Chapter 4
After the abomination of a car ride Kaori, Sakaki and Tomo had to endure, although Tomo seemed to enjoy it a bit more, Kaori could barely walk without being supported by the taller girl. Luckily, this meant they could be closer again, even if just for a minute. She also couldn't fully complain about the ride itself, as she was pressed up against Sakaki for a good majority of it, especially when Yukari took those criminally sharp turns. Finally in the house and safe from the Yukarimobile, the girls all put their belongings aside while Kaori rested on the floor and Sakaki sat by her just to make sure she didn't throw up or anything from her prone carsickness.
Tomo: as she reappears on the upstairs level of the house, she reveals she was wearing her swimsuit under her clothes the whole time "Today is the perfect day to go on the beach, so lets go!"
Chiyo: "H-hold on! I thought this trip was to help study for exams!"
Tomo: "Oh yeah.... I lied"
Yomi: "That casually?"
Yukari: "Dont sweat it, I think it'll actually be a good idea to get some beach time in before we do any studying, after all you've all been working pretty hard in school and I guess Tomo is also here."
Tomo: "Then it's settled! The first activity of the day is to go to the beach!"
As the other six get their swimsuits on, Sakaki thinks for a second, looking at the state Kaori is in and wondering what the best course of action would be.
Sakaki: "I will stay with kaorin"
Kaori: "wHAAHHHH???1?"
Understandably, this garners an extremely flustered reaction from the girl, and causes her to panic uncontrollably.
Kaori: "W-wait! You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to, I dont want your first day here to be boring!"
Sakaki: "It's alright. I'll just stay with you until you feel well enough to join us on the beach"
As Kaori has another daydream about Sakaki and she wonders if she's actually still asleep at home, the others leave to go to the beach while Sakaki helps Kaori recover, first getting a glass of water to ease her sickness a bit, which Kaori drinks from steadily.
Kaori: "Th-thank you..
Sakaki: "Jeez, you seem really shaken up from that car ride, are you sure you're ok?"
Kaori: "I-I will be, just need some time to steady myself..."
Sakaki: She thinks again for a moment, before sitting right next to Kaori so they're shoulder-to-shoulder "Here, I'll give you something to lean on so you're not lopsided"
This, like most things Sakaki does, leaves Kaori speechless. Was she gesturing to cuddle up until she felt better? No, this is no time for questions, it'll only waste more time you could be spending leaning against your one true love in the world. Kaori immediately leans her head against Sakaki, just trying her gosh darndest to play it cool.
Kaori: "T-thank you, miss Sakaki... I think it's helping quite a bit"
Sakaki: "Hm, dont mention it..."
Kaori: "I-I wont! I promise i wont mention this at all!"
Sakaki: "That's- not what i meant... You can talk about and mention this, but I'm just saying it's not a big deal."
Kaori: "O-oh... Right... Its just, i wouldn't blame you for being embarrassed in this position..."
Kaori starts to look away as her thoughts turn a bit more sour against herself, thinking she's not even close to worthy of this goddess' attention. Before her thoughts can turn too far though, she gets interrupted.
Sakaki: "Hey. Don't think like that. You dont need to be worthy just for me to be around you, we're both human after all"
Kaori: She makes a very shocked expression "H-how did you know I was thinking that??"
Sakaki: "Y-your expression isnt hard to read at all... You're actually pretty transparent when it comes to thoughts."
Kaori kinda blushes and looks in Sakaki's eyes, just long enough to feel like she's in heaven, but not long enough that she'll die. She starts to get short of breath, wondering if she should say something back or just stare at her forever. Unfortunately, the door opens.
Yomi: "Hey guys, are you two alright-?"
Sakaki: "Ah, yeah. Just making sure Kaorin recovers well so she's better for the beach."
Yomi: "O-oh, right. Cuz that's also what it looks like. Anyway Kaorin, just let us know if you want or need anything from outside, I hope you feel better soon."
Kaori: By now, she's blushing so hard she'd get mistaken for an apple. "O-ok will do-"
Despite Yomi's kind words, she secretly hopes she never gets well if this is the result of it.