Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817139558660048790/episodes/16818093078501625397
Somewhere along the line, I started spending a lot of time alone.
At first I thought that one day she would come home.
But my mother was always busy and never came home.
─ ─ Please come home early once in a while!
─ ─ Do you want to go out somewhere?
It’s not that I didn’t complain about those things. Every time I did, my mother would apologise, but she never listened to my requests.
─ Look, I came first in the test.
─ ─ I’m going to be the best at the sports day, so come and see me, okay?
No matter how hard I tried to get my mother to look at me, nothing changed.
She works all the time and doesn’t care about me.
—-I can’t help it, can I? It’s for your sake.
Whenever she comes home and opens her mouth, she always makes excuses like that.
I was fed up with it.
If you don’t care about me that much, then I’ll live my life the way I want to.
It was in the autumn of my first year of junior high school that I made up my mind to do so.
Out of rebellion against my parents, I went out at night and started hanging out with people like that. If I’m with people, I’m not alone. I don’t feel lonely.
In order to plug the hole in my heart that had opened up, I fell into that kind of life.
But that was a mistake. After what happened, that life came to an end. And I became alone again.
In the end, my mother never saw me through to the end.
And she always came home on her own accord and said whatever she wanted.
“From tomorrow, I’ll get a tutor.”
Something changes. I’ve been feeling like that recently, but then I heard it crumble again.
◆
The end of the rainy season, which came with the end of the Suika competition.
These days the rainy season often drags on until July, and it is hot and humid.
And for us students, the testing days continue. That is the final exam before the summer holidays.
If you get a red mark here, you will be in remedial hell during the summer holidays.
For what joy, I have to go to school on this hot day and take remedial classes.
I thought so and studied to avoid a red mark, no matter what it took.
—Results.
“Aaaaah ……aaaah ……”
“…………”
Seeing my friend despairing at the results of the exam next to me, I was filled with feelings of pity.
“Sasaoka…… don’t mind”
“No, no, no! Why! Why am I the only one getting make-up exams! There’s no such thing!”
“You deserved it. It’s Sasazuka’s fault for not studying.”
“Well, that’s right. Good luck with your supplementary lessons, Sasazuka-kun.”
Yuri and Kurase attack Sasaoka who is grieving. There is no mercy.
In the end, the only one who got a red mark was Sasaoka. We avoided the red marks without incident. Even though it was called avoidance, Kurase and Yuuri were at the top of our grade, so they could afford it.
“That’s not …… such a thing, …… and my name is Sasaoka …….”
Serious tears spill from Sasaoka’s eyes as he hangs his head
I’m starting to feel really sorry for him. I can’t help it. I’ll try to cheer you up as a friend here. I’ve had a lot of help from Sasaoka lately.
“But there might be girls coming to make-up classes, right?”
“…..!”
“If there weren’t so many people taking remedial classes, that might be enough to bring you closer together.”
“Are you a …… genius ……?”
A glimmer of hope lights up in Sasaoka’s eyes.
“Yesss! That’s it!!! That’s it!!! God hasn’t abandoned me yet!!!”
As ever, Sasaoka is good and simple. Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better.
“That’s that, it’s summer holiday after all, don’t you want to go somewhere? Preferably on a day when I don’t have make-up classes.”
“……”
“What’s with that dissatisfied face!? Did I say something weird?”
“…… nothing.”
Because summer is about to start, so why should I go out? If I could, I’d rather laze around all day in an air-conditioned room, me.
“Ah, how about the beach then?”
“……”
“Oh, you look unhappy again.”
“Well, a bit.”
This time, I confess my true feelings. Nakashiro came in between.
He approached me with the same suspicious smile as always.
I started getting into a lot of trouble with him at ball game tournaments and other places. The reason is probably because we had a good fight in that match.
I became a favourite of Nakashiro’ and he would challenge me to a 1-on-1 whenever he had the chance.
And on that day, he said something like, ‘There’s no way I’ll let you win,’ but it seems he said that to get me fired up too. He wanted to clash with me at my best.
You basketball junkie. ……
However, he would often talk to me even when it was not basketball-related. It seemed that he was simply interested in me.
“Look, if it’s the beach, it’s nearby, and Kurase, Asagiri and the others would probably want to go out with Ito, too, wouldn’t they? Maybe we could invite Takimoto and the others?”
“I understand Kurase and the others, but why is Suika coming out? She’s in another class, isn’t she?”
‘But she has a reasonably deep relationship with Ito, doesn’t she?”
“No, I don’t have a deep relationship with her …….”
“Haha, I’ll put it that way.”
The black-hearted one …….
When Nakashiro told me that, I remembered her confession that day.
So I still haven’t replied or anything, but I don’t know what to do.
And even with Suika, I just pass her and she turns red in the face and walks past me. ……
This is the challenge for this summer. I have time. This has never happened before. It might be a good idea to take my time and think about it.
As I was thinking this, I felt a gaze coming from somewhere. And when I turned towards that gaze, our eyes met.
“What’s wrong, Yuri?”
“N-Nothing. It’s nothing.”
‘You’re upset over nothing.”
“I said it’s nothing! You’re the one who’s excited by the thought of me and Nanami in swimming costumes, aren’t you?!”
“No, what kind of deception are you trying to do? Kurase next to her, please stop blushing and muttering strange things, okay?”
Kurase is muttering, ‘Ito-kun is seeing me in my naughty swimming costume ……’ and both cheeks are dyed.
I’m not imagining you in a naughty swimming costume.
“Well, let’s all go somewhere together, whether it’s the sea or the mountains. It’s also a memory of youth, isn’t it? Sasaoka is fine with that, too, right?”
“That’s my rival. You understand. The summer holidays are full of events!”
“But first, Sasaoka has make-up classes.”
“……”
He raises and lowers. As expected of Nakashiro.
For some reason, Nakashiro joined the usual members and together we started to plan the summer holidays.
I don’t like it, but as Nakashiro says, this is also a memory of youth. This kind of thing is not so bad once in a while.
And so, we finished the end-of-school ceremony that day and went home.
◆
“Hot ……”
I thought it would be cooler at night, but it is not.
What sounded like frogs croaking could be heard from the rice paddies in the distance. I thought it was breezy, but it didn’t cool me off.
Thirsty, I leave the room and look in the fridge. Of course, it is not a shop fridge, but a fridge that exists in a living space.
“There’s nothing in there….”
But when I opened the door, there was nothing there. The food and drinks, usually packed in a mess, were non-existent.
And that’s as it should be. The reason is that Ayako san, the owner of the house who always does the shopping for us, is not here.
“It feels so spacious.”
Normally, Ayako san would be cleaning up the shop and slurping down the drinks.
The reason is that Ayako has been away from home for two days because she had something to do. Apparently, she won’t be back for a long period of time – about two weeks.
The shop is also going to be closed during that time. She said that if I wanted to open the shop, I could open it myself. She said that she would pay me for that part time job. I’ll open it when I feel like it, just to change the air.
I have money to live on, so the rest of the time I have to live on my own, cooking for myself or whatever.
That’s why I’m the only one in the house now.
“It can’t be helped. Let’s go buy something.”
After making up my mind to do so, I left the house and headed for a vending machine nearby.
“Oh”
As expected at night, the surroundings are quite dark. As it was in the countryside, the electric lights only illuminated almost directly below.
But if you look up at the sky, you can clearly see the twinkling stars.
“Sometimes a night walk is not so bad.”
I muttered something like that and walked on to buy something to quench my thirst.
＊＊＊
“Oh come on, seriously ……”
The sky was overcast before I knew it, as if the starry sky of a few minutes ago had been a lie.
And from there, a drip wet my forehead from the darkness.
From there it was just a moment. In a short time, the downpour continued and I was soaking wet.
＊＊＊
“Weather forecast?”
My future prediction, but it’s an unusual notice.
I went outside to look for a vending machine, but couldn’t find one, so I went for a walk, having lost my aim.
Then I saw a future where I would be drenched by the rain.
Looking up at the sky, it looked as if it was going to start raining soon.
No matter how hard I try, I’m sure I’ll get wet before I reach home.
“What should I do? ……”
As I twisted my head around, I saw a light in the distance, a wonderful shop – a convenience store – that was open even at 22:00.
Feeling like I’ve been saved from the heavens, I head for the convenience store like a moth drawn by the light and enter.
I look outside and see that I’m just in time. It was suddenly raining. After buying an umbrella, I wait in the magazine section for the rain to slow down.
Then, after a while, I went outside, looking at what was going on outside.
Then I saw a soaked person squatting by the entrance to the convenience store.
The lights of the convenience store reflected on her wet silver hair, making it sparkle beautifully, and before I knew it, I was admiring it.
And when I realised who it was, I let out a small sigh.
“…… what are you doing?”
“….. you too.”
There was a silver-haired gal in school uniform – Fujibayashi Sana – who stared at me sullenly.
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