I realized I have some skill in surfing, kind of.
Of course, this doesn’t mean I have national team-level abilities or that I could make it onto TV or anything like that.
At least, I can manage to get up there without falling off, I guess.
Even though I look this way, I can swim quite well and my athletic abilities aren’t lacking. It’s just that I’m short, so compared to other kids, my legs are shorter, meaning I have to move more often and cover more ground to go the same distance.
“U—wah!”
And Koko was somewhat similar to me.
No, that’s not quite right. If we’re talking purely physical abilities, Koko is better than I am. I remember swimming from my previous life, but Koko almost instinctively swam as soon as she hit the water.
I mean, it was more like flailing her arms and legs and pushing through with sheer strength rather than actual swimming, but she was faster than most kids, so I couldn’t really say anything about it.
Still, after adjusting her posture a bit during swimming class, she improved a lot. The “dog paddle” vibe still lingered, though.
At least, I thought she wouldn’t be in danger if she fell into the water.
Speaking of swimming, she might have looked a bit funny, but Koko was adopting a proper stance on the surfboard.
Maybe that too was a sort of instinctive behavior. To ride the surfboard gliding down the waves, you need to slightly spread your arms and bend your body to maintain your balance.
It’s strangely cool.
When her long hair got wet, it usually becomes a mess, but thanks to Yuka’s thick braid, Koko’s hair didn’t cling to her body.
Mine looks like that too. I wonder if I looked similar while surfing.
“You pick things up pretty quickly,” said Sasaki, plopping down next to me.
And then Nanami sat next to Sasaki.
Unlike the refreshing expressions on Koko and me, Nanami looked completely soaked. One would think getting wet while playing in the water is a given, but that’s determined by the person’s vibe.
If the hair is equally wet but the person is smiling brightly, they’ll look like they had a good time, but if they look exhausted, they just appear as someone who fell into the water and barely made it out.
Nanami was the latter. It seemed she didn’t have much talent for surfing.
“…Well, there were some things that happened last year.”
I said carefully, trying not to make Nanami feel awkward.
Nanami and Sasaki were both well aware of the situation to understand my story. Both didn’t say anything, but I felt they understood.
Yeah. Experiencing last year’s events would probably improve physical abilities. It’s a story not everyone would buy, but at least it would be somewhat understandable to those who knew my situation.
“So, Sasaki, what about you?”
“Me?”
At my question, Sasaki widened her eyes slightly.
Then she looked ahead with her mouth slightly open.
Uh…….
Did I ask a stupid question? Does she have her own backstory too?
Sasaki’s gaze was directed at the kids playing in front of us for a while.
Koko and Yuka, Mako and Yuuki, and Harumi.
Harumi was getting accustomed to surfing as eagerly as expected, but Mako and Yuuki kept falling off. Yet somehow, Mako enjoyed it so much, her smile never faded, and Yuuki didn’t look particularly annoyed either. As usual, he wasn’t putting much effort into his expressions.
By the way, the two boys sitting next to Sasaki were playing well too. At first, they chatted a bit while playing, but at some point, they joined other boys nearby, playing “typical boy” games like tossing each other into the sea.
Before I knew it, Koko and Yuka had joined Mako, Yuuki, and Harumi’s group, and they started splashing water together, leaving their surfboards aside.
If someone took a picture of that, it’d be fit for a magazine. Each has a distinct personality, almost like a girl group.
It’s surprising that none of them were scouted while walking down the street.
“I learned from my dad,” Sasaki said.
“Ah.”
As I blankly stared ahead, the sound coming from the side froze my mind.
I had seen Sasaki’s mom, but I had never seen her dad. While they had given the siblings a place to live, he never personally came by. They both covered their living expenses, and household chores were obviously their responsibility.
In the original work, Nanami occasionally came to help out, but I wasn’t sure if that was the case here too.
Sasaki’s childhood must have been that of a normal, harmonious family. Then, Sasaki’s mom had an affair, ventured down a strange path, and their family fell apart completely.
As for Sasaki’s mom…….
From what I heard last time, she wasn’t dead, at least. It sounded like she had gone through some horrific torture.
Even Nanami, knowing that, had a look that said she didn’t know what to say.
Right now…… I couldn’t say that Sasaki and her sibling were in a much better situation than I was. However, I was becoming ‘mom’ to Kagami.
Many issues still hadn’t been resolved in various ways, and despite being awkward and childish in many aspects, Kagami was trying her best to make up for what she couldn’t do for us.
As for Sasaki…….
“Well, I’m fine.”
Sasaki said with a smile.
“Shii seems to be doing a lot better these days. I think she found someone who feels like her older sister.”
As she mentioned that, she subtly glanced at me, implying something.
Well, Shii is my precious junior. Although it’s just a year, she’ll be attending the same school next year. If she happens to go to a university nearby as well, it’ll be convenient for us to meet up.
I’m worried that I won’t be able to hold back my tears at graduation, though.
I never imagined this would be the case, but I seem to have developed quite an attachment to Hanagawa High School in many ways.
“……Ah.”
Seeing Sasaki’s expression, Nanami made a sound of alarm.
“……I’m just going to take a break.”
I quickly stood up from my spot.
I needed to escape, escape.
Even if it’s been a year, I won’t suddenly have romantic feelings for a boy just because I’m in a girl’s body. No way, even after a lifetime passes, I don’t think I’d welcome that.
But if you ask whether I have any intent on dating or anything, that too would be a no.
Of course, Sasaki probably didn’t see me that way either. From the start, she was completely oblivious in that regard.
But still, having someone aware of it right next to me is uncomfortable.
I shot a glance at Nanami.
At first, Nanami had a somewhat suspicious expression when looking at me, but then she widened her eyes again and nodded her head.
Yeah.
You handle the rest.
I don’t know, Sasaki.
Thank goodness, Sasaki wasn’t dense enough to shove her way into the girl’s group.
*
I had stayed in a hotel with Kagami before, but none of our meals were at the hotel.
Back then, our goal was to go out as much as possible and have fun.
Thinking back, the hotel was nice, but it wasn’t exactly a five-star hotel or anything. The number of stars a hotel has depends on its facilities, so the food might have been fairly delicious.
If the meal where we stayed together was similar to what we have now, it’s a bit disappointing that we didn’t eat there.
The hotel dinner was a buffet.
I thought it was a very wise choice. No matter how big the hotel is, trying to serve a full course meal to hundreds of kids would lead to a lack of seating and, more importantly, the chefs probably would end up dying at work.
Besides, they’re students. Whether male or female, teenagers naturally have black holes in their stomachs. Plus, having played hard in the ocean all day, they’d be starving. A full-course meal might seem plentiful overall, but it definitely doesn’t suit the temper of hungry kids to be served little portions at a time.
By the way, the only buffet I’ve been to in my previous life was at a wedding.
So, it was my first time knowing there were buffets where steaks are grilled separately.
“Delicious!”
Koko exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she devoured her third plate of steak.
I couldn’t really tell how high-quality the meat was, but it was good. It’s steak after all.
I was eating a bit slower than Koko, but compared to the teachers dining separately at the other side, I was definitely eating faster.
Anyway, I’m still a teenager, right?
The same goes for the other kids sitting at the same table.
Of course Yuka, and even Harumi and Yuuki.
Usually, Mako eats delicately, but today her hands were moving pretty quickly.
“……”
As I was thoroughly engrossed in eating, suddenly, Kagami’s face popped into my mind.
Was the fact that I remembered my mom’s tearful face when she said she wanted to come here evidence that I’m becoming a filial child in this world?
……No, I just miss the face of Kagami, who was acting like a child. I’ve acknowledged her as a mom, but I still don’t feel that strongly about it yet. It hasn’t even been a year.
But…… well.
If it’s coming to mind, it’s coming to mind.
I sliced off a generous piece of steak. It was brown and looked delicious on the outside, but as I cut into the middle, it presented a gradient of red.
As I put it into my mouth and bit down, the rich juice from the beef flooded in.
……Yeah, Mom.
I’ll eat enough to make up for what you’re missing here.
Let’s plan to bring Kagami to such a hotel one day. When we do, I’ll make sure to pay with the money I’ve saved.
This was the moment when I first developed a monetary goal after coming to this world.
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