SCPK 42

Chapter 42 

Underclassmen and the Pool (Part 4)

“Alright, we’ll head home this way!”

“I will too. Senpai, thank you for today!”

Evening.
A lot had happened, but in the end, it had been a fun day.
Sera-san and Urihara-san said they had somewhere else to stop by, so they took a different route home.

…I can’t help but feel they’re intentionally leaving me alone with Tsukiyo.

And as for Tsukiyo herself—

“Mmm…”
“Are you in a bad mood or something?”
“You kept talking to Umi-chan and Kinori instead of me.”

What is this adorable creature? Even a sulking princess like her is god-tier cute!

“But since summer started… I think the girl I’ve talked with the most is you, Tsukiyo.”
“And for me, the man I talk with the most is Taiyo-san… But today, we barely talked.”

Well, I was the one watching the locker stuff.
And right after the swimsuit incident, Sera-san whisked Tsukiyo away, so we hadn’t really talked much since.

It’s already six o’clock… too late to go anywhere now.
Dinner? Nah, that doesn’t quite feel right.
Then… there’s really only one thing left I can do. Time to muster up some courage.

“…Tsukiyo.”
“Yes?”
“Um… well… if you really want to talk that much…”

Ah crap, I’m getting nervous.
No, I can’t back down. I do want to talk more with her.

“How about… we go on a second date next weekend?”

Tsukiyo stopped walking.
It was like time itself froze—everything around us went still.

Maybe that was too sudden…
Fear of rejection started to creep in, and I hurriedly tried to cover myself.

“I-I mean, if that’s no good—”

“I’d love to. Thank you… for inviting me. I’m really, really happy!”
“Guh—!”

At her words, time began to flow again.
Under the glowing evening sky, Tsukiyo clasped her hands over her chest as if in prayer, her smile radiant and overflowing with joy.
She was so beautiful I had to swallow hard. My face went red—I wanted to hold her, right then and there.

“Taiyo-san, your face is all red. Fufu.”
“Shut up! I’ve never actually said something like that out loud before!”

Tsukiyo leaned in close, peering up at my blushing face.
Ahh, seriously, I can’t win against this girl…
And the way she keeps leaning in like that—it’s too cute, making it impossible for me to calm down. Damn it.

“Ah, next time, please wear something easy to move in.”
“That’s my line.”

On the walk home from the pool, Tsukiyo and I shared a calm, gentle atmosphere.
The sky was painted by the sunset, and though September had begun, things between us continued to move forward unchanged.

“You didn’t ask to take any pictures today.”
“Wait—does that mean I can take one!? I really want a picture of you in that swimsuit.”
“N-no way! Absolutely not!”

Rejected.