Chapter 8 | Nighttime Play for Two

During Obon, supplementary classes grind to a halt, and even after the holiday, their frequency tapers off.

“So far, not a single assignment has been turned in,” Kumada-sensei remarked in the cool morning air of the staff room, handing me the final assignment before the break.

“Negoro-kun, aren’t you turning into the mummy while chasing one?”

“Eh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

I hoped my unease isn’t showing on my face. Her words hit home instantly—she was implying that I, tasked with overseeing Koiro’s supplementary classes, might be slipping into trouble alongside her. I tried to play dumb, but Kumada-sensei’s gaze lingered, scrutinizing my expression.

“I’ve heard the rumors,” she continued. “You’re practically living at Koiro-chan’s place every day. I’m the one who suggested it’d be fun, but…”

“W-Where did you—ah.” I accidentally let slip a line that practically admitted it.

But seriously, where was she getting this information…?

“So? How’s it going with Koiro-chan?”

“How’s it going…?”

“Is it fun?”

“…Well, yeah.”

“That’s great… really.” Kumada-sensei’s soft chuckle eased my tension slightly, her tone free of anger.

“But since you’ve infiltrated so successfully, please do something about those assignments. At this rate, she might actually get expelled.”

“That’s… yeah.”

With summer break already past its midpoint, the situation was growing dire. I needed to figure something out.

“By the way, I never expected you two to get this close… You haven’t been up to anything, have you? Like a nighttime sports day?”

“I’m not doing anything like that!” I protested, thrown off by her sudden teasing. A dirty joke from a teacher? …And jumping from study sessions to a “nighttime sports day”?

For the record, I did stay over at Koiro’s recently, but nothing like that happened. We just got caught up playing games until nearly dawn.

Kumada-sensei sighed. “Please, do something about it. This is shaping up to be a worrisome Obon for me.”

Teachers have their own struggles, it seems. Still, seeing how genuinely Kumada-sensei cared about her students, I couldn’t help but think she was a pretty great teacher.

＊

Even with Obon starting tomorrow, I had plans to meet up with Makura. The cram school, including the study room, would be closed, leaving me with nowhere to study otherwise. Makura, it seemed, had no plans either and wasn’t returning to her parents’ home.

“Wanna stay over during Obon too?” she asked casually.

“Sure, if that’s okay,” I replied with a nod.

That day, as I arrived at Makura’s place with the final pre-Obon assignment, I ran into Yako-san outside the apartment—a rare encounter. She stepped out from the complex with a sly grin, spotting me and raising a hand in greeting. Dressed in a business suit, her hair tied back in a ponytail, she was clearly headed to work.

“Long time no see, kid.”

“We just met last week, though… Have you found someone nice?”

Yako-san blinked in surprise at my question, then sidled up to me with another grin. “Negoro-kun, you’re sharp as ever. Is it that obvious? Even the girls at work have been saying, ‘Yako-san, you’ve gotten prettier lately!’ or ‘Your hair’s so shiny these days!’ I mean, I’m just my usual self, right? But yeah, love really does change a woman. I’m just—”

“…Your face,” I cut in quietly.

“My face?”

“Yeah. You were grinning so much, I figured you might’ve gotten a boyfriend.”

“G-Grinning!?” Yako-san straightened up, clearing her throat with a cough.

Now that I thought about it, her complexion did seem brighter, her expression livelier. Though, considering our first meeting was her drunkenly sobbing, it wasn’t much of a benchmark.

“Got any plans for Obon?” I asked, feeling a bit guilty for interrupting her excited ramble.

Yako-san glanced at me, her lips curling into that predictable sly grin. “I hit the jackpot.”

“Jackpot?” Her sudden words left me puzzled, my head tilting in confusion.

“The cigarette jackpot.”

Cigarette jackpot? My brow furrowed further.

“My current guy’s super smart,” she explained. “He saves up with cigarettes. Every time he buys a pack, he uses a thousand-yen bill and puts all the change into savings. That way, smoking equals saving, so he feels less guilty about it. Plus, even with cigarette prices going up, he barely feels it because he uses a thousand-yen bill. Pretty cool, right?”

……Is it cool? It sounded like an excuse to justify smoking, but Yako-san’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

“And get this—he uses that cigarette savings to go on trips once it builds up. Right when we started dating, his jackpot savings were full, so he booked a trip for us this Obon. Ugh, he’s the best.”

“So that’s what you meant by hitting the jackpot…” I finally understood.

“Do you smoke, Yako-san?”

“Nah, I don’t.”

Wasn’t this just a smoker boyfriend’s desperate attempt to win over his non-smoking girlfriend? Still, Yako-san looked genuinely happy, so I held my tongue.

“What about you, Negoro-kun? Got any plans for Obon?” she asked, still smiling.

“…Nah, not really.”

“Hmm. Koiro’s place, then?”

“W-Why would you assume that!?”

“I mean, you’ve been coming here every day this summer, right? Lately, Koiro’s been waking up early, which is odd for her. Oh, I work at a company that handles restaurant job ads, so we start late—I usually head out around eleven. Even then, I can see her lights on.”

Now that she mentioned it, Makura did say she used to sleep in much later before I started coming over.

“If you’re here every day normally, then with no plans, you’ll obviously keep coming during Obon, right?”

“…I guess so.”

I couldn’t deny it, since I was indeed planning to visit tomorrow. Seeing my reaction, Yako-san let out a soft chuckle.

“So? How’s Koiro doing?”

“How, you say…”

I had plenty of thoughts—I could praise her, or maybe snitch about her dodging assignments—but I wasn’t sure what Yako-san was fishing for. In the end, I settled on a safe answer. “I don’t know her that well yet, but she’s… a weird one.”

“Haha, weird, huh? Yeah, she’s definitely weird.” Yako-san laughed, clearly amused, before continuing. “But it’s probably a good thing for Koiro. That she met you this summer.”

“…What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

Did Yako-san know why Koiro was holed up in her room like this? But she just brushed it off with a vague, “Ahahaha, see ya, kid,” and started walking away.

“Oh, you remember what I said that night, right? Don’t turn into some guy who lazes around in a girl’s room forever, getting fed and pocketing allowance money.”

“I’m not gonna be a freeloader!” I shot back.

Yako-san waved over her shoulder as she walked off. I let out a small sigh. The one living a lazy, shut-in life was Makura, not me.

＊

When I arrived at Makura’s room that day, I got straight to the point. “How about we start studying a bit from today? If we don’t get moving soon, you really won’t make the submission deadlines.”

Makura, dressed in Dalmatian-patterned pajamas, groaned. “Ehh,” she pouted, sticking out her lower lip. “That’s… my body’s feeling heavy. Like, so heavy the warning buzzer’s going off.”

“Overweight!?”

She giggled, clearly pleased with her joke.

No good. I couldn’t let her derail me with her teasing. It was time to stand firm.

I sighed quietly, then looked her straight in the eye. “…You know, I haven’t done my school homework either.”

“Eh?” Makura’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I was thinking we could do it together. If we don’t start soon, it’s gonna get pretty bad for both of us.”

“…You could just do yours first, Manamichi-kun.”

“No way. I came here to learn the path of depravity from you. So, I figured I’d follow your lead on when to start homework too.”

“Ehh, that’s just sophistry!” Her upper lip puffed out now, her mouth resembling an octopus.

“But I’m serious,” I said, flashing a sly grin.

Truthfully, I could finish my homework in a few days if I wanted—no rush. But I’d been putting it off, and now I was using it as an excuse to nudge Makura into studying. I felt a twinge of guilt for the trick, but it was for her sake. I knew she didn’t want to get expelled, so I hoped this would spark some motivation.

If we worked together, maybe she’d start. Plus, if she thought she was holding up my homework, she might feel a bit of pressure.

Makura, still sporting her octopus lips, stared at me before mumbling, “…Fine. I’ll do it…”

“Alright, let’s do this!” My voice leapt with excitement. I hadn’t expected it to work so well.

In front of me, Makura fidgeted, pressing her fingertips together. She glanced up shyly, hesitating before speaking. “…Manamichi-kun, you’ll teach me, right?”

“Hm? The assignments? Sure, I can help with anything from supplementary classes.”

“That’s like a hundred—no, ten thousand men’s worth!” She gave a small laugh, then shuffled to the corner of the room to grab her assignments. She returned with a stack of clear files stuffed with worksheets.

She seemed ready to start. Not wanting her momentum to fade, I quickly opened my bag to prepare. We cleared off the low table, spreading out Makura’s assignment sheets and my school homework.

I glanced at her worksheets to check their content—then paused. “……Hm?”

“Can I take a closer look?” I asked, gesturing to her stack.

“Sure, go ahead,” she replied, looking puzzled but handing them over.

I flipped through one, then two sheets, scanning them closely. “That’s weird,” I muttered.

“What’s up?”

I hadn’t noticed before when I was just delivering the assignments. I hadn’t looked that closely. “…These are insanely easy… like, middle school level.”

Makura let out an “Ahh” and averted her eyes. “Oh yeah, Kumada-sensei mentioned last time. Since I’m kinda bad at studying, they made the supplementary assignments a special case, focused on building a solid foundation.”

“…So, they’re saying you need to redo middle school because you’re hopeless?”

“Stop it! Don’t peel off the sugarcoating!” Makura playfully hid her face in embarrassment, giggling. No, this isn’t the time to laugh.

“Is it that bad?”

Makura shook her head frantically, stammering, “N-n-n-no!”

“It’s not that bad, okay? Alright, let’s tackle some arithmetic I’m terrible at. Today’s the day I conquer the moving point P!”

“Today’s the day? How many years have passed since you last faced it? The seasons have cycled since point P started moving,” I teased.

Makura blew a raspy whistle, dodging the jab. Calling math “arithmetic” already spoke volumes about her confidence.

Could it be that Makura’s been avoiding her assignments simply because she’s bad at studying? Still, she seemed oddly motivated today, gripping a pen over the worksheets I handed back. Despite an overwhelming sense of foreboding, I started guiding her through the problems.

＊

We took breaks for food and messed around with some gaming, but the day’s focus was studying—hours spent at the desk, grinding through assignments. Makura, surprisingly, had intense focus when she got into something. Her academic skills, though… I’d rather not comment on those just yet.

“We actually got a lot done with the assignments, huh…” Makura said. “It’s all your fault for being such a good teacher, Manamichi-kun.”

“Hold up, getting stuff done is a good thing, right?”

“Ugh, to think that I, the leader of the Fallen Cult, have strayed from the path…”

“Since when did you found a cult? By that logic, I’ve somehow become a follower of this weird religion too,” I quipped.

After eating the dinner (Lazy Meal) Makura whipped up, we chatted leisurely. Thanks to her kindness, I’d changed into a borrowed checkered pajama set, matching her vibe.

“Still, thanks for helping out. It really saved me. You’re seriously smart, Manamichi-kun.”

“It was just middle school-level stuff.”

“No way, you were breezing through your own homework too! I snuck a peek, and I couldn’t even understand the questions. You’re really clever.”

“I’d need to study Japanese reading comprehension before I could even start math,” Makura added with a laugh.

“It’s not a big deal… Doesn’t really mean anything.”

“No, no, your future’s really bright, isn’t it?” she tossed out casually.

“…Hmm, is it?”

Being smart and having a bright future—I’d heard that plenty of times before. But honestly, I had no clue what my future held or what I even wanted it to be. If that was the case, didn’t that make all my efforts so far pointless? Maybe I didn’t need to try this hard.

“Anyway, let’s chill for the rest of today, yeah? Dara-xury, dara-xury,” Makura said, stretching with a groan. As she flopped onto the bed, I leaned back lazily too.

“Dara-xury… Depravity and luxury?”

“Depravity and deluxe.”

“Eh, they both work.”

“Yeah, same difference.”

Trading aimless banter, we sank deeper into the cozy comfort of dara-xury. My hips slid along the floor, my posture collapsed, and I lost all will to get up.

“Ahh…” Makura let out a sound beside me, arching her back dramatically. Without thinking, I watched her. She rotated her neck in a circle, grimacing.

Something seemed off.

“…Does it hurt?” I asked.

Makura’s eyes widened as she looked at me. “…Mmm, a bit. Not exactly pain, more like heavy and sluggish.”

“You okay? It’s not, like, an illness or…”

I sat up instinctively.

“No, no, nothing like that. Probably just lack of exercise or sitting too much and getting stiff. Straight neck, was it? The doctor once said my cervical spine’s curve is off, putting strain on my neck and shoulders.”

“Oh, forward head posture? A modern disease. But yeah, staying cooped up like this, no wonder something feels off. It’s way too unhealthy.”

“Right?” Makura gave a wry smile, seemingly unconcerned.

But I couldn’t let that slide.

“…This won’t do,” I muttered.

“Eh?” Makura tilted her head curiously.

“This can’t keep going.” Back in my third year of middle school, I hurt my lower back from studying too much—bad posture, slouching, too much strain. With a national mock exam looming, I prioritized studying, which made the pain worse and chronic. You can’t just ignore these things. Plus, being shut in this room all the time couldn’t be good for her mental health either.

“Hey, Makura. Wanna step outside for a bit?”

“Eh, o-outside?”

“Yeah. Get some fresh air, stretch out—it’s refreshing, you know? Just chilling outside doesn’t go against the path of depravity.”

“Well, yeah, but…” Makura sat up on the floor, touching her chin as if mulling it over. “I’ve decided not to go outside…”

“You said that before, yeah. But when I first asked, you said, ‘I’m gonna enjoy summer break in pajamas.’ Maybe somewhere along the way, your own rules got swapped out.”

It might be a stretch, but I had to convince her somehow. Makura looked down slightly, pinching her chin again.

“Why are you so set on getting me to go outside?” she asked, glancing at me cautiously.

“Because I’m worried. There’s an unhealthy side to your lifestyle. Even fun laziness could get interrupted unexpectedly.”

“Worried…” Makura repeated softly.

I nodded firmly. “Yeah.”

“Well, if Manamichi-kun’s that insistent…”

Makura looked up, her eyes meeting mine directly.

“If it’s late at night, I’m okay with going out… And since you’re with me too,” she said, flashing a smile.

For some reason, a warm, fuzzy feeling bloomed inside me, tinged with a strange thrill.

“Alright, let’s go!” I said, and Makura thrust out her right hand, echoing, “Yeah, let’s go!”

＊

“Man, going out this late at night? We’ve become delinquents!”

“There’s probably no other delinquent in pajamas like this…”

Makura skipped ahead lightly, her sandals slapping against the ground. I’d been worried there might be some deeper reason she avoided going out, but seeing her so carefree eased my mind.

“The air’s so clear!” she exclaimed, spreading her arms and taking a deep breath. “Delicious! Who knew I’d get to savor air like this!”

“Well, if you’re stuck inside all the time…” I teased lightly.

She shot me a big thumbs-up with a grin. Spending all day in an air-conditioned room made even the muggy summer heat feel oddly comforting. For Makura, who’d been cooped up for over half a month, the warm breeze, the green scent of summer, even the faint smell of asphalt and exhaust—maybe they all felt precious.

After a few minutes of walking, we reached a small park with a handful of playground equipment. Makura peeked in from the entrance, checking for others, then stepped inside.

“Whoa, a swing! It’s been forever, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, when’s the last time I even sat on one?” I replied.

Makura hopped onto the swing, pumping her legs energetically. “This feels great! I’m becoming like the wind!”

She swung higher and higher, the chains nearly horizontal.

“Hey, be careful!” I called out, standing outside the low fence in front of the swing as she soared.

“Hahaha, I’m fine! Back in the day, I used to jump from here and clear that fence easily!”

“That’s a pretty big distance, you know?”

“No problem, no problem! Here I go!”

“Eh, wait, hold on—” Is she seriously going to jump? “You’ll hurt yourself! Your body’s out of shape!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” she insisted.

Makura bent and stretched her knees, pushing the swing even higher. I hurriedly stepped back from the fence—crashing into her would be bad.

“You’re gonna get hurt! Sto—”

Before I could finish, her body soared through the air with a whoosh. The hem of her oversized pajamas fluttered, revealing a glimpse of her navel. Lit by the streetlamp, her hair sparkled, scattering flecks of light. She floated as if in slow motion, dancing through the air, before tracing a parabola toward the ground.

With unstoppable momentum, she cleared the fence, landing right in front of me. Her feet touched down—but she stumbled forward.

“Ah, kyah!”

As she nearly faceplanted, I shouted, “Watch out!” and lunged forward, catching her in my arms. I fell backward onto the ground, the impact forcing a “Gah!” from my lips as air rushed out of my lungs. The whole time, I held her tightly to keep her from tumbling off.

She’s so… slender. Yet soft, fluffy—like hugging a cloud. So this is… a girl’s body? Unable to resist, I tightened my grip just a little, wanting to feel her more.

“Nnh,” Makura let out a small sound, lifting her face from my chest. Our eyes locked at point-blank range.

—B-Bad, this is bad. What am I doing? Did she notice I squeezed her? Her slightly glossy eyes sparkled, her round cheeks faintly flushed with excitement.

I couldn’t help but stare, captivated—

“That was awesome!” she burst out, breaking into a huge grin. “Hahahaha! That was amazing, did you see? I jumped! I cleared the fence! I made it this far!” She slapped my chest repeatedly, laughing.

“You cleared the fence, but you weren’t sure you could?”

“Yeah, it was a total gamble!”

“A gamble!? That’s way too reckless!” She could’ve gotten hurt. Seeing me panic, Makura laughed even harder.

“It’s fine, I made it! Hahaha, it felt so good!”

I sighed in exasperation. “Well, it was a pretty big jump.”

“Right? I nailed it, didn’t I?” she said, grinning proudly.

Seeing her expression, I couldn’t help but smile too. “Yeah, you nailed it. You flew a great distance—deserves a high artistic score.”

“Yes! Think that was world-class potential?”

“Swing-jumping championship? Totally world-class.”

“Hahaha, maybe I’ll make a living off this!”

Still tangled together on the park ground, we traded silly jokes. After laughing, Makura pressed her cheek against my chest.

“Thanks for catching me, Manamichi-kun.”

I wanted to hug her tight again but somehow managed to hold back.

＊

Coming down from the swing-jump high, we settled onto a nearby bench. About ten minutes had passed since we arrived at the park, but there was still no sign of anyone else. Despite our noise, no neighbors came to check.

“I’m actually pretty athletic,” Makura said, swinging her legs lightly as she sat.

“Yeah, seems like it,” I replied.

She gave an “Ehehe” and smiled shyly. To have that kind of jumping power after being cooped up so long—honestly, I was shocked. You’d need serious confidence in your physical ability to even try. I’d be too scared.

Oh yeah, she called herself a “sports-type shut-in,” didn’t she? I remembered her showing off some light dancing in her room. Maybe she used to be an active, cheerful girl. If so, why was she holed up in pajamas? Why was she living alone? Why so fixated on being a shut-in?

“Hey, what’s something summery?” Makura asked suddenly.

“S-Summery?”

“Yeah.” Her bright, round eyes sparkled as she nodded eagerly.

“Summer…… summer classes?”

“What a model student!? No, no, I’m not talking about studying.”

“Not studying, hmm… the beach or maybe the mountains?”

“Yes, yes! That kinda vibe!” She seemed to want me to list summer-associated things.

“Uh… the pool, shaved ice, watermelon splitting, stag beetles.”

“Nice, nice!”

“Cicadas, somen noodles, sunflowers, test of courage, festivals, fireworks.”

“Ahh, fireworks, huh? That sounds nice,” Makura said, clasping her hands in front of her chest, stretching out her words.

“I wanna go. But crowds are a hassle. I’d stick out in pajamas.”

“Yeah, nobody’s going to a festival in pajamas.” Girls probably wear yukata, right? I hadn’t been to a fireworks show since I was little, so I wasn’t sure.

“So, realistically, maybe somen or shaved ice. For shaved ice, I’d need to order a machine online. Oh, watermelon—we could just cut it and eat it.”

“What brought this on?”

“Well, summer break’s already halfway over, right? I kinda want to do some normal summery stuff.”

“Ah.” The summer breeze, warm even at night. The lush green leaves rustling softly. Looking up at the buzzing streetlamp, I saw insects swarming. Even these little bits of summer—Makura hadn’t experienced them this year. Doing “normal summery stuff” must feel special to her right now.

“Let’s eat some somen, shaved ice, watermelon,” she said, turning to me.

“Ordering online takes time to arrive, right? Tomorrow, I’ll go to the supermarket and grab some. That way we can eat right away. I’ve seen a shaved ice machine at the nearby home center too.” Her face lit up like a sunflower in bloom.

“For the shaved ice syrup, I want strawberry flavor.”

“Got it. Though, they’re all basically the same flavor.”

“Hm? What’s that mean?” Makura tilted her head curiously.

“Shaved ice syrup is just fructose-glucose syrup for any flavor. They add different flavorings and colorings. It’s a famous bit of trivia.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. So, the difference is just the flavoring and coloring. Pinch your nose, close your eyes, and they’d all taste the same.”

“Haha, I’m not eating it like that,” she laughed, then muttered, “Just distinguished by scent and color, huh.”

“Alright, starting tomorrow then.”

“Yeah, thank you!”

“Oh, should I catch some cicadas too? For the summer vibe.”

“Could we raise them?”

“Raising them’s tough, but we could let them chirp in the room for a bit.”

“Cicada delivery service!?”

Trading silly jokes, we laughed again. A summer night. No plans for tomorrow. We carried on with aimless chatter, dragging it out lazily. At some point, the breeze felt just a touch cooler than before.

Spending time like this—unrushed, unbound—when was the last time I did this? I tried to think, but I couldn’t recall. I wasn’t even sure if I’d ever had a conversation like this before. But, well, I kinda liked this kind of time. I wished it could go on forever… Before I knew it, I was thinking that.