I (30), Who Works for a Black Company and Died While Regretting My Gloomy Life, Started Over From High School!
Chapter 90: Short Break at the Beach House

As the morning passed and we had played around in the sea, we decided to have lunch at a beach house. At that time, Shijouin-san’s excitement exceeded our expectations.

“A beach house! A real beach house! I’ve never seen one before in my life…!” she exclaimed.

From the moment she stood in front of the restaurant, Shijouin-san’s eyes sparkled as if she had encountered a cherished cultural heritage. When she sat on the tatami mat around a low table, her excitement only grew.

“Wow! Wow! Just like in manga, sitting on tatami! And this nostalgic atmosphere with the fan spinning and the lively ambiance… Oh my, it’s amazing!”

Her childlike enthusiasm was endearing, and we all smiled at the sight. Observing Shijouin-san’s joy and innocence, we couldn’t help but feel like protective adults bringing their little sister or daughter to play.

“Haruka’s beauty combined with her innocence is just unfair… If she were my daughter, I’d definitely spoil her,” said Fudehashi, sighing as he watched Shijouin-san’s innocent exuberance.

Hearing that, I was reminded of Tokimura-san, who dotes on his daughter. “Come to think of it, with that cuteness, she probably used to say things like ‘Yakisoba is really delicious!’ and ‘Daddy, I love you!’ when she was little. No wonder he’s so crazy about her.”

While lost in my thoughts, the food we had ordered arrived promptly. On the table were grilled corn, takoyaki, grilled squid, and yakisoba – classic dishes that are always perfect. The aroma of soy sauce and sauce wafting from the dishes stimulated our already hungry stomachs.

“Wow…! These are all my favorites! It’s irresistible when I’m this hungry!”

“Yeah, I remember you enjoying festival food like this at the school festival.”

“Hmm… I didn’t know that about Haruka even though we’re friends. You really know a lot about her, huh, Niihama?”

“Umm…” I mumbled as I turned my face away, trying to hide the heat on my cheeks.

It seemed that the mischievous look on Fudehashi’s face was not limited to teasing just me – it’s something common to all girls.

“By the way, Haruka, is it really okay for you to eat so much? Won’t it be hard to diet later?” Kazamihara asked, witnessing Shijouin-san’s hearty appetite.

“Oh, umm, yes. Even if I eat a lot, I don’t gain much weight. So I haven’t really done any dieting…”

“Wha…? How can your body be so cheat-like!? Does all the nutrition just go to your breasts or something!?”

“Wait, what!? You have that body without doing anything!? I have to run like crazy in my club just to burn it off! That’s not fair!”

“Um, I-I’m sorry…?”

Shijouin-san apologized with a troubled expression as Kazamihara and Fudehashi expressed their envy with cries of admiration. Well, it’s not just those two; any woman would probably feel the same way – envious of having such a perfect figure without any effort.

(…I need to stop this. Stop thinking about Shijouin-san in her swimsuit.)

Now, during lunch, everyone was wearing a hoodie or a cover-up over their swimsuits. However, the angelic and alluring image of her in a swimsuit kept flashing back in my mind.

(Ah, seriously, calm down, my desires! When I was a workaholic, I was always so busy that my interest in the opposite sex diminished with age… But now, with this puberty-fueled body, my male instincts are way too strong!)

Trying to distract myself from my own thoughts, I took a bite of grilled corn and washed it down with cold cola. The carbonation made a popping sensation in my parched throat, clearing my slightly hazy mind.

(…Whoa! Wait, Ginji! Why are you crying? What happened?)

Suddenly, when I looked beside me, my closest friend, Ginji, was silently shedding tears while watching the three girls chatting animatedly.

“Ah, sorry… It’s just that… It’s unbelievable and so happy to find myself here, playing at the beach and having lunch with the girls like in an anime… My eyes are getting watery. My heart is so full that I can’t even taste the extra-saucy yakisoba…”

“So, that’s how it is…”

Ginji’s current state resembled that of a teary-eyed girl during a graduation ceremony, truly overwhelmed with emotion. Earlier, his head was spinning from being teased by the girls, but now he seemed like he could say, “I have no regrets in this life.”

“Even so, don’t cry so sadly… Well, I totally understand your feelings, though.”

Even as the one who came up with the idea for this beach trip, I can’t believe I ended up in a situation straight out of a youth anime.

I carry the experiences from my past life as an adult, which gave me a slight advantage in studying and persuading people, but it didn’t help me in making friends or being popular with girls.

(That’s why I kept trying to get closer to Shijouin-san with reckless tactics… I never thought it would lead to expanding my circle of friends.)

The result is indeed a consequence of my actions, but it’s also thanks to the four people, including Shijouin-san, in this group who were open to accepting me.

After all, from their perspective, I suddenly changed my personality one day and became so assertive that it’s not surprising if they found me creepy.

Despite my incomprehensible changes and my recklessly driven youth revenge activities, everyone in this group has positively embraced me. They recognized the qualities I cultivated over thirty years of my previous life.

Having experienced the cesspool of terrible people at my former workplace in my past life, I truly appreciate how fortunate I am to be surrounded by such great people now.

“You, of all people, must have found my transformation the creepiest, but you laughed it off from the beginning… Seriously, I’m grateful.”

“Huh? That’s pretty sudden, but what’s the problem with a friend becoming brighter? Well, anyway… You shouldn’t overeat and take naps too much. You need to stay awake and active in the afternoon too.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

As the voices of the girls teasing each other echoed around us, Ginji brought up something I couldn’t quite understand.

“You know, both Kazamihara-san and Fudehashi-san and I are cheering you on.”

“Huh??”

He said something with a hint of ambiguity, and I couldn’t help but tilt my head, unsure of its meaning.

(TLN) Please… please tell me…