Prologue 

A month has passed since the new semester began.

Just as we were finally getting used to the new environment, a brief moment of rest came our way.

The Golden Week stretching from the end of April to the beginning of May—due to the calendar, it’s interrupted by a couple of weekdays, but that doesn’t change how refreshing it feels.

And today, it’s after school, with the first half of the Golden Week holidays starting tomorrow.

A truly invincible time where we don’t have to think about tomorrow.

“—Umi, so? Have you decided what to eat?”

“Maki—um, I’ve narrowed it down to two, but I’m still kinda torn about which one to pick.”

“I see. But in that case, why not just buy both? It’s not like we’ve set a strict budget or anything.”

“No way, no way. If I did that, I’d have to eat both of them, right? Oh, or maybe Maki has a hobby of showing off a chubby me to everyone after the holidays?”

“I don’t have such a weird hobby…”

At a convenience store near my house, Umi and I were picking out snacks to go with the movie we’d just rented. Potato chips or pretzels covered in tons of chocolate… Sure, both are pretty high in calories, but if she just controlled how much she ate—well, it didn’t feel like the right vibe to say that out loud.

Anyway, like she said, even if she did get chubby, I kinda think it’d be cute in its own way.

“By the way, Maki, have you decided yet? I just appointed you the Minister of Drinks a second ago.”

“Yeah. This.”

“Craft cola, huh? You always pick such niche stuff… Not that I’m complaining about the choice itself—I get the urge to drink it every now and then too. Okay, thinking about pairings, I’ll go with the potato chips after all. Seriously, putting up with such a free-spirited boyfriend like this, aren’t I just the best girlfriend ever? Right, Maki?”

“…That’s totally one of those things I have to agree with, isn’t it?”

That said, there’s no doubt in my mind that Umi is a great girlfriend to me.

Our tastes in food match, our way of thinking is similar, and it feels so comfortable being with her.

And she’s insanely cute.

Back when we first started dating, I didn’t fully realize it, but the more time we spend together, the more I understand just how lucky I am to be her boyfriend.

Looking around, a girl like Umi isn’t someone you come across easily.

Thinking about that, a sudden urge to stick close to her started bubbling up inside me.

We’re in the store right now, but there’s no one else around. A little bit should be fine, right?

“…Hey, Umi.”

“? What?”

“Uh, would it be okay if I held your hand?”

“…”

At my words, Umi blinked in surprise for a moment, but then, realizing what I meant, the corners of her mouth slowly curved upward.

“…Hehe~”

“W-What? It’s fine, right? We’re lovers and all.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. But you’re being awfully clingy today, huh~? Oh, since we’re at it, want me to pat your head too?”

“That’s… not necessary.”

“Hehe, you don’t have to hold back, you know.”

With a mischievous smile, Umi said that and clung to my arm, pressing herself close.

Even through her uniform, I could clearly feel the soft swell of her chest, and it made my heart skip a beat.

“…I was fine with just holding hands, though.”

“Oh? But I thought Maki would definitely like this better. I can stop if you don’t like it, though?”

“No, it’s fine like this.”

I only just noticed the clerk nearby, but once we got like this, neither Umi nor I could stop messing around.

I thought I heard a faint sigh and a tongue click from the young clerk in the distance, and I felt a pang of guilt in my heart.

…Sorry for being such a lovey-dovey couple, I thought to myself.

After we’d had our fill of flirting and paid at the register, we headed straight to the usual hangout spot—the living room at the Maehara house.

As promised during the class match the other day, I’d decided to dedicate all my free time during the holidays to Umi. If she wanted to laze around at my place like usual, I’d keep her company, and if she wanted to dress up and go on a date in town, I’d take her around until she was satisfied.

Today was also a time for us to discuss the details of that plan.

“Hey, Umi, about the holidays—won’t there be any issues with other people’s plans? Like with Amami-san or Nitta-san, or maybe stuff going on at your place?”

“No problem. I asked, and Yuu said she’s going to her grandma’s house. She’s even skipping school during the weekdays in between. Since Yuu’s doing that, Nina’s apparently hanging out with some other kids too.”

“I see. Amami-san’s grandma… Could that be the one overseas…?”

“Yup, her mom’s side. Seems like it was decided since last year. Yuu was really looking forward to it. She’s probably busy packing right about now, don’t you think?”

Hearing “overseas” just sounds like a massive pile of anxiety for someone like me who struggles with communication, but Amami-san would probably manage just fine with body language or something.

Overseas is a place I’ve got no connection to, but I wonder if I’ll ever get the chance to go there someday.

Maybe for a work trip in the future, or even a honeymoo—nah, that’s definitely overthinking it.

“But yeah, it’s the holidays, so stuff like that happens.”

“Ah… Sorry, Maki. I made you remember something weird, didn’t I?”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just that I don’t get many chances because of my parents—it’s not like they hate me or anything. …Though I don’t hear much about that kinda stuff from you either, Umi.”

“Ahh… Yeah. I’ll tell you, Maki, but things aren’t exactly great at my place. You’ve probably heard a bit about it, right? My parents got married super early and all that.”

“Oh… Now that you mention it, yeah.”

From what I remember, Daichi-san got married pretty young (maybe during school?), and Sora-san got pregnant with Riku-san and gave birth around then too, so that’s probably where MOQ’d where it counts, so the cause might be somewhere around there.

I think I’ve heard Sora-san complain about her in-laws every now and then too.

“So yeah, my dad’s busy with work as usual, and I haven’t heard anything from my mom, so I’m totally free during the holidays. Maki, aren’t you happy to have your cute girlfriend all to yourself? You are, right? If you’re not, I’ll knock you out, you jerk!”

“That went from sweet to threatening real fast…”

All I was thinking was, Maybe I feel a little bad monopolizing Umi like this…, but as long as that’s cleared up, there’s no problem.

Since we’re in different classes now that we’re second-years, I need to make up for it elsewhere.

My part-time job might get busy during the holidays, so I’ll have to pick up some shifts, but other than that, I want to spend as much time as possible alone with Umi.

“Hmm, so for now, both of us have no issues with our GW plans… Got it. That just leaves ‘that’ as the last thing…”

“Yeah. Honestly, that might be the biggest hurdle.”

Regardless of the details, my spring holiday plans are officially all about Umi, but there’s still one more thing we need to settle.

I casually pulled out a travel magazine from the plastic bag filled with snacks and drinks we’d bought for movie and gaming sessions and placed it on the table.

A trip, just the two of us, with no one to interrupt.

About a month ago, during the class shuffle, I’d promised this on a whim to cheer up Umi, who was down about us being in different classes, and preparations for it were steadily coming along.