As the three swam and splashed around in the pool, Aoto was finally starting to relax. The playful teasing and friendly competition with Rika and Matie had helped him ease into the moment. But just as things seemed to be going smoothly, fate decided to throw another curveball his way.

Rika, in her usual boldness, was swimming toward Aoto, planning to splash him as a playful gesture. But as she came closer, something went wrong—her slingshot swimsuit shifted in just the wrong way, and before anyone could react, it slipped completely out of place.

Aoto's eyes widened as he saw... well, everything.

There was a brief moment of silence in the pool as Aoto froze in shock, his face turning redder than it had ever been. His mind scrambled to process what he'd just seen, while Rika herself paused, equally stunned by what had happened.

But true to her nature, Rika was quick to recover. Despite the deep blush creeping up her cheeks, she smirked, trying to hide her own embarrassment by leaning into her usual teasing. "Well, well, Aoto," she said with a playful grin, her voice light but with a noticeable tremor of embarrassment, "enjoy the view?"

Aoto's brain short-circuited. He stammered, his eyes darting anywhere but at her. "I-I didn't mean to! I didn't—" He couldn't even finish the sentence, his face burning.

Rika, now adjusting her swimsuit back into place with a quick motion, laughed, though the laughter was tinged with nervousness. She was clearly trying to brush off the moment, but the pink tint to her cheeks gave her away. "Oh, come on, Aoto. You're acting like you've never seen a girl naked before." She swam closer, her teasing continuing even as she tried to play it cool. "Though, I gotta say, I didn't expect you to get such an eyeful today."

Aoto groaned, splashing some water onto his face, trying to cool down his mortification. "Rika, seriously, that was an accident! I didn't mean to—"

She cut him off, waving a hand dismissively, though her blush deepened. "I know, I know. It happens. But you've got to admit, you're blushing pretty hard for someone who wasn't interested."

Aoto buried his face in his hands, wanting to sink beneath the water and disappear. "I wasn't—it just happened!" He wasn't sure how much more embarrassment he could handle.

Meanwhile, Matie, who had been swimming nearby, heard the commotion and looked over, her expression shifting between concern and confusion. She hadn't seen what had happened, but from the looks on both Aoto and Rika's faces, she could tell something awkward had just gone down.

"What's going on?" Matie asked, swimming over to the pair, her eyes flicking between them.

Rika, ever the queen of turning an awkward situation into a teasing opportunity, gave Matie a wink. "Oh, nothing much. Just a little wardrobe malfunction, and Aoto here got a front-row seat."

Matie's face went red in an instant as she pieced it together, and she shot a quick glance at Aoto, who was still trying to disappear into the water from sheer embarrassment.

"Oh... oh no," Matie mumbled, her hands covering her own face in embarrassment for both Aoto and Rika. "Rika, seriously?"

Rika shrugged, her usual confidence slipping just a little. "Hey, it's not like I did it on purpose." She glanced back at Aoto, her voice softening slightly. "Look, Aoto, don't worry about it, okay? It was an accident. You saw a little too much, sure, but... we're cool."

Aoto finally peeked out from behind his hands, his face still red but starting to calm down. "You're sure? Because I really didn't—"

"We're cool," Rika reassured him, though her smirk was more genuine now. "Just don't make a habit of it, okay?"

Aoto gave her a nervous chuckle, finally feeling the tension ease a bit. "Yeah, no plans on doing that again anytime soon."

Matie, still blushing furiously, swam between them and gently splashed some water at both Aoto and Rika. "Let's just... let's pretend that didn't happen, okay?"

Rika laughed, the sound light and genuine now, though she still couldn't resist one last tease. "Only if Aoto can stop blushing every time he sees me now."

Aoto groaned, but he couldn't help but smile. "No promises."

It was then Aoto tried out a waterslide there. As Aoto reached the bottom of the waterslide, he splashed into the pool with an unexpected tug at his waist. For a split second, he felt the cool water on places it definitely shouldn't be touching. His swimming trunks had slipped off, floating lazily around his knees as he resurfaced.

Without panicking, Aoto quickly yanked his trunks back up, glancing around with a calm, though slightly embarrassed, expression. He wasn't as flustered as he had been earlier with Rika's wardrobe malfunction, but he still thought to himself, "I really should buy a new pair of trunks. These are clearly done for."

However, as Aoto adjusted his trunks back into place and made sure everything was secure, he noticed something odd. Matie, Rika, and several other girls around the pool had frozen mid-action, their faces turning a deep shade of crimson as they stared at him.

Matie, usually so sweet and composed, looked like she might combust. Her blush stretched all the way down her neck, and she was biting her lip, trying to suppress her flustered reaction. Her eyes had widened in surprise when she first saw what had happened, but now they were unfocused as if she had drifted off into a daydream.

A similar expression crossed Rika's face. Despite her usual confidence and teasing nature, even she seemed momentarily at a loss for words, her gaze lingering on Aoto with a mixture of curiosity and, much to Aoto's chagrin, amusement. A slow, lazy smirk began to spread across her face as she recovered from her initial shock.

Several other girls nearby, who had witnessed the scene, blushed just as hard. Some were giggling quietly among themselves, while others—those with a bit more nerve—smirked at Aoto, clearly enjoying the brief show.

Meanwhile, Matie and Rika stood there, their expressions slowly shifting from surprise to something deeper. Both of them, lost in their thoughts, began to imagine what their futures with Aoto might look like. It was subtle at first—a fleeting daydream of Aoto as a father, playing with their children.

For Matie, the image was tender and sweet—Aoto holding a baby in his arms, smiling down at the little one with love in his eyes. She imagined seven or eight children, all laughing and playing in the yard while she stood by his side, content in the warmth of their family. Her blush deepened, and she brought a hand to her chest, feeling her heart flutter at the thought.

Rika, on the other hand, daydreamed something a bit more... chaotic. She imagined Aoto surrounded by at least fourteen kids, all with a mischievous glint in their eyes—just like hers. Aoto, exasperated but still smiling, tried to wrangle the kids into order while Rika lounged nearby, teasing him about how he'd never keep up with her children. The thought made her chuckle, and she found herself smirking even more.

Back in reality, Aoto noticed the awkward silence that had settled over the group. He glanced at Matie and Rika, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, you two okay? You look... distracted."

Matie snapped out of her daydream with a start, her face now bright red. "W-What? Oh! Yes, I'm fine! I just—um—nothing, Aoto. Absolutely nothing!" She waved her hands in front of her, clearly flustered.

Rika, always quick with a retort, gave Aoto a wink. "Oh, we're fine, alright. Just thinking about the... future." She grinned, clearly enjoying his confusion.

Aoto, now feeling like he was missing some crucial piece of information, just sighed and shook his head. "Whatever that means..." he muttered, though he could still feel the heat rising in his cheeks.

As he made his way back toward the edge of the pool, he couldn't help but notice the lingering glances from some of the other girls. He sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck. "Definitely getting new trunks," he mumbled to himself.

Little did he know, for Matie and Rika, this day had sparked a whole new set of fantasies about what the future might hold—with Aoto as the centerpiece of their growing families.

Later that evening, Aoto found himself in the boys' locker room, the echoes of the day's events still bouncing around in his head as he dried off. The quiet hum of the locker room was a stark contrast to the chaotic but fun day he'd spent with Matie, Rika, and the others at the pool.

He slung his towel over his shoulder and looked at himself in the mirror for a moment, running his fingers through his wet hair. Despite the embarrassing moments—like his wardrobe malfunction—he couldn't deny that he'd had a good time. Still, the way Matie and Rika had both daydreamed after seeing him, well, exposed, had left him a bit flustered. It was like he could feel their thoughts whenever they stared at him after that.

As he slipped back into his school uniform, fastening the buttons of his shirt and pulling on his pants, Aoto sighed, letting the lingering tension ease out of his shoulders. He felt good to be dry again, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there were still a few eyes on him, even though he was alone in the locker room.

His mind drifted to Matie and Rika, wondering what exactly had been going through their heads when they'd looked at him earlier. He blushed slightly at the memory of their reactions, especially since they weren't exactly subtle. They weren't the type to shy away from teasing, but this time it had felt a little... different.

What's with them today? Aoto thought, shaking his head with a small smile. And why do I keep thinking about it?

Just as he was pulling on his jacket, the door to the locker room creaked open. Aoto turned his head, half-expecting one of the guys to come in, but instead, he saw Rika's head poking through the doorway.

"Yo, Aoto," she called out, a mischievous grin plastered on her face. "You almost done in there? Matie and I are waiting for you outside. Thought you'd gotten lost or something."

Aoto raised an eyebrow, slightly confused as to why Rika would be in the doorway to the boys' locker room but not surprised by her boldness. "You know this is the boys' locker room, right? You're not supposed to be here."

Rika just waved it off, stepping a bit farther in with her arms crossed. "Yeah, yeah, I know the rules. But rules are boring. Besides, I didn't come all the way in, did I? You decent?"

Aoto chuckled, shaking his head as he zipped up his jacket. "Yeah, I'm decent. What's up? Why the rush?"

Rika smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "Matie wanted to grab some food before we head back to our dorms. I told her you'd probably take forever drying off or whatever, so I came to check on you." She gave him a once-over, her eyes twinkling with her usual playful energy. "Plus, I wanted to make sure you weren't too scarred by today's events."

Aoto groaned, rolling his eyes. "I'm fine, Rika. I was more worried about you after that... malfunction earlier."

Rika snorted, her grin widening. "Oh, don't worry about me. I recover fast. And besides, you weren't too traumatized, were you? From the way you were looking, you seemed to enjoy the show." She winked, clearly relishing his discomfort.

Aoto blushed but quickly shot back, "Yeah, well, it wasn't exactly how I imagined my day going, but I'll survive."

Rika laughed, pushing off the doorframe and gesturing for him to follow. "Come on, loverboy. Matie's probably wondering what's taking us so long. Let's go grab some food and call it a day."

Aoto grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, nodding as he walked toward the door. "Alright, alright. Let's go before Matie starts imagining me drowned in the pool or something."

Rika gave him a sly grin. "Or maybe she's imagining something else. You know she's been thinking about you all day, right? It's kind of cute, actually."

Aoto stopped mid-step, his blush deepening. "Rika, seriously, don't start. She's just a friend."

Rika raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, Aoto. Anyway, let's go. I'm starving."

As they exited the locker room together, Aoto couldn't help but feel the familiar warmth of camaraderie, despite Rika's constant teasing. The evening was settling in, and the sky outside was painted with soft shades of pink and orange. Matie stood by the entrance to the pool building, smiling as she saw Aoto and Rika approaching.

The three of them headed off toward the school cafeteria, the laughter and teasing continuing as the night grew darker. Aoto felt a sense of peace wash over him, knowing that no matter how chaotic things got at CherryWood Academy, he had friends by his side to make the experience unforgettable.