Beachside Confessions

You sat in silence as the waves slowly moved back in forth all around you. The night air was cold but not uncomfortable as you felt the breeze against your exposed skin. You were sitting on a rock outcropping near the edge of the beach. Today you and the gang had filmed the beach episode of the Hologram anime, featuring Mio, Fubuki, Matsuri, Shion and the certain purple and blue haired girl that you were the manager of. In all honesty it was quite awkward at first. You were actually one of the only men on the filming site, so being around the sheer amount of beautiful girls dressed in revealing swimsuits made your head spin. Even your fellow manager A-chan had a cute two-piece swimsuit, though you could tell that she was quite embarrassed wearing it. As time went on, however, the awkwardness faded off and you joined in on the fun. But even then, there was still someone who you couldn’t get off your mind…

Minato Aqua.

That stupid onion that had abruptly entered your life. You had briefly remembered seeing her in the swimsuit during the shopping spree incident. But seeing her in that outfit, on an actual beach on a bright summer day… the sight almost took your breath away. You couldn’t even look her straight in the eyes without forming a massive blush across your face. But the way you saw her glancing at you and blushing as well, you could see the feeling was… mutual? But why? Sure, you were wearing a swimsuit as well, but you were her manager! You weren’t even that built, the lack of muscles or mass pointing to that fact. So it begged the question… was she… was she interested… in you?

There was no doubt in your mind that you liked the girl. Her ‘Baqua’ moments, all the time you’ve spent together, the amount of times you helped each other out… there was no way someone could go through that and not form a strong bond. But something like love? Being boyfriend and girlfriend… it was too out of the question. You were just some low level tech support guy who got lucky, dating someone as prestigious as an idol sounded so preposterous it almost made you laugh. But maybe there was a chance? Even as dense as you were, even you couldn’t miss the signs. The amusement park. When she was sick. Her over-the-top reactions whenever you provoke her. Her openness with you about almost everything going on in her life…

You heard footsteps behind you that broke your chain of thoughts. You quickly turned to see that certain onion you were just thinking of  was sheepishly walking towards you. You felt your heart stop. Aqua was still dressed in her bathing suit, but had a loose sweatshirt covering her body. Her hair was ever-so slightly swaying with the wind as she approached you. Her cheeks were tinged red as she kept her face to the ground and twiddled with her thumbs. As she stopped beside you, an uncomfortable silence filled the air as the two of you kept your eyes looking out towards the ocean. You mentally sighed. She must’ve had the same questions on her mind as well, but didn’t have the courage to ask them. You commented about her wonderful performance during the days filming to break the silence. Looking around to her you could see a large pout on her face before she shyly looked away.

“Mouu, Manager-san… please don’t embarrass me... even more than I already am…” Aqua quietly said while she squirmed a bit under your gaze. You stupidly asked her what brought her out here late at night, already having a feeling you knew the answer in your heart. But you already had a wonderful relationship with the girl that you didn’t want to ruin by doing something stupid, so you wanted to make sure before doing anything rash. Her blush intensified as she took a seat right next you, your shoulders rubbing together as she pressed up against you. Your breathing hitched as she turned to face you dead in the eye. There was a sense of determination you could feel from her purple eyes as they gazed into your own.

“There’s something… I’ve been wanting to tell you… I’ve been too afraid to tell you because… b-because…” Aqua said but seemingly couldn’t finish it. You told her that it was fine and that you wouldn’t judge her, so she should be completely honest with you. Before she did anything she took a deep breath in and closed her eyes for a brief moment. But after they opened, she did something that you never thought she would do. Aqua leaned forward and pressed her lips against your own. Your mind blanked. The shy girl who could barely talk to strangers… took the initiative… and kissed you. Square on the lips. And she continued to do so for a few moments. You wrapped your arms around her small body and pulled her close as you leaned into the kiss. For what seemed like forever the two of you stayed that way until the need for air forced you to pull apart. Both of you panted as you just stared at each other. It seems she was just as surprised as you were. Was she afraid that you would reject her advances? You shook your head. That didn’t matter now.

“I’ve… I’ve been waiting… for so long… to do that with you…” Aqua said in a voice just barely above a whisper. She leaned against your chest and wrapped her arms around you while she looked up. Her eyes were teary but there was a bright smile plastered across her face. Brighter than any other smile she had ever shown you. Even more so than that first precious moment you had when you went to fix her streaming equipment.

“I-I… I love you… Manager-san….”

You felt the world pause around you. She.. loved.. you? The words made your head spin. Even more so than the fact she had just kissed you. Even though it should’ve been apparent by this point, it still didn’t lessen the shock. The world famous dorky idol… the ‘Baqua’ you had come to know so far… loved you. You could only smile and nod, affirming your own love for her. The two of you stayed close for a few more hours, enjoying each others company as you gazed throughout the night sky together. It was in those moments, those precious moments, that you learned another thing about Minato Aqua…

...That you loved her very much.

Lifeguard Aqua OVA:

You were taking a bath while enjoying some music after a long day of working at the Hololive office. Currently you were at Aqua house after you had discussed some of the details for the Hololive anime’s beach episode filming tomorrow. You had asked if you could borrow her tub for the evening as yours was getting fixed, and she surprisingly agreed. Before you even had the chance to ask her, however, she had bolted from the living room and ran into her bedroom without saying a word. Aqua was surely a strange girl.

At that moment, you heard the door open and that stupid onion walk into the room. She was wearing a life-guard swimsuit and a board. Her entire face was flushed red as she stood by the door, trying to look cute as she did a pose.

“L-Looks like you need a l-lifeguard!” she blabbed out as she walked towards you. But as she moved she didn’t notice the puddle of water on the floor and slipped. The poor onion fell hard on her butt and dropped the lifeguard board. You could only sigh and shake your head at the girls antics. As you had thought before...

...Minato Aqua was a very strange girl.