By noon, we headed down to the food area on the ground floor.
When I looked up, I saw the ceiling stretched up to the third floor. In that open space, we had a light lunch—hot sandwiches and juice.
While eating at an empty table, I found myself staring at my wrist. The scrunchie we’d just bought was still there. Same for Minase’s wrist.
“We’re doing something kinda weird, huh.”
I couldn’t help but laugh a little.
“Eh, it’s cute though.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
I was the one who suggested buying them, so it’s not like I can complain now.
“Still, what even is this supposed to be?”
Honestly, I had no idea what it was supposed to mean.
“Hmm… maybe a memento of today? Or a ‘we-quit-the-club’ alliance symbol?”
“That’s… actually not bad.”
I wasn’t even sure which part I agreed with. Probably both, to some extent.
Either way, I should at least try not to get it dirty.
After lunch, we went back to wandering through the stores.
We’d already gone through all the accessory and general goods shops in the morning, so in the afternoon, it was mostly clothing stores. Minase kept saying things like “That’s cute” or “I want this,” picking up item after item, holding them against her body to see how they looked. She seemed to be having fun, and honestly, it was fun just watching her.
“Oh yeah, I heard from someone that your classmate Sera actually sent Yukari some clothes.”
I brought that up when the conversation had quieted down a little.
“Ah, so you heard too. Yeah, apparently.”
Minase was holding a T-shirt up against herself as she turned to look at me.
“Isn’t that too small?”
“It’s for summer. I was thinking of wearing something that shows my shape a little more.”
She grinned mischievously, like she’d just thought of something.
“Yukari was really happy, said it was a great gift.”
“Ugh.”
Realizing what she was about to say, I quickly steered the conversation away. She frowned, clearly unsatisfied.
“Sera seems to really like Koreda-san.”
And just like that, she circled back to the main point anyway.
Guess she was done with the shirt, because she started neatly folding it up as we talked.
“Pretty impressive, huh? Getting pre-release samples and all.”
“Don’t you get stuff like that too?”
“Sometimes, but only after it’s been released.”
So that’s how much Sera liked Yukari, huh.
Minase finished folding the shirt with the kind of care you’d expect from a store clerk, and put it back so neatly that you couldn’t even tell it had been unfolded.
“Alright, next.”
Without hesitation, she left the store.
§§§
And then… the moment I had been dreading arrived.
“Ah, swimsuits! …Hey, let’s check them out.”
“Pfft!”
Ever since we entered this floor, I’d been hoping she wouldn’t notice that section—but of course, she did.
“Why does this always happen…”
From our awkward train ride to this, it was like she had a knack for stepping on all my landmines.
“Hm? Did I stumble into your no-go zone or something?”
“Nah, don’t worry about it.”
Not like it was her fault anyway—I never said anything.
“Well then, let’s go!”
She headed straight for the swimsuit section.
“You should go to places like this with your girlfriends.”
“C’mon, it’s fine. I just wanna look.”
“Just looking,” huh? Still, I couldn’t exactly stop her after saying she could go wherever she wanted, so I silently followed.
“Oh, you’re coming with me? …Interested?”
“Damn it.”
Should’ve just stayed put.
“I’ll wait somewhere else. Call me when you’re done.”
“Aww, don’t be like that.”
Before I could escape, Minase looped her arm around mine, dragging me along toward the swimsuit display. The mannequins I’d seen from afar yesterday were now right in front of me.
“So, which one do you like?”
Apparently, she thought I wouldn’t bolt now. She looked over the bright, colorful swimsuits, one after another.
“Don’t ask me, pick for yourself.”
“Bikini, right?”
“Don’t. Ask.”
I glared at her. This was not a place for guys. I didn’t even know where to look, so I copied her and stared at the mannequins—though that didn’t help either.
“Ah, got it. The ones with the big cutouts, huh? So naughty~.”
“Stop dragging that joke out already.”
I felt like I was being blackmailed with my own embarrassment.
“It’s pointless to ask me. You’re the one wearing it.”
“True, but you’ll be the one seeing it, won’t you? I don’t wanna wear something that’d make you embarrassed to be seen with me.”
What was she even saying now? I turned to look at her directly.
“Wait… am I supposed to be going to the beach or the pool with you this summer?”
“Yup, that’s the plan.”
She smiled brightly.
“And if possible, I’ll invite Koreda-san too. Lucky you, Aoi—two girls at once.”
“Ah, sorry. I just remembered, I’m scheduled for a sudden illness that day. Gonna have to cancel last minute.”
“You’re planning your sick days already!?”
She should be glad I didn’t say ‘funeral.’
“Anyway, let’s go. You’re making Aoi uncomfortable.”
“Fine, fine.”
Thankfully, we left the swimsuit area before stepping in too deep.
“Didn’t think you’d be that shy.”
“Shut up.”
We turned to leave—and ran into someone.
“Oh my.”
Standing there was a current theater club member—Yakushiji Asahi.
“Asahi! Hey!”
Minase greeted her cheerfully.
But Asahi silently glanced between us and the swimsuit section.
“Uh, this isn’t what it looks like…”
I could already feel the need to make excuses.
“Looking at swimsuits? Me too. I wanted to see what might be trending this year.”
She said it so seriously, like she was conducting market research.
Minase leaned toward me and whispered behind her hand, “Asahi’s always super serious.”
“I see.”
Well, I guess it’s normal to browse swimsuits before summer. There’s even a men’s section across the way.
“You two look relaxed.”
Asahi’s sharp expression made it seem like she was glaring, but maybe that was just her face.
“Hey, Asahi. Wanna grab some coffee downstairs?”
Minase didn’t seem fazed at all.
Asahi sighed.
“Sure.”
Surprisingly, she agreed.
We went back down to the food area.
“That place looks fine,” Asahi said, spotting a coffee stand and heading straight there. We followed.
She ordered first, then me.
I got a simple iced coffee. I added some milk at the counter, stirred it with a disposable stick, then covered it with a lid and stuck in a straw before turning around.
“Now, where’s Asahi…”
I spotted her waving from a round table. There were three chairs—just enough for us. I sat down.
“I told Minase what you said earlier,” I began. “She’s not planning to come back to the club.”
“I figured.”
Asahi smiled faintly. She probably expected that answer.
“I didn’t push it. Didn’t seem worth it.”
“Fair enough.”
She nodded.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
Minase arrived, filling the last seat. She also had iced coffee.
“Sorry to interrupt your date,” Asahi said lightly.
“It’s not a date.”
“It is a date,” Minase corrected at the same time.
“Hey!”
“He was just showing me around the area,” Minase added quickly when I glared at her.
“And you?” I asked Asahi.
“Just wandering alone. Pathetic, huh?”
She said it self-deprecatingly, though she didn’t seem to mind.
“No club practice today?”
“Of course not. Did we ever have practice during Golden Week last year?”
“Still the same old theater club, huh.”
Minase chuckled.
Our school’s theater club, once a national-level powerhouse, had grown incredibly laid-back.
“So, Mishio, you really don’t plan to come back?”
“Sorry, no.”
Minase replied casually while sipping her coffee.
“Even if I said I’d kick out the seniors and rebuild the club?”
“Yeah. Still not going back.”
Even hearing Asahi’s bold plan didn’t change her mind.
“I thought you had more ambition.”
“I do. I want to be an actress. I just plan to do it somewhere else—not in our school’s club.”
It was just like she always said: “You decide where you bloom.”
Asahi looked at her for a while, then sighed softly.
“You’re really serious about this, huh.”
“Hmm, maybe? I never thought of it as being ‘serious’ or not.”
She smiled.
From my point of view, both of them were serious in their own way. One had the guts to leave and seek a better stage, the other had the resolve to rebuild something broken. Two different paths—but both driven by passion for acting.
Asahi let out a long breath, as if something inside her had settled.
“Alright. I won’t bring it up again.”
Her voice carried a faint sadness.
Not surprising. The paths she and Minase walked had completely diverged.
§§§
In the evening, Minase and I walked home.
It was still early for high schoolers to be heading back, but after talking with Asahi, we decided to call it a day.
“Man, today was fun.”
We were walking through the quiet residential area leading to our apartment complex. Minase stretched her arms as she said it.
“Glad to hear it.”
I was relieved she’d enjoyed herself.
“Thanks for today.”
“Ah, yeah…”
Hearing her say that so sincerely made me stumble over my words.
“What’s wrong?”
She tilted her head.
“It’s nothing.”
Well, not nothing—but nothing I needed to say out loud.
She thought for a moment, then said, “Oh, right! Next time, help me pick out a swimsuit. Maybe during Golden Week.”
“Actually—”
“You’re confessing already!?”
Well yeah, if it gets me out of that, I’ll confess to anything.
“Sorry. I, uh… checked out the place yesterday.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, I said stuff like ‘I’m local, I’ve got this,’ but honestly, I was a kid when I lived here. It’s changed a lot since then, and I wasn’t sure I could show you around properly.”
Watching her thank me so earnestly earlier, I’d started feeling guilty for keeping that to myself.
“Oh, I see.”
She nodded slowly, then smiled softly.
“Well, that doesn’t change my thanks. You even did a practice run for me, right?”
“I just didn’t wanna look lame.”
If I had to be honest, that was probably my real reason.
“Doesn’t matter why. I think it’s kinda sweet. Like, guys preparing seriously before a date—it’s not lame at all.”
“Well… when you put it that way…”
Maybe it wasn’t that bad after all.
“Anyway, I’m happy.”
She looked genuinely cheerful again, so I didn’t say anything else.
“Hey, wanna come over for curry tonight?”
“Is that a thank-you dinner?”
“Nope. I just wanna eat together.”
Come to think of it, she had curry cooking before we even left. Guess that was her plan all along.
“Should I be expecting a thank-you gift? Like… a selfie in a sexy swimsuit—”
“No pork soup for you.”
I cut her off before she could finish.
“Wow, dodging the question hurts, you know?”
I ignored her glare. No way was I letting that conversation continue.
“Then pork soup next time, okay?”
She changed the subject, smiling.
“Sure. If that’s off the menu tonight, I’ll still come.”
“Okay, I’ll be ready and waiting.”
The sun was still high as we walked down the street toward our apartment building, side by side.
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