Infinite Stratos - Volume 3, page 7
(Ah! Ichika...this is Ichika's arm...)
A sense of relief spread through her chest. Rin hugged onto the strong arm and floated up to the surface.
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"Hey, Rin! Are you alright?"
"GUHA! Ha ha! I-I'm alright..."
"Really, didn't I tell you? It's because you didn't do your warm-ups properly."
"Tha-That's not it. I nearly drowned because, because of you..."
"? Never mind, let's get back to land. Here!"
I didn't hear the last part clearly, but it's better to get back. Thinking about this, I turned my back on Rin.
"Wha-What are you going to do?"
"Get on. I'll carry you back."
"I-I'm alright. We're just heading back to the beach after all."
Even though she said this, I can't just leave someone who nearly drowned right now alone, so I deepened my tone to indicate to her that I must carry her no matter what.
"Rin."
"O-Okay! I got it..."
Now Rin is finally obedient enough. I carried Rin, who became rather light in the sea, and swam back to the coast.
Chifuyu-nee once taught me how to carry someone while swimming. If I don't carry the person a little higher than what I expect, the person on the back can drown, so this will require a little skill.
"Pat my back if water enters your mouth. You'll choke if you start to talk."
"Mn."
I hear her respond with her mouth shut as I swim to the coast. As it will be too dangerous to swim too fast, I started wading slowly.
"Well, about that, Ichika..."
"You'll drink seawater once you talk."
"No, that's alright. Forget about that, well..."
The voice was soft, but the last few words entered my ears clearly.
"Tha-Thank you..."
The boast she made about not drowning still remains in my ears, so now she's probably embarrassed about it. I nodded my head in response and continued to carry Rin up the coast.
"It-It's okay. I can walk on my own now."
"Really?"
"Really! That's enough, hurry up and let me down!"
Noticing me get onto the coast, the girls quickly turned around. Rin most likely felt embarrassed about being seen by those people, so she was struggling quite stubbornly.
"I got it, I'll let you down, so stop moving wildly. Even if you were a cat in your previous life, what'll happen if you fall?"
"I-I was a mermaid in my previous life..."
Nodding away, I bent my body down and let Rin off.
"I-I'll go over there to rest..."
After saying that, Rin quickly ran to the annex. Having been carried back, she was really embarrassed as her face blushed slightly.
(Mn...maybe she's embarrassed because she boasted that she wouldn't drown, is it?)
"Ah, Ichika, you're here!"
Having my name called up, I turn around to see Charl and--
"Huh? Who's this towel mummy?"
There's a super mysterious thing--it's covered completely in quite a few towels, from the head to the knees...what-what is this thing...
"Alright, come out now. It's alright."
"I-I'll decide whether it's alright..."
Hm? This voice...Laura?
But why is it that the proud Laura sounded so cowardly? And Charl's trying to convince her. Hm, I don't know what's going on.
"O~kay, it's rare for you to wear a swimsuit. Let Ichika see it!"
"Ho-Hold on, I need a bit of mental preparation as well..."
"Well-, you've been saying that for a while, and you still haven't come out. And since I helped out, he should have the right to see it as well, right?"
Speaking of which, Charl and Laura seem to be staying in the same room. Both of them were enemies who fought intensely in the incident last month, but now it seems that they're ordinary roommates with quite the good relationship. Uu, Laura's still as unfriendly as ever. Maybe she would change if she's with someone intimate like Charl, I guess.
"Okay, Laura, if you don't want to show yourself, I'm going to play with Ichika and ignore you."
"Wha-What?"
"Yeah, let's do it. Let's go Ichika."
After that, Charl grabbed my hand, and then leaned on my shoulder as she dragged me to the sea.
"Wa-Wait for me! I-I'll go!"
"Like that?"
"Humph--I'll take it off! I'll take it off!"
*Papapa!* Several pieces of towel dropped down in an instant. Under the sun, Laura's dressed in a swimsuit. And as for that swimsuit--
The black swimsuit is decorated with a large number of laces. On first glance, it looks like a sexy lingerie. Her hair that's usually not dolled up is now tied into ponytails on left and right side. Though it looks like she's imitating Rin's get up, in truth, Laura looks--really cute. Seeing her really insecure added that cuteness factor.
"It's not weird at all! Right, Ichika?"
"Oh, yeah! I was surprised, but this really suits you."
"WHA...!"
Did I say something unexpected? Laura seem to be taken aback by that as she paused for a while, her face all blushed.
"That-That's enough for courtesies..."
"No, I'm not just saying that at all. Right Charl?"
"Yup, I told her that she was cute, and yet she didn't believe me at all. By the way I helped design Laura's hairstyle! It's rare for her to wear a swimsuit, so she should of course look a little trendier."
"Oh. So that's how it is. Yeah, your swimsuit suits you well too, Charl."
"Uu, yeah! Thanks."
After I praised her, Charl fiddled with her hair looking embarrassed. The bracelet I bought for her yesterday as a gift was still glittering on her wrist.
"Won't that rust? Is it alright?"
"It's alright. I carefully did all sorts of anti-rust measures before coming here. After that, I'll use salt water to wash it. It's a rare thing that Ichika would give me something~"
Charl chuckled. It seems that she really likes it.
"Ichika."
"Hm?"
In a completely different voice from before, Laura's voice regained her usual calm.
"That's too despicable! You didn't buy a gift for me...well, I hope that you buy me one..."
Uu, after Cecilia did that, even Laura requested for one.
"Well, if that's the case, I'll get you one if you have some day worth celebrating, like a birthday or something."
"Uu, I see. Then you must give me one if there's a chance! Promise!"
"Okay, but the price can't be too high. I'm still a student after all."
"Uu, but one day, you have to give me a gift worth three months' salary! I heard my squad mates say that in Japan, important gifts need to be worth that much money."
Huh--, it seems that the people making Laura mistaken about Japan are her comrades. Though it's not really wrong, it does feel that way.
"By the way, do you have anything you want? It doesn't seem like you really wear anything decorative."
"You're right. To be honest, I don't really have any interest in those sort of things...bu-but, if you choose one for me, I'll be really happy no matter what it was."
"I see. Hmm, what should I get for you? A necklace...ah, your hairstyle now will reveal your ears. Earrings are suitable for you as well. I think it would be very cute."
"Cu-Cute...?"
The different hairstyle must have made Laura uneasy, right? She looks embarrassed because I said that as she intertwined her fingers.
"ORI-MU-RA-KUN!"
"WE JUST AGREED TO PLAY BEACH VOLLEYBALL!"
"WA- AGAINST ORIMU~ THAT'S GREAT!"
It's the girl I just agreed to play with and her friends, and that Nohohon-san. For some reason, I feel that I should start remembering other people's names...
"Heh! Here, Orimura-kun!"
*Pa!* The beach volleyball flew to me. After receiving the ball, I confirmed the members beside me.
"Then, after adding Charl and Laura, it'll be 3 on 3. OK, let's start!"
After hearing my reply, the two girls quickly began to expand the net, and the Nohohon-san is drawing the boundary on the beach. Uwah, she's super slow.
"Then, we'll use the basic rules, okay? Maximum of 3 hits, no consecutive spikes, first to 10 gets the set!"
"Alright, you people can serve first."
I threw the ball over. The receiving girl's (Huh--should be Kushinada-san) eyes glowed.
"Hohoho, let me show you the Summer Devil of July's...ability!"
UGH! She jumped for the serve! I can't complain about the speed or the angle.
"Watch me!"
Charl said that. As expected of the reliable honor student. I'll leave it to her then.
"Huh! WAH!!"
With a 'thonk', Charl cried out. I turn around and see that Charl chased after the ball and knocked into Laura, who was standing there blankly.
"Are-Are you alright?"
"Oww...what's with you, Laura?"
"Cu-Cute...sa-said, that...I...UU!!"
For some reason, Laura blushed after seeing my face, and then ran off like a scared rabbit.
"Huh...HEY! LAURA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Even though I called her, Laura ran off into the annex and disappeared, leaving me, Charl and the three dumbfounded girls.
"Uu~hm, so it's that~ Orimu's girl electrobarrier activated~"
The Nohohon-san said. On a side note, she's not wearing a swimsuit, but a fox costume that covers her entire body, with even the ears to boot. Maybe this taste would go along with Tabane-san as well?
"Uu...yeah, never mind. We'll play on. I'll check on Laura later."
"I agree~"
Though it became 2 on 3 now, that Nohohon-san's clothes seem to have a negative effect, so we continued to play 2 on 2.
"TAKE THIS!"
Moving lightly, Charl jumped up to spike the ball. I looked up at her from the side, and those breasts that bounced crazily when she jumped stunned me.
(Uu, no...speaking of which, Charl has quite the nice body--AH, NONONONONONONONO!!!)
Realizing this, my attention was diverted, and when the opposing girls jumped up, their soft breasts would jiggle as well.
"..."
"What's wrong, Ichika?"
"No, nothing! Nothing at all! Yup, nothing!"
As soon as I thought that she realized that I was looking at the girls' bodies all the while, my heartbeat went super fast. Trying to prevent other people from realizing my inner wavering, I tried my best to deny it, by using my hands to wave them in an exaggerated manner.
Seeing my reaction, Charl gave out a weird laugh.
"I see, Ichika's really weird."
"Huh...it's summer, so I got a little too hot."
"Okay okay. You need more thermal energy in the summer, I know that."
Alriight. Recently, it seems that Charl's been very strict with my jokes. This 'I know what Ichika wants to say' attitude feels like I got caught by the neighbor nee-san, it doesn't feel good at all, or even embarrassing, I would say.
"Ah, it's about time for lunch, right? What do you want to do later, Ichika?"
"Huh-, I want to swim a little, but I can't go swimming immediately after eating a full meal. I want to rest before swimming again."
"I see. Then let's go for lunch then. Also, Ichika, which room are you staying in?"
"Ah--I want to know too!"
"Me too, me too!"
"I want to know too~useless bedtop information should be shared~"
That Nohohon-san's words made everyone look awkward. Anyway, let's ignore her for now.
"Huh-Orimura-sensei's room."
The excited looks of the girls up till now seemed to be frozen. It's like they stopped thinking due to the unexpected development.
"So it's dangerous to look for me."
"Ye-Yeah...but we can meet Orimura-kun during lunch."
"Yeah! We don't have to enter the devil's lair--"
"Who's the devil?"
*DONG!* I seem to hear someone. No, it couldn't be my imagination. A group of girls' necks are trembling...trembling non-stop.
"O-Ori-Orimura-sensei..."
"Yup."
Ah! The swimsuit she's wearing is the black one different in style from Laura. That trained figure's being shown under the sun without any selfishness.
To be honest, if Chifuyu-nee and I weren't brother and sister, my heart would pound even crazier as well.
Even though the hands on her waist aren't different from usual, there's a slight sense of sexiness the way I see it now. Not to mention she's got good looks like a model. Compared to the other girls, she has an overwhelming victory over them.
Though Chifuyu-nee would normally wear a suit, which makes it hard to imagine, if I don't look at this from a distorted point of view, the curves revealing those breasts are really ample.
And this swimsuit emphasizes a lot on the bustline, so naturally, my eyes are attracted by that.
"...Ichika's drool is about to flow out."
"WHA...!? CHAR-CHARL!? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!? AHAHAHA..."
"You were enticed by it."
Kuu! Well...I can't deny that.
"Alright, hurry up and go have lunch!"
"What about you, sensei?"
"I'm going to enjoy this really pitifully little free time."
Just as she said, the teachers don't seem like they have much free time. If that's the case, I don't want to delay her much.
"We'll go have lunch then."
"Follow the gathering time. Don't be late."
"Yes."
I just said that and left the location. As it's just past 12, other students beside us are moving off as well.
"Did you see Orimura-sensei's swimsuit? So pretty~ cool~"
"Ah~ I want to become like that as well."
"I don't think you have any hope."
"How would you know if you don't try?"
The students were debating furiously. I'm rather uncomfortable about hearing my relative get praised. I don't know if I should be happy or embarrassed.
(But speaking of which, it really suits her...)
Truthfully, Chifuyu-nee's beautiful like a model--no, better than a model.
"Ichika, is Orimura-sensei your type?"
"HUH? WHA-WHAT? CHARL, WHAT'S WITH THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN..."
"Nothing, it's just that I find that your reaction on seeing our swimsuits was somewhat different."
Wah, Charl-san's not happy...I guess. Why?
"Sigh, there're so many enemies...and they're all so strong. It'll be even tougher with Orimura-sensei in the mix."
That's true. Chifuyu-nee's strong. Last month, she even used her IS sword[3B 3]. How much power and skill are required to get to that level...
"She's amazing, that Orimura-sensei."
"...I get the feeling that Ichika's missing the point here."
"Huh? Really?"
"That's right. Sigh...the strongest enemy is still Ichika."
Uu, really? But if possible, I really don't want to fight against Charl. As we teamed up before, I feel that she'd toy with me.
"Oh well, it's pointless to think too much. Let's go Ichika."
"Oh, okay."
I don't know what's going on, but as I head off to the annex to change, my hand got grabbed by Charl, who seems to be feeling better. I intend to swim later, but I don't think anyone would wear a swimsuit for lunch, right?
"What's for lunch? Maybe we might get sashimi[3B 4]."
"Sashimi! That's great! I like sashimi the most."
On a side note, this is an example of how used Charl is to Japanese culture. If it's Cecilia, she would say, 'Eating fish, raw? Tha-That's unbelievable...'. As for Laura, she would say 'Relax, I've gone through raw food eating training to survive in the jungle when I'm alone'. Um, Laura, it's not like that.
(Speaking of which...)
Suddenly, I remembered that Houki disappeared.
(She's not in the sea? She should be good at swimming, so why?)
Thinking about this, I waved goodbye to Charl and the rest as I walked into the guys' changing room.
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Time passed, and it's now 7:30pm. We're having our dinner in the large banquet hall that's composed of 3 halls linked together.
"Yeah, it's great! The sashimi provided for lunch and dinner here is fantastic!"
"That's right. IS Academy's really too powerful."
Sitting beside me, Charl said as she nodded away.
Right now, she's dressed in a yukuta like everyone here. I'm not really sure, but the rule within this resort seems to be that 'One has to wear yukatas while eating'. Normally speaking, aren't they not allowed...?
The 1st years that are sitting neatly in rows are sitting on cushions. So of course, we're all sitting down in the seiza position[3B 5]. Everyone has a catering table in front of them.
The dishes are sashimi and a small hotpot. There's a salad of 2 mountain herbs, red miso soup and pickled vegetables.
That's good enough, but the sashimi's actually made from a Thread-sail filefish[3B 6], and there's even fish liver to go with it. Really unbelievable.
I bit into the fish. The feeling's really unique, and there's no fishiness to it. It's really delicious, yet so hard to describe. There's no stench or bitterness in the fish liver, and the taste is thick. I can understand now why it recently became a high class fish on the market.
"Ahh, it's so delicious! And this wasabi[3B 7] is real! Amazing! Hey, this isn't something a high school student can eat!"
"A real wasabi?"
"Hm? Charl, you don't know? The wasabi sauce that's grounded direcly through a wasabi root is a real wasabi."
"Huh? Then the ones given with the sashimi at the school cafeteria is..."
"That's manufactured. Well, the main ingredients are the wasabi root and horseradish. After coloring and mixing them, it will look and tastes like wasabi."
"Oh~so this is a real one?"
"Yup. But there's a lot of nice manufactured wasabi. Based on the way the manfacturer does it, some shops would even mix real wasabi with manufactured wasabi sauce."
"I see. Uu..."
Huh? Did Charl just swallow the entire pile of wasabi in...?
"U~..........................!!!"
As I expected, Charl pressed her nose as tears swelled up in her eyes. What the heck...
"Are you alright?"
"U-Um allbite..."[3B 8]
