Takeru finally pushed himself out of the water, shaking droplets off his hair as he walked back onto the sand.
Barefoot. Laughing a little under his breath. Clearly way too satisfied with life.
Yuji crossed his arms.
"…You done showing off now?"
Takeru paused.
Looked at him.
Then at the rest of the group.
"…I think so."
A beat.
Then, very casually—
he raised both arms.
Flexed.
Not even aggressively. Just… naturally.
Like it wasn't even meant to be a big deal.
"…Heh."
Silence.
Hakari immediately:
"…OH NO HE'S DOING THE THING."
Panda tilted his head.
"…That's new."
Maki blinked.
"…Why is he flexing?"
Gojo leaned forward slightly.
"…Confidence boost?"
Yuji stared.
"…Why does he look proud of that?!"
Takeru grinned.
Then flexed a little harder.
"…Beach training progress."
Hakari lost it.
"…HE'S TREATING THIS LIKE A TRAINING REPORT!"
Panda sighed.
"…He's never turning off 'growth mindset,' is he?"
Maki pinched the bridge of her nose.
"…Someone stop him."
But nobody did.
Because—
people nearby on the beach had started noticing.
A couple tourists glanced over.
Then looked again.
Then whispered.
Yuji noticed immediately.
"…Uh oh."
Hakari smirked.
"…He's getting attention."
Kirara shifted slightly.
"…A lot of attention."
Gojo, amused:
"…That's what happens when you stand out."
Takeru, meanwhile, didn't seem to realize.
He just flexed once more—smiling now, trying to make his friends laugh.
"…You guys should try it too."
Yuji immediately:
"…NO."
Hakari laughed.
"…I'm good."
Maki:
"…Absolutely not."
Panda raised a hand.
"…I don't think I have the same effect."
Kirara:
"…Hard pass."
Gojo shrugged.
"…Maybe later."
Takeru blinked.
Then shrugged too.
"…Fair."
He dropped his arms, still smiling slightly.
Yuji exhaled.
"…Why is he like this now?"
Hakari grinned.
"…He's in vacation character mode."
Maki muttered:
"…I hate that you're right."
Gojo leaned back under the umbrella again.
"…Let him enjoy it."
And as Takeru turned back toward the group, still smiling—
the attention from the beach slowly faded… but the energy he brought didn't.
For once—
he wasn't a problem to manage.
Just a teenager messing around at the beach.