Chapter 113

CHAPTER 2 Our Own Kind of Blue This place is like a hidden base, I think to myself each time I step inside the Gym 2 building. Perhaps it’s because the surrounding walls are a deep, dull gray. Perhaps it’s because it is only about two-thirds the size of Gym 1. Or maybe it’s the impression I have, every time I go past, that it’s just sitting there, empty and desolate. Either way, this place is the quietest, stillest part of the whole school, with a sort of closed-up feel to it… And for a day like today, it might actually be the perfect place. It’s seventh period, about a week after the committees all got decided. Or, more accurately, it’s the break before seventh period. Present are myself, Yuuko, Yua, Nanase, Haru, Kazuki, Kaito, and Kenta—all the members of Team Chitose and the entire cheer squad for Year Two, Class Five. Today’s the first time that committee members for Years One, Two, and Three are meeting. For the sports festival, each of the ten classes in each grade are assigned one of five colors. In other words, classes are grouped into pairs by color, and overall, there’s a total of six teams. Naturally, it would be the same for the cheer squad, but no one from the science track who got assigned blue this year wanted to join. So it’s us from Class Five who’re the reps for the second-year group. We mobilized as soon as the break began, so we were the first ones to arrive at the meeting place in Gym 2. We decided to sit on the floor in a circle near the basketball hoop for starters. Kaito spoke in a breathless voice, like he just couldn’t wait any longer. “Man, I’m getting excited already! The festival’s our only chance to do stuff with students from the other years, outside of club activities.” Haru raised an eyebrow. “Don’t go chasing after the younger girls, now.” “Heh, sorry to correct you, Haru, but I’m actually pretty popular with the younger girls. And the older girls, too, come to think of it.” “Because the ones who know you better know you’re a total loser.” “Hey, that hurts!” Kazuki spoke next, sitting crisscross with his chin propped in his hand and a detached expression on his face. “But you know, now that we’re second-years, we have more responsibility. We might actually have a heavier load.” Yua chuckled. “We’re going to nominate the cheer squad captain and vice captain from among ourselves, right?” That’s why we came early. To reduce the burden on the third-year students, who’re just about to take their college entrance exams, the second-year students generally take on most of the committee responsibilities. For the cheer squad, we’ll be the ones nominating the captain and vice captain, like Yua said, and we’ll also be the ones coming up with the choreography and costumes, and making other executive decisions. Kazuki nodded. “I mean, should we just roll with Saku as captain?” Since I’d been predicting this, I responded without any surprise or element of “Who, me?” “I mean, if no one else wants to, then I guess I will.” Of us all, Kenta and I are the only ones who aren’t in any after-school clubs. So from the start, I was prepared to pick up whatever slack there was. Still, it would be a bit tough on Kenta to force him to be cheer squad captain. No one seemed to have any issues with this. Kazuki nodded and continued… “So then, as for the vice captain…” I found myself looking to Yuuko. Everyone else seemed to have found themselves looking at her, too. I mean, it’s like when I became class president. Yuuko’s always the first to volunteer for stuff like this. But the typical pattern didn’t play out this time. “Here! If Chitose’s going to be the captain, then I’ll be vice captain.” This time, it was Nanase who’d casually raised her hand. “““Huh…?””” Three people grunted in surprise. Noticing the response, Nanase smiled wryly and scratched her cheek. She turned to Yuuko and, with a slight tinge of pink to her cheeks, said, “Sorry, were you planning on doing it?” Yuuko responded smoothly and without hesitation. “Nope.” Then she tilted her head to the side slightly and smiled, a little bashful. “I’ll be so busy with cheer squad choreography and the class play that I’ll just cause more problems for Saku if I do it. I think it’d be better all around if you did it, Yuzuki.” Nanase raised her eyebrows in surprise, then nodded in understanding. “All right. You can leave it to me.” She paused, looked around, and spoke again. “Is that cool with everyone else?” Kazuki, who’d been watching them converse, smiled a little bit sadly. “Well, with Saku and Yuzuki at the helm, there’ll be no issues.” Everyone nodded in full agreement with him. There was a lull in the conversation, and I found myself realizing something all over again. Before now…Yuuko would have volunteered to be vice captain, without a doubt. Nanase wouldn’t have raised her hand like that. Even if she’d wanted to do it, she would have waited to gauge the others’ reactions first. Things have changed between us all… They really have. It was something new—hard to define but not uncomfortable. Just a little melancholy, too. After we’d been hanging around awhile, about ten or so third-year students walked into Gym 2. Seeing who was leading the line, Kaito leaped to his feet. “Whoa! No way! Nishino, you’re gonna be on the cheer squad, too?!” Asuka came over, blushing a little and waving. Walking right behind her was Okuno. There were also a few other students I recognized from the future careers counseling sessions and summer study camp. They all seemed close, so they must have decided to join the cheer squad together. We all got to our feet like Kaito did. Asuka giggled awkwardly. “Hello. Great to be cheering with you all.” “Same, same,” everyone said. Things seemed more chill than they’d been during the future career sessions. Maybe because we’d spent all summer studying together and going to the festival and everything. Asuka came up close to me and murmured in my ear. “You don’t seem very surprised.” “I had the feeling you and I might end up the same color,” I said, and Asuka pouted a little. “Hey, don’t talk like it was that easy.” “All right, all right. You should know, I’m delighted on the inside.” That wasn’t just a joke to cover up my embarrassment. I meant it. Asuka often says stuff like, “It’s sad that we can’t share the same experiences at the same time,” and yeah, I’ve felt it, too. But now that we were both on the cheer squad, we’d be able to work together toward one of the biggest events in our school life. Our first and last time working together as classmates and teammates. Asuka seemed satisfied by my answer. She smiled at me and then strolled off. Okuno, who had been watching from the sidelines, spoke to me then. “So we meet again, Chitose.” I was a little unsure how to respond, but this time, I opted for a casual joke. “So much for our cool parting of the ways after the summer study camp, huh?” Okuno snorted with amusement. “Now, now, don’t be that way. I also want to enjoy my last semester.” He said he’d confessed his feelings to Asuka in no uncertain terms and gotten shot down, but it didn’t seem to have made things awkward between them at all. Instead, he seemed refreshed, like he’d been liberated from some kind of burden. He and I had snarked back and forth at each other during the future careers session, but to be honest, I had nothing against the guy. While I was mulling that over, the bell for the start of class rang, and at almost the same moment, the first-years started coming in. All right. Looks like it’s time to start festival prep for real. I tightened my tie—which is kinda unlike me, I have to say. The cheer squad was composed of about thirty students, including first-years, second-years, and third-years. We decided to start with a brief round of self-introductions. Nanase and I stood at the front, and everyone else sat down side by side in three rows ranked according to grade. Now that I see them all together, there’s kinda a lot of people here. I cleared my throat and opened my mouth. “Erm… So I’ve been appointed leader of the cheer squad. I’m Saku Chitose from Year Two, Class Five. If we’re doing this, then I sure plan for us to bring home the championship trophy. It’d be great to enjoy this school days experience with everyone. Let’s give it our all together, all right?” It’s just a basic speech, not like I’m the principal addressing the whole freakin’ school. So there’s no point in rambling on too much right from the start. Once I wrapped it up, there was a round of applause much louder than anything I’d been expecting. “Yeah!” “Nice, Captain!” “Let’s do this thing.” “Chitose is so cool, isn’t he?” “I’m glad I chose to join the cheer squad…!” I had to smile awkwardly at the reactions of the older and younger students. We’re talking about folks who’d actually volunteer to join a cheer squad. I’m sure they’re just fundamentally perky people. Now Nanase stepped forward. “I’m Yuzuki Nanase, vice captain. Now, I may not look it, but I play to win! I’ll cut the younger students some slack, but the older ones will get no mercy from me. Make sure you’re adequately prepared, okay?” Her words were kinda strong, but her gestures were playful and a little hammy, and the crowd seemed to love it. “Excited for the opportunity!” “Be as harsh as you like!” “Man, isn’t Nanase gorgeous?!” “Blue Team is the best!” After that, we had the third-years, second-years, and then first-years introduce themselves one by one. Overall, everyone was perky and clear-spoken, and the rest listened attentively, too. Though it was our first time meeting, the atmosphere was jovial and pleasant. If anything, Kenta was the most reticent of anyone present. But it was still all right, since his banter with Kaito had gotten a few laughs. Once the self-introductions were over, I took charge again. “Thanks, everyone. Okay, so the second-years will basically be taking point going forward, but I’d like one representative each from the first-years and third-years. They’ll have to join in on brainstorming sessions with us. So with that in mind…are there any candidates you’d like to nominate now?” This, too, is like an annual tradition. It’s difficult to coordinate gathering everyone together for every decision, so the second-years basically serve as the main players, gathering opinions from the students in the other years via a nominated representative, who then reports back to their peers what we’ve all decided to do. For the dancing, we have everyone memorize the choreography first, then we oversee the main thing, while the representatives focus on the small details and oversee the individual practice sessions for each grade. “Here!” It was Asuka who’d put up her hand with zero hesitation. I think she probably came with this as her plan. “I’ll be representing the third-years.” The other seniors clapped to signal their approval. Asuka’s already familiar with a lot of us second-years, so it’s a good choice, I think. “All right. Nishino will represent the third-year students. How about for first year?” They’d suddenly have to work with a bunch of second- and third-year students, all on their own. Frankly, I can see how it’s a tough ask. “Here! I wanna do it!” A cheerful voice rang out. The hand in the air belonged to a quite lovely girl who stood out from her first-year peers. I probably shouldn’t say it like this, but she was about as pretty as Nanase. And though her uniform was still a little baggy on her, it was clear she had great proportions underneath. I bet she’s super popular among the kids in her grade, I thought as I addressed her. “Oh, thanks. You’re… Er, Nozomi, was it?” I remembered the name from the round of self-intros. The girl nodded politely. “Yes, I’m Kureha Nozomi from Year One, Class Five. Nice to meet you!” Maybe they discussed this among themselves beforehand, since the first-years were all clapping with warm approval. “Then, Nishino, Nozomi… Would you mind stepping forward briefly?” Asuka came to stand beside Nanase, while Nozomi trotted perkily over to stand right beside me. I got a hit of a fresh citrus scent. Nozomi looked my way, tilted her head, and gave me a smile that still had a hint of innocence to it. Since entering high school, I hadn’t had many opportunities to interact with any of the junior students. So I was blushing a little as I nodded slightly and turned to face the others. “All right, to reiterate—I’m the captain, Saku Chitose, and the vice captain is Yuzuki Nanase. The third-year representative is Nishino, and the first-year representative is Nozomi here. So, that’s our system in place. Let’s work together until the big day, okay? All right, thanks, everyone.” ““““Thanks!!!”””” Youthful voices rang out to the rafters of Gym 2. Looking around at the unfamiliar faces, I found myself relaxing a little. Yeah… Things were probably going to go just fine. After that, we all exchanged contact information, created a LINE group for the Blue Cheer Squad, and called it a day. Not a bad meeting overall, I thought. As I watched the other students leave the gym, Nanase came over to speak to me. “Chitose, are you free tonight?” “Hmm… You mean for what we discussed?” I recalled the plans we’d made about me cooking for her. But Nanase rolled her eyes at me. “Hey, don’t make me sound desperate.” “Oh, so it’s not that?” “I mean, if you wanna cook for me, I’m happy to indulge you. But more importantly, we have stuff to discuss. Maybe we should have a quick meeting, just you and me?” “Oh yeah…” Embarrassed, I rubbed my cheek. Right, we couldn’t move forward until we’d decided what exactly we were gonna do for our performance. Of course, we were going to be discussing it with the rest of the second-year members—and Asuka and Nozomi—but we should probably have some ideas beforehand. Since I had no particular objections or alternative plans in mind, I gave her a nod. “All right… Well, where should we do it?” I asked. “Your place,” Nanase replied. “What time?” “After club practice.” “What do you want to eat?” “Something you’ve never made for anyone before.” “So you do want me to feed you after all.” We were ambling toward the gym exit, chattering away, when I noticed the sound of someone’s footsteps following us. I stopped and turned to find Nozomi looking at us with a curious expression on her face. Perhaps she was waiting for the right moment to say something. If so, then I felt a little bad for not noticing sooner. “Sorry. I thought we were the last ones left. Do you have a question or something?” Nozomi just stared blankly, like she hadn’t even heard me. “Er…Nozomi?” When I spoke to her again, she seemed to snap out of it and gave me a bright grin. “Er, I was just thinking… I didn’t get a chance to greet you properly or express my thanks. Anyway…I’m looking forward to working with you!” Express her thanks…? I’m guessing she means for accepting her as the representative of the first-years. What a proper young lady, I thought, unable to suppress a smile. “You don’t have to be so formal.” Nozomi clutched handfuls of her skirt. “No, no, I wanted to do things properly.” “Aha,” I said, nodding lightly. “Well, it’s great to be working with you, too. None of us second-years have any experience with cheering. So if you have any ideas, feel free to suggest away.” “Okay!” Then Nozomi turned to Nanase and bowed deferentially. “It’s great to be working with you, too, Nanase!” I’m sure Nanase was used to chatting to the younger girls on the basketball team. When she responded, her tone was relaxed and casual. “Sure. Come to me anytime with any issues, big or small. Like if the captain starts hitting on you. Like I said, anything at all.” “Hey, Vice Captain. Don’t go poisoning the younglings’ minds against me.” “Don’t worry. You wouldn’t think it looking at him, but he’s actually pretty decent when it comes to the girls.” “And I’m kind to the boys, too!” Nozomi sputtered with laughter at this. “You all seem to be such good friends.” Nanase and I looked at each other, surprised by this earnest assessment of our group. We’re used to the way we all joke and tease one another, but it’s always a little bit like, “Huh,” when someone else comments on it. “Come to think of it,” Nozomi said, tilting her head. “I couldn’t help overhearing… You live alone, Senpai?” Now, if I were to explain about my family situation, it might make things kinda awkward for her. But it’s not like I have anything to hide. So I gave her a fairly casual answer. “Ah, solo living’s not too bad, once you get used to it.” Nanase chimed in. “And his place has become kinda like our de facto group hangout spot.” Nanase probably wanted to mitigate any misunderstandings that a younger student might have. But either way, Nozomi seemed to accept this explanation without any further questioning. “Really? Well, I’d love to be invited to hang out sometime!” “Er, uh…” I should have just nodded and laughed, taken it for mere polite conversation, but with everything that’s been happening lately, I found myself a bit tongue-tied. If it was someone I knew better, I’d probably style it out with an obviously absurd joke, like, “Well, make sure you pack some cute undies.” But if I ended up creeping this girl out from day one—well, that wouldn’t be good. Still, Nozomi clearly knew that Nanase was coming to my place. And flat out turning down her innocent request for an invite would probably really hurt her feelings… …Think of poor wittle Saku? I looked to Nanase for help, but she rolled her eyes and sighed. Then she shrugged and eventually spoke for me. “Well, Nozomi, once upon a time, there was a hungry wolf. He no longer had the strength to go out hunting. He was all curled up in his den, starving… Then a pure-white little wild rabbit wandered in. Now then, what do you think that nasty wolf’s going to do?” Nozomi put her pointer finger to her lips, thought for a sec, then answered. “Um, eat it?” Nanase nodded with a serious look on her face. “You’re the rabbit. Captain here is the wolf. Got that?” “I ain’t no wolf!!!” I couldn’t stand by any longer and had to protest. But Nozomi chuckled, like this was all just too hilarious. “Then…Nanase’s going to get eaten, too…?” Another casual question from her…but again, I was tongue-tied. Nanase, however, didn’t seem to have a problem with her words. She poked out her tongue and spoke in a jokey, sultry voice. “Oh, honey, I’m no rabbit. I’m a well-nourished wolf myself. Ain’t nobody eating me.” Nozomi sputtered with laughter again, clapping her hands over her mouth. Then, through attempts to choke back her laughter… “Sorry. I understand what you’re getting at, Nanase. But when I saw the two of you together, I figured there was nothing to worry about in that regard… I may have stepped out of line a little.” She bowed her head respectfully, and I felt sort of bad about all this. Nanase seemed to feel the same. I’m sure this girl didn’t ask for an invitation just because she was kinda clueless. It was my first time meeting her, so perhaps I was overly cautious myself. I mean, going forward, we’d be working closely together as key players on the cheer squad. And it was totally possible that we’d have team meetings at my place. Nanase nodded, with the cool smile of an older student. Right. I nodded back. “You should bring some hearty junk food when you come. No froufrou desserts. That way, the wolf will be able to satisfy his appetite and won’t get up to any mischief.” Nozomi’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in an “aha” sort of way. “Understood, Senpai!” “Also…,” she murmured, looking away, as if embarrassed. “Um… Senpai… Nanase… It’s fine with me if you want to call me Kureha instead of by my last name.” Nanase and I looked at each other and burst out laughing at her childlike earnestness. If I had a younger sister, maybe she’d be something like this, I thought, smiling to myself. I wanted to make things as comfortable for her in our group as possible. “Well, don’t burn yourself out, okay, Kureha?” Nanase nodded, still in her reliable older-girl persona. “If you need anything at all, feel free to reach out to me, Kureha.” Kureha clenched her fists in front of her. “Okay! I’ll do my very best!” Then she giggled, and the sound was as refreshing as ripe citrus. I was just turning the heat down under the bubbling clay pot when a languid ding-dong came at the door. “It’s open!” I called out, and Nanase peeked her head around the doorframe. “’Sup?” “Hey. I’ve already started dinner. You can feel free to go and freshen up in the shower.” Wow, I sure suggested that pretty casually, I thought. I mean…she’d just finished club practice. I’m sure she was sweaty. If I hadn’t suggested it, she would’ve asked to use my shower herself. I’d decided to stop getting my boxers in a bunch over every little thing lately. “Thanks.” Nanase dropped her stuff on a kitchen chair and went to grab a bath towel from the closet. She’s gotten pretty used to making herself at home, I thought. I wanted to check to make sure I timed dinner right, so… “You gonna wash your hair, too?” “No. I only worked up a light sweat today.” Nanase was on her way to the bathroom when she suddenly swerved and came over my way. She stood next to me and sniffed. “Smells even better than usual.” “I’m cooking in a clay pot. I’ve never done it before, so no complaining if it ends up kinda burnt,” I said. Nanase grinned and chuckled. “Yay, I’m the first,” she said perkily, then disappeared into the bathroom. As usual, I turned up the volume on my Tivoli Audio. I got out the tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and garlic, and grabbed a knife. I removed the stems from the tomatoes and roughly cubed them, stacked a few lettuce leaves and cut them into thick strips, and finely chopped the onion. Then I got two cloves of garlic. I cut off the end pieces, then crushed them with the flat side of the knife to peel off the skins. I poured a generous glug of oil into a hot cast-iron frying pan, tilted the pan around a bit, then added the garlic. I cooked the garlic over a low heat to release the aroma, then took it off the heat before it burned, and then roughly chopped it. Next, I fried the onions to a golden brown before adding ground beef. The bathroom door clattered open. The clay pot had started bubbling and chattering while I was busy doing other things, and a nice fragrant smell had begun to fill the air. I reached out and turned off the heat. I’ll leave it steaming in the pot for a while, I thought, and it should turn out really nice. Once the minced beef was cooked through, I sprinkled on some salt and pepper, added the finely chopped garlic, then added some sweet chili sauce, some ketchup, and some Worcestershire sauce, eyeing the amounts and tasting as I went. It was a little too sweet, so I added just a touch of soy sauce. I scooped up a spoonful, popped it in my mouth, then nodded and turned off the heat. The curtain separating the living room and bathroom was suddenly tugged aside. Nanase emerged, looking refreshed. “All bathed. Or, to be more precise, all showered.” I grabbed some plates to serve the rice on. “It’s gonna be too cold soon for just showers.” “Then I’ll buy you some nice bath salts.” “You’re planning on soaking in my tub?” Nanase strolled over and casually rested her hand on the stool parked near the kitchen counter. As my eyes fixed on that sight… “Uh…” I said this without thinking. Nanase froze, about to pull the stool over and sit down. “What…?” She shot me an uneasy look. There was a tense, tingling silence. That stool was an expression of my appreciation to Yua. It’s not like I’d decided from the start that I wasn’t going to let anyone else sit there. But the moment I saw Nanase about to use it, something felt very wrong. For just a moment, I got a mental image of Yua sadly staring at me. Of course, Nanase meant no harm. This was my fault for not putting it away beforehand. Eventually, Nanase was the first to break the silence. She gently returned the stool to its original spot with both of her hands, handling it like it was precious. “Maybe I’ll just flop down on the sofa.” She was acting like that moment of awkwardness had never happened. I watched as she turned and walked away from the stool. Her steps were overly light somehow. Sorry, I murmured internally. When I opened the lid of the clay pot after it spent some time steaming, I was met with the sight of shiny, plump grains of rice. As worried as I’d been about it, the rice touching the side of the pot was just nicely browned. No burnt bits. Mentally shoving aside our earlier mishap, I called out to Nanase. “Nanase, how much you gonna eat?” “A double helping, duh!” She sounded like Haru. I had to grin. “Don’t you want to worry about the calories a little first?” “Hmm? I thought you weren’t into girls who acted all delicate and dainty in front of guys.” “Indeed, I am not.” I whacked some rice onto a plate, topped it with the just-fried ground beef and onions, added some lettuce and some tomatoes, then finished it off with a sprinkle of shredded cheese. I carried the plates to the table, then grabbed the soup I’d made earlier out of the fridge. I got us a couple of spoons and two glasses of barley tea, then sat down on a chair. Nanase, across the table, gasped in delight. “So, Chitose. What are we having this time?” “Today’s special is taco rice with cold soybean potage. And yes, this is my first time making any of it.” Nanase clapped her hands together in applause. “Nice!” “Incidentally…I have no idea if I’m ever gonna be making that potage again, so you’d better try to appreciate every spoonful.” “Huh? Why not?” “…It was a lot more work than I expected it to be, that’s why.” I had to use the hand mixer Yua left, but it still took way too long. I got a flashback of me frantically popping soybeans out of their pods, and I gave myself a little shake. “I doubt I’m ever gonna whip up a batch just for myself, at least.” Nanase rubbed her mouth and giggled. Then she smiled slightly and spoke in a teasing sort of voice. “So then, this is a special treat just for me?” I turned away, embarrassed, and mumbled my response. “…You made me katsudon during summer vacation, right? I wanted to thank you for that, so I thought I’d try making something you might like.” I paused for a second, then tried to laugh it off. “Though taco rice was about all I could manage for the main course afterward.” When I looked at Nanase, she was frozen, somewhat stunned. I tipped my head, confused by her reaction, but she just blinked and blinked. “…Nanase?” With that verbal nudge, she finally snapped out of it, lowering her gaze to the table. “Hee-hee. I’m glad to hear that.” Then she giggled a very un-Nanase-like giggle. Suddenly awkward, I scratched my neck to try to distract myself. “Let’s eat, Nanase.” “Yeah!” “All right. I’m digging in.” “Me too!” Nanase looked around for a moment before picking up the cold soybean potage first. By the way, I’d served it in a little glass to make it a bit fancier. Nanase used her wooden spoon to get a small mouthful. She seemed to have taken my earlier words to heart. She appeared to be rolling the mouthful on her tongue, savoring it before swallowing. Then she looked at me with surprise in her eyes. “No way… You made this, Chitose?” “Hey, what do you mean?” Nanase stuck out her tongue. “Sorry, sorry. I wasn’t ragging on you. It’s just that you normally cook the way you’d expect boys to do, just kinda tossing things together. But this tastes like something from some fancy restaurant.” “Well, I may have searched ‘recipes that taste like something you’d get at a fancy restaurant’ as reference.” “Hee-hee. Well, thanks.” She smiled a little shyly, then reached for the taco rice. Now she was probably thinking about how I’d gone to all the trouble of making it in a clay pot. She avoided the meat at first and took only a spoonful of the white rice. “It’s so fluffy and sweet. It’s definitely clay-pot rice; I can see the browned parts.” Seeing her reaction, I snorted with satisfaction. “It’s not just any old rice I threw into a clay pot. I was actually all out of rice, so I bought some ichihomare rice for the occasion.” I followed Nanase’s example and took just a spoonful of the rice. I’ve always been a diehard for koshihikari rice, but this stuff was a strong competitor. Next, Nanase took a big spoonful of the meat and other toppings. “Delicious! But this one has the comforting taste of the good old Chitose cafeteria.” “That’s because I exhausted my pretentiousness on the soybean soup,” I said. “I used, like, the first taco rice recipe I found. As for the sauce, I basically just winged it.” Nanase chuckled, shoulders shaking. Relieved by her rave review, I started in on my own plate of taco rice. Not bad at all for my first time making it. You can squeeze some veggies into your diet with this dish as well. I figured I’d probably end up making this again sometime soon. “I could also put a soft-boiled egg on top. Or add some mayonnaise or Tabasco…” I was half muttering to myself, but Nanase gasped theatrically. “I noticed this at Hachiban’s, too… But you really like to switch things up with different toppings, don’t you?” “I mean, it’s good to be able to enjoy variety, you know…?” “Actually, I think you’re low-key rubbing off on me. Recently, I’ve been shaking some shichimi spice onto my miso soup.” “Oh, good idea. Shall we shake together? Three, two…” “I already added some.” As we continued our casual conversation, I suddenly blurted out something that had been bothering me. “You know, you’ve got a major role in the play, and now you’re going to be vice captain of the cheer squad, too… Haven’t you bitten off a bit more than you can chew?” Nanase shrugged lightly. “Well, what about you?” “I mean, I don’t have club practice, unlike you.” And didn’t Haru say something about Winter Cup qualifiers coming up soon? I didn’t know the details, but it sounded kinda like the regional spring national tournament in baseball. In that case, how would they have any time to spare for school events? Nanase stopped eating and muttered to herself, “It’s fine. I’m not neglecting basketball. It’s just that I’ve been watching Umi lately, and it’s got me thinking.” She sounded very convincing. And her gaze was convincing me, too. Okay. I guess I was worrying for nothing. “All right.” I shrugged and smiled, but Nanase went for the jugular. “What, are you not happy having me as your partner?” “Don’t talk crazy. You’re the most reliable person I know.” “Okay, then.” Nanase took a sip of her barley tea, then smacked her lips, as if to say, “Now, down to business.” “So how should we proceed with cheer squad?” By the way, like we discussed in homeroom, Nazuna would be working Atomu hard for the play, so we could trust that to keep ticking along. First, they’d work with the lit club members to draft a rough script. Then the main actors—i.e., me, Yuuko, and Nanase—would be added to a group chat on the LINE app so we could go over the script and give our opinions. Until the script was done, in other words, the best thing was for us to focus all our efforts on the sports festival for the time being. I thought for a second before saying anything. “Well, first, we need to come up with a concept.” Whatever our performance, our team color would have to be featured prominently. Like how the giant mascot–constructing team uses the color as a theme. According to Kura, in previous years, the Blue Team worked off of concepts like the sky, mermaids, youth, tears. All things associated with blue. Anything that could be loosely associated with the color blue was up for grabs. Nanase nodded enthusiastically. “For now, I think it’s going to be a discussion between us second-years, Nishino, and Kureha.” “I’ll set up a brainstorming room, just like in class. Let’s get a concept squared away, and then we can start working on the music, choreography, and costumes.” “Fine by me. So, Chitose, do you have any ideas at this early stage…?” I thought for a second before saying anything. “When I think of blue, I always think of nature… Like the sky, the ocean. But what about…planet Earth?” “Sounds like that would lead to a pretty elaborate dance routine.” “Well, how about those bright blue Popsicles?” “Wow, you went all the way to the mundane.” “Uh…a pool? Those are blue.” “What, are we dancing around in swimsuits now?” “Hmm…” “Don’t even consider it!” All jokes aside… I had no idea what our predecessors did. But I did have a hunch that if our concept was too abstract, the audience would be like, “Okay… What am I even looking at here?” If only we could hit on one single word, easily associated with the color blue, that could be expressed plainly through the medium of dance… I finished off my taco rice as I spoke. “Well, it would probably be quicker if we all discussed it together and hashed out some ideas.” “Right,” Nanase agreed, slurping the last of her soup. She put the glass down. “That was incredibly delicious. Thank you.” “Are you satisfied?” “Yeah. My heart’s totally full.” “I see…so the nutrients go to the chest area.” “Shut up!” We both carried the dishes to the sink, then Nanase started washing up. I grabbed a dish towel. Splash, splash, squeak. Splash, splash, splosh. I took charge of the expertly washed dishes and rubbed them dry as I spoke again. “Anyway, I don’t even need to mention Asuka, but I’m sure glad that Kureha seems like she’ll be easy to work with.” Nanase shot me a glance and responded in a playful tone. “She’s certainly pretty enough to get a certain guy drooling.” “Come on, that’s not what I meant.” “…Sorry. I was being kinda bitchy there.” “…But I mean, does Kureha have a boyfriend or what?” “Hey!” I was just making conversation, but Nanase took my comment about Kureha more seriously than I’d intended. So I’d decided to tease her, just a little. We looked at each other, then both burst out laughing. I thought back to the afternoon, and yeah…Kureha was very pretty. Nanase levels of pretty. But still… I smiled thinly. Not only do I basically have my plate full with pretty girls, after the earnest and innocent way Kureha chatted with us this afternoon, I can’t really see her as anything other than a little-sister type. And anyway, it’s totally disrespectful to even be discussing a younger student in this way. Nanase finished washing the dishes and grabbed a towel to dry her hands. “Hey, Chitose…can we move the table a little?” “Okay, but why?” We each grabbed one end of the table and maneuvered it to the wall. Nanase went to the bedroom and came back cradling the crescent moon–shaped nightlight she’d given me for my birthday. She put it on the table, plugged it in, and then switched it on. I snapped off the room lights, and a faint crescent moon appeared in the dimness. Nanase giggled and held out her hand. “I won’t go snooping around, I promise, so…can I borrow your phone?” “I’m not worried about you snooping.” I handed her my phone as instructed, then casually looked over her shoulder to make sure I could see the screen. I really wasn’t worried, though; this was typical Nanase stuff. She opened a free music app I’d signed up for but barely used, and she started searching for something. Then, apparently having found the song she was looking for, she shot me a mischievous look. “Prince, how good are you at dancing?” “How good do you think?” “Don’t you think the captain and vice captain should lead the choreography?” “Am I a prince now, or am I still the captain?” Nanase tapped the phone screen, and a song with sexy male vocals began to play. The screen said, Mary Jane. Aha. I got what Nanase was driving at. I grinned a little. “You want the cheer squad to dance cheek to cheek to the oldies?” “Maybe our Snow White will have a ball.” “In that case, we’ll need to get some glass slippers for props.” “Just make sure they don’t fit me.” This was all just pantomime on Nanase’s part, of course. Nothing she says has any meaning, and yet there’s a deeper overall meaning to all of it. Calling to mind that long chat one night not so long ago, Nanase said… “Would you like to dance tonight?” “Yes, shall we dance?” All right. I’ll go back to that spring night, too. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hesitant. But once you taste the slight embarrassment of it, it becomes kinda addictive. Over and over…and it always ends up like this. Someone whispering in my ear. Be quiet. You don’t have to say it. I know. But if I keep dodging the question, we’ll never get anywhere. Looking for the answer in things like this. Someday, I swear I’ll put a name to it. In the dim light of the crescent moon, a boy and a girl became a fake prince and a fake princess. I held out my right hand theatrically, my left hand on my hip. Nanase held my hand in hers, her free hand gently placed on my shoulder. Our cheeks close together…not touching, but so close… I wrapped my left arm around Nanase’s waist… And then we took our first step. Without any prior discussion, we were perfectly in sync. Two inseparable halves of one whole. I could practically feel Nanase’s heartbeat in the painful space between us. The apologetic space between our cheeks, flushed with blood… We were close enough to hear each other blink, and yet our eyes never met. We danced random dance steps and spun in unison. What if in our version, Snow White really did go to a ball? Though we both knew that a happily ever after wasn’t in the cards, we still continued to act our roles. Nanase recited the lines, like she was in a play. “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall.” She moved her face a little ways away and peered up at me with eyes that were bright and seductive, like those of a witch casting a curse. “…Who’s the fairest one of all?” It was like she was asking me that question for real. So to avoid being bewitched, I averted my eyes and pressed my cheek against hers again. The next day, just after seven PM. The cheer squad members consisting of us second-years, Asuka, and Kureha had all come to OreBo Station, a local Fukui chain restaurant not far from our school. It’s kinda like a combination of a typical convenience store, a bento shop, and a restaurant. Beside the convenience store part, there’s a vast selection of prepared deli and bento boxes that they make in-house, and you can either eat in or take them out. Also, the cafeteria part has a wide range of set menus you can order for around 550 yen. I often stop by when I don’t feel in the mood for cooking. We talked about getting something to go and taking it to a nearby park, if the place was super busy, but luckily, the eat-in space was pretty empty. Preparing for a school festival is like a race against time. Everyone was involved in school clubs, except for Kenta, Asuka, and me, so we’d probably be getting together later in the evening like this more often for a while. Incidentally, Kureha turned out to belong to the track-and-field club. I was surprised to learn that her specialty was the 100-meter dash, and that she’d even competed in the Inter-High School Championships. We each bought our meals and went into the eat-in area. The boys chose dishes from the in-house menu, such as katsudon and curry, while all the girls went for the buffet, something this place was known for. If you go for the buffet, you get a special container that you can fill with whatever you want, like rice, fried rice, pasta, chicken with daikon, meat-and-potato stew, and so on. In other words, it’s basically a make-your-own bento station. We snagged two four-person booths, with Kazuki, Kenta, Kaito, and Haru in one, and Yuuko, Yua, Asuka, and Kureha in another. Nanase and I took seats at the nearby counter. Last night, I’d told everyone to come up with a concept for the performance. I’m not sure whether one night’s long enough to come up with anything decent, but we need a jumping-off point to begin discussions. For now, though, everyone started chowing down. Sitting at the counter meant I had my back to the booth, so I quickly slurped down my char siu ramen and then turned to face the group. But before we got into it, I took a quick bite of the Spam rice ball I’d also ordered. It’s more like a giant piece of sushi the size of a girl’s fist, and, as the name suggests, it’s topped with a slab of Spam and a rolled omelet. Just one of these will fill you up for hours, so it’s something guys often swing by OreBo to pick up after club practice. After swallowing, I began: “Let’s keep eating as we discuss, but does anyone have any ideas so far…?” The first to respond was Haru, who was also stuffing a rolled Spam rice ball into her mouth. I hate to call a girl out, but that’s not the kind of thing you order on top of the buffet bento, you know. “I know! Pocari Sweat! The labels are blue.” “I see what you’re driving at, but I worry it’d just look like a commercial for Pocari Sweat. You know, a bunch of people dancing in uniforms.” “Yeah…but it was all I could think of.” Next, and surprisingly, Asuka raised her hand. “Yes, Asuka?” “Erm…like maybe the Bluebird of Happiness…?” “Ah, yeah… That’s an idea.” “It’s based on a fairy tale, so we could work off that.” Not a bad idea, I thought. No doubt Asuka had given it some thought, wanting to represent as the only third-year. Nanase, who’d conveniently just finished eating, turned to Asuka and nodded. “Yeah, I think it’s a good idea. Let’s keep it as a possibility. What about the rest of you?” The next person to raise their hand was Yua. “How about an aquarium?” I nodded a little. “Nice. It’s more concrete and easier to imagine than something more abstract like the ocean.” “I thought it would be pretty if we made colorful, fluttery costumes like tropical fish and did a dance representing swimming.” “Oh yeah. Let’s put that on the list as well.” Yua blushed and scratched her cheek. “It’s nothing special… I just remembered Yamazaki’s funny analogy from the other day at Takokyu.” “I know, I know, I know!” Yuuko raised her hand enthusiastically. “‘Something blue’!” Nanase nodded. “Interesting. Definitely interesting.” I scratched my cheek, confused. “That sounds vaguely familiar, but… What’s it mean?” Nanase chuckled. “It’s like a traditional wedding custom. There’s these four things a bride needs to bring her happiness: something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.” “So then your concept is…?” Yuuko smiled innocently. “Yep! A wedding!” Suddenly, I felt too awkward to look at her. It was reassuring to see that this part of Yuuko hasn’t changed… And I was sure there was no deeper meaning to her suggestion… But wasn’t the concept kind of heavy, considering what had happened…? Maybe I was just overthinking it, I thought, and I looked at the others to gauge their reactions… Everyone except Nanase, who was grinning wryly, looked confused and unsure of how to respond. Yuuko looked confused, her gaze wandering from one place to another. “Hmm?” Then a few seconds later… “…Nng!!!” …she suddenly seemed to connect the dots between her suggestion and everyone’s weird reaction. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked down. Then eventually, she slowly raised her head… “Sorry, Saku.” She murmured, looking at me with sad puppy eyes. For some reason, she struck me as incredibly cute in that moment. So I cleared my throat, hoping to smooth things over. “No, I think it’s an interesting idea.” Then I turned to our youngest group member, who didn’t seem to have picked up on anything awkward at all. “Er…Kureha, have you thought of anything?” Kureha, who’d been quietly observing the proceedings, pointed at herself in surprise. “What, me?!” Sorry, Kureha. I’m not being as cool as your senior should be. “I thought everyone’s ideas sounded really cool and interesting, but…” Incidentally, the night of the initial cheer squad meeting, all of us, including myself and Nanase, had gotten polite messages from Kureha. We’d all quickly gotten used to one another and moved to a first-name basis. There was no need to worry about politeness, which meant we could get on with the task at hand much better. No doubt Kureha had given this a lot of prior thought. When she spoke her idea, she showed no hesitance. “If we’re talking about the ocean…how about a pirate theme?” ““““Ooooh!”””” We all responded in unison. Kureha continued, a breezy smile on her face… “I’d sure like to see a fight scene between all the older students!” “…Pirates, eh? That could work.” After thinking for a second, Nanase spoke up. “We could have swords and such as props. That would be attention-grabbing. And the costumes would be easy to come up with.” Kureha yelped in delight. “Yes! With Senpai as the captain, and Yuzuki as the first mate!” I nodded in agreement. “Yeah…a sword fight would translate well to the audience. And it would be exciting to watch, too.” Kazuki seemed on board with the idea. “Saku, you can do a backflip, right?” “It’s been a while since I last did one, but with practice I can manage.” Kureha’s face lit up, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “It’d be super exciting if Senpai and Kazuki clashed swords!” Kaito flexed his arm. “If we do pirates, I’ll be the one swinging around a spear and an ax!” Kureha clapped with delight. “That would suit you so well, Kaito!” Kenta muttered to himself as he nudged his glasses up his nose. “Hmm. Me as a pirate? Actually, that might not be so bad.” “Er… Kenta?” It was like some weird switch had been flipped, setting events in motion. Haru chuckled and interlaced her fingers behind her head. “Oh yeah, I’m down. An action scene would be way better than some silly dance with sexy choreography.” Kureha giggled and scratched her cheek. “I figured the girls would play damsels in distress, but you, Haru… You’d be right at home fighting!” Asuka smiled a little. “Hee-hee, it sure sounds like an exciting adventure.” Kureha exhaled loudly with what sounded like relief. “Oh, good… I was worried pirates might be a little barbaric for you, Asuka…” Yua chuckled, smiling. “Thanks for coming up with such a great idea, Kureha.” Kureha looked at the floor, embarrassed. “I… I thought your aquarium idea sounded beautiful, too, Yua!” Now everyone’s eyes turned toward one person. Of course, she’d gotten past her disappointment with typical Yuuko positivity, and now she raised one fist in the air. “Yo-ho-ho, me hearties!” Her shout prompted us all to raise our fists. “““““Yo-ho-ho!!!””””” Someone snorted with laughter, and then we were all guffawing. Kureha’s eyes were wide with shock, her fist floating hesitantly in the air. “What? You’re sure? Even you, Yuuko?!” “Of course!” Following the energy of the moment, we all grabbed our drinks and got to our feet. Nanase cleared her throat. She spoke in a low, old-timey sort of voice—I think she was going for a “first mate” kind of vibe… “Now then, me fellow sea dogs, let us form our pirate crew.” Nanase looked my way, and, picking up on her intention, I too assumed a pirate persona. I went for the “salty sea captain” sort of voice. “Aye. Let us sail the seven seas and dye the town in our signature blue!” Then I raised my bottle of Royal Sawayaka high. “To sea, me hearties, to sea! Arrr!” “““““Arrr!!!””””” Plastic bottles and juice cartons clattered together. This was our own version of a ship launching ceremony—our signal to go to war with blue as our standard and flag. Kinda silly, but also kinda fun and refreshing. There was no rum or champagne on this ship, but we’d make do with lemonade and Pocari Sweat. The usual gang, one older student, and one younger student. A one-off, I thought. The school festival would come around again next year, but Asuka would be long gone. And unless luck was on our side, Kureha would probably be assigned to a different color team next year. So for this one and only voyage, I didn’t want to have any regrets. Hand in hand together with this gang, I was going to paint it all the way blue. By the time we left the restaurant, it was already past nine. Man, I still have to go home and do homework, I thought, and then I realized how tough it had to be for those who have club practice and stuff on top of that. I looked to the younger student beside me. “You okay? You must be pretty tired.” Kureha, who’d been slumped over, suddenly perked up. “Not at all! I may not look like much, but I take pride in how fit I am!” “That’s fine, but don’t push yourself too hard.” Nanase, listening nearby, spoke up. “Chitose, can you walk Kureha home?” “Oh yeah, sure.” It was getting pretty late, and it seemed scummy to expect a first-year girl to go home alone. Kureha looked taken aback and flapped her hand in front of her face. “No, no, there’s no need to worry about me.” Nanase smiled a little, tickled by Kureha’s reaction. “Hmm, don’t think of it as an obligation he’s fulfilling. Think of it as one of the privileges of being an older student.” She paused for a second, then shot me a loaded look. “Be a good girl and let him walk you home. A certain someone wants to play the cool guy in front of his junior.” Obviously, Nanase was making all this up to help Kureha feel better about accepting. I backed her up. “Walking a younger student home is the dream every high school boy’s had at least once in his life.” Kureha giggled. “Including you, Senpai?” I responded in a playful manner. “Oh, for sure. I can’t let this opportunity pass me by.” Kureha looked down, embarrassed, then said… “…Then I’ll make your dream come true, Senpai.” Then she sputtered with laughter. Yuuko, Yua, Haru, Asuka, and the guys all looked on, smiling. Hmm. Kureha really was kinda the MVP of the day. She deserved the royal treatment. Thanks to her, we’d been able to quickly come to a conclusion about something we could have spent an eternity agonizing about. Maybe Nanase was thinking the same thing. She paused in the act of unlocking her cross bike and looked up at me like she’d just thought of something important. “So how do we go forward from here?” “I want to get the song, the choreography, and the costumes decided as soon as possible.” Until that stuff was nailed down, we couldn’t even start rehearsals, let alone run-throughs. Still, staying after club until this late every day would be a huge burden on everyone. We all thought it over for a while… “I know, I know!” Yuuko raised her hand, like she’d thought of something. Then she looked around at us all. “How about we have a sleepover at my place this weekend…?!” ““What…?”” Nanase and I responded at the same time. It would certainly be more efficient if we could all get together for an extended period of time, but this many people all barging into someone’s house? That could be awkward. Nanase scratched her cheek warily and glanced at me. “Won’t we be too much trouble…?” “Probably…” I wanted to suggest meeting at my place, but…while I had enough space for everyone to get together and talk, there really wasn’t room for everyone to stay over. Yuuko shook her head firmly. “No worries! Mom and Dad are away on a trip! Also…,” she continued, blushing a little, “they go away now and then, so it’s not like I’m not used to it, but still…I do get kinda lonely being by myself all weekend…” Nanase and I looked at each other. If Kotone and Yuuko’s dad weren’t there, then surely, we wouldn’t be imposing too much, especially if we made sure to tidy up before we left. As I was wondering how to answer, Yuuko went, “Ah,” and then said, “The only thing is, we’ll have to take care of our own food and stuff. And I’m not sure there’ll be enough futons for everyone…” I scratched the nape of my neck as I responded. “Well, with this many people, we could go buy our dinner at Texas Hands or somewhere like that…” Texas Hands is a pizza chain based in Fukui. Incidentally, the reason I said “go buy” instead of “order” is because if you go pick up the pizzas yourself, or eat them in-store, then every pizza is half-price. I hear that’s fairly common these days, but Texas Hands was the first place in the country to start offering this kind of deal. “Um,” Yua said, “I can make us dinner. But with this many of us, I’m afraid I won’t be able to make anything too fancy.” Nanase sounded a little embarrassed as she cleared her throat. “I can help out, too…as long as I don’t get in Yua’s way.” I nodded. “And as for the bedding arrangements, this time of year, I think us guys can just sleep on the floor.” Kazuki and the other guys agreed. “What about club practice? Everyone cool there?” I asked. Haru answered my question. “Nana and I only have practice on Saturday mornings, but not this week, ’cause Miss Misaki has something going on.” The others seemed okay on that front, too. Asuka and Kureha both looked kinda excited. Hmm, this kind of thing is a rare event… Kinda like the school festival itself. “Then…” I paused for a second, checked out everyone’s expressions, then spoke again. “Let’s do it, me hearties! An overnight training camp for the Blue Pirate Team, arrr!” “““““Arrr!!!””””” And we raised our fists again as one against the sea of the night. We all parted ways in front of OreBo; then Kureha and I made our way leisurely down the riverside path. When it gets to this time of evening, it really hits me that summer’s over. The air brushing my cheeks felt cool and good. The wheels of the mountain bike I was pushing rolled lazily along. Kureha spoke up, sounding a little bit apologetic. “Sorry, I should have biked here, too.” “I don’t mind walking. Don’t worry about it. But you know, in the run-up to the festival, we’ll be rushing around all over the place. It might be good to start bringing your bike next time.” “Okay… I’ll be more careful!” “No need to take it so seriously, though. It’s not that big a deal.” I usually walk to school and back, but today me, Yua, Asuka, and even Yuuko, who usually gets a ride from Kotone, had brought our bicycles. Kureha had ridden on the back of Kaito’s bike when we headed to OreBo, which he seemed to get a huge kick out of, so it’s not like anyone minded at all. I could sense Kureha watching me. “But this way, I get to have a nice long chat with you.” Years of experience with deciphering this sort of thing had me immediately trying to figure out what exactly she meant. But then when I saw the sweet, innocent smile she was giving me, I felt bad for going there in my mind. When she’s not talking, she’s so pretty, she almost seems a bit out of reach. But once she starts chatting, she’s got that earnest, innocent younger-student energy, and I was still struggling with the contrast. I smiled wryly. “So why’d you decide to join the cheer squad, Kureha?” I was just making conversation. “Because you guys were involved, of course!” Now, I wasn’t expecting that. “Uh… Us guys?” I was so taken aback that my answer sounded kinda stupid. Kureha continued without a care in the world. “Yeah! People are really interested in your group, you know? Lots of us first-years are, like, secret fans of yours, and that’s both boys and girls! We really look up to you all!” I looked away, scratching my cheek with a finger. “…Wow, you’re making me blush.” Kureha carried on without shame. “So when rumors started getting around that your group was gonna be in the Blue Team’s cheer squad, my classmates got all excited and competitive about it!” Her earnest eyes were boring holes into me, and I decided to change the subject. “Anyway, thanks for your contribution today. We couldn’t do a thing until we had the concept locked down, so you really helped us all out.” Kureha’s face lit up. “Thanks! You know, I never imagined I’d be the one who got to join you…so I’m totally stoked!” “It’s not tough for you, being the only first-year student?” “Not at all! You guys are all so kind and caring!” “I see… Well, good.” Asuka already knew everyone, but today was Kureha’s first time hanging out with us all. I figured she’d be fine, since she was super friendly, but I did honestly have some concerns. We fell into a comfortable silence; the only sound was that of splashing water. The air smelled like a September night. Not as rich as summer, not as dry as fall. Suddenly, the younger student beside me seemed to shimmer in the moonlight. “Hey, Senpai?” She tugged my sleeve until I stopped, then gazed up at me. Her long, glossy eyelashes glistened like stardust was trapped in them; her breath as she spoke tickled my lips. Her own lips were pressed together, the corners of her eyes softening like crescent moon brooches. “I’ll do my best, okay?” She was poised and elegant, like cherry blossoms in full bloom after dark. “…So that I can catch up to the rest of you, and so that you accept me as one of your own…” I groped for something an older student should say. Kureha turned away and faced ahead, like nothing out of the ordinary had just transpired at all. “I’m really looking forward to the training camp, Senpai!” And back to her usual tone. I was getting whiplash. But I was relieved, and I cleared my throat. “Right… Yua’s a pretty amazing cook. Brace yourself for something special.” “Oh, I had a hunch!” “Also,” I added, “it’s kinda like… Well, we all already think of you as one of us, Kureha.” “Thank you! I really hope that’s true!” Me, the older student. Her, the younger. I had to gently kick myself for still feeling clunky settling into those grooves. Then Saturday afternoon rolled around. Here I was, standing in front of Yuuko’s house. It had a modern design, mostly white with some black trim and wood trim here and there. She had a big backyard, big enough for ten people to practice some dance choreography. Fukui had a lot of big houses, but this one was probably one of the more impressive ones. I’d walked Yuuko home to this house a bunch of times since last year, but this would be my first time actually going inside. If I stood there any longer, I’d start to freak, so instead I pressed the intercom button as casually as I could. At that exact moment, the door swung open as if whoever was on the other side just couldn’t wait to come out. “Saku!” Yuuko was wearing a more casual outfit than she usually did, and she came barreling through the door. Then she came charging toward me. “Hey, you’re gonna fall.” It was like she hadn’t heard me. She opened the gate, came out, then immediately closed it again. Taking a quick breath, she grabbed my hand tightly with both of hers, and… “Sorry.” …like she was about to burst into tears, she gazed up at me. “I forgot an important promise.” I knew what she meant right away. I mean, last night… …I was thinking the exact same thing. “Maybe another day, when the timing is…special.” The words I’d blurted out on the way home in April came back to me. True, everything between us has changed now. The definition of special as I envisioned it that day is pretty different now. Yuuko mashed her lips together, then hesitantly spoke. “Um, you know, Saku, if you—” “Still,” I said, cutting her off… “Thanks. You remembered it, too, didn’t you, Yuuko?” “Huh…?” If Yuuko hadn’t been the one to bring it up…I was thinking maybe it would’ve been better to pretend like it never happened. The words that had spilled out in that sentimental moment between day and night could have gone forgotten in a back pocket—for a decade or so, maybe—and no one would be inconvenienced at all. But despite that…Yuuko had called it an “important promise.” What if that twilit evening was still here, in both our hearts? I grinned. “Let’s make these two days a special memory for everyone. I think it’s okay to leave it at that for now.” Yuuko pressed her lips together again, like she was tamping down her embarrassment, then beamed at me. It was adorable. “All righty.” Then, in her soft voice, with a smile she seemed unable to repress a second longer, she said… “Until the day I can become your ‘normal.’” Then she giggled bashfully—“Tee-hee-hee!” When Yuuko showed me into the living room, the first thing that struck me was how big it was. I’d thought my own place was a bit too extravagant for one person to live in, but this was easily twice as big. In stark contrast to the white exterior, the interior had a relaxing vibe of warm wood. The living room, with its sofa and TV, was one step down from the surrounding area. They had a high-end-looking audio setup, which almost made me step back in alarm, but the familiar J-pop hit it was playing helped me relax. Chop chop chop. Clack clack clack. All of a sudden, I became aware of a sound I’d gotten pretty used to hearing this summer, and I looked around. I think they call this an island kitchen. Yua called out from the space off to the side of the living room, which was kinda cut off from the rest, like an island. “Hello, Saku.” I looked at her in her apron. “Oh, you’re here early. Are you, by any chance, making lunch for us…?” “I thought some people might be hungry, but we hadn’t made specific plans to eat, so I’m keeping it loose. I figured at least Yuzuki and Haru would be hungry after club practice.” “Incidentally, I figured it might go down like that, so I made sure to come hungry as well.” “Hee-hee,” Yua giggled. “Kotone said to use whatever ingredients are lying around, and that she wouldn’t charge us a single yen for it. So I figured I’d throw together a Japanese-style pasta using whatever I could find.” Yuuko rolled her eyes. “Hmph. Mom always buys way too much pasta.” I smiled wryly. “Relax. You could boil a whole bucket. With this many people, we’ll make sure it gets eaten.” The three of us looked at one another and burst out laughing, and then the intercom rang. “Coming!” Yuuko headed to the front door and returned a short time later with Asuka. She was wearing the same white dress and retro leather Boston bag that she’d had when we went to Tokyo together. It was only a few months ago, but the outfit brought it all back. Asuka looked at me and Yua and then blushed a little. “Hello, sorry to intrude.” She seemed to be talking about our little circle of students from Year Two, Class Five, not about Yuuko’s house itself. I had to smile at that. Admittedly, it still feels a little strange when I see Asuka around my other friends, since we usually hang out one-on-one. Asuka was looking around and seemed ill at ease, so I grabbed her Boston bag and put it with my backpack in the living room. “What’s in the other bag?” I asked, and Asuka held up the plastic bag she was holding. “Oh, right. Hiiragi… This is nothing special, but it’s kinda like a greeting gift.” Yuuko lit up. “Oh, yay! What is it?” Asuka scratched her cheek, looking taken aback by Yuuko’s perky reaction (which she clearly hadn’t expected) and spoke in a somewhat apologetic tone. “Erm, I brought Papico, Chupet, Choco Monaka Jumbo, all kinds of ice cream.” “Oh, all Kaito’s favorites! Let’s eat them together later while we’re taking a break!” Yuuko took the plastic bag with a big grin and bustled off toward the freezer. Asuka blinked, standing there. I cleared my throat. “Hey, how about we just take a seat and wait for the others to arrive?” Asuka glanced at Yua before responding. “Right… I’m not sure I’d manage to be much help anyway.” We sat down on the sofa, leaving some room between us. Asuka fidgeted a little. “So you guys always get together like this…?” I shook my head slightly while trying not to laugh. “If you mean here at Yuuko’s house, this is my first time, too. I think Yua’s been here before, but I’m sure she said she’s never stayed overnight.” Asuka looked pleased. “Oh, I see! I wonder if it’s okay for me to count them as friends, too…” Asuka, blushing, sneaked a glance at Yua and Yuuko. I smiled a little. Yeah, I kinda knew how she felt. “Yeah, friends works,” Asuka continued in a small voice, like she was still embarrassed. “This is my first time staying over at a friend’s house.” Seeing how excited Asuka seemed, I was really glad I’d invited her to join the cheer squad. I grinned teasingly. “We’ll have a big pillow fight tonight—how about that?” “I get kinda wild in bed. I’d rather not.” “Please stop using misleading language.” While we were chitchatting, someone else seemed to have arrived at the door. Yuuko soon returned with Kureha in tow. She wore a baggy, oversize hoodie with a short pleated skirt. Kureha looked at us in the living room, then at Yuuko beside her. “Everyone…let’s make this an enjoyable and fruitful training camp!” Then she bowed her head all formally. Me, Yua, and Asuka all nodded. “Yeah, for real.” “Let’s have fun, Kureha.” “Thank you for joining us, Nozomi.” Kureha raised her head, grinning playfully. She lifted the box she was holding high. “I brought a gift!” Yuuko’s face lit up. “No way! Mister Donut!!!” I read somewhere or other that Fukui has the highest ratio of Mister Donut stores per every one hundred thousand people in Japan. Whether that’s true or not, a box of Mister Donut donuts is a staple house-visiting gift, and has been since I was a kid. At family gatherings, club parties, and other lively celebratory events with people getting together, it’s pretty common to see boxes of Texas Hands pizza and Mister Donut donuts on the tables. While I was thinking about this, Kureha spoke again. “Which one’s your favorite, Yuuko?” “Coconut chocolate!” “Oh good, I picked one of those up!” “What about you, Kureha?” “Donut holes, of course! But I’m kinda greedy, so I wanna eat them all!” The two of them were giggling together. Once they were done, Kureha put down her stuff and came over. She stood nearby, looking puzzled and deep in thought. Asuka and I looked at each other. Then I spoke. “I know it’s not my place to offer, but why don’t you take a seat?” Kureha looked conflicted. “It’s the ultimate choice… Do I sit next to Senpai or Asuka…?” Asuka and I exchanged glances again at this, and this time, we both sputtered with laughter. So that’s what she was hesitating over. Asuka’s shoulders shook as I gestured toward the sofa. “If that’s the case, should we move a little? If you sit in the middle, that’ll solve the problem.” Kureha thrust out her hand, palm outward. “Nope! I must not sidestep the ultimate choice! I’m good!” “Wow.” Kureha thought about it for a second, then… “I’ve decided. I’m sitting beside Senpai!” Then she flopped down beside me. Her short pleated skirt flared up, and I quickly averted my eyes. “Kureha, did you bring a change of clothes?” “Huh? Why?” “Might be hard to dance in that skirt.” Kureha stared at me, mouth agape, then hastily smoothed down her skirt. Then, more apologetic than embarrassed… “Have I offended your eyes, Senpai?” “No, I mean, my eyes aren’t offended, ’cause I swear I wasn’t even looking— Ouch, Asuka, stop pinching my side!” I looked at Asuka, who turned her head aside with a flounce. “Hey, hold on a sec… Was I not merely doing my duty as a senior? Advising my junior on her choice of gear for this activity?” “Oh, you know how to act correctly, do you? Hmph!” “Aren’t you just jealous she didn’t decide to sit next to you?” “I am not jealous.” Kureha, who’d been watching this exchange with interest, was starting to panic. “Hold on, Asuka! You’ve got it all wrong!” Now it was Asuka’s turn to look flustered. “Oh, I’m sorry, Nozomi. It was just a joke. I really don’t mind that you didn’t choose me.” Asuka and I don’t usually interact with each other in front of other people… We’d accidentally fallen into our usual jokey banter. No wonder Kureha had gotten the wrong idea and thought that she’d offended Asuka. I should really watch how I act, too, I thought, scolding myself. While I was thinking about that, Kureha piped up again, looking embarrassed rather than apologetic. “It’s just that you’re so beautiful, Asuka. If I sat beside you, I worried I’d get all tongue-tied…so Senpai seemed the safer choice!” Oh, right, that’s why she chose me, then. “…Wait, what’s that supposed to mean, you impudent young upstart?” I found myself jabbing back at her. The girls on either side of me exchanged glances, then snorted with laughter. Asuka, shoulders still shaking, said… “Thanks. But ‘beautiful’… I feel like that’s a word people usually use for girls who look like you, Nozomi.” “Oh, no, no, no, not at all. It’s like you were born to wear a white dress, Asuka! You’re like an angel…” The conversation was going back and forth above my head while I was sitting there like a spare part. Then Asuka looked at me. “Nozomi says she feels safe next to you.” Kureha beamed. “Yes! I’d love to simply sit by Senpai’s side forever!” “I don’t wanna hear that!” The way they were ganging up on me actually made me feel kinda relieved. When I first met Kureha, I thought she seemed to take things a bit too seriously, maybe, but she seemed much more chilled out now. If we were going to do this, then I wanted us all to have fun. And I’m not just saying that as an older student or as the cheer squad captain, either. Kureha stopped giggling with Asuka and glanced at me. Maybe she thought I was really taking it to heart, I don’t know. But she braced herself against the sofa with her hands, shifted her hips, and came sliding right over to me. Then, close enough for us to be aware of each other’s body heat, she said… “Asuka is your senpai, and you’re mine, Senpai.” She sounded so earnest. I had to laugh it off and tell her there was no need for concern. “Well, thanks. Unfortunately, though, I’m nowhere near as beautiful as Asuka.” “Oh, I get it—you’re teasing me right now. Well, I have an idea.” And then, suddenly, silence fell. “Hey, Saku…” Kureha spoke in a voice so beautiful, so seductive, it was kinda scary. I looked at Asuka, and she looked at me. Kureha was totally unbothered as she purred: “I’m not a kid, so quit treating me like one.” Her gently narrowed eyes and slightly parted lips left me speechless. While I was struggling to figure out how to respond, Kureha resumed her normal tone as she continued: “Hee-hee, I was a bit jealous of you guys’ relationship, so I wanted to try imitating it!” Asuka and I looked at each other and awkwardly scratched our cheeks. “Please don’t call me by my first name.” Man, it was just like walking home the other day. I still couldn’t seem to relax around Kureha. She looked grown-up, but she acted like one of the younger kids. But every now and then, she would give off a flash of something more glamorous. Maybe she really was just joking around, like she said. But she kept fluctuating between being a child and being a grown-up. Either way, it kinda felt like her role was to stir things up for us older kids. After that, Kazuki, Kaito, Kenta, and the girls from the basketball club trickled in one by one. Nanase raised a hand lightly in greeting. “Sorry. Someone caused club to run a little long.” Haru tossed her head. “Hmph. That’s because you got me going at the end there, Nana.” Hmm, I guess they got heated again and had themselves another battle. Nanase apologetically handed over a plastic bag. “Here, Yuuko. All we could manage was to swing by the convenience store and grab some random snacks.” Yuuko took the bag with a smile. “Thanks! I just realized I didn’t get anything like this for us, so it really helps.” Barging past the two of them as they conversed, Haru headed straight to Yua. Seeing that the pasta was just about done, she grinned. “Yuzuki! You were totally right!” Nanase smiled, looking laid-back now. “Right? I told you Ucchi would make something for us.” “Yikes. I am starving. I almost had to stop for a bowl of gyudon on the way.” “It’s not very ladylike to show up somewhere salivating for food.” “The ship sailed years ago on me being ladylike. Make mine a double serving, Ucchi!” Yua smiled and nodded. “Sure thing. Eat up.” Then we all worked together to prepare plates, chopsticks, spoons, drinks, et cetera. We gathered around the large, low table in front of the sofa, with some people sitting on the rug. I thought back to the baseball club training camps… Man, they were fun. I see these guys basically every day, but just thinking about being with them until tomorrow morning seemed novel and exciting. Small training camps seem kinda different from big school events like school trips or the summer study camp. You sit at the same table with your close friends, eat the same meals, practice together, and sleep together. We spend a lot of time together, but this feels closer…which can lead to awkwardness… Some people get more excitable than they usually do. Some try to act normal but end up being a little more reserved. And some just stay their usual selves. This mix is what makes these intimate training camps so enjoyable. Still, this particular training camp has more glamour to it than back then… Those surly faces I used to have to stare at. I cleared my throat and opened my mouth. “Well then, thanks to the bounty of the heavens and the Earth—and to Yua, of course—let’s eat.” We all put our palms together in front of us. “““““Let’s eat!!!””””” Yua cooked up a huge pot of Japanese-style pasta, with pork, shiso leaves, chopped umeboshi, and thinly sliced onion. I wrapped a forkful of the spaghetti into a tight bundle, then shoved it in my mouth. Hmm…I think she used mentsuyu as a base for the sauce. Maybe a little bit of white dashi stock as well. It was delicious, of course, I forgot to mention, but it was also a nicely balanced flavor mix—rich but also light, something both guys and girls could enjoy equally. Knowing Yua, she engineered this with perfect precision. I smiled wryly. You could always count on Yua. Yuuko, Haru, and Nanase, who had all enjoyed Yua’s cooking before, started murmuring compliments. “Ucchi, you have to give my mom this recipe!” “Hey, can I have another serving?” “Amazing as always, Ucchi.” Then Asuka smacked her lips. She’d been savoring her first bite slowly…and for just a moment, she closed her eyes in something like sadness before breaking into a smile. “It’s really good, Uchida.” Yua blushed. “Sorry, guys. For this many people, I can’t really manage anything fancy…” Normally, she’d add a salad and soup, too. She sounded kinda unsatisfied with what she’d served. Asuka muttered, looking down, “This isn’t fancy? Yikes…” Then Kaito started rambling over Asuka. “Oh man!!!” He continued, mock-crying: “This is the first time I’ve ever eaten a home-cooked meal made by a girl other than my mom!” Beside him, Kenta was also on the verge of tears. “I’m glad to be alive…” Yua blushed and shifted in her seat. “Okay, you guys, calm down…” Curious, I found myself blurting out a question. “Kenta I get, but Kaito…? You’ve never had Yua’s food before?” We started being buddy-buddy with Yua like a year ago. Surely, he’d eaten her cooking at some point…? Kaito shot me a sharp look, like I was his sworn enemy or something. His mouth twisted, and his brows came down. “Excuse me? You wanna take that question back?” “What is this? The wrath of an incel?” Kazuki snorted with laughter. “Saku, what would you have said if Kaito had ever asked for even one tiny bite of the bento lunch Ucchi made you?” “I’d say, ‘You want some of my lunch? How about I serve you a knuckle sandwich, huh?’” “And what if he asked for some of the leftovers Yua made for you when he was at your house?” “I’d say, ‘You want some of my dinner? How about I serve you—?’ Uh…” “See?” “Ah,” I said, finally getting it, and I looked at Kaito while scratching my cheek. “This is a chance you may never get again, so make sure you eat a lot today.” “Shut up!!!” Kureha, who’d apparently been impatiently waiting for our conversation to reach its conclusion, spoke up. “Yua, this is the most delicious pasta I’ve ever had!” “Ah-ha-ha,” Yua giggled, scratching her cheek. “Thanks, Kureha. If you’d like, I’ll make you something a little fancier someday when I get the chance.” “Really? You promise?!” Kureha tilted her head. “Oh, incidentally…” “Is Yua your girlfriend, Senpai?” ““…?!?!?!”” How many points do I get for not snorting spaghetti out of my nose…? Yua waved her hand frantically in front of her face. “N-n-no!!!” Kureha looked puzzled. “But you make his bento lunches. And you cook his dinner. You live alone, didn’t you say, Senpai?” Ah, right, that’s all true. It’s not surprising that an innocent younger girl would jump to conclusions based on that information. “Oh, oh, oh!” Kureha continued. “I’ve also seen the two of you walking home from school together.” Apparently, Kureha had been aware of us for a while. No doubt she’d noticed us. Yua looked at a loss for how to explain this… So I jumped in. “I was living like a slob, and Yua couldn’t stand to see it. So she started helping me out. Whenever we walk home together, we stop by the supermarket and do our grocery shopping.” Kureha looked convinced by this. “I see… Yua really is kind! The ‘Yu’ in her name even means ‘kind’! “Oh, and also,” she said… “You and Yuzuki broke up already, didn’t you?” Wow, you’re just gonna blurt that out? I wondered, smiling awkwardly. Still, this time I knew why she’d think that. I guess the rumors about us during our fake-dating gambit had even reached the first-years. Nanase, looking my way, nodded. Leave the excuses to me, she seemed to be saying. I gave her a silent nod in response, while Nanase looked down and mumbled sadly: “I’d kinda prefer if you didn’t know this, Kureha, but… My ex dumped me in the most callous way…” “Seriously?!” “That’s not what happened, ex-girlfriend!” I couldn’t stop myself from interjecting. Meanwhile, Kureha was looking at Nanase with confusion all over her face. “Sorry, sorry.” My devious ex giggled, covering her mouth before continuing. “I was being stalked by this guy, and it was really annoying. I asked Chitose here to pretend to be my boyfriend, like a bodyguard kinda thing.” Kureha lowered her gaze in an apologetic way. “I see. Of course, that kind of thing must happen all the time when you’re as beautiful as you are, Nanase. I’m sorry for bringing up such unpleasant memories.” Then she bowed her head low. Nanase smiled out of the side of her mouth. “It’s okay. If anything, it’s a good memory.” With apparent relief, Kureha quickly changed the subject. “By the way, I went to watch your games, Haru, Yuzuki, Senpai!” “““You did?””” Me, Haru, and Nanase all spoke at once. “Yes! I already told Senpai, but…I’m a big fan of all of you!” This time I replied in genuine surprise. “The match you must be referring to was the one in July, at the prefectural stadium, right? What about the others?” “Well, the practice matches in the gym in May and July.” I went to see both of those games. There were quite a few spectators, and I was kinda busy at the time, trying to find Nanase’s basketball shoes. I was so focused on the game and everything, I didn’t remember seeing Kureha there. Well, I’m not good at remembering people’s faces anyway, I thought with a sheepish smile. After all, I didn’t even remember competing with Atomu at the prefecturals in junior high. Haru’s eyes softened with nostalgia. “During that May game, Nana was really on fire.” Kureha looked curious. “Nana…?” “Oh, sorry. Court nickname. I’m Umi, and Yuzuki’s Nana. It’s a thing we do in girls’ basketball, so our opponents can’t eavesdrop on our strategy discussions or overhear our instructions. Although the nicknames get around before long, so it’s kinda pointless. I guess it’s mainly tradition.” “But… But that’s so cool!” “Still, ninety percent of the time, when we use court nicknames off-court, it means we’re picking a fight.” “The friendship between Umi and Nana is really special, I think. It’s the kind of friendship you can only form in team sports.” Haru gave a quick nod of agreement. “Well, thanks—oh, I know! Next time, we’ll go to one of your meets, Kureha.” “Really?! I have so much respect for both you and Nanase as fellow athletic girls, so that’s a real shot of motivation!” “Great! We’ll cheer you on at the top of our lungs.” Kureha pressed her lips together and looked down. “I’m sorry! I got a bit excited in front of everyone and ended up talking too much…” When I looked around, I noticed that everyone was smiling warmly at the junior student. To borrow Kureha’s words, it’d be weird not to be excited about spending your first overnight training camp with older students you’ve always admired. I was once one of those junior boys, too. An older guy who’s usually so strict during practice, beaming away. Another who’s always cool, even during a game, suddenly getting all excited. And the older girl manager who usually does her job so calmly turning out to be more talkative than you’d expected… One junior student, and two seniors. It’s like a color spectrum. Light blue to sky blue to ultramarine, cool tones to warm. I’m sure the hierarchy between juniors and seniors in high school is different from how it is in college or even in the workplace. I wanted to say something to help her out, but I couldn’t really find the words… “Hey, Kureha?” Yuuko finally spoke up, after watching the whole conversation. “You can feel free to ask us anything you like. Or just talk about anything.” Like a prayer. A solemn vow. Every word chosen to count. “We’ll get to know you, and you’ll get to know us, and even after the school festival is over…” …Like putting memories into a time capsule… “Let’s become the kind of friends who get together often, even after graduation.” And Yuuko beamed. Kureha closed her eyes, like she was mulling over Yuuko’s words. Then she giggled and nodded, beaming as wide as Yuuko. After lunch, Nanase and I quickly washed the dishes. We pushed the dining table and chairs to one corner, and everyone sat in a circle. The training camp had finally begun in earnest. There were three main points I wanted to get fixed over the course of this overnight camp. For the performance part, we needed to decide on the dance steps, the music, and the costumes. But first, we needed to discuss the general direction of the project as a whole. I stood in the middle of the circle and held up a bulging plastic bag. “We wanted to incorporate a fight scene, so I went to the hundred-yen store and picked out some props I think would do nicely.” I upended the bag, and toy swords, knives, bows, spears, scythes, axes, pistols, and shields tumbled out. I had a few sets of each, just in case. They were kinda cheap and flimsy, so they wouldn’t do so well for the real performance, but they would help us to get into the zone while we were working out the choreography. “““Whoa!””” The boys were the first to react. I stooped and picked up a toy sword. “Heh, the main character is always the one with the sword.” Kaito leaped to his feet. “I’m an ax kinda guy!” Kenta pushed his glasses up and grinned. “Think I’ll go with a scythe.” Kazuki smiled smoothly. “Dual pistols for me.” After handing each of them their desired weapon, I said, “Let’s try some light sword fighting to get a better feel for things.” The boys all nodded in agreement. The girls watched in annoyance as we grabbed our shoes and exited the living room. There was a fairly sizable wooden deck outside, with the rest of the garden covered in lush grass. Sighing, the girls followed us out. Then they sat down, side by side, all six of them, on the wooden deck. And then, as I was tying the laces on my Stan Smiths… “Avast, ye!” …Kaito attacked me from behind. I yelped, blocking the ax’s swing with my still-sheathed sword. “You jerk! That’s not the samurai way!” Kaito grinned, unperturbed. “Speak for yourself. I’m a pirate.” “Your name might have the kanji for ‘ocean’ in it, but don’t go getting any ideas.” I jumped backward, regained my balance, and drew my sword. I threw the sheath aside and stood at a slight angle, holding the hilt up in front of me. “I, Cap’n Chitose, will cut ye down, ye scurvy cur.” I could hear Yua snorting with laughter. Kaito raised a brow theatrically and stuck out his tongue in a depraved manner. Bracing the ax handle against his shoulder with his right hand, he pointed the thumb of his left toward the ground. “Yarrr! ’Tis my time to avenge these long years of disrespect!” Next to him, Kenta, who had been quietly bowing his head, repositioned his scythe. His glasses flashed ominously, and he spoke in a low voice. “Do ye smell it on the sea air, lads? The tang of bloodshed.” Kazuki twirled his dual pistols before shoving them in his pockets. He let his arms hang limp, and one side of his mouth quirked up in a cynical manner. “Now then, let’s begin our afternoon dance party. Best foot forward, everyone.” Yua began drumming on the wooden deck. My boyish heart began to stir. “Arrr ye prepared? Said yer thanks to yer family, yer last sweet words to yer sweetheart? Said yer…final good-byes?” Kaito readied his ax. “I like not to think o’ failure.” Kenta swished his scythe through the air. “I’m used to the life of the solitary sea dog.” Kazuki grinned. “Any dog who ever says such words to me will be enjoyin’ the cool sea breeze on his neck where his head used to be.” In my peripheral vision, I could see Yua choking with laughter and clinging to Yuuko. I brandished my sword menacingly. “Now, away with this talk! Let us duel!” “““Arrr!!!””” Swoosh. But just as we leaped into battle, the air tasting of imminent bloodshed… “““““Boys!!!””””” ““““…Sorry!”””” And we all got a tongue-lashing from the landlubber lassies. After we calmed down, we exchanged weapons and practiced a few moves. Just as I was beginning to get a feel for it, Nanase spoke. “It might be best to narrow down the types of weapons we use.” I nodded away. “Yeah. Having a variety of weapons looks interesting, but it distracts attention from the overall performance.” “Small weapons like knives and pistols are too hard to see. Long weapons like swords and spears will be easier for the audience to appreciate.” Haru, who’d come to join the boys partway through, spoke up next. “Also, I know we said it’s a battle scene, but if it’s too much slashing and jabbing, it won’t really be a dance performance. I think maybe we should pair up guys and girls and perform synchronized steps.” Hearing this, Kureha raised her hand and looked over at me. “I wanna pair up with Senpai!” “If dancing with Kazuki is too nerve-racking for you, I can cut him down where he stands…” “Oh, no. Please don’t.” “At least try to sound convincing!” Nanase chuckled and rubbed her jaw. “Hmm, sounds good, though? We can hash out the pairings later, after first practicing as a group. But if we are going to do pairs, then we need an example pair. I was going to volunteer, but, Kureha, if you’d like to…?” “Sure!” I grinned, waggling my eyebrows. “Think you’ve got what it takes to be my partner?” “I’ll do my best to keep up!” “All right. Would ye like to grab ahold of me sword, young lassie?” “Er, thanks, I think I’ll pass.” I looked at Kureha, who was blushing a little, and we both laughed. Hmm, if we’re pairing up, why not pair up across grades? “Guys, you wanna take a break?” Yua poked her head out from the living room, carrying a tray of iced barley teas. Then Yuuko came out onto the deck behind her. “Let’s eat the ice cream Nishino brought! Kaito, we’ve got Choco Monaka!” “No way!” Asuka laughed. “I bought a few extra, so please feel free to eat as much as you like.” We all grabbed a glass of barley tea and an ice cream each. The girls all sat on the wooden deck, and the boys sat directly on the grass. I chugged my barley tea, then lay back, gazing at the cumulonimbus clouds floating in the sky… It still looked like August. I could smell well-cut grass and rich soil. Come to think of it… Club training camp was like this, too. We made a huge bucket of cold barley tea and scooped it out in cups. I was just getting lost in pleasant memories, when… “Senpai!” It was Kureha, squatting beside me and peering at me. Looking up at her like this from below… Wow, she really was pretty. Incidentally, all the girls were wearing semi-workout gear now. I was glad to see that Kureha had followed suit. “Hmm? Why are you averting your eyes?” But as a result of that choice, she was now wearing a lavender sports bra that showed her belly button and some super-short shorts. I could clearly make out the shape of her bust, which looked to be similar to Nanase’s, and she was showing so much skin, I wasn’t sure where to direct my eyes. She’d thrown on a light zip-up top after a gentle suggestion by Yua, but the zipper in the front was mostly down. So it wasn’t really doing much good. It seemed this was all too much for Kaito and Kenta, and though some time had passed, they still didn’t seem able to look directly at her.