Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622176550308690/episodes/16818792437673856333
“Eeh?! You have to bring your own floaties for the water slide here~!?”
Suzukita-san’s scream, a mix of shock and disappointment, echoed through the already noisy pool area.
We’d moved to the indoor pool, but what greeted us there was a sign reading ‘Please bring your own floaties.’ …It must have been different before. Had they renovated?
“It can’t be helped, Suzukita-chan. It’s a bit far, but they seem to rent them over in that building. Come on, let’s go get some?”
Sena gently comforted Suzukita, who slumped her shoulders in disappointment.
Though Sena herself had cleverly brought her own float…
“Akito-kun, here. You can use mine, so go ahead and try it first, okay?”
For some reason, she tried to hand that float to me.
“No, that’s the one you brought from home, right? Since you brought it, you should go first. I’ll rent the others while you’re gone.”
“N-no, it’s fine! Here, take it, Akito-kun!”
Push, push! …Sena shoved the float against my body.
Unable to resist her momentum, I accidentally took it.
Then Sena smiled brightly and grabbed Suzukita-san’s arm with her free hand.
“Alright, let’s go, Suzukita-san! Akito-kun and Renka, have fun first!”
“Hey, Sena-rin!? Wait… Whoa, you’re strong!? Ahh, I’m being dragged—”
Sena forcibly pulls Suzukita-san’s hand and strides off toward the adjacent building.
…What does that Sena want? I can’t help but sigh.
Left behind were just me and Renka.
But the float Sena handed me was only one.
“Ah… Why don’t you come with them too, Renka? Or… do you want to use Sena’s?”
I asked, looking away. The reason I couldn’t meet her gaze was, of course, because Renka looked far too adorable in her swimsuit.
But Renka remained silent for a while, not responding at all.
An awkward silence hung in the air for several seconds. Sena and Suzukita-san had long since disappeared from view.
The chatter around us felt unnaturally quiet.
“Hey, Akito…”
Finally.
Tickle, tickle… Renka’s white, slender fingers poked my side.
The sudden contact nearly made me let out a weird sound. I cleared my throat, “Ahem,” to steady myself before asking,
“Wh-what is it? Renka…”
“That… thing. See…?”
Renka pointed to a sign at the edge of the water slide entrance.
It read: ‘Two-person rides permitted.’
“Akito. I… I want to be with you like we used to. Is that… okay…?”
Renka’s moist eyes looked up at me.
Her adorable cheeks were slightly flushed. …Was she embarrassed?
But—a single tube, just Renka and me on the water slide?
That’s… well, it’s just… so damn dangerous it’s beyond words. Just imagining it made me swallow hard.
“Or… do you… not want to… with me…?”
As always, I couldn’t understand what Renka was thinking.
But… seeing that anxious look on her face makes my heart ache fiercely. Once it comes to this, I might as well have no right to refuse.
“…Of course I don’t mind. So stop making that face. Come on, let’s go?”
“Ah… u-uh… y-yeah…!”
Nipaah!
A bright smile blossomed on Renka’s face.
…Lately, Renka’s expressions change as quickly as a child’s. If I said something like that, would she get angry?
◇◇◇
A long line had already formed on the stairs leading from the entrance.
Following the staff’s guidance, Renka and I slowly made our way through the queue.
But… during that time, we didn’t exchange a single word.
“………………,”
“………………,”
It must have been over ten minutes since we joined the line.
Even though it was almost our turn, we still hadn’t spoken a word.
But why? This silence felt far more deafening than anything before.
…I felt restless, strangely unsettled. I just wanted to talk to Renka about anything, anything at all, to distract myself.
“Um, hey. Renka…”
“Uh, yeah. What is it, Akito…?”
Once again, Renka’s anxious, upward glance. My heart skipped a beat, and I looked away from her.
And in that instant, I completely forgot what I’d been about to say to her. What an idiot I am.
“…Akito?”
“N-no! Um, well, it’s like…”
My mind went completely blank, yet I desperately searched for words.
Finally—what slipped out of my throat was this question.
“Renka.. Do you… like me…?”
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