Chapter XXIV

* POV: Sugahara -

I walked out of the electronics store, admiring my brand new phone, the latest model with all the bells and whistles. As I turned the corner, I nearly bumped into Haruno and Kinoshita.

"Hey you two, fancy meeting you here," I greeted them.

"Oh Sugahara!" Kinoshita exclaimed.

"We were just doing some shopping before school starts back up," Haruno explained, adjusting the bags in her hands.

Kinoshita nodded, her eyes landing on my new phone. "Ooh, is that the new iPhone? Nice!"

"Yeah, my old one was permanently turned into a pile of glass," I joked, with a slightly angry tone.

We decided to grab a bite at the food court suddenly. Kinoshita's shoulders slumped as she sighed. "I can't believe it's almost over. Tomorrow's the last day of break."

Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she sat up straighter. "Hey, I know! Why don't we all go to the beach together? The three of us! Plus Kojima, and any of the basketball guys who want to join!" she said excitedly.

Haruno smirked, leaning in conspiratorially. "Let me guess, you want Sugahara to see that new swimsuit you just bought?"

Kinoshita's cheeks flushed bright red as she bumped Haruno with her shoulder. "No! I mean...not specifically. It'll just be fun, that's all!"

"You know we don't like each other Haruno, that time at the festival was just an accident!" I told Haruno.

"Y—Yeah!" Kinoshita agreed.

"Anyway, a beach day with friends does sound like the perfect way to bid summer farewell," I explained.

We eventually settled on the plan to go to the beach tomorrow.

* * *

The rays of the sun played a melody as I stepped onto the warm sand, the breeze rustling through my hair. Kojima was by my side, shielding his eyes from the bright rays.

"Man, I haven't been to the beach in ages," Kojima remarked, taking in the sights and sounds - the gentle crashing of waves, the cries of seagulls overhead.

"Me neither," I agreed. "This was a great idea."

In the background I could hear Asari, Arisu, Okamoto, and Suzuki - the basketball guys who had decided to tag along on our beach day adventure. Nakamura hadn't bothered to reply to the invitation, which was no surprise. And Yamato had said he was too busy to make it, though he wished us well.

Just then, Haruno stepped onto the sand, the grains shifting under her flip-flops. "Good thing Nakamura didn't come," she stated bluntly. "He's so annoying."

I noticed the shy girl Ikehara was by Haruno's side. Haruno had apparently been tutoring her over the summer, ever since that day Nakamura so rudely rejected Ikehara's request for help.

Lastly, Kinoshita stepped onto the warm sand, "Hey guys!" she said cheerfully, giving a small wave.

I couldn't help but notice how cute she looked in her pink bikini. A light blush spread across my cheeks as I quickly looked away, suddenly very interested in a seashell at my feet.

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image [https://i.imgur.com/rsEbRdZ.jpg]

"Alright!" Asari shouted, pumping a fist in the air. "Last one in the water has to buy everyone ice cream!"

With that, our beach day was underway, filled with sun, sand, and most importantly, good friends.

We all rushed after him, laughing as the cool waves washed over our feet. Once we were waist-deep, Asari suddenly turned around, a huge Super Soaker in his hands.

"Gotcha!" he yelled with a mischievous grin, blasting us relentlessly.

We scrambled to find cover, but it was too late - we were already drenched. Asari was unstoppable, somehow producing water gun after water gun from his endless stash.

"Hey, watch it!" Haruno sputtered as Asari accidentally nailed her right in the face. She stood there, dripping wet, an unamused look in her eyes.

Then, quick as a cat, Haruno whipped out her own massive water gun and started chasing Asari down the shoreline.

"You're gonna pay for that!" she shouted, pelting him mercilessly while Asari fled for his life. Their figures eventually disappeared down the beach, though we could still hear Asari's distant pleas for mercy.

Kinoshita and I exchanged amused glances. It was shaping up to be a great beach day already.

After the chaotic water gun fight, we all decided to switch gears and try our hands at a beach volleyball tournament. Asari enthusiastically suggested the idea, and everyone seemed eager to join in on the fun.

We drew straws to randomly determine the pairs. Just as we were about to start, a pair of familiar voices chimed in.

"Hey guys, mind if we join too?" It was Aisawa from the sewing club, with her friend Emi in tow.

"The more the merrier!" Kinoshita chirped happily, waving them over.

Once they had joined our group, we proceeded with the draw. The pairs ended up being: Haruno and Asari, Kojima and Emi, Aisawa and Okamoto, Ikehara and Suzuki, and finally, my partner was none other than Kinoshita herself. With an uneven number of pairs, Arisu volunteered to referee the little tournament.

As the teams were finalized, Kinoshita bounced over to me, full of enthusiasm as always. "Looks like we're teammates!" she said cheerfully.

"Yeah, looks like it," I replied. "With your athletic skills, we've got this tournament in the bag."

Kinoshita blushed slightly. "Oh stop, I'm not that great." she said humbly.

"Are you kidding? I've seen you in action, you've got killer reflexes. We're going to crush this thing!" I said, holding my hand up.

Kinoshita grinned and gave me a high five. "Alright, let's do it!"

We took our positions on one side of the makeshift volleyball court that Kojima and Asari had set up earlier. On the other side stood Kojima and Emi, the shy girl from the sewing club who seemed to have taken a liking to my friend over there.

I noticed Emi looking a bit nervous, while Kojima looked like… well Kojima.

"You ready?" Arisu called out from his referee post. We all nodded. "Alright, first to 15 points wins. Game on!"

He tossed the ball into the air. Kojima set it cleanly over the net. I dove for it, bumping it back up. Kinoshita was there in a flash, sending the ball sailing right between Kojima and Emi for a point.

"Yeah! Nice one!" I cheered, high fiving Kinoshita. She beamed back at me.

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The game continued on. Kinoshita and I quickly fell into a rhythm, working seamlessly together. Her athleticism and quick reflexes perfectly complemented my power.

We trounced Kojima and Emi 15-7.

After beating Kojima and Emi in that first round of beach volleyball, Kinoshita and I decided to take a break and rest under the shade of a nearby palm tree. The sun was high in the sky, its rays beating down mercilessly. I grabbed a couple of waters from the cooler and handed one to Kinoshita.

"Thanks," she said, accepting the bottle gratefully before taking a long sip. A few beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. "Whew, it's scorching out here!"

I nodded in agreement, wiping my brow with the back of my hand. "No kidding. Good thing we found this spot to cool off for a bit."

Kinoshita smiled at me. "That was fun though, right? Destroying Kojima and Emi like that?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, we absolutely crushed them. Who would've thought we'd make such a killer beach volleyball duo?"

"I know, right?" Kinoshita giggled. "We're just too good together, I guess."

"Yeah, we are good together…" I replied, somewhat embarrassed.

There was a brief lull in the conversation as we both took another sip of our waters. I couldn't help but feel content in this moment - just hanging out with Kinoshita, no schoolwork or basketball to worry about. It was nice.

"You know," Kinoshita began again, a sly grin spreading across her face. "I was just thinking about that photo Kojima took of us at the fireworks festival."

I felt my face flush slightly at the memory. "Oh man, don't remind me. That was so embarrassing."

Kinoshita laughed. "Yeah, it sure was. Funny how we ended up in that situation," she replied.

"Yeah, you sure didn't let go," I said.

"What!? You were the one holding me all tightly against you!" she replied.

I laughed, "Sure Kinoshita, whatever you think," I replied.

Kinoshita stuck her tongue out at me before continuing. "Anyways, I actually kept a copy of that photo. The fireworks just looked so nice in it."

"What, really? I don't remember them being all that cool," I replied.

I actually didn't remember the fireworks too well, I was just focused on Kinoshita at that time.

I'll let you be the judge of that. Here, I'll send it to you so you can see these 'nice fireworks' for yourself." she replied.

Kinoshita whipped out her phone and, after a few taps, I felt a buzz in my pocket as the image file came through. As I opened it up, I had to admit - the fireworks did look incredible, a brilliant array of colors lighting up the night sky.

But my eyes were instantly drawn to the two of us in the foreground, wrapped together as we gazed up at the dazzling display. In that moment, frozen in time by the camera, we looked so caught up in the moment.

"Okay yeah," I conceded, unable to tear my eyes away from the photo. "I can see why you'd want to keep this one." I replied.

"Thanks for sending it to me," I added.

"Sure! No prob," she replied.

Kinoshita stood up suddenly.

"Where you goin'?" I asked her,

"Oh yeah, be right back, I just need to use the restroom," she explained.

I nodded as Kinoshita explained she needed to use the restroom before our next volleyball match.

"No problem, I'll wait here for you," I said.

Kinoshita gave me a quick smile before heading off towards the public restrooms not too far down the beach. I settled back against the palm tree, enjoying the shade it provided from the blazing midday sun.

Looking out at the makeshift volleyball court, I could see that the current match was between Haruno and Asari versus Ikehara and Suzuki. Haruno's competitive nature was on full display as she aggressively spiked the ball over the net. Poor Ikehara struggled to bump it back, sending it straight into the net.

"Sorry, Ikehara!" Haruno called out, though she didn't sound very apologetic. Asari gave her a celebratory high five before getting back into position.

Suzuki served the ball next, managing to get it cleanly over the net. But Asari was ready, passing it smoothly to Haruno. With a confident grin, Haruno set the ball high into the air as Asari charged forward. He leapt up powerfully and struck the ball down with authority. It landed just inside the line for another point.

"Yes!" Asari cheered, pumping his fist. Haruno just smirked, clearly enjoying dominating the less experienced players.

I had to admit, Haruno and Asari made a pretty unstoppable team out there. I was glad Kinoshita and I had drawn Kojima and Emi for the first round instead.

Speaking of which, I wondered what was taking Kinoshita so long. I checked my phone - she had been gone almost 15 minutes now. The next match would probably start soon.

I decided to wait a few more minutes before going to check on her. Leaning back against the palm tree once more, I turned my attention back to the lopsided volleyball game, hoping Kinoshita would rejoin me soon.

Eventually Asari would approach me. I waved my hand to him as he approached. "Hey man, you guys ready for the next match?"

Asari looked around, a puzzled expression on his face. "You guys are up next but where's Kinoshita? Isn't she your partner?"

"She went to the bathroom a little while ago," I explained. "But yeah, now that you mention it, she has been gone for a bit."

I checked my phone again. Almost twenty minutes had passed since Kinoshita headed off to the restrooms. An uneasy feeling started to settle in the pit of my stomach.

"That's weird, she's been gone a really long time," Asari remarked, echoing my thoughts. "You sure she's okay?"

I shrugged, trying to push down the nagging sense of concern. "Yeah, I'm sure it's nothing. But maybe I should go check on her, just in case."

Asari nodded. "Probably a good idea, man. I'll let the others know you two might be a few minutes late."

"Thanks, I'll be right back," I said, getting to my feet and brushing the sand off my swim trunks.

***

I made my way down the beach towards the public restrooms, my flip-flops leaving impressions in the hot sand. As I approached the small building, I didn't see any sign of Kinoshita outside. An older couple was just exiting, but other than that, the area seemed deserted.

"Kinoshita?" I called out, stepping inside the doorway. There was no response.

The women's restroom was around the corner to the right. I rapped my knuckles against the swinging door. "Kinoshita, you in there? It's me, Sugahara."

Still no answer. I felt my heart rate pick up slightly as a few worst-case scenarios started flashing through my mind. But I quickly dismissed them - I was probably just overreacting.

"I'm coming in, okay?" I announced firmly before pushing through the door.

The small restroom was empty. I did a quick sweep, checking the stalls, but there was no sign of Kinoshita anywhere.

Now I was really starting to worry. Where could she have gone? We were supposed to just take a short break before our next match. Kinoshita wasn't the type to wander off without saying anything.

I hurried back outside, scanning up and down the beachfront. Still no Kinoshita.

Whatever was keeping Kinoshita, I had a gnawing feeling that it couldn't be good. I just hoped she was okay.

I kept scanning the beach, worry gnawing at me. Where could she be?

As I neared a small alley between two beachfront shops, I heard voices - male voices, unfamiliar. And was that...Kinoshita's voice too?

I moved closer, my footsteps quiet on the sandy pavement. Peering around the corner, I saw three guys who looked a few years older than me crowded around Kinoshita. She had her back against the alley wall, a deeply uncomfortable expression on her face.

"Come on, don't be like that," one of the guys was saying, leaning in close. "We just want to have some fun."

Kinoshita shook her head, holding up a hand. "No, I really need to get back to my friends." She tried to slip past them, but another guy blocked her path.

"Leaving so soon? We haven't even gotten to know each other yet," he said with a sly grin.

Kinoshita shrank back against the wall once more. "Please, just let me go. You're making me really uneasy."

The three guys exchanged amused looks. "Make you uneasy? We're just being friendly," the third one chimed in. His hand reached out to touch Kinoshita's arm.

That was it. Anger flared up inside me as I rushed into the alleyway.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Get away from her!"

The three guys all turned to look at me in surprise. Kinoshita's eyes went wide.

"Sugahara!" she cried in relief.

Kinoshita rushed over to me, grabbing my arm tightly. I could feel her trembling slightly.

"Who's this loser?" one of the guys scoffed, looking me up and down. "Your little boyfriend coming to save you?"

I glared at them, anger burning inside me. "Why don't you creeps get lost and stop harassing her?"

The three guys bristled at my insult. The biggest one stepped towards me threateningly.

"You got a big mouth on you," he growled. "Why don't you say that again?"

I stood my ground, matching his glare. Kinoshita squeezed my arm warningly, as if pleading with me not to antagonize them further. But I was seeing red.

"I called you creeps," I spat back. "Trash like you should stay far away from her."

The guy's face twisted in rage and he lunged towards me. His two cronies held him back, laughing.

"Look at this punk trying to act tough!" one of them jeered. "Hey, why don't we show him what we do with trash that needs to be taken out?"

He gestured to a large metal dumpster sitting nearby. The two of the guys started to walk towards us.

Kinoshita yanked desperately on my arm. "Sugahara, let's just go!" she urged under her breath.

I knew she was right. These guys were clearly looking for a fight, and being outnumbered three to one, the odds were not in my favor. As much as I wanted to stand up to their bullying, now was not the time.

"You're not worth it," I muttered, taking a step back. I kept myself between Kinoshita and the three thugs.

"You don't understand, that's what we get to decide!" the main guy in the back yelled.

Suddenly the two in the front rushed towards me.

"Kinoshita! Stay back!" I screamed pushing her back.

If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get.

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image [https://i.imgur.com/M3FA7ag.jpg]