Ah, spring break. Even better, spring break with a ton of good food on a huge private beach owned by a close friend, with my friends. This place is beautiful, and we have it all to ourselves. I said it before, and I'll say it again: the Shichijous never fail to impress. This more than makes up for the fact that we don't really get the full eleven days off between the end of the old school year, and the beginning of the new. As the student council, we're expected to be at Ousai for minor business on certain days leading up to our school's opening. But that's a later problem. This hoagie isn't going to finish itself, now.
"I've never seen someone perfectly dangle a sandwich from their mouth while playing beach ball in the shallows," says Takatoshi, chuckling. "You're really something else, Pendragon."
I stand proud, hands on my hips.
Suzu's lips quiver. "How is that thing not dripping with seawater by now? And why haven't any of the ingredients fallen out yet? Furthermore, how are you still able to keep up with us while nibbling on that gradually, and not dropping it? This is impossible, isn't it?" She sounds legitimately alarmed for some reason. My response is to give her a thumbs up in reassurance. I'm not sure if it works.
Aria bops the ball towards Kotomi. "You're going to worry yourself sick like that, Suzu. Just relax!"
Kotomi tries to balance the ball high above her head. Key word is try. "Yeah, Suzu!" she says. "This should be a total celebration, right? Not just for the fact that it's vacation time, but because the great Kotomi Tsuda has gained enough experience to level up out of middle school!"
"And on top of that, she's passed the entrance exam for Ousai!" adds Aria, applauding.
Takatoshi grins with some pain. "Thanks to Miss Yokoshima, probably, but we could never confirm that. You just make sure to study diligently and honestly, okay, Kotomi? We're a prestigious academy, after all."
"I'm not sure what di-gilli-lant-ly means, but you got it, Taka!"
"So, you've never heard of diligently, but you know what prestigious means?"
"Of course I do, Suzu! It's the maximum rank in half the RPGs I'm playing." Her victory pose falls kind of flat there, but her spirit is admirable.
"Shino!" calls Aria. "Don't you want to join us now?"
Shino is lying at our picnic area beneath one of the umbrellas. She waves back, answering, "In a bit, Aria! Just resting for a little longer!"
Once my sandwich is done, I catch the attention of the others. "You know what? I think I'll take a break, too." I share a quick wave with them, and then head for Shino with the intention of finding out if anything is wrong. I compliment Dejima on the smell of her cooking as I pass by her grill and table. She simply thanks me in a maid's manner.
Shino smiles as I approach. "Want to keep me company?" she asks.
"I'm all yours." With a juice from one of the coolers, I plop myself down next to her. We watch the others continue to mess around in the shallows. "I'm surprised you haven't joined us at all yet, President. From what I heard, you love playing in the ocean."
"I totally do. It's just that this whole beach trip was such a last-minute thing. I completely forgot to shave down there."
"Looks fine from here."
"No, trust me. The sides need a trim and a half. They poke out depending on how I move around. I wouldn't really care if it were just us ladies here, but then we have Tsuda."
"And Dejima." I'm immediately surprised. Shino said that at the same time as me.
She laughs. "Come on, Pendragon. Don't be that shocked. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not exactly a saint, but even I have standards."
"Hey, I believe you. You've fired off some pretty good zingers at Miss Yokoshima when Takatoshi wasn't around."
"Thanks. It wasn't always like that, though, to tell you the truth. You know, I think Tsuda's been rubbing off on me, after all." She then makes an energetic fapping gesture, shiveringly adding, "If you know what I mean."
I give a lighthearted scoff. "Yeah, I get it." Also, whoa. Déjà vu.
"Ah." Shino sits up. "They're finally here."
I follow her gaze to see the three members of Eiryou High School's student council excitedly running up to meet with the others. Or at least two of them are: Uomi and Mori. The third one, whose name escapes me, approaches in a more relaxed fashion. "What was that other girl's name again?"
Shino gives a long hum. "Oh, yeah. She's Aoba. Toori Aoba."
"Aoba. She seems like a nice girl, but she's quiet enough that I can't remember her name off the top of my head. I'm guessing it's the same for you." No response. "Uh, President? Hello?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. No, I always knew her name."
"Really? Seemed like it took you a while to remember that it was Aoba."
"That's because I was kind of distracted. Look," she says with a discreet point of her finger.
I don't even have to ask once I see it. "Wow. That Mori girl is . . . a lot booby-er than I remember."
"Right? Must have grown two cup sizes since the last time we saw her. Holy crap."
Mori isn't as animated as Uomi is being right now, but still. The jiggle is strong in that one. Takatoshi seems to notice, as well, though with impressive civility, as always. "I can see why you'd be distracted," I say to Shino.
"And look, Uomi's not far behind these days. You were probably looking at Aoba the whole time, but I was caught up in watching the Fantastic Four bouncing to the rescue over there. Seriously, it was like a slow-motion running scene straight out of Baywatch." She then waves to them, to which I join. "Hey, you guys!" she greets.
"Shino! Artoria! Come on, you two! Let's play together!"
"You just got here, Uomi! Let's have a drink, or something, first! Mori, Aoba!"
All in our picnic area, we end up chatting with an assortment of refreshments from the coolers as we wait for lunch from Dejima. It doesn't take too long. Takatoshi, Kotomi, and Shino help her bring some baskets which have finely prepared seafood, beef cutlets, and leafy greens.
"My deepest apologies for the delay, Milady, everybody." Dejima hands out disposable plates and utensils. "We have metal spoons, as well, but may I ask that you please save those for the ice cream we have in the third cooler." She looks and sounds exhausted.
"You've been waiting on us all morning, Miss Dejima," Aria says, worried. "Why don't you take a break?"
"I'm perfectly okay, Milady."
"Please, I insist! Try to take a nap, or maybe rest your eyes, at least. I mean, we've got our food now, and there's plenty of drinks and snacks! We'll be just fine on our own for a good, long while. I promise." We all join Aria in convincing poor Dejima to lie down on the blankets for at least an hour or so. Though protesting, she finally concedes.
In order to leave our supervising adult in peace, we take our food and drinks to go. Takatoshi carries around a trash bag for us until we're all done eating. We spend the next hour or so catching up and joking around with our Eiryou counterparts, occasionally splashing in the shallows. Shino does everything very, very carefully, but luckily this doesn't draw the attention of our resident guy. The rest of us helpfully give Shino subtle gestures to adjust her bikini whenever the beaver makes an appearance, to which she's thankful for.
Eventually, the conversation shifts to something we at Ousai never knew about Mori. She doesn't know how to swim. "It's true," she says embarrassedly. "That's why I'm walking around with this inner tube. I'm actually kind of terrified that I'm going to be swept away by a random riptide."
Aria smiles. "We can teach you a thing or two. A pool would've been a better starting point for someone new to swimming, but with all of us here with you, I'm sure you'll be fine!"
"But how would we even start?" Uomi asks. "What style of swimming should we teach a beginner?"
"Let's teach her the butterfly stroke," says Kotomi. "It's just like in the Olympics!"
Mori almost goes pale. "Perhaps something more on my level, please?"
"Doggystyle, then," says Uomi.
"I think you mean doggy paddle."
"Don't worry, Artoria. We can teach her that, too. Any other suggestions?"
"What kind of swim style do you like, Amakusa?" asks Mori.
"The breaststroke, of course!"
"Of course," mumbles Takatoshi.
"What's yours, Tsuda?" asks Suzu.
"Oh. The classic freestyle, I guess. Like, where you just sort of flutter your legs and windmill your arms."
Aria looks genuinely confused by this. "Really? I would've guessed that, as a guy, you preferred the squirrel style."
"What's that?"
"It's when you float on your back."
"And what does that have to do with squirrels?" asks Mori.
"Everything, of course. It keeps their nuts dry!"
Takatoshi sighs. "I've got swimming trunks, Shichijou."
Aria starts breathing really, really hard. "Your trunk's so long, you can swim with it?" In the background, Dejima shoots up like there's a disturbance in the Force.
"I really appreciate all the support, everybody, but I'm way too scared to do this in open water. I'll just stick to the shallows today."
Uomi frowns. "Are you sure, Mori, my dear? We were talking about taking a swim later. Would you be okay by yourself?"
"I'll be fine, Uomi. Thanks, anyways."
"No changing your mind at all?" asks Shino. "There's way, way more than enough of us to properly watch over you. You should be totally safe."
"Yeah," says girl. I mean Aoba.
Mori shrugs shyly. "Maybe if we had a professional instructor on hand, but —"
"I can help with that, actually." We're all startled to find Dejima among us out of nowhere. Except for Takatoshi. He's looking jaded, since evidently Dejima has been staring directly at his crotch for who knows how long. And still is.
"You're, uh, offering to teach me how to swim?" Mori has a nervous smile.
Dejima stands from crotch-level to nod at her. "I assure you, Miss Mori. Your voluptuous body will be in good hands. I'm certified for intermediate-level swimming instruction, and I also qualify as a lifeguard. Please, follow me." She then starts walking towards the ocean. I swear I saw a bit of drool hanging out before she turned her back to us.
Mori is uncertain. She looks to Takatoshi, of all people, and gives an expression that quietly pleads for help. He nods at her solemnly, whispering, "Don't worry. We'll be close by. Well, everyone? Shall we assist Miss Dejima in training our friend, Mori, how to swim?"
Everyone cheers, and then follows after Dejima. However, Shino then whispers some excuse to the group that gets her out of it successfully. I do the same, and also Suzu, surprisingly. The three of us return to our picnic area, pull out our own choices of refreshments, and then sit together under an umbrella to watch the seven of them begin in the shallow area.
I'm helping myself to a half-quart of that tasty Futaba melon sherbet that Aria brought. I didn't even know they came in this size. Funnily enough, this one had a little note attached to it that read for Artoria probably! ;-) complete with the smiley face. Again, I'm super-grateful for Aria's never-ending kindness, and make yet another mental note to pay her back as much as I can in whatever ways possible.
"You notice that Kotomi's boobs have gotten bigger, too?" I suddenly ask.
Shino's eyes widen as she slaps the sand repeatedly. "I know! They're getting huge! Did it happen overnight, or what? The heck are you guys feeding that little fireball?"
"Pretty sure it's not the food." I somewhat bitterly take another bite.
"Is this what you two were talking about earlier? Getting bothered by a bunch of scantily clad females with larger proportions than you?"
"It doesn't bother me," Shino says, looking away with a huff.
"Me neither," I say honestly. I think. "Does it bother you?"
Suzu blushes. "O-of course not! Such trivial matters are far below my concern."
"Let's talk about something else, then." Shino drinks from her juice box, deliberating, yet apparently nothing comes to mind. Thankfully, Suzu herself comes to the rescue.
"I've been meaning to ask you, Prez. Now that you and Shichijou are going to be third-years, what are your plans for the student council?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the teachers always seem to mention that senior year in high school should be completely dedicated to college prep. So, is there any possibility that you, and-or Shichijou, will retire from your positions?"
I look at Shino with worry. "That's a good question, actually. I never even thought about that."
Shino smiles. "We've talked about it already. No worries, you two. Aria and I are going to stay with you guys on the student council until we both graduate. I mean, we are a team, after all. And a fantastic one, at that, if I do say so myself. Although, it might be because you've all had an exceptional leader at the wheel," she adds teasingly, pretending to check her fingernails.
"Of course, Prez. And thank you."
"Thank you, President." My eyes then narrow. "You know, there's something else I didn't really think about until just now. After you graduate, Takatoshi will become Ousai's first male student council president."
"That's right. Well, realistically speaking, Tsuda is tentatively in line. It's possible for anybody to take his place, whether by Ousai-wide election, or by me appointing one of you two."
I look at Suzu. "Any interest at all?"
She jeers. "Don't repeat this outside the three of us, but I can't function at my prime when under that type of pressure. What about you?"
I shrug. "If it happens, it happens. Though, that's not to say I'm after the position myself. I really was hoping Takatoshi would do it."
"He certainly is a stellar candidate," says Shino. "Honestly, I'd like to keep it that way, too, so I'll be training him as much as I can."
"Well, I'm sure he'll be ready by then, because all in all, you'll be spending two years grooming Takatoshi to be the next president."
My phone starts ringing. The name on the screen says Aria. I look up to see she's at least sixty feet away and is waving at me anxiously. Concerned, I accept the call, but before I can even ask what's wrong, she shrieks, "Did you say you'll be spending New Year's grooming Takatoshi to be your sexting gent?"
"What —"
"Screenshots, please! And lots of them!"
"How did you even hear that?" I shout back into the receiver before hanging up. In response, she playfully flashes a peace sign before stashing the phone between her ginormous ta-tas.
Suzu groans. "Oh, come on."
"Yeah, that's just rubbing salt on the wound at this point," grumbles Shino.
"Seriously." I pout, pull a towel over my head to cover myself and my chest, and then go back to digging into my ice cream.
Shino and Suzu snuggle in to share my towel, repeating the act. Shino then grabs a couple of spare metal spoons from nearby, and hands one to Suzu. "Give me some of that sherbet."
"Me too," says Suzu. Together, we snack and grouse in each other's comfort.
After a while, Shino suddenly chuckles to herself. Clearing her throat, she holds the spoon to her mouth like a microphone and says, "Suzu Hagimura and Artoria Pendragon. I'd like to extend my gratitude to you both for joining me at this inaugural meeting of the Itty-Bitty Titty Committee. We didn't get many volunteers, but I'm hoping we'll be a tight crew. Especially with this new menace encroaching on our lands — an army of bodaciously bounceable babes calling themselves the Super-Duper Booby Troopers!"
Suzu and I are in hysterics. Shino may be a Perv, but she knows how to break the tension when she wants to. I then hold out my own spoon like a sword. "To the Itty-Bitty Titty Committee?" They join me with a clink.
"To the Itty-Bitty Titty Committee!"
