Swimsuits at the Beach
"The ocean!"
It was the third day of the school trip.
We had arrived at the sea—the absolute highlight of the entire excursion. Of all the days on the trip, this was the freest stretch of time we would get. As long as we didn't leave the beach, we could do pretty much whatever we wanted, or so they had told us. That sounded about right.
Weather's not bad.
It was neither too hot nor too cold—perfect for playing in the water. Tomorrow's forecast called for rain, which had made me a little uneasy, but that worry seemed to have been for nothing.
"Let's go change into our swimsuits first."
After staking out a spot on the sand with our mats, we headed straight for the changing rooms. There were plenty of people around, but the facilities were surprisingly spacious, so it wasn't uncomfortable at all.
Nice and easy.
The swimsuit I'd bought last time was just as comfortable as I'd thought then. Maybe it was the fabric—it didn't cling unpleasantly to my skin.
Hoyeon, Yuwon, and I finished changing and stepped back outside to wait for Riya. Or rather, we waited until Hoyeon got impatient and bolted for the shore first.
"Yuwon! Come on already!"
"What? I wasn't even planning on going in the water!"
Yuwon got dragged along as a bonus. He had clearly intended to stay dry, but with Hoyeon around, that plan was doomed from the start.
If he hadn't put on a swimsuit, maybe. But once he did, his fate was sealed.
He might grumble at first, but by the end he'd probably be playing right along with the rest of us.
"Hey, are you alone?"
I was standing quietly near the women's changing rooms, waiting for Riya to come out, when someone spoke up beside me. A group of girls who looked to be in their late teens, all in swimsuits. The sudden approach caught me off guard a little, though it wasn't completely unheard of. Not that it happened often, either.
"No, I'm with friends. And I'm here on a school trip."
Middle school, at that. Even a few years older and I'd still fall under the youth protection laws.
"Want to hang out with us instead?"
I'd already turned them down once, but she didn't seem ready to give up. She invited me again. Of course I was going to refuse. I was just opening my mouth to shut it down firmly when—
"No, I don't—"
"You there."
A very familiar voice cut in. But it was colder than any tone I was used to hearing from her—restrained, almost devoid of emotion as it drew closer.
"Step away."
I looked at Riya. She was wearing the bikini we'd bought last time, with a pareo draped over it, and a wide-brimmed hat on her head. Day by day her figure was growing more distinctly feminine, and the effect was even more striking now. She was beautiful just standing there, like a statue—but my eyes went straight to her face.
It was a cool expression I'd never seen on her before. Not the faintly emotional face I knew, but one laced with open hostility. And still, she was beautiful. Radiant. It had been a long time since that thought had hit me so clearly.
"Ah..."
"Aren't you leaving?"
"Ha... we're screwed."
The girl studied Riya's face for a moment, muttered that under her breath, and then wandered off somewhere.
A brief silence settled over us. Riya looked at me for a second, then asked in a tone closer to her usual one,
"Were you going to go with them?"
"No. Not at all."
Not even a little. Leaving Riya behind to follow someone else? Unthinkable.
My answer seemed to put her in a better mood. She smiled faintly, a light flush rising to her cheeks as she said,
"So... how do I look?"
She spread both arms out to the sides, presenting herself fully. With her being so direct about it, my gaze had nowhere else to go but her body. The curves that had grown more pronounced with time. That pale skin, that impossibly slender waist. And with a swimsuit this revealing on top of it all, my face heated up on its own.
No... stay calm.
Reacting while wearing something this thin would be the end of me. I took a slow breath to steady myself, then gave her my honest impression.
"You're pretty. You were last time, and you still are now."
"Hmm..."
She made that little pleased hum she always did when she was happy, and smiled. It was unmistakably the expression she'd been wearing most often lately—the one that meant she was genuinely delighted.
After smiling to herself for a moment, she looked me over and spoke softly.
"Sihyun. It suits you."
"Huh? Oh... thanks."
The sudden compliment pulled a flustered reply out of me, which only made her smile a little more. Then she started walking toward the sand.
"Well... shall we go? The others are waiting."
Riya and I headed straight for the mats we'd laid out earlier. The drinks we'd bought beforehand were scattered around, but there was no sign of Yuwon or Hoyeon.
"Taste my ultimate strike!"
"You absolute maniac!!"
Looking from the mats toward the water right in front of us, I spotted the two of them. They were having the time of their lives.
"Are you going in?"
"A little."
"Then let's go together."
Riya wasn't the type who particularly loved water play. She didn't hate it either, though. More like she simply had no strong feelings about it one way or the other. So the two of us walked lightly down toward the sea.
"It's been a while."
"The ocean?"
"Yeah. It's been ages. We haven't been since that one time we went together."
The last time either of us had played in the water was a full five years ago—fifth grade of elementary school. And of course Riya had been with me then, too. After that, neither of us had set foot in the ocean even once. It wasn't that our parents had refused to take us; we just hadn't felt like going. In that sense, this stretch of sea felt fresh and interesting.
The water isn't cold.
Maybe because it was Jeju Island, or because the temperature was starting to climb, the seawater wasn't chilly at all. Just cool enough to feel refreshing against the weather. I stepped in first, wetting my legs, and held out a hand to her. Riya took it naturally and carefully moved her feet forward until the water covered her legs as well.
"Hah...!?"
"Cold?"
"N-no... I'm fine."
She pulled that pale foot back in surprise for a second, then flushed and set it down again. Every time a wave rolled in, the sand tickled between our toes in a strangely pleasant way.
"Let's go farther in."
At Riya's words, we held hands and waded deeper. We didn't go too far, of course—just until the water reached about her hips—before we stopped.
Splash, splash—
Maybe because it had been so long since she'd been in the water, Riya started playfully scooping and splashing the seawater with her hands. The water quality wasn't bad. Not crystal clear, but nowhere near dirty either.
"Sihyun. Behind you."
"...?"
Suddenly Riya stepped back and pointed past my shoulder. Behind me? What was—
"Die, you demon king!!"
"...Ghk...!?"
There they were. Two enemies, no less. Hoyeon and Yuwon had snuck up behind me and doused me at the same time—with handled scoops they'd somehow gotten their hands on.
"Kyahaha!! You wicked fiend! Return the princess!"
"What the..."
A huge volume of water hit me all at once. I kept my eyes shut for a while, wiping it away. Some of it even got in my mouth, and the sharp saltiness flooded my tongue.
Salty.
I was reminded all over again that the sea is the source of salt. I spat the briny mix back into the water and shook the wetness from my hair. Then I slicked it back and opened my eyes.
"...This world is unfair."
"Out of nowhere?"
"I didn't splash you for that."
Hoyeon was scowling as he said it. Watching the guy who had just soaked me start complaining about the result made me let out a short, incredulous laugh. Then I glanced back at Riya. Luckily, none of the water seemed to have reached her.
I was still checking her face to make sure she hadn't gotten splashed when she suddenly seemed to understand something, opened her mouth—and
Splash—
stepped right up beside me and flung water straight at Hoyeon.
"Pffghk!!"
A complete ambush. The way she walked over so casually and just soaked him was impressive. Yuwon, face set in a playful scowl at the sight, lowered his stance and glared at me.
"An ambush?!"
And what are you looking at? Since when were you that kind of character? Riya was the one who splashed him—why are you staring at me?
"Fine! It's on!"
Hoyeon must have already gotten the salt out of his mouth, because he was laughing again as he shouted. His finger pointed at me and Riya.
"Alright. Water fight it is."
"You're taking this?"
"But leave Riya alone. At least don't hit her face."
That's cheating! Hoyeon looked ready to yell it, but one look at my fairly murderous expression made him sigh and drop his head. Sulking, maybe. The second I thought that—
"Ambush!"
He suddenly swung the scoop in his hand and flung water at me. The briny taste of the sea washed over me again. A clean hit would have stung my eyes pretty badly. But it didn't work this time.
"You think the same trick works twice?"
I'd already noticed the way he was gripping the scoop handle with his right hand. I'd been ready to turn my head the whole time.
"Damn it...! Ghk!"
And with that, the water fight began in earnest. Honestly, calling it a water fight was generous—we were mostly just splashing each other. And the two of them only ever targeted me. But it was fun. Playing together, the four of us, was more enjoyable than I'd expected.
"Hmm...!"
Watching Riya look so happy for the first time in a long while, so focused on the moment, made me happy too. Just being together like this was happiness enough. Far more than when we were little. Far more than in my previous life. So, so much more.
If only this kind of happiness could last forever.
I knew it wouldn't. But I didn't feel regretful about that. As long as we were together, there would be plenty more happy moments like this ahead of us.