95 – Envy.
Under the guise of special training, there were many occasions where Kenichi’s screams were heard, but that didn’t mean we hadn’t come all the way to Okinawa and had a day of fun swimming.
We spent a somewhat warm summer, alternating between hellish training and recovery, as there was a possibility that Kenichi, harboring a grudge, might attempt an assassination while he slept.
It was my first time in Okinawa too.
Since we had come all the way to a famous tourist spot, I wasn’t going to spend the whole day hanging out with that guy.
Yongyong didn’t seem to care much, but bringing Senato along felt like a stroke of luck.
Kenichi (a fool and a man) and Yongyong (whatever he was with his Red Eyes Dragon nonsense) in swimsuits didn’t do much for me, but having at least one real beauty around felt like cleansing my mind contaminated by fools.
“It grew, didn’t it?”
The moment I saw Sento’s swimsuit, I realized once again that this world was indeed a romantic comedy.
Although it falls under the genre of romantic comedy, it was a world that was far from resembling a cute girl dating simulation.
It was a mystery world where the existence of love and scenes that make your heart flutter were uncertain, but today, for the first time, I found significance.
“Well, it must have been a fairly happy summer.”
No, perhaps it was the best summer vacation of my life.
As I savored memories in my mind, a gruff voice came through the receiver.
“If you knew you’d enjoy it alone, I should have gone too.”
“If Tokyo had been closer, I might have gone. After all, this is all Rin’s land, isn’t it? The owner might want to do an inspection.”
I knew well that I couldn’t move without any reason during the busy time of the head of the prestigious exorcist family, but the feeling of regret was inevitable.
If Rin had joined the swimsuit party, it would have surely been a day of pure happiness…
As I sincerely expressed my regret, Shihei Rin responded with a much brighter voice.
“hahahaha, they say it’s meddling if you join in when kids are playing?”
“hehehe, you’re not telling me off now, are you? You should have come after playing around a bit.”
“Hey, Shihei is still a minor. Don’t act like an adult, okay?”
“Hmm, in terms of mental age, I am an adult, though?”
“Yes, yes, I understand. So, was the midsummer night’s BBQ party a successful one?”
Sitting under a large palm tree, I gazed at one side of the beach.
The grill, with the meat cooling on it, was left alone, while the two fools who had stuffed themselves with yakitori were frolicking on the sandy shore.
“Explosion☆ is art!”
Shouting like that, Yong Yong, exhaling breath towards the star-studded pitch-black night sky, and Kenichi, swinging a sword towards the sky.
“I will too! I will cut through the sky!”
“Yes, Kenichi! Cutting is the way! There’s nothing in the world that can’t be cut!”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Uwaaah!”
Indeed, the two fools seemed to understand each other much more than expected.
As I turned my head to the uproar of the fools, Shihei asked, “It seems like the BBQ party is over, and the Breath party is in full swing.”
“…Breath?”
“hehehehe, that’s right.”
“Another secret revealed, Shihei. I might feel a bit jealous, but I’ll let it slide.”
“hahahaha, thank you.”
“So, what is Sento doing?”
Perhaps it’s something that concerns me as a sorcery disciple.
With a faint smile, I looked at Sento, who was sitting far away under the palm tree, not frolicking like the other fools, just gazing up at the night sky.
“Ah, I should pay attention from now on.”
As I replied, there was silence for a while on the other end of the receiver, but eventually, a response came.
“…I thought I should have gone after all, but since I said I’ll let it slide, I won’t be jealous.”
“hahahaha, thank you.”
“…Alright, then, please go.”
With those words, Rin abruptly hung up the phone.
I checked the monochrome screen of my device and crossed the sandy beach, clutching my wounded heart.
Though I didn’t hurry, I soon found myself in front of her.
As usual, I met Sawa Mura’s gaze with a twitching face.
“What are you doing here instead of playing with the fools?”
Sawa Mura glanced at my face, then quickly averted her eyes.
She stared at the sky opposite to where I stood with an unusually awkward expression and blurted out, “Stargazing. There are more stars visible today since there are fewer clouds in the sky than usual. …So, did you finish your call properly?”
“Ugh, were you worried all along? You didn’t eavesdrop, did you?!”
“Of course not. I just thought you seemed busier than the others who are playing.”
“I see.”
I sat slightly apart from the sand, a bit away from Sento, perhaps because of spending a month in another city.
It felt like encountering a cat I had never raised before, so I thought I should act carefully.
While gazing at Sento’s peculiar mood today, I pondered how to lighten her mood when she suddenly spoke.
“Hey, Shiki.”
“Yes, did you call me?”
“Although it was tough for a month, it was quite enjoyable.”
“Yes, it was enjoyable. It would be great if Sento-san felt the same way.”
“…Hey, Shiki.”
“Yes, did you call me?”
As I followed someone’s gaze to the twinkling stars in the night sky, I turned my head.
However, something even more dazzling caught my eye.
Suddenly, the woman’s eyes I met shimmered. Her lips were calmly closed, and her beautiful eyebrows seemed to be apprehensive.
“Can we come together like this next year too?”
Her words, spoken out of her mouth, quickly settled on the sandy beach.
Perhaps even silence.
In truth, the question at times like this was not important.
If I knew the answer the other person desired, and if I had nothing to lose, then it was enough to respond accordingly.
It might be arrogance, but the answer she wanted was probably affirmative.
Even knowing that, the reason I hesitated for a moment was the thought that this moment might continue to repeat in someone’s memory.
Because endings were inherently like that.
“Yes, of course.”
With a broader smile, I eased her worries.
“Let’s be together next year too.”
Sawa Mura Sento, who briefly stared at my smiling face, then smiled along.
…No, her smile was so beautiful that it almost felt disrespectful to compare it to mine.
Boom─Bang─!
The fireworks the fools set off adorned the night sky, flashing memories of a midsummer night.
By the time the fireworks in various colors completely extinguished, the summer vacation had come to an end.
Nevertheless, it was still summer.
***
As the vacation ended, students’ lives began.
On the first day of the semester, we returned to school, and our seats in the classroom remained unchanged.
Yes, while some of us were away for special training in Taizhou, others stayed in Tokyo.
“…I’m envious.”
Hearing only the enjoyable parts of summer vacation, Ichinose Hotaru looked at us with a truly envious expression, lips pouted.
“I also wanted to play beach volleyball, had my swimsuit ready at home, wanted to have a barbecue together, and go for a swim…”
“Ah, Hotaru. We can just go to the local swimming pool next time. The sun is shining bright; there’s no need to go all the way to the beach…”
“Hmph! Kenichi can say that because he had his fill of fun. I wanted to go too.”
“…Well, I feel like I have more memories of hardship than of enjoyment.”
Kenichi, sitting right next to me, muttered with a renewed appetite.
Well, if there’s even one memory of enjoyment, isn’t that enough?
Surely, there were students spending their summer vacation cooped up in their rooms.
“So, Kenichi, be thankful.”
“…I don’t really feel like being thankful to you.”
“hahahaha, still, be thankful.”
“…Tch. If I were stronger than you…”
Such assumptions are meaningless.
Although I should have listened to Kenichi’s grumbling, I let it pass with just one ear.
Perhaps due to the chatty person in front or because it was the first day of school, time seemed to pass slowly.
It was barely lunchtime when I took out the three-tiered bento from my bag and laid it out on the desk.
“Um, Ichimaru-kun?”
Even Hotaru, who had been almost silent recently, used a title I hadn’t heard in a while.
Raising my head hesitantly, I saw a face from the same class, but one I rarely encountered.
The school’s beauty, Sawako Tachibana, shyly smiled and replied, “I’ve finished everything you asked me to do.”
“Oh, Janghae. It’s so reassuring to hear good news from you on the first day.”
“hehehehe.”
“…”
Listening to our conversation, Sawamura Sento subtly furrowed his brows.
Maybe he was eyeing Sawako, whom he wasn’t close to, or maybe he was looking at me as a substitute. Then, he glared with an expressionless face.
“Drop dead.”
“Gack.”
I clutched my aching heart.