After changing their shoes at the entrance, Ayumi stepped into the house and looked around with curiosity.
"Grandma, where's Grandpa?"
"Your grandpa went down to the pier to play chess with old Uncle Deng," the elderly woman replied with a smile as she headed into the kitchen to slice some watermelon. Before she disappeared behind the curtain, she turned back to remind them,
"Ayumi, the rooms on the second floor are already cleaned up. Take your classmates upstairs, put down your luggage, and rest for a bit. You must be tired from the trip."
Meeting the old woman's gentle gaze, Nishikata awkwardly clutched his backpack straps, shaking his head so fast it almost looked like he was bowing.
"Let's go," Ayumi said cheerfully.
The wooden staircase creaked under the footsteps of five people.
"Akira, you and Nishikata will take this room. The three of us girls will stay next door," Ayumi announced, pointing to the two adjacent rooms on the second floor.
"Got it," Akira and Nishikata answered in unison.
"Of course, if you want to share a room with Shouko—"
"Let's go, Ayumi-chan, I suddenly feel really tired."
"Mmm-hmm."
Before Ayumi could finish her teasing, Shouko quickly covered her mouth and dragged Takagi into their room.
"See you later, you two~" Takagi winked mischievously at Nishikata before shutting the door behind her.
"Stop staring, the door's closed," Akira said, patting Nishikata's shoulder. "Let's unpack."
"O-Oh, right."
Akira pushed open the blue wooden door, and a faint scent of camphor drifted out.
The room was small but tidy—around fifteen square meters. The walls had faint yellow stains, and the ceiling bore the marks of old rain leaks near the window. Two neatly folded blue-and-white checkered futons rested on the tatami, and the half-open wicker wardrobe revealed towels and a single forgotten clothes hanger.
A rusted drying rack stood in the corner, a dark long-sleeve shirt still hanging from it.
"To think we'll be staying at the class monitor's house for seven whole days," Nishikata said, placing his bag on the folding table by the window. "Hard to imagine."
"There's a lot more you'll find hard to imagine," Akira said teasingly as he tossed his backpack onto the tatami and sat cross-legged.
Thump, thump, thump…
Both boys turned toward the door at the sound.
"The door's not locked," Akira said.
The door opened, and Ayumi peeked inside, both hands covering her eyes. "You two didn't do anything bad in here, right…?"
Akira stared at her blankly. Even though she had her hands over her eyes, the gaps between her fingers were wide enough to see straight through.
"Class monitor, what exactly do you think two guys could be doing in a room together?"
"I wouldn't know," Ayumi replied with mock seriousness, lowering her hands.
"Akira," Shouko's voice called softly from behind Ayumi. "Ayumi-chan said she's taking us to stroll around town. Want to come?"
"Sure."
The five of them headed downstairs, the wooden steps groaning beneath them.
"Grandma, I'm taking my friends out for a walk. We'll be back later!" Ayumi called toward the kitchen.
"What about the watermelon—"
"We'll eat it when we get back!"
Ayumi waved quickly, then linked arms with Shouko and Takagi as they stepped outside. Akira politely said goodbye to the old woman before following them, and Nishikata, a little stiff but trying his best, mimicked Akira's bow before hurrying after him.
The gray-blue coastline stretched along the edge of the town, jagged where the breakwater cut into the sea. The concrete road curved with the terrain, lined with two-story houses painted white with blue rooftops.
Showa-era izakayas stood quietly on both sides of the street, their faded pink noren curtains fluttering in the breeze beneath paper lanterns that read Hamayaki and Teishoku.
A wooden pier extended from the rocky shore, dotted with fishing rods, their floats rising and falling with the waves.
Because it was a seaside town, Akira noticed most of the locals had sun-kissed, tanned skin from years of working outdoors.
"Should we go buy swimsuits?" Ayumi asked as they stopped at a crosswalk.
By now, they had already spent over an hour wandering the area under Ayumi's guidance, getting a good feel for the layout of the small coastal town.
"Sounds good," Shouko said, her tone light. Takagi nodded in agreement. They had planned to visit the beach that afternoon anyway.
At that, Nishikata, who had been dragging his feet, instantly perked up.
"Then it's decided!" Ayumi grinned. "We passed a swimsuit shop earlier. Let's grab what we need and head back to rest."
As they walked, Shouko moved closer to Akira.
"Akira, will you help me choose?"
Ayumi and Takagi exchanged glances. Without saying a word, they began chatting with Nishikata to draw him away, leaving the two some quiet space to talk.
"Me? Choose?" Akira blinked.
"Mm-hmm. You help me pick one, and I'll help you choose yours," Shouko said softly.
She silently thanked her two friends ahead. If Nishikata had stayed beside them, she wouldn't have dared bring it up.
"I have to buy one too? I even brought the school swimsuit they issued," Akira said, scratching his cheek.
"…"
Up ahead, the three girls walked a few paces ahead. Ayumi leaned toward Takagi. "Takagi-chan, it's been a whole semester now. Don't you think Miyamura's planning to confess soon?"
She shot Nishikata a sly look.
"I don't know," Takagi replied, watching a few children chase each other by the roadside. "Back in junior high, early relationships were forbidden. But in high school? I think it's pretty obvious how they feel."
She too glanced pointedly at Nishikata.
"…"
"So what—you think they'll just skip dating and hand us their marriage certificate?" Ayumi teased.
Every time she or Takagi spoke, their eyes would drift toward Nishikata, who was turning redder by the second.
"Expected second semes—"
"Stop! Stop right there!" Nishikata finally raised his hands in defeat. "I get what you're implying, but Akira's never told me when he's planning to confess, alright?!"
"No way." Ayumi folded her arms skeptically.
"Why would I lie?" Nishikata groaned. "When we hang out, we just talk about anime or games! We don't even talk about romance."
"…"
Takagi and Ayumi pressed him a bit more, but when they realized he genuinely didn't know anything, they gave up—though they still exchanged knowing smiles.
As they neared the swimsuit shop, Ayumi and Takagi paused for a moment, then looked straight at Nishikata.
"By the way, Nishikata," Ayumi said with a mischievous grin. "Can I ask you for a favor?"
Nishikata froze under their twin gazes. "Wh-Wh-What is it…?"
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