Mid-August.

In the middle of summer vacation, with the relentless buzzing of cicadas burning into the eardrums, Aoi and I came to the largest leisure pool in the city, escorted by my mom.

"Sh-Shizuku-chan... Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Aoi came running out of the girls’ changing room.

She was wearing an adorable, princess-like swimsuit decorated with pale pink frills.

Her golden-thread-like hair was tied up in a bun to keep it from getting wet, which suited her fair skin perfectly.

"Yo. That’s really cute, Aoi. It looks great on you."

"Ehehe... thank you! I picked it out with my mom just for you, Shizuku-chan!"

When I praised her honestly, Aoi’s face lit up as she hugged my arm tightly.

"A-And... Shizuku-chan, you’re, um... really cool..."

Aoi looked up at me with upturned eyes, her cheeks flushed.

As for my swimsuit today, instead of something frilly and cute, it was a sporty navy-colored separate type 'a rash guard and shorts-like design'.

After strongly insisting that “frilly stuff is absolutely out of the question,” my mom reluctantly gave in and bought it for me.

But that ended up highlighting my current ‘abnormal potential’ even more.

Long limbs that seemed far too slender for a six-year-old.

A high waistline.

A straight posture with no excess fat at all.

Combined with a glossy black ponytail tied high like a samurai and mysterious purple eyes—even just standing poolside, I gave off the refined aura of a kids’ model in a sports brand photoshoot.

"Really? Well, it’s easy to move in, so I like it. Looks like my mom saved us a spot, let’s go."

"Okay!"

We held hands and headed toward the lazy river pool.

...Along the way, adults around us 'especially women' glanced at me and whispered things like, “That kid looks so cool...” and “She’s definitely going to be an insanely beautiful woman in the future...,” but I didn’t pay it any mind.

After stretching and rinsing off under the cold shower, we finally got into the pool.

Floating along while holding onto an inner tube and letting the current carry you—that was a summer pleasure that hadn’t changed since my previous life.

"It’s so cold! It feels great, Shizuku-chan!"

"Yeah. Nothing beats being in the water in summer."

As we enjoyed the cool water peacefully—"Oh my. What a coincidence, Nanase-san. To meet you at such a commoner’s pool."

Suddenly, a familiar haughty voice came from above.

Looking up at the poolside, there stood the red-haired queen—Hojo Anju—wearing a chic and elegant black-and-white swimsuit 'a slightly mature sailor-style design', arms crossed.

A little distance away in the shade, her usual attendant maid was standing by.

"Oh, it’s you, Anju. You came to swim too?"

"I-It’s not that! As a member of the Hojo family, I’m here as part of a social studies observation of how the general public spends their summer, purely by coincidence—"

Anju rattled off a classic tsundere excuse at high speed.

For something that was supposedly a coincidence, her gaze was fixed directly on me.

"I see. Well, whatever. Since you’re here, let’s swim together. Here, I’ll give you a hand, come on down."

I moved to the edge of the lazy river and extended my hand toward Anju on the poolside.

Anju’s face turned bright red instantly.

A black-haired girl looking up at her from the water.

Wet hair clinging to her cheeks.

Purple eyes sparkling as they reflected the sunlight.

That outstretched hand wasn’t the casual contact of two six-year-old girls—it was completely the gesture of a ‘gentleman offering an escort.’

"I-I can get in on my own! ...But if you insist, I suppose I could let you help me."

Turning away with a huff, Anju timidly placed her small hand in mine.

I firmly held her hand and gently pulled her into the water.

"Careful. It’s slippery, so watch your step..."

At that moment.

A group of upper elementary schoolers who had been fooling around came splashing past us at full speed.

"Whoa!"

"Kyaa!?"

They kicked up a huge splash and slammed into Anju’s shoulder as she stood at the edge.

Losing her balance, she began to fall face-first into the water.

—My reflexes from my previous life kicked in instantly.

"Whoa, careful!"

I pulled Anju toward me while wrapping my other arm around Aoi’s shoulders, shielding both of them as I took the splash head-on.

Splash!!

"...Tch, that hurt. They shouldn’t be running by the pool."

Soaked from head to toe, I wiped the water dripping down my face and muttered.

In my arms were Anju and Aoi, clinging tightly with their eyes shut.

"You two okay? You didn’t swallow any water, right?"

When I spoke, they slowly opened their eyes.

And what they saw was—me, drenched from head to toe.

My high ponytail had come undone and stuck to my back.

I brushed my long bangs back with my hand, slicking them into an all-back style.

Wet black hair that looked even more alluring.

Droplets running down my pale, slender neck.

And a slightly furrowed, overly handsome expression as I looked down at them in concern.

Inside Anju and Aoi’s minds, something snapped past its limit.

'W-What is this ikemen?!!'

'Shizuku-chan is so cool, so cool, so cool , so cool!'

Already standing out in a swimsuit, and now adding the unfair move of slicked-back wet hair.

On top of that, the overwhelming sense of protection from pulling them close to shield them.

In this insane 1:15 world, the boys who just acted entitled while being worshipped could never pull off something like this.

The girl in front of them—their same-sex peer—was the coolest and most reliable “prince” in the world.

Their instincts understood it completely.

"Hey? You two are bright red. Did you hit your heads or something?"

As I leaned in to check, Anju let out a cute yelp.

"Hyaa!"

She jumped away from my arms.

"I-It’s nothing at all! I’m perfect, so something like that is nothing!"

"Sh-Shizuku-chan... can I stay close to you a little longer?"

A tsundere backing away with a flushed face.

And a yandere pressing closer to my arm like she was in a daze.

Seeing their opposite reactions, I let out a wry smile.

"Hey, both of you are getting cold. Let’s get out for a bit. I’ll go buy some hot lemon tea, so wait under the parasol. Girls shouldn’t let their bodies get cold."

Using the same gentle tone I used with female coworkers back in my office days, I calmly advised them.

"...Okay. I’ll be waiting, Shizuku-chan...♡"

Leaving behind Anju, who looked like steam might start coming out of her face, and Aoi, who had completely turned into a lovestruck maiden, I headed toward the snack stand.

* * *

—Meanwhile, under the parasol.

During the few minutes it took for me to get the drinks, the red and gold duo engaged in a bloody cold war of mounting claims like “I was saved first” and “No, I was held tighter.”

Of course, I had no way of knowing.

The pheromones scattered by the walking, oblivious yuri-instigating machine burned hotter than the midsummer sun, continuing to scorch the heroines’ hearts.