Chihiro
is recovering well thanks to his ability, but he might want to refrain from
doing "that" today.
Thinking
that it depends on Maria and Riko's intentions, he went to school.
Today
is the last day of school, so it only has half a day.
After
arriving at school and attending the ceremony, the homeroom teacher gave the
students a reminder in HR and that is it. Since there is no active work to be
done, there is nothing particularly troublesome.
「Hey,
why don't we go to karaoke now?
「Karaoke
in front of the station?」
「Sure,
but it's going to be really crowded there today」
**a
After
school, the classroom is crowded with students who are enjoying their summer
vacation.
Shibahou
Academy also has a summer vacation. During the summer vacation, students can go
back to their parents' home, or stay in the dormitory if they live there.
Also,
the school is open to the public during the summer vacation. Even in a normal
high school, there are club activities and make-up classes, but for Chihiro and
the other [Lost Item], it is very important to have access to the school's
training grounds.
After
all, although some of them are going to home, play and do homework, but some of
them are going to make plans for training.
「I'm
going to to use this opportunity to focus on my training」
「Haha.
As expected of Kamishiro」
Perhaps
because the number of people in the classroom had not decreased, Chihiro is not
able to go home immediately today.
And
as he got up from his seat with his luggage, Maisaka caught him and forced him
to join the conversation.
「Izumi-kun?
Are you going back to your parents' house?」
「Well,
I'm going back in a couple of days, but mostly I'll be training」
Originally,
Chihiro's parents' house is not that far away. But it's not convenient for
commuting to school, after all, it's enough for a day trip.
In
this day and age, he can contact each other by cell phone, and his mother is
the only one living at home. Her sister, who is working, is probably too busy
to come home, so when he returns, it will be just him and his mother. If he
stays too long, he might end up making her feel uncomfortable.
...Well,
he didn't say that much about the situation.
Kamishiro
nodded deeply and gave Chihiro a refreshing smile.
「I
see. Then, let's see the results after the vacation」
「...Yeah」
Chihiro
replied to him, staring at his toned body.
Kamishiro
Yuuki is Chihiro's goal. Part of the reason why he wanted to spend his summer
vacation training is to catch up with him.
Rather,
if he just spends this summer aimlessly, Kamishiro will surely go much farther.
And.
As
they stared at each other, Maisaka's light voice interrupted them.
「Ohhh,
it's hot. I mean, Kamishiro, I'm inviting you to hang out at least once. Let's
go to the beach」
The
slightly tall and slightly handsome class member is apparently more interested
in enjoying his youth than working out. Well, in his case, brain work is more
important than physical training, so it is not impossible that what seems to be
just a fun activity is actually useful for gathering information.
When
Maisaka tapped his shoulder, Kamishiro narrowed his eyes.
「Sea,
huh? Certainly swimming isn't bad... but why me?」
「Izumi
isn't as dumb as you, and he should have something to play with. Or do you want
to come with us, Izumi?」
「Haha.
No, you two have fun」
Chihiro
and Kamishiro don't hate each other, but they're not exactly friends. If they
spend too much time together, they might become choked up.
「Well,
I wouldn't go out with just the two of us. Come on, Kamishiro, who do you want
me to invite? ...Wait, don't tell everyone. I know who you want me to ask out!」
「No,
I haven't said anything yet, have I?」
Chihiro
faded away from the scene, leaving the two of them to continue their rambling.
When he went back to his seat to lift his luggage.
「Aren't
Izumi-kun and the others going out somewhere?」
A
voice came from beside him, urging Chihiro to stay.
The
voice was gentle and reassuring, but with a faint tinge of bitterness.
The
seat right next to him. Maria with a clear face, Riko with a "caught"
look, and Aika with a smile are sitting around the desk.
「...Umm...」
Aika's
eyes seemed to be telling him to sit down, so Chihiro sat down in his seat.
Though
he didn't have the guts to look her in the eye, so he was just guessing.
「I
haven't decided yet, probably」
What
had she meant by "Chihiro and the others" earlier?
Unable
to make a decision, Chihiro gave a safe answer. In fact, it's not a lie that he
hasn't decided yet.
『What
are Izumi-kun and the others going to do during the summer vacation?』
『...Come
to think of it, haven't we talked about anything?』
When
Maria told Chihiro about it, it was really just because she remembered, and
didn't contain any special heat. Heard that Maria herself is not going back to
Hokkaido, but is planning to stay at her apartment.
『It's
too much trouble to go back to Hokkaido. I'm not too old to miss my parents』
So,
she said, Chihiro and the others can stay here as long as they want.
『I
see. Well, maybe that sounds like you』
Riko
said she'd be back home for a few days. She's going to talk to her parents
about moving out of the dorm.
『Then,
Chihiro? When will you come back?』
Perhaps
because Riko doesn't want to leave Chihiro and Maria alone in the apartment,
she said that they should make plans together to go together. Therefore, the
return trip itself is scheduled for the Obon season, but there is nothing to be
said about fun.
**b
「Hmm.
So, are you going to relax at home?」
Just
the three of them.
It
sounded like a small word added to the question, or was it his imagination?
...unexpectedly.
Chihiro
couldn't control the urge and made eye contact with Aika.
Aika
reacted with a twitch.
But
she wouldn't look away, and Chihiro could feel her annoyance. With her fluffy
hair and clear eyes, he was momentarily bewildered by her emotions, which did
not suit her kind heart.
Surely,
the cause is Chihiro.
As
if drawn by this thought and Aika's annoyance, a sudden feeling popped into his
head.
「Takatsuki-san」
「What?」
「Would
you like to go somewhere together during the summer vacation?」
「Eh?」
Aika
blinked.
Riko
mutters a small, “Heh~” and Maria's jet-black eyes turn to Chihiro. Meanwhile,
Aika blinks repeatedly, chewing on what she's been told.
At
the end, the words that escaped from her pretty lips were.
「Why?」
She
said.
With
a straight face and a flat voice. As if it were a simple question.
Honestly,
it nearly broke Chihiro's heart.
「Why
do I have to go out with Izumi-kun? Why would Izumi-kun ask me out? 「
There's
a slight difference in meaning, but it's not likely to be interpreted
favorably.
Maybe
Aika doesn't like him after all. Even though he thought so, Chihiro answered
with all the energy he could muster.
「It's
because I want to go with Takatsuki-san... Is that not good enough?」
「......」
Aika
again paused in her answer.
After
a few seconds, she smiled and said.
「umm,
no」
Maria
exhaled and averted her gaze. As if she had lost interest in the whole
exchange, she narrowed her eyes at an unidentifiable location.
Riko,
on the other hand, remained silent and looked at Aika's face.
（...What's
the difference in their reactions?）
But
Chihiro look into Aika's eyes.
Aika
was still smiling at him, but in fact she was angry inside. Not with a boiling
heat, but with a prickling anger.
However,
being stabbed repeatedly with prickly thorns is more painful in a way than
being burned in an instant.
「So,
Izumi-kun, where are you going? The beach, the mountains? Or the pool? A
fireworks festival? What do you want me to do if you take me to those places?」
The
thorn pierced him.
「...Are
you going to do the same thing to me that you did to Riko-chan?」
Those
are the decisive words.
Fortunately,
so far, the noise in the classroom has not changed. No one seems to have enough
time on their hands to pay attention to Chihiro and the others.
It's
only a matter of time, though.
「Takatsuki-san,
if people hear that...」
Chihiro
is going to say, "They'll get the wrong idea".
「Shut
up!」
She
let out a sigh, not even trying to hide her annoyance.
「I
can't be bothered by that right now」
「Takatsuki-san,
what's the matter with you?」
Riko
says, rather happily, and Aika glares at her.
**c
「You
don't understand, Riko-chan」
「Maybe」
The
blonde girl cowered lightly, and Aika turned her gaze to Chihiro again.
「What
do you say, Izumi-kun?」
This
is what Takatsuki Aika is like.
This
is what she looks like when she's truly lost her composure, when she's
dominated by frustration and anger. She doesn't care about her surroundings,
she only wants to achieve her own goals.
...Well,
there's nothing wrong with that.
She
can be kind to others because she can afford to be. Aika is a human being, and
she cannot be so pure as to think only of others when she is in pain.
Chihiro,
who pushed her into a corner, has nothing to say about it.
He
just felt a little happy that Aika had shown him the ground.
But
then, he takes a light breath.
And
after making sure that no one around him is paying attention, he says to Aika
in a voice just loud enough to reach her.
「Yes.
I want to hold Takatsuki-san」
「...」
Aika
took a small gulp.
She
turns over and squeezes her fist against her chest.
Then
she looked up and said something even more outrageous.
「Okay.
Then... I'll go with all the girls around Izumi-kun. Whenever at the beach, in
the mountains, at the pool」
Chihiro
felt that he is losing track of the girl named Takatsuki Aika.
Thanks for reading...
