Chapter 227 ā Going to the Pool with Everyone (5)
Soon after, we spotted the three drifting along the flowing pool among the crowd.
There were many people in the pool, but due to Amami-sanās conspicuous appearance and Nozomuās tall stature, we easily found them.
āWelcome back!~ Did you two have a good time?ā
āOf course. We bought some shaved ice on our way here, letās eat them together.ā
āYay~ Iām taking the strawberry one~ā
And so, everyone took one shaved ice each. Amami-san took the strawberry one, Nozomu took the melon one and Nitta-san took the lemon one. We moved to a nearby resting area. There was a parasol set in the center of the table, so we could hide from the sun while we were eating.
āHm? Whatās wrong, Nozomu? You donāt look so good.ā
āHuh? Ahā¦ Donāt worry, itās nothing reallyā¦ā
After I sat down and took the shaved ice that Umi fed me, I called out to Nozomu.
I had noticed something was wrong with him when we met up. Well, I had an idea what was going on, but I decided to ask anyway.
Amami-san then came forward and explained everything to me with a wry smile.
āAhahaā¦ Actually, just before you two came back, a group of people approached us. I think they said they were college studentsā¦ Right, Ninacchi?ā
āYeah. They said that theyāre alumni from our school. Maybe they came back to this town for vacation or something. One of them looked quite cute, but heās too short for my taste, so I donāt really care about him.ā
Ignoring Nitta-sanās pointless rambling, I managed to find out that when Nozomu was around, there were no guys trying to hit on them, but as soon as Nozomu went away, they started appearing.
Though, since Nitta-san was nearby, she was able to successfully brush them off.
āThis girl is with me, back off!ā
When Nozomu got back, he shouted at them like that and made them run away quickly. Nitta-san recounted exactly what he said to them, word by word while chuckling.
āā¦Look, I know I shouldāve come up with something better, but you knowā¦ It was my first time dealing with that kind of situation, so I let the blood rush to my headā¦ā
His face reddened as he tried to explain himself while eating his dessert.
It was both Amami-san and Nitta-san who were being hit on, so what he said back then should be āthose girlsā instead of āthis girlā. But I guess he tunnel-visioned because his emotions went out of control and completely forgot about Nitta-sanās existence.
āIām sorry, Amami-sanā¦ I said something outrageous just now, even though our relationship isnāt actually like thatā¦ā
āJeez, I told you itās fine already, Nozomu-kun! I understand that you were only trying to help us and nothing more. Weāre all friends here, so itās alright, okay?ā
āY-Yesā¦ R-Right, weāre all friends hereā¦ā
Amami-sanās attempt to comfort him ended up doing more damage as he looked more hurt than before. I should comfort him later, poor guyā¦
āAnyway, Ninacchi, you should thank him! Stop teasing him already! You know he was trying to help us, right?ā
āNo, I meanā¦ Fine. Good job, Seki. As a reward, hmā¦ Iāll let you eat my shaved ice.ā
āEw no. How about you leave me alone as a reward?ā
In any case, thanks to Nozomu, we were spared a lot of trouble. After that, we quickly ate our frozen treat as it started to melt.
I rarely ate shaved ice and I had a feeling that if I were to eat it by myself at home, it wouldnāt taste quite as good as eating it together with everyone like this.
If my past self were to see me right now, he would probably mock me for thinking about something cheesy.
Well, even if it was cheesy, I had no problems with it.
āWhatās up, Maki? Why are you smiling?ā
āHuh? Am I?ā
āMhm. Your cheeks are twitching a little. You only do that whenever youāre holding back a smile.ā
āā¦You know me quite well, huh?ā
āOf course, Iām your girlfriend after allā¦ Actually, it was one of the things that your mom told me about youā¦ā
āOne of the thingsā, meant there was more that mom told her.
She knew about my habits that I was unaware ofā¦ I guess Iād never be able to hide anything from her for the rest of my life.
āSo, what are you smiling at?ā
āUmā¦ It isnāt anything important, reallyā¦ I was just thinking that this kind of thing was actually quite funā¦ā
āI seeā¦ā
āMhm.ā
Of course, being together with everyone wasnāt all fun and games, but even so, the memories I made together with them were irreplaceable.
Thanks to them, I managed to learn that.
* * *
After playing in the pool, we went to the amusement park nearby and had a great time playing over there. By the time we finished going on all the rides, from roller coasters to the haunted house, the sun had already set.
Both my energy and wallet were drained, but it was worth it because I had a lot of fun.
Iād probably collapse as soon as I got home.
Rather, I could barely keep myself awake at this point. If I let my guard down, I might doze off and end up at a random station in the middle of nowhere.
We still had to wait for thirty minutes until we could get off at the next station. After that, I still had to escort Umi homeā¦ Ugh, so many things to doā¦
āNnā¦ Makiā¦ā
Like me, Umi was also tired. She was leaning on me, muttering my name in her sleep. Actually, almost everyone in our group was asleep except for Amami-san and me.
āHehe, sheās sleeping with her mouth openā¦ Ah, sheās drooling on your sleeve, Maki-kun.ā
āIām used to it by now. Usually when we slept together like this, she would get her drool all over meā¦ Anyway, you arenāt sleeping, Amami-san?ā
āWell, I donāt feel that tired, thatās whyā¦ Also, I want to watch over Umi at times too, you know?ā
She wiped the drool from Umiās mouth with a handkerchief as she said that. It felt refreshing seeing this scene. Normally, it was Umi who was taking care of her.
āUmi is really cute nowadays~ Well, she was always cute, but ever since she became your girlfriend, sheād gotten even cuter. Did you know that sheād never let me see her sleeping face before?ā
āIs that so? Since weāre on the topic, what was she like back in middle school? I heard stories, but aside from that, I donāt know anything about her.ā
I was talking about before we met, back before she and Amami-san drifted apart.
All I knew about her past was from the stories Sora-san told me. She said that even though she wasnāt as pretty as Amami-san, people still looked up to her and she always became the center of the class because she had a knack for leading people. Aside from that, I didnāt know anything. Umi would always cut Sora-sanās stories short out of embarrassment.
āBack then, I always thought that Umi was a perfect girl. We were always together and she always knew about everything that I didnāt. Iād always wanted to be like her and so I looked up to her a lotā¦ā
I knew the story of how they first met. If I were in Amami-sanās shoes I would have thought the same thing as her.
If only things went on well for themā¦ Actually, if things went well for them, Umi and I would never have met each other as sheād still be in her old school instead of transferring out as soon as she graduated from middle school.
āI see.ā
āMhm! Ah, of course I still feel the same way about her! Also, I donāt blame you for bringing out the normally cool Umiās childish side, so you donāt need to worry about that, Maki-kun!ā
āThe fact that youāre pointing that out makes me feel bad more than anythingā¦ā
It was true that she had been showing more of her childish side, but said childish side was what charmed Nakamura-san and the others. Also, thanks to that, she was able to make up with Amami-san.
That was why I personally thought that this was how everything should be.
I gently stroked Umiās head. Her body moved a little as she rubbed her face against my arm.
I didnāt know what kind of dream she was having, but at least she looked happy.
āIād seen her sleeping face a few times before, but Iād never seen her make such a childish expressionā¦ Is it because of your petting, Maki-kun?ā
āI donāt knowā¦ā
Umi said that whenever she snuggled with me like this, it made her feel at ease.
Honestly, I felt the same way. I guess that made us compatible as a couple, huh?
āI seeā¦ Ah, I know! Try petting my head a little too, Maki-kun! Maybe I can sleep peacefully like her when you do it to me. Umi and I are best friends after all, so maybe you will have the same effect on me as you do with Umi.ā
āWhatās with that logic?ā
Well, we wouldnāt know unless we tried. But still, even though she was Umiās best friend, her relationship with me wasnāt that deep. Besides, I doubt that sheād feel anything from me.
I believe only Umi, who loved everything about me, would feel anything.
āCāmon~ Can you do it for me? I wanna find out~ You donāt need to do it for long, just a few seconds will do.ā
āYou wonāt feel anything if it was that shortā¦ā
That said, if I were to refuse her strongly, the atmosphere between us would turn awkward. With the other three being asleep, it would be hard for us to recover from that. Should I just pat her a little? I mean, it didnāt matter anyway.
āGo ahead~ā
āO-Okayā¦ā
Following Amami-sanās urging, I brought my hand closer to her head.
Suddenly, a certain scene came to my mind.
āā¦Sorry, Amami-san, I donāt think I can do that.ā
Just when my fingertips were about to touch her hair, I gave her my rejection and placed my hand on Umiās head again.
Iād lost count of how many times Iād touched her hair. But it always felt so smooth in my hand.
Iād never touched other peopleās hair, but I loved Umiās hair the most. It felt really comfortable.
āUm, Maki-kun?ā
āSorry, Amami-sanā¦ I donāt think itās appropriate for me to do thatā¦ No matter how close we are or even as a jokeā¦ā
The scene that flashed in my mind was what Umi said to me when we were alone at the pool.
āWhen I saw you sticking close to Yuuā¦ I felt really jealousā¦ā
I imagined myself in Umiās shoes.
Even if she knew that my action had no deeper meaning to it, somewhere in her heart, sheād still feel jealous because of it.
Whatever the reason was, I didnāt want to do anything to make Umi jealous.
āI seeā¦ I guess youāre right, Maki-kunā¦ Iām sorry, I acted out of line againā¦ Jeez, Iām such an idiotā¦ā
āIt isnāt your fault, Amami-san. Iām just too self-conscious about this kind of thing. Youāre still one of my best friends, Amami-san.ā
āNo, no, youāre right, Maki-kun. Umi and Ninacchi always tell me that thereās a certain distance that has to be kept to someone of the opposite s*xā¦ Ahahaā¦ā
Amami-san let out a wry smile as she apologized to me. I guess that was her way to prevent the atmosphere between us from getting worse.
Sheād probably think Iām overly self-conscious, but that was fine. A small price to pay for making Umi happy.
āUm, Amami-san.ā
āHm? Yes?~ā
āUmā¦ Thank you for inviting me out today. It was tiring, but I had fun playing around with Umi and everyone. It was really fun.ā
āY-Yes, donāt mention it.ā
Even though I drew a clear line between us, I still felt grateful to Amami-san for everything. I hope that she lets me off with this and weāll stay good friends in the future too. WIth that thought in mind, our summer vacation was gradually coming to an end.