Vol. 2 Chapter 4 – The Last Day of Summer Vacation

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Around noon the next day, they left the campsite.

Fatigue lingered, keeping the car quiet and Kyousuke was overcome with drowsiness, simply swaying along with the ride without saying much.

And finally, they arrived in front of Ayano’s apartment building.

He exchanged glances with her as she thanked Yukimasa and Chizuko and got out of the car but the events of last night flickered through his mind and the words wouldn’t come out properly.

“What are you doing? You should walk Sasagawa-san to her place.”

Pushed on the back by Chizuko, he reluctantly stepped out of the car.

Even at this hour, it was hot outside, and the contrast with the air-conditioned car made sweat bead up all at once.

“…I-it was fun. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Well, it’s not like I was the one who invited you. I’ll tell Asuka later.”

They exchanged a brief line, and then silence followed.

Amid the awkward atmosphere, they passed through the apartment entrance, got into the elevator, and headed to the floor where she lived.

“Did you forget anything?”

“N-no. I think I’m okay.”

“I see.”

Trading empty words, she opened the door.

Ayano stepped one foot into the entrance, then spun around lightly.

Whether it was because of the heat or something else, her face was flushed red as she bit her lip.

“W-what’s wrong?”

“…Sorry about yesterday.”

“Huh?”

“…I heard about you from Chizuko-san, Kyousuke, and it got me curious. Even though I knew you might not like it, I still said those things. I’m really sorry.”

She spoke with a face that looked like she might burst into tears at any moment, then slowly lifted her head. Forcing the corners of her mouth up, she put on a bright expression.

“I won’t ever ask again, so don’t worry! You probably know since you’ve been helping me study, but I’m actually really good at forgetting things!”

Her cheerful voice, flimsy like a hollow shell, made Kyousuke catch his breath.

He didn’t want to see Ayano apologizing like this. He always wanted her to laugh sincerely. That was the Ayano he liked.

‘But I…’

About his middle school days.

Back when he had just met her, if it had only been a few months earlier, he might have been able to confess everything honestly without holding anything back.

But now, she was someone irreplaceable to him. He was afraid that if he laid everything bare, everything would break and fall apart.

“Once summer vacation ends, your part-time work will decrease, right? Then come over to my place again. I want to watch movies together, eat meals together…”

Saying that, she added,『See you』and went inside.

Was this really okay?

Was it really fine to let summer vacation end like this?

As if being pushed forward by the annoyingly loud minmin cries of cicadas, Kyousuke stepped half a pace forward. He reached out his arm toward the door that was about to close and grabbed her wrist.

“W-what’s wrong?”

“Uh, um, well…”

His body had moved but his mind was completely blank.

What should he do? What exactly was the right thing for him to do?

He had no idea at all, and only time slipped by meaninglessly.

“…H-homework!”

“Homework?”

“Ayano, you haven’t finished your summer vacation homework yet, right?”

“Yeah… that’s true, but…”

“If you want, I can help you with the parts you don’t understand. I don’t have a part-time shift on the last day of summer vacation.”

Praying that Ayano had no plans, he tightened his grip on her wrist.

Whether to go or not, she would normally answer right away, but this time her eyes were filled with hesitation, her gaze wavering.

“Then… I guess I’ll take you up on that.”

Saying that, she once again forced out a smile with all her might.

◇◇◇

“Ughhhh! I don’t get this at all!”

The last day of summer vacation. At the Fujimura household, a detached house.

In Kyousuke’s room on the second floor, Ayano, Sayo, and Kotarou had come over.

Kotarou ruffled his rough-looking blond hair washawasha, putting on full display his allergic reaction to studying. Watching him from the side, Sayo let out a big sigh.

“I’m really sorry, Fujimura-san, for making you deal with this idiot.”

“It’s fine. It’s my fault for not keeping a proper eye on him.”

It was about last night.

Sayo had contacted him, asking him to help with Kotarou’s homework. Apparently, things were in a catastrophic state, and there was no way she could handle it alone.

He thought they had worked on it together at the beginning of summer vacation, but it seemed almost all of it had been wrong.

“But still, you finally had Ayano-chan all to yourself. If you’d like, I can take this idiot back even now…”

“N-no, it’s okay! Shijima-san, please take care of Ayano instead!”

Sayo tried to be considerate, but honestly, for Kyousuke right now, their presence was more helpful than anything.

The night of the camp. Ever since the stargazing, that awkward atmosphere had been lingering.

Even though they had been messaging each other almost every day, these past few days it had been nothing but businesslike exchanges. She hadn’t called him either, and this was the first time they had seen each other since the camp. Without the two of them here, today would have been far more uncomfortable.

“… ”

He suddenly glanced at Ayano.

She hadn’t said a single word, silently moving her pen across the page.

Since Sayo and Kotarou were coming, his own room would be better than going to Ayano’s place. …That’s what he thought when he invited them for the first time, yet she didn’t show any particular reaction.

It wasn’t like he wanted her to make a fuss but the Ayano he knew would have had her eyes sparkling, poking around here and there.

“Fuji… let’s just stop already, this kind of thing.”

Gashi, Kotarou grabbed his arm.

With a completely exhausted face, he forced out a faint smile.

“…We weren’t born just to do stuff like this, right?”

“Don’t say things like a soldier despairing on the battlefield just because you don’t want to study.”

“You know it too! This kind of thing is wrong!”

“You’re still going to keep up that little act…?”

“I just… wanted to have fun playing together with everyone…!”

“Kotarou-kun, if you keep making noise, I’ll start to dislike you.”

“Alright, Fuji! Let’s just get this done quickly!”

Showing a ridiculous quick change in attitude, he grabbed his pen, eyes sparkling like a boy heading to a festival.

Kyousuke had barely begun to admire how he’d finally gotten motivated—

—when, in just an hour, his straight posture wilted like soggy seaweed, bending and collapsing backward.

“… ”

“Hey, Toujou, what are you doing?”

Kotarou suddenly shoved his arm under the bed.

When Kyousuke glared at him with half-lidded eyes, Kotarou put on a serious expression.

“No, I was just wondering what kind of dirty magazines you’ve got, Fuji.”

“I don’t have any, so hurry up and study.”

“Ahh, so it’s digital, huh. By the way, Sayo’s photos are basically my dirty magazines.”

At that disturbingly gross confession, Kyousuke didn’t know how to react, and at that moment, Sayo’s punch drove straight into Kotarou’s stomach as he lay there.

“Please don’t say weird things in front of Ayano-chan.”

Leaving the writhing Kotarou alone, she cast an apologetic glance toward Ayano.

Ayano, meanwhile, was still facing her homework. Without noticing anything at all, she kept moving her pen, which was unlike her and Sayo leaned in to look at her face.

“Hya! Eh, ah, what?”

“N-no, it’s nothing serious but Kotarou-kun was…”

“Ah, ahh. Yeah, I think it’s fine! Yeah, yeah!”

“…H-huh?”

The conversation clearly wasn’t lining up and perhaps Ayano realized that too, as she timidly lowered her gaze and returned to her homework.

『Did something happen?』Sayo looked at him.

Kyousuke averted his eyes and rubbed the back of the groaning Kotarou.

“…Hey, let’s take a little break. I’m not like you or Sayo, Fuji. If I study for one or two hours, I get worn out.”

Hearing the weak voice, Sayo first looked at Ayano.

As expected, she didn’t react, continuing to work on her homework as if she had been programmed.

“What should we do, Fujimura-san?”

“What should we… even if you ask me…”

After checking beforehand, Ayano had about twenty percent left and Kotarou about half. Neither amount was impossible to finish within the day.

“Then, shall we take a break? I’m getting a bit tired too.”

Figuring that words meant to spur him on wouldn’t get through to Kotarou anyway, Kyousuke said it in a tone mixed with resignation.

Kotarou pumped his fist with a『Yossha!』and at that loud voice, Ayano lifted her face again. After being told by Sayo that it was break time, she slowly placed her pen on the table.

“Man, I wanna eat some ice cream.”

“That sounds nice. Ayano-chan, what about you?”

“…Ah, yeah. I guess I want some.”

Seeing Ayano still giving such faint reactions, Sayo furrowed her brows.

Kotarou climbed onto the bed and moved closer to the window, letting out a『Ugee.』

The cicadas were screeching wildly and the sunlight was murderous. This time of day was the hottest.

The nearest convenience store was about five minutes away. Even at the shortest, they’d have to be exposed to the sun for ten minutes.

“Let’s decide with a game. Who’s going to go.”

Kyousuke frowned in annoyance. Ayano and Sayo didn’t seem to follow either, wearing expressions of 『What is he talking about?』

Kotarou looked around the room, spotted a deck of cards on the shelf, and picked it up. Ignoring Sayo’s suggestion of『Let’s just do rock-paper-scissors』he began shuffling with practiced hands.

“When you think about it, we don’t really know each other that well, right? I’m not even in the same class as you guys.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“So I’m thinking we do introduction Old Maid.”

“…Introduction?”

It was very simple.

They would add one element to the usual Old Maid rules.

Every time someone drew a card, regardless of whether they made a pair or not, they absolutely had to answer a question from one of the other three. The longer the game dragged on, the more thoroughly they’d be questioned.

“How is it? Sounds fun, right?”

“You just came up with that, didn’t you…?”

“This person goes all out when it comes to playing.”

At that, Kyousuke shot him a look that said, Put that effort into studying instead, then shifted his attention to Ayano and Sayo. He wondered if they were actually okay with this.

“Even if we say questions, it’s all within common sense, alright? Like, if I asked Ayano-chan for her measurements or something, she’d feel uncomfortable, and more importantly, Sayo would beat me to a pulp.”

“You think you’d get off with just that?”

“…I-if you value your life, you should avoid doing anything stupid.”

Answering ahead of any concern they might have, the two of them looked at each other and nodded, seemingly convinced.

“So no objections, right? Alright, let’s start!”

Taking the cards dealt by Kotarou, they first discarded any pairs they already had.

Kyousuke was left with six cards. At the fastest, he could go out by the third round, meaning he’d only have to answer three questions.

Of course, he didn’t think it would go that smoothly.

“Alright, I’ll go first.”

Around the square table, seated clockwise from Kotarou were Sayo, Ayano, and Kyousuke.

First, Kotarou drew a card from Sayo’s hand.『Alright, you can ask me anything』he said, discarding a matching pair onto the table.

“…Hey, is no one going to ask anything?”

A few seconds passed, but no one spoke up at all.

Since Sayo already knew everything about him, there wasn’t really anything left she wanted to ask, and as for Ayano, she probably didn’t even know what to ask in the first place.

Realizing that the game had already failed to get off the ground, Kotarou seemed to be silently panicking. Unable to help it, Kyousuke raised his hand.

“Hey, Toujou, you’ve got a solid build. Did you play any sports or something?”

Back in spring, he had been wearing winter clothes, so it wasn’t that noticeable, but now in lighter clothing, the contours of his muscles were clearly visible. As a fellow guy, it was honestly an enviable physique.

“I’ve done a bunch of stuff since I was a kid, like karate and soccer. In middle school, I focused only on boxing.”

“This person has even won a national tournament.”

“…You’re actually pretty amazing.”

When Kyousuke praised him honestly, Toujou scratched his head and smiled bashfully.

“Do you still keep it up?”

“Nah, I quit right after entering high school. I still train every day though.”

“That’s a waste. You should’ve kept going.”

“I originally started it to protect Sayo. But because of practice, there were a lot of times we couldn’t be together. And I’m already strong enough now. Unless someone brings a machine gun, I’m not losing.”

He said something straight out of a shoujo manga with a completely serious face and for some reason, it made Kyousuke feel embarrassed instead.

Sayo’s cheeks turned crimson as she protested,『Please don’t say weird things in front of Ayano-chan!』

“Next! Let’s move on!”

Forcefully cutting off the topic, Sayo drew a card from Ayano’s hand.

At that moment,『Yes!』Kotarou raised his hand. Sayo looked at him like she had just seen hair clogged in a drain, then gestured for him to go ahead.

“How much do you like me?”

“I don’t like you. Alright, next.”

Crushed by the merciless answer, Kotarou slumped.

Ayano gave a wry smile as she drew a card from Kyousuke. Before she could even discard the matching pair, Sayo’s right hand shot up high.

“Please tell us your dream!”

“M-my dream?”

“Are you aiming for Paris Collection? Or maybe acting? With you, Ayano-chan, you could totally go to Hollywood!!”

With an excited snort, Sayo leaned in and Ayano smiled awkwardly.

Seeing that, Kyousuke felt a complicated mix of emotions fill his chest.

She doesn’t know.

She doesn’t know that Ayano is actually passive when it comes to work.

He didn’t know about acting jobs but at least when it came to modeling, she would quit someday. She probably didn’t even want to go to the Paris Collection.

“Hm, a dream, huh…”

“Yes!”

“…I’m not really sure about a『dream』so maybe more like a goal, or a wish? I mean, it’s really nothing special, so you might be disappointed.”

Despite putting up a strong preemptive disclaimer, Sayo nodded her head vigorously.

Ayano’s cheeks flushed with hesitation, and then she took a soft breath.

“I want to be carried in a princess carry at least once.”

At the unexpected answer, Sayo’s eyes went blank.

“Well, you see, I’m pretty tall, right? I’ve even grown taller since spring. And my weight is… well, it’s not exactly light either…”

“I-I see…”

“So I think it’d be difficult for someone to give me a princess carry.”

In terms of weight, Kotarou was probably heavier due to muscle mass, but Ayano was a few centimeters taller. Even in school, it was harder to find someone taller than her.

Without considerable strength, you might be able to lift her, but you wouldn’t be able to hold her. At the very least, Kyousuke didn’t even have the confidence to lift her.

“Hey, Fuji, hurry up and draw already.”

“Ah, right…”

The cards didn’t match, meaning four or more rounds of questioning were now guaranteed.

Still, judging from the current flow, it didn’t seem like anything serious would come up. He hadn’t been that worried to begin with, but whether he won or lost, it felt like things would end on a good note.

“Umm…”

A few seconds passed.

It was Kyousuke’s turn to be questioned, yet not a single person raised their hand.

“I-if there’s nothing, that’s fine too…”

Sayo and Kotarou both looked at Ayano, as if they had silently agreed on it.

The person in question kept her eyes glued to her hand of cards, showing no sign of opening her mouth, nor any movement to raise her hand.

“Ayano-chan?”

“Huh? M-my turn?”

“Not that…you can ask Fujimura-san something!”

“…Does it have to be me?”

According to the rules, it didn’t have to be her at all.

But the two of them were certain that Ayano would be the one to ask Kyousuke something. Kyousuke himself had expected her to ask him something as well.

Perhaps sensing the intent behind the three pairs of eyes on her, Ayano slowly raised her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly.

It was clearly written all over her face that she wasn’t eager to do this, and Kyousuke’s stomach tightened painfully.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“…Black, I guess.”

“Thanks.”

And that was it.

Just that.

Lowering her hand, Ayano turned her gaze toward Kotarou as if nothing had happened, as though urging him to start the second round already.

“W-wait a second!”

Saying that, Sayo suddenly stood up.

With a hint of impatience visible behind her glasses, she looked back and forth between Kyousuke and Kotarou.

“I-I can’t hold it in anymore! I’m sorry, but the two of you go buy it together!”

“Huh? But then the game—”

“That works! Alright, let’s go, Fuji!”

Kotarou grabbed Kyousuke by the collar and dragged him outside the house.