32 - A Hot Summer Evening

RAW

Haruto and his friends played joyfully under the bright sky, soaked from head to toe. Ayaka, who had initially hesitated to join in because she had no change of clothes, eventually gave in, getting drenched and laughing alongside her younger brother, Ryota.

As Haruto glanced at Ayaka, who was happily splashing around with Ryota, he reflected on his own actions earlier.

When Ayaka had almost fallen, he instinctively caught her in his arms, without any ulterior motives. All he thought about was helping her. However, after the fall, he had unconsciously held her tightly, even after she was safe.

(What’s wrong with me? Maybe the summer heat is getting to me.)

Haruto couldn’t help but wonder if his actions had crossed a line. It was almost like harassment—under normal circumstances, Ayaka might have screamed or slapped him.

But she hadn’t.

In fact, she had relaxed in his arms, almost as if she was accepting the situation.

(…)

The image of Ayaka in that moment was still vivid in Haruto’s mind.

Her appearance had left him shaken. Ayaka’s light brown hair, shining in the sunlight, dripped with water like pearls. Her flushed cheeks and soft, parted lips, from which soft breaths escaped. Her eyes, brimming with uncertainty and hope, were so captivating that Haruto couldn't look away. Her gaze had drawn closer, and the moment lingered in his thoughts.

If no one had been around... If it had just been the two of them...

Haruto’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a splash of water on his face.

“Wha—?”

“Hehe, Otsuki-kun, gotcha!” Ayaka teased.

Haruto blinked and shook the water from his eyes, his vision clearing to reveal Ayaka smiling playfully at him. Without thinking, he averted his gaze, feeling a wave of unfamiliar emotion stirring inside him.

He had always thought of Ayaka as cute—her beauty was undeniable. Even at school, she caught the attention of other boys, and Haruto understood why.

But until now, he had regarded her beauty as something distant, like admiring a beautiful painting. Enjoying her company had never meant anything more than just having fun.

Now, though, a new, unfamiliar feeling swirled within him, beyond simple enjoyment.

Ayaka and Ryota continued to play nearby, laughing together, and Haruto joined in, masking his inner turmoil and pretending everything was normal.

“Take this!” Haruto spread his arms wide, splashing water at Ayaka and Ryota with enthusiasm.

“Ahh! Otsuki-kun, you’re gonna get it now!”

“I told you to help me, not attack me!” Ryota protested with a laugh.

Ayaka and Ryota, now soaked, exchanged mock protests while laughing happily.

"Let's team up, Ryota! Let’s get him!" Ayaka said.

"Yeah! Let’s take him down!"

The siblings began to close in on Haruto, inch by inch.

"I won't be caught so easily!" Haruto grinned mischievously before sprinting away.

"Hey! Don't run away, Onii-chan!"

"Come on, Ryota! Let’s get him!"

Ayaka and Ryota chased after him, Haruto glancing over his shoulder occasionally. He slowed down on purpose, letting Ryota catch up.

“Onii-chan, I caught you!”

“Wow, you’re fast, Ryota.” Haruto smiled, gently patting Ryota’s head as he clung to Haruto's waist.

But Ryota wasn't the only one—Ayaka suddenly grabbed Haruto's arm from another direction.

“I caught you too, Otsuki-kun!”

“Wha—!?”

Haruto was startled by Ayaka’s sudden embrace. Her playful smile made his heart skip a beat, and the emotions swirling within him threatened to surface.

She was so cute.

But it wasn’t just her appearance. The way she played so freely with her younger brother, her innocent laughter, and her shy determination to grow closer to him... it all stirred something deep in Haruto’s heart.

“You’re the oni (it) now, Otsuki-kun!” Ayaka said.

“Yeah! Run!” Ryota shouted as he darted off.

Without giving Haruto a moment to process, Ayaka leaned in and whispered softly in his ear.

“Catch me if you can.”

Startled, Haruto turned his head, only to see Ayaka’s teasing gaze before she quickly let go and ran away. For a moment, their eyes met, and his heart pounded in his chest.

Haruto wanted to chase after her with all his might, but he hesitated. Instead, he went after Ryota, using the younger boy as a distraction to avoid Ayaka’s gaze, which seemed to linger on him with a hint of dissatisfaction.

---

They played in the water longer than expected, and as the sun began to set, Haruto, Ayaka, and Ryota finally left the water play area.

“That was so much fun!” Ryota shouted, soaked from head to toe.

“Here, dry your head with this towel,” Ayaka said, pulling a towel from her bag and draping it over her brother’s head.

Haruto, seeing Ayaka still soaked, approached her.

“Ayaka-san, if you’d like, you can use this.” He handed her a dry shirt from his bag.

“Eh? But that’s your spare shirt, Otsuki-kun,” Ayaka hesitated, unsure.

“It’s not good for you to stay wet,” Haruto insisted.

“Well, I still have a change of camisole, so I thought I’d be fine…”

“But if your shirt is wet, even the camisole will get soaked.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right.”

Ayaka still seemed reluctant, so Haruto feigned a sad expression.

“Do you… not want to wear my shirt? Is it weird?”

“No! That’s not it!” Ayaka quickly waved her hands in denial, seeing how dejected Haruto seemed.

“I just feel bad—if I wear it, then you’ll be stuck in a wet shirt.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s warm out, and if I wring it out, it’ll dry quickly.”

“Are you sure? Really?” Ayaka asked, looking up at him.

Haruto nodded firmly. “Honestly, I’d feel worse if you stayed in wet clothes.”

His words, spoken so earnestly, touched Ayaka.

“Okay… Thank you, Otsuki-kun,” she said, taking the shirt.

Ayaka and Ryota then went to the changing rooms to dry off and change, while Haruto wrung out his own shirt as much as he could before putting it back on.

Once they were done, Haruto and Ryota waited for Ayaka outside the women’s changing room. Ryota, exhausted from playing all day, was starting to drift off, his head nodding sleepily.

When Ayaka finally emerged, she wore Haruto’s shirt, which was oversized on her, the sleeves covering her hands and the hem reaching her knees.

“Sorry for the wait,” she said.

“...No, not at all,” Haruto replied, momentarily stunned. Seeing Ayaka in his shirt, looking so different yet so familiar, triggered a possessive feeling in him. It was as if she were his girlfriend, wearing something of his.

“How do I look? Does it suit me?” Ayaka asked with a shy smile.

“You… don’t look weird,” Haruto mumbled, unable to fully express what he felt. Despite his awkwardness, Ayaka seemed happy, smiling warmly.

“Shall we head home?” she suggested.

“Yeah… let’s go,” Haruto agreed, a tinge of reluctance in his voice.

On the way back, Ryota finally succumbed to sleep. Seeing this, Haruto decided to carry him the rest of the way, gently wrapping him in a towel and giving him a piggyback ride to the Tojo family home.

By the time they arrived, the sky was a blend of dusk and early night.

“Ryota, we’re home,” Haruto softly called, gently shaking the boy to wake him.

“Mmm… where…?” Ryota murmured, still half-asleep.

“We’re home, Ryota. Come on, get down from Otsuki-kun’s back,” Ayaka said.

“…Okay…” Ryota mumbled, slowly sliding off Haruto’s back.

“Say thank you and goodbye to Otsuki-kun, Ryota,” Ayaka urged.

“...Thanks, Onii-chan… Bye-bye…” Ryota muttered sleepily.

Ayaka smiled apologetically at Haruto. “Thanks for carrying him, Otsuki-kun. And for the shirt—I’ll wash it and return it soon.”

“No problem,” Haruto replied.

“I had a lot of fun today. Thank you so much,” Ayaka said with a smile.

“I had fun too,” Haruto responded, and the two exchanged smiles.

For a brief moment, they just looked at each other, a comfortable yet awkward silence settling between them.

“...Well, see you tomorrow,” Ayaka finally said.

“...Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Haruto echoed.

There was a slight sense of unease, but also a desire to linger in the moment.

“Alright then,” Haruto said, waving as he turned to leave.

“...Yeah,” Ayaka replied softly.

As Haruto walked away, he couldn’t help but feel that Ayaka had looked a little lonely just before he turned, but he didn’t look back.

The walk back to his house, usually over thirty minutes, felt like it had passed in an instant. Haruto had been lost in thought the entire way, thinking about Ayaka.

On the way there, he's been thinking about Ayaka the whole time, so Haruto has the illusion of teleporting.

He slowly opens the front door and enters the house.

"I'm home!"

In the dark house, Haruto calls out to his grandmother.

Afterwards, Haruto sits down in the entranceway to take off his shoes, but suddenly stops moving.

Something's wrong, something's strange.

The sun has almost set, and the house is completely dark.

And yet, not a single light is on inside the house.

His grandmother doesn't have any plans to go out today.

She's supposed to be at home, but the lights aren't on...

Haruto's thoughts had stopped because of Ayaka, and in an instant, all sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind.

All of them were bad predictions.

"Grandma!"

Haruto called out to his grandmother, kicking off his shoes and running over as fast as he could.

She's not in the hallway.

She's not in the living room!

Haruto walked around the house, desperately trying to suppress his impatience.

His heart had been beating so fast it hurt for a while now.

"Haa, haa, Grandma!"

Breathing heavily, Haruto finally made it into the kitchen and was able to see his grandmother.

However, he found his grandmother collapsed on the kitchen floor.

Haruto felt all the blood drain from his body.

He frantically ran over to his grandmother.

"Grandma!!"

His anguished scream echoed throughout the house where only he and his grandmother lived.