Thanks to Amami-sanâs unusual bad luck, we had to discuss what to do about our plans going forward. But before that, we had to deal with something else first.
On the first day of summer vacation. I left home with Umi and waited for Amami-san and Nitta-san in front of the ticket gate at the station. We were going to attend the summer class today.
The class would run from 9am to 3pm for seven days (weekdays only). Which meant a quarter of my summer vacation would be filled with studying. Well, it was a good opportunity for me because I had a habit of slacking off during summer vacations.
âSorry Umi, I need to use the toiletâŠâ
âAgain? Didnât you go before we left?â
âI canât help it, okay? This is my first time going to summer school. Iâm nervous!â
âAh~ So thatâs why~ This is your first time, huh? Iâm amazed you actually passed our schoolâs entrance exam without attending one. You must have worked really hard on your own. Well, you donât need to worry, Iâll be with you all day.â
âThank you⊠I still need to go though.â
âWell, go quickly then.â
I let go of Umiâs hand and went straight to the menâs toilet.
It was still early in the morning, but I already saw a lot of people my age roaming around the station. I guess everyone was in high spirits. It was the first day of summer vacation after all.
The toilet was crowded. I had to wait a while before my turn came. Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder.
âI knew it, itâs you isnât it, Maki? Whatâs up? Ah, right, you guys are going to summer school today.â
âMorning, Nozomu. Whatâs with the uniform? You have practice today?â
âYeah⊠The coach is making us play a lot of games this summer⊠On top of that, we have regular practice and training camp⊠Summer school, huh? Iâm so jealousâŠâ
âI donât think itâs something to be jealous about thoughâŠâ
It was a real pity that he kept getting left out. I hoped that all five of us could hang out together before the break ended. If it was impossible during the day, we could hang out at night instead. There would be festivals and other events later, so during those days, we could hang out together. Chilling at my house was also an option.
Regarding the relationship between Amami-san and Nozomu, even though they were close enough as normal friends, there was still a delicate distance between them.
I didnât want to meddle too much, but I could try helping them a little. Creating opportunities for them to be together should be enough.
âKeep an eye on Amami-san for me, Maki. Make sure there arenât any annoying bugs around her. Use Asanagi and Nitta the best you can. Iâm counting on you, bro.â
âI donât mind, but will there really be those kinds of people there? I mean, theyâre paying to study there. Going out of their way to do that just to try to get into a girlâs pants isâŠâ
âOh, believe me, there are. You wouldnât believe the kind of people youâd meet at those places. The people applying for higher difficulty courses are the exception, but anywhere else, the bugs are everywhere.â
Was that really the case? He didnât seem to be joking, maybe he saw something back when he attended cram school for our high school entrance exam.
âIf thatâs the case, wouldnât they go after Umi and Nitta-san too?
âOf course they would. Both of them are pretty, especially Asanagi. Theyâre gonna swarm around her if you let your guard down.â
âUghâŠâ
I started to feel uneasy.
Amami-san and Nitta-san aside, I didnât want that kind of person to talk to Umi. Hell, I didnât want them to breathe the same air as her.
I wouldnât let them lay their hands on my precious girlfriend.
I knew that the three of them were more than capable of taking care of themselves, but I shouldnât let my guard down. For now, I should remember what Nozomu just told me and keep a close eye on all three of them, just in case.
âGot it. Iâll make the three of them cooperate with me. I donât think I could do everything myself.â
âGood. If things get out of hand, call me immediately. Iâll use my authority as the baseball club captain to discipline the annoying guys. Of course, Iâll be bringing the entire club with me.â
âHold back a little, will you?â
It was reassuring to know that the baseball club had our backs. I should keep this in mind and contact him immediately as soon as things start getting annoying.
I doubt that itâd happen though.
âAlright, my train is here, see ya. Good luck with your studies, Maki.â
âYou too. Good luck with your match.â
âRoger.â
I parted with Nozomu and went back to the meeting place.
The two girls Umi and I were waiting for were already there by the time I got back.
âAh, thereâs Maki-kun! Good morning~ Everything okay? You were in the toilet for quite a while~â
âJeez, itâs just summer class, Rep. Why are you acting like a grade schooler on his first field trip?â
It had been a while since I last saw them in their casual clothes. Too bad we werenât here to play around today. I could tell that they put some effort into dressing up. Amami-san was wearing a shirt, jeans and a pair of sneakers. Meanwhile Nitta-san was dressed in loose clothes that didnât show off her body line too much.
I was wearing my usual shirt and half-pants. Meanwhile, Umi was wearing a summer knit and jeans. We also had the bags we used during our trip a while back to hold our reference books.
âOkay, everyoneâs here, letâs get on the train. Thereâs still time before class starts.â
âAh, wait a minute. Rep, weâre still waiting for someone. She went to the convenience store to buy something.â
âHuh? Another person?â
âYeah. Well, sheâs just tagging along, donât worry about her too much. She wonât be attending class with us anyway.â
Amami-san and Umi didnât say anything, so there shouldnât be anything strange about the mystery person Nitta-san was talking about. But for some reason, Nitta-san was acting strangely.
As I was wondering what kind of person could make Nitta-san act this way, a girl approached us with hurried steps.
âSorry for the wait, everyone. I forgot to bring lunch, so I had to buy some⊠Ah, are you the boy Iâve been hearing about? She called you Rep or something, right?â
âYes, my name is Maehara⊠Are you, by any chance?âŠâ
The answer to my question was obvious. The girl resembled Nitta-san.
âAh right, sorry, I havenât introduced myself yet. Thank you for always taking care of my stupid little sister. Iâm Yuna, Ninaâs older sister. Nice to meet you.â
âCasually calling your own little sister stupid? Look in the mirror, stupid.â
âHuh? Iâm just telling him the truth. Just face it, your grades are bad and no matter how many times I told you not to, you kept wandering around in your undies like an idiotâ Ouch! What are you doing?!â
âThereâs a boy here! You should learn to shut your damn mouth!â
âWhich mouth? Also, what are you so embarrassed about? Your grades? Or the fact that youâve been running around the house in your undies?â
âOh, just shut up!â
Iâll pretend I didnât hear that new information. Anyway, it was the first time Iâd seen Nitta-san this flustered.
The sight of Nitta-san blushing and slapping her sisterâs arm was a new sight to me and the other girls.