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Manato is thankful that Belle and Wise offered to help Spook Shack out with getting Fantasy Resort back up and running. It wasn't that he thought the three of them wouldn't have been able to do it, the scale of the whole thing had just kept growing so the addition of two more people was a welcome one.
He smiles, watching the whole group run around the beach, carefree for the moment. He's set himself up in the shade of one of the trees, keeping watch over the group. The weather has been fairly nice, but it's still a little hotter than he's comfortable with so he's tried to stay in the shade.
Everyone else had changed into swimwear and Yuzuha had even half-persuaded, half-forced Alice into the swimsuit she'd chosen. Manato knows he's not really in beach attire so he's been watching and keeping an eye on the resort. He really doesn't mind it, it's not like he owns a swimsuit anyway.
"Hey, Manato!" Yuzuha is jogging up to him, a grin on her face and a shopping bag in one hand. He sees it and knows immediately what's in the bag.
"Yuzuha…"
"Don't you 'Yuzuha' me, mister. You're overheating and I'm fixing that!"
Manato opens his mouth to reply and she's in his face instantly, "and don't say 'I'm fine Yuzuha, don't worry.'" She lowers her voice in an attempt at mimicry and he relents.
"Alright, you win." He holds out a hand and she slides the handles of the bag over his fingers, grinning the whole time.
She turns and walks back to the group, stopping for a moment to add, "you have twenty minutes before I come help you!"
Manato's eyes widen and he feels his ears straighten in alarm. "What?!"
"Nineteen minutes and fifty-five seconds now!"
She's serious and he knows it so he books it to the changing area and finds the first open stall.
He drops the bag on the provided bench and lets out a sigh before pulling off his coat and folding it up. He sets it down next to the shopping bag and pulls out what Yuzuha has picked out for him.
Suprisingly it's all fairly simple gear, but he can tell it's as combat-ready as Alice and Yuzuha's. As he pulls off his regular clothes, setting them aside on top of his coat, he realizes he can't remember the last time he actually wore a swimsuit. It must have been back when he was still a kid, before the old city fell.
Adult sized swimswear is a new for him. He didn't realize how form-fitting it could be. These shorts are definitely tighter than the style Wise is wearing.
Manato finishes putting everything on and puts his old clothes in the now empty bag, picking it up off the bench and turning to look at the full-length mirror on the back of the changing room door.
The shorts are definitely tighter than what Wise got. They're black with red stripes and he has to admit they do make his ass look good. He pulls on the bottom of the sleeveless crop top, before giving the zipper up the middle another tug over his chest. It's got a high collar, closed with two straps snapped to the side that sits right under his jaw. The fabric is some sort of abstract flame pattern he's sure is artsy in some way, but it still looks good on him. He moves his shoulders and feels the plating sewn into the back, he can still shield everyone even in this. It makes him smile a bit that Yuzuha thought that far.
A red sleeve covers his left arm in place of his usual bandages, somehow Yuzuha had attached a similar mechanism to the one on his glove for lighting his sword. He's not ashamed of the scars that cover his arm, but he knows they can set people off and he doesn't really like the looks of concern and horror he gets. This just makes it a little easier for everyone.
There's a quick knock on the door and Manato hears Alice's voice, "um, Manato? Yuzuha said that time's up?"
He huffs a laugh and opens the door slowly, doing his best not to startle her. "I'm all finished, don't worry she can stand down."
He hears a squeak and looks down to see a bright-red Alice who is suddenly very interested in the hem of her swimsuit. He can't help the chuckle that escapes and he smiles as Alice raises her head, cheeks puffed and mouth in a frown.
"It's all asymmetrical so it's not as nice as it could've been."
"You have Yuzuha to blame for that."
Alice smiles at him and they both make their way back to the group. The breeze off the ocean hits him as they walk and it's much less oppresive now that he's changed. Maybe he should wear this around Port Elpis the next time he goes out to fish.
As soon as Yuzuha sees him a triumphant grin spreads across her face and she nods in satisfaction. Manato sees Belle and Wise look him up and down and he knows his tail is wagging at the attention.
There's still plenty of work to do around the resort but now he can enjoy his time with his friends comfortably and in style.