Chapter 56 - The Sea and the Villain (6)
The three of us were leisurely swimming through the sparkling, deep blue sea, reflecting the sunlight brilliantly.
The waves were calm, the water temperature was perfect, and the conditions were ideal for swimming. Since both Mashiro and I were good swimmers, we enjoyed a pleasant time at the beach, guiding Mai, who was floating on a swim ring.
“This sense of freedom is the best! I’m just riding on this float, and Onii-chan and Mashiro-san are pulling me along. This is so fun!”
“Don’t get too carried away, okay? If you tip over and start drowning, it’ll be a real problem.”
“I’ll be fine, Onii-chan. I’m already in middle school, you know. Come on, let’s pick up the pace!”
“I’m telling you it’s dangerous, you dummy. Be a good girl, will you?”
I lightly tapped Mai on the head, but she just giggled, showing no signs of remorse.
Though the water wasn’t deep enough to be a real danger if she flipped over, I didn’t want her to end up coughing and choking on seawater. I had to keep an eye on her.
While Mai was having a blast, Mashiro was enjoying the sea in a much more relaxed and laid-back way.
Just drifting with the waves seemed to be enough to satisfy her, as she smiled sweetly and gazed at me.
But I couldn’t look her in the eyes, and I found myself awkwardly averting my gaze.
“Huh? Ryusuke? What are you looking at?”
“Uh, just beyond the horizon. The sea is so vast, it’s amazing.”
“Yeah, it is! And it’s so sparkly and beautiful. But, Ryusuke, your face is kind of red. Are you okay?”
“Oh, you’re right! Onii-chan, you’ve got a funny face. Haha!”
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
Both of them tilted their heads in confusion at my reply. But there was no way I could tell them the real reason.
(There’s no way I could ever say that I’m getting nervous from staring at Mashiro’s chest floating in the water…)
I had heard that large chests tend to float due to the buoyancy of the water, and it seemed that was true.
Mashiro’s ample curves, encased in her white swimsuit, were bobbing up and down with the waves. It was almost too much for a normal high school guy like me to handle.
(She has no idea how unfair this is…)
Mashiro seemed completely unaware of how attractive she looked in her swimsuit, and her obliviousness made her even more dangerous.
Even now, she was swimming slowly towards me, pressing her soft body against mine each time she got close. All I had on were swim trunks, so I could feel her bare skin directly—this was definitely not fair.
Is there any guy out there who could stay calm in this situation? I, for one, certainly couldn’t.
My heart was pounding like crazy, and despite being in the water, I could feel my whole body heating up. I seriously thought I might pass out if this kept up. My face was probably as red as a boiled octopus by now.
Yet, whether she noticed my inner turmoil or not, Mashiro continued to lean against me, flashing a carefree smile.
“Hehe, this is so much fun, Ryusuke. And Mai-chan is so full of energy—she’s so cute!”
“Y-Yeah, you seem to be having a lot of fun too, Mashiro. But usually, you’d be even more excited. You seem a bit calmer than usual today.”
“That’s because I plan on spending a lot of time playing with you, Ryusuke. If I go too hard at the start, I’ll tire out quickly.”
“Good point. That way, we can enjoy ourselves longer.”
“Yep! So for now, let’s take it slow and easy.”
“Slow and easy, huh? Well, we’ve swum quite a bit already, so why don’t we take a break soon?”
Mashiro and Mai nodded in agreement, and we slowly made our way back to the beach, gently rocking with the calm waves.
Just as we returned to the shade of the beach umbrella and sat down to catch our breath, Mai suddenly remembered something and spoke up.
“Hey, Onii-chan. Speaking of which, when we were renting the beach umbrellas earlier, I noticed something—there’s a three-on-three beach volleyball tournament going on.”
“A three-person beach volleyball match, huh? Do they give out prizes or something?”
“Yeah! It’s not a tournament, just a one-off game you can join. If you win, you get a meal ticket that you can use at one of the beachside cafes!”
“A meal ticket, huh… Maybe I’ll join if I’m in the mood.”
“No, come on, let’s definitely join! I’m pretty good at sports, and with you and Mashiro working together, we’ll totally win!”
“I’m pretty confident we could win, but still…”
A summer beach volleyball tournament.
Since it wasn’t a full-blown tournament but a one-time match, it wouldn’t be too much of a burden on Mashiro or Mai. Win or lose, it could be a fun memory for us.
But I had one big reason to hesitate. The protagonist of this story, Fusegawa Raito, was here at this beach.
There’s no way Raito would pass up such a classic event as a beach volleyball match. There’s a good chance he’d enter with the heroines by his side to show off his main character status.
If I, the villain, joined this event, I would inevitably end up facing the protagonist’s team, and things would get troublesome fast.
Mai would be disappointed, but I was thinking of finding a way to decline.
“Eh!? You’re not planning to join? What should I do… I already signed us up, thinking you’d participate!”
“You signed us up? Are you serious?”
“Yeah… And the matchups have already been drawn. Our opponents are a team of one guy and two girls, high school students just like us. I figured we’d totally win.”
“Wait, don’t tell me…”
—It’s definitely the protagonist’s team. There’s no doubt about it. Realizing this, I let out a deep sigh.
Mai signing us up was likely due to this world’s narrative forces at work.
It was a setup to pit me against Raito Fusegawa in beach volleyball. Everything made sense if I thought of it that way.
If it had just been Mashiro and me, she would’ve easily gone along with me declining. She wouldn’t act recklessly on her own. But Mai was different. She often acted without thinking things through, and that had been exploited.
(I’m in trouble now…)
Thinking about what was to come, I couldn’t help but feel my face twitch.
Fusegawa Raito hadn’t come to this beach just to show off during a summer event. No, this was likely about getting revenge for what had happened during the final exams.
A protagonist can’t afford to lose for long. This beach volleyball match was probably the story’s big showdown, the perfect chance for Raito to team up with the heroines and defeat me, avenging his past losses.
That meant Raito would go all out, using his protagonist’s power to crush me. With his destiny to overcome all odds, he’d perform some miraculous feat and snatch victory for sure.
There was no escape now. A forfeit would be the least cool way to go.
Running away from a fight with the protagonist would be even worse than losing outright. That would be a massive disappointment, even to those rooting for me. As someone aiming to be the protagonist, getting abandoned by the readers would be the worst-case scenario.
What should I do? Is there any way out of this situation?
As I desperately pondered, Mashiro gently squeezed my hand. Her clear blue eyes locked onto mine, and she spoke softly.
“Ryusuke, are you worried that we’ll be up against that classmate—Fusegawa-kun—in beach volleyball?”
“Mashiro, how did you…?”
“I can read you like an open book, Ryusuke! You always make that difficult face whenever it’s about Fusegawa-kun. Ever since I twisted my ankle that time I bumped into him.”
Mashiro, as if seeing right through me, let out a small laugh and then gently patted my head.
With a soothing voice, she continued.
“I do like how you look cool and quiet when you’re deep in thought, but I love your smile the most, Ryusuke. So don’t worry, I’ll support you. I’ll do my best to make sure you can smile.”
This childhood friend of mine understood me so well, always giving me exactly the words I needed. Just having her by my side filled me with confidence that everything would be alright.
(Guess I have no choice now…)
Now that it had come to this, there was no running away. I would have to face it head-on.
I’ll show them what it’s like when the villain defeats the protagonist in a stunning reversal.
Just like during the final exams, I’d claim victory with Mashiro by my side.
With that resolve, I tightened my grip on her hand. Mashiro responded by squeezing my hand back, smiling happily.
“Ryusuke, we’re unstoppable as long as we’re together, right?”
“Yeah, as long as I’ve got you with me, I feel unbeatable. Let’s do it. Let’s join the beach volleyball match, win that meal ticket, and treat ourselves at the beach cafe!”
Mashiro nodded vigorously, and Mai jumped up, thrilled that I was finally motivated.
And so, I quietly steeled
myself for the upcoming battle with the protagonist.