Chapter 126: To the Summer Sea

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Translator: Soafp

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Three days had passed since the day the two of them had planned the steps for their art festival project at the factory. It was the sixth day of summer vacation. Early in the morning, Sora stood in front of the ticket vending machine, wearing a straw hat and her favorite white dress. Because she was sensitive to sunlight, she had a thin cardigan draped over her shoulders, carrying herself elegantly.

“Hmm, maybe I got here a little too early?”

Their meeting time was set for 7:30, and now it was 6:50. She held a white suitcase in her hand.

After finishing the remaining homework, refining the project design, cooking together, or sometimes just chatting with each other without doing anything, before they knew it, the day to go to the northern prefectural beach had come.

“Is my bangs okay like this? Sunscreen is all set too.”

Sora took out a hand mirror and checked her appearance. Since falling for Ginji, she had started becoming conscious of herself as a girl, and she was currently in the middle of training, receiving advice from Suzu. From the perspective of those around her (mainly Suzu), the results were very effective, but Sora herself was still somewhat lacking in confidence.

“Ginji's always so sweet to me.”

When she dressed cutely, Ginji would usually shyly compliment her. He did praise her, but the maiden heart always aimed for even more.

“Yo, good morning.”

“Uwah!”

An unladylike voice escaped immediately. Turning around, Sora saw Ginji getting off his bicycle dressed casually in a shirt and jeans, carrying a backpack on his back. Despite his tough-looking face, when he smiled, he looked somewhat boyish but still undeniably cool. Sora's heart pounded at his sudden appearance.

“I-I was surprised.”

“I'm the one who was surprised. Meeting time is 30 minutes later, right? You came way too early in this heat. I could've come to pick you up.”

“I have luggage… and I thought meeting somewhere different would make it feel special.”

“I get that. Alright, I'll leave my bike here, so wait a bit. Also… your outfit really suits you.”

“That's exactly the kind of thing I hate!”

“What do you mean?”

Sora blushed deeply as Ginji, sent off by her, returned from the bike parking. Together, they bought expensive tickets from the lower section of the vending machine.

Holding the tickets that came out, Sora felt their texture carefully.

“What's up?”

“You can charge your pass or use your smartphone at the ticket gate, but today, this feels better.”

“Yeah, we better not lose them.”

“Right. Let's have a good day.”

The two took turns inserting their tickets into the gate. As the orange paper passed through, the gate opened, and they entered the platform.

Though it was a common place, just entering this separated area together made it feel special.

Sora thought to herself that she would never forget this moment of love—the tightness in her chest and the sting deep in her nose.

“I'm so happy… I feel like crying.”

“Why?”

Ginji was genuinely confused. Sora, moved by the excitement of her first boyfriend and their first distant date, laughed awkwardly. Ginji took her hand and led her up the stairs to the opposite platform. There was still some time before the train arrived.

“First stop, the sea, right?”

“Lunch will be seafood. I made the reservation, and at night, we'll see the factory lights from the seaside lighthouse—a perfect plan.”

“Yeah. …But don't you have a lot of luggage? It's just a day trip, right?”

Ginji's gaze shifted to the suitcase Sora was carrying. Sora proudly puffed out her chest.

“This suitcase was super useful when I went out of the prefecture with Aika-chan. I packed all kinds of stuff to be ready for anything. It looks retro, but it's lightweight, has hidden wheels so you can roll it or set it down directly on the ground, and you can add a handle to use it like a carry-on. Like a transforming robot!”

“I get that you're obsessed with robots. But it's big—I'll carry it.”

“It only has clothes and my sketchbook, so it's fine.”

“Doesn't matter. Carrying your stuff is the boyfriend's duty.”

“Show-off… but keep one hand free, okay? Holding hands is the boyfriend's duty too.”

Sora moved a little closer and gently grabbed Ginji's index finger.

“That's fine, but my hands might get sweaty.”

Ginji said, blushing a bit. Playing with her finger, Sora looked up shyly.

“Me too.”

She said it while blushing, looking irresistibly cute. Sora lacked confidence, but from Ginji's point of view, since the day they met, her cuteness only kept growing, always making him flustered.

“Then it should be fine.”

Ginji gently held Sora's hand that was playing with his finger. Sora returned the grip deeply.

Until the train came, the two sat on the bench just like that, holding hands.