“… tch”
Kurosawa’s first words after getting splashed with water from the kids’ prank were just that.
The kids weren’t specifically targeting Kurosawa.
Sota had been splashed by Nanami, and then Shii splashed Nanami, and after a chain reaction, Yuka, who had also been splashed, joined in the chaos, followed by Fukuda, who inadvertently got caught up in all the water throwing.
It was only Kurosawa’s comment that made the kids freeze for a moment.
Now that they thought about it, Kurosawa did have a peculiar sensitivity when it came to taste.
They hardly ever heard Kurosawa outright say that they didn’t want to eat something or complain about it, but when it came to food that didn’t match their taste—especially salty foods—they wouldn’t even touch it after a single bite.
Foods like French fries were especially untouched.
On the other hand, sweet foods were a favorite; Kurosawa enjoyed dishes that others found excessively sugary.
“….”
Kurosawa had said that, yet it seemed that since it was Kurosawa’s words, the kids couldn’t just brush it off.
Kurosawa blinked for a moment, then slowly lowered their hand.
And as if washing their face, Kurosawa splashed water onto the kids.
slosh.
It was unclear exactly who got splashed. The amount of water was small, and it wasn’t thrown with much force, so it just dribbled down during the commotion.
Their expression suggested they didn’t quite understand what this action was about.
But even with that, everyone present, including Sota, could understand.
Kurosawa wanted to be included in this.
They didn’t want the atmosphere to sour just because of themselves.
Everyone exchanged looks, and then enthusiastically resumed splashing water at one another.
Though Kurosawa, who had barely gotten wet, ended up soaked from head to toe after a while.
However, Sota thought that Kurosawa’s expression seemed strangely joyful.
*
After a hearty play session, everyone felt hungry, so they got out of the water for a simple meal.
Kurosawa showed more interest in watermelon than in rice. Maybe it was prepared in advance because they heard the granddaughter was staying over; there were two large watermelons in the fridge with a note saying “Enjoy!” stuck on them.
Kurosawa wore a rather expressionless face even while eating, but a hint of emotion could still be felt in their actions.
One thing was certain: Kurosawa really did like the fruit called watermelon.
crunch crunch, without spitting out the seeds, Kurosawa bit into the watermelon while Sota lounged beside Yuka, gazing leisurely at the sea from the house’s deck.
The sun was hot, and the breeze was humid, but with minimal clothing on, it didn’t feel overwhelmingly hot.
…No, Sota felt that saying it like that would make things seem a bit strange, so he quickly shook his head.
“… It’s nice.”
Fortunately, before he could dwell on that thought longer, Fukuda muttered that out loud.
“Last year, I wouldn’t have dreamed of coming to a place like this.”
After saying that, Fukuda turned to look at Kurosawa again, who was already on their fourth slice of watermelon.
“Isn’t eating something so cold going to give you a stomachache?”
“Somehow, I feel Kurosawa will be fine.”
Without paying much mind to what Nanami and Fukuda were discussing, Kurosawa just continued munching on the watermelon.
Sota thought, So they really think it’s delicious.
“There’s ice cream in the fridge, too.”
Upon hearing Nanami’s words, Kurosawa finally turned their head. Upon catching Nanami’s gaze, who had just laughed, they said:
“Let’s eat that after dinner. We can’t eat too much all at once, or it could be a problem.”
At that, Kurosawa looked a bit disappointed, lowering their gaze, but still didn’t protest.
Though Sota couldn’t recall ever having seen Kurosawa throw a fit.
*
They didn’t end up doing anything particularly grand during their vacation.
Aside from playing in the sea, there wasn’t much else to do in this quiet little town. They just enjoyed themselves, occasionally heading over to the beach house for some shaved ice, but they genuinely spent almost all their time in the water.
It was only when they finally came out, feeling worn out, that the sun was beginning to set.
By evening, Sota learned that most of the supplies Nanami and Yuka, along with Shii, had brought were food ingredients.
The three of them busily cooked, almost as if competing to create a grand feast, resulting in Sota having an incredibly enjoyable dinner.
Even the picky eater Kurosawa had plenty of food that suited their taste, and afterward, everyone just lounged around for a bit.
After cleaning up together, they all entertained themselves with the fireworks Fukuda had brought.
Though they weren’t particularly extravagant, they were still enough for some moderate enjoyment in the yard.
“…”
Just like last time when they saw fireworks, Kurosawa quietly took in the dazzling colors of the explosions.
And the other kids watched Kurosawa’s stillness.
Before they knew it, the kids who had felt somewhat awkward before coming here were now smiling gently at each other by the end of the fireworks.
Sota thought once again that coming here had been the right choice.
*
Waking up in the middle of the night wasn’t out of the ordinary.
In fact, when they had first arrived, the only boy, Sota, was supposed to have a separate room, but somehow during various conversations in the living room, everyone sprawled out and fell asleep wherever.
Having dozed lightly, Sota felt he didn’t do anything wrong, and since the kids were wearing regular clothes rather than pajamas, there was nothing particularly embarrassing about it, but he ended up falling asleep among them by accident.
Just briefly but enough to forget why he woke up, upon recalling that he was thirsty, Sota sat up slowly and headed toward the kitchen.
The kitchen and living room were connected, almost lit up properly by the fridge light, and from the living room, there were sliding doors made of glass facing the sea, offering a good view of it.
After pouring himself a glass of water, Sota realized something was off.
There were two people missing.
Looking around, he noticed Kurosawa and Fukuda were the ones who were absent.
“…”
Sota moved cautiously towards the window. The inside lock had been opened and was now free to be opened from within.
Had they gone outside?
He carefully opened the door and stepped outside, putting on the slippers beneath the deck.
As he slowly made his way towards the sea, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand.
Out in the distance, where the moonlight reflected off the water, he saw the two standing near the shoreline.
Sota didn’t have any particular reason for walking toward them; he simply acted without thinking, almost involuntarily.
As he drew closer, he gradually caught snippets of the conversation between them on the quiet beach.
“… Mako…”
Upon hearing Fukuda’s voice, Sota halted.
He had heard the name Mako from Fukuda before.
And that name…
Somehow, it felt like he shouldn’t be eavesdropping on this conversation, yet Sota felt rooted to the spot.
“Did Mako say… that?”
Fukuda seemed to choke on the words.
Sota could tell immediately that it wasn’t due to sleepiness. Fukuda was clearly on the verge of tears.
“Yeah.”
Kurosawa answered calmly.
“… Bring someone. They’ll be here.”
“Ah…”
Fukuda slumped down to the ground, as if losing strength in his legs.
“Someone fallen, I would help…”
“Yeah.”
“Is that so? So, you…”
Fukuda couldn’t continue. The sobbing morphed into true crying.
If it was due to Fukuda’s honest nature when dealing with others, then this sound resonated painfully in Sota’s heart.
Just as Sota was about to take another step closer.
He felt a pull on his sleeve.
Looking back, he saw Yuka.
Yuka shook her head.
“…”
Sota looked back toward Fukuda and Kurosawa’s figures.
Kurosawa remained calm. Beside them, Fukuda was still on the ground, crying.
But for some reason, the sight of Fukuda, who usually wore an indifferent expression, seemed more relieved than before.
Sota understood why Yuka had said that.
The two of them turned back toward the house.
As they headed back, Yuka spoke first.
“I had a feeling that would happen.”
Yuka said.
“If they were just standing there watching Mako become a victim, Kurosawa would have become a witness too. They probably weren’t there for that reason.”
“…”
“Maybe that person they were trying to help was a Yōkai. They probably drew in the victims.”
At those words, Sota clenched his fist tightly.
He thought about Shii. Shii had also tried to help someone fallen.
“… I see.”
Frustration and anger surged within him.
Thinking about someone whose face he had never seen and feeling that way could sound strange to others, but…
Sota found himself thinking that for a moment.
“It’s not strange.”
Yuka said to Sota.
Her voice trembled slightly.
“… It’s not strange to feel such emotions after hearing that kind of story.”
Listening to Yuka’s words, Sota once again realized who had so much more to bear.
That’s right. Yes. Yuka definitely held more.
Grinding his teeth, Sota followed behind Yuka.
From afar, Fukuda’s sobs could still be heard.
That crying sound didn’t cease for some time.
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