Barbecue, Part 2

“Oh, Kouki-kun!”

“Akitsu, huh?”

“Kouki-kun, you heading to the toilet too? Let’s go together!”

There’s something so quintessentially Akitsu about her complete lack of embarrassment…

Oh well, whatever.

The riverbank gets crowded with cherry blossom viewers or barbecue folks depending on the season, so there’s a public restroom, but it’s up by the parking lot, so it’s a bit of a trek.

“So, how’s it going with Aisa?”

“How’s it going? Exactly like it looks.”

“Ugh, come on! Isn’t there, like, some kind of summer memory vibe going on?!”

What kind of expectations does she even have…?

“Weird. I totally thought you two would’ve at least kissed by now.”

“Hah?!”

“Haha! That reaction says you’re still nowhere close, huh?”

“I told you that already!”

Seriously, Akitsu…

Still, maybe because she gives off a vibe similar to Manami, I can talk to her so easily, which I’m honestly grateful for.

She’s surprisingly considerate in her own way, too.

“Oh! We’re here!”

“Talking makes the walk go by quick, huh?”

“Alrighty! Let’s meet back here on the way back!”

“Huh?”

Akitsu dashes off without even waiting for my reply.

Oh well. I’ll probably be faster, so I’ll just wait for her.

◇

“Why are you already here?”

“Jeez, you’re so slow! I thought you ditched me!”

Wait, isn’t it usually girls who take longer at the restroom…?

I don’t think I wasted that much time either…

“C’mon! Let’s head back! Gotta return Kouki-kun to Aisa!”

“Since when did I become Aisa’s property…?”

“Hehe! Oh, right!”

Akitsu suddenly stops and turns to face me.

“If you’ve never kissed, wanna practice or something?”

“Are you nuts?!”

“Haha, I got scolded!”

She’s so much like Manami… You never know what she’s gonna say next.

When I shoot her a light glare, she shows a hint of remorse, but she bounces back instantly and says something like this.

“Well, joking aside, if you don’t hurry up, Aisa might get snatched away, you know?”

That’s… not impossible.

Aisa’s got that much charm. Right now, I’m just her childhood friend… No, maybe not just a childhood friend, but still, nothing more than that.

Even if something happened, would I have any right to say anything?

“Ooh, that look on your face means you’re pretty serious about her, huh?”

Akitsu’s words snap me out of my thoughts.

Crap…

“Shut up.”

“Haha! C’mon, let’s get back already.”

“Yeah… Oh, wait.”

“Hm?”

Time for a little payback.

“Akitsu, don’t you have someone like that?”

“Wha?! Me?! Uh, n-no, I don’t!”

What a terrible liar!

Her eyes are practically swimming!

“Well, I won’t pry about who it is… but if it’s you, Akitsu, I bet they’d be thrilled.”

“Heh, quite the smooth talker, aren’t you, Kouki-kun?”

“No, I…”

“Well, looks like you’re moving faster than me on that front.”

“Who knows?”

I think about my distance with Aisa.

Has it gotten closer, or are we just slipping back to how things used to be?

And as for what direction Aisa’s aiming for… I’m not confident I know.

Akitsu looks at me and says,

“Just think about what you want, Kouki-kun!”

“What I want, huh?”

“Exactly! You’re the type who tends to go along with everyone else, but when it comes to this, you gotta be honest with your own feelings!”

I see…

But if we’re talking about that…

“Akitsu, you’re the one who’s too considerate of everyone else.”

“Wait, what?! I’m the one getting lectured now?!”

While we’re going back and forth, we reach the riverbank.

“Yo! You two, the yakisoba’s ready!”

“Also, you guys took forever. Were you up to something?”

“We weren’t doing anything!”

I answer Hayato and Makoto as we head down to the riverbank.

We weren’t that slow. It didn’t even take that long.

“C’mon, though, alone with a girl in a swimsuit and nothing happened?”

Akito slaps a hand on my shoulder as he says that.

That comment seems to hit Aisa harder than me.

“Kouki, what did you do?”

It’s been a while since she’s glared at me this seriously… It’s kinda scary.

“N-Nothing! We just went to the restroom and came back!”

“…Is that so?”

“Well, we did talk about kissing, though.”

“Oi, Akitsu?!”

Why is Akitsu pouring oil on a fire that didn’t even need to start?!

Aisa’s expression grows even colder.

“…I see.”

“No, wait, Akitsu, fix this!”

“You brought her here today, Kouki-kun, so I think you should handle it!”

Akitsu tosses it back to me like it’s her revenge from earlier.

Seriously, what do I do now…?!

Just then, Aisa suddenly bursts out laughing.

“Pfft!”

“What the heck?!”

“We were planning to tease you a bit when you got back, but I didn’t expect you to get this flustered.”

“You little…”

No, wait, in that case, the one I should be mad at is…

“Akito…”

“Why’d you single me out when there are so many other suspects?!”

“You’re the only one here who’d pull something like that!”

“That’s some serious trust… Fine, I’ll own it. I’m the mastermind.”

For now, I toss Akito into the river.

“Hehe, you and Takizawa-kun are pretty close, huh?”

Aisa walks over, giggling.

Then, she turns so only I can see her face and asks again.

“So, what did you talk about with Rikako?”

“Wait, wasn’t that all an act just now…?”

“Talking about kisses… That’s not something you’d just casually chat about with a girl, right…?”

“Uh…”

Aisa’s expression is so intense, I can’t tell how much of it is an act anymore.

For now, I decide not to think too hard about why Aisa’s so upset.