Chapter 39: Pickup Trouble (Part 2)
"Haha, Kouichi-kun, what even is that swimming style? It really is doggy paddle!"
Even though Nao had modestly claimed she wasn't great at swimming, once she was in the water she moved like a fish—graceful and fluid. Her speed might not win races, but the elegance made Takumi seriously envious. He'd grown up in the south, yet he'd rarely had chances to swim. After his cousin drowned in an accident, his family had outright banned him from it. So now he could only manage this ugly doggy paddle.
"I said no laughing at me, Nao."
Takumi pretended to be upset. Nao giggled even harder.
"But it's just too funny! You really look like a drowning puppy!"
"How dare you talk about your man like that? Time for punishment!"
Takumi lunged toward her. Nao let out a startled squeal but slipped away like a mermaid, then splashed a huge wave right into his face. Takumi let out an exaggerated "Waaaah!" like some kabuki actor and stubbornly chased after her. The two of them turned the pool into their personal playground, splashing and laughing wildly.
"Ha—let go of me!"
Nao suddenly froze at the sound of Airi's loud shout. Takumi took the chance to tackle her from behind.
"Gotcha! Now you're gonna get it—"
"Wait, Kouichi-kun! Airi and the others seem to be in trouble."
Takumi glanced over. Sure enough—the blonde Airi had her wrist grabbed by a guy with coffee-brown hair, while Marina was trying to help her sister but was blocked by another man.
"What the hell is this?"
Takumi released Nao immediately.
"I'm going to help them."
"Be careful. If it gets bad, just call security—they won't dare go too far."
"Hah, Nao, a man can't say 'can't,' you know."
Takumi grabbed the pool ladder with one hand and launched himself out in a spray of water.
"Let go of me, or I'm calling someone! You creeps who get mad just because pickup fails—you belong in jail eating pork cutlet rice!"
"You little brat, what did you say? Damn it—you think you're hot stuff just 'cause you're pretty? Believe me, I'll get my boys to gang up on you!"
"P-Please calm down, sirs. My sister just has a sharp tongue—she didn't mean to mock you."
Marina apologized frantically. The coffee-haired guy sneered.
"Calm down my ass! Your sister's mouth is way too poisonous—my heart's deeply wounded! You two owe us compensation!"
"Oh? And how exactly do you want to be compensated?"
"Hmph. We're hungry. Accompany us for a meal, then head to a love hotel or something."
Right after the coffee-haired guy answered, he realized the voice wasn't female. He turned—and there stood a muscular young man who'd somehow appeared beside them without a sound.
"Who the hell are you? Mind your own business!"
"I'm their friend. If it's compensation you want, talk to me."
"Oh yeah? How much are you gonna pay? Ah—damn bitch, you bit me!"
Airi had taken the opening to chomp down on his arm, broke free, and darted behind Takumi.
"Long-hair guy, ignore them! They're sexual harassers and extortionists—call the police! Wait—no, didn't you say you've trained? Hit him!"
"Young miss, I'm more of a gentle giant. Strong, sure, but very kind-hearted. I don't just hit people randomly. I'll treat these gentlemen very warmly—invite them to a luxurious feast, all-you-can-eat!"
Takumi figured the two pickup artists were probably just salty from Airi's savage tongue-lashing. She bore some responsibility too. But these days, pickup guys had zero rights anyway. The coffee-haired one roared and swung a fist at Takumi, planning to take him out first and then deal with the blonde properly.
Takumi cried out dramatically.
"Ow, ow—let's talk this out nicely!"
But his body moved first. He stepped in smoothly, caught the incoming arm, twisted hard. The coffee-haired guy's eyes nearly popped out. The other guy—with an earring—rushed to help and grabbed a plastic lounge chair meant for resting bones, swinging it at Takumi's head.
Marina gasped. Airi shouted:
"Watch out!"
Takumi's hand chopped down like a blade—crack! The tough plastic chair shattered into pieces under his palm. He sighed regretfully.
"Aww, destroying public property? That's not good."
Still holding the coffee-haired guy's arm, he lunged forward, grabbed the stunned earring guy by the hair, then drove a knee straight into his gut. The guy felt his organs shift; his whole body convulsed. Takumi released the first one, seized both their dyed heads, and dragged them away from the scene.
The fight had drawn a crowd. Seeing Takumi brutally hauling the two men along, everyone quickly parted like the Red Sea. The two guys' scalps were screaming in pain, but they didn't dare struggle—they just stumbled after him. Takumi marched them straight to the diving platform, climbed the stairs slowly, reached the ten-meter-high board, and finally let go of their hair. He gave them a "friendly" smile.
"Gentlemen, I'm a very 'kind' person. I said I'd treat you warmly—so let's begin."
"Begin what…?"
Both pickup artists stared in terror at this "kind" person. Takumi grinned wider.
"Pre-meal preparations."
He grabbed their hands, leaped off the ten-meter platform with both of them in tow. The two poor bastards let out earth-shattering screams as they plummeted…
"Diving really is fun, huh?"
Takumi sat on a lounge chair, happily licking an ice cream cone, surrounded by three beautiful girls. Nao leaned affectionately against his side, gazing at him gently. The water park had stalls selling cold drinks and snacks—perfect for tired swimmers to recharge, like a beach café.
Marina's purple eyes fixed on Takumi with an odd expression. Airi, on the other hand, was openly admiring him.
"So when you said you'd treat them to a big meal, you meant letting them drink pool water! Those idiots got knocked out and swallowed a bellyful—haha, truly all-you-can-eat!"
"Airi! This whole mess started because of you!"
Marina said helplessly. Takumi laughed.
"It's not really Marina-san's fault. You two are so pretty—if you don't shut down creeps harshly, they'll never stop. I just didn't expect it to escalate like that. Yeah, getting mad after a failed pickup? Not very manly."
Hearing Takumi back her up, Airi beamed.
"Long-hair guy is right! Sis, you're way too soft—that's why they kept yapping!"
"Airi!"
Marina's voice rose a little, but seeing her sister's delighted face, she just sighed. She turned to Takumi.
"Thank you so much, Kouichi-kun. If it weren't for you, I really don't know how we would've handled it today."
"No problem. You're Nao's friends and classmates—so you're my friends too. And protecting beautiful girls? It's my honor."
"Hehe, you sure know how to talk. Now I get why Nao-senpai fell for you."
Airi teased with a grin. Nao and Takumi exchanged a loving glance—their vibe was so naturally couple-like it was almost unreal to Airi.
"Time's precious, Akizuki-san."
"Hm?"
Both Marina and Airi answered at the same time, then realized he might be addressing only one. Airi spoke first.
"Don't call us 'Akizuki-san' anymore—just use our names."
"Really?"
"You already said we're friends, right? But just so you know—even if you're Nao-senpai's boyfriend, you're not my senpai."
"Of course."
Seeing Marina nod too, Takumi knew the distance had closed. He suggested:
"We can't let those idiots ruin our fun. How about a water polo match? Me versus all three of you."
"Sounds fun! You're way too confident—think you've got three heads and six arms or something?"
Airi accepted immediately. Marina nodded, and Nao added:
"Sure! I'm pretty confident with ball games."
Takumi quickly borrowed a water polo from the staff and dashed into the pool for a three-on-one showdown. Thanks to his peak third-dan black-belt reflexes and the dodging skills honed from playing dodgeball with his little sister back home, he easily handled all three girls at once. And every now and then his gaze drifted from the ball to the girls' "balls." Each time someone spiked or contested, the three of them sent beautiful ripples through the water—Nao's the biggest and bounciest, then Marina's, and finally Airi's.
'Big ones have their charm… small ones have their own appeal.'
Takumi chuckled inwardly. He got so distracted staring that the ball nailed him right on the bridge of the nose. It stung a little. Nao was looking at him with a teasing smile, her cherry lips mouthing silent syllables. Takumi instantly understood.
"Pervert."
Then he noticed Marina subtly covering her chest with one hand. 'Ah… both of them caught me looking.' He gave an awkward laugh.
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