The Colors of Summer.

The upcoming days felt like they were just rushing past him. It had been a while, since Takurō last enjoyed a summer break so much. Maybe it was partly because he liked learning more about photography or maybe because he spent his time with someone very special to him.

He glided on an updraft, and the time with Akimi rekindled the spark of imagination he thought to have lost. Putting the images into words was still a challenge, but to see them, he only had to close his eyes.

A girl stood near the serene riverside. Crystal clear glacial water, bare feet in the rubble of the riverbed, her look up at the sky. She noticed him, the red yukata following her motion. “Can you see their scales … how they shine brightly in the light?”

His breath halted. She turned at him completely, limped—her ankle injured.

Asahiro jumped up from the dinner table in between all the images. “Wait, what? You actually asked her out, f’sure?” he asked.

Reina chuckled about her older son’s reaction and stroked Takurō’s shoulder. “Oh, Taku … I knew you’d taken a liking at her the way you looked at her.”

The next moment, he turned around to drop on his bed sideways, a phone up at his ear. “Yeah, sure! I’m free on Wednesday.” A smile crept up his face. “I’m excited, f’sure.”

“Haaahhh!” The literature club members stood up in front of the cool air flowing out the air conditioning system.

Takurō, Ikaritake and her boyfriend Nagashiki. Only Nakazuka sat at his usual place and looked up at the strange gathering in front of the white box. The technician packed his tools.

“Finally, my brain won’t melt anymore!” Ikaritake threw up her arms in delight.

“Are you, my prince?” The girl in the red yukata looked up at the young man with curious eyes. Her skinny body was a brisk weight to carry, her fine clothes stained with mud and torn at the edges.

“Just a poor carpenter, helping an injured girl,” he said and smiled at her. Kind wrinkles formed on his cheeks.

The woman sat down next to him. “You’re shaking.”

“Funny, huh … even though it’s not as cold outside,” the man replied, turning his gaze away.

Akimi’s eyes lit up at the pale imagery on the movie screen. Takurō couldn’t hide his smile as he watched her, seemingly feasting at the movie with her eyes.

“Gotcha!” She pulled down the camera—Takurō with an ice cone in his hand.

He had chocolate and she cookie, strolling along the promenade of Nakanoshima. The day was sunny and hot as the last two weeks.

The next moment, they stood at stairs leading down to a park, the camera on a tripod.

“That’d be a 1/800 shutter speed, yah?” Takurō pulled down the spot meter and adjusted the settings on the camera. “Something else to consider?” He looked at Akimi.

“Pushing the shutter, maybe?” She gave him a happy grin from behind.

He sat at his clubroom window again, Nagashiki by his side. Both rested their heads on their arm and looked at the sports field. The volleyball club put on a sprint.

“Hey … is this just me or seems Ashiya-senpai cuter than usual?” his Kōhai nudged his head, while his girlfriend prepared a dropkick on him.

“You can still see the magic beasts, inhabiting our lands?” His eyes grew big, as the young woman reached out for his face and caressed his cheek.

She smiled. “I’ll show them to you!”

“You watching movies again, yah?” Reina knocked at the doorframe of her son’s room.

Takurō and Akimi turned to look at her. They were sitting on the ground at the footboard of his bed next to each other and looked up at the TV screen.

“Guys, it’s the most beautiful weather outside, f’sure!” She clapped into her hands.

The woman stood on a mountain. “Just listen to their voice and open up your eyes. Their wings caress the treetops, and their eyes reflect in the sea.”

He looked around the world. He felt them … felt her at his side.

Takurō’s hand brushed past hers. Was this too early? He looked up, as the winds rushed past the grassy fields of the dam. “Is it okay, if I …?” he asked carefully.

Akimi looked at him. She smiled and offered her hand. So, it was not just his imagination. He grabbed it, intertwined their fingers.

“I’ll call you Takkun, then,” the black-haired girl winked at him. “Just like Aki!”

He nodded. “Yeah, please do this … Raku-chan.”

Akimi hugged his arm closer and dug her face into his shoulder, snickering at the moment.

A group of girls whispered, looking at him. Their training was over. “Akimi-chan, someone’s here to fetch ya!” They carried their sports bags, snickered at his sight.

Takurō felt a little nervous, but his friend was soon to appear between the people. Akimi looked up at him. Through the group of girls, she skipped right to his side. A beaming smile showed on her lips.

“You booked this sunset, didn’t ya?” Lying on a picnic blanket, Akimi turned towards Takurō, her eyes barely opened at the purple clouds towering above their heads. She smiled drowsily. Her hand squeezed his lightly.

“I can see it now!” Elven Ears and silver hair—an antler growing from both their heads.

Takurō snapped back to reality. He mustered a smile at the two girls that had come into the small café. He walked around the counter to greet them. “Hey, Raku-chan. You brought Tsutsumida-san with you, yah?”

He felt Toyoshima observing them with one eye, while he was occupied with maintaining the old cash register at the side of the bar.

“Oh, you can call me just Rii. All my friends do.” Ririi Tsutsumida left a lasting impression on most people that met her. She had the attitude for being the volleyball team’s captain and very much the physique. The blond girl towered almost a head above her girlfriend.

“I wanted to show Rii-chan the art gallery, y’know.” Rakuko had her arm linked with the girl at her side. It was an unfamiliar sight to see someone this close to her, but definitely a very cute one.

Takurō nodded. “Does she … know?”

“Know what?” Ririi looked between the two of them.

“No … I uhm, show her for the first time.” Rakuko made a few strange contortions with her eyes.

So Ririi didn’t know who made the artworks. Takurō nodded. “I’m certain you’ll enjoy it, f’sure. We were really lucky with this one.”

“And we’re lucky you work here to have told us about this, yeah.” She turned at Ririi. “He took Aki here on a date and I heard them both raving about it …”

Ririi laughed. “I really hope you take care of our cute little Aki-chan. She might not be able to always keep up with someone as intellectual as you, but she has her heart at the right spot and really fights for the ones she loves, y’know! I’m so glad you’re giving her a chance!”

Takurō exchanged a bewildered gaze with Rakuko, who just looked away coyly. “Actually … I asked her out,” he explained. “So, I hope she’ll be giving me a chance.”

“Oh … I thought …”

Before Ririi could catch herself again, Rakuko pulled at her arm. “Don’t you wanna finally look now?”

“Oh … yes, sure.” She followed one step but became like an anchor breaking the much smaller ship with the next. “Oh, before I forget this … what would you say about a double date? Raku-chan once mentioned the idea.”

“Oh! YES!” Rakuko instantly jumped around and gave Takurō the big puppy eyes. “I have so many ideas what the four of us could do!”

He smiled at their cute demeanor. “Sure. I’m certain Akimi-chan would love that, f’sure. Let’s do that as soon as she’s well again.”

“She’s ill? What does she have?” A worried expression formed on Rakuko’s face.

Takurō shrugged. “Well, she didn’t tell me exactly, but I assume she’s on her period. We’d have had a date today as well, but this morning she wrote that she had abdominal pain the whole night through and rather wants to stay at home. That’s why I told her to rest and spontaneously took the Saturday morning shift.”

The girls exchanged a knowing look. “Had always been strong with her …,” Rakuko said.

Ririi leaned slightly towards him. “Why don’t you pay Aki-chan a surprise visit to take care about her?” She excitedly bit her lip. “That’d be sooo cute.”

He laughed dryly and turned around, took his backpack from the small pantry, and pulled out a small collection of Blu-Ray Discs from within. “I actually considered it, but I’m still not sure … I’ve never been at her place. Maybe she hasn’t tidied her room and I embarrass or annoy her in another way.”

Rakuko threw her hands on the counter. “Aki would never be annoyed by you! She’d be happy to have you caring about her!”

Ririi nodded her head heavily in agreement.

“Guess then I don’t have a choice.” He put the backpack away again. “Would you guys also want a drink?”

The old cash register behind him made a ka-ching sound. Toyoshima gave him a thumbs up. “You learn fast, young padawan.”