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Chapter 37: Let's Go to the Swimming Pool
Translated by Dawn
Chapter 37: Let’s Go to the Swimming Pool
The summer vacation was now at its midpoint, and the sound of cicadas was becoming more and more familiar.
The day of the biggest event among the summer vacation plans I made with Kazemiya came.
The day was, of course, the day to go to the swimming pool.
The destination was a newly opened water park called “Tachiagari Tsugami Water City”. It was a large facility with a variety of water attractions and an all-weather dome that allowed us to enjoy the leisure pool all year round, regardless of the season.
“I know it’s a little late for this, but were you sure it was a good idea?”
“Hmm? What.”
“It’s a pool, and you invited me and Raimon-san, too.”
On the bus after transferring from the train. Sitting in the seat next to me was Natsuki.
Ahead of our gaze were Kazemiya and Raimon-san, who were chatting and laughing while sitting a little further away from us.
“I was very grateful for all the help I received during the final exams, especially since I caused you a lot of trouble. I thought I should do something like this to repay you for that.”
For some reason, I had to leave home during the final exam and was allowed to stay at Natsuki’s house until the test was over. Since I had caused so much trouble at that time, I thought that a can of juice and one meal……would not be enough. So, for today, I would be responsible for Natsuki and Raimon-san’s expenses for the day, including tickets and transportation.
“I don’t really mind. It was fun to play with Kouta every day, and I’m sure you’re thanking my mom and dad separately, right?”
“What is it? You didn’t like going to the pool?”
“No way. I was so excited today that I couldn’t sleep last night. I mean, weren’t you and Kazemiya-san……supposed to be here alone? It’s a pool, after all.”
“I think it would have been more fun for Kazemiya to be with Raimon-san since we were at the pool.”
“I see what you mean. It’s all about Kazemiya-san, isn’t it?”
Natsuki chuckled, and then the long trip of about 80 minutes by train and bus came to an end.
The bus stopped and the passengers on board got off one after another. It seemed that we had arrived at our destination, “Tachiagari Tsugami Water City”.
“Well, we’d better be off soon, too.”
“Under~stood. Ah, I’m so excited. I’ve never been here before.”
“That’s good. It’s worth to repay with this.”
While I told Natsuki that……I was also looking forward to this, to the extent that like Natsuki, I was so excited the day before that I couldn’t sleep at all.
I had never been to this park before, and I had been curious about it for a while. Unless you were a big fan of the park, it would be a bit difficult to come here by yourself. But I was surprised to find myself looking forward to it so much.
“Achoo…”
As I got off the air-conditioned bus, the midsummer sun poured down on me as a heat-infused light.
As I walked along, blocking the relentless rain of heat rays with my hand, I saw Kazemiya and the others who had gotten off the bus with Raimon-san earlier. They seemed to be taking shelter in a place shaded by the roof.
Kazemiya’s long golden hair was flowing and swaying in the cool breeze.
The figure of Kazemiya holding her hair lightly in one hand was more dazzling than the sun and more beautiful than the clear sky.
The relentless sunlight and the heat from the asphalt on the ground were making me feel like I was about to dry up, but for some reason, I didn’t mind the heat at all.
Instead, my heart was so filled with anticipation of playing with Kazemiya that I felt as if my ability to feel the heat had been paralyzed. This feeling had been with me since last night, and I finally understood that I was looking forward to playing with Kazemiya more than I was looking forward to the pool.
(……No. But we’ve been playing together all summer vacation.)
On the contrary, we were living together under the same roof.
After all this time, would that be a reason to be so excited that I couldn’t sleep at night? What on earth was I looking forward to so much?
“Fufu, it’s really hot today, isn’t it?”
“Why do you sound so happy?”
“Since it’s summer, why don’t you enjoy the things you can only enjoy in summer?”
“I like Natsuki’s positive attitude to find the good in bad conditions.”
I guess that was why people come around Natsuki. I felt like I caught a glimpse of his communicative ability.
“Things that can only be enjoyed in the summer, huh…And that’s exactly what a swimming pool is.”
If there were heated swimming pools like the one in front of Tachiagari Tsugami Water City, one could enjoy it even in winter, but it was not likely that the majority of people would go out of their way to go to a heated pool in winter. Besides, it was probably only in the summer that people could enjoy the outdoors.
“It’s great, isn’t it? I like to ride on a floaty and sway around in the pool.”
“I wish you would put yourself in my shoes, though, because every time I get a little careless, you get swept away somewhere and disappear, and I have to look for you.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. No matter how much I get swept away, Kouta always finds me in the end, so I end up getting swept away because I feel safe.”
“I should just abandon you.”
“You can’t do it~”
“…Shut up.”
In fact, if Natsuki went somewhere else, I would probably look around.
“Well, the girls are here today, so I’ll try not to get carried away.”
“That’s good news.”
“I mean, it’s summer and all, and I’ll get to hang out with girls in swimsuits.”
“Swimsuits…”
Swimsuit. The word “swimsuit” strangely enough, fit perfectly in my mind.
And for some reason, as I looked at Kazemiya, the word “swimsuit” that Natsuki said kept flickering in my mind.
Most disgustingly of all. I could sense the true nature of the anticipation that had been swelling in my chest since the last night.
(….I guess I was hoping to see Kazemiya in a swimsuit!)
And to the point that I couldn’t sleep at night! What kind of a pervert was I!? I’d hit myself!
“What’s the matter, Kouta, you suddenly holding your head in your hands?”
“…please Natsuki, hit me.”
“Eh…No matter how much Kouta asks, that’s a little too much…….I mean, I’m not into that kind of thing.”
“I don’t either! This is not like that!”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s punishment for crime!”
“I’m getting more and more confused.”
And all this to the person I was living under the same roof with right now!
Even Kazemiya was staying at my house because she trusted me as a friend!
“I’m screwed…I want to run away from that house.”
“That’s like wasting an entire semester on that.”
***
“……..!”
“What’s wrong? Kotomin”
“Just then, I had a feeling that it might be helpful in making my ‘reference book’!”