31 - Dripping Wet

RAW

Once they arrived at the grassy area, Haruto and the others immediately began to play with the borrowed equipment.

"The weather is nice, and it feels good to be out in the open," Ayaka said as she looked at the vast expanse of grass after changing her clothes.

The grassy area was filled with families and groups of people playing with balls and other toys, while some were lounging on picnic blankets or setting up tents. However, due to the vastness of the area, there was no overwhelming feeling, and under the bright summer sky, it felt pleasantly liberating.

The three of them started a mini-game with the borrowed soccer ball.

"Hey, Ryota-kun, over here! Oops!"

"Ugh! Take that! Ahh!"

In this simple mini-game, one person holds the ball while the other two try to take it away. Right now, Haruto was the one holding the ball, and Ryota was desperately trying to snatch it away.

However, Haruto skillfully maneuvered the ball at his feet, making it difficult for Ryota to get a hold of it.

"Hey, sis! Over there! Stop his movements!"

Ryota teamed up with Ayaka to try and surround Haruto to stop his movements.

"Gotcha!"

But Haruto spun around and slipped through their makeshift blockade.

"Otsuki-kun, you're too good!"

Ayaka laughed as she watched him.

"Isn't Otsuki-kun in the soccer club?"

"No, not at all. I just used to play with friends like this since I was little, so I'm just a bit good at it," Haruto said while moving the ball from side to side.

Ryota desperately tried to catch the ball at Haruto’s feet.

"It doesn’t seem like just a bit," Ayaka said with a wry smile as she watched Ryota being thoroughly outmaneuvered.

As it became clear that they weren't going to take the ball anytime soon, Ayaka seemed to have an idea and smiled.

"So that means Otsuki-kun is an experienced player, so it's only fair for us to have a handicap, right?"

"Sure, what kind of handicap should we have? Wait, huh?"

"Take that!"

With her shout, Ayaka clung to Haruto’s arm.

Haruto was caught off guard by her boldness to use her hands in soccer. Surprised, he froze, feeling the alluring softness that transmitted through the arm she clung to.

"Now’s your chance, Ryota!"

"Got it! Take that… yes!"

Ryota seized the opportunity and successfully snatched the ball from Haruto, a look of joy on his face.

"Hehe, we won!"

"Uh, that was a little…"

"Is it no good? Was that a foul?"

Ayaka tilted her head and looked up at Haruto with her big eyes.

To Haruto, that very gesture felt like a foul.

"No, it's… not bad."

After glancing briefly at her arm around his, Haruto looked away and muttered softly.

Seeing Haruto's reaction, Ayaka blushed slightly but smiled happily, giggling.

"Hey, big brother! Time for a switch!"

"Y-yeah, right! I’ll get the ball back right away!"

At Ryota's cheerful voice, Haruto raised his own voice to shake off his embarrassment.

The following mini-game saw Haruto's movements significantly hindered due to Ayaka's "foul" handicap, resulting in a fair match.

After playing with the borrowed equipment for a while, around the time when the sun reached its highest point, Ayaka squinted against the strong sunlight and suggested, "Shall we have lunch soon?"

"Yeah, how about we spread a picnic blanket under that tree?"

Haruto pointed to a nice shady spot.

"Ryota must be hungry too, right?"

"Yeah! I want to eat lunch!"

"I made your favorite fried chicken and tamagoyaki!"

"Yay!"

At Haruto’s words, Ryota cheered and ran at full speed toward the shade.

"Children's stamina is amazing," Ayaka remarked.

"No, I think you should give Otsuki-kun credit for keeping up with Ryota this whole time," Haruto said, slightly embarrassed.

"I was pretty close to my limit too," Haruto replied.

"Really? You look like you have it all under control," Ayaka said, peering closely at Haruto with a questioning look.

"I can’t compete with the stamina of kindergarteners," Haruto said, diverting his gaze from her.

"We still have the afternoon ahead, are you okay with your stamina?"

"I'll recover after lunch."

"That was fast!"

After exchanging such conversation, they shared small laughs.

"Big brother! Big sister! Hurry!"

Ryota was already bouncing in the shade.

"Okay, okay, we’re coming!"

After responding to her brother, Ayaka smiled at Haruto.

"Let’s go, Otsuki-kun."

"Yes," Haruto replied as they walked together toward Ryota.

They spread out the picnic blanket in the shade and laid out their lunch, which made Ryota's face light up.

"Wow! Tamagoyaki and fried chicken!"

"Make sure to say ‘Itadakimasu’ before eating!"

"Okay! Itadakimasu!"

Ryota immediately reached for the fried chicken with his chopsticks and took a big bite.

"Shall we head to the water play area in the afternoon?"

As Haruto helped Ryota with the tamagoyaki and other side dishes, he made the suggestion.

"Yeah, it’s getting pretty warm," Ayaka agreed.

The heat from the sun was at its peak, and stepping out from the shade felt like being scorched by the blazing sun.

"Oh, but I don’t have a change of clothes…"

Ayaka suddenly remembered and said.

"Oh, right, the hem of your T-shirt got eaten by the goat."

Earlier, Ayaka’s T-shirt had been eaten by a goat, leaving it wet and sticky, so she had to change into the shirt she originally brought for water play.

"I have a change for the bottom, but maybe I can just dip my feet in the water?"

"Hmm, yeah. We need to be careful not to fall."

"Right," Haruto replied while gently wiping the white sauce from a cup gratin off Ryota’s cheek with a wet napkin.

After finishing their lunch, the trio headed to the water play area, surprised by the large crowd.

"Whoa… there are a lot of people here…"

"Well, it is hot. Everyone is thinking the same thing," Haruto said, sharing a wry smile with Ayaka.

The water play area had puddles of varying sizes at about the height of adults' calves, with fountains set up here and there.

Children around Ryota's age were frolicking in the puddles, while accompanying parents and couples were enjoying splashing in the fountains.

"Big brother, that place looks less crowded!"

Ryota tugged on Haruto's arm and pointed to a relatively empty puddle.

"You're right. Let’s play over there," Haruto said.

"Yeah!"

Nodding in agreement, Ryota dashed towards the puddle and jumped right into the water.

Splashing water everywhere, he turned back to Haruto and Ayaka with a beaming smile.

"Big brother! Big sister! It feels amazing!"

As water dripped from his hair, Haruto and Ayaka smiled back and stepped into the puddle with him.

"It’s so cold and refreshing!"

"Water play in the height of summer is the best!"

In the scorching heat, the coolness of the water made both Haruto and Ayaka smile.

Then Ryota ran over, scooping up some water and splashing it on Haruto.

"Big brother! Take that!"

"Whoa, you did it, Ryota-kun. Time for revenge!"

"Ah, haha!"

Haruto, splashed by water, laughed joyfully as Ryota retaliated by splashing back.

The two of them played with water, splashing each other.

Ayaka sat at the edge of the puddle, dipping her feet in the water, watching them with an amused smile.

"Ryota, be careful not to disturb others!"

"Okay! I know!"

In the puddle, along with Ryota, many children were absorbed in water play.

Ryota was now completely focused on playing with Haruto.

"It looks so refreshing," Ayaka said, resting her chin on her hand, feeling a bit regretful about not having a change of clothes while watching Haruto and Ryota.

Suddenly, Ryota waved his hands and called out to his sister.

"Big sister! This water is super cold and feels amazing!"

"Is that so?"

When Ayaka tilted her head, Haruto nodded and replied.

"I think the water is coming from over there. It feels really good, so why not dip your feet in?"

"Really? Then I’ll give it a try!"

Ayaka rolled up her pants a bit more and walked over to join Haruto and Ryota.

"Wow, you're right! It’s refreshing and feels great!"

"Here is the outflow point."

As they were distracted by the cool, fresh water, a nearby child playing nearby bumped into Ayaka.

"Whoa!?"

With a loud thud, the boy fell on his bottom, and Ayaka lost her balance.

"Watch out!"

In an instant, Haruto reached out to support her.

Ayaka ended up tipping into the puddle along with him.

"S-sorry! Are you okay?"

Feeling the cold water rushing in, Ayaka's cheeks flushed, but she quickly shook her head and smiled.

"I’m fine, but I did get a bit wet…"

"Um, you were going to dip your feet in anyway, right? Now you’re fully in!"

"Ah, that’s true!"

Looking at her wet clothes, Ayaka laughed a little sheepishly.

"Now we’re both wet!"

"Right? Let’s splash back!"

"Uh-oh!"

"Watch out!"

Caught up in the fun, Ryota splashed water at them again, only for them to start a mini water fight.

"Lemme get you!"

"Hey, you’ve got to be careful!"

"Oops!"

Squeals of laughter erupted as they played, splashing and dodging each other.

Eventually, Ayaka realized something and asked Haruto, "Hey, what time is it?"

Glancing at the wristwatch on his arm, Haruto replied, "It’s about 1:30 PM. We should probably wrap it up soon."

"Okay, let’s play a bit more then!"

"Right!"

With renewed energy, Ryota and the two of them continued their water play.

"Hey, maybe we should splash over there, too!"

As they ran to the nearby fountain area, Ayaka looked back at Haruto, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"Wow, it’s so much fun!"

Suddenly, a jet of water shot up from the fountain, catching Ayaka by surprise and soaking her.

"Ahh!"

Her startled scream echoed, and laughter followed as she realized she had been drenched.

"Big sister! You’re wet all over!"

Ryota laughed, and Ayaka glared playfully at him.

"You better be careful!"

Ayaka and Ryota chased each other around the fountain, and with Haruto watching, their laughter filled the air.