Chapter 118
Memories of That Summer ①
“The seaeeeeee!”
White sandy beaches, blue ocean, the gentle sea breeze—this is the best.
It was late July, about a week after the end-of-term ceremony, and I was on vacation.
A high school sophomore on vacation—who would’ve thought? Last year, this was unimaginable.
“Cheap fun isn’t bad.”
“Oh, Seiya, are you actually excited this time?”
“Not as much as you.”
My best friend, Kanagi Seiya, was his usual low-energy self, but he seemed a little more cheerful than usual.
Seiya had been busy last week visiting Mizusato-san’s family home in the Tohoku region, so maybe he just wanted to relax. Meanwhile, I had been working a substitute job—it was rough.
Seiya and I set up the beach parasols and chairs. The volleyball net could wait.
Ah… soon, the ladies we’d been waiting for would arrive.
“The sea!”
“The sea!”
“The sea, huh!”
Whew. The three energetic girls were Sera-san, Mizusato-san, and Hii-chan.
A well-toned sporty girl, a beautiful girl who’s perfect if she doesn’t talk, and a rapidly rising idol. All three had amazing figures.
It was hard to know where to look. Seiya, being a handsome guy, stared openly—he could get away with it.
“How’s it feel, our Kudohara family-owned beach?”
“Your family is really something else…”
Whoa, Beauty!
With a body close to 170 cm and that figure, Kudoh-san was really impressive. Considering wealth, she probably put Seiya to shame in terms of perfection.
Hojo-san next to her was tall and beautiful too, but… well, it’s hard not to look at women with long hair and great figures.
Yes, we were at a private beach owned by the Kudohara family. Somewhere in the Pacific… I forget which island, but apparently they had purchased a reasonably spacious uninhabited island.
They came here every summer for vacation. This time, Kudoh-san invited the usual group. I was glad I was friends with Seiya, who she adored.
A four-day, three-night summer trip. There was a large cottage on high ground. There were no adults, but ten fairly competent people were enough to get by.
“So, Seiya, whose swimsuit do you think is the best?”
I felt like the girls were listening in.
“Hmm… well, the swimsuit that suits best is…”
Seiya gave a refreshing smile.
“The sun, it’s you.”
Grit!
“Seriously, cut the jokes. You’re about to get killed by the girls behind you.”
I felt fear as the girls behind Seiya went stone-faced.
“Everyone—help carry the luggage.”
Uribara-san, Yumizaki-san, and…
All three wore hoodies, so their swimsuits weren’t visible. Damn, I wanted to see Yumizaki-san’s swimsuit—the #1 ranked girl. And… that other girl too.
Even though carrying luggage wasn’t just a guy’s job, I quickly went over and took the luggage from them.
“Thanks, Taiyo-san.”
“I’ll take these heavy ones. Little sister.”
Seiya’s sister, Kanagi Tsukiyo, had her white hoodie half-open. Her floral one-piece swimsuit was modest, but her long, shiny chestnut hair was still beautiful… captivating.
Our eyes met.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’ll carry the rest, so you guys go ahead and have fun.”
“You’re so mean… achoo!”
Tsukiyo-chan sneezed cutely, covering her mouth.
I stacked all the luggage on the cart nearby in one go—perfect for a single trip.
“Thank you, really.”
“No problem.”
Then Tsukiyo and I…
“Kinori, let’s go.”
“Hey, Seiya! Let’s set up the volleyball net first. Help us out.”
No casual chatting. If there’s no reason, I don’t speak.
Even though we were friends, to me, she was just Seiya’s sister.
Yes… my hidden feelings of love would never be directed at her.
◇◇◇
For the next two days, we enjoyed our vacation.
Only the western half of the island was developed for vacation; the eastern half remained largely untouched. We were told not to go exploring, as it was dangerous.
None of us were reckless enough to cross unsafe paths.
The fierce battles over Seiya among the girls raged day and night, and I enjoyed watching from my spot.
I didn’t mind being just a spectator.
Still…
“Isn’t the weather bad?”
“I thought it would be sunny all week.”
Seiya and I looked up at the sky and talked.
We couldn’t watch TV or volleyball without going back to the cottage. Our phones were left there too.
And… it started raining. The wind picked up too.
“No choice, let’s head back to the cottage. Is everyone together?”
“Kasumi-chan and Umika-chan are still in the water.”
Kudoh-san and Mizusato-san called everyone together.
We couldn’t go ahead without them. The waves weren’t strong yet, and I could see Hojo-san and Sera-san swimming back.
Eight of us gathered and waited for the remaining two to come out of the water.
“Sorry! Took a while, huh?”
“The weather turned bad suddenly.”
As expected from the two from the athletic department—they came back in no time. With the wind and waves growing, it could get dangerous.
“Let’s go.”
Everyone nodded at Seiya’s call and ran with only the necessary luggage to the hilltop.
What the hell… it’s turning into heavy rain. Typhoon? But… the wind’s strong… the trees are swaying violently.
I helped Uribara-san and Yumizaki-san, who weren’t good at walking in this terrain, up the mountain path.
The rain intensified.
…Something feels wrong. The cottage is supposed to be sturdy, so a typhoon shouldn’t matter.
But there were landslides on the path to the sea. Maybe this path too.
“Almost there.”
The heavy rain made visibility poor.
Then a gust of wind blew.
“Kyah!”
Tsukiyo-chan’s hat floated away on the wind. She went to pick it up near the mountainside.
I looked up. Higher up, rocks were moving unnaturally. If they fell… she was right beneath.
I couldn’t wait any longer. I took off my jacket and ran. At the same time, a loud crash echoed from above.
Everyone looked up, but I ran straight to her. I covered her with my jacket and shielded her as debris fell, leaping out of the way.
But the spot was bad. It was a cliff, leading to the forested, undeveloped eastern area.
I shielded her with my back so she wouldn’t get hurt… and fell off the cliff.
And I lost consciousness.
