To the sea!

Nearly midnight at this point, I once more used the last brain cell in my short-circuited brain to navigate to my desk and open my laptop.

Gaming with Watson was an unexpected addition to my schedule, and only after the fact did I realize how much energy she must be pouring into her streams. In fact, all three of the girls have found something that they were truly passionate about. Lafon with her cosplaying, Watson with her streaming, and Sato with her aerospace engineering.

Guess I was the odd one out here.

I’ll find something eventually. My own brain and merit, Sato had said.

And then with the pinky promise…

***

“It’s a figure of speech…and the needles would only apply to me since I’m the one keeping the secret.”

“Oh, right.” Sato let out a quiet giggle. Also, why were we keeping our pinkies like this for this long….I realized this when my arm started feeling tired.

Yet in that moment, time slowed down, and even in this slightly awkward and childish gesture of a promise, a feeling of peace and warmth blanketed the atmosphere, and the worries and thoughts within my mind had, for the moment, slipped away.

***

And for those moments to happen at times when I’m with her has been plaguing my short-circuited mind since. A pattern has developed that I cannot seem to shake.

I mean, is it wrong to enjoy those sorts of moments where one can forget about unpleasant memories and daily worries? For some reason, I’m trying to justify to myself the moral ramifications tied to finding joy in another’s company–

Ryuuto, for crying out loud, you’ve fallen for this girl; stop tripping over your thoughts already!

My cheeks burned as the mental civil warfare had gone nuclear. Just need some time to think about it with a cool head.

I eyed my fridge; a cold drink would be nice.

After fetching myself a can of sparkling cider, I realized this would probably have little effect in cooling my brain off.

Whatever.

I recalled the earlier encounter with Wagner and Lafon, one that left many questions unanswered.

With Lafon, another cloud floated in my mind. I noticed after our meeting that she hadn’t threatened me with decapitation if I shared it with anyone, just a simple request.

“Please don’t tell anyone, Iwasaki.”

For some reason, it was the lack of violence that made it feel much more serious.

A familiar voice popped into my head thanks to my headphones, and I realized my laptop had auto-queued a video compilation of ChocoNyan fail moments. Guess that is a fair comedic relief moment from all my serious thoughts.

It seems as though Watson has caused the least emotional turmoil of late, which I can appreciate.

I know where you live!

On second thought…

A notification popped up on my phone.

Tachibana: Heads up on an upcoming event in two weeks! Beach trip!!

Beach trip? It isn’t even summer break yet. I suppose beach season starts right around the end of June…and Tachibana mentioned she and Gotou were planning their trip in August.

June 28th–hold on, isn’t that also Watson’s birthday?

I thought for a second, trying to verify my recollection of birthdays was correct. Lafon’s birthday came first in the calendar year on February 10th. Sato’s birthday was late in the year: November 6th. Yes, then Watson’s birthday is June 28th, and a week later was mine: July 7th.

I asked whether she knew of Watson’s birthday, and she responded instantly.

Tachibana: You got it! Celebrating her birthday will be fun!

A few moments later, more messages started filling my screen. What are these?

Links to the beach they’re planning to go to, food around the area…

Tachibana: She turns 20, so the seniors will be taking her on a special trip in the evening!

Of course, the legal drinking age in Japan is 20.

Tachibana: In the meantime…

More links popped up, and my eyes narrowed.

Romantic spots on the beach? Fireworks festivals?? Ways to impress your crush!?!? Confession 101!!?!

Tachibana: BTW, I confessed to Yuki here→

I quit the app and tossed my phone onto my bed. Has she gone insane?

Not even a minute later, my phone started buzzing at a steady rate. Was she calling me at this hour?

I slinked over to my bed and, lo and behold, it was Tachibana calling.

“Iwasaki-kun!”

“Tachibana-senpai! Are you out of your mind?”

“About the beach trip? You don’t want to celebrate—“

“Not that! You know what I’m talking about!”

I could hear giggling from the other end. “I see, also, what’s with the quiet voice? It’s fine to just shout it out.”

“I live next door to her! The walls aren’t exactly soundproof.” I felt my head had been thrown into a spin cycle.

“Got it! Well, do what you will with those links, just wanted to see my kouhai enjoy a summer gathering. Also,” she paused. “I made sure this was a small group outing, no unwanted guests, you know!”

How did she—

“Anyways, it’s my co-lead’s beach house we have access to for Saturday night. We could get a nice cookout going!”

“Sounds nice.”

“Exactly! Any objections?”

“Not really,” I exhaled a long sigh. “You sure it’ll be a small group?”

“It’s not an official club event,” she laughed, as a hint of embarrassment crossed my mind in my assumption that it was.

After the call ended, my phone again ended up back on my bed as I took another swig of my cider.

Two weeks.

I reached back for my phone and reopened the app. Scrolling back to the links she sent me, I thought for a second before clicking on the first website.

I suppose I shouldn’t let these resources go to waste.

***

Normally, when I think of two weeks and nothing notable happening, I would be elated. Like finally, a period of calm to collect my inner peace and live vicariously through bliss and self-balance.

Nowadays, it is like a waiting game. What was I waiting for…

Till the fateful Friday afternoon arrived, my mind had tried to autopilot on 3x speed, to no avail. I eventually read through those websites that Tachibana sent… perhaps twice. No more than twice!

Friday finally came, as I double-checked my bag. Swim shorts, towel, laptop, headphones, toiletries…enough for a two-night trip at least.

Almost forgot to pack a toothbrush. I went to the bathroom and reached for my toothbrush, though physics decided to play a cruel game. 

The toothbrush spun helplessly off the tip of my fingers, spiraling to its doom onto the bathroom floor.

Crap.

I checked the time; just about enough to make a run to the convenience store.

The heat wave normally left for July and August had arrived early, and even in my short sleeves and shorts, my body felt uncomfortably warm. Perfect weather for the beach, I have to say. I attempted to stay under the shade of the tall green trees that lined the walkway, avoiding the beating sun as much as possible.

Once at the store, met with a refreshing wave of air conditioning, I quickly set out for that toothbrush, when a familiar figure appeared in the same aisle. 

“Iwasaki-kun!” she grinned. “Last-minute shopping as well?”

"Yup." 

“Going to the beach!” she pumped her fists up. “And Chloe’s birthday! It’s gonna be so fuuun!”

As I got my toothbrush and we walked over to check out, she hummed along. “I haven’t been to the beach in years…probably in Florida with my family that time.”

“Same with me…maybe back in middle school.”

At the cashier, the clerk greeted her and asked if she wanted a bag.

“That’s ok!”

“Cash or card?”

“Card, thank you!”

As she completed her transaction, I caught a glimpse of her grinning as she gathered her belongings.

After I made my purchase, I caught up with her walking proudly out of the store.

“Hehe, how was that?” she asked confidently.

“Not bad,” I admitted. “You’re getting some of the basics down.”

“It’s getting better, and it feels more natural now,” she nodded in agreement.

I chuckled. “You were quite excited about it, maybe a little too much.”

She looked at me, eyes narrowing. “What do you mean, too excited?”

I could barely contain my laughter now. “First off, you walked out of the store quite confidently.”

She huffed, “Well, it was a proud moment for me.”

“Oh, by the way, when I paid for my stuff, I found a free bag of snacks.” I lifted a shopping bag, and her eyes widened. Her face turned pink as she realized that in her sense of accomplishment, she had left one of her bags on the counter.

“Wonder which one I should eat first…”

“Iwasaki-kun, my bag!?” she reached over for it. “I mean, you can have one, but the rest’s mine!”

And with that, the beach trip began…in a typical fashion.