I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

“Guys! I’m back!”
Ryuji, who had gone to buy ice cream, returned about five minutes later.
Maybe because everyone was parched after running around on the beach, the girls who had been chatting in the sand all rushed over to pick an ice cream.

“Yu-seong! Come grab one too!”
“Yeah.”
At Rika’s call, I stood up and walked over.

Everyone else had already picked theirs, so what was left in the bag was a Garigari-kun and a Papico.
‘Well, either’s fine.’
I grabbed the Garigari-kun.

Naturally, the remaining Papico made its way toward Ryuji’s mouth.
In the sweltering summer heat, ice cream eaten at the beach really did taste like heaven.
I didn’t lick it delicately—just crunched it down bite by bite, and before I knew it, only the stick was left. I smacked my lips regretfully, and just then, Sasha, who was eating a Giant Cone, offered,

“Yu-seong, how about you play a round this time?”
“Me?”
I looked at Ryuji.

He said he’d stay and watch the bags, so I should go ahead and play.
“Alright.”
Backing out too much in a setting like this would just kill the fun vacation mood, so I accepted their offer without resistance.

We’d rested enough. Time for beach volleyball to resume.
Same teams as before, except I was filling in for Ryuji’s spot.
Before the game started, I made just one request.
“Just make sure the ball goes airborne.”

Despite her literary-girl appearance, Yaguchi—surprisingly athletic—nodded cheerfully.
“Got it.”
Even the class rep, who had been the weak link last round, nodded like she could manage that much.

Then, with Sasha’s serve—the winning team from the last round—the game kicked off again.
She used her long limbs to launch a signature long serve.
“My ball!”

Yaguchi, who was in the back by position, shouted as she dashed in and bumped the ball up lightly over her head.
I’d been watching like a hawk, waiting for my chance, and immediately leapt up to spike it.
Wham!!

I’d controlled my strength, so the ball slammed down with normal speed.
“Kh!”
Karen dove to try to save ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ it, but her arms were just a little too short—it barely missed.

As we scored the first point, Sasha frowned in frustration.
I’d noticed before—she had a crazy strong competitive streak.
Since we got the point, the serve changed sides. I caught the ball Karen tossed and gave it a light toss upward.

At that moment, Sasha moved in swiftly.
For a moment, I was distracted by how she looked like a sleek panther, but I quickly realized—
Karen was nowhere to be seen.

Just as I jumped to block, I locked eyes with Sasha, who grinned triumphantly—then, hiding in her shadow, Karen suddenly leapt and spiked the ball off rhythm.
Wham!!
A flawless combination.

Sasha’s fake-out had worked perfectly.
Yaguchi tried to scramble and receive it, but the ball had already hit the sand.
The score was tied again—1:1.

“Don’t underestimate me, Kim Yu-seong.”
Yeah, this wasn’t someone I could beat while going easy.
Her blatant provocation made me change my attitude—no more holding back.

***
It turned into another heated battle, but in the end, our team came out on top.
As strong as Sasha and Karen’s combo was, the fundamental hardware difference couldn’t be ignored.

They’d chased us closely through the rally, but once I got a read on their attack patterns at the end, I landed a string of points and secured the win.
Final score: 15–12.
It was just a friendly match, but we played it almost like a real one, so both teams were completely exhausted.

Probably the effect of playing two consecutive matches.
I, on the other hand, had only played one game and still had plenty of energy left—but for the others’ sake, we decided to take a break.
“I’m hungry. How about we get something to eat?”

At Karen’s suggestion, everyone agreed enthusiastically.
We’d snacked a bit on the bus in the morning, but it was about time our stomachs emptied out.
We brushed off the sand stuck to our bodies and headed to the nearby beach house.

***
Beach House
A type of pop-up eatery commonly seen at Japanese beaches.

They usually sell yakisoba, curry, and a variety of hot bar snacks and shaved ice. The common trait is: expensive and not very tasty.
But as the saying goes, “Hunger is the best sauce.” When you're starving, anything tastes good.
We hadn’t done any serious swimming yet, but after all the running and playing in the sand, everyone had worked up an appetite.

There were a lot of us, so we split between two tables and ordered whatever each person wanted.
Even when we first arrived, I noticed—the beach seemed especially packed today.
Just as I was wondering why, my eyes landed on a flyer posted on the wall.

“The 17th Onjuku Swimsuit Contest?”
Of course something absurdly romcom-like had to pop up.
Just then, the store owner walked by fanning himself and said,

“Hey, are you here for the contest too?”
“Huh? Me?”
I was thrown off by the sudden question and asked back, but the owner just nodded like no further explanation was needed.

“It all began seventeen years ago! This swimsuit contest was started to revitalize our beach—and it’s become a legendary event among surfers everywhere…”
As the owner launched into a sudden flashback monologue, I stared blankly, unsure how to respond—until a young waitress came over and bowed deeply.
“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! My dad’s always like this!”

But despite her apology, the shop owner clenched his fist and continued:
“Listen! A true man can’t resist a woman in a swimsuit! And men from all over the country gather here so they don’t miss their chance to show off their manliness!”
It felt like the narration of some old-school youth drama as he began reciting the history of the swimsuit contest with blazing passion—then suddenly locked eyes with me.

“I don’t know much else, but I’ve got an eye for talent! You’ve got what it takes to stand at the top of this year’s competition! So how about it—will you enter?”
“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! My dad’s one of this year’s sponsors, that’s why he’s like this!”
Hearing the daughter’s continued apologies, I finally grasped what was going on.

So basically, they want me to enter the swimsuit contest?
“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”
I politely turned down the shop owner’s suggestion.

More than anything, entering a contest would cut into time I could be spending with my friends.
Time was already limited on this trip—there was no reason to waste it on a contest like this.
Rika, who had been watching our exchange with interest, chimed in.

“C’mon, why not give it a try, Ryu-chan? Looks like the prize money’s pretty generous.”
At her words, I glanced back at the flyer without thinking.
First place: 100,000 yen.

In other words, if I won, I could completely recoup the expenses from this trip.
Honestly, it was tempting. But factoring in the time and effort, I decided it still wasn’t worth it.
Once I firmly declined, the owner gave my muscles one last longing glance before backing off without pressing.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem like the clingy type.
Soon after, our food arrived, and we all dug in, filling our empty stomachs as we chatted and laughed.
***

After finishing our meal at the beach house, we decided to go for a swim.
Of course, not everyone actually knew how to swim, so some people rented tubes.
Satoru, who said he was going hunting for girls, was still missing in action. But no one felt the need to drag him back—so we just played our way.

“Ah! That’s cold!”
Close to the shoreline, the girls splashed each other with water, laughing.
Droplets scattered across pale skin, and their soft… assets bounced all over the place in time with their vigorous movement—it was a sight that fed the eyes in all sorts of ways.

“Pffft!”
With my snorkel gear on, I plunged into the water, taking in the world beneath the surface.
Shells and coral scattered along the seabed, fish of all shapes and sizes swimming about—it truly drove home that this was a summer trip to the sea.

Eventually, I lifted my upper body from the water, and right in front of me, the class rep floating on a tube stared at me, startled.
“What’s wrong?”
She pointed at me with a flushed face.

“Y-Your shirt got soaked…”
“Ah.”
I’d worn a T-shirt so I wouldn’t make others uncomfortable, but it clearly backfired.

Soaked to the bone, the shirt clung tightly to my body and had long since lost all its function.
Just then, Ryuji, who’d been playing in the water with Yaguchi nearby, caught sight of my back and shouted in horror.
“G-Ghost!!”

Hearing that, I hurriedly relaxed my body.
That was something I’d heard a lot at the gym showers from other members.