Summer Invitation

Kazama In walked Ichinose Honami safely to the entrance of her dorm. The chill brought by the evening rain still seemed to linger between them. He looked at her pale face and damp hair and spoke with an unusual note of concern in his voice. "Go inside and take a hot shower right away. If the chill gets into your bones, you could catch a cold."

Ichinose Honami hugged his jacket to her chest. The fabric still carried his warmth and scent, making her cheeks feel a little hot. She nodded firmly, her voice gentle but insistent. "Mm! I know. Kazama-kun, you too! You're soaked from head to toe, so hurry back and take a shower and change your clothes! Don't catch a cold!" Like a worried little bird, she repeated her reminders.

Kazama In looked at the undisguised concern in her eyes. His dark eyes seemed to soften for a moment, and he gave a quiet "Mm." "Good night, Honami."

"Good night, Kazama-kun!" Ichinose watched his tall figure disappear around the corner of the hallway. Only then did she turn, still clutching his jacket and carrying a lingering flutter in her heart and a warmth within her, and swipe into the dorm. The jacket in her arms seemed to hold the warmth of their run through the rainy night.

Time passed amid the cicadas' chirping and waves of heat, and summer vacation finally arrived. The campus of Advanced Nurturing High School was much emptier, but the students still kept in touch.

Kazama In's communicator vibrated, and a message from Sakayanagi Arisu appeared on the screen, written in her distinctive, sugary yet subtly forceful style:

"Big Brother In~ What's best for a scorching summer? Sunshine, the beach... and swimsuits, of course! (◕‿◕✿) Wanna see the new swimsuit I bought? An exclusive preview~ I guarantee it'll make your heart race~"

Attached was a photo—but all it showed was a slender, fair hand, its fingertips pinching the corner of a delicate swimsuit strap adorned with pearls. In the background was a hazy lace trim, leaving plenty to the imagination.

Kazama In's dark eyes swept over the photo. Without changing expression, he replied, "Not interested. Remember your sunscreen."

"Tsk, Big Brother In is still so cold~ I'm hurt~ (╥﹏╥) But I've taken lots of swimsuit photos, you know. Maybe I'll send you some to admire when I'm in the mood~" Sakayanagi's follow-up message came right after, carrying a hint of impish threat and coquettishness.

Almost at the same time, another message popped up. The sender was Ichinose Honami.

The message was much more formal, but her excitement and a hint of shyness were unmistakable:

"Happy summer vacation, Kazama-kun! Everyone in Class D is planning to go to the Municipal Water Park together next weekend. Hirata-kun and the others will be there too. Um... if you're free, would you... would you like to come along? Everyone would really love for you to join us! The water park is nice and cool! (With a cute smiling emoji)"

Kazama In looked at the two completely different messages. He filtered out Sakayanagi's teasing without a second thought. He considered the noisy crowd from Class D, especially Sudo and the others, then thought of the words "everyone would really love for you to join us" and the smiling emoji in Ichinose's message. He opened his schedule and saw that he had nothing special planned for that day. A water park... a chance to scout the grounds and interact with people. He found himself an excuse and replied to Ichinose, "Okay. What time and where?"

On the weekend, the entrance to the Municipal Water Park was bright with sunshine and packed with people.

At Class D's meeting spot, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood stiffly like a block of wood as usual. Horikita Suzune wore simple casual clothes with a sun jacket over them, arms crossed as her cool gaze swept over the area. Kushida Kikyo chatted with Hirata Yosuke and Karuizawa Kei, her smile radiant. Sakura Airi hid shyly behind the crowd, her little face flushed.

"Ah! Kazama-kun's here!" Kushida spotted Kazama In approaching first. Since it was summer, Kazama In was wearing thin clothes that showed off his muscular build. The outfit also gave him a bright, sunny look.

"Hey, Kazama! Looking cool!" Hirata greeted him with a smile.

Karuizawa Kei whistled and teased, "Nice build, Kazama."

Horikita Suzune's gaze lingered on him for a moment before darting away, though the tips of her ears turned faintly red.

Sakura Airi only glanced at him before hurriedly lowering her head, her heart racing.

Kazama In was used to everyone's attention and teasing. He merely nodded. "Mm."

As if she'd just remembered something, Kushida clapped her hands excitedly and raised her sweet voice. "Oh, right! Have you all seen the school forum lately? The Modeling Club just put out a new promotional photo, and there's this incredibly handsome male model in it! It's Kazama-kun!"

Everyone's attention turned to Kazama In again, now tinged with curiosity and admiration.

"Seriously? You became a model, Kazama?" Karuizawa asked, surprised.

"Mm. To earn points," Kazama In replied tersely.

Kushida continued enthusiastically, "They took so many different kinds of shots! A sharp-dressed professional, a retro knight... they all look amazing! But..." She changed the subject, her eyes gleaming with gossip. "The most stunning one is a series featuring an unbelievably beautiful girl! She's wearing a black Gothic dress and has this cool, mysterious aura. She looks just like a dark queen straight out of a painting! The forum's gone wild. Everyone's asking which class the transfer student is from, or whether she's a new club member! Too bad the Modeling Club is so tight-lipped that they haven't given away a single detail." As she spoke, she pulled out her phone and opened the forum, showing them the profile shot of "Dark Night Rose" that had caused such a stir. (Senior Shimizu couldn't resist releasing one of the most mysterious shots, with the face obscured, as a promotional gimmick.)

The "girl" in the photo showed only half of her delicate profile and the graceful line of her neck. She wore a black veil, her gaze cool and aloof. The Gothic dress made her breathtakingly beautiful and shrouded her in mystery.

"Wow! She really is gorgeous!" Karuizawa leaned in for a closer look and praised her sincerely.

"That aura... incredible!" Hirata agreed with a nod.

Sakura Airi snuck a glance at the picture too and murmured in amazement, "She's so beautiful..."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka glanced at the photo expressionlessly. ...The angle and lighting are clever. But the shape of the frame... His gaze drifted discreetly toward Kazama In, who stood beside him looking as though it had nothing to do with him.

Horikita Suzune studied the photo too, her cool brows drawing together slightly. The "girl's" features and gaze felt inexplicably familiar, but she couldn't quite place why.

Just then, a loud commotion approached from a distance.

"Hey! Everyone! We're here!"

Ken Sudō, Kanji Ike, and Yamauchi Haruki came running over in garish board shorts, shouting at the top of their lungs. They had obviously heard what Kushida had just said.

"Beautiful girl? What beautiful girl? Where?" Kanji Ike's eyes lit up, and he rushed straight to Kushida's phone. "Whoa! No way! This girl... that aura... that figure... She's insanely hot! Totally my type!" He stared at the photo, practically drooling.

"Yeah, yeah! Those legs! That waist! That mystery! Amazing!" Yamauchi Haruki chimed in, looking entranced.

Ken Sudō wasn't as over-the-top as the other two, but he rubbed his chin and gave his rare assessment. "Mm... She's definitely got something."

Sakura Airi watched Ike and Yamauchi drooling over the photo—which was actually a picture of Kazama In in women's clothing—then looked at Kazama In, standing beside them with an indifferent expression as if it had nothing to do with him. Something felt off. She couldn't help murmuring in a small, puzzled voice, "But... that pretty girl somehow seems familiar..."

Yet her words were like a pebble tossed into a still lake!

Horikita Suzune abruptly looked at Sakura, then quickly turned toward Kazama In. A sharp glint flashed in her cool, phoenix-shaped eyes. Familiar? The "girl's" height and build in the photo... that cool gaze... An absurd notion began to take shape in her mind, growing clearer by the second! She stared hard at the forum photo, then looked at Kazama In, her eyes full of scrutiny and shock. Could it be...? No, impossible!

Kazama In: "..." He felt Horikita Suzune's gaze practically piercing through him, and for once, a hint of awkwardness and trouble crossed his mind. Sakura... an unwitting troublemaker... His expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn't heard Sakura's comment or noticed Horikita scrutinizing him.

Just as the atmosphere grew awkward and tense because of Sakura's innocent remark, a lively, sun-bright voice broke the silence:

"Good afternoon, everyone from Class D!"

Ichinose Honami arrived with a group of Class B students. Her smile was radiant, like a summer sky. The Class B students greeted everyone from Class D warmly too.

But when Ichinose's eyes passed through the crowd and landed precisely on Kazama In in the corner, her cheeks instantly turned red as ripe apples! Her azure eyes darted away like a startled fawn, then couldn't help sneaking back toward him. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes. Kazama-kun's build... is even better than I imagined... Her heart was beating so fast it felt unreal, and even the tips of her ears had turned bright red.

How could the sharp-eyed students of Class B and Class D miss her bashful, lovestruck look, clearly caused by someone?

One of the girls from Class B immediately nudged the classmate beside her with an elbow, waggling her brows.

Karuizawa Kei smiled knowingly, glancing from Ichinose to Kazama In.

Kushida Kikyo's smile remained sweet, but a fleeting shadow flashed deep in her eyes.

Hirata Yosuke smiled amiably too.

Horikita Suzune temporarily set aside her suspicions about the photo. Watching Ichinose's reaction, she furrowed her brows even more.

"I-Ichinose, good afternoon." Kazama In seemed not to notice Ichinose's unusual behavior—or perhaps he was deliberately ignoring it. He greeted her calmly, his voice as flat as ever, as if he weren't the one who had just been standing there bare-chested while everyone stared at him.

"G-good afternoon, Kazama-kun! Everyone!" Ichinose tried to steady her heartbeat, but her voice still trembled a little. She didn't dare look at Kazama In again and instead greeted the group. "Let's go inside! It'll be cooler in there!"

And so, amid mixed feelings, gossip, flushed faces, and fluttering hearts, the students from Classes D and B joined up and streamed into the bustling water park. The changing-room doors opened and closed, heralding the start of a summer poolside story filled with sunshine, splashing water, and countless hidden secrets and unspoken feelings.