Page 30 of Sixty Meters Under

“Thank you.” Ryosuke took the paper and examined it.

“Do you have any questions?”

“When will I start?”

“Can you start today? At 13:00? Tomorrow is Sunday. It’s your day off.”

“Sounds good. I don’t have any particular plans for later today.”

Ayame gave him a look, while Anna added, content, “Excellent.”

?

With Ryosuke agreeing to work that day, Ayame would be all by herself the whole afternoon. Her plan to go to the pool together with Ryosuke had come to naught. She definitely didn’t want to stay in the room, so she asked Aki to keep her company again. Although disappointed, she decided not to argue. Now she finally knew their working schedules, she could make plans accordingly.

Aki was very happy to go with her. It took her only a few minutes to get ready. Ayame remembered that she had never been as close to the girl before as she was now. It was only their second visit to the pool, and Aki acted as if they were lifelong friends. At the entrance, they were checked in by the same young man. He greeted them politely and gave them his big smile. “Hello, girls! The number of your reservation?”

Ayame looked at her phone and stepped closer. “125.”

“Gimme a second.” He looked down at the tablet briefly then raised his head. “Great! You can proceed.” His black wavy hair bounced around his face as he moved to the side.

“Thank you!” Young women voiced their gratitude in unison and rushed to change into their swimsuits. Once they were out and ready, they entered the pool.

“Oh! That guy’s here too!” Aki looked towards the young man who was at the other end of the pool. “He looks more handsome today than he did yesterday,” she added with a giggle.

“Aki!” Ayame laughed and poked her lightly with her elbow. She turned and saw the guy leaning against the edge of the pool. His green swim shorts contrasted sharply with his tanned muscles, and his short blond hair was in disarray, probably awork of water from the pool. A hint of a smile played on his lips, as he spoke with someone who swam close by. At that moment Ayame realized that she was also not immune to his masculinity. “Charming.” She huffed, rolled her eyes then turned back to Aki.

“Right!?” Aki exclaimed, her eyes shone as she looked in his direction again.

“Hmm. It seems like he works here, which means he’ll be at the pool almost every day.”

“Yeah. Then I’ll be here every day too,” Aki added dreamily. “I wonder what his name is.”

“The easiest way to learn it is to ask him,” Ayame said with a smug expression. She found herself wondering about this too.

“No. No way! What if he has a girlfriend?”

Ayame rolled her eyes, but she knew she couldn’t blame the girl. She was only nineteen and had been in one short relationship. “So what? You’re not going to kiss him right away, are you?”

“Haha! No!” Aki blushed like a tomato.

“Then why are you overthinking it? Just gather some courage and talk to him.”

“I know, it’s not that hard,” Aki said, a bit unsure about herself. She was convinced that he should be the one to approach her, but that day might never come. “You know what? I’m glad you took me here with you. I wouldn’t dare to come all by myself.”

“What about your new friend? You can go with her too, don’t forget about that,” Ayame reminded her.

“She works this afternoon, so I didn’t have plans to come here.”

“Oh, right. I tend to forget about that. I’m here like we’re on vacation,” she giggled.

“Same here.” Aki grinned.

“By the way, have you been allocated a job yet?” Aya-me asked, genuinely curious.

“Yes, I did! I will work in food production. Checking on the fish tanks and the vegetable and fruit gardens.”

Ayame smiled. “Sounds interesting.”