Fortunately, Nagisa, in a bikini with a slightly more modest design, definitely displayed an alluring charm that wasn’t too overwhelming. After all, the one she wore before was so absurdly bold that it was hard to argue that bikinis themselves could be considered modest.
Still, the area covered by the wrap skirt made it considerably less burdensome. With her floral crown returned, one could argue that the beach beauty contest was all but guaranteed to have Nagisa as the winner, her stunning beauty shining brightly.
“How do I look, Mika?”
With her hands clasped in front, Nagisa asked me this in an unrealistically cute manner. Watching her wiggle her fingers, waiting for my reaction, made me doubt whether she was the same person who almost made me faint with that shocking bikini earlier.
Just from a quick glance at her expression, it seemed that Nagisa was much more at ease now than before. If I were to share my personal opinion, anything would feel comfortable as long as it wasn’t that black bikini. That thing was just a shock in terms of fabric area and straps, I mean, haaaah.
Especially since that string bikini design assumed you weren’t even wearing inner panties, it was truly a nerve-wracking choice.
“Let’s buy this!”
“…Is that really it? I thought you’d want to try on more options.”
“Ahaha! While I choose my own, if anything catches your eye, we can buy that too! But this one will be my gift to you!”
“Hmm… Okay. If it’s something you like that much, I guess I’ll settle for this. I just need to buy a slightly tighter size.”
While it would certainly be enjoyable to play dress-up with Nagisa and try on various swimsuits, the problem was that it would eat into the time for our last planned activity. So, I thought it best to wrap up here and quickly select my swimsuit to finish the shopping.
“I’ll change quickly, so in the meantime, you can pick something out for yourself, Mika.”
“Got it~! It won’t take long, anyway!”
No, seriously. I had come here with a predetermined idea of what kind of swimsuit I wanted to wear.
Bikinis were absolutely out of the question. Even the skirt design was a bit tricky to pull off at first, and now you want me to wear a bikini? Ridiculous.
Thus, my choices naturally narrowed down to one-pieces or monokinis.
Back when I was male, I didn’t even bother with a top, so my indifference was there, but now, showing too much skin felt very burdensome. So, I’d really have to rule out the monokini as well.
While monokinis had less exposure than bikinis, my inclination was definitely leaning more towards one-pieces.
As I sorted through various one-piece swimsuits, I couldn’t help but ponder how I ended up like this.
As a child, I’d just wear whatever my parents bought, and as I got older, I’d gotten used to having others pick clothes for me, so now it felt like buying based on color coordination was just yesterday.
Just as Nagisa was about to return, I still hadn’t found anything I liked, making me feel a bit anxious. It was just past 3:30, and I didn’t have much time to spare.
This one’s color is pretty, but the high leg cut bothers me, so out.
This design looks a bit too childish, so out.
This has a lovely color and design, but the material is a bit odd, so out.
Choosing something carelessly while not wanting excessive exposure makes it hard; I still want to wear something pretty. After all, photographs are all that remain, and wearing something pretty lets me capture the moment with my favorite character looking just like me.
If I didn’t have a sense of repulsion towards exposure, I probably would’ve bought all the cute ones just to make a personal photo album or something. People who don’t know my circumstances might wonder what I’m doing, but for me, it’s just an extension of my usual fandom.
“…Are you going for a one-piece, Mika?”
“Ah, Nagisa! You’re back?”
As I placed the one-piece I held back on the rack and picked up another, Nagisa returned with a peculiar expression, having chosen a swimsuit that fit her perfectly, questioning whether I was actually choosing a one-piece. Surely she wasn’t reproaching me for wanting to escape in a one-piece when she threw herself into that ridiculous bikini, right?
Personally, I thought it was her fault for choosing such a ludicrous bikini design first. I merely suggested a bikini that showed less skin.
“I want to keep the exposure to a minimum. Honestly, I feel a bit shy~. If possible, I’d prefer a light-colored one-piece that’s not high-legged.”
“What about this one?”
“The color isn’t bad, but that pink seems a bit too bright.”
The item Nagisa showed me was a moderately pretty light pink off-the-shoulder one-piece, but it strayed too far from my desired color.
“Hmm… How about something with frills?”
“Frills? I think it’s fine as long as it doesn’t look too much like something a child would wear.”
Frills typically emphasize femininity. While the keyword associated with frills might be ‘beauty,’ to me, they give off a feeling more reminiscent of youthful charm than mature beauty.
“If you want maturity, you might as well just go for a monokini…”
“Ahaha, I’ll think about that if the opportunity arises! But right now, I feel a bit hesitant~. Yes, that’s the general vibe☆”
Nagisa continued to show me several more outfits, but finding one I genuinely liked remained rather challenging. It seemed ironic that while Nagisa, who initially came along without a firm intention, decided on her swimsuit in just a couple of tries, I, who had planned to select from one-pieces, was taking so long. Am I just being unnecessarily picky?
“…Mika.”
“Hmm~?”
“How about this one? It seems like it would suit you well.”
What Nagisa held out was a slightly unique design, a white frill swimsuit. One shoulder was sleeveless, while the opposite side featured a diagonal frill lace, giving it a distinct look, complete with lace, puffed sleeves that truly captured that airy vibe.
Importantly, it had low exposure with a regular cut. If it had been a high leg showing a lot of skin, I would’ve struggled to decide, but since it had a low cut, it seemed acceptable for me.
“Wow~! I absolutely love it, Nagisa! Yes, I’m going with this one!”
Just as I headed directly to the checkout with the swimsuit that fit my size, Nagisa placed her hand firmly on my shoulder.
“Mika, you’re not seriously thinking of heading to checkout without trying it on, are you? Just go change first.”
“Ehh~ I don’t want to!”
“…Huh?”
Seeing Nagisa’s startled expression made me want to laugh out loud. Ah, this is why I can never stop teasing her.
“Ahaha! Amazing…! Nagisa, that expression is just too funny☆.”
“…I don’t find it funny at all…”
“*Heueng~ Really? But I think I can roughly tell if it suits me or not without trying it on. Besides, it feels pretty decent when I touch it.”
“I know that’s not the point…”
Given we were in a public place, Nagisa’s tone was serious and slightly dark, but I couldn’t help but smile at her. I replied cheerfully, “Let’s just say it’s a surprise on festival day! But I promise to show it to you first, so don’t be too disappointed.”
Is that being overly sly? But looking back, these will all be memories in due time.
Fufu.
As I confidently strode toward the checkout counter, I suddenly heard a laugh filled with hidden menace, causing my mouth to instinctively cover in surrender. The terrifying memory of my mouth being stuffed with a cream roll came flooding back.
But as a man… or rather, as someone who used to be male, I could not easily succumb to external pressure. Desperately searching for an escape, I spotted a potential diversion.
“Ah, Nagisa! What if we buy one of these too?”
“Mika, I won’t fall for such a flimsy diversion. So hurry up… Uhm?”
Nagisa blinked, noticing the straw hat that I pointed out. If you ask how that’s a diversion… honestly, I’m not too sure! It just seemed like it would work!
“Right? This would be the perfect couple’s hat!”
“Ugh…! That’s just unfair, really…”
Barely escaping the crisis thanks to the mysterious power of the straw hat, I slowly eased the tension that had built from my fear of cream rolls. The thrill of teasing Nagisa like this is indeed addictively exhilarating.
By the way, it might be nice to make flower decorations to attach to the straw hat myself for the festival later. I’m sure Nagisa would love that, right?
*
After picking out the swimsuits, we stopped by an unexpected instant photo booth to capture some memories. Nagisa wished to have something to remember this day by, so I felt it was a great way to keep a memento of our time.
It’s not something you can replicate with selfie photos on a phone; that’s the beauty of these instant photo booths.
During this process, Nagisa appeared somewhat stiff, which almost led to photos that didn’t quite capture the joy of the moment. Fortunately, I could resolve that by sacrificing my dignity.
For the sake of my remaining dignity, I’ll skip the detailed explanations. Just to sum it up, thanks to my quite strange face, I managed to capture a truly joyous moment of Nagisa bursting into laughter on camera.
Still, it was worth the sacrifice. The four photos produced from my act of self-sacrifice would surely turn into precious memories for both Nagisa and me.
Though we lost a bit of time detouring, it was worth every moment.
Our much-anticipated final activity was quite simple. We would just take a stroll along the park by the lake—a schedule so ordinary it’s downright mundane.
Inserting such a common activity into Nagisa’s birthday events was purely to present another surprise gift I had prepared. It may not be a material one, but considering Nagisa has no shortage of material gifts, it might hold even more value.
“Mika, you really…”
“Sure, feel free to say whatever you want☆.”
“…I won’t. I choose not to say anything.”
“Hey, wait?! Nagisa is being a little too much today… Sigh, I was actually expecting a cuter response. How unfair!”
“You didn’t show me your swimsuit earlier either. So, I won’t say anything.”
“Hmm, if you put it that way, I don’t really have much to say… But still, it’s hard not to feel disappointed!”
As I sat on the park bench and brought out a certain item, Nagisa’s reaction was surprisingly one of near tears.
Well, it was to be expected since what lay before her was a chessboard she probably never imagined.
That said, I don’t mean to imply the chessboard itself is a gift. Like I said, it’s not a material gift.
“I’ve memorized the basic rules in my own way, but I don’t have actual experience playing. So, I’d like you to teach me about that today, Nagisa!”
Fufu… “If that’s what Mika wants, I feel like I can share all the skills I know.”
I remembered reading a humorous post about Nagisa somewhere on an online community. It discussed why playing chess alone became her hobby. It wasn’t a serious analysis but had quite an obvious comedic intent behind it.
Basically, Mika would likely be more interested in holding the chess pieces and saying things like, “Nagisa, look at this piece! Isn’t it fascinating?!” rather than focusing on the actual game.
Seiya, on the other hand, would teasingly say something like, “I’m sorry, Nagisa. I dreamt of winning every game against you today,” which would probably infuriate her, and if that got to an actual game, he might just win.
This theory suggested that since no one was around to play chess with her, Nagisa naturally settled into solo play as her hobby. It’s a bit sad yet funny at the same time.
As her closest friend, how could I stand by and allow this? I decided I would be the true friend who would steadily enjoy chess with her in the future. I believed that if I studied enough, the day would come when we could enjoy many matches together.
“First move is mine! So, I get to go first. It’s not a massive difference, but in chess, being white has a slight advantage.”
With a glint returning to her eyes and a sparkling expression, she seemed ready to teach me the ins and outs of chess in earnest. Seeing her so passionate, I made sure to listen carefully to every word Nagisa said.
“So, the first move basically sets up the overall flow of the game then?”
“Yes, that’s right. From black’s perspective, depending on how white starts, they can gain some insight into how their opponent intends to play early on. In other words, it allows players to think one step ahead regarding future moves.”
For a while, it was mostly lectures from Nagisa explaining chess. I didn’t grasp it all at once, but I figured I could pick everything up as I continued to play.
“Hehe, keeping it all as a lecture would probably make Mika bored, so let’s do this! We’ll learn as we play, one step at a time!”
“Yeah, that sounds like the better idea…”
As expected, the outcome was an overwhelmingly one-sided defeat for me. This situation was basically a 1-on-1 teaching session where a skilled player instructs a beginner, so thinking about victory seems odd.
I imagined that for Nagisa, it wasn’t simply about the game but more about the joy of having someone who would share her hobby with her, hence her enthusiasm in teaching me.
After a while of learning the ropes, I suddenly checked the time and realized that our scheduled time to head to the T-party office was fast approaching. I worried we might be late, but thankfully if we left right away, we could still make it on time.
“Hey Nagisa, shall we call it a day? We’ve had enough fun, so we should probably start heading back to help poor Seiya.”
“…Yeah, you’re right. This might have been a bit more fun than expected. Just like you said, it’s time we head back.”
As I suggested returning, Nagisa showed a hint of regret but nodded, as if she was satisfied. Could it be that she was pleased with my attitude towards learning her hobby?
It was clearly evident that Nagisa’s mood had brightened considerably, at least compared to before, just from my desire to learn and enjoy her hobby together.
I wondered what her reaction would be once she discovered that we had secretly prepared a surprise party for her. I hoped that after everything everyone had worked hard for, she would be even happier than she showed me.
Throughout the journey back to the academy, a smile never left Nagisa’s face. Just how good must she be feeling if she smiled at whatever I said and even held my hand tightly?
Upon safely returning to the academy and entering the T-party building, I took out my phone and sent a message to Seiya, letting her know I was on my way, just in case she didn’t already know through the council’s passing messages.
After getting on the elevator, I watched each floor pass by, finishing my own preparations in silence.
“Nagisa.”
“Yes?”
Ding——
As the elevator doors opened, stars fell from above Nagisa’s head.
And then,
Boom——!! Boom boom!!
“Surprise!!!”
Amidst the exploding fireworks, the lonely child who should have been withering away on the original path burst into joy, shedding tears of happiness, enveloped by everyone’s blessings.
