Epilogue
"Sigh... I'm exhausted."
The final subject of the last day of midterms—the biggest hurdle before summer vacation—had finally ended, and I stretched my body out wide. Even during this period, I'd been working late into the night as usual, so both my mind and body were at their absolute limits. Today, I'll head home and get some sleep, I thought, starting to stand up. That's when my smartphone buzzed in my chest pocket. I'm used to this feeling by now. The sender didn't even need checking—it was my neighbor in the next seat, Shinomiya-san. The message read:
"Want to go to the beach right now?"
"...You've got to be kidding."
When I glanced to the side, Shinomiya-san was hiding her mouth behind her phone, smirking smugly. Seeing that expression, I realized: this wasn't a joke.
＊＊＊＊＊
"Mmm—! This feels so good!"
Not a single cloud in the sky, and a pristine sea. The hot sunlight poured down, and the occasional gentle, cool breeze felt wonderful. It was just past noon. This beach, which was practically rented out to us at the moment, would no doubt be swarming with crowds once the official opening kicked off.
"I can't believe we actually came... and you even bought a plastic sheet..."
I muttered in a daze, having spread out the leisure sheet we'd picked up at the convenience store on the sand and sat down. Next to me, Shinomiya-san was stretching out her legs, relaxing.
"It's been since I was a kid that I've been to the beach, so it feels kinda fresh. What about you, Takumi-kun?"
"Same here, more or less. My mom and dad were always too busy with work to go on any real trips, anyway."
I narrowed my eyes and gazed up at the sun blazing brilliantly. Saying it out loud made my childhood sound kinda sad, but honestly, I didn't mind much. The reason was probably all those souvenir stories my parents would tell me—they were always a blast.
"By the way, Shinomiya-san. Why the beach? If it's a celebration for finishing midterms, it didn't have to be the sea, right? Did you just feel like taking pictures?"
"No, that's not it. Today isn't about shooting. The exams are over, so I just felt like going on a date with you, Takumi-kun."
"I see..."
She said it so calmly, but my heart was anything but. Oh, right—this was a date. The moment I became aware of it, my face heated up, and my heartbeat quickened.
"Heh heh. A school uniform beach date—it's a pretty nice setup, huh?"
As she spoke, Shinomiya-san stood up, having taken off not just her shoes but her socks too. I had a bad feeling, and sure enough, my hunch hit the mark as I watched her.
"Eek! It's colder than I thought, but it feels good!"
Shinomiya-san frolicked about at the water's edge with little squeals. Since it was shallow, only her feet got wet, so that was fine—but the real issue was elsewhere. Every time she kicked up water with her feet, her skirt would flip up, nearly flashing her underwear, leaving me scrambling for where to look.
"I should've... brought my camera."
And then words like that slipped out of my mouth—.
Grumbling like that, I knew wishing for the impossible wouldn't help, so I pulled out my smartphone instead. Shinomiya-san noticed my movement and guessed my intent, chuckling "Heh heh" before saying,
"Why don't you come over here too, Takumi-kun!? Let's go in together! It feels really good!"
She beckoned me with a beaming smile. Backlit by the sun, her sparkling figure was breathtakingly beautiful, like a goddess descended upon the sea. Grateful that she'd suggested coming to the beach, I pressed the shutter button.
"Pictures are great, but the sea's nice too! Come on, hurry up!"
"Yeah, yeah. Got it."
I stood up barefoot and let Shinomiya-san, who'd come all the way back to get me, pull me by the hand into the water. Just as she'd said, the seawater was cool and chilly, but combined with the reflecting sunlight, it felt amazing.
"Hey, Takumi-kun. What should we do for summer vacation?"
"What brought that on out of nowhere?"
"Well, actually, I've made plans to go to the amusement park with Onee-chan. I'm still a little nervous, but I'm really looking forward to it."
"...I see."
"Being able to make up with Onee-chan is all thanks to you, Takumi-kun. I can't thank you enough."
"Thank you very much," Shinomiya-san said, bowing her head. All I'd done was take pictures of the two of them. Getting back to how things used to be—that was all Shinomiya-san's own hard work.
"Oh, but don't worry! I'll make time for you too, Takumi-kun! Let's go on lots of dates!"
"Since when did our photo sessions turn into dates?"
I said that, but inside, I wasn't nearly as calm. Not that I needed to spell it out, but hearing "date" like that made me hyper-aware of it whether I liked it or not.
"Shooting at home or in the studio isn't bad, but how about some outdoor sessions once in a while? Next summer, we'll be busy with college entrance exams, so this summer's our chance!"
"Yeah... you're right about that."
Some people even start studying for university exams as early as the summer of their second year in high school, but unfortunately, I hadn't even decided on my future path yet. My parents weren't pressuring me, so I figured I'd take it easy and think it over during the break.
"The beach, pools, summer festivals, fireworks shows—they'd all be great, right? You'll take pictures of all sorts of sides of me there, won't you, Takumi-kun?"
"Of course. Hell, I'd beg you for the chance."
The thought of photographing Shinomiya-san in a swimsuit or yukata had my excitement spiking. The downside, of course, was that it'd mean other people seeing her like that too—I couldn't keep it all to myself, which was a huge shame. As I was mulling that over, Shinomiya-san sidled up close and—
"If it's what you want, Takumi-kun, I'll prepare a swimsuit and yukata just for you."
"Huh? What do you mean by—"
Before I could ask what she meant, Shinomiya-san leaned in and whispered sweetly into my ear.
"It means... look only at me. Just me."
With that, she flashed a seductive smile, and my heart skipped a beat—thump. I averted my gaze, thinking It's already like that, but saying it out loud would be too embarrassing, so instead, I splashed water at Shinomiya-san as a substitute for words.
"Eek!? You did it, Takumi-kun! Take this—right back at you!"
"Ei!" she cried in that adorable voice, swinging her leg up to splash droplets back at me in retaliation.
"Hey, Rino-san! Don't kick the water up like that! Your skirt's flipping, and I can see up it—stop!"
"Oh, come on! Takumi-kun, you pervert! Don't look! Today I didn't even wear cute underwear—wait, why are you making me say that!? You idiot, Takumi-kun!"
"That's way too unfair!"
We bickered pointlessly like that, and I found myself looking forward to the summer vacation that would be here soon. With Shinomiya-san around, it'd be the best one ever.
"Let's make it an unforgettable summer vacation, Takumi-kun!"
Rino-san's smile, lit by the dazzling sunlight, was so radiant that I couldn't help but raise my smartphone and snap a photo.
The End
Post a Comment