Dungeon Refrigerator 63

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Lovers On The Beach

In the endlessly open sky, large white cumulus clouds floated gracefully. The waves, bathed in the bright sunlight, sparkled like silver as they washed up onto the beach. Many beachgoers, not just us, were strolling along the shore, bidding farewell to the end of summer with smiles.

The splendid summer sea before my eyes lay.

"Alright, let's have some food."

"Yeah~"

"Let's go, coach."

So said Serai-san and the others as they casually headed toward the food and beverage area of the beachside restaurant. Oh my, while I, in my heart, was getting excited about the long-awaited summer sea.

The beautiful college girls remained surprisingly composed even in the presence of the beach. Nowadays, college girls don't seem to get too excited just by looking at the sea.

And so, we all sat at a table in the beachside restaurant.

This place hadn't changed from the beachside restaurant I visited as kids. Long tables were arranged at equal intervals on a wide wooden floor, with straw mats spread out as seats, instead of traditional cushions. 

(I guess they don't use cushions to avoid getting them dirty, and prevent customers from getting too comfortable and lingering, which would reduce the turnover. Yeah, you can see the struggles of this beachside restaurant.)

"Ahh~ I'm hungry~ What should I eat?"

As soon as we sat, Serai-san opened up the menu, which was handwritten and then laminated in plastic, for everyone to see. At times like this, Serai-san always takes the initiative.

"Yeah, I think I'll have the chilled noodles."

From the menu that looked like a copy of hand-drawn characters, Nina-san choose chilled noodles. I see. It's typical of Nina-san, who's always rational, to opt for chilled noodles instead of the potentially disappointing yakisoba with sand or the bland ramen without enough broth, typical of beachside restaurants.

Especially yakisoba, because the nori (seaweed) sticks to your teeth and becomes a time bomb that explodes later. I can understand why stylish college girls would avoid ordering it.

"I think I'll have chilled noodles too..."

"I'll have them too..."

And so, Serai-san and Ruu also followed Nina-san's lead and chose chilled noodles. As expected, among these three, Nina-san holds the final decision-making power. By the way, Ruu seems happier to do something [together with everyone else] than to cater to her tastes.

"What will you have, Coach?"

Saying that Ruu turned the menu towards me so I could see it easily.

"Hmm, I was thinking of having chilled noodles too, but I'll go with curry rice after all. Excuse me!"

I raised my hand to call the waiter over. Unless there's something extraordinary going on, it's difficult to make the curry taste bad. Therefore, when in doubt, I choose curry. Curry never betrays me.

After placing my order, we chatted, and the shop called our number soon. I went to the kitchen counter to get our orders.

(Ah, oh, so they serve it like this.)

However, they served my curry rice in a metal aluminum container.

"It smells good, looks delicious, doesn't it?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure, it does."

Ruu, who had come to get the orders with me, looked at the curry rice I had and showed a carefree smile. Well, it's just when I eat curry with a metal spoon from an aluminum container, it feels like my teeth are vibrating. 

Haah. I never thought I would encounter one of the things I dislike so much, right here, along with the sound of scratching a chalkboard.

"Well then! Let's dig in!"

"Itadakima-su!"

As we returned to our seats, the 3 beautiful college girls started eating their chilled noodles with gusto. However, even the bowls they were using for the chilled noodles were made of stainless steel, and at first glance, they just looked like cold noodles.

"What's wrong, Coach? Aren't you eating?"

Seeing me hesitating, Ruka asked suspiciously.

"Well, I like curry, but I'm not very good with eating it from this aluminum container..."

"Oh, I understand that. Ah. Oh, Coach, I think we've had the same thing?"

"Hmm? (munch munch) But this curry tastes delicious?"

As Serai-san and I felt discomfort all over our bodies, not knowing what was going on, Nina-san, not having a clue, picked up a bit of curry rice with her disposable chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

"No, I get it. You'll understand what I mean if you let me feed you some of this curry♪"

With a mischievous expression, Nina-san offered curry to Serai-san and Ruu, encouraging them to try it.

"Huh? What? (munch munch) But it tastes perfectly delicious to me??"

While Serai-san and I were overwhelmed by discomfort, Nina-san, who didn't know what was happening, lightly scooped up some curry rice with her disposable chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

"Well, you see... It feels so uncomfortable. Ah, Ruu-chan, this is cheating..."

"Huh...? (munch munch) But this curry tastes delicious, you know?"

Amidst my discomfort and Serai-san's, Nina-san, who didn't know what was going on, was nonchalantly savoring her curry rice with disposable chopsticks.

.....

[Since we've come to the beach, why don't you two lovebirds go and have some fun, Master and Ruu!]

[Yeah, that's right. We'll stay here and relax, so have fun!]

After breakfast, Sena-san and Nina-san suggested that to us, and it seemed like they had already planned it.

"I see... In that case, shall we take them up on their offer, Ruu?"

"Yes, Coach."

"Have a great time!"

[Shuffle... Shuffle... Shuffle...]

[Step... Step... Step...]

We walked on the hot sand of the beach barefoot. Ruu's footsteps followed mine.

In contrast to Serai-san, Ruu was very shy and introverted. So when we walk together, she doesn't walk beside me but hides about 45 degrees to the left and behind me. However, it's not like she dislikes being with me. Her slightly cheeky act of tugging at a part of my swimsuit and following me is just adorable.

"The sand is getting quite hot."

"Yes, Coach..."

I turned back and spoke to her, and she responded with an extremely cute smile, much like a puppy wagging its tail. Her slightly subdued, pale purple, or maybe pink, one-piece swimsuit suited her well.

(Ah. So this is my girlfriend.)

Under the clear blue sky, I couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.

Ruka is petite and has a baby face, so she could pass for a middle schooler. 

Of course, when you talk to her, you can tell that she has a mature aura that fits her age, so you can see that she's not a middle schooler, but even so, there's still a bit of surprise at the difference between her appearance and her age. 

So, despite being a college student, Ruu visually looks like a middle schooler. Thinking about it that way, I can't help but feel like I've gained something wonderful.

[Splash. Splash. Splash.]

As the ocean approached, I extended my hand toward Ruu, but she shake her head and declined. She's so shy that she's embarrassed by any physical contact, let alone skinship, and she still hasn't attempted to hold hands.

(I'd be happy if we could have a little more physical contact.)

But then again, I'm also a socially awkward otaku, so I'm not better than Ruu when interacting with people. As a result, we end up in a situation where both of us, adults, shy away from even holding hands, and it's quite embarrassing.

If this were an eroge, I'd probably skip this scene.

[Splash. Splash. Splaaashh!]

(Oh!)

As I stepped into the cold waves that surged in, the sand beneath my feet was washed away as the waves receded. It felt nostalgic yet fun.

"It's enjoyable, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's interesting."

Ruu also seemed to find the sensation under her feet amusing, as she smiled in response.