Epilogue 1 | Overtime 

The two-night, three-day trip passed in the blink of an eye, and now all that’s left is the journey home.

From the first day to just before the last, a lot happened, and sure, I’m worn out—but I spent the whole time in good spirits, made proper memories with Umi, and honestly, I think it was a blast.

“—Mother-in-law, thank you so much for taking care of us these past three days. Next time we come, I’ll make sure to bring my husband along to greet you properly, okay?”

“That’d be nice. It’s been a while since we last hung out, but honestly, without Daichi around, I felt so stifled I couldn’t stand it—so I’d really appreciate that.”

“Stifled? Oh my, are you unwell? It’d be tough if something happened while you’re alone, so maybe it’s time to consider moving into a facility?”

“Even after all these years as the Asanagi family bride, that sharp tongue of yours hasn’t dulled a bit, huh. My two grandkids are way better behaved than you. As expected of our Daichi’s kids.”

“They’re my kids too, you know.”

““…””

While Riku-san and Shizuku-san managed to clear up their misunderstandings and resolve their lingering issues over these three days, it seems the thaw between these two is still a long way off.

Well, they’re both blunt about what they wanna say without holding back, so in that sense, maybe their relationship isn’t that bad.

Beside the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo—locked in a glaring match with plastered-on smiles—Riku-san and Umi let out sighs that practically scream, “They’re still at it?”

“Anyway, Grandma, forget that for a sec. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ll probably end up staying around here again. I’ll let you know once I’ve got my moving stuff sorted, so in the meantime, make sure my room’s back to normal, alright?”

“I got it. …Geez, to think I’d end up living with my grandson again at this age. But Riku, if you make Shizuku-chan cry again, I won’t forgive you this time. A girl that good? You won’t find another like her these days, no matter how hard you look.”

“Yeah. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Going forward, he’ll have to go through formalities like an interview, but Shizuku-san promised he’s basically a shoo-in (or rather, she’ll make it happen), so Riku-san’s planning to prep with that in mind.

There’s still the matter of getting final approval from Daichi-san, the family’s breadwinner, but since Mizore-san and Sora-san are on board, it’s pretty much set that Riku-san will be moving out of his current place.

The lively Asanagi household’s gonna feel a little lonelier now.

“Well then, Grandma, see ya. C’mon, Maki, say goodbye too.”

“Yeah. …Mizore-san, next time, it’ll be just me and Umi visiting.”

“Sure thing. You two are welcome anytime, so drop by whenever you’re free.”

Loaded up with souvenirs like fruits and snacks, we stick our heads out the car windows and bow to Mizore-san one more time.

No clue when the next visit’ll be, but I definitely wanna see her again while she’s still spry.

After that, the car ride home is mostly silent, except for Riku-san driving.

Sora-san in the passenger seat, and me and Umi in the back—we all pass out within minutes of leaving, like puppets with cut strings. Thinking about it, getting woken up by Riku-san at dawn for that heart-to-heart didn’t leave much room for sleep.

They say a trip’s not over ’til you’re home, but personally, I’m already stuffed to the brim.

Later, with a few breaks like on the way there, we take our time heading back to the familiar everyday scenery of our hometown.

Tomorrow, school starts again as usual. My brain’s fully in three-day-weekend vacation mode, and jumping straight into regular classes… it’s downright depressing. But it’s not like there’s nothing to look forward to.

My beloved Umi’s always by my side, and at school, Amami-san, Nitta-san, and Nozomu—my friends—will be there to greet me.

I wanna tell them about this trip. Sure, some stuff I can’t spill, but they’ll probably listen with interest anyway.

Amami-san will react to every bit of our story with her honest, straightforward takes. Nosy Nitta-san will poke at the “stuff I can’t say,” and Nozomu will probably roll his eyes and jab at her for it.

Imagining that makes the gloom feel just a tiny bit lighter.

When’s the last time I felt like this?

And so, rocked by the car’s vibrations like a cradle, I doze off with soft snores for a few hours.

“—ki, Maki, wake up. We’re at your place.”

“Fwha…?”

Riku-san’s big hand shakes me awake, and I see the car’s already parked in front of my apartment building.

Maybe ’cause I slept the whole way, but compared to the trip there, the ride back feels kinda anticlimactic.

I’d packed light for the trip, but with Mizore-san’s souvenirs and stuff for Amami-san and the others, my load’s ballooned into more than I can carry in both hands.

Getting to my front door’s just a short walk, but this is gonna be some heavy lifting.

“See ya, Maki-kun. Tell Masaki-san, ‘Let’s grab drinks next time.’ I’ve got tons to catch up on after so long, so it’s a promise, got it?”

“Haha… Sure, I’ll pass it along, but don’t overdo the drinking, okay?”

These three days probably didn’t give Sora-san much peace of mind, so I’ll subtly clue Mom in on the Asanagi family’s mother-in-law drama.

Mom’s likely been through similar hassles herself, so she’d be the perfect person for Sora-san to vent to.

“Maki, seriously, thanks for everything this time. Bowing my head to a guy almost a decade younger was pretty lame, but thanks to you, I patched things up with Shizuku. …Thank you.”

“Hearing you say that makes me happy too. …That last thing you said to Shizuku-san? Super cool.”

“O-Oi, don’t bring that up… Anyway, I owe you big time. If you ever need help—studies, whatever—just hit me up anytime. Even if it’s something simple like ‘my sister’s annoying,’ I’m totally fine with it.”

“…◯ off, you shitty brother.”

“H-Hey, Umi… Uh, nothing specific right now, but if something comes up later, I’ll definitely reach out.”

Getting closer to Riku-san especially feels like a huge personal win.

He’s a bit older, sure, but after Nozomu, he’s another rare guy I can talk dude stuff with. Plus, he’s Umi’s big brother, so I wanna build a solid bond with him, Shizuku-san, and Reiji-kun too.

I bow deeply to Riku-san and Sora-san a few more times in thanks, watching the car head back to the Asanagi house.

…And finally, there’s Umi—the girl I spent all this fun time with.

“Hey, Umi.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Why’d you get out of the car too? Don’t you need to head home?”

“I’ll go back before dinner. Besides, with all that stuff, you’d struggle carrying it alone, right? Grandma really took a liking to you, Maki, so she loaded you up with all these souvenirs.”

Like Umi said, I can just barely hold it all in both hands, but lugging it from here to my room’s gonna be rough. So honestly, I’m super grateful she stuck around.

“…And, well,”

“Umi?”

The moment we step into the elevator with the bags, Umi sidles up to me all clingy-like and whispers.

“I kinda wanna… y’know, flirt with you a little more, Maki… Seeing Aniki and Shizuku-san hugging all happy flipped a switch in me, I guess.”

I feel the same way.

Watching Riku-san and Shizuku-san finally connect after years of pining, I genuinely thought it was beautiful.

I want us to keep longing for each other like that forever too.

In other words, our lovey-dovey couple mode’s been ignited.

I slept like a log on the way back, but even then, we were stuck to each other more than on the way there. Sora-san and Riku-san didn’t say a word, but in the backseat, we were hugging the whole time.

Seeing another couple get all mushy made us wanna one-up them, like, “We’re way closer!” …Looking back, we’re such a hopeless pair of lovebirds.

For now, we step off the elevator and head back to my place after three days away. I take a whiff of the familiar home smell and let out a relieved, “Phew.” I’d been gone over the weekend, so I was worried Mom might’ve trashed the place as usual, but aside from a few cigarette butts left in the ashtray, it’s not much different from when I left.

Looks like she managed fine without me. The leftovers I’d prepped in the fridge are all polished off too.

“Maki, fruit goes in the veggie drawer, right?”

“Yeah. Jellies and stuff we’ll eat soon, so just toss ’em anywhere in the fridge.”

“Got it. Roger that.”

We stash the longer-lasting snacks in the pantry under the cabinet, shove the short-shelf-life stuff in the fridge or set it aside for a quick snack, and sort through the overflowing paper bags of Mizore-san’s souvenirs.

I toss the clothes and towels from the trip into the washing machine, haul the rest of my stuff to my room… and finally, I plop onto the sofa to relax.

“…Phew, I’m beat.”

“Right? But it was so much fun. Sharing that huge soft serve at the service area, eating tons of tasty stuff there and back. At night, munching on snacks and drinks we grabbed from the convenience store.”

“Kinda feels like all we did was eat.”

“Hehe, we probably gained weight, so we’ve gotta cut back now… Oh, and, y’know, all that stuff when it was just the two of us?”

“Uh, yeah…”

Maybe the trip loosened us up, but I feel like we did some stuff I’d normally wimp out on.

That first day on the mountain trail, the mixed bathing in the outdoor hot spring… River play was supposed to be the main event, but we kinda blew past that with everything else we got up to.

…And even now.

“Hey, Maki. I’ll ask again, just to be sure.”

“…Yeah.”

“Do you, um, wanna… do it with me?”

“…Uh,”

I stumble a bit but manage to say it clear.

“…I do. A lot.”

To be blunt, I’m pretty close to my limit holding back.

Sure, it all ended in “attempts,” but the feel of her body’s still burned into me.

The first time I properly touched Umi’s chest, it was so soft. I remember the salty taste of her sweat when I kissed her neck. And her flushed skin, bare in the hot spring.

Sleeping solid on the way back recharged me, and, well, I kinda wanna use that thing we didn’t get to during the trip.

“But you seem pretty calm for someone who’s that eager. Your heart’s racing, sure, but not as loud as that failed attempt on the first day.”

“Can’t hide it from you, huh… Yeah, honestly, I’m a little hesitant. …Or more like, I’ve started hesitating.”

I still wanna do intimate stuff with Umi, no change there, but this trip—and watching Riku-san and Shizuku-san—made me rethink things.

Maybe slowing down a bit wouldn’t hurt.

“I think I’ve been rushing, probably. We became a couple pretty quick, and we’ve done some lovey-dovey couple-y stuff, but the past two or three months, it’s not like we’ve done anything that new.”

“Like… things getting stale?”

“Maybe. Aside from crossing that final line, we kinda raced to where we are, right? So with how close we are, my heart and body got confused, thinking, ‘If we’re this tight, shouldn’t we just get it over with already?’”

Being inexperienced, I’ve relied on stories from people around me or stuff I’ve seen online. Friends and family gave advice for things like Christmas, Valentine’s, or her birthday, and I’ve fumbled through those my own way—but sex? That’s tough to ask about. Not to friends, family, or even my girlfriend.

So lately, I’ve been stewing over it alone. We’ve been dating six months… Some people move faster… As the boyfriend, I’ve gotta figure this out. It’s turned into this weird sense of duty.

Umi’s kind and indulgent with me, so even in that state, she’s been considerate—but really, we should talk it out properly, all of it included.

Even if it’s embarrassing, if we’re lovers, and if we’re thinking about the future.

So we don’t end up taking the long way around like Riku-san and them.

It’s wonderful they got back to their old bond, but I don’t wanna be like that—and we shouldn’t have to.

“I’m probably a total wimp for backing off now… but I don’t wanna just go with the flow like this. I wanna think it through. It’s our ‘first time’ with someone I love, so I wanna treasure it more, y’know?”

“I get it. But they say love’s all about momentum too, right? Like, my dad and mom got married super fast ’cause of that. Seems like it was rough, though.”

“That’s true too… but that’s why I wanna figure it out together… Wait, when did our roles flip like this? You okay?”

“Mine’s just an example… Well, for me, um,”

Looking down shyly, Umi still lays her feelings bare to me.

“For me, uh, I’m kinda okay with it anytime now. I don’t plan on dating anyone but you, Maki, and, y’know, we’ll… do it eventually anyway, right?”

“O-Oh… Yeah, fair point. That’s probably what parents mean by ‘within common sense,’ huh?”

She mumbled the key part, but I got the gist, so this is plenty for a start.

“A-Anyway! I’m totally fine doing that stuff with you, Maki. …Like last time, if you get me in the mood right, I’m, uh, good to go.”

“G-Got it. I’m new at this, but I’ll do my best when the time comes.”

That scene from before flashes in my head, and I feel my cheeks heat up fast.

Sure, we were extra hyped that first day of the trip, but man, how’d I get that bold?

…This one’s definitely not something I can tell anyone else.

It’s our little secret, just the two of us.

“So, sexy stuff’s on hold for a bit, got it. Then the other swimsuit I was gonna wear for you right now’s off the table too, huh?”

“…Uh,”

“Hey, Maki! We just talked this out together—don’t waver right at the start!”

“Sorry… But, y’know, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you in a swimsuit this whole time.”

“Geez. You’re such a perv, Maki. …But fine, just a little, okay? Special exception, this time only. Deal?”

“…Thank you so much.”

We’re already back home and settled in, but it looks like me and Umi’s “trip” is getting just a little more overtime.