Airi’s grandmother—the woman I’d dubbed BB—had already prepared a mixture of bananas and shochu to serve as bait. We got right to work stuffing the sticky mess into stockings.
The fermentation process had given the syrup a pungent, distinct odor. If I didn’t pinch my nose, I felt like the fumes alone would make me tipsy.
"This just straight-up stinks."
It smelled exactly like the socks my sister used to kick off in the entryway back when she was in high school.
"Beetles are drawn to this scent, so you’ll just have to endure it, Ryouta."
"I-I suppose, but..."
Holding my breath, I finally finished the task of cramming the bait into the stockings.
"You’re really a pro at this, aren't you, Airi? Do you go bug hunting a lot?"
"Hmm. Not so much lately, but when I was a kid, there wasn't much else to do for fun out here. I did it all the time. Besides, I love beetles!"
Airi made "horns" with her fingers and playfully poked them against my shoulder.
(She’s so cute... If beetles were all like her, I’d take as many as I could get...)
"What about you, Ryouta? You’re a boy, so you must love beetles, right?"
"Don't just assume. I’m actually not a fan of bugs at all."
"Wait, really? You don't like them? But you’re here with me today!"
"Well, it was a promise, so I didn't exactly have a choice."
Doing whatever the three of them demanded during summer vacation had been the deal since before the final exams, depending on the results.
"But still! If you really hated it that much, you would have turned me down like Yuria and the others, wouldn't you? Why did you actually come?"
"Why? Well, because you..."
"Because of me?"
"I mean, you really wanted to go bug hunting, right? If the other two weren't coming and I said no too, you would have ended up out here all alone. I just thought... that would be kind of sad for you."
Under Airi’s relentless questioning, I finally confessed my honest feelings.
"So, Ryouta... you came just so I wouldn't be lonely?"
"I mean, well... yeah."
Since Airi was staring at me with wide, searching eyes, I nodded while trying to hide my embarrassment.
"...I see."
Airi chuckled softly as she picked up the bait-filled stockings.
"You really are kind, Ryouta. You're the first boy who's ever considered my feelings like that."
"I-is that so?"
"Yeah. I mean it—that side of you is really cool."
Airi beamed at me, her white teeth showing in a radiant smile.
Aside from the fact that she was holding a bunch of stinky stockings, it was an absolutely perfect smile.
"Right! Now that the stockings are stuffed and we’ve got the syrup for the trees, we’re all set!"
Suddenly looking a bit bashful, Airi untied her low pigtails, letting her hair fall loose.
"I-I’m going to go find some straw hats!"
"Ah... sure."
There was something different about her just now. She didn't have her usual childish air; it was such a natural, genuine smile...
(And more than anything, she called me cool...)
I watched Airi’s back as she ran off to find the hats, my heart thumping loudly in my chest.