Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139845923627658/episodes/2912051596288377866
The closing ceremony was over.
The teacher standing at the front of the classroom called out listlessly.
“Summer vacation starts tomorrow. Have some fun, but don’t go too wild. That’s all.”
The after-school bell rang out, and everyone was dismissed.
It wasn’t just starting tomorrow—summer vacation had already begun.
As everyone’s expressions brightened without exception, the aloof Mashiro came over to my desk.
“Kensuke, let’s go home.”
“Yeah.”
Even while I was packing up my things, Mashiro waited patiently for me.
That made me feel strangely happy, and
“……Heh.”
“Could you stop grinning out of the blue? It’s kind of creepy.”
That’s an impossible request.
Then, after exchanging brief greetings with my classmates—including Hase, who was absolutely giddy about summer vacation—I left the classroom.
The school grounds felt more lively than usual.
I actually quite liked this atmosphere where everyone was rejoicing and making a racket over the same thing.
Walking side by side with Mashiro, we passed through the school gate and took our usual route home.
“Do you have any plans for summer break, Mashiro?”
“Nothing in particular. Just finishing my assignments early, I guess. Other than that… well, maybe hanging out with Yae.”
“You two really are close.”
It’s rare for Mashiro to have a friend she’s this close to.
Up until now, she’d been—to put it nicely—aloof, or to put it bluntly, pretty much a loner.
Lately, though, she seems to have learned how to get along with those around her.
“So, as for you, Kensuke… oh, I’m sorry. It’s cruel and pitiful to ask someone such an obvious question directly. I wasn’t considerate enough. I’m sorry. That said, this apology is purely formal; I don’t actually feel the slightest bit sorry for Kensuke.”
“Everything you say is hurting me. And it hits the mark, too.”
“That’s not true at all. Since you probably don’t have any plans anyway, I thought it would be cruel to make you say it yourself, so I didn’t ask. By the way, even though I said it’s cruel, I’m not feeling any sympathy for you.”
“That ‘by the way’ is like taking a running start just to kick me… You’ve got a lot of ways to hurt people, don’t you, Mashiro? Not that I’m complimenting you.”
“Oh, looks like Kensuke’s picked it up too. Congratulations. Well, not that I’m celebrating from the bottom of my heart or anything.”
“……What is this conversation?”
I sighed in exasperation.
Then, Mashiro cleared her throat conspicuously, turned her head away, and began to mumble.
“S-so, well… I guess I could say I’ll hang out with you, Kensuke, or rather, I’ll reluctantly make plans for you…”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“B-basically, that’s it!”
Mashiro looked straight at me as if she’d made up her mind, and declared it as if giving an order.
“Come to the station at ten tomorrow. You have no right to refuse.”
“……Huh?”
▽ ▽ ▽
The next day. And the first day of summer vacation.
I headed to the station just as Mashiro had told me.
I figured she’d get mad if I arrived right on time, so I aimed to get there ten minutes early… but…
“Hey, look, isn’t that girl cute?”
“Whoa, she’s super pretty. Isn’t she a celebrity?”
“Her figure is amazing… She’s definitely a model or something.”
“I wonder if she’s waiting for someone… Man, I’m jealous—to have a girl like that waiting for you.”
A girl standing in front of the clock tower, drawing everyone’s attention.
A white printed T-shirt and distressed wide-leg jeans.
With her bag slung over her shoulder, she had a beautiful A-line silhouette, and her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail.
“…………Phew.”
She kept glancing at her watch, looking somewhat restless.
She didn’t seem to care about the attention she was getting from those around her; she was clearly waiting for someone. Her expression seemed to say, “I wish he’d hurry up.”
…Wait a minute, my girlfriend is way too cute.
As I stood there gazing at her from afar, Mashiro noticed me.
“! …Mu.”
She strode right up to me and glared at me as if she were about to grab me by the collar.
“Hey, you’re late. Why do I have to wait for you? I thought you were the one who was supposed to wait for me, not the other way around?”
“You’re coming at me way too hard all of a sudden. Besides, I was here ten minutes early.”
“Ten minutes early? That’s late. You’re Kensuke, so you should’ve come sooner. You’re Kensuke, after all.”
“What’s with the ‘you’re Kensuke, after all’? Seriously, how low is my status here? Aren’t we equals?”
“……I don’t know, hmph.”
Mashiro turned away, looking sulky.
But if you looked closely, her expression was soft, and she seemed somewhat pleased.
“Sorry for making you wait.”
“Really. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting…?”
“Huh, so you were looking forward to it enough to come early?”
“Huh?! W-well, that’s… I-it’s just that I finished getting ready early.”
“…Really?”
“Really. And… well, I guess I just woke up early, too.”
“…Huh.”
“Huh!! I-it’s not like I woke up early because I was looking forward to it! Really! R-really!”
“……Really?”
“I’m telling you it’s true, aren’t I?”
“…………”
“W-what is it?”
“……I was just wondering if it was true.”
“I said it’s true……”
“…………”
“……Haaa.”
Mashiro let out a deep sigh and crossed her arms.
Lowering her gaze slightly, she said with a faint blush on her cheeks and a pout on her lips.
“…………Is it wrong to come early because I was looking forward to it? E-even though I’m… um… a proper girl, you know.”
Mashiro’s words struck him right in the heart.
“……No way, my girlfriend is just too cute.”
“Huh?! W-well, of course! I mean… it’s me, after all.”
“…………I love you.”
“Huh?! W-well, don’t just say things like that so casually! We’re in public, after all…”
“Then I’ll say it somewhere private.”
“W-well, that… somehow feels… a little… naughty…”
“Naughty… Alright, let’s go somewhere private. Let’s go right now.”
“Huh!! Don’t get too cocky, you idiot, Kensuke! I-idiot! Idiot!”
Even when she’s cursing, once she’s a little flustered, she’s just so cute… really cute.
“I’ll be here early next time. To be honest, I was so excited I woke up early myself.”
“…Do that.”
“……So there’s definitely going to be a next time, huh?”
“Hmph! S-shut up!”
……Yep, cute.
“L-look, let’s get going already.”
Mashiro walks ahead.
“Kensuke, hurry up.”
“Got it.”
Urged on by Mashiro, I hurriedly fell into step beside her.
We passed through the ticket gates and boarded the train that had just arrived.
Standing in front of the platform doors, Mashiro crossed her arms over her chest.
“Come to think of it, why did you choose to meet at the station? It’d be easier and simpler to meet in front of my house, right?”
“……Haa, you really don’t get it, do you? That’s why, Kensuke…”
Sighing in exasperation, Mashiro turned her gaze out the train window.
“That’s obvious… because it’d be boring, of course.”
“Boring?”
“Yeah. We always meet in front of my house, after all…”
Mashiro glanced briefly at me, then quickly looked back outside, muttering shyly.
“…Since it’s a special date, I’d like to try meeting up somewhere.”
Then she glanced at me again.
…Seriously, I just don’t get girls’ hearts.
“Oh, right. You’re right, meeting up somewhere is nice… It felt different from usual and got me all excited. Thanks, Mashiro.”
“Huh?! W-What’s with that all of a sudden… That’s creepy.”
“Oh, right. If there’s anything you want to do today, feel free to say so. Of course, I’ll suggest things too.”
“D-don’t suddenly get all enthusiastic, okay?”
“I’ve been raring to go from the start. Didn’t I tell you? I said I was looking forward to it too.”
“Huh!! …I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, though.”
“Where did that Masahiro from earlier go…?”
That was a pretty far-fetched excuse.
“Besides, I was planning on doing this even without you saying anything, Kensuke. I hardly ever worry about your feelings, and anyway, you don’t have a say in the matter.”
“That’s true.”
“Seriously… So, I’m going to have you stick with me all day today.”
“I’d be happy to.”
“…Yeah.”
The atmosphere was distinctly date-like, light and airy.
A date with Mashiro.
A date she asked me out on—our first date as a couple.
“…Wait, Mashiro, you actually thought of this as a proper date, didn’t you?”
“! …Shut up.”
It’s only just begun, but it’s already fun.
After riding the train for a while, we got off at a station near a large shopping mall.
The two of us walked side by side.
With this kind of atmosphere, maybe I can pull it off.
And more than anything, I wanted to hold her hand. It’s our first date, after all—I want to hold Mashiro’s… hand.
I casually, yet boldly, touch Mashiro’s swaying hand.
“!!?”
Mashiro’s fingers are cold and soft.
She flinched, but she didn’t pull her hand away right away.
This is working. Finally, for the first time since we started dating, with Mashiro…!
“T-this way. Follow me.”
Mashiro changes direction and walks briskly ahead of me.
My outstretched hand is deftly dodged, cutting through the air.
“O-okay…”
As expected, Mashiro’s defenses are tight. Or rather, too tight.
It’s not like this is the first time we’ve held hands, and we’ve even had sex twice…
Wait, does that even matter at this point? We’ve done things way deeper than just holding hands, so I thought it would matter… No, I’ve never been in a situation like this before, so I just don’t know.
Still, I know I’m stumbling over the absolute basics at this point. Unfortunately, I know it.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come over here.”
“O-oh.”
I hurriedly line up next to Mashiro.
…No, don’t panic, Kita kensuke. This level of toughness, hassle, and stubbornness is only to be expected when dealing with Mashiro. If anything, that’s what makes her cute.
The date has only just begun.
But today, of all days, I’m going to take our relationship with Mashiro to the next level as lovers…
I take her hand.
Or rather, I want to take her hand!
—And so, on the first day of summer vacation, our first date began.
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