[ If I weren’t such a coward… ] 

After parasailing, we took a break and sat on a bench drinking a large American-sized mixed juice. Although I didn’t feel it while we were playing, when I took a breath, I realized how tired I was. I was gazing at the swaying sea in the distance while feeling drowsy, like after a swimming lesson.

“Is this the last one?”

Kyouya, still full of energy, stood up and asked.

“It’s the Sea Walker, right? Rika wanted to do it.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it!” Rika made a rare excited fist.

Sea Walker is a relatively relaxed attraction where you walk on the seabed wearing a helmet with oxygen, allowing you to see tropical fish and coral up close. It’s particularly popular with women because their hair doesn’t get wet. I didn’t sign up for it and stayed behind to rest, which turned out to be a good decision because I was already exhausted.

“It’s almost time, so let’s go early…”

Suddenly, I felt a cold sensation on my face. When I looked around, I immediately understood.

“Oh, it’s raining.”

“Oh no! Let’s find somewhere to hide!”

We followed Hinata, who ran out first, and took refuge under a roof. It started pouring down, and the sound of the rain dominated our senses.

“Oh, it’s a squall.”

“But it will stop soon, right?”

“Well, usually.”

While wiping my head with a towel, Susami said that. Next to her, Rika looked up at the sky uneasily.

“What will happen to the Sea Walker…?”

“As long as it’s not too heavy rain, it won’t be canceled.”

“I see…”

“Should we wait until it stops? Or should we just go?”

“I don’t know…It’s okay to get wet since we’re wearing swimsuits.”

Hmm, so even if it rains, the plan will proceed, which means we should still go to the meeting place. We can’t be late, so even if we choose to wait under the roof, it’s better to head out.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Okay. What about Kusaba-kun? Are you staying here if you didn’t sign up?”

“Yeah, I’ll sit here…Huh?”

“Grrr…”

Suddenly, a faint rumble and heavy sound echoed.

“No way…!”

Then, a bright flash of lightning followed by a loud roar. It was thunder.

But what surprised me more was the scream that came from beside me.

“Re-re-re! Ren-san…!”

Somehow, Rika had clung to me, trembling.

Embarrassing. And more importantly, her soft body pressed against my arm.

This is not good…

“Tachibana-san, you really can’t handle thunder, can you?”

“I really can’t. I almost died during class last year.”

“Haha, I think you did a good job not screaming.”

As they chatted casually, Rika was in an extreme state. Kyouya might be used to it, but Hinata and Susami might also be frightened.

However, the fact remains that he is in a tight spot.

“Is Rika okay…?”

“Huu… Ren-san…”

Rika hugged my upper arm tightly and pressed even closer to me.

It seemed that she didn’t even have the composure to feel embarrassed.

Of course, I didn’t mind, but the situation was getting more and more dangerous.

Oh, it’s soft…

“But what are we going to do? Rika, can you use Sea Walker?”

“Oh, right. In the sea, we might not even hear the thunder.”

Our gazes all turned to Rika.

But Rika shook her head vigorously and was the first to wave the white flag.

“But you were looking forward to it, weren’t you?”

“Yeah… but…”

“DOGOOOONN!!”

“Whoaahh!”

This is not good.

“Go ahead. I’ll keep an eye on Rika.”

“…Yeah. It’s too dangerous for her to push herself.”

“Hmm. Tachibana is out. That’s too bad.”

Suzumi patted Rika on the head, and Rika teared up.

It’s unfortunate, but there’s no helping it.

If she panicked in the sea, it would be seriously dangerous.

“Please take care of Rika, Kusaba. And I hope you won’t take advantage of her weakness to do anything weird. You understand, right?”

“As if I would…”

I sighed in response to the warning, not sure if it was serious or a joke.

Well, it’s Hinata, so it’s probably serious.

Rika and I watched the three of them walk away in the rain.

Then we sat down on a bench under the roof and breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry, Ren-san.”

“Why are you apologizing? I was originally going to be the one watching. Don’t worry about it and curl up if you want.”

“Okay…”

Rika answered obediently and clung to my upper arm again.

I couldn’t see her expression because she was wearing a towel on her head.

Fortunately, there was no one around.

Everyone had probably moved indoors or were playing in the sea without a care in the world.

Thanks to the bench in the shadows, it seemed unlikely that anyone would see us.

“I wanted to see what it was like underwater.”

“That’s too bad.”

“If I weren’t such a coward…”

“Well… sometimes things just don’t work out.”

Rika wasn’t feeling well.

Not only was she afraid of thunder, but she was also depressed because she couldn’t do what she had been looking forward to.

But all I could do was stay by her side and comfort her.

It was frustrating that I couldn’t do anything more.

I never thought that someone else’s sadness could make me feel so miserable…

Feeling this way was a significant improvement for me.

But right now, I just wanted to do something to help Rika feel better.