Translator: Haruto.

“What are you doing here, Hibari?!” I ask in surprise, realizing that I’m not dreaming and it’s really her, even though she was supposed to be home.

Hibari then hands me the bag that she was carrying. “I came to deliver something you forgot.”

“Something I forgot? Wait, don’t tell me—?!”

I take a peek inside the bag, and…I find the swim shorts that Hibari picked for me. There are also a few drinks, a towel, and even a pair of sunglasses for some reason…

“H-Hibariiiiii!!!”

She’s my savior!! My dear savior!! Now I’ll be able to wear shorts that actually fit me and have a blast with Yuito and the rest!

“T-Thank you so much, Hibari! No… Thank you so much, Hibari-sama!!”

“I’m just glad I made it in time. And I’m even more glad that you didn’t become a pervert, Yuuji-sama,” she says before turning her gaze to the store clerk.

The store clerk lets out a little chuckle, and says, “I’m also relieved that he didn’t turn into a problem for our humble establishment… But anyway, I hope you’ll have a great day.”

“Wait! Does that mean you thought I was a weirdo?!”

Does that mean that when we both had those troubled expressions on our faces, the store clerk was actually worried I was a weirdo with dubious intentions?!

I mean, I was definitely considering wearing those shorts, so I guess I can’t blame her.

Hibari and I then step out of the store together.

“You must have taken out the contents of your bag to check them before leaving, and for whatever reason, forgot to put them back in. It’s good to try to be careful, but it can be counterproductive when you take it too far, Yuuji-sama.”

“Yes…” I nod, knowing that she’s right.

Still, I can’t even begin to describe how glad I am that she came. I suppose I could have called her and asked her to bring me my shorts from the beginning… but I didn’t want to make her come all the way here just for that.

“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave now,” Hibari says.

“Huh?! You’re leaving already?!”

“Yes. I’ve done what I came here for.”

Even if she did it voluntarily, I still ended up making her take such a long trip just to bring me my shorts.

Also, Hibari’s not wearing a maid uniform right now. She has on a hoodie and shorts, and she’s styled her hair into a ponytail. She might not be wearing a swimsuit, but that’s the kind of outfit you need to put on to visit a waterpark. In other words, not only did my mistake force her to make the long trip here, but she also had to change out of her maid uniform…

“…”

“Yuuji-sama?”

It would weigh heavily on my conscience if I let her leave like this! I need to do something!

You idiot! It’s your job to make her feel comfortable, Kasashima!

Besides, she must be all alone right now, right? Aren’t you ashamed of leaving your dear maid behind?!

There’s no way your maid doesn’t want to visit the pool or the beach and enjoy the summer to the fullest just like we do! And yet, you didn’t invite her, Kasashima?

What Tajima told me earlier flashes through my memory. In the end, he just wanted to see Hibari wearing a swimsuit, but… he wasn’t wrong. Hibari must want to participate in all kinds of summer activities, too. And right now, we’re at one of the best places to have fun in the summer: the pool.

“Hibari, um…”

Normally, I’d have no problem inviting her to hang out with me, but I’m finding it hard to get the words out. I don’t know if it’s because of what Tajima said, or because she’s tied her hair into a ponytail and she’s wearing such a casual outfit instead of her maid uniform, but she looks more attractive than usual…

Oh, whatever, I’m still going to invite her to stay!!

“Listen, would you like to—”

“Please don’t worry about me, and go have fun with your friends.”

“Huh? Ah… Alright.”

I assume she doesn’t want to intrude, and something tells me her answer won’t change no matter how many times I ask.

Still, I can’t let her leave like this!

“Ah! I know!”

“Hm?”

I have a great idea.

***

“Alright, pick whatever you want!!”

I’ve brought Hibari to the food court.

I already changed into my swim shorts, by the way. I can’t believe how happy I am to wear shorts that fit me just right…

This place is packed with people and food stands with plenty of options to choose from: fried noodles, sausages, French fries, ice cream—you name it.

“Why are we…”

“Going to the pool is one of the best summer activities, but so is buying stuff at food stands! If you’re not going to swim in the pool, I at least want you to enjoy yourself here.”

The food sold at these stands is a little pricey, but whatever. Nothing beats visiting a place like this with someone and eating to your heart’s content.

“So we’re going to eat?” Hibari asks.

“You don’t want to? Or are you just not hungry?”                               

I did bring her here without asking if she felt like eating something.

I peer into her face, and—

“…Yuuji-sama, I humbly accept your kind offer.”

“Ohh! Great! Eat whatever you want, okay?!”

Hibari observes the various food stands trying to choose what to eat.

“Shaved ice would be nice seeing how hot it is today,” she says at last.  

“Got it! Let’s get us some shaved ice!”

After ordering two cups, I go look for a place where we can sit. That means Hibari will have to carry the two cups by herself, but if the roles were reversed, I just know some dude would take advantage of her being alone and try hitting on her.

A few people are sitting at the food court, but since it’s not lunchtime yet, I managed to find a place for us to sit without any issues.  

“I’m sorry for making you wait, Yuuji-sama,” Hibari says with the two cups of shaved ice in her hands.

I take the purple one. I picked the grape and blueberry syrups.

“Thanks, and sorry for making you carry them by yourself.”

“Did you think I’d have trouble carrying two cups of shaved ice?”

“It’s not that! But, even if they don’t weigh much, I think it’s normal to thank you and say sorry for not giving you a hand.”  

“You think so?”

“Yeah, but well, maybe it’s just me.”

Since we’re not discussing anything important, I don’t say anything else on the matter and dig into the shaved ice with a spoon.

“Less talking, more eating, huh?” Hibari follows my lead and digs her spoon into her cup.

“Alright! Bon appe—No, I’m sorry, before that… What in the world is that colorful thing?!”  

I was trying to ignore it, but I couldn’t hold my tongue anymore.

“Shaved ice?”

“I know that!! I’m asking why it is so colorful!”

Hibari’s shaved ice looks like those rainbow afro wigs sold at 100-yen stores. I did hear her request a bunch of different syrups when we made our order, but damn…

“It contains strawberry, mango, melon, peach, grape, blueberry, and pineapple syrups.”

“You sure put lots of syrups together. Well, to each their own, I suppose.”  

“Yes, I wanted to try as many syrups as possible.”

“I can see that.”

With that done, Hibari and I begin to eat our shaved ice.

The cold hits my tongue first, followed by the taste of grapes and blueberries. The ice helps tone down its intensity a little, but it still packs a punch. Syrups are somewhat similar to jam in terms of consistency, which I think is one of the reasons why their taste is so strong. The ice is also not too sharp. It actually feels rather soft on the tongue. Long story short, this thing is delicious.

“This shaved ice is so good!”

“It is, isn’t it?”

“Yeah!”

It cost me a bit more than the usual 300 yen you pay for shaved ice, but it was definitely worth it.

We continue eating in silence for a while, until—

“Hibari, try sticking your tongue out like this.”

“Okay?” She does as I ask and sticks her tongue out.

It’s redder than usual, most likely because of the strawberry syrup.  

“Haha, your tongue’s super red!”

“Is that funny?”

“I mean, sure, it ain’t that funny, but still!!”

Isn’t painting your tongue in different colors with shaved ice one of those summer memories that stick with you forever?

“I’m sorry for being such a boring girl,” Hibari says.  

“Don’t apologize. I wasn’t asking you to laugh or anything like that. Anyway, what about my tongue? What color is it?” I stick my tongue out as well.

“It’s completely purple.”

“Ohh!”

“…”

“…”

Yeah, I know it ain’t a very exciting activity, but still…!!

“Here’s a little piece of trivia,” Hibari says all of a sudden.

“Oh? Let me hear it.”

“Apparently, commercial syrups are all the same flavor. The only thing that differentiates them is their color, and their smell to a certain degree.”

“Huh? Really?” I cast a glance at my cup. I don’t think these are the ones she’s referring to.  

“It seems that all it takes to make the syrup taste like this or that fruit is to give it a similar color and aroma.”

“Huh.” In other words, there’s really no point in choosing different flavors.

Hmm… You know, I believe I’d be better off trying not to think about this piece of information ever again. After all, choosing whatever flavor you want is half the fun of eating shaved ice.

“With that being said, I’m almost certain these syrups are homemade. They even contain little pieces of fruit, and their taste doesn’t feel artificial at all.”

“Yeah, I agree. They’re a bit expensive, though.”

“Certainly.”

We keep chatting and eating, until—

“…Hmmm…”

I take a peek at Hibari’s cup. I felt like she had put way too many flavors together at first, but now I’m starting to think it must be quite a delicious combination…

“Say, Hibari… can I have a bite?”

“…”

Hearing me say that, Hibari’s hand freezes.

“It’s just that the mix you’ve put together looks insanely appetizing…”

“I suppose it’s true what they say. ‘The apples on the other side of the wall are the sweetest…’ Yes, of course you can.”

“Awesome!”

I lean forward and scoop a bit of her shaved ice with my spoon. It seems I hit the part with melon and pineapple syrup.

“Hm! Amazing! I thought it’d taste a little strange, but this is great!”

I’ll try ordering one just like hers next time.

“Wanna taste mine? Yours has a bunch of different flavors so I guess you might not—”

“I do.”

“O-Oh, alright. Let me scoop some for you.”

“?”

I take some of the grape and blueberry syrup with my spoon and offer it to Hibari.

“Here. Say, ‘Aaah.’”

“…”

“Hibari?”

Her body has frozen for some reason. I guess she doesn’t want to eat it after all?

But as to prove me wrong, Hibari leans forward, holding her hair back with her hand, and puts the shaved ice in her mouth.

“…Hm, it’s very delicious and refreshing. You can really taste the grapes and the blueberries.”

“I know, right?”

Our little chat comes to an end once more, and we continue eating. Mine has begun to melt already, but it’s still as delicious as when I started eating it.

“Shaved ice melts fast, huh,” I remark.

“It does,” Hibari replies.  

I try drinking the syrup, when—

“Woah! That’s cold! Ow! I got brain freeze!”

I was trying to be careful, but…

“…”

“Ouch… Oh? Hibari, did you laugh just now?”

“I believe you imagined it.”

“…I see.”

Even if I was hanging my head, I’m almost sure I caught a glimpse of Hibari laughing just now, though…

“You didn’t get brain freeze, Hibari?”

“Why, yes, my head is killing me right now.”

“It is?! I can’t tell at all!!”

“That’s because my face remains expressionless nearly all the time.”

“Yeah, but there are moments when I can read your emotions just fine. You win this time—you tricked me good.”

“I wasn’t trying to trick you… You have something on your face, by the way.”

“Hm?”

Hibari touches her nose with her finger to show me where it is. I touch my own nose and feel something cold.

I tried drinking the syrup without letting it touch my nose, but it looks like I failed.

“Hm? Wait, were you laughing because I had something on my nose?”

“Who knows?”

“Oh, that’s gotta be it! I can read you like a book!!”

“Let’s continue eating.”

“Haha, I know I’m—Aaah?! I got another headache!!”

“…”

And so, Hibari and I kept eating until we emptied our cups.

“Whew. That was refreshing.”

“It really was.”  

“Actually, it wasn’t just refreshing. It was freezing!”

My tongue feels super cold after finishing the entire thing—especially the tip. Although, it also left me with a sweet aftertaste.  

Enjoying the pleasant sensation, I then gaze in the direction of the pool.

“I won’t be able to get in the pool with you today, but… let’s come together some other time, okay?”

“Yes, let’s.” The corners of Hibari’s mouth curve into a soft smile.

Aaah, I got to see Hibari smile again. Her smiles these days feel more natural for some reason, though… Oh well, no need to think too deeply about it, since…  

I’ll see her smile again soon.

It might be due to the sweet taste on the tip of my tongue, but something is telling me so.

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