The rain persisted through Friday, finally giving way to clear skies on Saturday morning.
This day—
Kasumigaoka Touji and Kasumigaoka Utaha arrived at Tokyo Station with light bags, met up with Kani Nayuta, and together boarded the Chuo Line bound for Tachikawa Station. From there, they transferred to the JR line, disembarking at Akigawa Station.
Their destination was Tokyo Summerland, a sprawling aquatic leisure park nestled in the Tama region!
As summer approached, the weather grew steadily hotter. With June just around the corner, swimming classes at school were about to commence. Kasumigaoka Touji had previously promised Kani Nayuta that he would teach her how to swim, and so the idea of visiting a water park had naturally come up.
Of course, they had also invited Kato Megumi this time, hoping for a casual, 'chance encounter' outing. However, Kato Megumi had relatives attending a wedding and had gone to offer her congratulations, which was truly unfortunate. As for tomorrow? The forecast predicted rain, making it unsuitable for a water park visit…
"Ah… shoot! The bus is leaving!"
Even before they reached the bus stop, the sharp-eyed Kani Nayuta spotted the very bus they needed pulling away from the curb and heading toward the next stop.
This was not ideal! She had checked the transportation schedule beforehand and knew this particular bus ran only once per hour. Missing it meant a lengthy wait.
"It's fine, we'll just take a taxi," Kasumigaoka Touji said nonchalantly, already pulling out his phone to summon a ride-sharing service. The distance from their current location to Tokyo Summerland wasn't trivial, and walking would be a considerable hassle. He had no intention of wasting time and energy on that.
Kasumigaoka Utaha clasped her hands behind her back, leaning over slightly to peek at his phone screen before idly turning her gaze to survey the surrounding cityscape.
Two minutes later—
The three of them slid into the backseat of a bright yellow taxi.
They arrived swiftly at the grand entrance of Tokyo Summerland.
As one of the few large-scale water parks within Tokyo's metropolitan area, Tokyo Summerland's popularity was a given. A long, winding queue had already formed at the entrance, comprised mostly of young people.
Kasumigaoka Touji cast a glance at the line before leading Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kani Nayuta to take their place at the very end.
"It's only late May, and there are already this many people?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha remarked with mild surprise, observing the queue stretching ahead of them. The true heat of summer hadn't even arrived yet, and with the persistent rain over the past few days, the temperature had actually dipped a little—today's forecasted high was only twenty-four degrees Celsius.
"Probably because it's the weekend."
"This place is quite fun," Kasumigaoka Touji added, casually wrapping his arms around the fragrant, soft form of Kani Nayuta from behind. He had visited here a few times before with Kasumigaoka Utaha.
The park's most popular attraction was a massive waterslide called 'DEKASLA.' Beyond that, there were various enormous swimming pools, a dedicated children's pool, and a 'flowing river' pool touted as the longest in Japan at 650 meters! Amusement facilities like a Ferris wheel rounded out the offerings. Overall, it was quite suitable for young couples on a date.
"I'll be relying on you later, Winter-sensei."
Kani Nayuta, a complete novice when it came to swimming, leaned back comfortably into Kasumigaoka Touji's embrace and tilted her head up to look at him.
"Mm, no problem. I guarantee you'll learn how to swim in the shortest time possible!"
Kasumigaoka Touji promised with complete confidence. To prepare for teaching Kani Nayuta, he had even specifically watched several instructional videos the night before, researching the most effective and efficient methods for teaching beginners. At this moment, he was brimming with assurance!
"I suppose I can lend a hand as well."
Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had been standing in front with her arms crossed, glanced back over her shoulder.
"Then thank you in advance, Utaha-chan~."
Kani Nayuta beamed and gave her a quick, affectionate hug.
...
Soon, they reached the park's ticketing area. Kasumigaoka Touji scanned the posted price list. High school students were categorized as adults, and today's admission fee was set at 4,200 yen per person. The pricing varied depending on the date: cheapest on weekdays, moderately priced on weekends like today, higher during summer vacation, and at its peak on the absolute hottest days of the year.
Kasumigaoka Touji opened his mobile payment app, scanned the provided QR code to complete the transaction for three tickets, and then entered the vibrant grounds of Tokyo Summerland alongside Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kani Nayuta.
Following the directional signs, they soon arrived at the entrance to the changing room facilities.
"Well then… see you in a bit~."
"See you later."
Kasumigaoka Touji waved to the two girls before turning into the men's changing room. Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kani Nayuta, in turn, disappeared into the adjacent women's changing room.
A short while later—
Kasumigaoka Touji emerged from the changing room wearing his swim trunks, his smartphone secured in a waterproof case hanging from a lanyard around his neck. He glanced toward the entrance of the women's changing room. Unsurprisingly, there was no sign of Kasumigaoka Utaha or Kani Nayuta yet.
He wasn't bothered. He crossed his arms and settled into a relaxed posture, prepared to wait patiently by the entrance.
However, instead of his companions, he found himself being approached by two enthusiastic, slightly older women.
"Oh my, oh my~! Handsome, you've got quite the impressive physique there~! Would you like to get to know your big sister here a little better?"
The speaker was a woman wearing a stylish, light black bikini, with long, chestnut-brown wavy hair cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with frank appreciation as they lingered on Kasumigaoka Touji's clearly defined abs. Somehow—whether due to the effects of 'solar energy' or the increased… nocturnal 'exercise' involving his core muscles lately—he had developed a rather distinct eight-pack.
"Don't be so greedy, Ayako!"
Another woman standing beside her, this one with a chic short haircut, chimed in with playful discontent. She even tentatively extended a finger, as if to poke Kasumigaoka Touji's exposed midsection.
"Sorry, I actually came here with my girlfriends."
Kasumigaoka Touji spotted Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kani Nayuta finally emerging from the changing room. He deftly intercepted the approaching hand and continued in a firm, polite tone, "My girlfriend is right over there."
"Huh? He's taken?"
The two women spoke almost in unison, their gazes instinctively shifting to look behind him. What they saw left them both momentarily stunned.
While they couldn't tell which of the two stunning girls was his girlfriend—or if perhaps both were—they didn't ask and had no intention of pressing the matter or causing a scene.
The long-haired woman with chestnut waves gave a light shrug, a wry smile touching her lips. "Well, if he's spoken for, we won't intrude."
"Have fun, you two~! Bye-bye!" the short-haired woman picked up the thread, offering a friendly wave before linking arms with her friend and sauntering off in another direction…