Ch.211Epilogue. Training Camp (5)

I need to briefly talk about what happened before summer vacation started.

Around that time, a pretty big change happened in our house.

On the day I returned home after discussing the summer training camp, I opened the door and immediately felt a cool breeze blowing in, making my eyes widen.

It wasn’t just any cool breeze. It was an artificially cool and refreshing breeze, not the humid summer air.

“Wow!”

Koko immediately ran into the room.

She stood in front of the air conditioner mounted on the wall with both arms raised high.

“Wow!”

The cool breeze blasting from the air conditioner gently ruffled Koko’s hair.

I quickly took off my shoes and followed her inside, standing next to Koko.

“Wow…”

I unconsciously made the same sound as Koko.

Mr. Willis Carrier, I respect you.

As I was mentally paying tribute to the inventor of the air conditioner,

“Hehe.”

I heard that sound from behind.

Before Koko and I could move away, Kagami hugged us both from behind.

“Huh?”

“Ah, wait, Mom.”

I said in surprise.

I hadn’t cooled down from sweating yet. I’d been sweating the entire 30-minute walk here. I wanted to stay in front of the air conditioner a bit longer… no, I just wanted to take a shower first.

Perhaps because I made a disgusted face, Kagami quickly let us go.

Then she dramatically collapsed on the floor as if she’d been rejected by a lover.

“So this is why…!”

I stared blankly at Kagami as she exclaimed in an exaggerated theatrical tone, then pointed at the air conditioner.

“Because it’s summer, because it’s humid, you won’t let me hug you! You run away when I try to embrace you! You make disgusted faces!”

“…”

Well, that.

What can I say.

I did do that.

Hmm.

I have nothing to say.

While I was briefly contemplating how to excuse myself, Kagami, seeing that I couldn’t properly respond, seized the opportunity to continue her passionate speech.

“That’s why I bought this air conditioner! Maybe in a cool place, you might allow at least a light hug!”

“…well, um.”

I thought for a moment about what to say.

The conclusion was simple. I was in the wrong.

I’m not a baby anymore, but avoiding family hugs just because the weather is hot and humid?

“…”

No, I really was wrong.

Just a little while ago, I was thinking about how precious family is and how I had a family again, but as soon as I got a little comfortable, I started taking them for granted.

And it hadn’t even been a year—barely half a year had passed.

“Kotone?”

As I stood there with a serious expression, lost in thought, Koko called out to me, tilting her head.

Kagami also seemed to notice that I was seriously contemplating this and quickly stopped her theatrical act, scurrying over to my side.

“Um, I was just joking. You don’t need to take it so seriously…”

“…Really?”

I tilted my head as I spoke.

“Of course. When it’s hot and humid, it’s natural to get irritable. People get angry more easily than usual.”

“That’s true.”

I nodded.

Was I overthinking this?

I may have avoided the hug, but I hadn’t forgotten that Kagami and Koko were my family.

“Yes. So if you give me just one hug, I’ll forgive everything.”

“…”

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Kagami spreading her arms wide.

So this was her aim all along.

It was a bit ridiculous, but I figured my sweat had cooled down enough by now, so it should be fine.

I hugged Kagami.

As always, Kagami’s face looked like she might achieve enlightenment from happiness as she embraced me.

*

With the new air conditioner at home, I spent the first few days of summer vacation holed up inside without going out.

The wonders of modern civilization are truly remarkable.

Since our room was small, the air conditioner worked almost too efficiently—if you set the temperature too low, the room would actually get cold.

Kagami found it strangely fascinating to see me lounging around doing nothing in the room. Did she have an image of me as a diligent person?

…

Come to think of it, I really was busy last year. It wasn’t that I particularly wanted to be diligent, but for various reasons, I had no choice but to be.

Even while lounging around, I still went to my part-time job regularly.

“You seem to be eating well these days.”

The manager smiled and said that to me.

“You used to be really skinny before.”

There was a reason the manager wasn’t particularly surprised by my appearance. Most of the girls who worked part-time here were thin to begin with.

Partly because it was a maid café, but more likely because there were often girls whose home situations weren’t very good.

“You look just right now. Just maintain this.”

I nodded at the manager’s words and looked around.

A familiar face I usually saw whenever I came wasn’t there.

“Where’s Miki?”

“Miki is studying.”

The manager said with a smile.

He wasn’t as doting as Kagami, but in his own way, the manager adored his sister terribly.

I didn’t feel the need to question it. After all, she was his sister, so any money she earned working here would just circulate back to the manager anyway.

“She’s not satisfied with her grades, I guess. I thought they were fine.”

I see.

Well, the last time I heard, she barely got into her school. But she did get into the best school she could, so she must be ambitious about her studies.

“It’s thanks to you all.”

The manager said, looking back and forth between me and Shii.

“Seeing you kids working so hard inspired her, I think.”

I might have especially seemed like someone she could relate to. Miki had also met Koko.

“I’m glad we could help.”

I said that and started working.

The manager shrugged and moved aside to let me pass.

*

“Oh, right. Shii. About the training camp.”

I called out to Shii while working.

“Yes.”

As always, Shii was included in our training camp. I was already treating Shii like a literature club junior, and Shii was naturally calling me “senpai,” so I naturally shared the details about the camp with her.

Of course, I got approval from all the club members. Tsuneda made a face that was half expectation and half concern when he heard about Shii, but he nodded anyway.

For reference, Sasaki isn’t coming. If he came, there would be two people tagging along with him.

As classmates, we occasionally hung out together, so I got quite close with Sasaki and Nanami. The same went for Hagiwara, who occasionally came to check on our class.

Hagiwara… seems to be studying hard these days. When I heard she was planning to get into a good university so she could tutor Sasaki next year, I thought she was quite consistent.

Fortunately, Tsuneda wasn’t too disappointed when he heard Sasaki wasn’t coming.

Anyway, Sasaki can just film his rom-com at home.

“The schedule has been moved up a bit, is that okay?”

We had already exchanged messages and calls about it, but I felt I should confirm it once more.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Shii said with a smile.

“When I first heard about it, I cleared my schedule a bit before and after.”

She’s so reliable.

There was a touch of sadness in seeing a child who had grown up too quickly, but a sharp kid is still lovable.

“Okay, I won’t worry then.”

“Yes, I’ve prepared thoroughly, so there’s no need to worry!”

Shii exclaimed, clenching both hands.

I couldn’t help but smile at that.

That Sasaki is really blessed.

Even with their dark story, he has a sister like Shii.

Well, I think my sister is just as cute, if not more so.

*

And so.

On the day of departure for the lodging.

We first gathered at Tamachi Station, the station closest to our school.

Since everyone lived in different places, it wasn’t actually the most efficient choice, but it was the “place everyone definitely knew.” Having everyone come to my house would have meant others would have to travel too far.

If it had been just the second and third-year students, I might have suggested meeting at a major station, but we had a junior and a prospective junior with us.

I thought it would be better to choose a place where both of them could comfortably meet up.

“Ah, hello, Kotone-senpai!”

Perhaps a bit nervous about meeting her senior during the vacation, Tsuneda greeted me with a slightly louder voice.

“Hello.”

As I greeted her back, I looked around and saw Yuka and Shii.

I was glad Yuka had arrived first. Otherwise, the two wouldn’t have known who each other was.

Actually, Kagami had insisted on dropping me off this morning, but I refused because I thought it might make the juniors uncomfortable if I showed up with my mom.

With the training camp moved up, it was now early August. We had also planned to visit a festival together in mid-August and write reflection papers about it.

After that, a short family trip with Kagami and Koko. Probably about two nights and three days.

At the end of August, we need to go to Comiket, and in between those days, friends might visit or I might go visit them.

A month of vacation seems like a long time, but looking at how packed the schedule is, it seems very busy. Well, most of it is just fun activities.

And it doesn’t end when vacation ends. In autumn, there’s the sports festival, school trip, and cultural festival. The sports festival won’t be much different from last year except that Kagami will come, but the school trip is planned for Hawaii, and I’m planning to give my all for the cultural festival.

At the end of the year, I’ll of course participate in various events with the club members.

So, I’m going to be busy all year.

The fact that I don’t find it annoying at all shows how accustomed I’ve become to this lifestyle.

If anything, I’m sad that next year will be my third year.

Half of this year has already passed. If that’s the case, shouldn’t I make the most of the remaining time?

The club members arrived in small groups.

“Hello! Everyone’s early!”

“We would have been the first if you hadn’t overslept.”

“Hey, I still arrived well before the meeting time, so I didn’t oversleep.”

Kaoru and Izumi arrived, exchanging such banter.

We chatted briefly and caught up. It seems they’re both studying hard. They want to go to universities in or near Tokyo.

As for their studies… I honestly don’t know if they’re doing well or not. I don’t know what the national standard is yet.

But seeing how confidently they talk about it, they probably aren’t doing too badly on a national scale. When I was in my third year of high school, I could immediately tell which schools were out of my reach.

Yes, rather than studying every day, it’s also good to take breaks at set times to relieve stress. I’m not sure, but that’s what people who went to Seoul National University often say.

“Hello!”

“W-we’re a bit late, aren’t we?”

“…Because Harumi overslept.”

Mako’s group of three also arrived together.

They still arrived 10 minutes before the appointed time, so it wasn’t really late.

“Good~”

Kaoru put her hands on her hips and looked around at us.

“Everyone’s here.”

“Shall we get going? The earlier we leave, the more time we have.”

As Izumi looked at her wristwatch, Kaoru nodded vigorously.

“Right. Let’s go then! Tsugumi, can I have your bag? I’ll pull it for you.”

“Ah, I’m fine! This much is…”

Tsuneda, who had brought the largest suitcase among us, was flustered.

“I’ll pull it for you!”

Koko raised both hands and said to Kaoru.

“Oh, really? Well, you should take care of your junior. Here!”

Kaoru smoothly handed over the suitcase handle.

“Huh? Uh, what?”

Before Tsuneda could say anything, Koko took the suitcase handle from Kaoru’s hand.

In terms of height and build, Tsuneda and Koko were almost similar… objectively speaking, Koko was slightly thinner and smaller.

That’s why Tsuneda was extremely confused watching Koko pull the suitcase. Her face clearly showed she was wondering if this was okay.

“You don’t need to worry too much.”

I whispered to Tsuneda.

Kaoru knew what she was doing when she handed it over. She already knew Koko wasn’t an ordinary person.

“Huh? Really? Is that so?”

“Yes. She was really happy about having a junior.”

Happy enough to share her food.

I’m glad she doesn’t treat me like a little sister. If she did, I would have felt incredibly guilty in many ways. Just like Tsuneda is feeling now.

“J-junior…”

Tsuneda still seemed unable to fully grasp the situation, looking a bit confused.

“Koko, Koko. Should I pull it for you instead?”

Harumi approached Koko and asked.

“It’s fine! This isn’t heavy at all!”

And yet she forgot her own bag.

As I laughed incredulously and reached for Koko’s suitcase, Yuu, who was standing nearby, gently pulled it away.

“…I’ll pull it.”

“Huh?”

But before I could protest, Yuu had already pulled it ahead.

Pulling one in each hand doesn’t seem… difficult for him. Maybe it’s because he’s much taller than me, so the balance is better. Somehow, I feel a bit annoyed.

Mako looked warmly at Yuu and me. If a potato had received that gaze, it would have sprouted blue shoots in 5 minutes.

“Senpai, let’s go.”

Shii called out to Tsuneda, who was standing there in a daze.

“Ah, wait, wait a moment!”

Tsuneda quickly caught up with Shii, who had started walking ahead. Was she going to offer to carry her bag, like Koko did?

That’s a heartwarming sight.

As I started walking, Yuka approached me.

“Oh, right.”

And as we entered the station, she casually mentioned, as if she had just remembered:

“I brought some charms, just in case. Since there’s supposed to be an abandoned house, we might need them inside.”

“…”

Didn’t you quit exorcism?

Well, I’d be grateful to borrow them if needed.

…The main story is definitely over, right?

I suddenly felt a bit anxious again, remembering that our destination was an island.

At the same time, I was excited. Honestly, I couldn’t tell which emotion was making my heart race.

Maybe I was excited because I was anxious.

With such thoughts and a pounding heart, I walked with Yuka at the very back of the group.

I really liked how lively everyone was from the start.