On Monday, another message arrived from Amanatsu.
Are you off today too?!
Sakura said she's on vacation at the beach, but you're resting in bed at home, right, Hatsukade-kun?!
Can I come visit you to see how you're doing?!
Having her come over just for a cold would be a pain, so I simply told her not to bother. She persistently asked for my address, but since she seemed likely to actually show up if I gave it to her, I dodged the question.
That ought to buy me some more time.
And so, following Friday, I ended up skipping school again. Not that I had any time to worry about falling behind in class—Blue Note was non-stop busy from morning onward.
Reservations were piling up, and as behind-the-scenes help, I was constantly dispatched all over the place.
I washed the wetsuits as usual, but without even having time to let them dry, I had to handle the next round of bookings.
"Could you carry these tanks down to the beach for me?"
"Right away."
Asked by Toshiie-san, I hefted the scuba diving tanks.
"Ohh, you're pretty strong for having such a slim build."
"I'm used to physical labor."
"Did you do something before?"
"My relatives out in the countryside are watermelon farmers. I help out there every summer."
During summer vacation, I rarely have anything to do besides read, so working and earning pocket money feels much more worthwhile.
Every year, I save that money up and use the remainder to treat myself to good food.
"A farmer, huh? That must be tough. I'd love to try some of the watermelons you grew, Subaru, so let me buy some next time."
"It's not like I grew them myself, but... I'll let you know."
After telling Toshiie-san that, I carried the tanks out.
The physical labor continued after that, and it wasn't until a little past noon that I finally caught a break.
The weather was nice, so I had my bento on the bench in front of the shop.
The food had been prepared by Toshiie-san's wife. Apparently mindful of the physical exertion, the meal had a rich, salty flavor that seeped right into my sweat-drenched body.
"Hup-to. Rough day, huh~"
Without asking, Sakura sat down next to me and started eating.
"About what you said earlier."
"Which part?"
"The part about helping out during summer vacation. I overheard you talking to Uncle Toshiie. Um... are you planning to go this year too?"
"Yeah. It pays pretty well, and I don't mind working surrounded by nature. Plus, all-you-can-eat watermelon."
"No fair... That sounds so nice."
Poking at her tamagoyaki with her chopsticks, Sakura stole a glance at me.
"Are there other part-timers besides you, Subaru?"
"Yeah. They're short-handed every year. Every time I go stay over to help out, they give me a warm welcome."
"I see... Huh."
"Don't tell me you're about to say you want to come along."
"I do want to, but I'll hold back. I mean, we won't be dating anymore by then, and I have to put an end to these feelings by Sunday."
Popping a piece of tamagoyaki into her mouth all at once, she squealed in delight, "So good!"
"Hey, hey, let's go snorkeling together next time."
"I'll pass."
"Ehh~~ You turned down windsurfing too! Why? Could it be that you can't swim?"
"I'm good at swimming. I took lessons back in elementary school."
While we were talking, someone called out to us from the side.
"Whoa there, young man, that's such a waste!"
It was a slender middle-aged man in a business suit.
This was definitely a customer who had gone diving this morning.
Why was he wearing a suit now?
"The ocean is fantastic, you know. Living in a place like this and never experiencing it is such a waste... Ah, want me to buy you two a drink?"
"Yes, please! I'll have a grape soda!"
Raising her hand, Sakura flashed a smile, thanked him, and had him buy her a drink from the vending machine out front.
"No need to hold back either, kid."
"Then, I'll take you up on that."
I felt bad having a customer treat me, but seeing Sakura so pleased made the man smile too, so I figured it was better not to refuse.
I got a black coffee, and the man bought a sports drink.
Watching him gulp it down, I popped open the pull tab of my chilled, condensation-slicked can.
"Phew—! Man, a sports drink after the ocean really is the best. Oh right, getting back to what we were saying, why don't you go into the ocean if you know how to swim?"
"I don't feel like surrendering myself to an environment I can't control."
Unlike a pool, the ocean was full of uncertainties.
Irregular waves.
Rip currents dragging from the shore out to open water.
Jellyfish, sea snakes—the list went on and on.
No matter how confident you were in your swimming, unforeseen circumstances could easily cause an accident.
Diving into such a dangerous place of your own free will took serious courage.
"I see. You're that type, huh. But you know, there are sights out there you just can't see from land. Once you dive under, you might be surprised by how beautiful it is. Truth be told, I'm one of those people who got hooked on the sea. Enough to squeeze in a dive between business trips! Gahaha!"
Gulping down the rest of his drink, the man tossed the plastic bottle into the trash, checked his wristwatch, and panicked. "Shoot, is it that late already?!"
"Well, I've gotta run. Thanks, both of you. Diving was a blast!"
"Come back again~! Thanks for the grape soda!"
The man waved with a grin as he ran off.
I raised a hand in return.
Sitting back down on the bench, I resumed eating.
"Hey, do you have plans tonight?"
"Just a photo shoot with Shizuka-chan and Fujimaru-kun."
"Meaning you're free. Date night, then."
"..."
"As thanks for yesterday. This time, I picked the place."
Two days in a row?
Honestly, I was exhausted from work and just wanted to take it easy.
I would make up some plausible excuse to gently turn her down...
"Where are we going, by the way?"
"Ta-da!"
Sakura held up her smartphone.
On the screen was a shimmering, translucent cluster of tiny fish.
"Raw whitebait! Fresh raw whitebait! It's a local specialty around here."
Taking a sip of my coffee, I let out a breath.
"My schedule is completely clear."
◇
That night, Sakura brought me to a small, privately owned izakaya.
Apparently, the owner was an acquaintance of Toshiie-san.
I took a bite of the raw whitebait.
"...Delicious."
This was the very definition of not being able to put your chopsticks down.
The accent from the seasonings was irresistible too.
Then came the main dish: pasta with raw whitebait and canola blossoms.
This, too, was exceptionally good.
"Fufufu, I'm glad you like it. Though I still don't love how you only ever smile for dogs and food."
"Are you really comparing yourself to raw whitebait...?"
"Ah, whatever, forget it. I'll take the L."
Sakura hadn't touched the raw whitebait rice bowl she ordered, opting instead to stare intently at me.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
"I want to look at you a little longer first. That smile of yours is rare, Subaru, so I want to savor it."
"..."
"Ehehe. At first, I was jealous of dogs and food, but I realized that if it means getting to see the smile of the person I like, that's not bad in its own way."
"You have weird tastes."
"I don't think so, though."
I watched as Sakura finally dug into her whitebait bowl.
She took a bite, nodded repeatedly to herself, and then met my eyes.
"So good!"
Her eyes crinkled as she beamed.
"..."
Well, fair enough.
Eating the same raw whitebait and sharing in that joy wasn't a bad feeling.
...I had to admit that much, even if having Sakura be the one across from me was contrary to my intentions.
Still, I didn't see why this relationship had to be that of a boyfriend and girlfriend.
"Look, I really have no intention of dating anyone."
"Where's this coming from all of a sudden?"
"I'm just saying, when we go back to high school on Monday, you can just interact with me normally like this as a classmate. You don't need to feel guilty toward Amanatsu, and I don't think you need to take it so heavily."
It was a piece of advice.
People aren't robots.
Cleanly giving up on your feelings starting from a set day is hard, no matter how prepared you think you are.
My primary goal was to prevent Sakura from having to repeat a year because of me.
Even so, that didn't mean I wanted her to spend every day suffering in the classroom.
Since I was the one who dragged her out by force, I wanted to take responsibility for what came after.
"You're worried about me, aren't you? But I'll be fine. I'm going to keep my promise."
"...I see."
After finishing dessert, it was time to call it a night.
Sakura happily pulled out her wallet.
"Let me get this today! You paid for everything yesterday, after all."
"You don't need to go out of your way."
"No, really, it's fine! Just this once, let it be my way of saying thanks!"
"Then do it next time."
"Hah! I know what you're scheming, Subaru. You're just gonna buy some cheap snack at a convenience store and say that's more than enough of a thank-you, aren't you?! Saying a treat's a treat and all that!"
"I already paid the bill."
"Ah..."
I had settled the tab earlier under the pretense of going to the restroom.
I figured that was the more boyfriend-like thing to do.
Then again, some girls prefer splitting the bill, so maybe it was an unwanted gesture.
I would make sure to check with her beforehand next time.
"Sorry. I appreciate the thought, though. Thank you."
"Y-Yeah..."
Leaving the shop, we walked back toward the house.
For as chatty as Sakura usually was, she was remarkably quiet tonight.
"...Hey, Subaru... About summer vacation, after all..."
"Yeah?"
"...I... Never mind, it's nothing."
The words she left unsaid came easily to mind, sending another faint stir through my chest.