Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 71

Now that things have come to this, it would be a lie to say that she doesn't have any feelings for him. Watching the boy and the other girls being so naturally affectionate, Shiina Tatsuki sometimes feels envious.

The relationship between Xiangzi and him was exactly like that of a boyfriend and girlfriend who would bicker occasionally but were harmonious, warm, and understanding each other; Su Shi's obedience and gentleness towards him were far beyond that of ordinary friends; Deng, taking advantage of her pampered status and reassuringly naive demeanor, could do many things recklessly in front of everyone; even Mu seemed to be developing some unusual secrets without anyone knowing...

'Then what do I have?'

Shiina Tatsuki asked himself.

She understood that her personality was actually a bit awkward in the eyes of normal people... Although the personalities of the other people were not much better by normal standards, Xu Dou was probably the only one in the whole band who could be considered mentally sound and had nothing strange in the eyes of others.

But at least, unlike me, they are very frank about their feelings.

Unlike her, who clearly wanted to wear a swimsuit that would accentuate her charm, but ended up buying a more conservative style. She clearly wanted him to think she looked good, but when it came time to go over, she suddenly became nervous...

'Really...'

"Lixi?"

Distracted, she unknowingly walked up to Yuan Xudou.

The boy, who was holding up a parasol by himself, turned slightly to the side, and a familiar, calm voice rang out.

Startled, Shiina Tatsuki quickly turned around, only to find that Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsu had already run to the side and started helping Takamatsu Akari and Nagasaki Motoyo with some light work such as unfolding the beach chairs.

The sudden switch to a scene where he was alone with the boy caught Shiina Ritsuki completely off guard. His expression stiffened, and he tried to find a topic to talk about, his tone somewhat awkward.

"Uh...it's nothing, I just came to check...is there anything I can help you with?"

"Then help me hold the umbrella."

That's great, he doesn't seem to suspect his own awkwardness...

Relieved, the girl immediately stepped forward and helped him hold the umbrella handle.

Watching Yuan Xudou squat down and earnestly assemble, fix, and set up the parasol, completely ignoring her, Shiina Ritsuki felt a sense of relief, but also a touch of disappointment.

'...As expected, this appearance doesn't attract him.'

'After all, I've seen Su Shi's size... Even in this kind of thing, I'm not any better than anyone else.'

Overwhelmed by inexplicable emotions, she pursed her lower lip.

"Okay, done."

Once the setup was complete, Yuan Xudou straightened up, patted the dust off his hands, and put the screwdriver into the pocket of his swim trunks.

It's worth mentioning that although Yuan Xudou, as a boy, only prepared one swimsuit, he is currently wearing a short-sleeved shirt on his upper body, and will probably only take it off when he officially goes into the sea.

He turned around and looked at Shiina Tatsuki, who seemed a little lost in thought.

"Let's assemble the next one?"

"……it is good."

After hesitating for a moment, she ultimately decided not to join the other four girls and arrange the beach chairs and other items neatly under the shade of the parasol, but instead followed Yuan Xudou's steps into the sunlight.

The girl, preoccupied with her own thoughts, followed closely behind him. Her beautiful, straight, jet-black hair appeared slightly dull in the sunlight.

Yuan Xudou suddenly slowed down, and Shiina Riki, who hadn't noticed, took a few steps, and the two began to walk side by side.

"Lixi."

Her gentle voice blended with the sea breeze, like a moist mist condensing.

The girl, who was suddenly called to a halt, turned her head. Still somewhat lost in thought, she looked at the boy who had stopped, a hint of confusion showing in her purplish-red eyes.

"The swimsuit is very pretty."

"—So, you don't think it's bothersome, right?"

Unexpectedly, he suddenly said those words, and Shiina Tatsuki's pupils widened abruptly.

At first, she instinctively thought she had misheard. But she quickly realized she wasn't hallucinating; Yuan Xudou was indeed standing there, a faint smile playing on his handsome face, frankly praising her attire.

"R-Really?" Shiina Ritsuki felt a dryness in her throat.

"How could it be fake?"

"But……"

But Su Shi's scale was more attractive than mine, Xiangzi's outfit was very tasteful, the lamp was very cute, and even Mu was incredibly exquisite...

“There are no ‘buts’ about it. It’s beautiful, it’s beautiful.” Yuan Xudou’s voice rose slightly.

"..."

"...Then, where do you think it is..."

The moment those words slipped out uncontrollably, Shiina Tatsuki immediately regretted them.

Why ask this?

The flustered girl immediately looked up and nervously observed Yuan Xudou's expression.

Then, to her surprise, she found that the other person did not show any signs of distress or frustration at not knowing how to answer.

Instead, the boy carefully pressed his hand against his chin and looked closely at Shiina Tatsuki, whose ears were slightly red, whose expression was no longer stern, and whose eyes even showed a rare evasiveness.

However, the girl ultimately did not take back what she had just said—she really wanted to know what exactly Yuan Xudou thought was attractive about her.

"What to say."

After a few seconds of thought, he came to a conclusion.

"I think Lixi, the lines of your waist and legs are very attractive, they just look..."

"--stop!"

Almost bursting into an extremely loud shout, Shiina Ritsuki barely managed to control the volume at the crucial moment, lunging at the boy and covering his mouth with his hand, physically stopping the other's thoughts.

After hearing just this short passage, the flush from her ears spread to her entire cold and beautiful face, and her slender legs trembled as if they were going weak.

"I...I already know, there's no need to say anything more..."

Shiina Tatsuki should have realized long ago—the boy before her was someone completely different from her, capable of speaking frankly and honestly about others' strengths. Wasn't it always him who soothed her whenever she felt inferior?

Despite all these times, she still couldn't get used to this kind of direct praise... Every time she heard it, her heart would race and her body would feel hot, making the girl often wonder if there was something wrong with her body.

Besides——

'How could you even say something like that...'

The contours of his waist and thighs are so beautiful... Even he himself felt a little uncomfortable being mentioned like that, yet Xu Dou could actually say it so openly...

...Hmm? Why does his face seem a little hot too?

Suddenly, Shiina Riki noticed a strange heat from the hand pressing against the other person's cheek. After confirming several times that it wasn't due to sunlight, she realized something.

'So, Xu Dou wasn't actually too embarrassed to say these things...'

'That's true. He's always been a very serious person, and logically speaking, he wouldn't easily discuss frivolous topics.'

'Did you say that to comfort me...?'

—He saw right through me again.

Shiina Riki let go with mixed feelings. Seeing that she no longer seemed to show the dejection she had just shown, Gen Xudou did not say anything more.

Seeing this, she became even more certain of her suspicions.

In my memory, when the boy helped her, it always seemed to be like this—never directly taking action or bluntly stating the truth, but rather delicately taking care of her already fragile self-esteem, guiding Shiina Ritsuki to break free from the shackles of her sense of inferiority.

Shiina Tatsuki vaguely understood something.

—This is what makes her and Xu Doujian different from others…

After figuring it out, she immediately felt much better.

Moreover, knowing that Yuan Xudou wasn't actually as calm as he appeared, the embarrassment of having someone he liked comment on his body lessened considerably, as if a part of what was originally there had been taken away.

Shiina Tatsuki even had the mood to make a small joke about it.

"If you really think that way..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost gone.

"...It's not impossible for you to touch me tonight..."

Anyway, Xu Dou would never do something like going to a girls' dormitory late at night. He definitely won't come.

Yes, it was just a joke.

...It was just a joke.

Chapter 101 Mu: "I can do it too."

Genjiro did not directly respond to Shiina Tatsuki's "joke"—perhaps she didn't actually say it aloud, but just murmured it to herself; perhaps the boy did hear it, but didn't want to give a direct answer.

Shiina Tatsuki wasn't too concerned about the exact reason, but his lack of a serious answer did relieve her.

Because she herself wasn't sure... if Yuan Xudou really came that night, would she open the door and let him in as promised, or would she hesitate for a long time before allowing him to enter...

In short, the two set up all the equipment in a quiet but relaxed atmosphere.

On the other side, the four girls who had arranged the remaining items also came over.

When they were still about ten steps apart, Toyokawa Shoko waved to him.

"Xu Dou—should we go into the water first, or do some other activities first?"

With her hands cupped like megaphones, the girl asked for his opinion in a lively voice.

"You two must have discussed this beforehand, right?"

"Well, everyone wants to hear your advice first."

"...I have no experience swimming in the sea either, so let's do it your way, Xiangzi."

Of course he can swim, and he swims very well, so well that he could easily apply for a lifeguard position at some large swimming pools—but this isn't a man-made facility like a swimming pool with maximum safety and standardization.

The surging waves, the varying depths of the beach, and the seemingly boundless water... He wasn't very familiar with it, so he didn't want to say much.

Therefore, Genjiro Toru handed over the decision-making power to Toyokawa Shoko, who was relatively more familiar with the seaside.

"Hmm... my idea is to let everyone go for a swim first... let's do it that way then."

The six people met up and stood on the beach.

Under everyone's gaze, Toyokawa Shoko pressed her cheek thoughtfully, and after a moment of consideration, made a decision.

"Everyone is free to choose. If you want to play in the shallows, go ahead. If you want to swim in the sea, let the others know first, and then find a companion who is willing to go with you."

"Although most of you should be able to swim, it's best not to go into the water alone, since the ocean is much more dangerous than a swimming pool... You should at least go in pairs, and you should let us know first."

Contrary to her usual self, Toyokawa Shoko, with a very serious expression, rambled on about her requirements in a slightly tedious manner, her bright golden eyes filled with earnestness.

Jin {2 (9) (<7) 6 诌亿傘扒?溜管 was already quite eager to try, but the other five people still suppressed their tempers and listened attentively to her instructions, and then nodded in succession without objection.

"Alright, let's start by assigning people to go into the water and those to stay on the beach—who wants to be in the first wave to go into the sea?"

Genjiro, Nagasaki Motoyo, Wakaba Mutsumi, and even Toyokawa Shoko herself all raised their hands. Shiina Tatsuki and Takamatsu Akari, on the other hand, decided to stay on the beach for the time being and play some other games.

Then, it was something that both the four who decided to go into the sea and the two who stayed on the beach had to do—

Apply sunscreen.

As we all know, it's impossible for one person to completely cover their skin on their own; even if they could, it would be extremely difficult. Therefore, this task usually requires two people to help each other.

After making this announcement, before anyone could react, Toyokawa Shoko quickly pulled Genjiro away and took the beach chair in the middle.

Too late, the other girls could only form their own teams. They paired up in pairs, such as Deng and Lixi, and Su Shi and Mutsu, and headed towards the other two parasols.

"Okay, let me help you finish applying it first, and then you can help me, okay?"

He let Yuan Xudou sit down on the recliner first, and spoke kindly and righteously, but the girl's gaze honestly wandered between his loose shirt.

Clearly, she was quite concerned about what the boy's body, which he had been hiding under his shirt, looked like.

After all, boys are different from girls. They are more tolerant of skin exposure, and there are no sensitive parts on their upper bodies that need to be covered. There is nothing shameful about exposing them.

Yuan Xudou wasn't wearing a shirt to cover himself up; he was simply using it to shield himself from the sun. After all, the other five girls were all wearing very revealing cropped swimsuits, confidently displaying their youthful and beautiful figures, so as a man, he shouldn't have any reservations…

...That's what he said, but with a piercing gaze fixed on him as he undressed, and four girls glancing at him from the side, he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.