Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818792436232661037
After getting out of the sea, we headed for dinner. I was starving. Right now, I could eat anything endlessly.
“Barbecue at the beach is a classic, right!”
Kagurazaka was pulling Toka’s hand excitedly. She really likes her, doesn’t she? I don’t envy elementary school kids, but I genuinely envy how she can be so honest about her feelings.
“Let’s eat meat~, I wanna eat meat!”
“Yeah, I wanna eat meat too.”
The old and new child acting prodigies hit it off instantly. Hey, weren’t you two just talking about oysters a minute ago?
“Kaede, make sure you eat your veggies too. You’re such a picky eater. If you keep being picky, you’ll never be like Asahina-san.”
“Gah!”
Kagurazaka-san, that Asahina-san is the picky eater!
She’d never touch those peppers sizzling on the grill right now. Sure enough, the moment Toka saw the grill, she looked away and started fidgeting.
“Wow, that smells amazing!”
The meat sizzled over the charcoal fire. The savory aroma made my stomach growl loudly.
“Meat! Is the meat ready yet?”
Kagurazaka held skewers in both hands, bouncing up and down excitedly. Next to her, Toka desperately ignored the bell peppers, staring only at the meat.
Well, it’d be cruel to make her eat something she hates on vacation, so I guess I’ll let her off the hook just this once.
“Here, it’ll be done soon!”
Kagurazaka’s dad flipped the meat with tongs. Fat sizzled and spattered, sending a wisp of fragrant smoke into the air.
“Your boyfriend will eat a lot too, right?”
“I will!”
“Then I’ll keep grilling. Are you okay with oysters?”
“I haven’t eaten them much, but I’d like to try!”
“Oysters, you know, they’re called the milk of the sea. They’re incredibly delicious.”
Oh, I’ve heard that somewhere before. Is it because they’re so nutritious?
“Ryo-kun, Ryo-kun…”
Toka suddenly whispered to me for some reason.
“What is it?”
“Sea milk… doesn’t that sound kinda… you know…?”
“What are you talking about?!”
I have absolutely no idea what she means! Well, now that she says it, maybe it does sound a bit… but I’m not in elementary school, you know!
“Nee chan, what’s wrong?”
“N-nothing!”
My girlfriend is being worried about by an actual elementary school kid. I feel kinda pathetic as her boyfriend.
“Hey, it’s done!”
Kagurazaka-san’s dad placed the meat on a plate, and Kagurazaka shouted “Yay!” and dug in. Toka cautiously took a bite too.
“…Delicious.”
Toka’s cheeks softened. A tiny bit of meat juice clung to the corner of her mouth.
“Toka, you’ve got something on your mouth.”
“Huh?”
I reflexively reached out and wiped it away.
“…!”
Toka froze for a second. She blinked rapidly, then flushed bright red again.
“Th-thank you…”
“Uh, yeah.”
What was this, this unnaturally sweet atmosphere? Next to us, Kagurazaka shouted, “Flirty barbecue!” and we both frantically looked away at the same time. We really needed to do something about this elementary schooler soon! What was she saying in front of her own parents—
“Here, you. Ahhn.”
“Ahhn.”
…Kagurazaka’s parents were also being lovey-dovey. Tohka watched them with an envious look.
“Ryo-kun, wanna do it too?”
“Watching other people kinda kills the mood, doesn’t it?”
“I kinda get that.”
Even Toka seemed to have her reservations.
“Ahaha, my parents are just super lovey-dovey, you see.”
Kagurazaka said this with a hint of pride.
◇
Fun times fly by, and the sun was already starting to set.
Apparently, the hotel has a dinner buffet later. Even though we’re stuffed from the barbecue, I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of food they serve.
Man, those oysters were delicious though. Oysters eaten in a place like this are that delicious. The meat was plump and juicy, so tasty I could have eaten endlessly. Apparently, you can get addicted, so there’s a limit to how many you can eat in a day. For some reason, though, Toka kept trying to make me eat more and more.
That Toka was now picking flowers. Kagurazaka’s father and mother were preparing the car for the drive. So, I found myself alone on the sandy beach with Kagurazaka Kaede.
“……”
“……”
Naturally, there was no conversation. We just stood there, both staring out at the sea. It wasn’t an oppressive silence, but it felt somehow uncomfortable.
“Um…”
I couldn’t stand the silence anymore and spoke to Kagurazaka. Bathed in the sunset glow, she turned her startled face toward me.
“Wh-what is it?”
The next words didn’t come easily.
Because, on Kagurazaka’s cheeks—which had been so bright just moments ago—were…
“Whaaaaat!? What’s wrong!?”
“Ah, ah… Sorry. I was just thinking how this fun time is going to end.”
Because big tears were streaming down her face…
“Fun time?”
“Yeah, because once this trip ends…”
“Ends?”
“…”
I waited a little, but no more words came from Kagurazaka.
“Ryo-kun, I’m home!”
While this was happening, Toka returned.
“O-onee-chan, welcome back!”
“Hm?”
Toka noticed the awkward atmosphere between us and frowned. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows were now drawn into a frown.
“Were you cheating on me?”
“Of course not!”
“Talking to any girl other than me is cheating. I’ll have to write this down in my training notes.”
“She’s starting with the nonsense again!”
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !