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Chapter 215 – Fun in July
After filling both my stomach and my heart by eating and flirting with Umi, we went back to the classroom for afternoon lecture.
We managed to finish our lunch quickly, so we had around ten minutes before the lecture started. We decided to kill some time on the first floor.
“Umi, what should we do for tomorrow’s lunch? I still have money left, but if we do this everyday…”
“Right… There are cheaper places to eat in, but those places are always crowded… What do you think, Maki?”
“Well, mom gave me money for lunch separately, but if possible, I would love to save some money.”
So far, we hadn’t planned to go anywhere other than cram school, but since it was summer vacation, I had to consider the possibility of going on dates with Umi.
If possible, I wanted to have a little extra cash for dates.
“Huh, in other words, you’re rich, Rep. You’re similar to my sister, she uses her own savings to have fun too… She won’t ask my parents for extra money… I guess I should ask for extra shifts at my part-time job…”
“Huh, you have a part-time job, Nitta-san?”
“Right, I never told you about this, huh? I’m working at a drugstore just a station away from here. My shifts are on weekends, that’s why I can play around as much as I like on weekdays.”
“I see…”
This was news to me, but since it was Nitta-san we were talking about, I wasn’t surprised. Within our group, she seemed to be the best in terms of time management.
I could imagine her working while complaining about her workload, yet she would still do her job properly.
“By the way, Yuuchin, have you thought about taking a part-time job as a model or something? Eri-san should be able to help you with that, right?”
“No, I haven’t. I’m too shy to have my pictures taken in front of a lot of people, you see…”
“I see. What about you, Umi? Back in middle school, you and Yuuchin should have received a scouting offer or two from an idol agency, right?”
“Eh? Um…”
Judging from her reaction, it seemed like she really was scouted by an agency or two.
I was surprised, but then again, both Umi and Amami-san were cute.
Moreover, their middle school’s blazer stood out, so it was easy to notice them among the crowd.
“Calm down, I’m not going to be mad or anything.”
“S-Sorry… I forgot to tell you about it… It isn’t because I’m trying to hide it from you or anything…”
She immediately clung to me after that.
Normally, she looked like a firm person, but she tended to get anxious quite easily. I was used to this side of her, so I was able to react accordingly.
Of course, people around us would think that we were showing off, but it was a small price for Umi’s happiness.
“Um… I got scouted once when I was a third year back in middle school… I was on my way to school by myself, since my mental state wasn’t good at that time and I wasn’t interested, I didn’t even take their business card. I even suspected that it was a scam…”
“I see. Well, Umi is prettier than me, honestly, you’re more suited to be a model!”
“You’re the only one who’d ever say that to me, my dear best friend. Anyway, why did we go off tangent like this? Seriously, Nina, what were you thinking?”
“Hey, hey, it just means that we’re getting along really well as friends. Right, Rep?”
“Uh… I guess?”
Thinking back, the fact that I could get along with these three beautiful girls (one of them was my girlfriend though) made me look like I was quite the lucky man.
Though, there was a huge drawback to being in my position, since everyone stared at me with jealous eyes and kept talking behind my back. I didn’t mind them though, since all my friends were great, including Nozomu.
That is why I’ll try my best to live well so I wouldn’t waste this lucky opportunity that I had.
“Uh… About lunch… I have something in mind…”
“Now that’s my Maki. What is it, my love? Tell me what you are thinking.”
“Well, I’m planning to bring my own lunch from tomorrow onwards, so if you guys want, I can make some for everyone…”
“Bringing your own lunch, huh?… Then we just have to hand the ingredient money to you and you’ll make it for everyone? Wouldn’t it trouble you?”
“Well, it won’t take that much effort to cook a little more.”
I made my own lunch often, so I was used to the work.
The only problem would be the ingredient costs, but like they said, it would be fine if everyone pitched in.
“I’d love for you to make lunch for me, but… I don’t want to burden you, Maki… Besides, I can just ask my mom.”
“I know, but I kinda want to do something different once in a while, you know?”
It would only be for the duration of summer school, which would only be for six days at most, so it wouldn’t be much trouble for me. I had a lot of time, I could do menial tasks like making the side dishes in the meantime.
Of course, I was aware that I was making a crazy suggestion here, but this was both my first and last summer vacation where I could play around freely with everyone.
Like the trip with Umi last time, I wanted to make lasting memories that I’d always remember even when I got older.
This had been my goal ever since that Christmas Day.
“If you say so, then… What do you two think?”
“I’m okay with it. I mean, I can’t make it myself anyway, so if he said it’s not much trouble for him, then I’ll take him up on his offer.”
“Yeah, if it doesn’t bother Maki-kun, then I’ll leave it to him… Ah, about the side dishes, why don’t we make it together on the weekend? Cooking together sounds like fun!”
“Cooking? Us? Are you sure, Yuu? I think it’ll be safer if we become taste testers for him instead…”
“I can cook if I put my mind to it, okay?! Fine, I’ll ask my mom to teach me when I get home!”
“Let’s take a step back for a second here. I’ll do all the cooking, okay?”
I was probably the only one in this group who could cook decently. If I left those three to their own devices, the kitchen would turn into a scene from hell. It would make for a funny story, but I’d rather not have to deal with that.
I thought I would be spending the rest of July studying, who knew that I could be having fun this way.