They weren’t entirely wrong. The headmaster’s “reward” was a barbecue on the Nanahoshi training ground/private beach. If it had just been a barbecue, it totally would have been a reward, but this was Nanahoshi Kaede, their headmaster, master of the Shichisei Kenbu. It wouldn’t be that simple.
This beach was smaller than that of the Motegis—of course, the Motegi family’s was an entire island, so they weren’t even worth comparing—but the Nanahoshi beach was plenty big.
Big enough that thirty-two honed young Lunatic Order Cavalleria, the best the Empire had, were thoroughly worn out by twenty laps with the sand pulling their feet out from under them.
After a five-minute break, it also proved big enough for a beach volleyball tournament with four matches running at once, with a special prize from the headmaster to the winners, and the Shichisei Kenbu legendary punishment to whoever came in dead last. At the memory of the latter, Kuon and Rin started shaking so much they dropped their water.
The first match was Hanabi and Rin versus Fuji and Kuon. The final score was 21-2 in the girls’ favor.
“Ah…” Holding a tissue to his nose, Kuon mulled over the reason for their loss, not that there was any doubt as to that reason. Hanabi and Rin went off to their next match, their fit bodies squeezed into tube-top bikinis, doing fit jumps and fit attacks, and wow there was a lot of swaying up top. Fit swaying.
Their swimsuits were definitely very different from the last ones they’d worn—the one made of strings and the bubble nude-looking one. These were standard athletic tube-top bikinis. As such, they were highly functional, which itself really gave off the “fighter girl” vibe.
Kuon stared at Hanabi’s taut thighs, the faint lines of her abs, boobs so big you could clearly see a deep valley which tube tops would normally not display, and the large behind that the bikini could barely contain, forcing her to constantly adjust the cloth. Everything had ridiculous amounts of jiggle, like something out of a retro fighting game. Even that was but a distraction compared to the depths of that valley, the sort of abyss that appeared to be looking back at you the more you stared at it, and thinking about that during the match as Hanabi spiked the volleyball and it turned sharply, the letters MIKE on the side coming—
“Ah, my nose is bleeding!”
His thoughts were dragged back to reality. He honked into a tissue, and the contents soon turned from red back to clear.
“I suppose you are a growing boy, Okegawa-kun.” Fuji grimaced, also dabbing his nose with a tissue. He hadn’t been distracted by the girls’ bodies; he’d simply proved hopelessly terrible around balls. That must have been awful. Although he’d looked pretty happy when his fiancée Nao was tending to his injuries.
Speaking of tending to injuries…
“Onii-chan, are you okay?”
Tooka was right next to him, basically on his arm, serving as the Fuji Squad’s manager/assistant. Her face was very close. She might be ten, but she was definitely very beautiful. Kuon’s classmates might all be thinking, “Hot older girlfriend-having straight shota light novel MC, please explode!” but it still got his heart racing. He’d actually blown himself up in his previous life, so having people wish that fate on him behind his back was doubly cruel. What was a “straight shota light novel MC,” anyway?
“Uh, yeah, thanks,” he said, realizing he had to answer his sister student.
“No need to thank me. I am your little sister. I’d do anything for you.”
That phrasing really bugged him, though, and he wasn’t her brother. “Sorry, Tooka-chan…”
“Call me Tooka.”
Tug tug.
“Tooka, um…maybe not so close? This might be a bit of an emergency.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Hanabi-senpai saw us and froze on the spot.”
They heard Rin yelling, “Hey! Move, Hanabiiiiii!” as she did a flying save only to have her opponents mercilessly spike it back five millimeters from her fist.
“Ku…on…kun?”
He was, of course, seated right in front of her.
Last place went to Kuon and Fuji’s team.
This was Kuon’s fifth time, so he made sure to warn Fuji.
“Um, Squad Leader…do your best to keep your mind on something fun. Otherwise you will die.”
“Die?!”
“Yes, but comms are active, so have Nao-san talk to you the whole time so you don’t die.”
“W-wait, what kind of punishment is this?”
“As long as you don’t move too much, you’ll be fine. Keep your breathing even so you don’t die.”
“You sound like a doctor releasing a terminal patient to enjoy his last days at home!”
“The water is our ally. The water is not our enemy. Keep your emotions level, so you don’t die.”
“Why is Motegi-kun shaking like a leaf?! Where does the water come in at all?!”
It would be a full day before Fuji was able to face a glass of water again.
When Kaede’s hazing was done, the sun was setting. Having spent the entire day forcing the young to work out in the name of fun, the headmaster nodded her approval. “Glad to see everyone enjoyed their R&R. Well done. Time to roast some meat!”
Cries went up all around. Not cheers like “Yeehaw!” or “Yes!” but cries of relief like “We survived!” Like the walking dead, they shuffled to the showers, changed into normal clothes, and their young bodies soon forgot how tired they were and got hungry instead. All their bellies rumbled. Their bodies craved meat. More meat!
At last, the barbecue was ready. There were ten tables set up, grills on each, to accommodate eight full squads—a little over thirty people. Fuji would normally take charge at a time like this, but he was down for the count thanks to the punishment. At the moment, he was in bed in the lodge with Nao at his side, so Hanabi took his place. Kuon became her hands and legs, making sure meat was delivered everywhere and there were enough plates and napkins. Rin watched, yawning, showing no signs of pitching in. The Cavalleria who had lovers with them turned some of the tables into couples’ islands, and their blissful auras repelled the baleful stares from the boys and girls who were excluded. Kuon joined up with the Fuji Squad members, but Hanabi and Tooka each took a seat on either side of him and refused to budge, so Rin wound up sitting opposite him, her glare making him squirm.