A Splash of Curiosity
The moment the kids in the photography club room saw Appleton, they started to rise with welcoming smiles, only to freeze mid-motion the instant their eyes shifted to Shine and me. An unnatural silence descended upon the room. As if she were entirely used to this, Appleton offered an awkward smile and greeted them. "How has everyone been?" No one answered. They simply exchanged wary glances.
I didn't care for this atmosphere. As I scowled, crossed my arms, and began to stare them down, the kids, who had been walking on eggshells, finally started responding to Appleton one by one. "Um, these are my friends. They came to try out the club today." At Appleton's gentle tone, the tension slowly began to thaw. It wasn't that they kept their mouths tightly shut and said absolutely nothing, but none of them dared to strike up a conversation with us. Not even with Appleton.
Watching them, Appleton let out a soft sigh and walked over to her usual spot by the corner window. The three of us followed her and sat nearby. The warm sunlight streaming through the window made me feel delightfully lazy. "Haaah..." As I let out a long yawn, Appleton's camera moved again. She pointed the lens right at me and giggled softly. "You took another one, didn't you?" "Yeah." Such a natural response. Just how many photos of me were taken in a single day? And what on earth did Shine plan to do with all those photos she kept getting from her? Even when I asked to see her phone gallery, she refused, leaving me completely in the dark about what was actually on it.
The teacher in charge of the photography club arrived quite a bit later. Just as lunchtime was drawing to a close and the bell rang, a young woman stepped into the room. She had a timid face, a quiet voice, cautious movements, and a petite build—though she was still bigger than Rain, of course. "Hello, everyone~" Waving both hands to greet the students, the teacher scanned the room until her eyes locked with mine. Her eyes went wide in surprise, and she quickly covered her mouth. "Hello!" "Oh, h-hello!" When I greeted her energetically, she squeaked in surprise.
"Hey, Appleton, what's that teacher's name?" "That's Miss May." "May... Okay, thanks." As I whispered back and forth with Appleton, May approached us. "Are you girls interested in joining? Or did you just come to try it out?" "We're just trying it out for now!" May nodded at my answer. I scratched my cheek, noting how different her reaction was compared to the other teachers. She didn't seem intimidated by us. While she was certainly being cautious, she didn't treat us any differently from the other students, which put me in a good mood.
"Is that so? Then I'll have to work extra hard to make sure you like it." May's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. She looked eager to show us what the club had to offer. "Alright, everyone. Did you all bring your cameras?" The awkwardly tense students answered May's question with a resounding, "Yeees!" Perhaps her gentle demeanor had put them at ease, because relaxed smiles had already returned to their faces.
"Then let's start by checking if there are any issues with your cameras!" At May's instruction, the kids pulled out their cameras and began tinkering with them. Appleton also placed her camera on her desk with practiced ease and started checking its functions. Of course, since Shine, Rain, and I didn't have cameras, we just sat there doing nothing. Once she confirmed everyone's cameras were working fine, May stood up. "Shall we move, everyone?" Weren't we going to do the club activities here? "You can't take pretty pictures indoors, after all," Shine whispered softly, as if reading my mind. I nodded blankly. Sometimes, she acted as though she could see right through my thoughts.
May led the students to the back of the school. Behind the building rose a small hill, where a wide, grassy field and a beautiful flower bed sparkled under the sunlight. She let the kids loose, telling them to take photos freely. "She doesn't really teach anything specific, does she?" "Yeah. Miss May wants us to learn on our own. Of course, if you ask, she'll teach you about photography postures or how to use the camera." I nodded at Appleton's explanation and went to sit in a spot bursting with flowers. The sweet scent of nameless blossoms wafted through the air. Petals gently fluttering in the breeze caught in my hair.
Appleton's camera clicked away without pause, capturing shots of me, Shine, and Rain. "Aren't you taking too many pictures of just us?" "Ah..." Appleton, whose fingers had been flying as she snapped photo after photo, froze at my words and lowered her camera. "Sorry. You all just looked so pretty." "Jeff is pretty, after all," Shine said nonchalantly in response to Appleton. I laughed awkwardly at her comment, thinking to myself: Shine and I look exactly the same. So, her praising my looks was basically the same as her praising her own.
I plucked a flower and watched the other kids enjoying their freedom. Seeing them wander around with cameras in hand, they looked like typical children. Near the end of their free time, May gathered the students. She showed the photos they had taken one by one to the others, asking for their thoughts. The class itself was decent, but it failed to capture my interest. Right after the photo-viewing session, I stood up, pulling Shine and Rain with me.
"Are you leaving?" Appleton looked at us with disappointment. I nodded. "Yeah. It was nice, but I think I'd prefer something else over this." "Oh... okay." I waved goodbye to Appleton, took Rain and Shine by the hand, and headed down the hill. Behind us, May waved and called out her goodbyes.
"Appleton seemed really sad to see you go. Did you not like the class?" "It's not that. It's just not really my thing." "Really?" "Yeah." I nodded as I answered Rain. Hearing this, Shine, who had been listening beside us, asked, "Then what do you think you'd like, Jeff?" "Hmm..." I crossed my arms at her question and looked around. Maybe it was because of the nice weather, or maybe it was just club hours, but the school playground was packed with students. I watched the boys energetically kicking a ball around before turning my head away. "Something fun." "Okay. And?" "Something active." "Right." Shine nodded at my words. Then, she immediately began pulling Rain and me by the hands. Had she found something?
The path Shine led us down was somewhat familiar. The scent of water wafted through the air, accompanied by an echoing sound—the faint splashing of water. Rain was the first to react. Given her water-related abilities, it made sense. "This place!" "That's right. This is it." Rain shouted, her mouth hanging wide open. "The pool!" The place Shine had brought Rain and me to was indeed the swimming pool. The closer we got, the stronger the scent of water became. Even the cool breeze felt slightly damp. Swimming, huh? That sounded pretty fun.
Shine opened the door to the pool and stepped inside. The indoor pool was magnificent, incredibly spacious, and spotlessly clean. The floor wasn't even slippery; it was bone-dry, as if walking barefoot wouldn't cause a single slip. "Oh my. What brings you girls here?" As we stood there blankly taking in the sight of the pool, a woman approached and spoke to us. Dripping with water, she looked like she had just climbed out of the pool. The first thing that caught my eye was the massive chest resting beneath her face. This was only the second time in my life I had seen a woman with breasts larger than her own head.
Wearing a rash guard, the woman looked down at us, her wet, light-red hair clinging to her body. As I stared up at her chest, completely spellbound, Shine nudged my side. I snapped out of it and shook my head. Perhaps noticing where my eyes had been glued, the woman lightly patted her own chest. "Does it bother you that much?" "N-No!" I squeaked in embarrassment, making her chuckle playfully. "Alright, young ladies, what brings you here? A trial? Or are you looking to join?" "A-A trial!"
The woman, who seemed to be the swim coach, nodded and turned around, gesturing for us to follow. We walked behind her. My eyes, however, were still locked onto her chest. Two massive watermelons sloshed with every step she took. I watched in suspense, half-worried they might just fall off. The coach led us to the changing room. She told us there were brand-new swimsuits inside and that we could choose any that fit us. Sure enough, a box in the corner of the changing room was filled with unopened, packaged swimsuits.
"Jeff." "Y-Yes?!" I was holding a swimsuit, still daydreaming about those massive breasts, when Shine's cold voice snapped me back to reality. Startled, I turned my head. Shine was glaring at me with terrifying eyes. "Do you really like them big after all?" "N-No, that's not it." "If that's not it, then what is? Why do you keep spacing out? Do you hate me because I'm small?" I shut my mouth at Shine's interrogation. Her voice had been a bit loud just now, and I was worried the coach waiting outside might have heard. But even after waiting a moment, there was no sound from outside. I let out a sigh of relief.
"Tell me." "W-Well, I..." "Yes?" "I think... a moderate size is best..." "And what exactly is 'moderate'?" Hadn't we gone over this before? I swallowed hard and answered, "L-Like Amy's...?" Shine nodded at my response and let go of her intense gaze. I gave her an awkward smile. She stared at me silently for a moment, then pulled a swimsuit from the box and handed it to me.
"M-Moderate... Amy's size is moderate..." While I was holding the swimsuit, wondering how on earth to put it on, Rain was standing in the corner, clutching a swimsuit that fit her tiny frame and muttering in a small voice. Her eyes were cast down toward her own chest. "Do you really hate small ones after all?" Rain suddenly approached me and asked. Startled by her sudden advance, I took a step back. Rain looked incredibly depressed. Was she depressed because she was short, or because something else was small? Shine glanced at Rain's completely flat chest, let out a tiny chuckle, and turned away.