Reward date

“By the way, Manami, how’s your homework coming along?”

“Hmm, almost done! But I worked hard today!”

Saying that, Manami spreads out her homework to report today’s progress. She really put in a lot of effort.

At this rate, she’ll probably finish by tomorrow.

“You did great.”

“Ehehe!”

When she sticks her head out as if begging for a pat, I stroke her hair, and she smiles happily.

“More importantly, how was it for you, Kouki-nii? The date! Was it fun?”

“Yeah, it was fun. Thanks.”

“Ehehe! Onee-chan seemed to have fun too, so it was worth the effort!”

I really owe Manami a lot. In the end, both Aisa and I enjoyed today mostly because of her.

“Thanks as always.”

When I pat her head again and thank her, Manami looks down.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ugh… Being thanked so formally feels, like, kinda…”

Got it, she’s embarrassed.

“You’re so cute, Manami.”

“Ughh!”

“There, there. You’re always working hard.”

“Geez! You’re teasing me, aren’t you, Kou-nii!”

Finally unable to take it, she swats my hand away and looks up.

Her face is red, and her slightly teary eyes are adorable.

“Ugh! Do that kind of thing with Onee-chan instead!”

“What… If I did this to Aisa, I don’t think I’d survive the next day…”

“Who do you even think Onee-chan is…”

No matter how close we’ve gotten, if I tried getting this close to her, I’d probably be sent back to the days of her icy glares.

Anything more than holding hands feels like… it’d cross the line from being family, and that’s scary.

“You should try it sometime.”

“Spare me…”

What does Manami want from me? Is this her revenge or something?

“Anyway, moving on!”

“What’s up?”

“The study camp ends tomorrow, and I’ll be busy helping out with club activities for a while.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Looking at the calendar in Manami’s room, her schedule is packed with helper duties until the end of summer break.

“Onee-chan doesn’t seem that busy, though.”

“Really?”

I thought she’d be going somewhere with Rikako and the others.

“Other than me, you’re the closest to family for her right now, aren’t you, Kouki-nii?”

“Is that… true?”

Closest to family.

Somehow, that feels like the right way to describe my relationship with Aisa.

“Alright then, you can’t let Onee-chan feel lonely, okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, send her casual messages every day, or call her… You weren’t planning to send her anything, were you, Kouki-nii!”

Aisa has started sending me messages occasionally, but I never thought about sending them just for the sake of it.

“Wouldn’t that… be annoying?”

“All close guys and girls do that!”

“Really…? You too, Manami?”

“Don’t worry about me!”

“Right…”

That wasn’t very convincing.

“Anyway! Just keep in touch with her regularly, okay?”

“What kind of stuff should I even send…?”

“Hmm… Oh, how about my awesome achievements?”

“Wouldn’t Aisa be the one sending those?”

“Oh…”

In the end, I wasn’t sure what to do, but Manami strictly ordered me to keep in touch regularly during the second half of summer break.

Well, it’s Manami we’re talking about. She’s probably told Aisa something similar, so it might be fine to go along with it.

If things work out, I was starting to think it’d be nice to go to the movies again, maybe, if the timing’s right.

◇

“I’m done!”

“You worked hard, huh?”

“Ehehe! Praise me more!”

Study camp, day three.

By noon on the final day, Manami had diligently finished all her remaining homework.

With helper duties starting tomorrow, Manami showed incredible focus, leaving me with absolutely nothing to do by her side.

I was just reading a novel Aisa lent me.

“That was faster than I expected.”

“Today’s basically my last day of summer break! Let’s go out, Kou-nii!”

“Oh, sounds good. Wanna go somewhere?”

“Really!?”

“Why are you surprised when you’re the one who suggested it…?”

Since she finished early, it’s only fair.

Honestly, I feel like the allowance I got for doing nothing should be spent on this.

“Yay! Onee-chaaan!”

Manami dashes out of the room.

Looks like it’s gonna be the three of us.

◇

“…”

“…”

“Ehehe!”

On the way to the bus stop, Manami somehow ends up between me and Aisa, grabbing both our hands.

Meanwhile, Aisa and I feel a bit awkward. Maybe it’s the aftermath of yesterday.

I’m too embarrassed to even look at Aisa, so having Manami here is honestly a relief.

“So, have you decided where we’re going?”

“Hmm, you guys just went to the movies, so maybe not that…”

We haven’t settled on a specific destination, but we need to head to the station anyway, and there’s plenty to do there, so we’re just going with the flow and heading to the station area.

“Kouki, don’t you have somewhere you want to go?”

Aisa asks without looking at me.

“Huh? Well, today’s kinda like Manami’s reward, so I’m fine with wherever she wants to go.”

“Fair enough.”

Both Aisa and I brought clothes that are easy to move in, since Manami’s favorite places usually involve physical activity.

“Is it okay if we take the train for a bit?”

“Yeah, no problem.”

But the place Manami suggests is unexpected.

“So, I wanna go to the aquarium!”

The first thing that pops into my head is an image of Manami getting lost in the dark at top speed, with me and Aisa searching for her.

She’s got a track record, after all…

“Sounds nice. It’s been a while. Just don’t get lost, okay?”

“Onee-chan! I’m grown up now! Right, Kou-nii?”

“Sorry, that’s the first thing I thought of too.”

“Ugh!”

Manami playfully taps my arm in protest.

She’s got the strength under control today.

“We’ve got phones now, so we can contact each other right away!”

“True. Even Manami wouldn’t get so caught up and wander off alone anymore… right?”

“Yeah, she’s not gonna follow the penguin parade and disappear, is she?”

“Ughhh!!!”

Her second protest has a bit more force behind it.

◇

“No way…”

“That was faster than I expected…”

We arrive, get tickets, enter, and within five minutes, Manami vanishes from sight.

“Well… when that girl gets serious, we can’t keep up with her, can we?”

“That’s true, but still.”

We’d agreed to meet up at the dolphin show if worst came to worst, so that’s something.

The signal inside is spotty, so our phones are pretty much useless.

“What do we do…?”

“Kouki, are you saying you don’t want to be alone with me?”

“Huh? No way, that’s not it.”

“I see.”

Honestly, I’d be happy to be alone with her or whatever, but I’m just not mentally prepared for it this time.

“Then, since we’re here, until the dolphin show…”

“Yeah.”

That’s really our only option.

We’re already here, so we might as well enjoy it. No need to wait at the dolphin show venue the whole time.

“Manami’s the type who can have fun on her own…”

“True.”

It’s easy to picture Manami excitedly mingling with little kids.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah.”

Naturally, without any awkwardness, Aisa reaches out her hand to me.

“…We don’t want to get separated too, right?”

Looking slightly downward, but still holding her hand out to me, Aisa says.

“Right…”

I take her hand, and we start walking through the aquarium.

We stroll slowly through a section of tropical fish that feel vaguely familiar, lit by dim lights.

We’ve already given up on looking for Manami.

“Kouki, these are from way back…”

“Oh, yeah, nostalgic.”

Angelfish.

A tropical fish we begged our parents to get once. All I remember is how tough it was to change the water and the shock of seeing them gobble up their own eggs, but back then, Aisa used to come over a lot and dote on the fish in the tank by the entrance.

“Should we get some again…?”

“Nah, those were way too much work…”

“They’re pretty, though.”

“Yeah.”

Thinking about it, the effort to maintain this many fish in an aquarium must be insane…

As we keep going, we come across a section that’s practically bursting with greenery, screaming jungle vibes.

“Kouki, you’re into this kind of thing, right?”

She’s got me figured out. But come on, doesn’t every guy get a little hyped up by stuff like this?

The freshwater section was teeming with huge fish swimming together, and just that alone got my excitement through the roof. But to top it off, they say if you look hard enough, you might even spot an iguana up in the trees, so naturally, I couldn’t help but start searching.

“Manami seems like the type to hang out in a place like this, huh?”

“Like, I can totally picture her up in one of those trees without it seeming out of place.”

“That’s a bit harsh… but I can’t exactly say it’s impossible, which is kinda scary.”

Still, the fact that I could so easily imagine Manami hunting for iguanas or blending into the jungle was, in its own way, a little unnerving.

While chatting about such silly things, we confirmed we’d gotten comfortable enough to talk like this, just the two of us, and enjoyed the aquarium in our own way.

◇

In the end, we got so caught up looking for iguanas that the dolphin show’s start time snuck up on us in no time.

“Sorry about that.”

“Hehe, it’s fine. I was actually thinking it’s kinda cute how into it you got.”

Being told that so directly made me feel all flustered.

There’s something unfair about how Aisa occasionally shows this motherly side of her.

“Let’s go find Manami.”

I tried to change the subject to cover my embarrassment.

“Yeah, knowing Manami, she’s probably right up front…”

The dolphin show gets you wet.

That’s why the seats, starting from the third row or so where you’re less likely to get soaked, fill up first.

“Hey, Kouki-nii! Onee-chan!”

“Of course…”

Manami had claimed a spot right in the dead center of the front row in the semicircle of seats.

“Guess we’re buying raincoats, huh?”

“Yeah…”

Neither of us had any intention of dragging Manami out of there, so we were in agreement about getting raincoats.

“I’ll go grab them, so you head over first.”

“Money?”

“It’s Manami’s reward today, so don’t worry about it.”

I brushed off Aisa, who looked like she wanted to say something, and headed to the shop. She’s definitely gonna try to pay me back later, though.

“Oh…”

What if some guys try to hit on them while I’m gone? Nah, there probably aren’t many dudes coming to an aquarium alone.

I glanced back to check, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Still, I hurried through the purchase and got back, only to find Manami had vanished again.

“Why?”

“Uh… she followed one of the staff members?”

Aisa seemed just as confused.

“No way…”

Before I could think it through, the music announcing the start of the show blared out.

“Here, take this.”

“Thanks.”

I handed her a raincoat, and we took our seats. The dolphins came out, splashing water our way with gusto.

“We’re getting wet already…”

“Good thing we got these, huh?”

If Manami wasn’t here, we could’ve just moved back, but it was too late for that now.

“Hey, everyone! Hell-ooo!”

“Oh, that person.”

“What’s up?”

“Yeah, that’s the one Manami followed.”

After the dolphins had their fun, a cheerful staff member took the stage, her voice ringing out energetically.

“That’s her…?”

“Yup.”

Well, that settles it.

“Today’s guest is so cute, even the dolphins are shocked!”

This dolphin show always picks volunteers from the audience to join in.

It’s usually for little kids, but Manami might’ve just barely made the cut.

I mean, her vibe does give off this youthful aura…

“And now, let’s give it up for Manami-chan!”

“Alright!”

Yup, it’s definitely Manami.

“Okay, Manami-chan, can you raise your right hand?”

“Like this?”

Manami raised her right hand as instructed.

The three dolphins in front mimicked her, raising their right fins.

“Now wave it!”

“Okay!”

As Manami waved her hand back and forth, the dolphins slapped the water with their fins in sync.

It was an adorable sight.

“Great job! Now try moving however you want!”

“However I want?”

“The dolphins will copy you!”

I caught Manami’s grin from here.

A bad feeling hit me, and I hurriedly fastened the buttons on my raincoat.

“Got it! Here goes!”

Manami replied with gusto and launched into the air.

She spun backward in a full rotation mid-air before landing.

A backflip, basically.

“Huh…?”

The staff member froze.

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

And then…

—SPLASH!

The three dolphins perfectly copied Manami’s move, drenching us beyond what our raincoats could handle.

◇

“That was so fun!”

Manami kept pulling off unexpected moves on stage, hyping up the show even more.

All that excitement meant the water kept coming, too. According to the announcer, they lost five times the usual amount of water.

“We’re soaked.”

“You… actually seem kinda okay.”

“I was wearing Manami’s share, too.”

Buying three raincoats wasn’t a waste after all. For better or worse…

Aisa had brought a towel, so we wiped ourselves down enough to walk without issue.

“Thanks.”

“Good thing I came prepared, huh?”

She really is a reliable big sister.

Finally, the three of us started wandering the aquarium together again.

There were tons of fun spots, like the jellyfish section.

I’m not sure how I feel about getting that excited over iguanas at an aquarium, though. Is that even what aquariums are for…?

Oh well. Right now, that’s not the issue…

“Where’s Manami?”

“Round two, huh…”

Manami had disappeared again.

◆【Aisa’s Perspective】

“So, Onee-chan, did you actually ask him?”

“Well…”

While Kouki was off at the bathroom, Manami whispered in my ear, and I couldn’t find any words to respond.

“Ugh! What was the point of setting you two up like that?!”

“I’m sorry…”

“Okay, it’s not like I meant to leave you two alone. I just looked up, and both of them were gone, so I was kinda shocked myself!”

Watching Manami, I could tell she wasn’t just saying it to be nice, which actually made me worry more. As her older sister…

“Anyway! It’s all up to you now, Onee-chan!”

“Ugh…”

I know.

This summer—no, long before that—my feelings have been crystal clear.

What I’m lacking is resolve. And courage.

“You got this.”

“Huh? Wait, Manami?”

“Hehe, I’ve got a few more things I wanna check out, so you two take your time!”

Sheesh…

I’m such a hopeless sister.

To think I’m making my little sister go this far for me.

“I’ve gotta try…”

All I need to do is invite him to the fireworks.

The festival and fireworks show, packed with food stalls.

For locals, it’s the grand finale of summer, a huge event. Not just for us, but people come from all over, crowding the station like crazy…

“After all those invites, I have to ask him… I can do this!”

I psych myself up.

Were the people who invited me feeling like this, too?

If so, I feel a little guilty.

“If he says no… I might not recover.”

That’s why I’ve never been able to ask him myself, always relying on momentum or Manami’s help.

But the fireworks festival is summer’s final event.

“I’ve gotta do this…”

The anxiety and pressure feel like they’re crushing me.

Do I look weird right now?

But Manami, my usual savior, isn’t here to help.

What do I do…

Just as my mustered courage started to deflate, Kouki came back.

“Sorry, kept you waiting… Where’s Manami?”

“Round two, huh…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say she left to give us space, so I just answered vaguely.

“Ha… Guess it’s just us for a bit.”

Kouki’s casual smile as he said that made my heart skip a beat.

So unfair… I’m a nervous wreck, and he’s just standing there, all calm and composed…

In that moment, for some reason, the words just slipped out.

“Hey, about the fireworks festival?”

“Oh?”

Kouki mumbled vaguely. Even that clueless expression looked cool and cute to me…

I’m done for.

I’m in love. I’m in love with Kouki.

“Is your schedule… free?”

What if he already got plans?

What if he’s going with Takizawa-kun, who’s always with him, or maybe even some girls?

Or what if some underclassman girl asked him first?

Manami said Kouki’s popular with younger girls… and besides…

All sorts of unpleasant possibilities flash through my mind, refusing to let go.

I want to hear Kouki’s answer, yet I can’t help but want to shut my ears.

I didn’t want to hand him over to anyone.

Kouki’s answer is…

“I’m free.”

“That’s great.”

Really. But there’s no time to feel relieved.

“Is Manami the one saying we should go?”

“No…”

As expected, my resolve hasn’t reached Kouki.

The real effort starts now.

“How about… we go together?”

Kouki freezes.

This response is the most critical moment.

In what feels like an eternity, Kouki stays silent, looking away, scratching his reddened cheek before finally saying,

“Is that… okay?”

“Of course it’s okay, that’s why I’m asking!”

“O-Okay…”

I end up snapping back a bit harshly.

But come on, Kouki’s partly to blame for this, right? Thinking that, my mouth moves on its own.

“So, what’s it gonna be? Are you going or not?”

“I’m going! I’ll go!”

…Yes!

“Th-Then… we’ll talk details later, okay…?”

“Yeah…”

“Ah! Onee-chan! Kou-nii!”

As if on cue, Manami calls out to us.

I can’t thank Manami enough, seriously.

I did it, Manami. I really tried.

◇

“Well, well, well! You two are going to the fireworks festival together, huh?”

Somehow, Manami saw through it instantly—or maybe she already knew, given her attitude.

“So, don’t you wanna see Onee-chan in a yukata…?”

Because I was looking at Aisa, I could almost picture her in a yukata. What’s this… my heart’s racing like crazy.

The fireworks festival—Aisa must’ve gotten a ridiculous number of invites. Ever since April, people have probably been trying to reserve that day with her.

To the people in this area, the fireworks festival holds that much significance.

“Ehehe! Congrats, Onee-chan!”

In this case, I’m definitely the lucky one here… I know Aisa turned down every single one of those invites.

Never in a million years did I think it’d come back around to me like this.

“Oh, Kouki-nii, do you have a yukata?”

“I don’t think so…?”

“Then you better buy one before the day! It’d be a waste if you don’t match Onee-chan’s yukata!”

“That’s true…”

A yukata, huh…

Maybe they sell them at the department store by the station.

“No, you know what? Let’s go now! We’ve still got time, right?”

“Now!?”

“Yup! If we go now, we can pick one out together! Right?”

Manami says, tugging at my hand.

I was planning to go along with wherever Manami wanted today, but is this okay?

“Let’s go.”

“Got it.”

Since Aisa’s confirming it, this must be where Manami wants to go most right now.

I let Manami drag us along, following obediently.

◇

“They’ve got everything here!”

Back at the local station, we head into the department store, where a yukata section is set up just in time for the season.

We’re both keeping an eye on Manami to make sure she doesn’t get too excited and wander off.

“Nyahaha! It’s fine, it’s fine! Right now, Kou-nii’s the priority!”

“If you say so…”

“Hmm, what color was Onee-chan’s yukata again?”

“Uh? Um… I think it’s navy… and maybe some pink in there?”

“Right, right! Then we gotta pick something that matches!”

They say girls love shopping, but does that apply even when it’s not for themselves?

Watching them, it sure seems like it.

“Onee-chan, how about this one? It’d look great on Kou-nii!”

“Maybe. But this one over here might be nicer.”

“Oh, good call!”

Before I know it, I’m completely sidelined as they narrow down the options.

Well, I don’t really have strong opinions beyond the color, so having them pick is honestly helpful.

“For now, Kouki, try this one on.”

“I don’t even know how to put on a yukata.”

As I stand there clueless, an older lady from the store appears behind me like she was waiting for this moment.

“Right this way, sir.”

“Huh?”

“Let us know when you’re done!”

I’m dragged to the fitting room while Manami and Aisa are still engrossed in picking out yukatas, debating this and that.

“Lucky you, surrounded by two lovely ladies.”

“Haha…”

“You’re tall and have a nice build, sir. It’s a pleasure to dress you.”

“Uh, thanks…”

I’m at a loss for words. But she’s a pro, chatting away while tying the yukata in no time.

“Men’s obi are easy to tie, so you’ll get the hang of it quickly.”

“Really?”

“If you’re nervous on the day, come back, and we’ll help you out.”

That’s reassuring.

Anyway, I’ve got the yukata on, so I start to call for Aisa and Manami, but the lady’s already gone to fetch them.

“You look… cool…”

Aisa’s quiet comment catches me off guard, making my heart skip.

No, wait, she was talking about the yukata, not me.

Calm down, me.

Don’t get cocky.

Aisa’s been hit on by countless hot guys—there’s no way she’d say that about me.

…Alright, I’m calm.

“It really suits you, Kou-nii!”

Manami comes closer, touching the sleeve of the yukata as she speaks.

“A calm color suits you best, after all.”

Aisa’s back to her usual tone, as if that earlier comment never happened.

The first one they put me in is a simple black-based design.

Good. There was one with gold dragons embroidered on it, but thankfully, it’s not that.

While we’re at it, the lady brings over another yukata and obi.

“This might suit you too, sir. The base is subtle, so with a pop of color…”

“Oh, if we swap the obi for this one…”

“Nice, nice!”

“I see. Then let’s try this next…”

Even the lady’s getting swept up in their excitement.

My role here is… well, whatever, it’s fine.

Seeing them have fun makes it worth it.

 

In the end, I tried on about five yukatas but went with the first black one, the calm design.

Trying on five taught me the basics of putting on a yukata, so that’s a plus.