“Done with the flowing pool — water slide next?”
“I was thinking the same. Which one first?”
Tokyo Summer Hills has long and short slides. The long one’s wait is correspondingly long.
“Short first — we can ride immediately.”
“Got it. Short first.”
We returned the inner tube and headed for the short slide. With two lanes the turnover was fast — no wait.
“They say lying flat gives more speed — what’ll you do?”
“Lying flat, obviously.”
“Yeah, predictable.”
Riding her bike taught me she loves speed. The reckless throttle means I sometimes fear for my life on the back.
We got the staff’s go-ahead and pushed off simultaneously. With me lying flat, the bottom came fast. She landed essentially at the same time — and I noticed something bad.
Her ribbon bikini top had come off; her chest was completely exposed. The impact at landing must have loosened the strings.
“Came down faster than I expected.”
“Don’t be casual — cover up immediately.”
”…What?”
A blank moment, then she clicked. She grabbed her chest with both hands, went bright red, screamed.
“Aaaah!”
A rare full-fluster Kano. I started searching the water for the top — black, so it was findable. I scooped behind her and refastened.
We climbed out to the pool side.
”…Thanks. You saved me.”
“You didn’t notice — I was the one panicking.”
“I thought I’d tied it well in the changing room.”
Her face still red. Apparently embarrassing.
“Honestly — that surprised me.”
“What?”
“I didn’t expect a top-off to make you flip out that much.”
I’d thought she’d calmly handle it. (The unexpected gap was kind of adorable. Keeping that to myself.)
“I’m a girl my age — of course I’d panic.”
“In Hakone you stripped in front of me without hesitation, though?”
In Hakone she’d peeled off everything in the family bath without batting an eye. Wash me request and all.
“Being seen by the general public is different.”
“That phrasing implies I don’t count.”
Counter-attack incoming.
“Beloved Yuito could see my bare body in every detail — I wouldn’t be embarrassed.”
”…That’s cheating.”
My heart was hammering painfully. Her since-confessing pace is brutal.
“If you choose me, you can do whatever you want with this body — all the things in your fantasies, on demand.”
“I’m not having fantasies…”
“Hmm, really?”
“R-really.”
(Lie. I fantasize all the time about Kano. I have moments of regretting the love-hotel night I held the line. Healthy male high school student.)
“Where did the bashfulness from earlier go?”
“Beyond Andromeda Galaxy.”
“That’s 2.5 million light-years off?”
I deflected her joke. Andromeda is the farthest celestial object visible to the naked eye, technically.
That she’s joking again means she’s back to baseline composed.