The wind was warm as it blew Haruna’s hair into her face; and for the hundredth time she considered cutting it short like Noa had. If she weren’t so scared of her mother’s reaction she probably would have by now. She snuck another sidelong look at Noa, watched the way her finely shaped tusks showed as she smiled out to sea. The surf was gentle at Tataku beach, lapping softly at their sandals as they walked the shore. Noa’s beautiful magenta skin practically glowed in the sunlight, reminding her once more of how inadequate her own plum complexion was.
“Want to swim out to the rocks?” Noa said as she pointed at them out among the sandbar.
Haruna jumped at the chance to get her crush undressed, “Sure! I’ve got towels, mother was weirdly insistent about it actually.”
Noa laughed, “Well it’s probably going to be the last good swimming day of the year, and I bet she expects us to go looking for the monster too.”
Haruna frowned, “Are we?”
Noa was already undoing her kimono, “Why not? You know the story, of the fishermens’ wives?”
Haruna felt her skin flush darker, partly because Noa was now half naked, and partly at the thought of the illustrated scrolls they’d surreptitiously read.
She undid her own kimono at a much slower pace, “They’re just stories, if there is a monster it’ll probably just drown you.”
A sly grin broke out across Noa’s face, “Well if they’re just stories, then there’s no reason not to is there? Unless you’re scared?”
Haruna scowled, she could see what she was doing, and she hated that it was working. She folded up her kimono and left it with the rest of her things, striding past Noa with a show of confidence she didn’t feel. Once the water reached her hips she slowed and looked back, relieved to see Noa was right behind her.
As they resumed walking side by side she was once again struggling not to stare. Their onsen trips over the last few months had grown increasingly difficult for Haruna, there was just so much of Noa. She’d acquired a well padded figure that left Haruna feeling gangly by comparison. Touching herself thinking about those thick thighs wrapped around her head was now a nightly ritual, and the need to grab a handful of her softly bouncing breasts was at times overwhelming.
The water deepened and the pair had to begin swimming, propelling themselves steadily towards the rocks. The shore rose up again as they drew close, allowing them to wade once more. By the time they had reached the rocks the sand surrounding them was only intermittently awash.
“What did I tell you? Nothing to worry about,” said Noa as she stood dripping upon the wet sand.
Haruna tried to squeeze some of the water from her long black hair, “Yes, you were right, I know. Now what?”
Noa was already turning to walk away, “Let’s go around the far side, see if anything interesting has washed up.”
