Chapter 50: Summer Vacation!

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Translator: Soafp

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After we finished playing at the dog run, we visited a few dog-friendly establishments before eventually going our separate ways.

On the way home, I wanted to tell Naginaki something, so the two of us stayed behind for a little while.

We walked along a quiet park path at dusk, with few people around.

Naginaki fidgeted nervously as she looked up at me.

“H-Hatsukade-kun, w-what did you want to talk about?”

“It's nothing important, so don't get so worked up.”

This was starting to look like I was about to confess to her.

I didn't know what to do with that hopeful look in her eyes.

“It's basically just some casual conversation.”

“R-right, I figured! Yeah, yeah, that's what I thought, so I'm not disappointed or anything!”

…Really?

Well, if that's what she wanted to believe, there was no point in calling her out on it.

“A long time ago, I told you about my childhood friend. The girl who gave me that fake confession.”

“Ugh… Of course I remember.”

Naginaki turned her face away.

She was probably feeling awkward because she was still bothered by the fact that she had done the same thing to me.

“I went to see her last week and talked things out.”

“Huh?”

“We made up.”

I told Naginaki everything that had happened, including the conversation I'd had with Miko, just as it really was.

Although she seemed bewildered, Naginaki quietly listened and nodded along.

When I finished, she tilted her head.

“B-but why did you only tell me about this?”

“Because I've been worried about you for a long time…”

Shinonome and Sakura had their fair share of problems, but even if they ended up alone, I felt that they had the strength to somehow make their way through life.

But the girl standing in front of me was somehow much more fragile.

She easily became depressed over the smallest things, and as I could tell from her reaction earlier, she was still bothered by the fake confession she had given me.

A memory from the other day came back to me.

On the final day when Sakura had run away to that seaside town, on the train ride home, I had wanted to say something to the lonely-looking Naginaki, but I couldn’t.

Because those were words that would have struck me just as deeply.

But things were different now.

“I've already moved on. So, Naginaki, stop letting yourself get trapped in the past over every little thing. I forgave you for what you did to me a long time ago. And as for your past as a truant student, you don't have to force yourself to hide it from Sakura and the others anymore, either.”

“…”

“I like the Naginaki you are now. But that doesn't mean I'm rejecting who you were in the past. I mean that I like all of you, including that part of you. So let's move forward together.”

“Ugh… Hatsukade-kun!”

Naginaki's face crumpled pathetically, and a tear slipped down her cheek.

Hulk, who had been resting at our feet, lifted his head worriedly and gave her leg a quick lick.

“Ugh… You always say things that could lead to the most ridiculous misunderstandings, and it still makes me feel all weird inside, but… I'm so happy that you've thought this much about me. Thank youuu!”

At this point, I couldn't tell whether she was happy or crying.

I gave her a wry smile and waited until she calmed down.

My eyes met Hulk's.

We both have it rough, huh?

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Summer vacation arrived.

I got off the train at an unmanned station and stepped outside.

I squinted at the blue sky and white clouds.

Majestic mountains towered in the distance, encircling the basin.

As I looked around while being hit by the scorching sunlight and the incessant cries of cicadas, I saw rice paddies and fields stretching out in every direction, their greenery standing out vividly.

“Whoa! So this is where Subaru's relative lives!”

“T-there's nothing here… Eek, b-bugs!”

Sakura was at maximum excitement from the very beginning, while Shinonome looked slightly horrified.

Meanwhile, Naginaki alone muttered sleepily, her eyelids looking heavy.

“Hehe, I'm glad I managed to finish my remedial classes for the borderline failing grades at the last possible moment. I almost got left behind by myself.”

That was why I had repeatedly asked if she was doing okay with her studying…

Well, everyone had made it here safely, so I suppose it all worked out.

“Your uncle is coming to pick us up, right?”

“Yeah. He should be here soon.”

I nodded at Sakura, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement.

When I asked my maternal uncle about having my classmates join the summer job, he immediately agreed. In fact, he said that the extra help would be a huge relief because they were short-staffed.

By the way, when I told him I was bringing three girls, my uncle was absolutely stunned.

“Since he's Hiroshi's son, I guess the blood really does run true… Ho ho ho.”

Then he seemed satisfied with his own conclusion.

I wonder what my father is like in the eyes of the extended family.

Beep-beep!

A black Mercedes entered the station's small roundabout, and the window on the driver's side rolled down.

“Hey! I came to pick you up!”

A smiling, bald-headed middle-aged man got out of the car.

His skin was deeply tanned from working in the fields. He was slightly overweight, but because he spent his days doing physical labor, he had the kind of build that suggested there was plenty of muscle underneath the fat.

“Subaru, it's been a year!”

“It's been a while, Uncle Tomiyasu .”

“The kids working with you all look pretty energetic!”

Sakura immediately exchanged a high-five with Uncle Tomiyasu.

“Yeah! Looking forward to working with you!”

“Absolutely! Enjoy the authentic countryside experience you can't get in the city!”

I can understand Sakura being this excited, but why was my uncle getting so into it too…?

Shinonome and Naginaki were both nervous, wearing awkward smiles.

Well, that was pretty much their usual reaction.

After exchanging some quick greetings, we got into the car.

We were heading to the home of the relatives who would be taking care of us for a while.

Uncle Tomiyasu was my mother's older brother.

He lived with his wife, while their child had already grown up and moved out.

When we arrived, his wife, Maiko, cheerfully showed us around the house.

As usual, I would have a spare room all to myself.

The girls would share a large room.

The girls seemed to have been looking forward to this whole event despite everything, and they were excited from beginning to end.

Now, I wonder how long that energy will last.

One thing they mustn't forget was that working with watermelons was pretty hard physical labor.

I could already see the future where they would end up sore all over and complaining about it.

Since we had just arrived today, there was no work yet.

We dropped our luggage off in our rooms, then Maiko drove us to a nearby shopping mall. We bought everything we needed for daily life, and after that, we had free time.

I spent the time before dinner reading in my room.

When Maiko called to let me know that dinner was ready, I was about to knock on the girls' door.

That was when I heard them talking.

“Hey, hey, whose turn should it be first?”

“Then I'll go first…”

“That's not fair, Sakura! When we were at home, you got to spend time alone with Hatsukade so many times!”

“T-then let's decide with rock-paper-scissors!”

I stopped my hand before knocking.

That suspicious conversation…

I could hear them calling out the rhythm for rock-paper-scissors.

What on earth were they discussing?

I couldn't keep Maiko and the others waiting, so I knocked on the door.

There was a sudden rustling sound from inside.

Shinonome opened the door, looking strangely flustered.

“W-what do you want, Hatsukade?”

“Nothing… I just came to call you for dinner.”

“Oh, okay. We'll be there in a second.”

Through the gap in the door, I spotted something.

A handwritten calendar sitting on the table.

And written at the top was the title:

“‘Hatsukade-kun Attack Duty Roster.'”

“Hey, what's that?”

“Huh? What? I can't hear you. And hey, don't peek into a girl's room!”

With that, Shinonome hurriedly shut the door as though escaping from me.

From the day before our summer job even began, I could already sense something ominous was going on.