The summer vacation was enjoyable even after all that.
Even without anything special happening, just running around outside was fun, and going to the pool made it even more exciting.
Of course, it was even more enjoyable when Kagami was laughing beside me.
As time passed, I felt myself becoming more like a child.
I could never return to that time when I had absolutely no worries, but still, I felt like I understood a little more about letting go and not thinking too much.
“By the way, have you all done your vacation homework?”
At Miho’s words, we all brought our homework for the next day and lazily completed it together. Perhaps it was because we were still just kids entering elementary school, but the homework itself wasn’t particularly difficult.
After finishing our homework, there was truly nothing else to do but play, so we all wandered around catching cicadas or spent time in the local bookstore.
Sometimes, Miho, being in the same vacation mood, took us around, buying us various snacks. Being a middle school student, she seemed to know the best dessert places in town.
Summer vacation was, quite literally, pastel-colored.
Even the blazing sun felt like it symbolized hot hope, and I just enjoyed it.
In the evening, Kagami came to pick me up at Harumi’s house, and after waving at Harumi, I went home with Kagami.
Blub, blub, the goldfish that Harumi had gifted me was waiting for us in the quite large aquarium. Well, I wasn’t sure if the goldfish was capable of thinking at that level, but at least it knew when it was feeding time and would swim up to the edge of the tank.
We pondered where to place the goldfish, and decided on the kitchen.
Kagami didn’t speak directly to me, but it seemed like he thought it would be a bit difficult to utilize the space if the goldfish tank also took up room in the already cramped room.
We set a small table that came up to Kagami’s waist in the kitchen and placed the aquarium atop it.
Since the kitchen had a small window for ventilation, it seemed the goldfish wouldn’t miss out on sunlight.
We regularly changed a bit of the water in the aquarium. For now, Kagami mostly took care of it, but I would help out more once I grew taller.
Blub, blub.
“You seem to be having a good time.”
I said while looking at the goldfish through the aquarium.
It probably couldn’t understand what I was saying. Did my voice carry through the water? I wasn’t sure.
But still, growing something was nice. It was a simple transparent aquarium with no light, but just watching the goldfish swimming leisurely inside made time pass pleasantly.
“What should we name it?”
As I held onto the table and gazed at the goldfish, Kagami put a hand on my shoulder from behind.
Name, huh?
I wasn’t good at naming things. It was to be expected since I’d never raised a pet before. The same went for naming kids.
“… Let’s call it ‘Baduk’ (Go).”
As I spoke somewhat unsurely, looking at the white goldfish with orange and black spots, Kagami chuckled and hugged me tight from behind.
The very fact that I had come up with such a name seemed to endear me to him.
“Then let’s call it Baduk.”
Hmm, to be honest, I felt like I probably wouldn’t really call it that.
After all, it wasn’t a dog or a cat, and it had no real reason to respond to me calling it.
But somehow, just doing that made me feel like I achieved something, which I guess could be because I still was a child.
Ah, I don’t want to become an adult.
Now that I was just beginning to experience what it felt like to be a kid, I didn’t particularly want to feel the feelings of adulthood, which seemed quite burdensome.
Will I go through puberty again?
Will there come a day when I say hurtful words to Kagami in rebellion?
I hope that day doesn’t come. I wish to retain the memories of my past life even as time passes.
They’re memories I’d like to forget, but they still contain at least a little lesson.
Cherish family.
Before moments come when it’s hard to cherish anything more.
“…”
I sincerely hoped that’s how it would be.
*
Not long after summer vacation ended, the weather began to gradually cool down.
Just because there was a sea nearby doesn’t mean the city was humid all year round. By around September, it occasionally felt quite cool when sitting in the shade.
And that also meant that it was a good time for people to move around freely.
Well, Harumi had the stamina to be running around even during the sweltering heat of summer. I guess Yuuki and I trailed closely behind, so we were somewhat similar.
And it was indeed during such weather that the sports festival inevitably arrived.
The sports festivals in middle and high school were honestly just days to not attend classes and relax. While maybe I had been assigned some events, looking back, I realized that there were no particularly impressive memories at all, so I must not have made any remarkable contributions even if I participated somewhere.
“Koto Ne, what do you want to do?”
Harumi excitedly leaned in as she always did.
If I had been reincarnated into this world as a middle or high school student, I probably would have had no particular thoughts.
If possible, I would want to just hide somewhere where I wouldn’t have to do much and quickly go home.
But I was a bit different now.
I understood how precious family memories could be. I knew the comfort one could feel when looking back at a photo taken without much thought.
So, I wanted to make sure to create a memorable experience in Kagami’s memory.
But to be honest, my physical strength was just average. I didn’t particularly think that I was bad. After all, Kagami had taken particularly good care of my meals.
Seeing that I was not as tall as Harumi and Yuuki, it seemed that I hadn’t inherited Kagami’s superior genes, but I definitely wasn’t extraordinarily small compared to my peers.
Even so, I didn’t think I could win first place in a running race or survive until the end in a dodgeball competition when I saw some kids in the class zooming around like beagles. I just didn’t have that kind of stamina.
So, I figured that even if I couldn’t be first, I could take on a role that would leave a lasting impression in Kagami’s memory.
And I had been thinking about this part.
“Cheering!”
At my words, Harumi blinked. So did Yuuki, who was looking at me beside her.
Even the kids who had followed around Harumi and us nodded along.
“Cheering?”
Harumi asked again.
“Yep.”
I nodded.
That’s right.
Kagami would definitely bring that big camera with him. After all, he had taken pictures of us so enthusiastically even on the sandy beach.
So I thought that the best thing to capture with that camera would be us cheering. I might not win first place, but I could surely have Kagami watching and cheering me on all day.
“Cheering!”
At my answer, Harumi shouted again.
“Cheering sounds fun! Koto Ne, let’s do it together! You too, Yuuki!”
“Uh, okay?”
Yuuki seemed a bit flustered by Harumi’s reaction, but once he was grabbed by the hand, he couldn’t say no. The kids nearby were also nodding.
I could hear some boys far off, whispering while watching us.
Come to think of it, did I like boys my age when I was in elementary school? Hmm, I’m not sure. I do have a vague memory of playing with boys during that time.
I think I had a crush on someone in the 4th or 5th grade of elementary school… Well, I don’t think I need to talk about that.
Harumi’s smiling face makes people very happy. Her innocent laughter contains only pure joy, and even I, who was just sitting there without much thought, felt my heart flutter.
Perhaps that’s why Yuuki and I stuck close to Harumi.
So, Yuuki, Harumi, and I ended up becoming the cheering squad for our class during the sports day.
Ah, but that doesn’t mean we only cheered. Naturally, we signed up for relay races and tug-of-war, where everyone in the class had to participate.
And when I returned home to tell Kagami about this…
“Cheering, huh?”
Kagami replied with a slightly gloomy voice, making my heart sink.
But soon I realized that it wasn’t something to worry about.
Kagami, with a serious expression, began taking the camera out of the drawer to make sure it was functioning properly. The sports festival wasn’t even the next day.
Watching Kagami check the lens and shine it in the light, I felt a bit relieved that I at least made the right choice.
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