That evening, everyone from the Anteiku headed out together to a shopping mall to pick out swimsuits.
Yoshimura didn't come along.
He was older, after all, and probably wouldn't enjoy swimming in the sea like the younger ones did. If he came along, he'd likely just lounge on the beach, soaking up the sun and enjoying the view. A swimsuit wasn't really necessary for that.
Of course, Byakuya and Eto brought along Mayu and Suzuya as well.
Touka had dragged Kaneki along, too.
Kaneki had originally planned to use the holiday to study, but Touka had quite literally forced him to come.
"You dragged me all the way here, but I don't even have money to buy a swimsuit..."
Even after arriving, Kaneki was still grumbling in a low voice.
"If you don't have money, we'll pay for you."
Touka immediately turned to look at Arata and Hikari.
"Mom, Dad?"
Obviously, she was hoping they'd cover Kaneki's swimsuit expenses.
"...I'll pay for it myself."
Kaneki looked a little embarrassed at the thought of letting someone else pay for him.
Picking out swimsuits for the kids was easy — in just a few minutes, they'd found something for all of them.
Byakuya originally planned to just grab something simple and be done with it, but Eto wouldn't allow it.
"You can't just pick randomly! Let me help — I'll tell you which style suits you best."
She insisted that Byakuya try them on one by one for her to see.
"Alright..." He had no choice but to go along with it.
Watching this, Minami got inspired.
"Um... Arima, how about you try this one first?"
She picked a swimsuit she really wanted to see Arima wear and held it out to him.
"Alright"
Arima took it without hesitation and went into the changing room.
Minami then had Arima try on several more swimsuits, giving her quite the eye candy session.
On the other side, Byakuya's try-on marathon had just ended.
"I like this one. And this one's good too. Actually... let's just buy them all."
Eto didn't even hesitate. She had her eye on three styles and decided to take them all.
"Okay, now it's your turn to help me choose."
Eto smiled mischievously.
"Sure."
Byakuya was, to be honest, a little excited to see her in different swimsuits.
The first one Eto picked was a rather revealing bikini.
Though petite, Eto's figure was surprisingly well-balanced — with sleek curves and long, graceful legs. Once she put on the swimsuit, she looked stunning.
Meanwhile, Koma and Irimi were also trying on swimsuits, though their process was a bit more... antagonistic.
"Looks okay, but your figure's kinda flat, don't you think?"
"Oh please — you're the one who should lose some weight. Wouldn't want the 'Devil Ape' turning into the 'Fat Ape,' right?"
They had already changed, but instead of complimenting each other, they were happily trading jabs.
Roma, on the other hand, asked Yomo to help her out.
"So? How do I look?"
She was already in a swimsuit.
Despite being over forty, her skin was still incredibly well maintained. No one would guess her real age unless told.
"Yeah" Yomo was the definition of a straight-faced guy.
He had no real opinions about swimsuits. Whether it looked good or not, he figured all he had to do was nod.
Roma could tell his reaction was kind of half-hearted, but she didn't mind. In fact, she found it amusing.
"Yomo, shouldn't you pick a swimsuit for yourself, too?"
Yomo noticed he hadn't done anything but help Roma.
"There's no need."
Yomo shook his head. If she hadn't dragged him out, he would've stayed behind at the shop with the manager.
"Oh, come on! You'll be on the beach — show off your physique a bit. You might catch some girls' attention!"
She gave him an encouraging look.
Yomo was still in his twenties — not the rugged, unshaven older man from the original timeline — and he actually looked pretty handsome when cleaned up.
Yomo's sister herself was already in her swimsuit and beach hat, looking young and beautiful.
"There's no point to that kind of thing..." Yomo said with a sigh.
"There you go again with that attitude."S
he rubbed her temples.
"Fine! I'll pick one for you myself — just wait, you'll be a total heartthrob!"
Yomo had no choice but to let her dress him up.
Eventually, everyone found swimsuits they liked.
Byakuya and Eto ended up buying the most — anything they thought looked good, they just got.
The next morning...
They all took the train together for their trip.
For many of them, it was their first time leaving Tokyo — so naturally, they were a bit excited.
After switching to a ferry, they finally arrived at Okinawa Island.
Byakuya and Arima were already in their beachwear — light shirts and swim trunks.
The outfit was one of the ones Eto had picked for Byakuya the day before.
Yoshimura was in a short-sleeve shirt and shorts, keeping it simple.
As for the girls, they waited until arriving before changing into their swimsuits — which were, unsurprisingly, all quite diverse.
"Suzuya, look! That's the ocean!"
Mayu pointed excitedly at the approaching shoreline.
Suzuya stared blankly in the same direction, clearly awestruck. It was his first time seeing something like this too.
"It's even prettier than it looked on TV... I guess some things really do need to be experienced in person."
Eto murmured.
She'd seen the ocean in documentaries, but seeing it with her own eyes was a completely different experience.
"Yeah. The exams are over — we deserve a proper break today" Byakuya agreed.
The entrance exams for Kamii University were still coming, but those were worries for another day. They'd studied hard and were well-prepared — a little review before the test would be enough.
Today, it was time to relax and enjoy themselves.