Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622176550308690/episodes/16818792438240227504
After finishing the dinner buffet, I parted ways with Renka and Sena and returned to my room.
“Can’t eat anymore…” Hideki and Yuri groaned painfully. I was pretty full too, but I was better off than those two. Watching them flop onto their futons like dead frogs, I couldn’t help but feel exasperated.
After a while, they seemed to revive a bit, and we got into a lively conversation about random things.
We spent the night chatting about trivial things.
Hideki and Yuri were having a heated debate about the strongest creature on Earth. “Tyrannosaurus is the strongest, right?” Hideki said, naming a creature that no longer even existed on Earth. Yuri gave the utterly uninteresting answer, “Humans are the strongest.” When Hideki immediately derailed the conversation with, “Tyrannosaurus rex had fur, you know,” Yuri countered with his own nonsensical argument: “But humans are said to have over 5 million body hairs.”
…In the end, it fell to me to judge, but I couldn’t care less either way, so I casually ignored them and turned on the TV. To my surprise, they were showing a famous dinosaur disaster movie. It was the climax, the most intense scene. Before we knew it, all three of us were glued to the screen, completely forgetting about the argument. “Damn, that was awesome…” we shared our thoughts with each other.
I thought it was pointless.
Pointless. But it was a fun time.
With Hideki and Yuri. And though they weren’t here—with Renka and Sena too. Every day spent with these carefree childhood friends felt more fulfilling than anything else. Life after resolving the misunderstanding with Renka was pure happiness itself.
But—I wondered why.
Something felt lacking. I held onto this vague sensation, like a gaping hole had opened up inside my chest.
Just as the movie ended, my phone suddenly vibrated.
Wondering who it could be, I unlocked the screen to find Suzukita-san’s name displayed.
…This is the perfect opportunity, I thought. I replied to Suzukita-san with just “Wait a moment,” then grabbed my phone and stood up.
“Hideki, Yuri. Sorry, I’ve got something to take care of.”
“Huh? What’s up at this hour?”
“I’m meeting Suzukita-san. …I’ll be right back.”
When I mentioned Suzukita-san’s name, for just an instant, Hideki and Yuri’s expressions seemed to freeze.
But Hideki immediately flashed a goofy grin and said,
“Got it. Well, make sure you talk properly.”
“Yeah. …Huh?”
Somehow, it sounded like he already knew what I was about to talk about with Suzukita-san.
Well—Hideki has good intuition. I bet he’s already figured out the situation I’m trying to hide, without even seeming to notice.
◇◇◇
I went up one floor and walked down the hallway.
I rang the chime in front of the room I was looking for.
The sound of footsteps echoed: tatatat. Immediately after, the door opened, and
“—Sorry to keep you waiting, Ayata-chi!”
Suzukita-san, dressed in a red yukata-style house robe, greets me.
…It really suits her, I think again. Suzukita-san, tall for a girl, looks like a model in anything she wears. Her blonde side-tail hairstyle, seemingly at odds with a Japanese aesthetic, actually complements this yukata perfectly.
“Come on in. Can’t exactly talk in the hallway, can we?”
“…Got it. Well, I won’t hesitate to intrude then.”
Following Suzukita-san, I stepped into the room where she was staying.
But—I stopped dead in my tracks at the entrance. Closing the door behind me, I turned my gaze back to Suzukita-san.
“…Ayata-chi? Aren’t you coming in?”
“Um, Suzukita-san…”
It was a strange feeling.
I wondered why I could be so calm. I was secretly surprised at myself.
“I don’t see Maeda-san. You’re sharing a room, right?”
“Yeah, we are. Maeda-chan went to the manga corner.”
“Didn’t you want to go with her, Suzukita-san?”
“Fufu. You’re asking that? You’re so mean, Ayata chi.”
I recalled the message she’d sent me earlier.
[Ayata-chi~! Let’s play Enfil in my room~!]… It was a straight-up invitation like that.
“Even a slowpoke like Ayatachi can kind of figure it out, right? —It’s a special sleepover, after all. Is it weird to want to spend time with someone you like?”
“…………”
“Plus, you know. The manga corner here seems to be open 24 hours. Mae-chan seems to have a manga she’s reading halfway through. Maybe she won’t come back until morning?”
Suzukita-san’s cheeks flushed.
Her smiling expression… somehow seemed… alluring.
“Hey, Ayatachi. —Today. How about you stay over in this room with me?”
Saying that, she leaned forward slightly.
A glimpse of her beautifully shaped cleavage peeked out from the gap in her yukata.
It was probably intentional.
… I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure. My gaze slipped away from Suzukita-san for just an instant, but I quickly met her eyes again.
“Sorry. Hideki and Yuri are waiting for me.”
“Whaaat? You’re being cheap, Ayatachi! I’ll apologize to those two for you later! Besides—you know what I mean, right? I meant it like that?”
Still smiling.
Suzukita-san’s cheeks flushed as she said this.
“I told you, didn’t I? I—I like you, Ayatacchi”
“……………………,”
“Even this trip. I came here just to see you, Ayatachi. Because—I wanted to spend summer vacation with you. Me and Mae-chan did day labor jobs to earn money for the lodging, you know?”
But I didn’t miss the anxious expression lurking behind that smile.
I… didn’t miss it.
“Because I like Ayatachi, you see. I want Ayatachito like me back. So… you see. With Ayatachi, I—”
“I’m sorry, Suzukita-san.”
That’s why. Precisely because of that.
It’s about time—I have to face Suzukita-san’s feelings.
Interrupting Suzukita-san’s words. I’m going to properly voice this feeling.
That’s why I’m standing here right now.
“——I can’t return Suzukita-san’s feelings.”
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