July.
The hot summer has arrived in our town.
Even our attire for cycling has changed from long sleeves to short-sleeved shirts. We feel the warm breeze against our skin as we rush through the school route.
Maybe because of the heat, Yamato hasn’t lately been resting his head on my back.
But for some reason… I felt a little lonely without that gesture.
I really wanted him to lean on me…
From around this time, my feelings towards Yamato started to change little by little, and I spent days not understanding what these feelings were.
Insisting that “what’s yours is mine” and not returning my glasses… Yamato continues to wear those glasses, never parting with them…
The excitement I felt when he tied the friendship bracelet, the cool gestures and actions of Yamato that I admired…
And sometimes, his shy blush, his slightly cute expression…
Various emotions were entwined within me, but more than anything, I didn’t want to disrupt this relationship with Yamato, even if it meant hiding my Omega status.
I want to continue being close friends with Yamato forever… With that determination, the hot July passed by.
* * *
One lunch break day.
As usual, we were enjoying bread and juice from the school store when Shun came to us with a smirk on his face, ready to share some news with Yamato and me.
“Hehehe! Listen up, you two! Prepare to be amazed!”
“W-What is it…? Quit being so noisy…”
“Guess what? I got myself a girlfriend!! Woo-hoo!!”
Along with the end of the Inter-High, Shun seems to have started dating the female manager he had been fond of, who had finished his club activities!
Moreover, as I listened closely, it turned out they both had feelings for each other! It’s really wonderful that they’ve liked each other for so long!
For Shun, who had been focused solely on club activities, it seemed like a second youth had begun.
“Shun! I’m really happy for you! Seeing you happy makes me happy too!”
I expressed my joy for Shun with a beaming smile, and he blushed and thanked me shyly.
And then, as usual, Shun teased us.
“Well, you two might be a perfect match, but you can’t beat us!”
“”…D-Don’t be ridiculous!””
Both Yamato and I responded in unison as our cheeks flushed involuntarily…
Shun continued to tease us with a laugh, seeing us like that.
“You two really are in sync, aren’t you?”
Well… Shun is such a goof…
But maybe, deep down, I was happy… Maybe I still have feelings for Yamato…
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Is this what it feels like to like someone…?
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* * *
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“Lfs, uesr, P’w ublcu ab atf rewwfg ofralnji klat ws ulgioglfcv obg atf olgra alwf!! Qbbtbb!! P’w rb tjqqs!”
Shun sparkled with happiness, while Yamato seemed slightly amused with a faint smile.
The summer festival… Yes, the big summer festival held in our town every year is scheduled for the day after the closing ceremony this year.
The whole town gets into festival mode, with fireworks lighting up the sky and portable shrines parading through the streets.
The last summer festival of our high school lives… huh…
Just then, in high spirits, Shun teased us once again.
“You guys should go together too! You’ve become good friends, haven’t you?”
“W-What are you talking about!”
Once again, Yamato and I were in perfect harmony… Shun pointed at us while laughing with his eyes squinted shut.
This guy…!! I’m going to give him a piece of my mind soon…!!
While thinking such thoughts about Shun, my heart was pounding… If I could go to the festival with Yamato, that would be fun and happy too…
Does Yamato want to go to the festival…?
Will he agree to go with me…?
I gathered my courage and spoke to Yamato, ignoring Shun’s laughter.
“Um, Yamato…! W-Would you… like to go to the festival with me?”
My cheeks were burning, more than I expected… Just inviting Yamato made me so nervous… Why am I feeling this way all of a sudden…?
I’ve never felt like this before…
And then, Yamato nervously blushed as he ran his hand through his hair…
So that’s it… Yamato runs his hand through his hair when he’s embarrassed… Each little gesture of Yamato’s that I hadn’t paid much attention to before now seems to captivate me…
“If Yuto wants to go, I guess I have no choice but to go with him.”
Yamato was embarrassed and not entirely honest… Why is he blushing and acting shy too…?
There were still some aspects of Yamato’s emotions that I couldn’t understand, but I was happier than anything to hear him agree to go with me…
“Yuto! That’s great!”
As Shun slapped my shoulder with considerable force, I finally found the perfect timing to strike back.
If I let him keep talking… this guy…!
“But hey, Shun? If you fail the end-of-term tests before summer vacation… the day of the festival will be… for supplementary classes!”
Shun’s momentum suddenly receded with my sarcastic remark, and he paled as he groaned in dismay.
After seeing his expression, Yamato looked at Shun with a somewhat satisfied expression, as if saying serves you right.
“Aaaaah… My summer festival…!!!”
“Then! You better start studying right now, without sleeping!♪”
Shun wilted even more as he added insult to injury as I piled on… Seeing him like that, Yamato started laughing back loudly.
I really do love this atmosphere.
And I can’t afford to be careless anymore!
If I get a failing grade too, I won’t be able to go to the festival with Yamato!!
From that day on, neither during class nor during study time did I allow myself to doze off, watching Shun throw himself into his studies with desperation… Both Yamato and I realized the power of love… and before we knew it, the end-of-term tests came to a close.
* * *
Closing ceremony.
In the blink of an eye, our first semester is coming to an end.
And so, there’s this bizarre tradition at our high school where the results of the end-of-term tests are announced during the closing ceremony, determining whether we’re headed for heaven or hell right before summer vacation… It’s a cruel system where you find out whether you’re going to paradise or purgatory.
But my performance left me without any sensation of failing, so heaven was pretty much guaranteed for me. However, Shun was sitting next to me, as he seemed restless and unsettled.
Well, it’s understandable. If it’s purgatory for him, he won’t get to enjoy lovey-dovey dates with his girlfriend…
In contrast, Yamato has turned his back to me, as if lost in thought.
Yamato… Yamato wouldn’t… fail, right?
He wouldn’t… not be able to go to the festival with me, right?
The final homeroom of the semester began with each of us harboring different thoughts.
It was an unusual style where the test papers were returned by the homeroom teacher for all subjects.
The answer sheets were returned as we were called in order of our attendance numbers… Since we were called last, I couldn’t calm my nerves while observing the situation around me.
And then, it was finally my turn…
My heart was pounding as I took hold of my answer sheet and checked everything… I couldn’t help worrying about others, but if I ended up failing, I wouldn’t be able to go to the festival with Yamato…
The result was… Phew… It was good…
Without a single failing grade, I safely secured my ticket to paradise.
And when I turned to look at Shun next to me, his face was incredibly refreshed… Yes, Shun didn’t fail either!
“Yes!! I can go to the summer festival!”
“Shun! That’s great!! All your hard work paid off!”
I genuinely congratulated Shun with a smile on his joy, but in the meantime, Yamato didn’t try to join our conversation…
And after all the answer sheets were handed out, the overall ranking list for the entire third year was posted in the hallway.
Who ranked first in the end-of-term tests…
I had never once made it onto that ranking list, and I didn’t have the brains for it… Though it’s a bit self-deprecating, I’m quite ordinary.
I might actually be on there while saying that! I would anxiously check the ranking list every time with such faint hope, my heart pounding…
“Hey! Yamato, let’s go see the ranking list!”
I called out to Yamato, who hadn’t joined in the conversation at all, but he didn’t seem enthusiastic.
I asked Shun to go see the ranking list with me, feeling it wouldn’t be right to forcibly drag him along while he seemed lost in thought.
Yes… I had no idea that I would be left speechless after looking at the ranking list, not even for a moment at that time…
* * *
On the way home that day.
The closing ceremony ended quite early, around noon, and with no failing grades, Shun bid us farewell and happily set off home with his girlfriend, knowing he could enjoy his summer vacation to the fullest.
Yamato and I rode our bikes as usual as we were racing through the still-hot streets.
Tomorrow, Yamato and I had secured our tickets to paradise, being able to go to the festival… However, I wasn’t sure if I should mention the test to Yamato.
“I’m fine…”
Despite the fact that with such a rank, one would normally want to go see the ranking list, Yamato showed absolutely no interest in it…
On the other hand, as I looked at the ranking list, I couldn’t understand why Yamato couldn’t share in my joy… My feelings were all muddled up, and I did not know why.
Should I ask…?
Why couldn’t you be happy…?
I gathered my courage and called out to Yamato.
“Yamato?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Why didn’t you want to see the ranking list…?”
“…”
Perhaps… It seemed like it would be better not to ask that question… At that moment, I realized for the first time that there was something in Yamato’s heart that prevented him from feeling joy, even if he wanted to…
“Yamato, I’m sorry! Let’s just forget what I asked…!”
“…Hey, Yuto…?”
“Huh!? What is it?”
“…Do you have time after this?”
Today, there’s no part-time job… And I could sense Yamato desperately trying to change the subject…
I gently brushed aside my earlier questions, not wanting things to feel awkward, and instead, I told Yamato that I had time.
“…Then, shall we prepare for tomorrow?”
“Hmm…? Prepare for tomorrow?”
“Yeah, for the festival.”
Either way, we were going to the festival tomorrow.
But what did he mean by prepared?
I obediently rode my bike as Yamato directed and headed towards the clothing store.
