It's both summer and birthday, nice.
"What's a good summer outfit?" I ask during lunch at Ryu's place.
"Can't be that hard, can it?" Yu asks back. "What are you thinking of wearing?"
"Something simple, something breezey, maybe-"
"Are you serious with that?" I glare at Yu for giving that suggestion.
"Yusei is right, though." Ryu answers as he joins us with iced tea. "Why should you feel embarrassed about being shirtless in public?"
"Because I'm shirtless? in public?" My face is still in its miffed state.
"I don't think I have the looks for that."
"Nonsense," Yu responds. "You definitely look like someone who's hiding something good under that tank top of yours, and if you're confident enough to wear a tank top outside of work..."
"You're just a few steps away from going shirtless in public, even if it's for a beach."
"Really now? It's like I'm showing more of myself than I want to."
"You'll be fine. How about this, lift up that tank-"
"There's no one else here, Jun, just your two fellow teachers — Akashi says he'll come, though — and I'm a childhood pal, there's nothing to worry about."
"Fine, if you also join me in this, this birthday party at the beach was your big idea after all."
"Plural, all the other teachers planned for this." Ryu adds, with Yu turning to him. "What? It's not a surprise party."
Yu turns back at me. "Show us what you have first."
"Here goes nothing." I nervously hold onto the bottom hem of my tank top, and slowly but surely lift it up to the point where my stomach is in full view. Given the lack of change in their reaction, I may not be lacking in this department.
"The ladies would go crazy for that, man!" Ryu grins. "You definitely don't need to worry about what shirt to wear."
"Or if you forgot to get a spare on your way to the beach." The two chuckle at what Yu says. "You know what? I just thought of something. Put your head on the table.
I shrug and take my head off, placing it on the table to face where my body will be standing. "Should I go all out?"
"It's like you know what's up. Go for it."
I go back to the spot, and with trepidation on my face take off my tank top, the lack of anything on my neck making things slightly easier. "I look like a mannequin."
"They'll be looking at your body long enough not to realize it doesn't have a head on." Ryu snickers. "You pretty much have the perfect body, Jun, all it needs now is a head."
"Yeah, if you can go around town carrying your head like it's a basketball, going to a beach without a shirt is a piece of cake."
I walk to my head and put it back on. "There, does it look any better?"
"It's definitely complete." Ryu answers. "I do notice how your face doesn't seem to match your body. Shouldn't be too much of a problem."
"Okay, I've done my part, now you two."
The two are more than willing, with Yu showing off first. Safe to say that neither of them are any more or less notable than I am.
"We'd look great together as a group like this." Yu comments. "If you're with us, you don't have to worry about grabbing too much attention."
"Hey guys, what's-" Akashi barges in to us three about to get dressed again. "Jun's birthday party isn't until Saturday, right?"
"Just in time!" Yu exclaims. "Come on, take it off."
We couldn't help but laugh.
Fully clothed again, we snack on some fries while we wait for Ryu to come back.
"So we're heading to this beach?" I ask.
"It's the closest one with lodging we can stay in." Yu answers, circling the spot on a printed map. "It's the only one; they developed the beach itself."
"Who's coming, by the way?"
"There's you, me, him, Ryu, uh, did Sayori confirm?"
"She did. So did Midori." Akashi answers.
"I think that's everyone, the others said no."
"Who's going to bring the food?" I ask while I get some food for me.
"Ryu will, as usual. If that won't cut it we'll buy at this KFC here."
"Faaaaan-cy. By the way, my car's not big enough for all of us, not counting strapping you on the roof.
"I'll deal with that myself." Ryu comes back with more grub. "The vehicle I bought is about to arrive tomorrow
"A van, should be enough to fit every person and cargo inside."
"Cargo. We're not going to bring a lot, right? Just the food, and whatever games you'd bring."
"Everything will fit, and you'll even have some leg room in the van."
"When it comes to Jun leg room is pretty wide, so ya gotta be precise." Akashi says. "What are you going to wear to the beach, Jun?"
"What you came into should probably answer that, or not." I rub the side of my neck. "I guess I'll be wearing beach shorts, just beach shorts."
"Yeah, the beach is the perfect place to show that physique without getting arrested. You'd do yourself a disservice by hiding that in your usual tank top."
"Forget about the shirt," Yu joins back in. "Do you even have shorts?"
"They're all indoor, I'll probably buy a new pair tomorrow, anything can work."
The next day after work, I head straight to the nearest clothes store in the middle of town.
"Good evening!" A salesperson greets me.
"Do you have any blue beach shorts?" I ask.
"They're over here, sir." She points at a rack of shorts. I thank her and head to the rack to start scanning. I find a few candidates and bring them to the fitting room.
The fitting room's mirror is a full-length mirror tacked onto the wall. I stare at my reflection for a while readying myself to try on some shorts. After some pondering, the only way to assess which shorts will fit me best is to wear them without a shirt. I take my shirt off, and as it sometimes happens, my head gets snagged off my neck, and I flail around a bit until I grab my head, pull my arms off, and then take my head out of my shirt.
Only then do I remember that I forgot to lock the door, because by the time my shirt's off and my head in my hands, the door opens and a lady screams at the sight of me, almost causing me to let go of my head.
"I'm so sorry!" I hold my head up to my neck, then immediately reattach it. "It's my fault, I forgot to lock the door."
The woman, who's about my age, looks at me from top to bottom, and with her being shorter than I am it's rather noticable that she has no idea where to look at. "Wow, is that really your body? I think I saw you holding your he-"
"This is also my head, miss." I point at my head. "I won't have any other head I can steal, right?"
"Yes?" She gives me a confused look, then averts her gaze before returning to me. "Could you, do, that... thing again?"
"This?" I take my head off again, holding it just beside my chest. "Or do you want me to do it like this?" I hold it beside my neck.
"You really look like two different people that way." She comments, and silence follows. "Um, I'll just wait for you to be done." She sidesteps out of sight.
I finally lock the door, staring at my bare torso reflected by the mirror, then my own face. I guess they have a point about that. I have three shorts, all blue, all reaching above the knee, differing only in design. The assessing doesn't and shouldn't take long, and decide on getting the one with a gradient from sky blue to light blue; it doesn't end on white at the very least.
With my final decision in hand, I leave the fitting room, and the woman from a while ago bows at me in apology. "I'm sorry about what happened, sir."
"It's fine, I wasn't paying attention myself."
"I must say, I wouldn't have known what you have under that sweater."
She giggles a bit before giving a final bow and duck to the fitting room.
I shrug it off and finalize my purchase.
"Hey, Jun," Yu drops by my place. "Do you still have that omelette pan?"
"Yeah, it's collecting dust in my kitchen, I'll just grab it."
"Got anything for the party?"
"Shorts. Just the shorts."
"Now we're talking. Lemme see them."
I show him the shorts, fresh off the bag.
"Of course they're blue." He chuckles. "When it comes to you it's always green and blue."
"Says the guy with the same shirt for work." I hand him the pan. "Do you even have anything for the party yourself?"
"Glad to know I'm not alone in this."
"You're already good enough on your own, I promise. Well, I gotta go back and make dinner, see you tomorrow."
After Saturday classes, the invited folks immediately go to Ryu's place to get things ready, and I find out what Ryu's new ride is: a Delica.
"So that's what drive to the beach?" I struggle to carry the gifts I get from those who aren't joining us
"That's the one." Ryu proudly answers. "More than enough for us."
"If it works, it works." He shrugs. "And it will also be used for business purposes. Today is for leisure, though, so let's get moving, guys."
Taking my birthday boy spot at the passenger seat, we are on our way to the beach. About half an hour later, we arrive at the beach resort, a nice slice of coast filled with people and a good number of establishments.
"After we find our spots, let's get our gear ready." Ryu heads the hunt for a spot and finds us a nice covered table just by the entrance of a bazaar-looking marketplace.
Fully settled in, Yu jumps in with the opening remarks: "Let's see what Jun's gonna be wearing, you can't just go on like that in here, you know."
"That's what we're waiting for, right?" Sayori asks in wide-eyed anticipation.
"Fine, if that's what you want, I'll change. Don't get too excited." I leave off to the nearest changing room, get changed and come back in my new shorts, showing my shirtless body in its full glory. "Here it is."
"Nice shorts!" Akashi exclaims.
"Looking good!" Ryu adds.
"Hey, let's not forget the most surprising thing of it all," Midori interjects. "You've been hiding that under a sweater for so long?"
"What do you mean?" I awkwardly rub the back of my neck.
"You, excuse me, you have a great body!"
"Don't even bother with having your head on, the girls will be too busy staring to notice."
"Stop it, will you?" I approach the gang's table after the impromptu exhibition. "Do you guys really think I'm that hot?"
"Yes." A unanimous decision.
"Really? I just don't think I have the right type."
"You do, just take our word for it." Sayori says, not exactly reassuringly.
"Enough of this chit-chat," Akashi cries out, "Let's get wet!"
We rush to the changing rooms, and after I wait by the doors, everyone's ready. Then we head to the shore, though along the way I feel my head getting yanked by someone.
"I'll show you what I mean." I can already see that she's diverting from the group to a row of beach chairs.
"Okay, how are you going to explain carrying a head around?" I ask as she lays me down on a chair. She covers me with a towel.
Meanwhile, my stands along with the rest of the gang, and in less than a minute I notice a couple of girls taking a good look at my torso, one of them's even holding a phone. Then a quick shift up to my neck surprises them. I fully face them and give them a slight wave.
"You're getting some attention now, huh?" Yu elbows me a bit. I awkwardly rub the back of my neck. "They're about to talk about the headless hottie they saw, I'm sure about that."
"Did you bring the volleyball?" Ryu asks Yu.
"Here." With the volleyball in hand, we walk to a volleyball court.
The first game is between us boys as Sayori goes away to find Midori. A quick drawing of lots (Ryu always has those ready) pits me and Ryu against Yu and Akashi. It's not exactly professional stuff, but quite a number of people are watching, thanks to the spectacle of a headless beach bod playing volleyball with his pals.
Not a pause in the game goes by without someone wanting to take a picture either of me or with me. I can't tell them anything and I don't want to reject their requests so the photoshoots keep coming, solicited or not.
With a game finished, the two girls finally return, with Midori carrying my head. With that the attention just stays on me, probably astonished at seeing me reattach my head. I expected that being back in one piece would stop the looks, I guessed wrong. At least no one is approaching me for photoshoots.
With the girls in line, we have Yu and Ryu match up against them first as a bit of boys versus girls before a 3-on-3 where Sayori joins the two against the rest. The people still staying are definitely only watching for the game.
After all that gaming we watch the sun set for a bit before rushing back to our table for some dinner. On the way to the beach we bought a bucket from a KFC.
"Did this come with any drinks?" I ask in the middle of laying down the items.
"This." Ryu pulls out a large bottle of soda. "It's probably not enough for us, there must be a convenience store here for us to get a second bottle."
"We can look for it if you want." I say.
"I'll join ya." Akashi volunteers.
After a short walk, we lay our eyes on a convenience store, and enter it without any issues whatsoever; the AC isn't set to frigid.
I buy another of the bottle of soda and a bag of chips while Akashi has already bought some gashapon tokens. I pay out at the counter, trying to act like I'm used to buying at a convenience store without a shirt on.
Once we leave, I ask Akashi, "Of all the places to do that,"
"They only sell these things in select branches, especially this," He pulls out a CD.
"That's some dedication."
After all that we return, the others already having their meals, so we quickly join in, and after all the food, each one of them gives their birthday gift to me. All in all the day went well, and I don't feel as bad about others seeing my body.
We all change back to clothes more appropriate in a city and head back home. I open all my gifts after crashing into my apartment and call it a day.
The next school day after classes, a student approaches me as I walk by the field, phone in hand, "Sensei, is this you?"
Indeed it's a picture of me at the beach, "Yeah, that's me."
Other students crowd around her and without fail all go "Ooooooh!"
"I didn't know sensei has such great-"
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