I was running through that thought as I headed for the showers and the pool entrance when I realized I’d forgotten my goggles.
“Left them in the locker. Damn — already showered, but I’d better grab them.”
There was no sign of Reona or Riona at the entrance yet, so I had time. I doubled back to the locker room, retrieved the goggles from my backpack, and headed for the pool entrance again. Approaching it, I heard the sound of an argument — multiple voices, male and female.
“As I’ve said several times, we are here with someone. Riona and I have zero interest in hanging out with you two.”
“You’re being persistent.”
“Aww, come on. Forget that guy, come with us — we’ll show you a good time.”
“Right? Any guy who’d keep girls as cute as you waiting is definitely trash.”
So Reona and Riona were being hit on by what looked like a college-aged pair. Bleached blond, multiple piercings — textbook sleaze.
Normally I would not engage with anyone like that, but both of the girls clearly didn’t want to be there, so I stepped in.
“Excuse me. Could you stop hitting on Reona and Riona?”
“What — wait. This guy is the person you’re meeting?”
“No way. Look at him. Probably just a random hero-complex bystander.”
“Yeah, a guy that plain is not a boyfriend. Impossible.”
The two of them looked me over and started running their mouths. Not worth a proper response.
I took Reona and Riona by the hand and tried to walk past, ignoring them. But the two guys stepped into our path.
They weren’t dumb enough to throw a punch in a place this public, I hoped — but the cling-on level was already obnoxious.
“You can leave whenever, but don’t take the two prime cuts with you, yeah?”
“Also — hey, just noticed. This guy’s back is disgusting.”
“Whoa, yeah. Looks like a stab wound. Don’t show us your gross body, man.”
One of them had walked around behind me and let out that crack; the other piled on. In that instant the temperature around me dropped sharply and a wave of cold ran down my spine.
”…Sorry, what did you just say? I thought I heard you call Ryouya-kun’s scar gross and disgusting.”
“I-I mean, it’s a true statement, isn’t it? Right?”
“Y-yeah.”
Faced with Reona — wearing the face of a vengeful spirit — the two of them flinched, but they were still posturing. Then they looked at Riona, and they shut up.
Riona looked, on the surface, the same as ever — expressionless. But her eyes held an absolute, gravity-well darkness that made you feel like you might fall in, and the fear it produced wasn’t quite expressible in words. A small child shown that face would have screamed.
“Ryouya’s scar is the result of him risking his life to protect me and Nee-chan. I will not allow anyone — no matter who they are — to speak of it badly.”
The two guys’ shoulders started trembling on cue. Helpless prey in front of an apex predator.
I had been bracing for the possibility that Reona and Riona were about to physically assault the pair when, thankfully, a couple of large male staff members arrived on the scene drawn by the commotion.
The two sleazes were marched off. Spirit clearly broken, no resistance whatsoever.
“You two okay?”
“Yeah, as you can see, we’re fine.”
“Ryouya, thanks. I was happy you came to help.”
The flip back to ordinary, pleasant Reona-and-Riona was instantaneous. Hard to believe these were the same people who’d been radiating murderous intent thirty seconds ago.
One thing I’d learned with certainty today: do not make Reona and Riona angry. Especially not Riona — her aura had been even more terrifying than Reona’s, and honestly more intimidating than the actual stabbing had been.
“Big incident right out of the gate, but let’s actually enjoy the pool, the three of us.”
“Yeah, let’s play a lot today.”
“Looking forward to it.”
The three of us walked toward the poolside together. The whole exchange had been visible enough that plenty of bystanders had seen it; there would probably be no further attempts to hit on Reona and Riona from now on.