Ch.335IF Side Story: Seems I’ve Arrived a Bit Early (32)

The summer vacation continued to be enjoyable after that.

Even without anything special happening, just running around outside was fun, and going to the swimming pool was even more enjoyable.

And of course, it was even more fun when Kagami smiled while hanging out with me.

As time passed, I was becoming more like a child.

I could never completely return to that time of perfect innocence, but I was starting to understand a little about how to relax and not overthink things.

“By the way, have you all finished your summer homework?”

At Miho’s question, we brought our homework materials the next day and leisurely completed it all together. Perhaps because we were children who had just entered elementary school, the homework itself wasn’t particularly difficult.

After finishing our homework, there was nothing left to do but play well, so we all went around catching cicadas or spent time at the neighborhood bookstore.

Sometimes Miho, who was also on vacation, would take us around and buy us various snacks. Being a middle school student, Miho knew all the delicious dessert places in town.

The summer vacation was literally in pastel tones.

Even the blazing sun seemed to symbolize burning hope, and I was simply happy.

In the evenings, Kagami would come to Harumi’s house to pick me up, and after waving goodbye to Harumi, I would return home with Kagami.

Gulp, gulp, the goldfish Harumi had given us was waiting for us in a rather large tank. Well, I’m not sure if goldfish can think to that extent. At least it knew our feeding times and would come to the edge of the tank when we approached.

After deliberating where to place the goldfish, we decided to put it in the kitchen.

Kagami didn’t say it directly to me, but she seemed to think that having a fish tank take up space in our already small room would make it difficult to utilize the space.

We brought a small table about as high as Kagami’s waist into the kitchen and placed the fish tank on top of it.

The kitchen had a small window for ventilation, so it seemed the goldfish wouldn’t lack sunlight.

We changed some of the water in the tank periodically. For now, Kagami was handling almost all of the maintenance, but I would help when I grew a bit taller.

Gulp, gulp.

“You must have it easy.”

I said, looking at the goldfish through the tank.

It probably couldn’t understand what I was saying. Could sound even travel properly through water? I wasn’t sure.

Still, it felt nice to raise something. It was just a simple transparent tank without any special lighting, but time passed well just watching the goldfish swimming leisurely inside.

“What should we name it?”

As I was holding onto the table and quietly observing the goldfish, Kagami put her hand on my shoulder from behind and asked.

A name, huh.

I’m not good at naming things. I’d never had a pet before, so it was natural. And naming a child would be even harder, of course.

“…Baduk.”

When I said this somewhat uncertainly, looking at the white-bodied goldfish with orange and black spots, Kagami chuckled and hugged me tightly from behind.

As if the very fact that I had given such a name was endearing.

“Then, let’s call it Baduk.”

Well, to be honest, I probably wouldn’t be calling it by name much.

It’s not a dog or cat, after all, and there’s no particular reason for it to respond when I call its name.

But the fact that Kagami said it like that made me feel like I’d accomplished something—perhaps because I was still a child.

Ah, I don’t want to grow up.

I was only now experiencing the emotions of being a child, and there were many emotions that come with growing up that I didn’t particularly want to feel.

Would I go through puberty again?

Would there come a day when I rebelled against Kagami and said hurtful things?

I hope that day never comes. I hope that even as time passes, I retain all the memories of my previous life.

Though they’re memories I’d like to forget, they at least contain some minimal lessons.

Cherish your family.

Before the moment comes when you can no longer cherish them more.

“…”

I sincerely hoped for that.

*

As summer vacation ended and some time passed, the weather gradually began to cool down.

Just because there’s an ocean nearby doesn’t mean the city is humid 365 days a year, apparently. By September, standing in the shade felt reasonably cool.

And that means it’s a time when people can move around comfortably.

Well, someone like Harumi had the energy to run around even in the sweltering summer heat. Come to think of it, Yuu and I followed her around too, so maybe we were similar.

And with such weather, the sports festival inevitably arrived.

To be honest, sports festivals in middle and high school were just days off from classes. I might have participated in some events, but the fact that I can’t recall any impressive memories suggests that even if I did participate somewhere, I didn’t make any memorable contributions.

“Kotone, what do you want to do, Kotone?”

Harumi, excited as always, thrust her face close to mine and asked.

If I had been reincarnated into this world as a middle or high school student, I probably wouldn’t have given it much thought.

I would have preferred not to be assigned anything—hiding somewhere without much to do, just passing time and wanting to go home quickly.

But I’m different now.

I know how precious memories with family are. I also know how comforting it can be to look back at casually taken photos later on.

So, I wanted to make a clear impression in Kagami’s memory if possible.

But realistically speaking, my physical abilities are just average. I don’t think they’re particularly bad. Kagami has been very attentive to my meals, after all.

Judging by the fact that I’m not as tall as Harumi and Yuu, I unfortunately didn’t fully inherit Kagami’s superior genes, but I can’t say I’m particularly short compared to other kids my age either.

However, even so, I don’t think I could win a running race or survive until the end in a dodgeball tournament. Looking at some of the kids running around the classroom like beagles, I know I don’t have that level of stamina.

If that’s the case, even if I can’t be first, couldn’t I take on a role that would remain deep in Kagami’s memory?

So, there was something I had been thinking about.

“Cheering.”

At my words, Harumi’s eyes blinked. And so did Yuu’s, who was watching me from the side.

Even a few of the children who had followed Harumi to our desk.

“Cheering?”

Harumi asked again.

“Yes.”

I nodded.

That’s right.

Kagami would probably bring that big camera of hers. She had been so diligent in taking pictures of us on the beach with her camera.

So, I thought that cheering would be the best thing to capture with that camera. I might not be able to come in first, but Kagami could watch me and cheer all day.

“Cheering!”

Harumi exclaimed once more at my answer.

“Cheering is great! Kotone, let’s do it together! Yuu too!”

“Uh, okay?”

Yuu seemed a bit taken aback by Harumi’s reaction, but when she took his hand, he couldn’t refuse. The children nearby were also nodding their heads.

I could hear the boys watching us from a distance whispering something.

Come to think of it, did I like kids my age when I was in elementary school? Hmm, I’m not sure. I remember playing mostly with boys back then too.

The first time I thought someone was attractive was in 4th grade, or was it 5th grade… Well, there’s no need to talk about that.

Harumi’s smiling face really makes people happy. That innocent smile contains nothing but pure joy, and even I, who was just sitting there without much thought, felt my heart flutter.

Perhaps that’s why Yuu and I stick close to Harumi.

And so, Yuu, Harumi, and I became the dedicated cheerleaders for our class at the sports festival.

Oh, that doesn’t mean we only did cheering. We naturally signed up for events where all the class children had to participate, like relay races or tug-of-war.

And when I told Kagami about this after returning home—

“Cheering.”

Kagami responded in a somewhat subdued voice, making my heart sink.

But I soon realized it wasn’t something to worry about.

With a very solemn expression, Kagami took out her camera from the drawer and immediately began checking if it was working properly. Even though the sports festival wasn’t tomorrow.

Watching Kagami lay out several lenses and check them against the light, I felt reassured that I had made the right choice after all.