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Okinawa.
The beautiful white sands, the crystal blue sea, the clear blue skies and the summer heat beating on his head… Now this was what a summer vacation was supposed to be. It was sometimes easy to forget that, what with all of the cross-country jail hopping that the Phantom Thieves had to do in order to clear their names, but now that Akira and everyone else was here on the beach with new swimsuits and everything, it truly felt like they were on vacation.
Suddenly, a large splash in the water caught Akira's attention, with a beautiful model emerging from the surface with a perfect flip of her hair. Ann looked to be enjoying herself with the way she rose up from the water. The sunlight hits her glistening wet skin just right, making her sparkle as she outstretched her arms. As she turned towards the direction where Akira and Ryuji were hanging around, her toned body and her beaming smile were put on full display for all to see.
"Oh man! The water is so clear!" she exclaimed.
Ryuji said it best as he pumped his fist in excitement with an all too eager look upon his face.
"Whoa… Okinawa's the friggin' BEST!"
'It sure is.' Akira thought to himself, agreeing wholeheartedly as he pushed his glasses up. There was no hiding his own eager smile as he kept his eyes on his girlfriend.
Eventually, their eyes met, and Ann's smile grew more coquettish as she turned her back to him. She stretched her arms up for a moment, effectively showing off the shape of her back before diving back into the water. The smile Akira wore turned into a knowing smirk as he kept his hand against his face. Oh, Ann knew what she was doing.
Ryuji gave Akira a sly look as he snickered, watching that little exchange of theirs. "Feelin' a little thirsty, dude?" he teased.
"Pot, meet kettle." Akira quipped back. "You were staring too."
"Yeah, cuz I ain’t blind!" Ryuji retorted in an obvious tone. "'Sides, that little turn she did? We both know that wasn't for me, dude."
"...." Akira couldn’t come up with an immediate response, so he bashfully turned his head away, keeping his hand over his face. Sadly for him, it didn't quite help the blush that was spreading across his face. Ryuji’s grin grew wider as he nudged Akira knowingly.
"See? She got you good," he teased. "Thirsty."
"Go dunk your head in the seawater." Akira grumbled.
Morgana, who was sitting in the sand with Akira and Ryuji the whole time, rolled his eyes as he watched the two. "I swear, you two can be so childish sometimes." he said with a sigh.
"I ain’t the one moping over knowing that my best bud is right!" Ryuji retorted, eying Akira as he said that. Stubbornly, Akira kept his line of sight away from the two of them, knowing how red he was becoming out of embarrassment.
"Heeey, guys!"
Futaba's sudden call caught everyone's attention, and one by one they turned to see her waving from her little yellow float in the ocean.
"You gotta see these fish!" she exclaimed.
Upon hearing Futaba, a little jingle from Akira’s phone rang inside his pocket. Akira immediately took out his phone and saw that Sophia looked excited.
"Can we see the fish, Akira?" she asked politely. "Please?"
Akira smiled warmly at her as he nodded. How could he not after seeing how eager she was to see a new thing? He looked out towards the ocean before breaking out into a run, intending to dive underwater.
"Get your camera ready!" he yelled out to Sophia as he ran.
"Take some good shots, Shorty!" Ryuji yelled out in the distance.
"Will do!" Sophia promised.
Akira kept running towards the open sea, feeling the water covering his body more and more the further he was from shore. Once he noticed he couldn't run easily anymore, Akira took a deep breath and dove right into the water. Various fish and coral were seen once Akira went underwater, and he held his phone out for Sophia to see them. He could faintly hear the snapping of the camera, knowing that Sophia was excitedly taking pictures. He smiled, happy to share this experience with her.
When he felt that he was close to running out of air, Akira swam up to the surface. He took in a sharp breath the minute he lifted his head from the water. Once he could straighten up and stand on his feet, he brushed aside his wet bangs and checked his phone.
"What do you think, Sophia?" he asked with a smile. "Pretty cool underwater, right?"
"Yes! There were so many different fish!" Sophia answered enthusiastically. "I took a lot of pictures of them, as well as the various shells and coral with different colors! You can find them under the Gallery when you have the time, Akira."
"That sounds great. You definitely seemed like you were having fun," Akira mused, slicking his wet bangs back once more. "In fact, let me check those photos out. I bet you were a great shot with how much you were working the --"
Whistle ~
An unexpected sound caught Akira's attention, recognizing it as someone's whistle -- or to be more accurate, someone's wolf whistle. But it seemed like… it was directed at him? It sounded pretty close. Akira looked around to see if anyone was nearby that would direct that at him. He had three guesses as to who it could be, and sure enough, one of his guesses was correct. The culprit was his girlfriend across the water, waving at him innocently with a teasing smile on her face.
"That little tease." Akira mused, shaking his head as he smirked back at her. He beckoned her over with a simple 'c'mere' motion with his hands, which prompted Ann to start to move towards him by wading in the water.
Sophia, oblivious to the non-verbal exchange between them, spoke up. "Was that Ann? Why did she whistle at you like that, Akira?" she asked.
"She’s just teasing me. Don't worry about it." Akira assured her.
"Oh," Sophia responded simply. The Phantom Thieves teasing each other was nothing new to her by now. "It seemed a little different than how it usually happens." she observed.
"That’s because those other times weren't between two people that are dating. Ann basically did a little catcall," Akira explained, before snickering a little to himself at the pun that was made. "It’s like… she's expressing to me that she thinks I'm hot."
"Oh. So it's like a mating call?" Sophia inquired innocently.
"What the -- ?! No, not the same thing! Where did you learn that?!" Akira exclaimed in shock. Okay, technically she wasn't completely off the mark, but… ugh. It was going to take a while to explain, especially when her question caught him off guard like that.
"What are you looking so surprised for?"
Ann caught up with them faster than he expected. She casually wrapped her arms around Akira’s waist and tilted her head somewhat so that she could see Sophia clearly. While his focus was currently on Sophia, Akira was able to wrap his free arm around Ann and give her a light squeeze.
"Akira was just explaining what a 'catcall' is." Sophia stated.
"Sophia thought that it was a mating call…" Akira groaned.
"Snrk… Ahahahaha! Seriously?! Oh man, that's pretty funny!" Ann laughed, laying her head against Akira's chest as she did so. As her laughter eventually waned, Ann wiped a tear from her eye and calmed down.
"Glad you found it hilarious," Akira sighed. "Especially since you started it."
"Pfft, me? Like you and Ryuji weren't checking me out earlier. Don't you act all innocent now, mister," Ann retorted. "I just did it right back at you."
"Mhm, and you looked so coy doing it," Akira pointed out, closing an eye at her. "We both know that you knew what you were doing."
"Well, of course! I wouldn't do it for anyone else, you know," Ann replied easily, making little circles on Akira's chest with her finger. "On top of messing with you, I did kinda want to… show off to my boyfriend a little. This swimsuit's new, after all! And I knew you liked what you saw. ~"
"Oh, I definitely did." Akira answered slyly. Once again, he lifted his free hand up and ran his fingers through his damp hair, this time for added effect as he gave Ann a sly smirk. "And I bet you were enjoying a little eye-candy yourself. Liked the view?"
"Oh, I definitely did. ~" Ann answered easily, with a little playful tone to her voice.
The two of them were so enamored with each other that they briefly forgot that Sophia was watching everything with a perplexed look on her face. While Akira and Ann were busy teasing and flirting with each other, Sophia stayed quiet as she tried to understand what was going on. It was only when Akira happened to catch sight of Sophia's perplexed expression that he stopped.
"Oh shit," he cursed under his breath, mentally scolding himself for leaving Sophia hanging. "Sorry, Sophia."
"Oh, that's right! We're so sorry, Sophia! We totally forgot you were there for a second!" Ann apologized.
"That’s okay," Sophia eased. "I'm simply learning that Akira and Ann have a different type of relationship with each other than with the others."
"Well, yeah! This kind of stuff isn't something that you can just do with anyone," Ann pointed out. "Akira and I are able to tease each other like that because we trust each other."
"How so?" Sophia asked.
"Well… you were wondering about the catcalling before, right?" Ann explained. "When other people, namely strangers, do that kind of thing to girls, it can make them very uncomfortable. They don't know them, so they don't like it when they do that. It makes them feel like they're objects instead of people. And depending on how those kinds of people do it, they could be the worst of the worst... I dealt with that the hard way."
"...." Akira narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly who Ann was talking about then. He stayed quiet, but he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.
"But when it's with people you get along with, then it can become sorta like a tease or an inside joke, so long as you're comfortable with it," Ann continued, resting her hand on top of Akira's. "You're more comfortable with them because you know they wouldn't do anything that will hurt you."
"And that's why trust is important?" Sophia asked.
"Yeah, exactly!" Ann answered, nodding at her. "Akira and I… we trust each other. I know that he'll never do anything to hurt me. And the same thing goes for him too. I'd never do anything to make him uncomfortable, and he knows that. So when we tease each other like giving each other looks or whistling at each other 'cause we think the other's hot, it's an expression of love. It's the right mood, we trust and love each other, so why not express it?"
Listening to Ann talking to Sophia like this made Akira smile as he gently pulled her close. Leave it to her to explain this particular subject better than he could. A simple lighthearted action between lovers became a subject of trust to explain to an AI learning about humanity. How it started may be a little embarrassing in hindsight, but in the end, it was an important lesson about trust and love.
"I see… I've learned something about a different side of trust today. Thank you, Ann." Sophia thanked.
"No problem!" Ann replied easily. "A-And uh, we'll try to tone down the PDA while you're awake! I know we got pretty carried away earlier, and you're still learning about stuff, y'know?"
"But before we do that…" Akira trailed off, tightening his hold around Ann’s waist. "Close your eyes, Sophia."
"Huh?" Sophia questioned.
"Wait, wh -- ?!"
Ann’s sentence was cut off by a loud shriek as she was pulled into the water by Akira. Having the urge to do something fun and unexpected, Akira threw himself back into the water with Ann in tow. Once the two of them were underwater, he wrapped his arms around Ann and pulled her into a brief, but loving kiss. Though they have kissed each other many, many times before, somehow sharing that brief kiss underwater felt… magical.
With the light filtering through the water's surface above them, their bodies floating in the water, that spontaneous contact of their lips despite the lack of air… This moment was going to stay with them forever. He could feel it.
But of course, they must come up for air quickly this time. Romance can't always beat nature.
After parting, they quickly swam up to the surface. Once the two of them emerged from the water, they turned away from each other and spat out the seawater that made it into their mouths. Though the kiss itself was romantic, having the taste of seawater get into your mouth through it wasn't.
"Blegh…" Ann coughed out, scraping the saltwater from her tongue. "T-Too salty…"
"Ugh… I'm definitely paying for that impulse now…" Akira groaned amidst his panting.
"N-No kidding…" Ann agreed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"You okay?" Akira asked her.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Ann assured him, finally straightening up her back. When she finally turned to face him, her expression softened. "I totally didn't expect that! What, did you get swept up in the moment just now?"
"...Something like that," Akira affirmed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry if I scared you just now."
"You didn't," Ann said, shaking her head. "It just took me by surprise, that's all. That was pretty daring of you, y'know?"
"...Like you said. Got swept up in the moment." Akira said with a grin. "Paid for it by getting seawater in my mouth, but I'd say that was worth the risk of having that moment."
"...Yeah," Ann agreed, a light blush tinting her cheeks. She tied her hands behind her back as she stepped closer to Akira, feeling the waves brush against their bodies. "Wanna try again…? We won't have to wipe our mouths this time!"
"That, I can get behind." Akira mused, chuckling at Ann’s words.
Once again, he pulled Ann closer to him, wrapping her in his arms as he leaned in for another kiss. For this one, they could afford to make it last a little longer. The remnants of seawater were still upon their lips, but they were able to ignore the faint taste of it this time. All that Akira focused on was the summer breeze blowing softly against his hair, the waves washing against his body, and the feeling of Ann's soft lips against his.
Ah, now this is Summer… he never wanted it to end.
"Heeeeeey! The thirsty couple over there! You done makin' out yet?!"
...But in the end, it must. Thanks, Ryuji.
Ann parted from the kiss and glared at Ryuji's direction, who was yelling at them from shore. She was angry that her romantic moment was interrupted, and her fury was heard in her voice.
"No one asked you, Ryuji!!" she yelled back.
"Lighten up already! You've got plenty of other chances to suck face!" Ryuji yelled out. "You two hurry and get over here! Me and Yusuke just thought of the best prank to pull on Gramps!"
Oh? A chance to prank Zenkichi? Maybe a little prank will finally help the man loosen up. Though Akira was a little miffed at his moment with Ann getting interrupted, pulling one over on Zenkichi was an idea too good to pass up.
"Looks like Ryuji needs our help." Akira commented, looking back at Ann.
"...We'll finish this later. Don't forget." Ann stated, closing an eye at him.
"Oh, don't worry. I'll find you." Akira promised her.
"May I open my eyes now?" Sophia spoke up. When Akira looked down at his phone, he saw that Sophia was holding both of her hands over her eyes. Akira couldn’t help but smile. That was so cute.
"It's safe now, Sophia." Akira answered. As Sophia opened her eyes and lowered her hands, Akira's smile turned devious as he looked over at shore.
"Depending on what Ryuji’s thought of, we might need you and your trusty camera again." he said.
"You're terrible." Ann laughed.
"I will do my best. ~♪" Sophia hummed.
With a little date promised and mischief in their minds, the two of them walked towards shore with Sophia in tow, ready to hear out Ryuji's plan for an unsuspecting inspector.
-----
That. Was. Priceless.
Zenkichi made the most beautiful Venus in the world! Akira couldn't remember the last time he laughed so hard. Sure, Zenkichi chased them down on shore and performed detainment techniques on whoever he caught (Poor Ryuji… but then again it was partly his idea.), but it was definitely worth it!
The sun was setting now. The sky was filled with warm colors of orange and yellow. He figured that it was almost time for dinner, so he should take the time to catch up with the others, especially Ann. (The text message that Zenkichi sent about getting ready to move once things settle down made Akira a little wary, but he kept it on the back burner for now.) Akira walked along the beach, taking the time to chat with the others as he went. By the time he caught up to Ann, he noticed her snickering to herself as she fiddled with something in her hands.
"You're still thinking about the Birth of Zenkichi?" Akira jested as he walked up to her.
"Pfft! Oh my god, why'd you have to call it that?! I’m gonna be thinking about it all night now!" Ann cried, erupting in laughter. "Ahhh, man… that was great though. It felt like I laughed enough for two lifetimes."
"No kidding. I might have pulled a muscle laughing," Akira agreed easily. He changed the subject once he noticed what Ann was fiddling with -- a seashell. "So what's that in your hand?"
"This? I found this pretty shell earlier, and thought I could string it onto a necklace and make it a nice little souvenir for myself," Ann explained, smiling as she traced the shape of the shell with her fingers. "But since it turned out so nice, I want you to have it instead!"
"You sure?" Akira asked her. "I think it would look pretty good on you."
"You think everything looks good on me," Ann pointed out. "And sure I'm sure! So stay still."
"Heh… as my lady wishes." Akira relented. He lowered his head a little for Ann to put the necklace over his head and around his neck. Once he felt that it was on, Akira straightened up and took the time to check it out properly. The shell itself seemed smooth and white on the outside, with several brown spots scattered around the base of the necklace. The other side, however, was filled with various eye-catching colors that seemed to meld together beautifully under the waning sunlight.
"This does look really beautiful," Akira complimented, before looking back at Ann. "Thanks."
"No problem," Ann replied easily. "Now that you're here… I've got one last thing to catch up on before the day’s over."
"I thought you might say that," Akira said with a knowing smile. "I wanted to 'thank' you properly anyway."
"Hehe… then get over here!" Ann encouraged.
Ann cupped Akira's cheeks with her hands and gently pulled him down to her for one more kiss. Akira reciprocated in kind by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards him as their lips met. Ann gleefully wrapped her arms around his neck as the two remained there, uninterrupted this time with only the setting sun as their witness. A truly perfect note to end this beach day on. Once they finally parted, the two of them smiled warmly at each other as they stared into each other's eyes.
"That’s better." Akira commented.
"I'll say," Ann agreed easily. "Hey, I was thinking... Maybe I should hurry and look for more shells so I could make some necklaces for the others. Dinner's supposed to be soon, right?"
"That’s what Zenkichi had in mind," Akira answered. "There's still some people that I haven't checked up on myself. So… see you then?"
"See you then." Ann confirmed, stealing a quick peck on his lips before she finally let him go.
Ann then walked off to find more seashells like she planned. Akira, in the meanwhile, headed towards a different part of the beach, fiddling with his new necklace as he relished the lingering feeling of Ann's lips. He smiled to himself as he walked down the beach, feeling that this summer day in Okinawa has made a bright mark in his memories in more ways than one.
Ah, now this is summer vacation.