Chapter 121: The Beach House
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: The Beach House
"Hey, guys! I'm back!"
It was about five minutes later that Ryuji, who had gone to buy ice cream, returned.
Perhaps because we were all thirsty after running around on the beach, the girls who had been sitting on the sand chatting flocked over to pick out their ice cream.
"Yoo-Sung! You come get one too!"
"Alright."
At Rika's call, I got up from my spot and walked over.
Everyone else had already chosen, so all that was left in the bag was a GariGari-kun and a Papico.
Well, these aren't bad either.
I grabbed the GariGari-kun.
Naturally, the remaining Papico went to Ryuji.
Eating ice cream on the beach on a sweltering summer day was a taste of heaven.
Instead of licking it, I crunched it down, and in no time, only the stick was left. As I was smacking my lips in disappointment, Sasha, who was eating a Giant Cone, made a suggestion.
"Yoo-Sung, how about you play a round this time?"
"Me?"
I glanced at Ryuji.
He told me to go ahead and play, saying he'd watch our things.
"Sounds good."
Being too hesitant in a situation like this would only ruin the fun trip's atmosphere, so I readily accepted their offer.
After a good rest, the beach volleyball game naturally started up again.
The teams were the same as before, but I was filling in for Ryuji.
Before the game started, I made just one request.
"Just get the ball in the air for me, no matter what."
Contrary to her bookish appearance, Yaguchi, who was surprisingly athletic, energetically replied that she would.
"Got it."
The class president, who had been the weak link in the last game, nodded, saying she could at least do that much.
Soon, the game began with a serve from Sasha's team, the winners of the previous round.
It was a long serve that took advantage of her characteristically long limbs.
"My ball!"
Yaguchi, who was positioned in the back, shouted as she rushed forward and lightly tapped the ball up over her head.
I, who had been watching for an opportunity with the eyes of a hawk, immediately jumped and smashed a spike.
Smack!!
Because I controlled my strength, the volleyball shot down at a normal speed.
"Kuh!"
Karen dove desperately to hit it back up, but her arms were too short and she missed it by a hair.
Losing a point in an instant, Sasha's face twisted in frustration.
I'd felt it before, but her competitive spirit was no joke.
Since scoring gave us the serve, I caught the ball Karen threw over and tossed it up lightly.
In that moment, Sasha moved with sharp agility.
For a second, I was captivated by her form, like that of a pantheress, but I realized it too late.
I couldn't see Karen.
As my eyes met Sasha's while she jumped up to block, she gave a triumphant smile. Right after, Karen, who had been hidden in her shadow, jumped up with off-beat timing and spiked the ball.
Smack!!
Truly a brilliant combination.
I had been completely fooled by Sasha's acting.
Yaguchi scrambled to receive the ball, but it had already hit the sand long ago.
The score was tied again, 1:1.
"Don't underestimate me, Kim Yoo-Sung."
Indeed, she wasn't an opponent I could beat while holding back.
Sasha's blatant provocation made me decide to change my half-hearted approach.
*
We fought another fierce, spark-filled battle, but in the end, our team was the victor.
No matter how powerful Sasha and Karen's combination was, the difference in our basic physical specs was something they couldn't overcome.
They kept the rallies going and managed to stay close, but in the end, I figured out their attack patterns and scored consecutive points to win the game.
The final score was 15:12.
Though it was a friendly match, we played it almost like a real one, and both teams were exhausted.
It seemed to be the side effect of playing two games in a row.
On the other hand, I had only played one game and was still full of energy, but for everyone else's sake, we decided to stop.
"I'm hungry. How about we get something to eat?"
At Karen's suggestion, everyone agreed.
We had snacked on a few things on the bus that morning, but it was about time for our stomachs to be empty again.
We brushed the sand off our bodies and headed to a nearby beach house.
*
A beach house (海の家, Umi no Ie).
It's a type of simple eatery commonly found at Japanese beaches.
They usually sell things like yakisoba, curry, various hot dogs on a stick, and shaved ice, all of which share the common characteristics of being expensive and not very tasty.
But as they say, hunger is the best sauce; when you're starving, anything tastes delicious.
We hadn't gone for a proper swim yet, but perhaps because we'd been running around on the sand, everyone's appetite was ravenous.
Since there were a lot of us, we split into two tables and each ordered what we wanted.
I'd noticed it when we first arrived, but the beach seemed especially crowded today.
I was wondering why when I saw a flyer posted on the wall.
"The 17th Annual Onjuku Swimsuit Contest?"
Now this was something straight out of a rom-com.
Just then, the owner of the shop, who was passing by, fanned himself and spoke.
"You here for the contest too, young man?"
"Huh? Me?"
I asked back, flustered by the sudden question, but the owner nodded as if no more needed to be said.
"It was 17 years ago. This swimsuit contest, which started with the goal of revitalizing our beach, became a huge hit with the surfers..."
I was just staring blankly, unsure how to react to the owner's sudden trip down memory lane, when a young waitress came over and bowed deeply.
"I'm so sorry! So sorry! My father's like this!"
But despite his daughter's apology, the owner clenched his fist and continued.
"It's a rule of nature that a true man can't resist a woman in a swimsuit! And to not miss the chance to show off their manliness, people flocked here from all over the country!"
After explaining the history of the swimsuit contest with the flair of a narrator in a teen drama, the owner's eyes widened as he looked at me.
"I may not know much, but I'm a good judge of character! I'm sure you could stand at the top of this year's contest! So how about giving it a shot!"
"I'm so sorry! So sorry! My father is one of this year's sponsors!"
With the daughter's continuous apologies, I finally understood what was going on.
So, in short, he wanted me to enter the swimsuit contest?
"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in that kind of thing."
I decided to politely decline the owner's offer.
If nothing else, participating in a contest would cut into the time I had to hang out with my friends.
We didn't have much time left to have fun as it was, and I felt no need to spend that precious little time on a contest.
Rika, who had been watching my conversation with the owner with interest, chimed in.
"Why not give it a try? Ryu-chan? It looks like the prize money is pretty hefty."
Hearing that, I inadvertently glanced back at the flyer.
First place: 100,000 yen.
In other words, it was a chance to recoup all the money I'd spent on this trip if I won.
To be honest, it was a very tempting offer, but considering the time and effort it would take, I still felt it was better not to.
When I made my intentions clear, the owner looked at my muscles with a hint of disappointment but backed down without a fuss.
Thankfully, he didn't seem like the clingy type.
A short while later, our food arrived, and we filled our empty stomachs while enjoying our meals.
*
After a light meal at the beach house, we all decided to go for a swim.
Of course, not everyone knew how to swim, so some of us rented inner tubes.
Satoru, who had gone off to pick up girls, was still nowhere to be seen, and since we saw no reason to drag back someone who had run off on his own, we decided to just have fun by ourselves.
"Ah! It's cold!"
In the shallow water near the shoreline, the girls splashed each other playfully.
In the process, water droplets scattered across their white skin, and the way various soft orbs swayed back and forth with their owners' vigorous movements was a natural feast for the eyes.
"Hmph!"
Putting on my snorkeling gear and dipping my body deep into the water, the world beneath the sea came into view.
The seashells and coral reefs scattered everywhere, and the sight of fish big and small swimming about, truly made me feel like I was at the beach for the summer.
When I finally lifted my upper body out of the water, I saw the class president, who was on an inner tube right in front of me, staring at me with a startled expression.
"What's wrong?"
The class president pointed a finger at my body, her face bright red.
"Y-Your shirt is wet and..."
"Ah."
I had worn a t-shirt because I didn't want to make others uncomfortable, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect.
The soaking wet t-shirt was clinging tightly to my body, having long since lost its original function.
Just then, Ryuji, who was playing in the water with Yaguchi behind me, saw my back and shouted in horror.
"A-A demon!"
Hearing that, I quickly relaxed the muscles in my body.
It was something I'd heard often from the other members when showering at the gym.