Blue Swimsuits and Shared Sensations
I remained frozen in place, the swimsuit clutched in my hand. I'd lifted it easily enough to examine it, but the moment I thought about actually putting it on, a deep wave of reluctance bloomed inside me and kept me rooted to the spot.
As I stood there agonizing over the swimsuit, Rain and Shine—who had already changed into theirs—walked over.
"Why are you hesitating so much?"
"M-me?"
"Yeah. You had this look on your face like you were seriously debating whether to wear it or not."
At Shine's words I closed my mouth and studied the swimsuits they were wearing. The dark blue one-piece suits hugged every curve of the two girls' bodies. Sleek and glossy, the fabric gave way to smooth white arms and legs. It was a relief that the cut wasn't too revealing, but seeing Shine in one only made me want to wear mine even less. She had the exact same build and face as me. Which meant that if I put on the swimsuit and smiled, I would look exactly like that.
I hid the swimsuit behind my back and spoke.
"Um… can we do the swimming part later?"
"Are you feeling shy right now, Jeff?"
"Ah, well…"
I glanced at the two of them in their swimsuits and lowered my eyes. We had bathed together before, but for some reason the thought of showing them my body while wearing a swimsuit felt unbearably embarrassing.
Shine approached my hesitant self and reached out. Her pale arm extended, catching my hand. She guided it toward her own stomach.
"Doesn't it feel soft?"
"Y-yeah…"
Shine smiled faintly as she asked. I let her lead, running my fingers over the swimsuit's texture. Just as she said, it was incredibly soft. The kind of fabric that wouldn't irritate skin at all—in fact, it felt like it would feel good against it. Before I realized what I was doing, my hand was rubbing Shine's belly in slow circles. Well, technically I was rubbing her swimsuit, but still.
"Feels good, right?"
"Yeah…"
My hand, which had gently left her stomach, hovered in the air. A faint sense of disappointment lingered. I awkwardly moved it up toward my chest.
"So you should put yours on too, Jeff."
Shine's suggestion came like a quiet whisper. Even though she was standing a little distance away, her voice sounded as if it were brushing directly against my ear. I shrank my shoulders.
"There's no need to hesitate. It's not strange at all."
"I know, but…"
"Look. Rain's wearing one, and so am I."
At Shine's words I turned to Rain. She was running her hands over her own sleek swimsuit. Her slightly flushed cheeks made it look like she was lost in some strange daydream.
"Okay."
In the end I nodded at Shine's urging and began to undress. The soft rustle as fabric slid away from my skin. The air touched my exposed body and sent a shiver of sensitivity across it.
"Hey. Why are you staring so hard?"
"We're just waiting, aren't we?"
The moment my bare skin was revealed, I felt two intense gazes on me. Both Rain and Shine wore nearly identical expressions. I was used to looks like these, but today they struck me much more strongly.
"Huk…"
Rain suddenly gasped. Wondering what had caused it, I followed her line of sight and realized my skin had flushed bright red. The bug-bite marks had appeared again. They had become much less frequent lately, but every so often they showed up like this—as if to remind me that the cause hadn't disappeared yet.
I gently rubbed the spot right above my navel and made a pitiful face.
"Looks like I got bitten again."
Was the ointment Amy bought not working? No, the number of bites had definitely decreased. The creature must have built up a resistance.
"Next time I'll have to ask for something stronger…"
"Wouldn't a stronger one be bad for your skin?"
"You think so?"
"Yeah. Besides, it doesn't even hurt, does it?"
As she spoke, Shine gently pressed the spot right above my navel—the exact place where the bite mark was—with her fingertip. Just as she said, it didn't hurt. It only tickled where her finger touched. I quickly pulled away and slipped into the swimsuit. The style was new to me so I fumbled at first, but Shine's help let me put it on properly. Finally she pulled up the zipper on the back. I gently released the hair I'd been holding up. It fluttered down and settled against my back.
"H-how does it look?"
Like always, I struck a few poses for Shine the way I did whenever I wore new clothes. She stood a short distance away with her arms folded and nodded. It seemed she approved. Rain liked it too. Her eyes sparkled as her mouth worked silently. Half-formed words circled her lips before vanishing. I wondered what she wanted to say. But Rain squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head as if forcing herself to hold back.
"You're pretty."
"Yeah…"
I nodded while looking at Shine. There was no need to check a mirror. Her appearance was my own. Lately Shine had been praising my looks far more often. She used to do it before, but now the frequency had skyrocketed. No matter what I did, she would call me pretty, cute, over and over. Rain, who was always beside her, had started copying her. In other words, I had grown so used to hearing I was pretty that it now felt completely natural.
"Shall we head out now?"
"Yeah."
The teacher was waiting outside the changing room, so we couldn't linger. Before leaving I paused in front of the large full-length mirror and smiled softly at my reflection. It really was pretty. Me, Shine, and Rain too.
Shine, walking ahead, confidently opened the door.
"Did everyone find swimsuits that fit? Any discomfort anywhere?"
The swim teacher examined us in our swimsuits as she asked. I gave my body a light test, lifting my arms and legs, then jumping in place and spreading my limbs wide to confirm there were no problems. There was none. The swimsuit clung so perfectly to my skin that I almost forgot I was wearing it.
Feeling the other children's stares, I hid behind Shine.
"No discomfort."
The teacher nodded at my answer.
"Then let's start with self-introductions. I'm Sharona. Would you mind calling me Teacher Sharon?"
The woman who introduced herself as Sharona gave us a small smile and met our eyes. Because of her height, she had to bend her knees and lean down to look at us properly. The motion made her large chest sway, proudly displaying its volume. I stared at it again in a daze. Wouldn't something that big feel heavy to carry around all day?
While I was spacing out I missed my chance to speak. In the end Shine answered for me. She gently covered my eyes with her hand and spoke.
"This is Jeff. I'm Shine, and this is Rain."
"Ah, I can't see…"
"What lovely names."
The hand covering my eyes leaned close, and Shine whispered directly into my ear.
I swallowed dryly and nodded. Her voice had been so soft that apparently no one nearby had heard it.
As she added that, Shine lightly brushed my chest. I jumped in surprise and twisted away. Shine laughed, clearly amused by my reaction.
I took a few steps back and tried to steady my breathing. The sensation was completely different from usual. Was it because I was wearing the swimsuit? It had felt exactly like bare skin. Which meant that when I had been enthusiastically stroking Shine's swimsuit back in the changing room, she must have felt the same thing…
I rubbed both cheeks hard, trying to banish the improper thoughts.
"It's still break time, so why don't you sit nearby and wait for a bit?"
We nodded at Sharona's suggestion and headed for some chairs tucked in a corner. The moment I placed my hand on one I realized it was heated. Warm currents ran beneath the seat.
I glanced at Shine. She wasn't looking at me; her gaze was wandering around the room. I immediately moved my hand to my own stomach. My fingers were definitely stroking the swimsuit, yet the sensation felt strange. I tilted my head. Was it only me?
When my hand had been moving all over her stomach earlier, Shine's expression hadn't changed at all. Frowning, I reached over and began stroking Rain's stomach instead.
"Eek!"
Rain let out a bizarre shriek and twisted, but it lasted only a second. Soon she was breathing in short, strange puffs—hoo, hoo, hoo—before slumping comfortably in the chair with a completely relaxed face. The chair was large enough that she could lie down with room to spare.
"What are you doing?"
Probably because of the weird noise Rain had made, Shine turned to look at me. I quickly pulled my hand back and answered.
"Uh. Just… I wanted to check something."
"Check what?"
Shine scooted closer as she asked. Our pale legs brushed together.
"Um… the swimsuit."
"The swimsuit?"
"The part where it's touching feels a little strange."
"How is it strange?"
Shine smiled softly and leaned against me. Her silky hair spilled over my shoulder and coiled around my arm. Avoiding her heavy gaze, I pointed at Rain.
"Look at this."
"Okay."
Rain was still sprawled on the chair. The tiny smile on her softly melted face made it clear she was perfectly happy. I stroked her stomach again, this time so Shine could see.
"Hiiit—!"
Rain let out another strange sound and writhed. Shine's expression began to cool. Before she could speak, I quickly reached out and stroked her stomach the same way I'd done to Rain.
"…It doesn't feel like anything?"
Shine looked down at my hand on her stomach and gave a small smile.
"Is that what you were testing?"
"Uh… yeah."
"Jeff. Your body is identical to mine."
As she spoke, Shine lightly poked my thigh. The strange tingling made me twist again.
"Does it tickle?"
"Ah— y-yeah…"
It felt different from ordinary tickling, yet similar. When I nodded, Shine leaned in and whispered directly into my ear.
Shine's fingers softly traced across my body—my thigh, my side, just beneath my armpit. Each time her hand made contact my body twitched as though answering on its own.
"I know every single place where you're ticklish."
"T-then why did you stay still when I was touching your stomach earlier?"
"I held it in. So you can hold it in too, right, Jeff?"
"Ugh…"
"Hm?"
"Yeah…"
Satisfied with my answer, Shine smiled and stood up. The moment she rose, break time ended. I pulled the limp Rain to her feet and we walked over to Sharona together.