Chapter 17: Summer Vacation Plans

The class meeting was supposed to be a quick discussion about final exam prep. Instead, Haru raised his hand twenty seconds in and announced, “We should go to the beach for summer vacation!”

Half the class cheered. The other half blinked in confusion. The teacher sighed like he regretted his entire career.

“It’s for bonding,” Haru added proudly.

Mina didn’t even look up from her notebook. “You mean it’s for seeing everyone in swimsuits.”

Haru hesitated. “…That too.”

The class laughed. Haru didn’t even bother defending himself because he knew she was right.

Ren, however, froze.

Beach. Summer. Swimsuits.

Which meant Yuki… in a swimsuit.

He immediately looked down at his desk as if it could save him. His ears warmed. He felt thirteen again—awkward, clueless, and terrified of making eye contact.

Meanwhile, across the room, Yuki kept her face calm. Calm edges, calm pen strokes, calm posture. A perfect picture of composure.

Inside, her thoughts were a different story.

A beach trip? With Ren around? In front of him? In a swimsuit?

She drew a line on her paper so hard the tip snapped.

Mina glanced over. “You good?”

“I’m fine,” Yuki said, a little too fast.

Mina didn’t push. She didn’t need to. She’d been watching Yuki long enough to know the signs: stiff shoulders, avoidance of Ren’s direction, and the tiny quiver in her ear whenever Sena got too close to him.

Speaking of Sena—

She stood up, sliding her hair behind her shoulder with practiced ease.

“If we’re all going,” she said, smiling sweetly, “that sounds perfect. I’ve been wanting to do something fun before the exams.”

Haru nodded. “Right? A summer memory! Sun, sand, fireworks—”

“Romantic,” Sena finished softly.

Ren didn’t miss the way she said it. He swallowed. “It’s… a group trip.”

“Mhm,” Sena hummed. “But groups can split up.”

Mina raised an eyebrow. Yuki gripped her pencil again.

Then Sena leaned toward her friend and whispered—just loud enough for someone inattentive, but unfortunately, Yuki had very good hearing when it came to Sena.

“I’m thinking I’ll confess to Ren there. Beach trips are perfect for that kind of moment.”

A piece of graphite snapped in Yuki’s hand for the second time that morning.

Mina slowly turned to stare at her. “That’s… an interesting reaction.”

“It broke,” Yuki said flatly.

“Right. On its own.”

Yuki didn’t answer. She stared at her notebook, jaw tense, eyes fixed ahead with laser focus. Mina almost felt bad for the paper.

Across the classroom, Ren sighed. He didn’t know about the confession, but he sensed trouble anyway. Haru was grinning like he already had several schemes lined up.

“Beach trip, man!” Haru smacked him on the back. “Just imagine it!”

“That’s the problem,” Ren muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

He peeked at Yuki. She wasn’t looking at him—but the air around her felt sharp, like she was seconds from scolding someone for something they hadn’t done yet.

Ren rubbed his temple. “This trip is going to be exhausting.”

Haru laughed. “Relax. It’ll be fun.”

Ren didn’t share that confidence. Not with Sena planning something he didn’t know about. Not with Yuki acting strangely quiet. Not with Mina already suspicious. Not with Haru being Haru.

But it was too late. The class had voted. The date was set. The teachers approved.

They were going to the beach.

And neither Ren nor Yuki were ready.