Chapter 156: Summer Vacation’s End

“Ugh~… Summer vacation’s almost over, huh~…”

Ran-san is lamenting the end of summer break.

“Nana’s fine with school starting. If anything, it means I get to see Takuya more.”

““““Totally!!””””

On the other hand, Nana doesn’t seem too bothered about summer vacation ending.

Today, the club members’ schedules aligned, so the whole club crew is here.

“Did Takuya-kun enjoy summer vacation?♡.”

Kanon-san peers into my face, curious about how my summer turned out.

“Yup, thanks to everyone, it was fun.”

““““Hehe♡.””””

We had a blast at the waterpark, barbecues, and live shows.

“We had fun because of Takuya, too~♡.”

Everyone nods along to Kaede’s words. Because of me… I’ll try to believe that and build some confidence.

“Takuya memory bragging contest~♡!”

Arisa suddenly declares the start of a mysterious competition. But what it’s about is…

“Love talk?”

“Exactly, Takuya♡. You can just listen today♡, but in return, you’ve gotta realize how much you make us happy! Got it?♡.”

“U-Uh, okay…”

“Alright~♡, since I brought it up, I’ll go first…”

Everyone’s sitting on the sofa, hugging cushions, or lounging in various poses, listening to Arisa’s love talk.

“So~♡, I went to a yummy shaved ice shop with just Takuya~♡.”

“Takuya sure eats a lot of shaved ice~♡.”

Since I went for shaved ice with Kanon-san and others, Kaede teases me. But I think it’s very summery.

“Takuya got strawberry~♡, and I had mango, so good~♡.”

Arisa proudly shows everyone photos while talking.

“We fed each other~♡, super sweet~♡.”

“So jealous~♡, of the shaved ice and the sweet lovey-dovey time with Takuya-kun♡.”

“He feeds us a lot, though♡.”

Rina-san counters Ran-san’s comment with logic, and Ran-san agrees, “True♡.”

“Takuya loves strawberry, right~♡?”

“Yup, I like it for ice cream too.”

Kaede, always with me, knows even my little preferences.

“Good to know♡… I’ll remember that…♡.”

“Kanon, so sneaky. What’re you making next?”

Nana reacts to Kanon-san’s murmur. I’m kinda excited to see what she’ll make, though.

“It’s not like I planned anything, just thought I’d note it♡.”

“Totally, that stuff’s important~♡. I’ll make sure to remember Takuya-kun’s preferences too~♡.”

Ran-san makes a mental note too.

“I’ll try to remember everyone’s preferences…”

“No way! Do you know how many of us there are? Don’t overdo it!”

“Yup…”

I wanted to try, but Kaede’s logic shuts me down.

“Exactly♡, just that thought makes us happy♡.”

“I see…”

“So, after eating shaved ice with Takuya, we went shopping~♡.”

“What’d you buy?”

“C-Cosmetics♡.”

““““Ooh~♡.””””

“Arisa’s getting all dolled up~♡.”

“What’s that supposed to mean~!♡.”

Kaede teases Arisa a bit, poking fun. I only know the stylish Arisa, though.

“Arisa was~♡, like, totally not like this before♡. But after Takuya lost his memories… she started caring about fashion… and ended up like this♡.”

“Really…”

“So, why’d you start getting stylish, Arisa?♡.”

“T-To make Takuya like me…♡.”

“And it’s a huge success~♡.”

“Yup, it is.”

When I admit I really like Arisa, she buries her face in a cushion, embarrassed.

“N-Next! Kanon!”

“Me? …Well… I stayed over at Takuya-kun’s place again, but…”

Kanon-san, suddenly called out, just starts talking naturally.

“It was after club practice, and Takuya-kun welcomed me… I-I started imagining him greeting me like that after work even as adults♡.”

“I will. Even when we’re grown up.”

“Hehehe♡… Does that count as my brag?♡.”

“It totally does~♡. Kanon-chan’s so good at finding happiness in everyday stuff, right♡.”

Kaede’s right—Kanon-san’s happiness feels like savoring the little moments to the fullest.

“Kanon-chan made me realize… feeling like Takuya’s greetings or just having him around is normal is kinda luxurious, right…”

“L-Luxurious, really…?”

Kaede says it thoughtfully, but luxurious… Sure, the gender ratio makes having a brother super rare, but…

“Takuya-kun♡, it’s not just the gender ratio that makes being with us luxurious♡.”

Rina-san speaks to me gently, like she’s teaching me.

“It’s because you’re such an amazing person that it’s even more luxurious♡. Don’t forget that♡.”

“U-Uh, okay…”

Everyone’s praising me so much today…

“Takuya♡, like, Nana loves chatting with you♡. Ever since we exchanged contacts, we’ve been talking nonstop♡.”

“True, it’s like almost every day.”

“That’s what Nana thinks is luxurious. Getting so much of Takuya’s time.”

“But then, I’m getting your time too…”

“Sure, but it’s not equal. Nana’s one second and Takuya’s one second have different value, different weight.”

“U-Uh…”

The gender ratio does make it feel that way…

“That’s the first luxury: ‘Getting a man’s time.’”

“Yup.”

“And the second, Takuya’s the most amazing guy among men♡.”

“Th-That’s…”

I get the first one, but the second’s harder to accept. I still lack confidence.

“B-But if we’re talking about the second, you’re all the most amazing girls to me too, you know?”

“Then let’s call the second a tie♡.”

“Okay, got it.”

“Ooh♡, did that boost Takuya’s confidence?♡. We love and are loved♡. It’s mutual love♡.”

Like Kaede says, I’ll try to think of it like a mirror. If I feel it’s luxurious, the girls must feel… even more luxurious.

It’s a warped mirror, but I’ll keep it in my heart.

“But, like, Nana totally slipped in her brag, right?”

“Huh?”

“No way! Chatting with Takuya-kun almost every day is so unfair~!?”

“Hehe♡, lately, Takuya’s the one starting the chats. So it’s not Nana being clingy!♡.”

Chatting with Nana daily became a habit, so I’ve started talking about casual stuff too.

Since Ran-san’s all huffy, maybe I’ll chat with her more too…

“Well, now that Nana-chan’s brag is done… who’s next…”

“Then I’ll go♡!”

“Rina-chan~♡, please~♡!”

As Arisa was picking the next speaker, Rina-san volunteered herself.

“My love talk is… about the day we played at the pool…”

“Which day?♡.”

“Oh, the Hoshimiya Resort day♡.”

“Right, Ran-chan and the others played at Takuya’s pool too… So jealous~♡.”

Arisa couldn’t make it that day, to the school swimsuit-only pool party.

“Takuya-san and I went down the water slide together…♡.”

“Oh man~♡, water slides are so fun~♡, I went too♡.”

I went with everyone, including Ran-san… Climbing those stairs was tough…

“Takuya-kun clung to me, saying he wanted me to hold him♡.”

““““Eee~♡!””””

“Takuya always clings to taller girls, huh~♡.”

“Pfft~!♡, Takuya-kun, you can cling to me too!♡.”

“Right, Nana wants you to cling to her too♡. Nana wants to pamper Takuya♡.”

Kaede’s comment sparks protests from Ran-san and Nana. They’re both smaller than me… I feel kinda bad clinging to them.

“Cling… L-Like this…?”

I try rolling onto Nana’s lap.

“Perfect♡! Great job lying on Nana’s lap, good boy, good boy♡!”

“Pfft~!!♡, Takuya-kun♡, me too~♡!”

Since Ran-san insists, I lie on her lap too.

“Hehe♡, now it’s hard to tell who’s clinging to who♡.”

“Ngh!♡, Rina-chan, how could you say that~!♡.”

Ran-san, with me on her lap, playfully teases Rina-san, and I can’t help but smile.

“Oh♡, Takuya-kun’s smiling~♡.”

“Hehe…”

“Gosh~♡, too cute~♡, Takuya-kun’s smiling on my lap~♡.”

Ran-san pokes my cheeks, pampering me like I’m a baby.

“So, while I’ve got Takuya-kun on my lap, I’ll share my brag… Wait?♡, Isn’t this the best brag?♡.”

“Maybe it is~♡.”

“Getting to see Takuya’s smile up close~♡.”

Arisa and Kaede say just lying on their laps is a brag in itself.

“Well, let’s regroup♡… Mine’s… probably when Takuya-kun helped me pick running shoes the other day♡.”

I went with Ran-san to choose running shoes recently. I just helped pick the color, though.

“So, so♡, guess what Takuya-kun said while I was trying them on?♡.”

“What~♡, don’t tease, just tell us~♡.”

“Hehehe♡, Arisa-chan♡… Takuya-kun said, ‘If Ran-san wears the shoes I picked, I could spot you from the other side of the track’♡.”

“Ugh… Nana wants something like that too…”

“The gym’s not that big, so it’s fine, right?”

“Takuya’s kinda clueless about girls’ hearts, huh~.”

Kaede seems exasperated by my comment. Was it off?

“Okay, I’m last~♡.”

Finally, it’s Kaede’s turn to share. Since we’re always together, I can’t guess what she’ll say.

“For me~♡, it’s something Takuya said that made me really happy♡.”

Kaede starts, hugging a cushion.

“Lately, Takuya’s like a big star, right? So I got worried… What if Takuya leaves me behind…?”

Recalling that anxiety, Kaede looks down a bit.

“But then, he said, ‘No way,’ so clearly… He’s usually so reserved, but he was so firm, and it made me so happy♡.”

“Of course… You’ve supported and protected me so much… Leaving you? Never.”

“Takuya♡… sniff.”

Kaede, sniffing, gazes at me.

“Everyone else too… Even if I get kinda famous, I want you all to stay with me…”

““““Of course!””””

“We’re cheering for your streams and modeling, Takuya-kun♡.”

“Nana swore to support Takuya with all her heart♡, so I can’t give up halfway♡.”

“I dream of being Takuya-kun’s bodyguard♡.”

“Me too… I’m cheering for Takuya-kun♡.”

“Me too~♡!”

Everyone encourages me, warming my heart.

“Hehe♡, it was supposed to be a bragging session, but it turned into something really sweet♡.”

We all laugh at Kaede’s comment, eat dinner together, and have a sleepover.