Chapter III
Kouki’s Birthday

 

 

The muted crunch of the white sand under his feet and the gentle slap of the waves were the only sounds reaching his ears as he strolled carelessly on the beach.

He thought the place felt familiar. Is this the same beach where I encountered Hoshiko floating in the air? He dismissed the image, embarrassed, remembering that she had appeared naked to him twice.

Kouki stopped, looked back at his footprints, and wiggled his toes on the soft sand.

He looked up where the sun shone high. It felt hot on his skin; nonetheless, the breeze from the sea was cool.

He walked into the water and submerged his legs to his knees; the water was warm and enticing. Facing the sea, he opened his arms wide and took a deep breath, inhaling the saltiness in the air with pleasure.

Out of nowhere, he heard a voice.

Where are you...? Where...?” the voice kept repeating softly, like a murmur or whisper.

Kouki searched for the owner of the voice. In the distance, he discerned a figure floating in the air facing the sea.

He ran toward her, thinking that she might be Hoshiko. As he got closer, he saw her long blond hair cascading down her back. “It’s a girl! Who are you?”

The figure slowly turned his way, and his eyes darted to her chest. Her flat chest! He looked up at the face. It was Jane.

“WHAT THE HELL!” Kouki screamed as he shot upright, panting and full of sweat. “What a nightmare!” he muttered. He looked at the alarm clock. “Damn! It’s only two in the morning. I hope that I don’t dream about her again.” He shuddered, threw himself back into the pillow, and tried to sleep.

 

a

 

The unbuttoned red shirt flapped behind her. Occasionally she held the panda-eared baseball cap with her left hand to prevent it from blowing away. Reiko pedaled up to the entrance and dismounted once she applied the brakes. She took the large bag from the bicycle’s basket and prodded the bike against the wall.

Before ringing the bell, she tucked the t-shirt with cute designs into her white shorts.

“I’ll prepare Kouki’s breakfast before the rest of the girls arrive,” she mumbled softly as she looked at her wristwatch.

Yama opened the door, and Reiko felt disappointed. She got here first.

“Welcome, Reiko-chan.” Yama moved aside to let her in.

Reiko walked in and stopped in her tracks. Her eyes had registered another disappointment. Mirai and Yuki were already having breakfast with Kouki at the dinner table.

They beat me! Reiko greeted everyone. “Did you leave some for me?” Oh well... if you can’t beat them, join them!

 

.

Kouki and the four girls arrived at the train station. He glanced around before heading to the platform as if he expected someone. He saw the one standing next to the stairs. “Jane... Jane... Over here!” Kouki called in English, waving his hand. The girls looked at Kouki and the approaching girl.

Jane wore a loose knee-length, light blue dress with a long rope sash tied around her waist and a small backpack slung over one shoulder. She bowed her head and greeted everyone.

“Who’s she?” Yuki asked, and before Kouki could introduce Jane, Yama stepped close and stared at her face. What’s wrong with this yellow-eyed girl? Don’t you know about personal space? Jane’s eyes were wide open. Uhmm... the tall one seems jealous.

“We are Kouki-chan... friends and club members,” Yama said in faltering English, offering her hand, western style. Jane shook her hand and looked quizzically at Kouki. She won’t let go!

Kouki introduced Jane and the girls to each other. “She’s an exchange student from England,” he explained. “Harada-sensei left her in my care, so I could teach her about Japan. Since she’s alone here, I thought she could come with us instead of staying alone at the lodge. By the way, she’s in your class, Yuki.”

“Welcome to Japan, Jane-san. I hope you’ll have a good impression of us and many happy memories when you eventually leave,” Yuki said in English.

Jane’s eyes traveled from Yuki’s thighs, barely covered by the short blue-jean skirt, to the wide hips, to the tiny waist, and from there up to the aggressive mounds distending the red plaid shirt, to Yuki’s blue eyes... And back to those mounds. What a body! She’s tall. Really tall! I have to raise my eyes to look at hers. Crickey! Who would look at her eyes when there’s something better, positioned much lower? Strange, I can’t place her English accent. “I’m looking forward to Monday’s classes, Yuki-san.”

Mirai looked at her and smiled, giving Jane a brief nod. “Let’s go to the front of the train,” Mirai ordered more than she said.

Jane studied Mirai’s face for a moment. My God! What eyes! Is she the boss? This must be the one controlling Kouki.

“The Mega Mall station’s exits are toward the train’s rear,” Kouki objected. “If we sit in the front, we will be the last ones out when we arrive.”

“Yama wants to ride up front!” she said in a singsong voice.

Jane glanced at her. Is she a child? She looks our age, though.

“Ok, Yama, let’s ride up front,” Kouki conceded. And they all moved to the far end of the platform.”

 

U

 

Two hours later, they arrived at the Mega Mall.

From the outside, the place looked enormous, and it was. They entered through one of the main doors, Mirai leading the way.

Mirai wore a short sleeveless dress, red with white polka dots, and a matching plastic headband. The skirt flared out from her tiny waist making her hips look wider. She shod black loafer shoes with white socks folded down over her ankles and tugged a tan bag in her hands to complete the ensemble.

Kouki hurried to her side, but before he paired with her, she moved to Reiko’s side and began to engage her in conversation. Mirai is distant again today. I thought that she warmed to me last night. He sighed in disappointment.

Two floors up, Mirai stopped in front of a store. Kouki looked at the sign over his head; it read Pirates’ Cove; it was a pirate-themed cosplay café.

The hostess welcomed them at the door, dressed as a pirate wench. Mirai gave her their names, and she checked the reservation list.

Kouki glanced sideways at Jane, who stared at the ample cleavage of the hostess, enhanced by the cosplay costume. Really! You should be more subtle, Jane-san.

Finding their names, the wench led them to a table at the far corner of the café.

“SURPRISE! Happy birthday, Kouki-kun!”

Kouki jumped, startled. Eiji and his sister Mitsuki, Hisoki, Hoshiko, and Hotaru were the ones that had jumped out of their seats and shouted.

Kouki turned to Mirai; the smile on her face extended from ear to ear. Now, I understand what she was doing from the beginning. That’s why she also asked us to head to the front of the train, so the rest could ride in the back and arrive before us.

Instead of gifts that’ll be cumbersome to carry, we give you birthday cards, Kouki-chan.” Reiko handed him an envelope. All the others followed suit, and he opened them one by one as he received them.

 

b

 

Hoshiko waited to be the last one on purpose. She handed the card to Kouki, and as he began to open the envelope, she placed her hands on Kouki’s shoulders and kissed Kouki on his lips. A lo-o-o-ng kiss on the lips. Five seconds should be enough. She counted five more seconds to be on the safe side and released his lips with a loud smack.

Reiko muttered, “That wench...! I’ll... I’ll...” She crossed her arms and pouted her lips, staring at Hoshiko. The pirate wench overheard her and raised an eyebrow, perhaps offended.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Yuki clenched her fists, glaring at Kouki and Hoshiko, clearly about to explode.

Mirai’s eyes shot daggers at Hoshiko.

The other one shooting daggers was Hisoki but aimed at Kouki.

Yama tilted her head to one side. “Eh?” she uttered.

“Kissed by an alien!” Eiji whispered to his sister. “What if he catches something strange?”

“Shut up!” Mitsuki, too, crossed her arms on her chest and frowned. She was unquestionably annoyed.

Hotaru covered her mouth with both hands, drowning a gasp. “She’s so daring! I wish I could do the same,” she whispered as her eyes shone brightly green.

The pirate wench hearing her sighed. “I wish I had a boyfriend.”

Jane, with a smile of complicity, gave Kouki a thumb-up sign.

Kouki, redder than a tomato, finally reacted. “Whaaat!” He jumped back a step.

“Did I do something wrong? This is how they do it in France,” Hoshiko said, feigning ignorance.

“I’m sure they don’t greet that way in France,” Mirai stated coldly.

Jane said in a low voice, “I don’t mind being French kissed by her.” Mitsuki glared at him.

Hoshiko took her handkerchief from her purse and wiped the lipstick from Kouki’s lips.

“Hey, off from him!” Yuki yelled at her.

“Sorry if I have transgressed. I’m still ignorant of many customs,” Hoshiko apologized.

“Humph!” Yuki interjected and pouted her lips.

A waitress brought the birthday cake to the table, breaking the tension.

 

]

 

With the incident of the kiss behind them, but not entirely forgotten by some, they headed to the indoor pool.

Kouki, sitting on a chaise longue, sipped iced tea from a tall glass.

From the pool’s edge, tiny streams of water jets occasionally shot toward the water. A small island at the center had a bubbles generator that continuously spewed them.

Kouki felt like he was in paradise, especially when he looked at the girls in the pool.

He scanned around. He stopped at Reiko, submerged up to her thighs in the water in the low section of the pool. She had an orange bikini with a black hem and straps. She barely filled her gym tee shirt and bloomers in middle school. She has grown and has a lot more curves, a lot more!

Next to Reiko stood Mirai. She wore a solid red color bikini. She looked at me! Mirai, you look divine, and your skin is so white and smooth! I love you, Mirai.

The spell was broken when Mirai’s green eyes shifted elsewhere. Kouki glanced at the petite girl who lowered herself into the pool.

Hotaru’s bikini was pure white, and she wore her long black hair tied in twin pigtails behind her head. She’s still a mystery to me, but I like her! I do! She’s tiny but not devoid of curves. You can’t think of her as a loli; she’s a woman in miniature! Kami-sama! Kouki leaned forward in the chair. What’s with her swimsuit? It has become almost transparent! You can see her— Yuki ran in front of Hotaru, blocking the view from Kouki’s line of sight.

He leaned back in the chair. Yuki, I love you too! —Yuki had a blue bikini that matched the color of her eyes— His eyes shot wide open again. Yuki, you shouldn’t run like that, you will give somebody a heart attack, and that somebody could be me! I hope with all that bouncing, they don’t jump out. You’ll cause quite a riot.

Kouki took his towel and laid it on his lap, shifting his eyes to another place.

Yama and Mitsuki played with water guns. Yama! My wonderful Yama! Her black bikini had a red cat paw stamped over her left breast; the straps were red. Yama, your small breasts make you more attractive. She looked his way and smiled. My love, I want to protect that smile forever.

Mitsuki followed Yama’s gaze. Mitsuki held Kouki’s eyes for a second, shifted her eyes, and continued playing. Mitsuki wore a one-piece bathing suit, yellow with horizontal white stripes, which clung to her body like a second skin. Mitsuki, you sure have grown! That swimsuit makes you look older and sexier! How old are you now? Thirteen... Fourteen? Eiji will have a hard time fending off suitors!

At that moment, the area of the pool they occupied fell silent. Kouki searched for the reason. He found it close to him; Hoshiko had gotten up from her chaise longue. She removed her beach robe, revealing a silver one-piece bathing suit with a plunging neckline that showed a lot of her cleavage. A lot!

The action caused tremendous effects on all the males in the area, such as skipped heartbeats, nosebleeds, drooling, strained necks, and a few threats of divorce from their angry wives.

She lowered herself into the pool and began to swim. With her silver hair and swimsuit, she resembled a mermaid. Hoshiko, you look like a goddess! I feel that any moment now, you’ll float in the air the same way you did in my dreams.

He felt eyes on him. Mirai, Reiko, Mitsuki, and Yuki stared at him, frowning. He shifted his eyes. They landed on a lone figure sitting at the edge of the pool. Jane? She wore a white bathrobe. Poor Jane, she’s uncomfortable with her body; I’ll cheer her up!

 

b

 

Kouki approached her.

“Aren’t you getting in the pool, Jane-san? The water feels great!” Kouki encouraged her.

Bollock! He blocked the view of the Midori girl ... her bathing suit was... is... Forget it! What do I tell him? “Sorry...” he said, trying to look coy. “It’s my time of the month.”

“Oh! Sorry.” Kouki took a step back, turned around, and jumped in the water.

Jane grimaced. That worked like magic! The perfect answer to scare boys away, they’ll treat you like a leper.

Jane headed to a lounge chair and made himself comfortable as he watched the girls.

In the pool, the three boys and six girls played tag. Mitsuki pounced to tag Reiko, and by accident, Reiko’s top came loose and fell. Eiji placed himself in front of her, with his arms outstretched to prevent anyone from peeking at her breasts.

“Nobody, look at Reiko! You heard perverts, especially you, Hisoki!” Eiji adamantly pointed the finger at him.

“Me! I wasn’t even looking that way!” Hisoki denied shaking his head and hands.

Jane leaned forward. I was looking! I was looking!

With the help of Mirai and Hotaru, Reiko fixed her top. After doing so, she kept looking from Kouki to Eiji until her eyes remained fixed on the red-faced Eiji, who shifted his eyes from hers.

Oh, ho, ho... that’s interesting. Jane looked at Eiji and Reiko with a mischievous smile on his lips.

Later on, they had lunch.