Traveling With a Beautiful Girl - Chapter 41: Nanase's Weakness

“What’s wrong, Nanase?”

I suddenly ask, as Nanase grips my wrist.

“….It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s definitely not ‘nothing’.”

I remember this scenario from yesterday. Yes, it was when Kanade-san began insisting that we should go to the sea.

“…I can’t swim.”

“Huh?”

“I can’t swim!”

Nanase said like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Can’t swim, huh?”

“…I have bad memories associated with water.”

I wonder what kind of unpleasant memories she has related to water. I was curious, but my thoughts shifted as I watched Nanase shaking her shoulders, as if she were a child terrified of thunder.

“It’s fine. We won’t go to the deep end.”

“No way. I know. There’s a six-legged monster in the sea that grabs humans by the leg and drags them underwater as soon as it finds them.”

“What kind of cheap internet article did you get that from?”

Nanase sometimes says things that make her IQ seem to plummet.

This seems to be a common trait amongst geniuses, including Kanade-san.

Well, we are in Okinawa after all. It would be a shame to just sit on the sandy beach and vaguely watch Kanade-san and me swimming. This is a moment for me to take the lead!

“Don’t worry. I’ll be by your side.”

“Wait, hold on…”

I grab Nanase’s hand and head towards the edge of the water. The feel of the damp sand under my feet. Lured by the sound of the waves, I step one foot, then the other into the tide until it reaches my ankles. I was expecting the water to be cold since it’s October, but it was surprisingly at a comfortable temperature.

This is the sea of Okinawa after all.

“See? It’s not scary, right?”

I ask Nanase who has obediently followed me.

“…If you let go, I’ll turn you into eel.”

“I’m not an eel though.”

“Heyyy, over here.”

Kanade-san is waving her hand from a distance where the water reaches her waist.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.”

Nanase shakes her head at high speed.

“It’s fine. I’ll hold your hand.”

Upon hearing my words, Nanase’s expression clearly shows her internal conflict.  After a while…

Perhaps she made up her mind, she tightly grips my hand.

“Don’t let go, okay…?”

She pleaded like a child scared of the dark. My heart jumps at the sight of her, so different from her usual confident demeanor, looking so fragile, a rare sight from a girl of such stunning beauty.

This gap is too overwhelming. Even though the early autumn in Okinawa is supposed to be cool, my face suddenly feels hot.

“Ah, um… It’s okay, leave it to me.”

I lead Nanase by the hand towards Kanade-san.

“Oh, you made it? Here it comes.”

Splish, splash!

“Eek!”

“Woah!”

Surprised by the sudden water gun attack, Nanase clings onto me. Mixed with the smell of the tide, a sweet scent fills my nostrils.

“Wai…!?”

Zap!

Nanase and I dive into the sea together. I manage to regain my footing and stand up quickly, but Nanase thrashes around.

“Calm down! You can touch the ground here! You can even breathe if you bend your knees!”

I calm the flailing Nanase and lift her up from the water. At that moment, I think I feel a soft sensation on the front of my body, but I don’t have time to indulge in it.

“I saw the river of the afterlife.”

“Isn’t it too early to give up on life?”

Nanase, now a drenched beauty, glares at Kanade-san as if she’s her mortal enemy.

“You both are overdramatic. With this attitude, you can’t hit the fan on the sea.”

“I never said I wanted to be Nasu no Yoichi.”

(T/N: Nasu no Yoichi was a samurai who fought alongside the Minamoto clan in the Genpei War. He is particularly famous for his actions at the Battle of Yashima in 1185. According to the Heike Monogatari, the enemy Taira placed a fan atop a pole on one of their ships, daring the Minamoto warriors to shoot it off.)

Even I get this one. I was surprised how the fan on the sea turned into Nasu no Yoichi so quickly.

“Well, we’re back to nature, so let’s enjoy it fully.”

Kanade-san dived into the sea and began to swim freely.

“Uhhhh, it feels so good! It’s the best!”

She shouted out loud with her arms spread wide. Her face was sparkling and she looked so happy, showing no signs of the desperation I felt at the izakaya yesterday. I’m glad she seems to be having fun.

“Nanase.”

“What?”

“My neck is starting to get stiff.”

“Oh.”

Nanase, who had her arms around my neck, suddenly pulled away.

“Are you okay without holding hands?”

“Thanks to diving into the sea earlier, my fear has subsided a bit.”

“That’s… good to hear.”

“…Pervert.”

I have no comeback for that.

“But… thanks. I think I can swim a little now.”

Nanase, who had regained her spirit, said.

Then, she started stretching thoroughly. Nanase, who hates to lose, seems to be determined to overcome her inability to swim.

“You’re going to challenge the great outdoors?”

“It’s just water. A mere 80 cm sea creature is no match for me.”

Nanase, who is uncharacteristically energetic, perhaps due to being thrown into the sea she fears. She takes a deep breath and begins to mimic the butterfly stroke.

Oh, it looks convincing.

“Watch. My elegant crawl.”

“That was a crawl?”

I immediately became worried.

But, there’s no point in telling a hero trying to overcome their weakness to “stop.” It’s only proper to send them off with a grand wave.

“Go, Nanase! Surpass your limits!”

“I would even if you didn’t say…!”

Nanase, with a fighting spirit in her eyes, dives headfirst into the open sea to challenge it. And…she just sinks normally.

“Nanaseeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”

Splash!

I immediately dive in to rescue Nanase.

“Why is the sky blue, but the water is black?”

In my arms, Nanase, with hollow eyes, gazes up at the sky and mutters something philosophical.

“That’s because you’re closing your eyes, isn’t it?”

“Even under the lighthouse, it’s dark.”

“You’re surprisingly good at it… Pfft.”

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. The entire series of events was too predictable, and I couldn’t suppress the laughter welling up inside me.

“What are you laughing at… Hehe.”

Nanase, too, covered her mouth with her hand and laughed. We both laughed out loud. Ah, this is fun. It’s really fun. The sense of liberation is extraordinary.

In the sea of Okinawa, far from Tokyo, I never would have dreamed five days ago that I’d be frolicking with the most beautiful girl in the school year.