Summer break, a break that Kouji never thought he’d so desperately want in his life. Unfortunately, even if he was just lazing around for the day. This heat was still making it hard to get any proper rest. That’s what he gets for getting a place with broken ac. As well as not wanting to buy a fan.

Either way, not wanting to go anywhere left him with just his thoughts. The most important of which, was going to be his future living situation.

No matter how much he thought it over, Kouji was not going to budge on staying at the academy. Surely they’d eventually be problems with his arrangement. The students there might decide they don’t want a boy in school. Plus, the added stipulation of being a tutor for those girls made things much harder. Returning back to his old school would make his school life a breeze.

Of course, all the logical reasons weren’t why he decided to give up with this school. No, the real reason was what he was told by the headmistress.

So he was here because of his apparent relationship with Isako. Or more accurately, his mother’s relationship with that woman. Why should he get to benefit because of that? It just didn’t sit well with him.

If that was going to be the case, then he wasn’t going to continue being a student at this school. Thankfully, Isako wasn’t the type to force him to stay. That meant he was going back to being a student at his old school once this Summer break was over.

Which was probably going to be awkward with the other students there.

Ding dong. A guest was at his door. Kouji sighed as he walked to answer it. Thing always seemed to not be in his best interests when someone showed up at his place.

“Oh Kouji, I am glad to see you are home.” It was Anastasia, gleeful at being able to catch him here.

“I don’t think there are many place I’d be.” He replied. “But why are you here? We don’t have any homework to worry about, not to mention I’m not your tutor anymore.”

“But are we not friends?” She countered, giving the reason why she was here. He sighed, this was going to be not easy to break it to her.

“I mean, of course we are.” He answered. He was going to have the break this news to her eventually. Maybe it was better to get it over with now. “But, I think it might be best if you don’t talk to me when school gets back.”

“What?” She was taken aback from that statement. She believed that even if he left, they’d still be able to spend some time together. Especially since they lived near each other. “But, why should we not?”

“Well, I think it might be best for both of us that way.” He explained that the other girls might not want to hang out with her if she kept being with him. Plus, the kids at his old, or new(?), school would pester him if they found out about this relationship. “You know, because of your… status.”

“I would not mind.” She said, in response to his concern over her. “And you do not have to let anyone know about us.”

“I think it’s just easier if we went our separate ways when school gets back…” It was hard to see her sad pout at him. “...But until then, I guess you’re free to come over when you want.”

“Yay!” She leaped up in joy and gave him a hug. If there was anything he was going to miss from her. It was going to be her not-so-small chest pushing up against him.

“Hehe.” He laughed with no energy behind it. “So, why are you here anyway?”

“Well, actually I was hoping that you could show me around town. Because I still am not sure about everything around here.”

“You lived here for a while though, so I thought you got everything you’d need by now.” He didn’t know exactly when she came here, but he could discern it’d be four months max. At least considering the fact that she came to study at this school.

“True.” That was mostly the case. She had gotten over the culture shock at this point. “But, maybe there are some places someone foreign like me might not find so easily?”

“Maybe…” He turned his head away to think it over. This was an obvious setup to hang out with him until time ran out. But at the same time, he would’ve missed her, just a little bit. “I was gone for quite a few years, and I haven’t gotten a chance to see what’s new around here. So, I guess we can explore around town.”

“Great, we should get going right now.” She was filled with glee from his agreement. “Let’s go, let’s go.”

“Stop pulling on me!” He struggled to not be dragged out of his house. “I need to get changed first.”

Once he finally was free of her grip. Kouji was able to get into something at least a little more presentable in public. Sure, he may not have looked as good as her, but he still had some level of confidence.

“So if you don’t mind me asking.” He spoke up as they walked away from his home. “What’s with the hat?” He didn’t want to bring it up earlier, but now that they were out together in public. He couldn’t resist asking.

It was a large sunhat, with a light blue ribbon tied around it. And when large was used to describe it, the word gigantic was probably a more apt description. The thing covered so much of her head, that he could hardly see Anastasia's face.

“Well, as you know. I am not from a place that gets this intense of sun. Not normally at least.” She explained that she had very fair skin, and burns were pretty easy to get. This hat also happened to be a gift from her mother, so of course she was going to use it. “So, when I don’t wear sunscreen, like back at school, then this is the best choice.”

“I guess that’s a pretty good idea.” He wiped the sweat off his brow. Talking about the sun, made him very much aware of the rays hitting him while they were out. “It is very hot today, maybe even hotter than sports day.”

“Ooh, then maybe we can share.”

“Share what?” He asked, but she answered in a different way than words. In an instant, she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and shoved him close to her. So that his head was also under the wide brim of the hat. However, she also reached around with her other arm, pulling his face close to hers. Along with being right besides her face.

Well, saying right besides would be putting it lightly. It would be more accurate to describe this as his face being mashed up to hers.

“Geez, get away from me.” He shoved himself away from her, nearly tripping over himself when he did so. Kouji wiped the side of his face that touched hers. That was an odd sensation. Anastasia had really soft skin. “I think it’d be more effective if you had an umbrella or something.” He offered an idea. “Like, you could ask Himawari where she gets her stuff.”

“I could.” Her voice expressed none of the confidence she usually had. “But, we do not really talk all that much.”

“You don’t?”

“I mean, I think we’re friends.” That what she believed anyway. “But I haven’t seen her or anyone since the break started.” That made Kouji realize something about this little group he was a part of. The only real reason any of them spent time together was because of his tutoring job. If… When he leaves, then they would probably drift apart. There would be no reason to stay together.

Or maybe they could stay together, he hoped. After all, they wouldn’t just give up their friendships, at least, if that’s what they actually had with each other.

“Is something wrong?” Anastasia asked.

“What?” He turned his head when he realized that he had forgotten where he was in his thoughts.

“You were doing that thing again.”

“Thing?”

“You know, when you are thinking really hard.” She put her hand under her chin, slightly pinching the bottom lip. This was supposed to be an imitation of what he was doing, but he didn’t think it was that accurate. “Like this.”

“It’s not important.” He brushed it off, returning back to their walk. Though without a planned destination, he wasn’t sure how this day was going to go.

As thing would turn out, not in a direction he’d like.

They boarded the train together, using it to get closer to the city center. Surely there would be interesting sights and places to see there. Getting on at first, he didn’t think anything of it. It was only after another stop that he noted an issue with this ride.

“What is with that incessant noise?” He wondered aloud as they got moving again.

“It sounds familiar.” Anastasia said. “Like we have heard it before.” That sound did sound rather familiar, now that he was thinking about it. It was so annoying to him, that he got up to look for the source of it.

How the other people on this ride didn’t seem to mind was beyond him. It was as if they were used to this sort of thing. Slowly, but surely. He was getting closer to it, the increase in volume being his proof.

Kouji scanned along the aisle, trying to see where it was coming from. It was when his eyes landed on a familiar sight, that he knew who was responsible for this.