Summer break in high school.
For a loner like me, it was supposed to be bonus time where I could laze around without a care… or so I thought.
"Seriously, why are you sleeping even though we came all the way to the beach?"
Dragged out to the beach by my time loop partner Hanamitsuji, and on top of that, I've been roped into the cultural festival committee thanks to being appointed by the class president, Shiramine, so now things are hectic.
Well, I figured I would just leave the annoying stuff to them and take it easy... but why is Shiramine the one getting left out instead of me!?
"Sorry, but please leave me alone."
…Seriously? Come on, that's supposed to be my line.
A second-round high school rom-com that's the worst and the best, and blindingly dazzling in the most frustrating way, Volume 3!
When a school rom-com hits summer break, there's a pretty high chance the cast will end up at the beach or a pool. The so-called swimsuit episode.
I mean, it's not like summer makes splashing around in the water a requirement. But hey, that's one of those age-old traditions that's been passed down since the dawn of time. I think even some Greek myths had an episode like "while playing in the water, the hero stumbles into a lucky perv scene!" …Or was it bathing, not swimming? Whatever, close enough.
Personally, I don't really care if there's a swimsuit chapter or not.
No, seriously. But if the author really insists on doing one, then as a reader, I'll gladly accept their will.
It's not like I need to see the heroine in a swimsuit or anything! Of course, if you're going to write it, I'll read it with gratitude. If it were a light novel, I might even complain, "Wait, it's a swimsuit chapter and you didn't make it a color illustration!?" But that's just loving encouragement, so forgive me. If I happen to hit a swimsuit illustration spread while reading on the train or in class, I'll just quietly flip past it there, and then give it a proper look once I'm home. I'm a reader who knows the proper time and place.
Ah, and I don't need to see the MC or his male friends in swimsuits. For some reason, they are always ridiculously muscular and honestly kinda scary. Why are these guys ripped even though they are in the going-home club or some artsy club? Even if they were athletes, they would still be on the buff side. Where did you get those pecs from? Stop secretly working out behind the readers' backs.
By the way, I'm an aspiring light novel author myself, with three rom-coms posted on a novel site. But all of them fizzled out before reaching summer break, so I've never actually written a swimsuit episode.
In fact, most of my stories started in April, and by the time Golden Week ended, I had already stopped updating. Is this what they call the May blues?
Mulling over such pointless thoughts, I closed my eyes. But soon, the sound of footsteps on sand drew closer. Not the hard ground of a schoolyard, but the soft, thick sand where each step with sandals sinks in.
Yeah, just like a beach.
"Hey, Nanamura-kun, are you sleeping?"
The footsteps stopped, and a calm voice drifted down from diagonally above me as I lay sprawled out. Pretending to stay asleep would probably be the easy way out here, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to.
Sighing inwardly, I slid my cap back from my face. From beneath the brim, my eyes met a beautiful face peeking down at me under the parasol.
Even against the backlight, her pale skin practically glowed, and her straight nose stood out with elegance. Her eyes, framed by long, sharp lashes, were widened in faint puzzlement. Her light-brown bob hair, loosely wavy, had a neat braid worked in at the side, held in place with a cute flower hairpin.
When my gaze drifted lower, I froze. Her white T-shirt, soaked through with water, clung tightly to her skin, outlining the graceful line from her shoulders down to her waist. Beneath it, a brightly colored bikini showed through, and by the time my eyes brushed her bare thighs, I panicked and squeezed my eyes shut.
I pushed myself up from the leisure sheet I had been sprawled on and turned toward the voice.
Sora Hanamitsuji. My classmate, the girl who, with me, had leapt through time from right before our third-year graduation back to the start of high school.
When she realized I was awake, Hanamitsuji puffed out her lips in a sulky little pout.
"Honestly, Nanamura-kun, why are you napping when we came all the way to the beach?"
"I wasn't napping. I was sunbathing."
"In the shade of a parasol?"
"That's the thing. I'm not the kind of guy who's bound by the preconceived notion of 'if you're at the beach, you have to play in the water.' I've got flexible thinking. The kind that makes me shine in an international company job interview."
"...There you go, saying nonsense again. You would get yourself fired from a results-driven multinational in no time flat."
Hanamitsuji sighed, her exasperation plain on her face. And, as always, she didn't forget to tack on a sharp little jab. She could stand to forget the jab, actually.
Her wet T-shirt clung in ways her school uniform never could, making her shoulders and chest visible, and bad for my heart. They say girls can always sense boys' gazes… so that means she's aware of exactly where I've been looking? That's terrifying. If boys and girls ever did a survival game, girls would win hands down. Even Golgo 13 probably struggles when his target's a woman. [TL: A manga about a professional hitman with 100% accuracy. It's the oldest manga still in publication.]
"Nanamura-kun, you're not thinking anything weird, are you?"
Suspicious, Hanamitsuji shot me a narrow-eyed glare as I fell silent.
"Nope, nothing. Not even the level of an ultimate lifeform exiled to outer space."
"…What?"
I threw out the first BS that came to mind and wrenched my eyes away from Hanamitsuji's swimsuit.
Instead, I fixed them on the bright blue sky, and the sea that looked blue enough from afar. Up close, though, it was more of a "plankton-packed, primordial soup of life" kind of color, something you couldn't call blue even if you rounded up. Then again, traffic lights are basically green and we still call them blue, so whatever.
"Hey! Sora-chan, Nanamura!"
Down in the shallows, where the waves lapped at her shins, a gal with a golden side-tail waved energetically. She, too, has thrown a white T-shirt over her swimsuit. That's Ruri Hoshigasaki, one of our classmates.
"Coming~"
Hanamitsuji waved back, and I half-heartedly tipped my cap in greeting. Hoshigasaki's smile grew even brighter, and then she turned toward the girl standing beside her.
That girl is Mashiro Shiramine, our class president. Usually she wears her long black hair down, but today it's tied up in a ponytail. She has a thin hoodie over her swimsuit.
"...Phew."
Everything I saw. Scenery, people, clothes. None of it suited a loner like me.
If anything, the very season of summer itself feels like it has a "no loners allowed" policy. What is this sunshine-worshipper-exclusive season? Unforgivable.
Well, winter's just as bad, with Christmas and New Year's shrine visits and all those people-gathering events, so that's a "no loners allowed" season too. In spring, class reshuffling and club recruitment make the whole school noisy, so there's no place for loners there either. And autumn is packed with cultural festivals and sports days, again, brutal for loners. In the end, all four seasons are harsh to loners. Then again, since the entire world is harsh to loners, maybe it's only natural.
I bet "loner" isn't a seasonal word for haiku. Still, that one goes, "Even coughing, alone." That's totally a loner haiku. Which part is the seasonal word? Probably "cough", but maybe, and here's the wild card, "alone"?
When I actually looked it up, it turned out to be "no seasonal word" at all. Wait, that's allowed? It's not even in 5-7-5.
If something like that can still be called a haiku, then haiku must have Mariana Trench–level depth of tolerance. Accepting a social misfit or two is nothing. If I can't make it as a light novel author, maybe I'll become a haiku poet. First goal: get featured on an Oi Ocha bottle label. That's the most famous haiku prize, right? It probably holds the same spot as the Dengeki Novel Prize does for light novels. So then, what's the GA Bunko Prize equivalent in haiku? [TL: ITO EN, the company behind Oi Ocha (basically the most famous bottled green tea you'll see in Japan), has an annual haiku contest where the winning poem gets featured on a bottle.]
I let my mind wander, doing whatever I could to hold on to my sanity under the blazing summer sky.
Out of the corner of my eye, swimsuits and bare skin kept flickering into view, so I pointlessly turned around.
And what I saw was a blond-haired guy chatting with a stallkeeper at the beach house.
Part of the reason I ended up stuck in this completely out-of-place summer beach scene is because of that guy.
"...So hot."
I was standing in my kitchen at home, face to face with a pot that was steadily bubbling away.
Every so often, I would jab a pair of chopsticks into the pot, stirring the curly Chinese noodles around and around. Steam rose in clouds from both pots, the one for noodles and the one for boiling eggs, so thick that even with the ventilation fan running, sweat poured down my face nonstop. The sauna at the super bathhouse I once braved was similar to this, I think. Just walking back and forth to the living room feels like it's "aligning my body and mind". Very cost-effective.
Doing this kind of thing in midsummer feels like it should count as ascetic training. Otherwise, it's not worth it. Unfortunately, it's just cooking. No matter how much I sweat, my experience points don't increase. I just edge closer to heatstroke.
"Onii-chan, is it ready yet?"
A voice came from the living room beside the kitchen. It's my little sister, Satsuki. Since she isn't bothering to show her face here, she's probably just sprawled out lazily on the sofa.
"If you can't wait, then come help me out~"
"I wuv you, onii-chan~"
Her declaration of love came in flat, broken Japanese that had zero emotion in it, and then she fell silent. Honestly, Zundamon or Hatsune Miku have way more expressive voices.
I was making chilled Chinese noodles, which have been sold all over Japan since last month. It's summer break for me and Satsuki, but our parents are working as usual, so we have to make our own lunches. And due to Satsuki's cooking skills being absolute zero, that means I end up making them every day.
I can't help but wonder what she will do if I ever get plans and can't be home at lunchtime. But so far, there has never been a case where I was out and she was in. Weird. The opposite, her being out while I'm in, happens all the time, though. Totally unfair.
Our menu is an infinite loop of chilled somen and chilled Chinese noodles. Both are perfect for summer, but during cooking, they produce ridiculous amounts of steam, so from the cook's perspective, they are not exactly summer-friendly.
Just before the timer beeped, I stopped it and turned off the burner.
I dumped the boiled noodles into a colander and rinsed them under running water. Immediately, I plunged them into a bowl of ice water, firming them up and rinsing off the starch. After draining them well, I set the noodles on a plate, arranged them neatly, then circled them with sliced cucumber, tomato, and ham. Since making shredded egg crepes was a hassle, I had boiled eggs in a separate pot, peeled them, and cut them in half as a substitute.
After that, pouring the packet of sauce was enough to complete a delicious chilled Chinese noodle dish for lunch. The Nanamura family's twist is to squeeze a little mountain of mayonnaise on the side of the plate.
When I brought it to the table in the living room, sure enough, Satsuki was sprawled out on the sofa.
The moment summer break started, she went full slacker mode. Yesterday she went to karaoke with her friends first thing in the morning. Today she's going to another friend's house in the afternoon.
Karaoke and friends' houses… those are alien worlds to me. They probably have games or trends I've never even heard of. As her older brother, I was worried, so I half-jokingly said I should tag along, only to get a dead-serious, "You would get arrested."
Oh. Right. A high school boy hanging around a group of middle-school girls would definitely get him arrested…
"Yay~"
Satsuki let out a cheer, not at me, but at the plate of chilled Chinese noodles I carried in.
"At least bring over the barley tea and some cups yourself."
"Geez, my big brother's such a slave driver."
"If this counts as slave driving, then what does that make me, sweating buckets just to cook lunch?"
"...A convenient guy?"
"Pretty sure you're using that term wrong."
If she was using "convenient guy" in the proper sense, that would actually be even worse.
"Don't people always say language is constantly changing? In that case, the way I, a young, vibrant teenage girl, use words should automatically be cutting-edge, right?"
"Until it catches on, it's just a misuse."
"My my, you're so strict with me, onii-chan, while being so lenient with yourself!"
Grumbling, Satsuki flapped off toward the kitchen. Watching her retreat back, I adjusted the electric fan so it blew straight at me. The sudden rush of cool air against my sweat-drenched skin felt amazing.
When Satsuki came back, I took the cups of barley tea and the chopsticks from her. We pressed our hands together with a "let's eat" and started eating.
Mm, the boiling time and cooling were both perfect. The sauce had just the right tartness, clinging to the chewy noodles. The cucumber and tomato added a fresh, summery touch. Even the overboiled eggs weren't bad once the yolk soaked up some of the sauce.
Somewhere nearby, a wind chime tinkled, drawing my eyes toward the window. Today is apparently yet another scorcher of a midsummer day, the kind where the air in the yard shimmers with heat.
The town I live in gets unusually hot in summer, thanks to either the Foehn phenomenon or the heat island effect. It's not as bad as the regions that compete for Japan's number-one high temperature, but my dad, who occasionally travels for work, often says, "This place is hotter than anywhere else in Japan."
Beyond the window, the blazing sun pours down, and the chorus of cicadas echoes even inside the house.
If only I had that kind of vocal power, I wouldn't have been chewed out by the female conductor during middle school chorus practice. I had actually been singing pretty earnestly, but for some reason, only I got told, "Nanamura, stop lip-syncing. The conductor can hear everything." Yeah, right. She didn't know a damn thing.
If people are going to think you're lip-syncing whether you sing or not, it's easier to just not sing. So after that, I proudly lip-synced every time.
Slurp. After noisily sucking in a mouthful of noodles, Satsuki glanced at my face.
"By the way, onii-chan… since summer break started, have you gone anywhere?"
There's a complicated look on her face. What was that? Pity?
"Let's see… convenience store, supermarket, bookstore. Oh, and the library."
"Sorry, none of those count as going somewhere."
"Why though?"
Japanese is hard, huh? Why, Japanese people? No, why, my little sister?
"What I meant was, you know, did you do anything summer-y?"
"Trying to extract that meaning from your question is harder than making friends."
"That's, like, super easy. Even kindergarteners can do it."
"So you're saying your big brother ranks below a kindergartener?"
When it comes to making friends, there seems to be a profound difference of opinion between us. Even siblings who share the same blood don't always see eye to eye. No wonder this world is full of conflict.
Satsuki let out a deep sigh, then jabbed her chopsticks straight at my face.
"For starters, all the places you listed are ones you go to even when it's not summer break."
"Hey, manners. Don't point your chopsticks at people."
She obediently lowered them, but her exasperated look didn't change. I opened my mouth to fumble out an excuse.
"Well, to me, summer vacation is just a period when it's hot and there's no school."
Come August, the culture festival committee, the FestCom, would start its work. Lately, though, I had been doing everything in my power to avert my eyes from that reality. I have even gone so far as to watch winter anime instead.
Just because summer break has started doesn't mean much has changed in my life.
All that happened was I stopped going to school. My personality and tastes haven't changed, so my lifestyle won't either. Just because it's summer doesn't mean I suddenly become a social butterfly or want to fall in love.
If I were a music fan, I might attend a summer festival. If I were a train enthusiast, perhaps I would ride distant rural lines with a Seishun 18 Ticket. [TL: A 3-day/5-day train pass that gives you unlimited rides on local and JR trains.]
But me? I'm still just the same loner who likes reading light novels and books. Among all hobbies, reading is probably top-tier in being unaffected by the seasons. Sure, some books feel nice to read in summer, but you can read them any time you want.
It's true that in all sorts of works of fiction, summer is given special meaning. But expecting that same meaning to show up in your own life is just painful. By the end of my previous high school life, I had already graduated from that kind of yearning.
"By the way, onii-chan, didn't you say not that long ago that you were going to 'meet some girls from your class at a family restaurant'? What happened with that?"
"Ahh..."
Right, there was that time I made Hanamitsuji and Hoshigasaki read my novel at a family restaurant on the weekend. Hoshigasaki gave me blunt feedback that barely even pretended to be sugarcoated, and Hanamitsuji laughed her head off. My brain's great at remembering all the bad stuff. Maybe the good memories slip away because they were good, and maybe I really did have friends once upon a time. Ugh, my head hurts…
Since summer vacation started, I have only gotten the occasional light novel impressions from Hoshigasaki via LINE, and from Hanamitsuji just a simple "You alive?" kind of check-in. Not a single invite to go anywhere.
"Nothing, really."
When I answered, Satsuki's face suddenly lit up with a sly grin.
She gulped down her barley tea, then leaned over and clapped a hand on my shoulder.
"Onii-chan, don't mind it."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"It's okay. That's how people grow, you know."
"I feel like you're massively misunderstanding something here..."
"If you want to cry, you can cry, onii-chan. Go ahead, in my arms... nah, that would be gross, so use those tissues instead. Also, watching my big brother cry over a broken heart is unbearable, so please do it when I'm not around."
"I'm not heartbroken! And stop treating my tears like they are some disgusting spectacle!"
Like some heartbreaking losing heroine sob scene, maybe my tears could move someone to cry too... nah, impossible.
Satsuki just laughed off my protests, stood up, and carried away her empty plate.
I popped the last scraps of cucumber and ham into my mouth, then brought my plate to the sink. Lunch prep is my job, dishwashing is Satsuki's. No matter how you look at it, the workload is totally unbalanced, but I have no choice but to let that slide. Oldest son's duty and all.
*
Over a week has already passed since summer break started.
This might come as a surprise, but I actually like summer vacation.
While everyone else is busy with club activities or cram school, lazing around in an air-conditioned room is pure bliss. Add some street interviews from the city that just set Japan's new highest temperature record as BGM, and it's perfect.
Koshien broadcasts, though, are so-so. Watching kids my own age get hyped up as stars just makes me feel this weird, creeping impatience. I'll never forget the shock when I realized those high school ballplayers I used to think were way older were suddenly the same age as me. It was like falling for some grand detective novel trick.
For the sake of mental peace, it's best not to let people my age who are way more amazing even enter my field of vision.
Some people might feel guilty about being lazy, but me? Not a bit. Maybe I have a talent for being unemployed. My dream career has to be either a NEET or a writer. From what I've read in light novels about light novel authors, being a full-time writer is pretty much the same thing as being a NEET anyway.
So, at the moment, I'm working through my backlog of light novels. This, too, is part of the effort to become a light novel author. Sakura Momoko once said that reading manga counts as work, so it's the same idea. [TL: Author of Chibi Maruko-chan.]
Lately, between getting dragged into the mess with Hoshigasaki and her friend Hiiragi, and being forced into the FestCom by Shiramine's scheming, I hadn't had a moment's rest. Only now, with summer break underway, was I finally in the proper condition to enjoy light novels without worry.
The story I'm reading is set deep in winter.
The characters are busy flailing around over Valentine's Day and White Day, completely unsummery. And that very disconnect, that feeling of "this is a different world from reality", was comfortable.
About an hour later, my throat started to feel dry, so I went to the kitchen.
After chugging down the barley tea in the fridge, I returned to my room. On my desk, my phone lit up with a new LINE message.
Probably just Mom sending me another "things to buy" list. She really needs to stop using my LINE like it's a notepad... I grumbled inwardly as I looked at the screen.
The sender is "Sora Hanamitsuji". The short message is fully visible in the notification bar:
<Nanamura-kun, are you free next Thursday?>
"Ughhh…"
The sound of annoyance slipped out before I could stop it.
If you're going to ask whether someone's free, say what it's for too. That's common courtesy. People complain about this online all the time.
The fact that she cared about my schedule made her message seem like an invitation. And that almost certainly meant I'm going to get dragged somewhere.
What a pain…
Don't get me wrong. It's not that I hate going out itself. It's not like I'm some kind of shut-in.
This very summer vacation, I've been making energetic trips to the convenience store and the bookstore. Going out on holidays without club or cram school commitments, that practically makes me a vitality powerhouse, right?
If I'm wandering around alone, I can choose when to leave and where to go entirely as I please. In hot weather like now, I can head out in the cooler evening or night. Once I'm done, I can head home right away. Hell, I can even cancel at the last second right before leaving or even mid-trip just by thinking, "Actually, nah, too much hassle." The flexibility of a loner is absurd.
But things change when you're going out with someone else.
If there's a meeting time, I need to adjust my departure accordingly. And when it's with friends, that usually means meeting in the heat of the morning or early afternoon. If I suddenly want to go somewhere else, leaving mid-way is awkward.
Granted, I do have a record of ducking out of my group on that last field trip, so with my strong mental fortitude, pulling an early exit isn't impossible. But awkward is awkward.
And this isn't some classmate I barely talk to- it's Hanamitsuji, someone I actually interact with. If I pull something weird, she could call me out on it later.
In short, going out with someone carries significant risks.
Which means the best option here is to wait and see. As long as I don't respond, nothing can move forward on its own.
Having reached that conclusion, I decided to leave Hanamitsuji's message unanswered and went back to my light novel.
After a few more pages, though-
Ping, ping, ping. A series of LINE notifications went off.
Oh, finally gave up? I thought, checking the notification bar with some hope.
<It's Nanamura-kun. Of course, he's free.>
<We're going to the beach. Hoshigasaki-san and Mashiro are coming, too.>
<Bring a swimsuit and a towel, okay?>
Not only had the conversation moved on entirely without me, but one of the words that popped up was utterly unexpected.
...Huh? The beach?
You mean, like, that thing next to the ridiculously huge mass of water? The one <One Piece> is set in?
I found myself reacting like someone who has only ever heard of the beach and the ocean through rumors. But seriously, that's how little connection I have to the place. Even when we went to an island on that school trip, that was a school event. Privately, it's a whole different story.
Besides, is it really okay for boys and girls who aren't even dating to go to the beach or the pool together? Sure, you see it all the time in rom-com light novels and manga, but I always thought that was on the same level of fantasy as "an all-powerful student council" or "a culture festival with a beauty contest". Even if hanging out with the opposite sex at the beach is standard, inviting me is the biggest mistake in casting possible. They would be better off bringing a skeleton model instead.
Anyway, there's no way in hell I'm going to the beach. I immediately fired back a refusal.
<Sorry, busy, so I'll pass.>
<There's no way you're busy.>
It's an outrageous assumption, tyrannical even. A refusal to communicate, that's what it was. No wonder people never understand each other… and I'll kindly ignore the fact that Hanamitsuji's accusation is technically correct. Just like in physics, air resistance and friction are often "ignored" in problems.
I was just about to figure out another way to refuse when this time my ringtone went off. Guess Hanamitsuji got tired of messaging.
Since I had just replied a moment ago, leaving her hanging would feel off. Even if I dodged her now, we would be face-to-face again in early August once the culture festival prep started anyway.
As my one token of resistance, I let it ring for about five seconds before reluctantly hitting the call button.
"Sigh…"
"You pick up the phone and sigh right away?"
Instead of saying hello, I gave a sigh. From the other end came Hanamitsuji's displeased voice, and just from her tone, I could picture the pout on her face. Come to think of it, it has been a while since I last heard her voice.
"Can't help it. I'm busy over here, too."
"Busy with what?"
"Reading light novels."
"That's the very definition of not busy."
"I don't read because I'm free. I free up time so I can read."
"Hmm… well, it's not my place to interfere with your hobbies."
It looks like she understood- or maybe she just gave up. Either way, for me, it made no difference.
Hanamitsuji promptly switched gears.
"So, about the beach-"
"Have fun, and don't get swept away by the waves."
"You're coming too."
"Why that group, though?"
"Because when I picked people I can talk to normally, and people you can talk to normally, this is who we ended up with."
I mean, fair point. Still, it's ridiculous that I'm included without so much as a consultation.
"I told you, I'm passing."
"Why?"
"Because I have never once in my life wanted to go to the beach or a pool. It's hot, it's crowded, and even if I go, I don't know what I'm supposed to do there."
Just the other day, a show had been featuring this massive pool complex in the neighboring prefecture, attached to an amusement park full of thrill rides. Apparently, the pool opens every summer, and I have even seen their commercials this time of year.
The footage showed a wave pool crammed with people in float rings at such an insane density that fish in a fish tank would have more room. The ocean's probably no different.
"Nanamura-kun, don't tell me you can't swim?"
"...That has nothing to do with it."
It's not the only reason, but yeah, swimming isn't exactly my strength. And of course, Hanamitsuji isn't the type to let the silence I left slip by.
Right in my ear, I heard her quietly exhale a laugh.
"Heh, I knew it. You can't swim."
"I can swim 25 meters in front crawl, as long as I don't breathe."
"That's just scary to watch, so don't do it."
Calling the desperate technique I picked up just to avoid remedial PE "scary" is pretty rude. Call it grit.
"It's not like going to the beach means you have to swim."
True enough. In light novels and manga, you don't see characters seriously swimming all that much, even in beach episodes. It's more watermelon-splitting, beach volleyball, that kind of sandy-shore play.
Huh? In that case, wouldn't the sandbox at the neighborhood park do just as well?
…Well, no. A bunch of high schoolers monopolizing a sandbox to split watermelons and bat around a beach ball would be terrifying. Plus, it would be unfair to the little kids who treat that sandbox as home turf.
"Anyway, I'm passing. I'll see you in August for FestCom work anyway, so that's good enough."
The bitter memory resurfaced when I was half-forced into the culture festival committee by Shiramine, our class president, during the first semester's member selection. Sometimes I still think, if I had just whined more pathetically back then, maybe I could have escaped…
My partner from Class A is Hoshigasaki, who has volunteered, and Hanamitsuji has also volunteered as Class F's rep. Once August rolled around, FestCom work would begin in earnest. So whether I liked it or not, I would end up seeing Hanamitsuji and Hoshigasaki anyway, Shiramine aside.
"Meeting for work and going to the beach to hang out are two different things."
"Maybe so, but still..."
Honestly, it isn't half bad, chatting idly with someone outside my family for once. But it's about time to wrap this up. The continuation of my light novel is calling.
"By the way, you know how <The Pillow Book> says, 'In summer, it's the nights'?" [TL: A collection of random essays and poems about daily observations by Sei Shonagon, a court lady in the Heian era.]
"And?"
Hanamitsuji's cautious reply came after my sudden change of topic. I could just imagine her narrowing her eyes suspiciously on the other end of the line.
"After that, it says something like, 'It's nice when fireflies are flying in the dark', right?"
"Yeah."
"Which means, if you're going to go out in summer, the best time is at night, somewhere near freshwater where fireflies live. Heading out to the beach in the blazing daytime heat is just plain wrong."
"There you go again with your nonsense…"
I could practically feel Hanamitsuji holding her head on the other end. For some reason, even without seeing her face, I could clearly picture her reactions from her words and intonation. I don't get it, but somehow I get it. Maybe I'm a Newtype.
"Hey, it's not me saying this, okay? These are the words of Lady Sei Shonagon herself. If a historical figure in the textbook says it, it can't be wrong."
"If Sei Shonagon were alive today, she would go swimming at the beach! She would play kickball on the sand!"
"...Hard to picture Sei Shonagon playing kickball on the beach. Hm?"
Wait. Summer, night, freshwater, that set of conditions described in <The Pillow Book>. In the modern day, there's something that fits perfectly.
Night pools. With all their glowing decorations scattered around, they even kind of resemble fireflies. Too bad. If Sei Shonagon liked night pools, we wouldn't be able to get along. I actually kind of like <The Pillow Book>.
"Y'know, if Sei Shonagon were a modern person, she might actually be into night pools."
"What are you even talking about, Nanamura-kun?"
My brilliant, insight-filled statement was dismissed just like that. Honestly, I could have built a college thesis out of it. Now I know how Galileo felt when they denied heliocentrism.
"Man, what a shame. If Sei Shonagon had written, 'In summer, the beach, rowdy normies making a racket are the most elegant thing', then I wouldn't have minded going to the sea either."
"You really won't come? Hoshigasaki-san was actually looking forward to you coming, you know."
"…Tell Hoshigasaki thanks from me. I'm not going, but I appreciate the invite. Later."
The more I thought about Hoshigasaki, the more I started feeling guilty, so I hurriedly cut the call.
Phew. What a pain, trying to disrupt my peace like that.
Once August begins, my time will get swallowed up by the committee, so this right now is my golden age. I don't know when Hanamitsuji's prime was, but mine is now.
Besides, lately it's been scorching hot day after day, and even the news is telling people, "Cancel outdoor exercise and stay somewhere cool."
Going to the beach means spending hours outside in the middle of the day. Impossible. What if I got a heatstroke?
Anyway, having regained my peace, I put my phone on silent mode this time to avoid further interruptions and went back to my light novel. Now, where was I again?
Oh right. The heroine living with the protagonist just couldn't quite bring herself to hand over her Valentine's chocolate, leaving the protagonist restless. Ahh, so that's how it goes…
…I ended up reading straight through to the afterword. Letting out a sigh of satisfaction, I flipped back over the cover and color illustrations for a while, soaking in the aftertaste, then closed the book.
Glancing up at the wall clock, I saw it was a little past three. I was about to grab a popsicle from the freezer when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw my phone light up. Right, I had muted it earlier.
I'm getting notifications at a frequency unthinkable for a loner today. Could it be… I'm actually popular? So I mused idly, as I checked the screen.
The notification screen was packed full, but I caught a glimpse of the name Kouya Hoshigasaki. Instinctively, I tossed my phone onto the bed.
Thump. It sank into the blanket.
…Yeah, I'll just pretend I didn't see anything.
I was about to leave the room when, of course, the screen lit up again. Ahh, seriously, how annoying…
"Geez, what now?"
Grumbling, I picked the phone back up. It was a barrage of messages from Hoshigasaki's older brother, Kouya-san.
<We're hitting the beach this Thursday. You're coming too, right, Hodaka?> <My little sis's going, and Hanamitsuji-san's going too.> <You hate the ocean or what, bro?> <Heeey.> <We're going to the beach.> <Where should we meet up? At the station?> <If you don't have a swimsuit, I'll lend you mine.>
He also spammed me with stickers of a dog surfing, a tiny cutesy thing staring up with teary eyes that triggers violent cuteness-aggression, and a heroine from last season's anime clasping her hands together and saying "Please…"
His way of messaging was perfectly annoying. And there was no way in hell I was ever borrowing Kouya-san's swimsuit.
When you think about it in terms of fabric coverage, swimsuits are basically just underwear. Lending one out, or borrowing one, should be off-limits for all kinds of reasons. I mean, I even hesitate to borrow Dad's sandals because I worry about athlete's foot.
Faced with his borderline mentally ill message spam, I caved and replied.
<No way, I'm not wearing someone else's hand-me-down swimsuit.>
<Oh, you finally replied.>
He must have been glued to his phone, because the response came instantly.
<More importantly, why are you even going to the beach with Hanamitsuji and the others, Kouya-san?>
<Because Ruri said she was going with her friends. I'm giving them a ride.>
Driving his sister and her friends? Still the same sisco-n as ever.
<Don't you think you're spoiling her?>
<I'm working part-time at a beach house anyway. Makes everything easier.>
Working at a beach house, huh. Even if I became a college student, that would be a job I would never choose, right up there with moving companies and "cozy" izakayas.
Kouya-san is just as well-versed in light novels and anime as I am, but everything else, his looks, personality, and social skills, are entirely different. Blond, handsome, cheerful… If he weren't Hoshigasaki's brother, someone like me would have zero connection to someone like him. It's the same with idols or celebrities who openly talk about being into anime: when people like that exist, guys like me, the gloomy, plain, stereotypical otaku, end up looking even smaller. It's rough.
<I see. Well, I'm not going, so you guys go without me.>
<Ruri's counting you as part of the headcount, though.>
<I was added without my consent.>
<Station meet-up, right? It's not like it will cost you anything.>
<It will cost me my precious time and stamina.>
<Don't worry, I'll pick you up right in front of your house.>
<Do NOT come to my house.>
Not that he even knows where I live… right? He doesn't, does he? With normies' mysterious powers of initiative and social networking, I couldn't rule out the possibility. The thought was too scary to check directly.
<Oh, by the way, I've got a copy of your novel.>
<I sincerely apologize for my insolence.>
I pulled the fastest 180 of my life. Quick decision-making. Ryotsu-san would be proud. [TL: Kankichi Ryotsu from Kochikame.]
The other day, I let him read my light novel, and his feedback was something like, "Wow, you wrote a lot of words, good for you!" It stung. About as encouraging as a "Good job staying alive today!" when you're not even depressed.
<Sorry, I didn't mean to threaten you.>
<Then what is this about?>
Honestly, I couldn't imagine my novel being brought up for any reason other than blackmail. …Wait, what kind of novel only comes up as blackmail material? What a cursed abomination. And yes, I was the one saying all this about my own work.
<It's just in your novel, every single scene takes place either at school or in your room, right?>
So it really wasn't a threat. He had another reason for bringing it up. Suspicious, I replied.
<Isn't that just how school rom-coms usually are?>
<It just feels kind of thin, or like it lacks punch, or maybe like it makes it obvious how little variety there is in your day-to-day life.>
<Am I seriously getting roasted right now?>
<Sorry, I was just stating the facts.>
Yeah, I was getting seriously roasted. No mistaking it. He was just like his gal little sister, totally incapable of sugarcoating. Maybe that's the secret to how they close the distance with people so easily.
<Basically, I'm saying if you try experiences different from your everyday life, you might be able to use them in your writing.>
<Well, yeah, I get that.>
<And come on, there's always a beach or pool chapter in light novels, right? Once you're an adult, even if you want to, it's not so easy to go.>
…That's true enough. A grown man going alone to the beach or pool would need a lot of mental fortitude. Depending on the situation, there's even the risk of getting shaken down or questioned by the cops.
<Besides, wouldn't it be more fun for Ruri and Hanamitsuji-san if you were there? Just think of it as research.>
Kouya-san attacked from both the emotional and logical angles. So this is what people who are good with others are like, huh? No way I could ever pull that off.
Letting out one long sigh, I threw in the towel and typed a reply.
<Fine. I'll go.>
After finishing my chat with Kouya-san, I left my room and went downstairs. My throat was parched.
In the kitchen, I grabbed some barley tea from the fridge and quenched my thirst. Oh, right, before dealing with Kouya-san, I was about to get some ice cream. I opened the freezer's bottom drawer and pulled a random popsicle from the box of assorted flavors.
It's a purple-colored one. Grapes. A solid win.
With the popsicle between my lips, I walked into the living room. Satsuki, watching a midday talk show from the sofa, glanced back at me.
"Ah! Onii-chan, no fair!"
"It's not unfair."
"But I already had a second one…"
"Then put 50 yen down, problem solved."
In the Nanamura household, there's a standing rule for ice bars: one per day is free, but if you want a second, you leave 50 yen on the living room table. That money goes toward the next box of popsicles.
Satsuki groaned, wearing a pained expression, probably weighing her finances.
"Ugh…"
"Just give up if you don't have the money."
"50 yen, huh… ngh…"
Her face twisted in torment. You wouldn't think 50 yen could be such a tough decision… but then again, the allowance of a second-year middle schooler like Satsuki isn't the same as that of a first-year high schooler like me. 50 yen really does have a different value.
Well, technically, Satsuki gets more allowance than I did at her age. She somehow managed to leverage the recent rise in prices to negotiate an increase. She's seriously good at this survival game called life. Maybe she could handle my allowance negotiations for me as well.
After about 10 seconds of agonizing, Satsuki raised one finger and squeezed out her answer.
"…Onii-chan, get me an orange one. I'll leave the money later."
"Roger that."
I did as told and went back to the kitchen. Opening the freezer and digging out an orange bar, I suddenly realized- wait, why am I being bossed around like this so naturally?
Well, at this point, there was no choice but to bring it over.
"Here."
"Yaaay, thanks!"
I handed it to her still in the wrapper, and Satsuki eagerly tore it open. With the orange ice bar between her lips, she sighed, "Phew, what a paradise", looking satisfied.
Sometimes she really acts weirdly old-man-ish. Guess she takes after Dad. Not that I would ever say that to her face- she would kill me.
I absentmindedly licked my purple popsicle while half-watching the TV show playing.
As soon as I let my guard down, my thoughts drifted right back to my earlier exchange with Kouya-san.
Man, the beach really does sound like a hassle…
"Haa…"
"Huh, was that a sigh?"
Satsuki, popsicle still in her mouth, noticed the sigh that had slipped out unconsciously.
Say what you will, she does notice when something's off with her brother. I guess she really is a kind little sister…
"Hey, sighing while eating? That's disrespectful to the ice bar. If you're gonna eat it with that attitude, I'll take it off your hands, poor thing."
"Aren't you supposed to be comforting me?"
"Ah, but a half-licked ice bar? No thanks. Guess I don't want it after all."
"Why does it feel like I'm the one getting rejected here!?"
…Honestly, that kind of hurt. Then again, that's what real little sisters are like.
Maybe she picked up on my disappointment, because Satsuki softened her expression.
"Well, well, at least I'll listen to you."
"For real? Man, at the end of the day, all you really need is a sister…"
"Only if it's a funny story."
"No one could tell a funny story with the bar set that high! Even comedians would hate that condition."
"Ahaha, I'm joking. So? What happened?"
She waved her hand with a laugh, and I grimaced before answering.
"This Thursday… I'm going to the beach."
"…Eh?"
Silence fell over the living room. Satsuki froze with the popsicle still held near her mouth, eyes wide.
After several heavy seconds, she finally wore a stunned expression.
"You… at the beach…?"
Come on, what's with that reaction just because I said I'm going to the beach? She looked as shocked as a parent hearing, "I'm moving to Tokyo after high school to become a singer-songwriter."
Satsuki pressed a hand to her chin with a thoughtful hum, pretending to ponder.
"So, you mean… you're getting buried at sea?"
"Not even close! I'm talking about actual swimming!"
I'm not some lowlife who ran off with the mob's money.
"At least you're going with someone else, right?"
"Of course. I don't have a hobby of hitting up the beach alone."
"Good. Even if you did, for society's sake, please don't. Still… the fact that you have friends now is really moving. Maybe you should buy a lottery ticket."
So, me having friends is about as rare as winning the lottery, huh? Weren't you just saying even kindergartners can do it easily?
Actually, do I even count as their friend? I mean, I talk with Hoshigasaki about light novels a fair bit, so maybe. But having lived a life almost friendless, I'm not sure. "I lived my life with very few friends." That sounds like the opening line of a light novel.
In rom-coms and manga, you always see the line, "Hey, we're already friends, right?" But sometimes when I'm reading, I'm just like, "Wait, these guys are friends already?" Their standards feel suspiciously low.
That said, I'm sure the others are definitely friends with each other. No doubt they are chatting on LINE or hanging out behind my back. And I bet when I'm not there, I'm the butt of their jokes: "Man, Nanamura's such a-" Yeah… maybe I really am the only one who's not friends with them.
"Well, it's not so much that I'm their friend as… they are friends with each other and I just sort of tag along…"
"Onii-chan, make sure you don't bring too much money, okay? Take a decoy wallet you can hand over if you have to, and hide your return fare in your sock or something."
"That's what you do when you're traveling in some shady foreign country."
This sister of mine just naturally assumes her brother's going to get shaken down for cash. Honestly terrifying. Then again, given my lifelong lack of experience with actual friends, maybe I bear some responsibility.
"It's fine. They are not like that."
"Hmm, well, if you say so."
Satsuki took a bite of her ice popsicle, then pointed the exposed stick at me.
"But, you know… You at the beach kind of feels like blasphemy."
"Towards the ocean!?"
"If I saw you on the sand, it would be so surreal I would think I had wandered into some giant sandbox instead."
"No one's face should inspire that kind of reaction."
"You would probably get sued for obstructing business at the beach huts and lose."
"That's such a terrible thing to say, but now I'm actually scared…"
Maybe I should wear a mask or something. Although that would likely be considered obstructing business as well,but if they can't identify me, my lawsuit risk would decrease.
Not that it matters. I've never cared about the beach anyway. From a distance, it looks pretty, sure, but I've never wanted to play in the water. Fishing, maybe. That looks easy.
"Oh, right. Satsuki, I wanted to ask, would the swimsuit I use in P.E. be okay for the beach?"
"Of course not! Who the hell wears the same swimsuit for class and for private outings?"
"Ah, so you're supposed to separate pool-use and beach-use?"
"Not like that. It's all about designs and looks!"
Seriously? Now I actually need to buy one… what a pain.
In light novels and anime, it's not uncommon for characters to go to the beach in their school swimsuits. There's even a whole faction that thinks that's the best. Maybe if I wore my navy, skin-tight school-issue swimsuit, there would be some demand for it. …Not that I would want that.
"Oh, and stick to something simple. At most, just a few stripes. No dragons or weird English fonts."
"Hey, stop dissing the clothes I wore up through middle school."
Mom bought me those clothes, so I had no choice but to wear them. I still use some as loungewear, too.
Fine. Once it cools down a little, I'll check out the department store near school.
Just as I was making those plans, my phone buzzed with a LINE call.
It's Hanamitsuji.
I'm not even surprised. I figured she would reach out again before the day was over. Stepping into the hall, I tapped the call icon.
"Nanamura-kun, so you have finally decided to join us. Hoshigasaki-san told me."
"…You schemed this, didn't you?"
"It's not like I did anything that big. I just told Hoshigasaki-san that you were reluctant about going to the beach."
"You knew that would make her brother come after me."
Since Kouya-san's going to be driving them anyway, word of my refusal would have reached him sooner or later. And with how oddly fond he is of me, of course, he would try to drag me along.
"Well, that's not my fault. You're the one being difficult."
Hanamitsuji didn't sound the least bit guilty.
"I was just defending myself from getting caught up in a pain-in-the-ass situation."
"Once you actually go, it will end up being fun. Probably."
"Why are you so dead set on pulling me into this?"
"Because we made a promise on the day of the closing ceremony, remember?"
"…Huh?"
"I told you I would drag you out even if I had to force you."
The moment she said it, the memory came back.
Walking with Hanamitsuji down to the shoe lockers after the closing ceremony. The sticky summer heat on my skin. The shrill buzz of the cicadas. Even the faint scent of shampoo from her.
Yeah, she really had said that.
Though if I recall, I never actually replied, "Sure, invite me."
What a busybody. With the FestCom work looming, my outings were already guaranteed to be more frequent than a normal summer anyway.
"Just give in already."
"...Yeah, fine."
When I hung up, I let out a big breath. In the dim hallway, sunlight leaked in faintly from the entrance, and the cries of cicadas filtered through.
Let's see. Since I've never gone to the beach or pool with friends before, I'm not sure, but aside from a swimsuit, I'll need a towel, a change of clothes, and a water bottle, right?
…Ugh, what a pain. This is nothing like heading to a convenience store or bookstore.
Shaking my head in resignation, I started back toward the living room. But then, I locked eyes with Satsuki, who was peeking through the doorway, giving me this pitying look.
"What's up, Satsuki?"
"…Onii-chan. If you're pretending to be on the phone just to look cool in front of me, that's seriously painful to watch."
"I wasn't pretending."
"You should quit that stuff. It makes me want to pity you and treat you nicely."
"Treat me nice without the pity."
What the hell does this girl think her big brother is?
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