"Is the typhoon really nothing to worry about?"
Kagamihara Nadeshiko gazed up at the somewhat gloomy sky and asked with concern.
"It's fine. The fact that we have these heavy clouds actually means the typhoon isn't going to hit anytime soon."
Asakura replied nonchalantly. "If the sky were to suddenly clear up, that would be the sign that the typhoon is about to make landfall."
"Is that really a thing? I've never noticed that before..."
Kagamihara Nadeshiko sounded a bit surprised.
"I believe it has something to do with the downdrafts in the typhoon's periphery intensifying, which suppresses... ahem... the updrafts, thereby reducing cloud formation." Although his outward appearance might not suggest it, Asakura—who was, in reality, an academic high-achiever—offered this scientific explanation. "They also say that the sunset right before a typhoon hits is particularly beautiful."
"Really?" Camping enthusiasts are, in a sense, lovers of natural scenery, and Kagamihara Nadeshiko was no exception; hearing this, she immediately perked up with interest.
"Yep. Since the cirrus clouds that serve as a typhoon's harbinger are composed of ice crystals, they scatter the light from the setting sun, making it much easier for those spectacular, fiery-red 'burning sky' sunsets to form."
"In that case, we simply have to go see one!"
Kagamihara Nadeshiko exclaimed enthusiastically.
Standing nearby, Hitori wore a look of utter bewilderment, unable to fathom why her friend was getting so excited over this.
Asakura noticed her reaction and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
It turns out this kid is surprisingly devoid of any romantic sensibility.
After all, earlier—right after they'd finished buying swimsuits—he had specifically taken Hitori and the others to the kind of trendy dessert café that girls typically adore: a place where the visual presentation of the cakes takes absolute precedence over their actual taste—a shop designed less for eating, and more for taking photos.
The cakes at that place really did look amazing—so much so that even Kagamihara Nadeshiko, who rarely bothers taking pictures of food, happily whipped out her phone to snap some shots and post them online. Hitori, however, remained completely unmoved by the sight of those exquisitely crafted cakes; she had shown far more—and far more dramatic—reaction the moment they first stepped inside the shop, when she'd been utterly overwhelmed by the sheer radiance of all the "normies" (socially active people) filling the place, reacting as if she were sensing an overwhelming pressure—"What intense Reiatsu!" Even when presented with a cake shaped like a cute little animal, she showed absolutely no hesitation; she simply took her fork, sliced right through its face, and—chomp—devoured it in a single bite. Finally, she quietly murmured a verdict: "It... doesn't quite measure up to Rabbit House."
While Asakura was certainly pleased by her compliment, encountering this slightly—and subtly—"stone-cold straight-laced" side of Hitori left him feeling somewhat amused and bewildered at the same time.
"Do we... really have to go to the beach in weather like this?" Hitori asked in a hushed voice. "W-won't we just get swept away by the waves?"
"It's precisely because of this weather that the Umi Bozu is more likely to make an appearance. That said, I don't plan on actually getting into the water just yet; we'll simply observe from the shore."
Asakura spoke gently. "Don't be afraid. Even if something does go wrong, I can guarantee that both you and Miss Kagamihara will remain safe and sound."
Setting aside for a moment the exceptional defensive capabilities of the [Scale] spell, now that both Kagamihara Nadeshiko and Hitori had been officially inducted into Asakura's Chiba Magic Society, they possessed a failsafe: should they encounter any genuine danger, they could simply use their "Blessing" to teleport away.
Kagamihara Nadeshiko, in particular, had the ultimate shortcut: she could teleport directly back to her new home. (Although everyone else might have forgotten, she actually had a small "Blessing" talisman planted right there in her backyard...)
Having received Asakura's assurance, Hitori felt her nerves settle slightly... or perhaps about 7% of them, at any rate.
Considering that hailing a taxi to the beach resort might well prompt the driver to call the police, Asakura decided to simply summon his trusty old Ford instead, and drove the two girls to the nearest stretch of sand.
The beach—usually bustling with activity—was now utterly deserted. The only signs of life were two or three figures wandering about in the distance—presumably livestreamers or content creators of some sort, risking life and limb just to chase after views.
"Setting up a tent here... yeah, I don't think that's going to work..." Kagamihara Nadeshiko stepped out of the car, gave a little hop on the sand, and mumbled to herself.
It felt as though, on such soft and loose sand, the tent wouldn't just be vulnerable to a typhoon—it looked like it could get blown over by nothing more than a slightly strong gust of wind. "Even I wouldn't exactly want to wake up tomorrow morning, unzip my tent, and find myself floating out on the ocean," Asakura remarked casually, glancing toward the distant sky.
Then, he activated his Domain Expansion, instantly disabling the recording equipment of those few reckless streamers. Consequently, a short while later—having realized that their livelihoods had just been completely cut off—the streamers had no choice but to gather their crew and leave the beach in sullen defeat.
"Is Asakura-kun the type of person who sleeps really soundly?" Since Asakura's Domain Expansion involved no flashy visual or sound effects—and given that he had already warned everyone beforehand that he was going to turn off his phone—Kagamihara Nadeshiko, having completely missed his little maneuver, simply asked out of curiosity.
"How could that be? My sleep... well, I suppose it's about average for a normal person—neither particularly deep nor particularly light."
Asakura thought for a moment before replying, "Didn't you already figure that out back at Mount Kumotori?"
"Oh, right..."
Kagamihara Nadeshiko nodded, as if only just recalling their shared experience from back then.
Asakura turned back and tapped on the car door. "Aren't you coming out, Hitori? The ocean looks pretty spectacular right now."
"N-no, I think I'll pass... Please, just let me stay inside the car," the girl said, shaking her head at Asakura as she rolled her window down just a crack—fitting for such an old vehicle, the windows actually had to be rolled down by hand.
"If you don't get out of the car, you won't have to change into a swimsuit—and you won't have to expose so much of your body in front of other people," Asakura remarked abruptly.
"H-how did you know that?!" Hitori's eyes went wide and round; she looked just like a startled hamster—absolutely adorable. "Because it's written all over your face," Asakura said with a beaming smile. "Come on, get out of the car."
"But! I want to stay in the car! It's dark and cramped—it feels just like home!" The girl curled up in the back seat, digging her heels in stubbornly. "N-no, just leave me alone! Asakura-kun, you and Kagamihara-san can just go on without me..."
"Is that so? In that case, let me put it another way."
The smile never left Asakura's face as he continued speaking to the girl: "Hitori, if you don't get out of the car right now..."
"Wh-what?"
Hitori lay sprawled across the back seat, trembling uncontrollably as if she had suddenly switched into "vibrate mode." Yet, despite the prospect of going to the beach, she still seemed determined to hold her ground and keep up her futile resistance.
It appeared that the close interactions Asakura had shared with her over the past couple of days—while certainly boosting her affection for him—had also significantly diminished the sense of fear she once felt toward him.
"Do you remember that 'kiss' you owed me back at the shop?" Asakura suddenly brought up a matter the girl had all but forgotten.
"Huh?" Hitori wore a look of utterly blank, bewildered confusion.
"If you don't get out of the car immediately," Asakura's smile seemed to grow even more—perhaps too—benevolent in the girl's eyes, "I'm going to collect on that debt right now—principal plus interest."
"J-just to clarify—what exactly do you mean by 'principal plus interest'...?" the girl asked, looking rather terrified.
"Mwah!" Asakura pursed his lips in a kissing motion, smacking them together to produce a distinct sound effect. "Nice."
"A-b-b-b-b..." Although she didn't quite grasp the specifics of what Asakura meant, the sheer shock of it all caused Hitori's entire body to turn into a quivering, twitching line drawing.
"Hitori, I'm coming in."
"Wait, wait, wait! I'm getting out right now!"
Kagamihara Nadeshiko dragged the reluctant Hitori off to the changing rooms to get into their swimsuits.
After all, this was the final moment of calm before the typhoon was set to strike; if they wanted to enjoy a completely deserted beach, now was their only chance.
Asakura had actually brought a pair of swim trunks with him, too.
However, since he had no intention of going for a swim in the ocean at the moment, there didn't seem to be any need to change out of his clothes. Wearing beach shoes somewhat resembling Crocs, he stood on the sand, watching the waves crash against the shore one after another while gazing out toward the coastline.
Although his right eye remained somewhat blurry, by straining his vision to the horizon, he seemed able to discern faint signs of an approaching typhoon.
There was, however, no trace of the Umi Bozu... or rather, this sudden shift in weather carried absolutely no supernatural aura; it was merely a purely meteorological phenomenon.
"So, it really isn't that easy to encounter one..."
Asakura wasn't particularly disappointed; in fact, he had long since mentally prepared himself for the possibility that his "folklore pilgrimage"—which would consume the better part of his summer vacation—might turn out to be a complete waste of time.
After all, if supernatural tales were so predictable, they wouldn't be called "folklore"; they would simply be known to the public as mere "phenomena."
That was precisely why he had brought Hitori and Kagamihara Nadeshiko along—to relax as much as possible and simply enjoy the journey itself.
"Asakura-kun, we're here!"
At the sound of Kagamihara Nadeshiko's voice, Asakura turned around to see the girls, who had already changed into their swimsuits.
Although he had seen them in the shop earlier, perhaps the lighting had been poor back then, or perhaps the change of setting and mindset made the difference; in any case, seeing them in their swimsuits outdoors now, Asakura couldn't help but let a look of appreciation show on his face.
Hitori's swimsuit, in particular, caught his eye. While it didn't reveal quite as much skin as Kagamihara Nadeshiko's, her voluptuous figure and stunning curves made it even more eye-catching than the skimpier outfit worn by Kagamihara Nadeshiko.
As expected—I really do have excellent taste in swimsuits, Asakura thought to himself.
"Huh? Asakura-kun, aren't you going to change?" Kagamihara Nadeshiko asked curiously, looking at Asakura, who was still dressed in his T-shirt and three-quarter shorts.
"I'm not going into the water, so there's no need for me to change."
Asakura waved his hand dismissively.
"Oh, come on! If that's your logic, then neither Ms. Gotō nor I need to go into the water either—so we shouldn't have had to change clothes!"
Kagamihara Nadeshiko protested indignantly.
"If you want to play in the water, you can go over there and splash around for a bit; I'll stay here and keep an eye on you two," Asakura told her. "Is it really okay? The waves seem to be getting a bit rough now," the young girl asked with some concern.
Asakura snapped his fingers, activating the spell [Scale]. Consequently, any waves that reached a certain height—as if crashing against an invisible wall—had their crests forcibly sheared away, leaving behind only modest ripples to lap against the shore.
"That should do it."
Although [Scale] cannot remain affixed to the air for extended periods without a physical anchor, by promptly casting fresh spells to patch any gaps, it can effectively function as a pseudo-permanent effect. Furthermore, thanks to his 'Limited Infinity' ability—which helps offset a portion of the mana consumption—Asakura calculated his current mana reserves and estimated that he could likely sustain this barrier, allowing the girls to frolic by the seaside for the entire day.
And so, Kagamihara Nadeshiko gleefully dragged the—initially—not-so-gleeful Hitori into the surf to play.
However, after splashing around for a little while, Hitori seemed to gradually let down her guard; the smile on her face became far more genuine and natural.
Even Asakura found himself swept up in their infectious joy. He slipped off his beach sandals and stepped onto the sand—a spot where the occasional ripple would wash over his feet. Standing on such soft, yielding sand felt akin to standing on a thick, plush carpet—far more comfortable than he had initially anticipated.
"Puga?!"
Alas, Hitori—accustomed to being a homebody with little to no physical exercise—clearly suffered from rather poor coordination. She was caught off guard by a wave carrying just enough force to knock her off her feet; tumbling into the water, she began flailing in panic as the receding tide threatened to drag her out to sea...
"Oh no! Gotō-san!" Kagamihara Nadeshiko cried out in alarm.
Yet, even before the words left her lips, Asakura was already in motion.
He instantly lowered the [Scale] barrier he had maintained since the beginning, creating a blockade that halted Hitori just as the tide was about to sweep her away. Then, leaping into the water himself, he swiftly scooped the young girl out of the sea.
The entire rescue took less than ten seconds. Aside from being thoroughly soaked and looking a tad shaken, Hitori appeared to be completely unharmed.
It was Asakura—who had moments earlier stood on the shore looking utterly unperturbed—who now appeared slightly disheveled, his T-shirt and trousers dripping wet. "If I'd known this would happen, I would have returned the swim trunks..." Asakura sighed.
"I—I'm so sorry! It really is just like I thought..."
Still shaken from the scare, Hitori instinctively began to blame herself profusely.
But before she could finish speaking, Asakura reached out and ruffled her hair—since the girl's hair was completely soaked, the gesture left her with a messy, bird's-nest-like hairstyle.
"What are you talking about? The tide really is getting a bit rough right now, so it's perfectly normal to get swept off your feet. If anything, you actually gave me a good reminder—we've played enough for one day; it's about time we wrapped things up."
"Yeah!" Kagamihara Nadeshiko nodded eagerly in agreement. "The waves really are getting bigger; it's not safe to play in the water anymore. It really is best if we retreat to the car and wait it out!"
Having reached a consensus, Asakura led the two girls back to the car.
Once inside, he made no attempt to be modest as he promptly stripped off his soaking-wet shirt.
"Whoa?!" Startled by his sudden movement, Kagamihara Nadeshiko let out a strange squeak.
Hitori, on the other hand, instinctively covered her eyes—though she couldn't resist peeking through the gaps between her fingers at Asakura's back. It wasn't particularly broad, but thanks to his long hours of part-time work, it was quite muscular and toned; seeing it made her heart pound like a drum.
"Sorry about that. Since I'm completely soaked, wearing these clothes feels pretty uncomfortable. Just give me a moment to change," Asakura said.
In truth, his shorts were soaked through as well, but he didn't quite possess the mental fortitude—at least not yet—to change his pants right in front of two girls. (Though, if it were just Hitori alone, he might have been tempted to give it a try.)
"I—I know! It's just that I wasn't mentally prepared for that all of a sudden..." Kagamihara Nadeshiko struggled to keep her voice sounding normal.
Hitori nodded vigorously, though she showed no signs of actually closing the gaps between her fingers.
"The wind is starting to pick up outside, so you two should hurry up and change back into your regular clothes, too—you don't want to catch a cold. Don't worry, I swear on my driver's license that I won't peek," Asakura declared with a solemn, righteous air.
—Even though, strictly speaking, he didn't actually have a driver's license.