The season was in full swing with summer vibes, and the weather forecast was lined up with predictions of scorching hot days.
A few days had passed since the end-of-term exams.
The atmosphere at school had shifted even more drastically than during midterms, already drifting into full-on summer break mode.
In the midst of all that, I was holding my head in my hands as I looked at the test results the teacher had handed me.
“……Himura-kun, what’s wrong?”
Suddenly, I lifted my head at the sound of a voice from beside me that I hadn’t heard much lately.
Since there was apparently going to be a seat change right after summer break started, Kiritsuki—who’d been sitting next to me—would only be my neighbor for the rest of this month, and she was peering at my face from the side.
“Ah, could it be?”
“Nah, it’s fine. I barely avoided failing.”
“Oof… really cutting it close. Does that mean remedial classes over summer break?”
“……At least there’s no retest, so that’s something.”
As I sat there alone, fretting over what my parents would say, someone suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder from behind with a light pat.
“Me too, Aoi-san…… Math was a close call for me.”
It was Tomo, in a voice I’d been hearing a lot lately, sounding openly downcast.
“Should’ve studied a bit more.”
“Yeah.”
While everyone else was already in summer vacation spirits, Tomo and I were in the corner of the classroom, forcing bitter smiles at our test results.
Thanks to studying with her, I’d scored high in modern literature and English, so maybe I really did need a tutor for each subject.
“Sulking here won’t change anything. We did avoid failing, so it’s fine, it’s fine.”
“That’s true, but……”
“That kinda stings, though.”
I mean, really, fooling around with Hino Hana at the community center was the last thing I should’ve been doing.
As I stood up from my seat, I made a firm resolution in my heart to have Hino Hana properly tutor me during summer break.
While raising my arms to stretch, I suddenly locked eyes with Kaori.
She had been looking my way for a bit, but then she was called by another classmate and turned her gaze toward them.
It seemed like she’d been staring intently over here, but I wondered if there was something on her mind.
Lately, she hadn’t been coming over to my place, so our chances to talk had dropped drastically, and I didn’t really know what was going on with her.
It wasn’t exactly in exchange for her not coming to my house anymore, but Kohaku had been going over to her place more often.
The reason was probably because she’d heard about the move. Just like Kiritsuki, she seemed to want to cherish every moment she could with her for as long as possible.
It was a wish that couldn’t come true, but I hoped she’d treasure her time with her brother too.
“Himura, you free after school today?”
“Hm? Nah, not free.”
Today, I had plans to head straight to the community center after school instead of going home.
“Do you have something going on?”
“Yeah, some stuff related to the summer festival.”
“Huh—Himura-kun, you’re involved in that……?”
“Didn’t I mention it before?”
“Nope, first I’m hearing it.”
Was that the case? I’d held back on talking about the dancers and stuff, but I felt like I’d casually mentioned being involved……
What was it again? Since Kiritsuki said she hadn’t heard, I probably hadn’t mentioned it.
“Well, see you tomorrow then.”
I gave the two of them a light wave and left the classroom.
It was still early evening, but the community center’s parking lot, which was usually empty, had about a dozen cars scattered around.
I stepped onto the grounds feeling less than enthusiastic, and spotted a few people smoking by the entrance.
“Hey, Toki-chan, Aoi’s here~!”
For some reason, one of them started calling out to Hino Hana, who was apparently inside.
Putting that aside, I was so thrown off that I couldn’t even greet anyone properly.
It wasn’t that she was smoking, but there was this beautiful girl holding a flute to her fingers, moving them without making a sound.
The girl noticed me and pulled the flute away from her mouth, breaking into a bright smile.
“Ah, Aoi-kun, good work today!”
“…………Why are you here?”
She was Chino Misora, Souma’s childhood friend.
True, I was familiar with her mother, and we’d often see each other around festival time before and after. After all, she was one of the musicians we relied on.
“I’m participating this year too!”
Being told that out of nowhere left me confused for a while.
“……On the dragon flute?”
I asked that, at least, based on the transverse flute she was holding.
“Yeah. Toki-chan’s been teaching me a lot.”
“…………Huh……?”
My brain really couldn’t keep up.
“You two know each other?”
“We’re classmates, though. Didn’t I mention that?”
Hino Hana’s voice came from behind me, and it took a second to process what she meant.
“Ah—…… wha!? Hold up, you two go to the same high school!!?”
“We’re in the same gagaku club, after all.”
“Wait, hold on, hold on! Hino, you’re in a club? Even though you’re insanely busy!?”
“That’s why I’m basically a ghost member, but when she’s free, she joins club activities with me.”
I had no idea. Really, no idea.
We only ever met on weekends, and we hardly talked about school, so there was no way I could’ve noticed they had that kind of relationship……
Even so, I was stunned.
I mean, with two beauties like them lined up among the musicians, no one would even glance my way anymore, right?
“……This is bad, my head’s starting to hurt.”
“It’s hot, huh? Let’s go inside.”
“Yeah, this isn’t really something to talk about outside.”
That’s not what I meant, though.
I don’t know about Chino, but Hino Hana was probably just saying it off the cuff.
Stepping into the community center, the temperature difference from outside was intense, and I felt a slight chill.
When I headed to the kitchen, Chino Misora’s mother, Shiho-san, was cutting up a huge watermelon that she’d apparently brought from somewhere.
“Oh, Aoi-kun, hello.”
As expected from Chino’s mom, she was a beautiful woman with an age-appropriate allure.
“Ah, yeah, good work today, Shiho-san. ……What’s with that massive watermelon?”
“It seems the mayor brought it over a little while ago.”
“Eh, the mayor came by……?”
“Apparently. I didn’t see him myself.”
It looked like the mayor had just dropped off the gift and hurried back to work.
As always, the festival had a grand scale to it—I thought to myself in quiet admiration, while taking the knife Shiho-san had been holding.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Are you off work today, Shiho?”
“Yes. How’d you know?”
“Last time you came straight from work, you were in a suit. Today, you’re in cute clothes, so– ow, that hurts.”
Hino Hana nudged me with her elbow from the side.
Don’t do that when I’m holding a knife, it’s dangerous.
“Why do you seem more upbeat when talking to Shiho-san than to us?”
Hino Hana turned her gaze toward me without hiding her dissatisfied expression.
“……Must be your imagination.”
“Eh, Aoi-kun, do you have that kind of preference?”
“No, I don’t? I’m like this with any older person.”
Why do I have to be seen as someone who likes married women? I’m like this with pretty much any beautiful person.
“Ah, speaking of which, Shiho-san, where’s the chairman?”
“Hasn’t arrived yet. Probably around after five, I think.”
I’d arrived around four-thirty in the afternoon, so there was still some time.
“Then, should we do some sound checks until then? I want to see Chino’s skills too.”
I piled the cut watermelon onto a large plate and placed it on the table in the main room.
I set out a dish for the seeds nearby and was preparing the cushions when Chino tapped me on the shoulder.
“Hey, Aoi-kun.”
“Hm?”
“If you’re calling my mom ‘Shiho-san,’ then you can call me Misora, okay?”
“Ah, sure?”
We only saw each other occasionally anyway, so I figured the way I called her didn’t matter……
I mean, why do the girls around me care so much about how they’re addressed?
Thinking that far, I couldn’t help but glance at Hino Hana.
“If you’re going to call Misora by her first name, then me too……”
“I knew you’d say that.”
“It felt like a setup.”
“It wasn’t? You don’t have to read the air there.”
Seriously, why is she only this enthusiastic at times like this?
And so, amid all that back-and-forth, I ended up deciding to call both of them by their first names from now on.
……I really don’t get why they make such a fuss over it every time.
