Adachi to Shimamura - Volume 6 - Chapter 3.1

Chapter 3 – Problem of Affection

"I've been thinking about this for a while now, but if I had to pick, I'd say that you're a dog, Adachi." 
"Huh?" 
Really? 
Those were the words Shimamura said to me in place of a greeting as I rushed over to her house. 
Why did she think so? Was it me panting heavily and being covered in sweat all over as a result of having pedalled faster than ever before that brought the image of a dog to her mind? I could only assume so. 
Also, I distinctly remembered her saying something similar to me in the past. 
"Hmm..." 
Shimamura appeared to be thinking hard about something, her arms now crossed. Not having even taken my shoes off, I remained like I was there in the doorway, staring back at her. It had been what, two days? Three? I had to say, she really was pretty. Not a very deep or insightful thought, I know, but it was what came to my mind. Whether it was due to the time she'd spent away or what, I could feel her practically gushing with youthfulness. At the same time, I found her taste in shirts just as baffling as ever; today, she was wearing one with a massive picture of a sandwich printed in the middle of it. No text or anything, just a sandwich. 
"Actually, never mind. Let's just move on." 
A hint of regret could be sensed in her voice as she closed her eyes. Let's move on? That was easier said than done considering that I didn't know what she was talking about in the first place. 
"Huh? What? What do you mean?" 
"Hmm. It's really not a good idea, I don't think." 
Mumbling to herself, she once more nodded her head. In no way did this statement answer my question. Then again, that likely wasn't her intention to begin with. 
"I'm really curious now, though." 
"You are? Well, still..." 
Was this all, or was there something more to her words? I simply couldn't tell. 
"It's... It's fine. Yeah. Just try it out", I went ahead and urged her. I didn't even know if this had something to do with me, but my curiosity didn't care. 
The act itself of learning to understand her better brought me incredible joy. 
"Really? Are you sure?" 
"Yeah. Bring... it on?" 
An image of Shimamura from some time ago came to my mind. While I remembered her spreading her arms wide open, there was obviously no way that I could go that far mimicking her. 
I felt my back shivering as lines of sweat dripped down my skin. 
"Well, alright then. Here." 
What she did next was push her hand out towards me, her palm facing the sky. There was nothing on it. Nervously, I waited for something to happen, but nothing did. Instead, Shimamura remained like she was, motionless. 
Her eyes were pointed towards me. It was as if she was waiting for me to act. 
Wait... Could it be? 
So incredibly nervous, I went ahead and placed my hand on top of hers. 
I was offering my paw to her. 
The way she was treating me here—like a dog—combined with her words from earlier caused the warmth inside me to grow ever more intense. 
"Hmm." 
For whatever reason, Shimamura appeared mighty satisfied. 
"It's kinda hot outside, huh? Come on in. I can't stay here for much longer either." 
Having said that, she then guided me inside the house, almost as if I'd passed a ritual of some sort. The way she was behaving, so strangely casual, it felt very—for the lack of a better word—"Shimamura" to me. Did that signal that I was quickly reaching a point of no return? Perhaps. 
Still feeling slightly sad that I'd had to let go of her hand, I took off my shoes before calling out her name. 
"Shimamura." 
The name left my mouth, reached her, and prompted her to glance into my direction. 
It wasn't much of a connection. And yet, it still caused a slight smile to appear on my face. Why was that, I wonder. 
"Welcome back." 
I'd wanted to say that to her in person. For a moment, Shimamura avoided my gaze before herself grinning. 
"Now you're just being silly. Hmm, then again, I guess I did say 'I'm back' when I called you. That was pretty cliched too." 
Using the heels of her feet as a central axis, Shimamura smoothly rotated herself until her entire body was facing me. She then took a light step forward. 
"I'm home, Adachi!" 
It was as if a pile of charcoal had lit up, exploded, and shot out a million tiny fragments. 
I could feel a sharp wave of pain travel through me as a part of my heart I'd thought to be unmovable leapt out of place. 
"Wh-Whoa." 
Bubbles. I could feel the blood in the veins which ran through my neck bubbling. 
My eyes, my heart, they were both being turned inside out by the sensation. 
Shimamura had her arms wrapped around my body. She was hugging me. 
It wasn't that strange. We'd hugged plenty of times in the past. And yet, what made this different was that, for the first time ever, she was the one who'd initiated the hug, not the other way around. A whole new world had been opened to me. A world beneath the waves. 
I felt like I was drowning. I also felt weak and unable to move, almost as if someone had come and removed all the bones in my shoulders. Even there, Shimamura continued patting my back. Softly, her fingers ran through my hair, completely binding me. 
I got the impression that were I to let myself relax here, the bubbles of blood flowing wild inside me might end up shooting out through my mouth. That was not an exaggeration. 
Three times more Shimamura's hand patted my back. 
With each one, I felt myself drown ever further. 
"Or something." 
Having said that, Shimamura gently pulled herself away from me. I couldn't help but let out a short gasp filled with lament as she did so. 
"Yeah. Umm... Right", I added as well, all the while trying my best to remain calm. That was easier said than done as my eyes just kept on spinning. 
Pushing down my right wrist—still bubbling—I found myself just having to ask her the following: 
"Did something good happen while you were away, Shimamura?" 
"Hmm? No, not in particular", she replied softly. "If anything, I became painfully aware of reality." 
For a moment, her gaze fell, and so did her voice. However, nothing followed. She didn't say anything else. I wanted to ask her what she meant, but found myself unable to do so. 
Even so, the look on her face, it really resonated with my heart. I felt like I could spend an eternity staring at it. How beautiful. 
Trying my hardest to resist the temptation to once more hug her, I followed after Shimamura as she walked through the hallway. 
She guided me to her room on the first floor. There, my eyes came across her sister. The girl noticed me back, and quickly, a frown appeared on her face. She then got up, sprinted past us, and exited the room. It went without saying that I wasn't a welcomed visitor. 
To be completely honest with you, Shimamura's little sister was someone I had a lot of trouble dealing with. Why? Well, it was mostly due to her being so similar to myself. What I mean to say is that I could easily read through her act and see what she really thought, and when weighing it all in the context of how I viewed myself, it became clear to me that none of it was positive. No doubt did she want nothing more than for me to disappear and never come back. 
"That girl's a real handful. Seriously", Shimamura stated, followed with a wry laugh. As for me, I didn't laugh. It wasn't really my place to do so, I felt. However, at the same time, I also wasn't going to give up. 
We were talking about Shimamura's family here, yes, but there was definitely a part of me that didn't want to step back. 
"Please don't mind the mess. I just got back so I haven't had the chance to clear things up." 
"It's fine." 
Despite her saying that, it wasn't actually all that messy here. There was the bag she'd used for the trip, and honestly, that was pretty much it. 
An electric fan was spinning on the floor. Shimamura reached for it and turned it into my direction. I was left lowering my head slightly, almost as if bowing to this considerate act. 
"I really didn't think you'd run straight here the moment I called you", she laughed, all the while stretching out her legs. Personally, I didn't find it all that peculiar. Like a finger you were about to flick held in suspension, tension had continued to build up inside me as I waited and waited for her, and once it was released, I'd been flung directly towards her. You could even say that this was the natural outcome. 
"Hmm." 
Stroking her chin, Shimamura glanced at me. She then held out her palm for a second time. 
Sitting next to her, I slowly placed my hand on top of hers. 
"Mmh." 
Once again, a look of satisfaction formed on her face, and in the same way, my heart too was left beating wild. 
I went ahead and gripped her hand so that this time she wouldn't pull it away. The summer's heat made our hands a bit too warm for it to be fully comfortable, but that didn't matter to me. If anything, it was a good thing as feeling her warmth allowed me to tell that she was there even when I wasn't looking. 
Shimamura didn't seem to find it unbearable either as instead of shaking herself free, she chose to remain there by my side. 
Softly, the electric fan continued blowing air in the direction of the days yet to come. 
"Umm... How was it?" 
"How was what?" 
Having blurted the question out without first considering what it was that I actually wanted to know, I was momentarily left struggling as I tried finding the right words to continue. 
"Your grandparents' house, I mean." 
"Oh. Hmm, well." 
Shimamura averted her eyes. I got the impression that this wasn't something she was particularly enthusiastic to talk about. 
"It was fine, I think. More importantly, have you been putting your new swimsuit to use, Adachi?" 
Swiftly, she switched topics, leaving me feeling slightly disappointed that she wasn't willing to open her heart to me. Really, what was it that I needed to do to get to that point? 
Now then, back to her question. Had I been putting the swimsuit to use? Did she mean like, had I gotten into water wearing it? 
The only time I'd worn it was in my room to take a picture of it for her, but that... Wait... Did that count? Maybe? 
Simply thinking about it caused my head to start boiling, and soon, I found myself unable to speak properly. As a result, my reply ended up coming out in the form of a barely comprehensible mumble. 
"Only twice." 
There was the time I'd taken a picture for Shimamura, and also... 
"That's no good. You need to wear it more." 
It was clear to me that there wasn't much thought put into her words. No, she was simply saying stuff for the sake of it. Regardless, if she wanted me to wear it that bad, then I wish she'd give me an opportunity to do so. I came so close to asking her about it before last-second deciding that it was still too soon. 
All of a sudden, Shimamura's phone rang, prompting her to instinctively move to pick up the device. However, having noticed that I too had moved in response, she quickly stopped in her tracks and turned to look at me. Our linked hands formed almost a bridge between us. She opened her mouth as if about to say something, but after a few moments of silence, turned back around and reached for her phone anyway, dragging me along. Even as I was placed in a horribly awkward pose, I still refused to let go of her hand, waiting silently. Based on the short tone, it seemed likely that she'd gotten a text message. But from who? 
Was it from the girl who'd been there by her side during the festival? 
Really, who was that person? What was her relation to Shimamura? I still didn't know the answer to a single one of these questions. Whenever the memory of it came back to me, I always found myself wanting to overload Shimamura with questions, to clear everything up. And yet, just thinking about what I would do were she to answer my million different questions with a single cold stare, it frightened me. It made my blood freeze. 
I didn't even need to put in the effort to practice restraint as the fear and anxiety was more than enough to keep me in check. 
A short giggle left Shimamura's mouth after she checked her phone. Hmm? Was it something funny? She was sharing something which made her laugh with someone who wasn't me, and that alone caused my chest to ache. Black smoke filled my core. I could feel my mind growing cloudy. 
As if having caught on to my feelings, Shimamura showed her phone to me. 
Was this okay? Didn't she need permission from the other person? A part of me wondered this, and yet, I took a peek anyway. 
What was displayed on the screen was a picture of a dog alongside an old woman making a very strange face. 
"This is my grandmother and the dog who lives with her." 
Shimamura's voice sounded very calm as she introduced the two. For both the woman and the dog, it was like she was talking about a family member. 
One glance at the dog made his age clear. His left eye was cloudy, and if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that he could no longer see anything through it. 
As for the woman next to him, pushing her mouth out as if imitating the dog, she appeared to be Shimamura's grandmother. 
I was probably supposed to make a comment here, huh? But what sort of comment? 
"She... looks like she's having a good time." 
"Well, she is that woman's mother, so makes sense." 
Both a sigh and a dry laugh left Shimamura's mouth at the same time. That woman? I could only assume that she was talking about her own mother. The image of her immediately came to my mind. Hmm, yes. Even during our brief encounters, she'd certainly done her fair share of messing around. That left me to wonder: Given that she was her grandchild, did Shimamura too share that same personality? 
Staring at her face, her gentle-looking face, I came to the conclusion that she likely didn't. It just didn't feel right. There, as I was thinking about that, a different sort of emotion passed through my mind. This one caused my tongue to shiver down to its base. 
She really was cute. 
Whether it was the three days I'd spent yearning for her or the situation I found myself in that did it, that I couldn't tell you, but for some reason, all those things that were normally too ordinary to even register in my mind, I was now paying full attention to them. What was this sensation I felt in my chest, like I was floating in an ocean of warmth? It shook me, made me restless, but at the same time, I wanted nothing more than to remain like I was. A pillow of tender warmth quite unlike what you typically experienced during summertime enveloped me. 
"So then, should we do something? I feel like every time, we just end up talking." 
"Huh? Do what?" 
"Hmm, yeah, that's the question", she said while scanning the room. I could see her eyes jump from the TV to the bookshelf and the game consoles stored in it. 
"You don't find this boring?" 
I don't, I replied by cuddling up to her shoulders. 
The fact that I was touching her meant that there was no room left in my mind for such thoughts. 
With my face right next to hers, I was shocked to see just how large Shimamura's eyes appeared. Her gaze remained fixated on me as she opened her mouth. 
"Well, I guess that's fine then." 
Having said that, her shoulders relaxed, allowing my head to rest on them. 
The way her hair tickled my face made me strongly aware of her presence—the fact that she was right there next to me. Each time my body and heart shook, my skin would rub against my clothes. 
Ah. It was there that I remembered it. 
Right. That was I thing. I remembered now. 
"Hmm..." 
What was the correct approach to take here? Remain in comfort or go on a slightly risky venture? 
While I was personally fine with staying like I was, Shimamura on the other hand might find it boring. And that wasn't good. I wanted to do things in a way that wasn't just about me being satisfied, but rather, took her feelings into consideration as well. Broadening my horizons and what have you. I could also remember her saying something similar to me a while back. Then again, no matter how wide my perspective, my outlook on things grew, I couldn't help but imagine that she'd forever be the only one in my view. 
It was really dangerous. There was a good chance that I might end up souring the mood. 
And yet, no matter how dangerous, all bridges existed to be crossed. 
In other words, no matter how dangerous something was, if you didn't cross it, then that something was not a bridge. 
On the flip side, something being a bridge meant—by definition—that it could be crossed. 
Having received the push I'd needed, almost like a sign, I stood up and placed my hands on my clothes. My entire face painted in a bright shade of red, I then went ahead and took off my shirt. My eyes met with Shimamura's, now staring at me in what could best be described as shock, further speeding up the whirlpool of chaos which raged on within my mind. Swallowed by that sensation, I removed the rest of my clothes as well. Just pulled them right off. There was no room to be focusing on the details here. 
No longer wearing either a shirt or a skirt, I was left standing there before her, barely able to maintain my posture. 
I could hear the sound of my blood simmering as my body grew hotter and hotter. 
What I was showing to her was the swimsuit that I'd worn under my clothes. 
"So, umm... What... What do you think?" 
It went without saying, but I didn't have it in me to pull a pose of any kind. Rubbing my legs together, I tried taking a peek at her reaction, but I wasn't even able to do that—to lift my head. Somewhere above me, I could hear her voice. 
"You came wearing your swimsuit?" 
I nodded. 
"To show it off?" 
I nodded again, this time far more shallowly. While a true statement, it didn't tell the entire story. 
I didn't want to show the swimsuit to just anyone, but instead, to her. To Shimamura. 
"Err... Opinions?" 
After a while, I found it in me to lift my jaw just a little bit, only to find Shimamura's gaze focused on my chest area. 
"Hmph." 
What was that "hmph" about? What sort of meaning did it carry? 
"It looks a lot more vivid in person compared to the photo." 
Having said that, she brought her face near my waist and began carefully examining the lower half of the swimsuit. Whoa. 
The world around me began to spin so fast that I couldn't help but imagine that my eyes were literally rotating in their sockets. 
"Well, yeah... Umm... That's because... Because it's blue. White." 
"So is your skin. White, I mean." 
Without a warning, Shimamura went ahead and poked my thigh. I was barely able to stop myself from instinctively jumping into the air. 
An intense feeling of vertigo hit me as all the blood in my body travelled to my head. It was truly a miracle that I was able to stay on my feet. 
"Hmm? Are you okay?" 
"Ah... Ha... Aah... Ha..." 
"Oh, you're saying you aren't", she stated her interpretation out loud. A-And whose fault did she think that was? 
"That was... That was sexual harassment?" 
While originally meant as a joke at least on some level, my words ended up taking the form of a question instead. A faint smile appeared on Shimamura's face in response. 
"Nothing like that. It was just normal." 
"No. It was... sexual harassment." 
Slowly, I sat down on the floor. Why exactly did I choose to kneel? That I couldn't tell you. My tense shoulders and back cramped as I placed my hands on top of my knees. My shoulder blades were especially strained, so strained that I wouldn't be surprised to see them burst through my skin any second now. 
"Ahahaha." 
All of a sudden, Shimamura let out a giggle. I lifted my head, only to find her still laughing. 
"Kinda funny." 
"Oh, umm... Yeah." 
Being funny was... a good thing, right? 
"Now then, why don't we..." I mumbled. How was this in any way related to what we'd been talking about? "Why don't we get in?" 
"Get in?" 
"Yeah..." 
"Us two?" 
"Yes. You and me..." 
"Sorry, I don't follow." 
"The bath..." 
If I had to describe the sensation I felt in a single sentence, I'd say that it was similar to having the area around my eyes be lit on fire. Twice those flames sprung. 
"The bath?" 
Confusion could be heard in Shimamura's voice as she tried to make sense of the situation. A natural reaction, yes, but I wanted to push past it. 
"I just mean... I'm already wearing it." 
"Wearing it?" 
"My swimsuit..." 
Did that make sense? Water, swimsuit, get into water, bath. It did, right? No. No it didn't. Even I had a hard time following the logic here. And yet, it was the only connection I was able to draw. All I could do now was stick to it and wait for Shimamura to decide what she thought. I half-expected her to react the same way she usually did and say something to the effect of "sure, why not". 
However, that was not what I got. Not at all. 
"Ahahaha!" 
Holding her belly, Shimamura burst into laughter. 
"What does that even mean? Seriously. So weird." 
"W-Weird?" 
I'm weird? I tried to add but my voice broke before I could, leaving my words to come out horribly distorted, almost as if someone had grabbed them and snapped them in half. Even I could tell how strange I sounded. 
I didn't have time to ask again, as quickly, Shimamura clarified. 
"The way you think. It's weird. So is the way you act. How did you get that way, I wonder. Whatever the case, it's very... Adachi-like." 
I was strange not only mentally, but also physically? If nothing else, that seemed to be how Shimamura viewed me. I'd really like to appear normal in her eyes, but then again, I suppose the way I was sitting in her room all properly while wearing nothing but a swimsuit did little to advance that goal. The position I'd assumed placed the backs of my feet directly against my butt, and let's just say, that made it very difficult to calm down. 
What was the right thing to do here? Put my clothes back on? While that might be the answer, I couldn't help but feel like it would be incredibly embarrassing doing so in front of her. I couldn't explain to you why, but it was a different type of reluctance compared to what I'd felt while undressing. 
"Alright then", I could hear Shimamura state in a bright tone of voice as I sat there, cowering to myself. "Let's go take a bath. I mean, you're all prepared for it, so might as well." 
"Huh!?" 
That wasn't the answer I'd expected. No, it was so much more. While her comment about me being prepared did certainly make me happy as it implied that she was able to dive into my mind and tell what was going on in there, it also brought with it a few questions. Specifically, it'd been quite the leap in logic she'd made, hadn't it? It was likely the case that she herself was weird in more ways than one. Slowly, I could feel the world around me grow bright due to her presence. 
"I don't really get it, but yeah." 
With those words, Shimamura flung herself up, almost as if her body was being pulled by a set of invisible strings. A gentle smile could still be seen on her face. I got up as well, my limbs stiff and my movements awkward. All the tension I felt caused my stomach to start hurting as I followed after her. With the song of cicadas having grown distant, what I heard in my ears now was the intense sound of ringing. 
Every last muscle in my body had grown stiff. It wasn't difficult to imagine that, were I to step into a pool or something right now, I'd likely sink like a stone all the way to the bottom. That was something that tended to happen to me often after seeing her. Truly, the fact that I'd made it this far unscathed was a miracle. 
We passed through the living room, and there, we came across Shimamura's mother, currently unpacking their luggage in order to clear it away. 
"I'm going to take a quick bath in case you're wondering." 
"What? During the day? Are you a moron or what?" the woman ridiculed her daughter over her shoulder. It was there that her eyes came across me. "Ah, a guest." 
"Sorry to be a bother", I stated in a very formal manner before bowing my head slightly. 
"Oh my, how polite you are. Quite unlike our girl her—" 
The woman cut her sentence short. Why was that? Well, I didn't have to wait for long to find out. 
"What's with the swimsuit?" 
Quite the reasonable question to ask. Indeed, why was a friend of her daughter's walking around their house wearing a swimsuit? 
A wave of regret passed through my mind. I knew I should've taken the time to put my clothes back on. 
"She came wearing it to take a bath." 
With me unable to do so, Shimamura took charge and answered in my stead. It wasn't really like that. Sure, that was something I'd hoped would happen in the back of my mind, but first and foremost my goal had been to... show it to her... My voice barely audible, I tried to correct her statement, but it didn't seem like either the mother or the daughter heard me. 
"Hmm", the woman mumbled. It was difficult to put into words the expression on her face, but if I had to try, I suppose I could call it unfavourable. 
Not that I blamed her. 
"I don't know if it's her strange personality that does it or what, but I really feel like our girl has quite the effect on her friends." 
This was the judgment she passed down on Shimamura. I could remember hearing something quite similar not all that long ago. 
Shifting my attention towards her, what immediately caught my eye was her facial expression. It was clear that this wasn't something she wanted to hear from the woman. 
I wasn't exaggerating when I say that I found the situation slightly uncomfortable. 
So, Shimamura had the capacity to make this sort of a face, huh? 
It was so... full of emotion. No, that wasn't the right way to put it. 
Had her personality always been like this, where she put in no effort to hide how she felt? Not as far as I could remember. The only conclusion I was able to draw was that something had happened while she'd been gone. Something that—based on her reaction just moments ago—she wasn't willing to talk to me about. I really wish I'd been there to witness it for myself if that was the case. 
I felt so miserable, so lonely as I stood face to face with this new Shimamura, one who I'd initially thought to be the same one I knew. 
Never again. Never again was I going to take my eyes off her for three whole days. 

What I saw in the corner of my eye was Adachi having turned into a crab. 
Sitting with her knees up and the vast majority of her body—including her mouth—submerged, she would out blow bubbles on fixed intervals. As for her eyes, those were left bouncing between me and her own knees. The warmth of the water had already painted her face red, and I'll be honest with you, a small part of me worried if she was really okay. 
"I can't remember the last time I took a bath in the middle of the day", I stated. While I was mostly talking to myself, my comment did earn a slight nod from Adachi as well. A small ripple was created in the surface of the water. 
"Plus, it's also my first time taking a bath with someone from my class." 
Tarumi used to stay over at our house a lot back when we were both little and we'd often bathe together, but that hardly counted for anything, did it now? 
Adachi nodded her head again, but this time, I was able to recognize a bit of delight in the way she did it. I suppose that went to show that my understanding of her was growing deeper. 
So yeah, we were bathing. At my house. The bathtub here was a lot bigger than the one over at my grandparents' place. 
Figuring that the imbalance would be too great were I to be the only one naked, I'd gone out of my way to wear my school swimsuit. It was more than a little strange dressing up to take a bath at your own house, and if I'm being honest with you, doing so kinda made me uncomfortable. Furthermore, the fact that we were sitting side by side naturally left me with little room to work with. Had one of us been a grade school student, things might have worked out differently, but with two high schoolers, yeah, it was tough. Our legs and elbows were in constant contact. I especially felt like Adachi's body was touching mine. 
"Hey, Adachi. Calm down." 
Normally, taking a bath was a relaxing experience for most people, but I guess that wasn't the case with her. 
As if embarrassed that I'd pointed this out, Adachi sunk deeper below the water. A few bubbles could be seen rising to the surface. Yes, still a crab. 
"I kinda miss when you acted calm." 
She'd been like that in the beginning, when I'd first met her on the second floor of the sports hall. Little by little, that calmness had begun to fade away until she eventually became how she was these days. Was she wearing one of those cursed pieces of armour you often saw in games? Based on what I'd heard talking to people, she'd acted all cool and indifferent during middle school as well, and yet, when she met me... Huh? Was it due to my influence that Adachi had grown to be so weird—or rather, such an enjoyable person? 
Hmm... 
"By the way, I know it's kinda late to be asking this now, but what exactly made you want to take a bath?" 
I really didn't know why I'd thought this was the time to ask that question. Perhaps the heat was starting to get to my head. Hiding the swimsuit she'd been so proud of behind her knees, Adachi replied with droplets of water dripping from her hair. Like bubbles, they created splashes into the water's surface. 
"I thought it would... make us closer..." 
"What?" 
I kinda ended up sounding like Mom there. A few more bubbles rose to the surface, giving me the impression that Adachi too hadn't put too much thought into her words. 
Did her logic really hold? I mean, yes, you wouldn't get into a bath with someone you weren't good friends with, but even so, I couldn't help but feel like she had the order of things on its head. 
Then again, it was such a common occurrence for her to interpret these sorts of things wrong that I didn't know if I should be surprised anymore. 
"It's..." 
"Hmm?" 
Having been on the verge of saying something, Adachi's face turned red. She then sunk beneath the water, leaving her eyes to jump all around as she breathed out a few bubbles. What is it? I asked her with my eyes.  

My stare was apparently enough to give her the push she needed, and as if having resigned to her fate, Adachi slowly resurfaced. 
"It's like, you really get to know someone when you hang out with them naked... Or something..." 
Her hair created splashes in the water as she moved her head up and down. 
"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense. Not that either one of us is naked." 
I let out a short laugh, prompting her to once again submerge. This time, she disappeared completely; only her forehead remained above the surface. Ah, and there came the bubbles. If she were to sink just a bit further, that'd leave only her hair visible, turning her into a jellyfish. Hmm? Why did the thought of that get me so thrilled? This was hardly the place to be dreaming about giant jellyfish. Anyway, with Adachi looking like she might just stay like that forever if left on her own, I decided to take it to myself to rescue her. 
The only question was, where should I grip her to pull her to the surface? The obvious answer was to wrap my arm around her waist, but that ran the risk of her treating it as sexual harassment like she'd done just moments earlier. Placing my arms under hers was an option too, but somehow, that felt even worse to me. What about her jaw then? No, no. That was something I'd do if I wanted to drown her, not save her. 
"Hmm... Hmmm..." 
It was there that I noticed how pale her back was. No part of her pure-white skin had been burned by the sun. 
A wild thought crossed my mind, prompting me to push my finger forward. 
I placed it on the string that went across Adachi's back and gave it a pull. 
Right away, something odd happened: Adachi's head rose with incredible speed, and while scattering droplets of water everywhere, she was left staring at me with her eyes wide open. An immediate effect. If only the fish were this quick to bite. 
"Wha—Hu—" 
Her back pressed against the edge of the bathtub and her hands against the wall behind it, a series of sounds which didn't quite form words left her mouth. It was a reaction similar to if she was drowning. The walls around us were covered in splashes of water sprayed around by her legs as they sprang up. Huh? What was happening here? Was I the bad guy? 
"Sorry, sorry." 
At any rate, I decided that what I should do first was apologize. That seemed to be enough for Adachi to regain her calm, and soon enough, she sat back down before meekly hanging her head. We remained like that, silently engulfed by the warmth of the bath. It didn't take long for that warmth to transform into heat. 
Two high school girls taking a bath together. Truly, what a hectic affair. 
It might really be beyond our abilities to make this situation bloom. 
While certainly friends, what we lacked was fluency. 
The sound of running water didn't feel like it originated from the same space occupied by us two. Rather, it sounded like it had vanished, gone somewhere else, almost as if taking shelter there. I looked up, only to see that the ceiling was barely visible from all the steam. The slight creaks of the tub too sounded distant. 
Slowly, the water dripping from my hair drew trails across my face, as if slicing up both my forehead and my nose. 
"Say, Adachi. You're always so kind towards me. Why is that?" 
Why did I ask her that? Just because. It felt appropriate in the moment. 
Under normal circumstances, I would likely have felt too embarrassed to go with that and would instead have chosen to use some other words. 
But, I didn't. Why? Because I wanted to learn, learn how to be kind towards other people. 
What was kindness? Where did it originate? 
If nothing else, I could say with near certainty that it wasn't born from obligation. 
Whatever the case, once I learned where it came from, perhaps that would offer me a new outlook on the situation. That was the plan at least, and also the reason why I'd decided to ask her. I sat there, waiting for an answer, when all of a sudden... 
Adachi sprung up, splashing some water on me as she did. 
"I'm... not kind." 
With a disheartened look on her face, almost like watching over an egg on the verge of cracking, she stared at me. A hint of tears could be seen in the corners of her eyes as if she was about to start crying any second now. This was it. This gave me all the answers I needed. 
It was always just as easy to peer through her words and tell what went on in her mind, and I have to say, I quite enjoyed that aspect about her. 
"Really now?" 
And yet, I decided to go ahead and tease her a little anyway. With my face twisted into a grin, I turned to look the other way. 
I could sense Adachi panicking behind me, so much so that I had to wonder if it was bad for her heart. I turned back with the intention of telling her that no, she was kind, but the instant I did, a sharp sound hit my ears—the sound of my forehead smacking against hers, to be precise; it appeared that without me realising it, Adachi had taken a step into my direction. It kinda hurt. A lot. I was just about to express that pain when Adachi suddenly embraced me. 
Our mutual lack of clothing left us pressed against one another quite tight. First-hand, I got to experience just how warm, how soft her skin was. Amidst the water and our surroundings and all those things that were hard to get a sense of, her touch alone felt beyond clear to me. 
The waves of the bath fell silent, replaced by warmth. 
While a part of me did wonder whether something was wrong for her to hug me like that, it might very well be the case that this was the best method of conveying her feelings that she had access to. Conveying how kind she was. 
So, this was it, huh? This was Adachi's kindness? It didn't feel all that different from the usual to me, if I'm being honest. 
Was that to say that she was always kind? If so, then that was... a good thing. A very, very good thing. 
Even so, I still had to say, it hurt a lot. 
"Adachi?" 
My jaw was in pain. The sensation had made its way between my shoulder bones, and if this kept up, I didn't imagine that it was going to be getting any better. 
"Hey, Adachi? Can you hear me?" 
I gave her shoulder a quick tap and told her to get a hold of herself. And yet, Adachi didn't move. As if mimicking a rock, she sat there completely still, leaving me with no choice but to forcibly peel her off me. A part of me worried that the warmth of the bath had gotten to her and caused her to pass out, although for what it was worth, her eyes were still moving. She was breathing as well, so that was good. It was seriously hard to tell what it was that she was doing. 
Just then, a few seconds later... 
"Ahh!" 
"Uoh!" 
A series of complete nonsense sounds left Adachi's mouth, followed by her wrapping her arms around me for a second time. 
Her grip this time was far tighter. It was as if she didn't want to let go, no matter what. She even went as far as to use her legs. 
Rapidly, her head shook all around on top of my shoulder. 
"H-Hey now. Stop it." 
I ended up losing my balance as well as I tried my hardest to support Adachi—who had now turned almost into a zombie. She wasn't going to sink her teeth into my neck or anything like that, was she? That, or infect me with whatever it was that had made her this way? 
If that were to happen, it'd be real bad. Things would get out of hand in no time with both of us acting like she was right now. 
At the same time, while certainly a bit rash, it was also the case that things wouldn't move anywhere were it not for her outstanding ability to take action. The conclusion I was left to draw was that you always needed at least one person like her. The Adachi-theorem, you could call it. Anyway, while I was busy thinking about that, I noticed that the actual Adachi was slowly moving her mouth right next to my ear. Did she want to tell me something? Focusing my ears, I went ahead and listened in. 
In a quiet tone of voice I'd even describe as being blurry, she spoke the following: 
"I... love..." 
Droplets coming from who-knew-where broke the water's surface. 
"Love... you... Love..." 
"Hmm?" 
More water poured in, as if stitching our bodies, our skin together. 
Adachi had been putting in effort to keep her arms in place, but now, powerless, they fell into the water. 
As for her words, they kept on circling my head, choosing not to enter my mind just yet. 
"Hnh..." 
"..." 
"Hngh..." 
"......" 
"Ghhnh..." 
".........Hmm?" 
That was way too many groans to feel good about. I once again peeled her off me, and this time, immediately saw where the problem lay. 
"Whoa. Your eyes are spinning." 
It appeared that she'd for real gotten dizzy from the bath's warmth. Literal steam could've started shooting out from her ears and I wouldn't even have been shocked. Panicking slightly, I quickly pulled her out from the bathtub and dragged her to the washroom where I lay her down. 
I ran to the kitchen, my body still wet. There, I came across Mom. Perfect timing. 
"Adachi got dizzy and collapsed!" 
"What? You moron." 
Despite her unsolicited and overall rude comment, Mom wasted no time fetching me a towel which she then ran under the sink. After grabbing a can of Pocari from the fridge, we began running back to Adachi. Footprints left by my wet feet could be seen in the hallway. 
Mom used the cool towel to wipe Adachi's neck and legs. That seemed to be enough for her to regain herself, and staring at me, she muttered out the following: 
"Shimamura..." 
Yep. It was her alright. 
"Really, what a moron you are. Get it together", Mom stated after making sure that Adachi was okay. She then ran off. 
Come on. It's not like I was the one insisting that we take our time enjoying the bath. A part of me wanted to run after her, but I ultimately decided against it, choosing instead to stay there to look after Adachi. 
Droplets of water continued to drip from my hair as I stared at her, accompanied by doubts and questions. 
What had that whole thing just now been about? 
The only person who knew the answer to that was currently lying on the floor, her eyes spinning wildly. 
Yeah. No point asking her. 

"Are you sure you're okay? You should stay till you've cooled off, I think", Shimamura suggested, now standing in the doorway having come to see me off. A generous offer, but not one I could accept. 
"No, no. I'm fine. Really", I shook my head while making my way forward. I'd come to the conclusion that it was much wiser to simply leave than to stay here and embarrass myself even further. 
Never had I thought that getting dizzy in the bath and collapsing was something that could actually happen in real life. 
I remembered very little of what took place afterwards. According to Shimamura, she'd tended to me while I recovered, but still, I had to wonder, I hadn't done anything... impudent, had I? I was too scared to ask her about that. It might very well be that taking a bath with her had been a step too far. 
My head was still heavy and my fingers felt numb. I was so incredibly dizzy, almost as if all of the bath's steam had entered my mind, and honestly, were I to talk with Shimamura right now, I had no idea what I might end up blurting out. 
Being able to reach that conclusion meant that I was in good enough condition to go home. Probably. 
After pulling out my bike, I glanced behind me over my shoulder. There, I saw Shimamura, her hair wet and with a towel resting on her shoulders. The impression I got from her was a bit different compared to the usual, leaving me anxious as I tried to find a good place for my eyes to rest. Her undecorated, plain hairstyle, her shirt which stuck tight to her skin. Just staring at her caused my heart to race, and as I lowered my gaze, I could see stars flickering before my eyes. While the fact that I'd hit my head earlier might have played a part, it was most certainly not the only reason. After giving my head a good shake, I hopped onto my bike. 
I would head home now. But, before that. 
"Can I call you this evening?" 
As I was leaving, I decided to go ahead and ask her for permission. It went to show that I was feeling a bit more confident in myself than usual. 
"Sure. Of course", Shimamura replied. A smile appeared on her face, and the innocence that could be seen in it completely captivated me. 
She likely wasn't aware of it herself, and it was exactly that which allowed her expression to maintain its purity. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. If I had to describe the sensation, I'd say that it was like staring directly into her soul. Quickly, my heart grew overwhelmed. 
As for Shimamura, she remained like she was, waving at me. 
"Bye bye." 
"Yeah." 
"Probably for the best to call it here. It might get dangerous if you try to look back while riding your bike." 
She'd seen right through me, and instantly, my already reddish cheeks grew tinged in a deep shade of scarlet. 
With various emotions rushing through me, I hopped onto my bike and began pedalling, almost as if running away. 
Taking her suggestion to heart, I did not look back. I did want to, but I didn't. 
I did my best to resist the temptation. And yet, as you might have expected, my mind remained stuck on Shimamura. 
I found myself thinking about the way she'd acted throughout the day, reminiscing about it. Pedalling soon became a secondary focus to me. 
I had my eyes on the road, yes, but it was still dangerous all the same. 

I was now by myself. All alone. 
The dry wind bearing the summer sun blew past me. 
My mind was cleared by it, and in that one instant of time, the realisation hit me. I understood it all. 
So, that's how it was, huh? 
Adachi loved me. 
If those words of hers she'd mumbled out in the bath were how she truly felt, then that would mean... 
Then again, it wasn't like I expected her to have had enough mental capacity left to be lying in such a situation. 
"Hmm..." 
Was that what allowed her to act so kind towards me? Possibly. 
With this realisation, my skin began to itch. 
Naturally, I ended up assuming a position where I was gripping my elbow with my hand. 
I shifted my gaze into the distance. The townscape spread before me as if my eyes had been opened wide. 
Actually thinking about it, this was by far the simplest explanation. It gave reason for everything she'd done, and... Yes. Very simple. 
"I see now." 
The truth began dawning on me as I thought back to our time spent together. The way she acted, everything she'd done, it all seemed to imply that she was in love with me. Madly so. It explained both why she clung to me so hard, as well why she cried when I went out with other girls. 
It explained it, yes. But even so. 
"Hmm..." 
My hair—still a bit wet from the bath—tickled my cheeks, causing my entire body to shake. 
While I didn't take issue to her loving me, I had to wonder, what sort of love was it? Various shapes appeared in my mind as I thought about it, ranging from spheres to spiked balls and even triangles made of countless other, smaller triangles. 
There was one thing that these shapes shared in common: I didn't necessarily dislike any of them. 
All of them were built upon the foundation of kindness. 
They might be just the thing for readjusting my heart. 
Something I who only acted kind out of necessity had never known. 
"Madly in love~" 
Singing to myself, I turned around and walked back inside. 
My skin had absorbed too much heat and now sought to return to the fan. 

Things happened, I spent the night talking with her on the phone, and then the morning came. 
I sat there in my room, anguished as my mind kept jumping back to the events of yesterday, the bath and the swimsuit. 
It was almost as if I was recharging my batteries, recovering myself after being completely exhausted. 
Staring idly at the TV I'd left on, a news program came on. 
The topic of the broadcast seemed to be a pretty serious one. Something about a student killing another person following a heated argument. 
I found my eyes growing fixated on the screen. It was so trivial for people to kill, to die. 
Killing another person was simply a matter of wanting to do so. There was nothing more to it. 
It went without saying, but I wasn't planning on killing anyone. Of course I wasn't. It was simply the case that if I wanted to, I would have the strength necessary to do so. Now, were I to choose to use this strength to walk down a better path, where would that lead me? Somewhere wonderful, I was sure of it. Pushed forth by this strange wave of courage, I decided that the time was right and reached for my phone. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was already well into the night. 
There was so much more that I would have liked to talk with her about. I didn't want to be separated from her either. Time, family, social norms, those were all limitations which pushed us further apart. My anxieties towards her also played a big part in making me feel as timid and disheartened as I did right now. 
There was the matter of the third girl as well. It bothered me greatly, and was another thing that I wanted to clear up. 
And yet, at the same time, I knew it wasn't good to neglect myself in favour of obsessing over what was happening around me. It was the reason why I was trying my hardest to avoid doing so. Shimamura hanging out with other girls, her enjoying her time with them more than she did with me, those were fears that I wanted to come to terms with. I wanted to conquer them and thus get closer to her. 
Sitting there as I waited for her to pick up, I added a slight correction to what I'd thought earlier. 
I wanted to stay by her side so long that I'd begin feeling like it was going to last forever. 

Adachi was calling me once again. Really? We'd spent the entirety of last night talking, and she still had things left to say? Pushing those thoughts aside, I picked up my phone and thus, a connection was formed between us. Adachi went straight to the business, skipping past all greetings and formalities. Always pitching forward, always so eager to collapse on her face. 
"I had some things yesterday that I wanted to say but forgot." 
"Sure." 
Go ahead, I urged her. She wasn't about to launch into a tirade about how madly she was in love with me or anything like that, was she? 
There was a part of me that thought that might be a possibility. Bracing myself for what was about to come, I sat there and waited. 
The image the sounds coming from Adachi's end formed in my mind was one of her gripping the phone tight all the while leaning forward. 
"What would you say about... attending a festival next week?" 
"Oh. That." 
Quite the anticlimax, I had to say. Judging by the sounds she made, Adachi appeared quite confused by my reaction. 
"That? What are you talking about? What else is there?" 
"No, no. Don't worry about... that." 
Our conversation was rapidly transforming into a series of word games. Giggling a little, I decided to go along with her suggestion. 
"Anyway. Sure, it's fine." 
"It... is? Really?" 
Adachi sounded almost wary as she asked me that. The tone of her voice brought to my mind the image of a scared child, extending their hand after being scolded. 
"Yep. And don't worry, I haven't promised to go with anyone else this time." 
There was no reason for me to say no, really. 
"I see. That's good..." 
The deep sigh that left her mouth let me know that Adachi felt relieved hearing my answer. Whereas I saw inviting someone to attend a summer festival as a simple matter and not at all worth worrying over, for Adachi, it meant much more than that. If I had to make a guess, I would say that it was likely Tarumi who was the source of her concerns. That time she'd broken into tears while calling me, she had spent much of the portion where I could still make out her words focusing on her. 
Would it be for the best if I just explained the whole thing to her? Possibly. The only question was, how should I go about doing so? Should I tell her that she was an old friend of mine who I'd parted ways with only for us to reconcile (Was that even the right word to use here?) years later? While certainly a true statement, I don't know, there was something about saying it out loud to Adachi that felt wrong to me. It was for that reason I kept putting the matter off. 
"I actually meant to ask you when I came over the other day, but like I said, I forgot." 
"Oh, yeah. That tends to happen when you get dizzy and collapse." 
My reply seemed to have gotten her good, and quickly, Adachi fell silent. I could hear the sound of bubbles being blown out on the other end of the call. Weird, because I was almost certain that she was still on land. 
It would've been perfectly normal had she been a crab, but given that she was a human, yeah, it was a problem. 
"Adachi, how", I opened my mouth as if to say something. I quickly realised my mistake, however, and took back my words while averting my eyes: "Never mind." 
"What?" 
"Nothing." 
It was quite rare for me to be the one hesitating to speak out my mind. 
"I'm really curious now." 
"I'll tell you one of these days. More importantly, let's choose where we'll meet before the festival, okay?" 
If nothing else, I at least felt myself to be slightly more skilled than Adachi when it came to talking my way out from these situations. 
Not that it was anything to brag about. I merely had more experience talking to people than Adachi did, simple as that. The way I dealt with others had become optimized, almost automatic through my interactions with them. And yet, it was important to keep in mind that optimal and best didn't necessarily refer to the same thing. 
We decided when and where we would meet, after which Adachi quickly ended the call. She sounded a bit flustered. 
While there were still two whole days left till the festival, I suppose it wasn't completely out of the question that she might plan to start getting ready right this second. A part of me wanted to laugh the whole idea off as a joke, but knowing Adachi, I couldn't bring myself to deny the possibility; there was a real chance that she wasn't going to settle for anything short of absolute perfection here. 
"......" 
I'd been about to ask her what she'd meant when she said that she loved me. 
Just imagine the look of shock, of bewilderment on her face if I were to ask her that. I kinda wanted to see it for myself. And not just kinda, but a lot. So much so that I'd decided not to ask her about it on the phone. Was I starting to develop strange interests? Perhaps. 
Even so, I had to say, it was quite refreshing witnessing from the sidelines as Adachi pushed forth despite the conflict raging on within her mind. 
Why was that? If I had to guess, I'd say it was because unlike most, this explosion didn't directly affect my life. 
It was sort of similar to admiring a fireworks display from a distance. 
Sakura Adachi, painted pink by the never-ending fireworks. 

I called Shimamura again. 
I told her that I wanted to see her. 

I talked with Adachi on the phone. 
She said that she wanted to see me, and so I left the house. 

I thought about Shimamura. 
Simply doing that caused me to curl up, and my emotions to overflow. 

Adachi... 

Shimamura... 

There wasn't much left of summer break anymore, and yet, much to my displeasure, the heat appeared to be here to stay. I found it completely unbearable, and that was without me stepping outside the house. I didn't even dare to imagine what that might be like. All in all, this made sitting slouched over my desk the natural thing for me to do. I was personally of the opinion that those people who stressed about having to do this and that during summer break had the whole thing all wrong. Why? Well, that'd be because by their nature, breaks were meant to be a span of time when you didn't do anything. Just relaxed, wasted away. Long live the unproductive. 
The complete opposite was my little sister, currently busy with her homework downstairs. I suppose her good behaviour directly correlated with how much homework she had left. Then again, given that she was actually a top student despite what her behaviour at home might suggest, it was hard to imagine that it'd take her all that long. 
"Ah. I found you, Shimamura." 
Yashiro then walked in. Her step was light, almost as if she was happy to have found me. What immediately caught my eye was the full-face helmet she was carrying under her arm. Oh, right. She claimed to be an alien. I'd almost forgotten. 
"I wanted to cultivate my friendship with Shou, but she told me that she was busy with her homework." 
"Oh, you got chased away too? Join the gang." 
That was the same reason why I was currently killing time upstairs. The breathability of the air here was horrible at the best of times, and the only thing that stopped my heart from succumbing to the heat was the old, outdated fan. While the air it blew at me was lukewarm as well, the fact that it wasn't completely still at least offered me some solace. 
Having placed her helmet in the corner of the room, Yashiro walked over to me and sat down between my legs. There was a desk before me, yet somehow, she was able to cram herself in. Her fluffy, unkempt hair tickled my face. I couldn't tell for sure if it was its blueish colour that did or what, but simply staring at her, I could feel myself cooling down. It really made for a great summertime viewing experience, that much was for certain. 
"You don't have homework, huh? I guess not if you don't even go to school." 
"Correct on both accounts", Yashiro stated proudly, pumping her chest. What did this say about her life situation? Normally, kids of her age all went to school. The whole thing bothered me greatly, although then again, I didn't expect her to give me an answer, not even if I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her head from side to side. Maybe she really was an alien after all? Not that it would make much of a difference. 
"Shimamura, do you have any of this homework?" 
"Of course." 
I just hadn't gotten to it yet. 
Speaking of, I wonder how Adachi was handling her homework. Was she ignoring it due to her delinquent background, or was she trying her hardest? She hadn't believed my joke earlier when I told her that we didn't have any, had she? No, probably not. Based on her personality, I would imagine her to have approached the situation with a strict plan and already be finished. She was always so earnest, always taking everything so seriously. Well, she did have a tendency to lose her composure when in front of me, but that was a whole other story. 
Even when taking that into consideration, I had to say, there was something refreshingly blatant about her behaviour. Her lack of experience when it came to interacting with others often left her panicking as if unsure what was the proper thing to do, and yet, she was still trying her hardest to better herself, to make other people—or me specifically—think of her more favourably. That was something that came across quite strongly in the way she acted. Yes, it seemed that she really did love me. A lot. 
"......" 
It kinda made me blush thinking about it. You could say that perhaps I had misunderstood the situation, but I really doubted that was the case. Sure, I didn't know exactly what sort of love it was, but the fact alone that was a question worth asking kinda proved my point. 
Usually when you loved someone it meant that you wanted to be with them. 
Was that a description which fit Adachi? Did she constantly want to be with me? Yes. Yes she did. You didn't need to look any further than her eyes, her behaviour, the very complexion of her face to see that to be the case. Making her feelings visible on the outside whenever she got emotionally shaken was almost a trademark of hers. 
Now, enough about that. Enough about simply wanting to be together. 
Was it going to lead to something in the future? It was difficult to say. If nothing else, I kinda doubted Adachi would be making moves if she didn't believe so herself. That brought me to another question: What was it that Adachi wanted from me? Did she want me to hold her hand forever, to never look at other people, to forever remain by her side? 
That seemed to be the case. That was what she wanted. And yet, personally, if I'm being honest, I thought it to be a massive pain. 
Completely shutting myself off from other people was something that I might have been able to do, but only ever being with Adachi? I wasn't quite so sure. 
Besides, I wasn't sure whether Adachi would still love me if I were to completely change my personality and transform into someone else entirely. What part of me did she even like? I had not the slightest clue. 
I kinda felt like if I ever were to ask her that, she'd just tell me straight up. I also felt like she might run away. 
Even if she did tell me, it wasn't a given that any of my questions would actually be answered. Or maybe they would. All of them. These two outcomes seemed equally likely to me. 
"Is there something that is bothering you?" Yashiro asked me all of a sudden, pulling me back to reality. I lowered my gaze, only to find two stars made of water twinkling before me. 
Her pupils—so pure and without any spots—were pointed directly at me. 
"Oh, sorry. Did I let it show on my face?" 
It must have been super obvious for someone as carefree as her to be able to catch on. 
"Hehehe. I possess the ability to see through people and peer into their minds", the girl claimed, her eyes opened as far as they would go. What an obvious lie; the only things that could be seen through here were her own eyes. They were so pretty, so pure that everything else felt almost frivolous in comparison. 
"If you'd like, I could offer you advice." 
Yashiro's eyes continued to sparkle as she said that. Despite being opened far wider than was normal, they didn't appear the slightest bit bloodshot. The white parts were perfectly uniform, bringing to mind a calm pool of water, and on their surface, there floated a pair of pupils like blue stars. Despite looking like it, her eyes were in fact not artificial, which was exactly why I found them so enthralling. 
Still, seriously? She was going to be giving me advice? The whole idea of it kinda made me laugh. Looking at her, it really seemed like the only thing she ever thought about was candy. 
"Surprisingly, that is actually not the case", the girl stated, her clenched fist raised in the air. 
I was caught completely off guard. I was certain that I hadn't said my thoughts out loud, and yet, her rebuttal clearly implied that she'd heard me. 
"You see, I love rice as well!" 
"Oh. Well, good for you", I commented, all the while patting her head. The blue particles that poured out between her hair and my fingers proceeded to gently flutter throughout the room. 
Yeah. No way was this little creature going to give me the answers that I was after. And yet, I decided to ask her anyway. 
"You're always so friendly towards everyone, but why?" 
She was clearly too innocent to have any ulterior motives for her kindness. That lead me to wonder, how then? How was she able to pull it off? 
Showing not the slightest bit of hesitation, Yashiro answered. 
"That'd be because I quite favour Earthlings." 
"Hmm..." 
Just like the time I'd spoken to my grandfather, it appeared that I had once again chosen the wrong person to ask. 
"I especially love you, Shimamura. And Shou. Our wavelengths match." 
"Oh." 
That was quite the thing to say to someone. I couldn't help but instinctively avert my gaze. 
While I didn't know exactly what she meant by our wavelengths matching, there was something about the way she said it, her unembellished naivety that caused me to feel slightly embarrassed. 
Then again. 
The past me had said similar things without as much as batting an eye. 
Was it the case that as you grew older, you were able to do less and less things? No, that didn't really make much sense. 
"What about you, Shimamura? Do you love me?" 
"Huh? Hmm... Well, I don't hate you, that's for sure." 
I would likely have answered my sister the same way had she been the one asking me. 
"So, we're friends then?" 
A wide, carefree grin appeared on Yashiro's face as she leaned towards me. 
Staring at her, I could feel both my shoulders and my cheeks relax. Truly, there was no one out there who could match her pureness. Its essence pierced right through my very being. At the same time, it wasn't like you could normally live your life like that. I too had changed massively compared to the past in terms of both my personality and my values, and it was for that reason exactly why seeing Yashiro take things so incredibly calmly caused me to feel... anxious? Jealous? Nostalgic? I found it quite difficult trying to put the mix of different emotions into words. 
All I knew for certain was that her innocence occasionally turned into a claw which brought me distress. 
Not that I expected her to be aware of it in any way. 
"Hmph." 
I decided to grip her cheeks and pull on them just for the heck of it, only to be shocked as I discovered just how far they could stretch. They felt very nice to the touch as well, so much so that I found doing it kinda fun. 
That lasted for a while, until eventually, my sister came to pick Yashiro up, having finished with her homework for today. 
"Oh, Shou." 
"You're done with your homework?" 
"Hmm..." 
The girl stared at us with a slightly stern look in her eyes. 
"I choose Yachii." 
While I wasn't quite sure what she meant, the end result of it all was that, after comparing us two, she took Yashiro's hand and exited the room with her. 
Were they going to "cultivate their friendship" now or whatever? I could only assume so. The two really did get along. Moreover, Yashiro was spending an increasingly large amount of time at our house. You could even call her a stable presence. The days when she couldn't be seen in the kitchen were becoming increasingly rare. 
"It's almost like she's planning on never leaving." 
What did it suggest that not a single member of our family seemed to question this? 
Had they all been hypnotized? Well, not that it really mattered. 
As far as colours went, I quite liked blue. 
Assuming that my sister was done with her homework, then there wasn't really a reason for me to stay here anymore. I got up with the intention of going downstairs, when all of a sudden, my phone rang. I assumed it was Adachi calling me like usual, but no, it turned out it was actually Tarumi. How rare. Except not really; she did call me relatively often. Slouching over the tiny blades of the fan, I picked up. 
"Hello, Taru." 
"Yo." 
"Yeah." 
Compared to my voice stifled by the room's heat, Tarumi sounded quite energetic. Did being a delinquent ensure that she was in a state of perfect health at all times? Who could tell. 
"It's been a while, huh?" 
"Yeah." 
"Lately, I've had some trouble calling you." 
"Huh? You have?" 
"Yep. It always says that you're busy." 
Her voice sounded a little timid, almost as if she was blaming me in an indirect way. 
Was that really the case? I thought back, and immediately, I realised what she was talking about. 
"Oh, but. Don't get me wrong. It's not like I'm trying to call you constantly. I probably just got unlucky. Yeah, pure chance." 
"Hmm..." 
Putting all the facts together, I was left to assume that the fault probably lay with the immense amount of time I spent speaking with Adachi on the phone, not anything Tarumi had done. 
Really? I talked with her that much, did I? It wasn't something I'd myself been aware of, and honestly, the whole thing came to me as kind of a shock. 
Yes. I was shocked. 
I'd never seen myself as someone who would neglect certain people in favour of others. 
So then, that's how it was, was it? The current me leaned towards Adachi? 
"I see..." 
It was honestly kinda novel in a way. If I had to put the sensation into words, I'd say that it felt liberating, almost like having your stuffy nose be opened in an instant. 
Like pushing aside a wall and seeing a whole new landscape spread on the other side of it. Yes, the sensation was a positive one, that much was for certain. 
"Hmm? What is it?" 
"Hmm..." 
How should I explain it to her? My senses were telling me that if I were to go into too much detail, that would just make things unnecessarily complicated. 
As it turned out, there was actually quite a lot that went into maintaining a friendship. 
While assuming too direct of a stance was a sure-fire way of ruining the whole thing by leaving your fingerprints everywhere, it was also true that if you were to simply let go, the other person would eventually be covered in dust and vanish from your mind. Now, you could use a display case or something like that, but the end result of that was more often than not your friendship drying up. The fact that you had to balance all of these steps and apply them in moderation was exactly what made the whole thing so difficult. I already found most matters in life to be tedious, and honestly, there was a part of me that felt like this was too much to handle. 
"Well. That's fine. Anyway..." 
"Anyway what?" 
"To tell you the truth... Well, I assume you know already. There's a festival next week. Yeah." 
"Oh..." 
"We haven't met in a while. Or really, since you came back. Anyway, I just figured that we could... err..." 
So, that's what this was about? Although she hadn't actually said it yet, I could only assume that she was about to invite me to go with her. It was kinda similar to what had happened last time, only now, Adachi was the one to ask me first. Still, it was also worth keeping in mind that the personalities of the two were quite different. If I were to ask her to join us, Tarumi might actually accept, even if that meant that there would be a third person besides us present. 
In that case, how about it? Would it be fun enjoying the festival with the three of us? 
Hmm... There was something about that idea which caused me to hesitate. 
That something was Adachi. She would almost certainly be against it. 
She might even start crying for all I knew. 
These thoughts lead me to make my decision. 
"Sorry." 
Softly, I pushed my finger into the damp dirt and drew a line. 
That was the image which appeared into my mind. 
"I'm going with someone else." 
A sigh belonging to Tarumi could be heard on the other side of the gap, hiding with it a great deal of shock. 
It sounded so distant. 
"Oh, I... I see." 
"Yeah." 
She hadn't technically asked me to go with her at any point, but based on her reaction, it looked like I'd been correct regardless. 
I reached for the fan and turned it off. 
"Is that someone, err, your sister perhaps?" 
"No. A girl from my school." 
Putting it that way made us seem quite distant. There were so many other words I could've used instead. Friend, fellow class-skipper, weirdo, someone I find funny. And those were just scratching the surface. 
The year I'd spent with Adachi had presented itself in so many ways, so many shapes. 
I'd yet to get bored of any of them. 
"Err, yeah... Umm..." 
The way Tarumi replied brought to mind a bird chirping. Furthermore, it sounded very much like she was about to say something else. 
"So yeah. Can't do it, sorry", I quickly added before she could suggest that she'd come too, digging the gap between us ever wider. 
I was fully aware of the implications, of what this might lead to, and yet, I did it anyway. 
"Right..." 
Right. 
In the midst of the chaos whirling around me, I felt not the slightest bit of regret. 
I quickly ended the call before letting out a large sigh. The sigh was followed by another, and soon, my shoulders sank. 
As if scraping against the relationships I found myself constrained by, the joints in my shoulders let out a series of unpleasant creaks. 
And yet, as I remained there, my head hung while I pushed out all the air from my lungs, I could feel my body gradually growing lighter. Truly, humans had a tendency to pack themselves too full. It was for that reason exactly why I had—against my better judgment—ended up developing this horrible condition where I found everything too annoying and too bothersome to interact with. 
I put my phone down and left the room. I then walked down the stairs, and immediately, the sounds coming from the kitchen caught my attention. I decided to make a quick detour. Just like I'd hoped, I found Mom there. 
She appeared to be busy cutting onions, but not letting that stop me, I called out to her. 
"Hey, Mom. When you have time, could you find me a yukata?" 
"Hmm?" 
"There's a festival next week. I want to wear it when I go there." 
My words ended up coming out with a hint of glee to them. Strange, considering that my intention had been to speak in the most nonchalant way possible. 
The conflict which raged on in my head was one between trying to express what it was that I wanted while simultaneously feeling reluctant to expose my true self. 
When was the last time I'd felt this way? Back when I was ten? Or perhaps even younger than that? 
"Sure, I can do that. But, why? You didn't wear one last time." 
"Hmm. I just feel like it." 
Still cutting onions, Mom squinted her eyes. It was almost as if she didn't quite believe me. 
Why was it that she only paid attention when I didn't want her to? 
Was that how all parents acted towards their children? Perhaps. 
They had their eyes on them all the time, and as such, were able to pick out any and all changes, no matter how trivial. 
"I mean, last time, everyone else I went with was wearing a yukata." 
"Haha. You really don't know how to read the room, do you? Ahaha!" 
Quite the thing to say for someone who hadn't even been there. 
"So, another festival, huh?" 
"Yep. I was asked to go." 
"Oh." 
A strange sensation of guilt filled me, likely brought about by the way I had declined Tarumi's invitation mere moments ago. 
"Anyway. Get the yukata ready." 
Having said that, I quickly ran off. 
There was no reason for me to run away from Mom. There really wasn't. I'd done nothing to be ashamed of. And yet, the instant I turned the corner and was no longer visible from the kitchen, I broke into a sprint. My feet were restless, almost as if there was some invisible presence pushing me forward. 
I had not lied to Mom. The reasons I'd listed, there was truth to all of them. 
However, besides those, there was another reason as well. It was one that I'd kept hidden, the most simple of them all. 
I'd thought it would make Adachi happy.