CH 35

The fact that Tachibana unsuccessfully attacked a female student and assaulted a male student who defended her was all over the news.

The students who had looked up to him as a good coach were shocked, and the vice principal and others who put the school’s reputation above all else were struggling to deal with the situation.

And then there was more news. Tachibana’s father, who is apparently the president of a rather large company, has been arrested for illegal activities, as if triggered by Tachibana’s arrest. Ayana and I had been concerned only about Tachibana, but we were surprised to hear that his father had also been arrested in the same way.

“I’m just saying that you shouldn’t do bad things because you’ll always be caught doing them.”

Kanzaki-san said this with a happy smile on her face, but somehow it scared me to think that she must have been involved in this. According to Mom, no child would be so reassuring if she were on our side.

I have many things on my mind, but I don’t want to step into the scary adult world. Well, there is no preparation for the sports festival today, but I am outside. Of course, Ayana was next to me.

“It’s hot, as I thought.”

“Yeah …… I hate it when the wind blows and it’s warm.”

When the wind blows and hits my cheeks, it’s a warm breeze,……,Yeah, on a day like this, it’s best to relax in an air-conditioned room. But there is a reason why Ayana and I are outside.

“I think it was room 205.”

“I believe it was.”

The main reason we are here is to visit Aisaka in the hospital.

Aisaka was beaten and kicked by Tachibana, but although he was fine, he was told to stay in the hospital for a few days. I had originally planned to visit him, but I also received a message from Aisaka asking me to visit him because he was bored to death.

“Speaking of which, Mari-chan said she was going too.”

“I see.”

“Yes, I think Mari-chan still feels responsible. “

It is undoubtedly a fact that Tachibana is to blame for this. It seems that Mari feels quite responsible, thinking that it was her fault that Aisaka got hurt instead of her. Aisaka seems to have been telling her that it’s not like that, but… Oh, I arrived at the hospital before I knew it.

I check Aisaka’s hospital room at the reception desk just to be sure, and head for that room with Ayana.

“….?”

“Towa-kun?”

When I approached the hospital room where Aisaka was, I could hear voices coming from inside. It was probably Mari who had arrived, but her voice sounded like she was crying or something. I stopped in my tracks and listened.

[I’m so glad Aisaka-senpai is okay…!!]

[Haha… well, I’m glad I was able to protect Uchida-san. I’m really glad.]

It seemed like Aisaka was comforting Mari while she was crying.

“…..I don’t know if this is good or bad timing.”

“Yeah, let’s wait a little.”

Ayana and I chuckled and waited for some time to pass. When the two finished talking, Ayana and I entered the room, but we happened to catch Aisaka stroking Mari’s head.

“Oh…”

“Fufu, well well, would you look at this.”

Ayana seemed to be enjoying the situation, while Mari’s face turned bright red as she moved away from Aisaka’s touch. Aisaka, on the other hand, quickly pulled away his hand. But she forgot that he was injured.

“!.. Not good… my side…”

“A-Aisaka-senpai!”

The expressions of the two changed like a comedy routine. I let out a small sigh and placed the fruit basket that I had been carrying on the desk.

“Here’s a get-well present.”

“I’m sorry, Yukishiro, and also Otonashi-san.”

“No, no, I’m just glad Aisaka-kun is feeling better.”

As Ayana said, I was really relieved that he wasn’t seriously injured. Aisaka’s stomach growled as he looked at the fruit, and Mari laughed beside him. Well, he’s still growing so maybe the hospital food isn’t enough for him. I also bought a tool to easily peel apples, so it was perfect.

“Oh, let me do it!”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Okay!”

Mari was peeling an apple and feeding it to Aisaka, but every time he took a bite, his face turned bright red, so Mari tilted her head each time. It was such an innocent exchange between the two that both Ayana and I couldn’t help but smile.

“What are you so bored you’re dying? But isn’t Mari here with you?”

“Well, that’s really great and all, but I still feel like hanging out with my guy friends, you know?”

“Fufu, he is happy when Mari-chan is here”

“R-really!? Then I’ll come visit as often as I can!”

“Oh, no need to go out of your way for that–“

“…Is it bothering you?”

“No way, not at all! You can come visit anytime–aaahhhh!?”

“Oh, Senpai!?”

And so, the comedy duo-like banter begins again. Watching them, I can’t help but feel that these two make a great pair. Ayana is also watching with a smile, and maybe we’re all thinking the same thing.

We chat for a while longer as a group of four, and then Ayana and I say our goodbyes, leaving Aisaka and Mari alone in the hospital room.

“It’s good to see that Aisaka-kun is looking better. And Mari-chan’s expression seemed to clear up a bit too.”

“Yeah. It’s been a tough road, but it’s nice to see them both smiling.”

…As someone who knows a world that might have been, I can’t help but wonder. In that world, it might have been Tachibana who attacked Mari, and Aisaka who suffered like Shu.

“…So does that mean the person who would have hurt Mari originally won’t come after her now?”

I verbalize my thoughts and begin to question them. If things have changed like this, maybe we should still be cautious about any potential reverberations.

“Is something on your mind, Towa-kun?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Let’s keep that thought in the back of my mind. I don’t want to be so preoccupied that I can’t protect the most important person right next to me.

After leaving the hospital, we didn’t have any other plans, so we decided to head my home. On the way, Ayana suggested something.

“Towa-kun, how about we go to the pool next time?”

I immediately agreed to her invitation. It’s the perfect season for it, and I remember a new pool facility opening up recently. We’ll decide when to go later. As for the rest of the day, Ayana has been staying over frequently lately, so she’ll be heading back home today.

“Well then, Towa-kun, I’ll contact you later tonight.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

Even though we’re in a relationship, it might be a bit too frequent for high schoolers to be staying over this much. But I don’t really mind, and our parents don’t seem to either… It’s a bit of a luxurious problem, isn’t it?

“Ah, well… It’s a small thing to worry about.”

I muttered quietly.

Summer vacation has just started, and we’ll be making lots of memories together. This year, the year I got together with Ayana, is special, so let’s create many wonderful memories that we’ll never forget.

Ayana was thinking back on the events of the day when Towa dropped her off at home. She was happy to see Mari, a junior student, smiling, and Aisaka, a friend of Towa’s, was doing well. As Towa thought, there are some things about Eto see that are bothering her, but she would like to hear about them if she ever has the chance.

On the way home today, Ayana promised to go to the pool with Towa. Going to the pool means she needs a swimsuit,…… Ayana opens her closet and takes out the swimsuit she wore last year.

“Is it better to buy a new one? But if I can still wear last year’s, it’s fine, right?”

It was a white-based bikini swimsuit that looked great on Ayana, contrasting with her black hair. When she went shopping with Towa, he saw her try it on and it got the best reaction. Ayana stood in front of the mirror with the swimsuit in hand.

“I’m particularly careful about maintaining my figure, so there shouldn’t be any worries…I’m not overweight!”

With this type of swimsuit, waist size might not matter much, but Ayana was determined and took off her clothes. The bottom was easy to put on…so how about the top?

Although it was big, the shape was not distorted, and it could be said to be the ideal shape, supporting it as Ayana put on the swimsuit and tried to tie the strings on her back, she exclaimed.

“It’s a little tight!”

It was the moment when she hastily decided to go buy a new swimsuit.