Summer Days
You'd think, with over a hundred days of school finally passed, that people would be happy to begin summer vacation. There are beaches to see, sleeping in to do, boys to catch the eyes of, and girls to gawk at. You can eat anything, do anything, go anywhere, and there's no homework at all. Is there any better of a paradise?
Risa Harada, sitting down on a bench in the middle of the crowded park, scowled and grumbled complaints. Normally, she would love the summer, and she would go out with Riku everyday. But now Riku had Daisuke, and she had no one. She could call up Ritsuko, or any one of her friends, but it was sort of depressing, really, to watch everyone else stroll by, holding hands with a lover, while she... wasn't.
"I'm cramping," the young man beside her informed no one. He stood and stretched a bit, the bones in his neck cracking. "Let's walk."
"Why?" Risa asked, standing as well. "We'd still be bored, but then we'd be walking."
"You never know where boredom may take you," he replied. "I once went for a walk when I was bored and found a nice ice cream parlor." Having been brought along by force, Satoshi Hiwatari had been reading for the past thirty minutes, and now he wanted to walk? And he was... almost chipper about it as well. Everything just seemed so light about him. It was weird.
She stole a glance at her sister, who was feeding ducks with Daisuke, then checked the clock on her cell phone. She had time, and she had nothing to do with it anyway. "Alright."
He nodded, sort of smiling with his eyes, and they walked.
---
"Chocolate or vanilla?"
"Oh, chocolate for sure."
"Really?" He 'hm'ed. "I was never fond of it. I always liked vanilla."
"California or Florida?"
"We live in Japan, Harada-san."
"I know that, Hiwatari-san."
"Please don't call me that. It makes me feel old."
"Then don't call me Harada-san."
Satoshi sighed. It was amazing how the two of them could go back and forth without hesitation like some sort of television show that "depicted real life in a small town" when, honestly, no one talked like the characters did. But it was humorous, the questions they asked each other. And it certainly helped pass time. "Florida. I heard that they have wonderful beaches."
"I kind of want the adventure of California. The loud music in clubs, the thousands of people... all that jazz."
"Too crowded and obnoxious for me."
"No, you'd prefer to sit in a damp library all day." He purposefully stepped closer and bumped her shoulder with his, causing a loss of balance for a few seconds. She giggled, and the strange game of questions continued.
---
From their spot on the hill, they could see almost everything in their town. Risa was the one who had cooed when she recognized where they were, and she dragged him up the steepest sidewalk in order to "see the coolest thing ever". Really, they could have taken the trolley or something, but no. She dragged him through the other people walking, through some walkway in a garden, and to the tallest peak of the hill, finally stopping on the rocky edge of it all.
"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked as the breeze blew by, fiddling with her hair. "I found it once when I was on my way to school, but I wasn't paying attention, and I got lost."
He could see the beginning of the bay, the water sparkling as the sunlight hit its every curve. Then there were the giant windmills, and the hundreds of houses with children playing in the cobblestone roadways. He saw the school to the east, and he spotted the Harada Mansion to the northwest. The park was closer to their hill, so most of it was unseen, but he could see the edge of the pond.
"It's breath-taking," he said, wanting to stay there forever.
Risa smiled proudly. "Told you so."
---
Satoshi almost laughed when he saw Risa eat her ice cream. Every time she took a bite, she slowed her pace and made a sound that he had never heard before, then jumped a bit, saying:
"This ice cream is amazing, Hiwatari-kun!"
"You've said that already."
"And you've said that already."
"And you've said that already."
"And you've said that already." She took a bite of her chocolate treat, making another odd sound. "Oh, my god! Hiwatari-kun, this ice cream is truly amazing!"
---
She admitted that she never worked out. Her metabolism was just good or something. She was actually really surprised that people found her to be pretty when she ate so much. And she didn't gain anything! She tried to gain a few pounds just to see what it felt like, but she failed. How could she fail? She ate like a pig!
"I'm not."
"Not what?" She asked, certain she had missed something.
"Surprised," Satoshi answered.
"Huh?"
"I'm not surprised," he repeated.
"What? That I eat like a pig?"
He rolled his eyes. "No. I'm not surprised at what you're surprised about."
Risa was struck dumb for at least five minutes. Maybe eight. When she finally got it, she hit herself on the forehead, feeling her cheeks burn. He looked at her, amused, and she punched his arm, ordering for him to shut up and stop making fun of her.
---
"Normally, summer is my favorite season."
"But?"
"But this year I have no one to spend it with. I usually spend it with Riku, but she has Daisuke this year, and I'm left as a third wheel."
"I don't think I've ever had anyone to spend the summer with."
"... Well... do you want to spend it with me? I mean, I can understand if you don't. I'm just asking, because, you know, it's a great season, and I'd hate for you to miss out on all of the fun, and... stuff..."
"Sure. I'd like that."