After finishing up at the dog run, we visited a few dog-friendly shops before parting ways.
On the way back, there was something I wanted to tell Nakina, so I stayed behind to speak with her alone for a bit.
We walked along a quiet park path in the evening light.
Nakina looked up at me bashfully, fidgeting.
"H-Hatsukade-kun, w-what did you want to talk about?"
"It's nothing major, so you don't have to be so tense."
The way she acted made it seem like I was about to confess my feelings.
It was awkward when she looked at me with such expectant eyes.
"It's just some casual chatting."
"R-Right, of course!! Yeah, yeah, I totally figured, so it's not like I'm disappointed or anything!"
...Really now?
Well, if she said so, it would be bad taste to press the matter.
"A while back, I told you about my childhood friend. The girl who gave me that fake confession."
"Ugh... Of course I remember."
Nakina looked away.
The reason she looked so uncomfortable was probably because she was still bothered by having pulled the exact same stunt on me.
"I met up with her last week and we talked."
"Huh?"
"We made up."
I told her everything that had happened between Miko and me, straight and unfiltered.
Though bewildered, Nakina remained an attentive listener, nodding along to my story.
When I finished speaking, she tilted her head.
"W-Why did you only tell me?"
"Because I've been worried about you this whole time..."
Shinonome and Sakura were troublemakers in their own ways, but I could tell they had the resilience to survive just fine on their own.
However, the girl standing before me seemed completely precarious.
She fell into despair over the smallest things, and as her earlier reaction showed, she was still hung up on the fake confession she'd given me.
Memories from that recent trip came rushing back.
On the final day of Sakura running away to that seaside town, on the train ride home—seeing how lonely Nakina looked, I had wanted to say something to her, but couldn't find the words.
That was because those words would have hit too close to home for me, too.
But things were different now.
"I've already moved forward. So Nakina, you shouldn't let yourself stay trapped in the past, either. I forgave what you did to me a long time ago, and you don't have to force yourself to hide your past as a truant from Sakura and the others, do you?"
"..."
"I like who you are right now, Nakina. But that doesn't mean I'm rejecting who you used to be. It means I like you, including everything about you. So, let's move forward together."
"Uwah, Hatsukade-kun!"
Nakina's face crumpled pathetically, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
Hulk, who had been resting at her feet, looked up in concern and gave her leg a gentle lick.
"Ugh, as usual, you say things that could cause massive misunderstandings, which leaves me feeling so conflicted, but I'm so happy you thought about me that much! Thaaank youuu!"
At this point, I couldn't tell if she was celebrating or crying.
I flashed a wry smile and waited for her to calm down.
My eyes met Hulk's.
We both have our hands full, don't we?
◇
Summer vacation arrived.
We got off the train at an unstaffed station and stepped out into the open air.
I squinted against the bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds.
Grand mountains towered in the distance, encircling the basin.
Bathed in the scorching sunlight and the noisy chorus of cicadas, I looked around at the vivid green blankets of rice paddies and farm fields stretched out across the landscape.
"Ooh! So this is where Subaru's relatives live!"
"T-There's nothing out here... Eek, b-bugs!"
Sakura, whose energy was through the roof from the start, contrasted sharply with Shinonome, who seemed slightly repulsed. Meanwhile, Nakina mumbled under heavy eyelids.
"Heheh, I'm just glad I managed to finish my remedial classes for those failing grades at the last second. I almost got left behind all by myself."
That was why I'd worried and asked her so many times if she was really doing all right with her studies...
Well, all's well that ends well since everyone made it here in one piece.
"Your uncle is coming to pick us up, right?!"
"Yeah, he should be here any minute."
I nodded to Sakura, whose eyes sparkled with excitement.
When I asked if my classmates could join in for the part-time job, my maternal uncle had readily agreed. In fact, he'd said it was a huge help because they were shorthanded.
Incidentally, when I told him I was bringing three girls along, he'd been utterly flabbergasted before adding:
"Well, he is Hiroshi-san's son, so I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree... Ho, ho, ho,"
chuckling to himself in understanding.
Just what kind of impression did all my relatives have of my dad?
A horn honked—beep-beep.
A black Mercedes pulled into the station's narrow roundabout, and the driver-side window rolled down.
"Hey there! I'm here to pick you up!"
A smiling, buzz-cut man stepped out of the car.
His skin was deeply tanned from farm work. Although a bit portly, the daily manual labor gave him a build where the muscle beneath the fat was plainly evident.
"Subaru, it's been a year!"
"Long time no see, Uncle Tomiyasu."
"And the part-timers with you look like a lively bunch!"
Without missing a beat, Sakura exchanged a high five with Uncle Tomiyasu.
"Yay! Looking forward to working with you!"
"Ooh, make sure you enjoy all the rustic perks of the countryside that you can't get in the city!"
I could understand Sakura, but why was my uncle getting so hyped up, too...?
Shinonome and Nakina offered nervous, polite smiles. Well, that was business as usual for them.
After brief introductions, we climbed into the car.
We headed toward my relatives' house, where we would be staying for a while.
Uncle Tomiyasu was my mother's older brother.
He lived with his wife, and their children were already grown and living on their own.
Upon arriving at the house, his wife, Maiko-san, warmly showed us around.
As usual, I had a spare room all to myself.
The girls shared a large room together.
It seemed they had genuinely been looking forward to this trip, chattering and laughing the entire time.
Well, I wondered how long that energy would last.
Lest they forget, working on a watermelon farm was backbreaking labor.
I could already foresee a future where they suffered from severe muscle soreness and whined about it.
Since we had only just arrived today, there was no work scheduled.
We unpacked our bags in our rooms, and Maiko-san drove us to a nearby shopping mall. After picking up our daily necessities, the rest of the day was free time.
Until dinner, I read a book in my room.
When Maiko-san called out that dinner was ready, I walked over to the girls' room and was about to knock when I overheard them.
"Hey, hey, who gets the first day?"
"Then I'll go fir—"
"Sakura, you're always so unfair! You spent tons of alone time with Hatsukade when you ran away from home, didn't you?!"
"L-Let's settle it with rock-paper-scissors!"
Hearing that suspicious conversation, my hand froze mid-knock.
The chant for rock-paper-scissors drifted out through the door.
Just what on earth were they plotting?
I couldn't keep Maiko-san and the others waiting, so I knocked on the door.
Immediately, there was a flurry of motion inside.
The one who opened the door was Shinonome, looking strangely flustered.
"W-What's up, Hatsukade?"
"Uh... I just came to call you for dinner, but..."
"Got it, we'll be right there."
Through the crack in the door, I caught sight of it.
Sitting on the table was a handwritten calendar boldly titled: Hatsukade-kun Attack Roster...
"Hey, what is that?"
"Huh? What? What? I can't hear you! Anyway, quit peeping into a girl's room!"
With that, Shinonome slammed the door shut as if fleeing for her life.
Even before the job had officially begun, an ominous premonition washed over me.