Chapter Text
Summer vacation is a blessing for people in Kivotos.
Students can leave the pesky homework and lecturing behind for the time being, and let their good times roll.
Even the delinquents are taking their day off; although it technically doesn't affect them, the atmosphere of the vacation can get to them as well.
Everyone is chill and enjoying their moments, they're not that low to ruin it for them. They're delinquents, not assholes. Mostly.
Naturally, the baking temperature and the blasting rays from the sky above are discouraging for some.
But for others, in the face of their burning passion, some tans for the skin and sweat over their back are prices they're willing to pay.
The leisure time for the day doubles for over a month, time to have fun!
"......" Alas, here's one glaring exception.
Kuchinashi Yume grumbles as she sets up the tent, which she bought from the clearance sale of a small mall in their region.
Sure, the scenery here is beautiful and the breezy temperature is a spectacular plus, but it's doing barely any favor to the anxiety in her heart.
Being away from Abydos does that to her; away from the place she's familiar with, the place she should stay in and protect.
Where are they again? Millennium? She should check her phone for that; it's tucked away in the duffle bag she brought.
If that's the case, then in theory they're trespassing. How the hell did he even find this place?
The still, vast crystal surface of the lake before her offers no answer.
Punching the last stake for the tent into the grassy ground, Yume takes a deep breath.
She's in a plain white T-shirt, a pair of tracksuit shorts taken from her uniform, and a pair of sandals for sand-clearing on the campus.
Her long teal locks have been tidied up to a high ponytail, as usual. "......" She casts her gold eyes on her surroundings.
Everything here is so... oddly strange to her, despite how ordinary it is; just some green, brown, and water.
Maybe it's because Abydos has none of it. Not even the clean air refreshing her nostrils and lungs.
The serenity is off-putting, she feels like a fish out of water.
Yume instinctively reaches for her USP Expert... that isn't on her, either. It's away with her shield and gears on the van nearby.
She should be patrolling down the streets, and let those lingering gangsters know that she's not slacking off for the vacation.
But no, she's stuck in this forsaken place, camping with her lovely Kouhai and...
"How you holding up?" A voice comes from her left, a voice she's now familiar with, whether she likes it or not.
He's in 100-percent chill mode; his entire outfit is screaming so.
Floral shirt, green cargo shorts, brown sandals, a MCT boonie hat, and a pair of white-rimmed shades.
There's a black fish rod bag slung on his right shoulder and a blue cooler on his left, too.
"...You," The senior of Abydos Student Council addresses the adult curtly; the very culprit of her little turmoil.
Yet somehow, seeing him close to her makes her unwind by a significant amount.
Auburn drops the baggage beside the tent with a sigh. "Beautiful view, isn't it?" His lax utterance follows.
"...I dunno." Yume idly glances at the bag and the cooler; doesn't take a genius to figure out what he's up to.
For the past few weeks, he has been solid and has put his capability to use for them, in the firefights and behind the desk.
And now he suddenly said he found a great place and they should all take a weekend off.
Hoshino-chan instantly caved because he said the lake nearby has cool fishes, and this was the chance for her to get her hands on one.
It put Yume in a tough spot: she either tag along, or let this guy take her Kouhai to the unknown wilderness for days, with just them two.
She decides to divert that route of thinking. "Where did you get that van anyway?"
"Well," Auburn turns to the said vehicle for half a second. "Let's just say I took it from a practice."
Urban survival skills require occasional practice to not be rusty.
Skills such as kicking down a door, safely breaking a window, picking a lock, basic parkouring, and of course, hotwiring a car.
Of course, Yume won't understand a thing if he doesn't tell her the whole thing.
And she knows that. "You're ridiculous." Another grumble escapes her lips.
"Why thank you." Everything is a joke to him, it seems.
"U-he~" Before Yume can put together another retort, the star of the day makes her entrance. "Senpai~ Auburn~"
"There she is."
"Hoshino-chAN!? "
She's in an old-school khaki fishing vest, a pair of white sandals with cute whales decorated on top, and white-rimmed shades similar to his.
There's also a comically tall trucker cap over her pink hair with an entire paragraph on it: women fear me fish fear me... What?
Adorable as always (minus the weird cap). But no, that's not important here.
What's important is that the vest is at least a size larger than it should be, covering what's underneath fully.
In other words, her beloved Kouhai is seemingly naked and the only line of defense is the vest.
Which is way too short and just barely, barely covering the crucial parts down south.
The oversized armholes are laying her armpits and the area around it wide open, exposing the silhouette of her ribs.
"Looking good." Auburn is completely unfazed in the face of the Hoshino-shaped sparkling fountain of joy and excitement.
"......" Yume, on the other hand, is anything but.
"Senpai?" The junior of the Abydos Student Council senses her upperclasswoman's oddity. "Your face is red like a tomato! Are you heatstroked!?"
"------" Kuchinashi_Yume.exe is not responding. Smoke is coming out of her head.
Since when did her innocent Kouhai is this... bold!?
"I'm sure she's fine." Auburn fans some breeze into her overheated face with his hand. "Right?"
"...Uh-huh." The teal-haired girl squeezes out what resembles a reply. "...Yeah."
Her brain is way too preoccupied with processing the view before her, not seeing his shit-eating grin.
"Sweetie," The A in Auburn is taking over. "How's the base layer? Good?"
Hoshino starts unzipping the vest.
"---!?" Yume lets out a squawk, unfitting the image she built for herself throughout the years.
"Oh!" Hoshino undoes the last line of her defense and opens the vest...
She should stop her, she should at least say something, she should unearth her frozen legs, get to her, and cover her up.
Her overwhelmed brain and fixated gaze say otherwise.
The President of the Abydos Student Council and Kuchinashi Yume in her mind are at odds with each other.
Each click of the zipper tenses her; seconds are stretching into infinity, and her throat feels dry.
Still, Yume just can't move her eyes away, not even a millisecond.
"......" She gulps in anticipation.
"Got it!" And Hoshino shows her the school swimsuit underneath.
"Good," Auburn says, generously patting her head.
"Let's move the rest of our stuff into the tent, 'kay? We've got hours of daylight, fishies aren't going anywhere."
"Mmm-kay," Hoshino hums as she enjoys his little reward. "Senpai, are you coming with us~?"
"Uhm!?" Yume finally snaps back into reality from the whiplash. It was all just in her head.
Oh no. It was all just her intrusive thought; intrusive, disrespectful, and lewd.
"I-" That went out an octave higher than she'd like.
Yume clears her throat and tries to regain her remaining composure.
"...I'm good. I'll wait here. Let him do the heavy-lifting."
"How nice," He doesn't seem to care much; he had his fun anyway. "Less fishies for you when we get any."
Her Kouhai, caring and sweet as always, pokes her pink head from his side and prods inquisitively.
"Yume-senpai? Are you sure you're okay...?" The puppy eyes are further fueling the immense guilt in Yume's heart.
"Yes, Hoshino-chan," She wipes her face in resignation. "J- Just have to catch my breath after setting up the tent."
It's a feat (for her) to survive waves and waves of the sheer psychic damage done by Hoshino's cuteness.
But then again, having such... uncouth thinking toward the one person she cares about the most is downright wrong.
"C'mon," Auburn ushers his soon-to-be fishing companion back where she came from: the van.
"She was just stunned by how cute you are today, let her have some peace and quiet for now."
"A- Am I~?" The little ball of joy and fluff makes little hops and skips as she sings. "U-hehe~"
"Wha- HEY!" Yume lets out a shout defensively, the heat in her cheeks is returning. Just can't leave me alone...!
"Uh-oh! Here comes the grumpy green meanie!" The "adult" hooks his hand under his plus-one's armpits and lifts her up.
"Evasive maneuvers!" He just runs.
And Hoshino simply lets her. "Forward~!" If anything, she's enjoying herself as well, spreading her arms open as if she's gliding.
"Auburn! Put her down!" The said grumpy green meanie finally loses it and chases after the two with stomping steps.
A faint and distant It should've been me echoes in the corner of her mi- NO!
All the astonishment, embarrassment, and perhaps a sprinkle of jealousy (that she'll never admit) built up inside are reaching the boiling point.
Yume decides to channel it all on the culprit and hopefully the culprit only.
"Get back here! You redhead asshole!"
"U-he!? Aubbie! Incoming rear!"
"What? Oh SHI-"
CRASH---!