Tsumugi and Miu hid at the back of their side of the court while Saori and Marika did the same on the Merm4id side. It wasn't an unexpected configuration, however, was did surprise at least half of them was…

"Miu…? Are you… afraid?" Tsumugi was the first to notice, cowering in the back with the other girl.

"A-a-a-afraid?!" Miu bellowed, offended. "Of what?! What even made you say that?!"

"Well… You're shaking, for one, and sweating, looking away, even though we're not even really playing!"

"Dumbass! I'm trying not to get my ass killed out here! I was never a jock! I'm a nerd!"

No, it's more than that. Tsumugi couldn't help but smile. In particular, Miu seemed afraid any time she made eye contact with the rival team. But it was more than the fact that they were rivals that made the Ultimate Investor so flustered…

"Yah! You got me, Dalia?" Rika cried.

"Always, Rika!" Dalia answered, then both women lunged into the air, passing each other, passing the volleyball as well. While Rika set up the shot, Dalia took the swing, sending it soaring effortlessly over the net towards Tenko once more.

"Woah! Nice!" While Tenko's admiration was unabashed, Tsumugi was slowly realizing that Miu was thinking and feeling the same way, she just wasn't as comfortable with the feelings.

"Is that why they're making you nervous?" Behind her glasses, Tsumugi's eyes flitted to the Merm4ids.

"Nervous?!" Miu shrieked again, head whipping back and forth between her classmate and the other third-years. It's not MY fault they look like they were made to fill a stereotypical fanservice role! With their…! Perfect skin…! And… long legs, and… cheese grater abs, and… chiseled muscles… Their firm, tight bodies in those skimpy bikinis… Holy shit they're so hawwwwt!

Rika was literally hot, her fiery orange hair her main attraction. Saori had a cuteness and softness about her. Marika was a freaking model. She had pale skin, lithe limbs, beautiful hair and eyes, and a well-put together face. And then Dalia was the dark-skinned bombshell, as buff as she was breathtaking. Miu could feel herself falling in love, water pooling from both sets of lips.

"But I'm straight!" The Ultimate Inventor murmured without thinking.

"So's spaghetti 'till it gets wet," Tsumugi also echoed thoughtlessly, quoting something she once saw on Tumblr in the form of an anime meme. The Ultimate Cosplayer had to agree, Merm4id was definitely sexy.

ooo

While Miu continued to secretly simp for the Merm4ids—something she would rather die than admit to—Tsumugi teased her occasionally. That left Kaede as the only one actually trying to help Tenko. But with Tenko hogging the ball so much, even Kaede wasn't of much use. With a frustrated sigh, she finally fell back. She got a few hits in, but nowhere near as many as Tenko, even though she kept shouting at the other girl to let her participate more. Tenko always apologized, but seemed to forget the moment the game resumed.

"Oh well…" Kaede muttered to herself. When she turned away from Tenko, she finally noticed Tsumugi and Miu at the back of the court.

"Miu! Something wrong?" The Ultimate Pianist asked, some of her irritation changing into genuine concern.

"FUCKIN' FINE!" Miu shouted, sounding very tense and on edge. Kaede's eyes widened, then she sighed and looked to Tsumugi for answers.

"Yuri and waifu angst!" The Ultimate Cosplayer shrugged, chirping.

"What the hell?!" Miu whipped around on her.

"What?" Tsumugi shrugged again. "The way you keep looking at them is obvious! It's something right out of a yuri manga!"

"Looking at them?!" While Miu snarled, Kaede echoed Tsumugi questioningly. The Ultimate Cosplayer's bespectacled gaze drifted back to M4.

"You three all right?" Rika shouted at the same time, noticing the way Kaede, Tsumugi, and Miu were all crowded in the back of their corner of the court. Saori, crowded in the back of hers, moaned worriedly that Rika was starting to call them out for not being more active…

"Y-YES!" Miu yelped, jumping around, chest jiggling as she did so. Tsumugi only smirked to herself, and Kaede, who finally had caught on, couldn't help but tease the Ultimate Inventor too, a little.

"Perfectly fine!" Kaede added her voice to Miu's. Miu looked at her in surprise. Then Kaede spoke again. "She was just feeling a little flushed because of how you four make her feel!"

"KAEDE PIANO-PUSSY AKAMATSU?! WHAT IN THE LITERAL ACTUAL FUCK?!" The only reason Miu didn't actually tackle the other girl was because Tenko managed to stop her at the last possible second. "SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH YOU—"

"Miu! Wait! Don't hurt Kaede!" The Ultimate Neo-Aikido Master grunted as she strained against her taller, bulkier classmate.

"BUT THAT LITTLE SHIT-ASS, SHIT-FACED CU—"

"I'm just saying!" Kaede interrupted sweetly, innocently, pleasantly. "If you're into girls, embrace it! You know Tenko does!"

"Wait. You're into girls?!" Tenko gasped as if she'd just won the lottery.

"W-w-wait! W-w-what?!" Miu shrieked. By then, Merm4id could tell that they were in something of an impromptu timeout. Smirking at each other, they let the volleyball roll to the side as they came around and beneath the net to approach the other quartet of third-years.

"So, what's all this about you being into us?" The Ultimate Arsonist teased.

"N-no! I'm not!" Miu tried and failed to be defiant.

"Are you sure?" Marika teased, sing-songing. Miu could only squeak in return.

"Aww, poor Miu!" Only Kaede seemed to feel even slightly bad for the other pink-clad blonde.

"No, there's nothing wrong with being Proud, Miu!" Tenko encouraged, misunderstanding the situation entirely.

"I-i-i-if you ever wanted t-t-to talk to anyone about it…" Saori tried to offer, though she looked as awkward as Miu felt.

"N-no! What the hell, stranger?! You tryna creep up on me too?!" Miu started backing up, but Tenko grabbed her arm, beaming, holding her in place.

"I swing both ways too, Miu," Kaede reminded her. Even though she was being playful, she was also telling the truth.

"Jeez! Bi-ae-gay!" Miu muttered, mutilating Kaede's name, her eyes glued to the sand.

"Do we scare you?" Dalia asked, voice low, and Miu was certain she felt another waterfall between both lips. She gave a whistling wheeze as all words and thoughts failed her. "Sorry, don't mean to…" The Ultimate Dancer murmured.

Hmmm…! Tsumugi thought, intrigued for the first time that day. This is kind of like that volleyball anime…! Except with more yuri!

The Ultimate Cosplayer decided that even though she wasn't a jock either, she really liked this show!