A few days after Obon, the long summer vacation finally came to an end.
Autumn was right around the corner. The sun was setting earlier than usual and even though it was still warm during the day, the nights had turned cold again. That meant I didn't need to keep the AC on all night long anymore, which was great because I hated the heat.
I was a little bummed out about our break being over.
It was the first day of school and I was getting ready when I saw my mom coming out of the bathroom while wearing her nightwear. It seemed like she had just finished showering. She came back really late last night and was probably too tired to take one.
"Hm? Why are you wearing your uniform, Maki? Is there something going on at school?"
"I have to practice for the sports festival. It starts as soon as the summer vacation ends, so we have to get enough practice before that."
Officially, the summer vacation ended in September, but because of the sports festival, we had to practice every weekday to make it in time. So, even though it was still August, we pretty much had to go to school whether we liked it or not.
According to the school, coming to practice during the summer vacation was 'voluntary' and they let us use the buildings two weeks before the new term started. But if we were to start practicing when the term started, we wouldn't make it in time for the festival, so it might as well be mandatory for us to attend.
Thankfully, the sports festival was only held every other year. Personally, I'd rather not have it at all because I was bad at sports.
After making coffee for my mom, we had breakfast together for the first time in a while.
Since I'd need to practice under the blazing sun for a long period of time, I made a bigger breakfast today.
"How was your summer vacation, Maki? Well, it should be more enjoyable than last year, I assume? I mean, you went to summer school and played around at the pool with a girl~ Ah, youth."
When I was listlessly eating my breakfast while watching the news, mom suddenly asked me that question.
She emphasized the 'girl' part a lot, but I decided to ignore that.
"I guess it's more fun than last year, yes…"
"Hehe, just say it honestly that you enjoyed it a lot. Didn't you get to flirt with Umi-chan all day, everyday?"
"W-We didn't do it everyday."
But still, even though we didn't do it everyday, I spent most of my time with Umi, so I couldn't really argue against her.
Though, save for the sleepover on my birthday, we didn't do anything particularly special. We just hung out while watching TV, playing games, reading manga and taking naps together. We went out a few times, but we didn't go on dates or anything, just buying some snacks at the nearest convenience store. Most of the time, we were just chilling in my house. Well, attending summer school and going to the pool was enough for us anyway.
"Well, it's great that you're having fun with her, that gives me peace of mind as well. Sorry, I've been busy with work lately, I haven't been able to do anything for you."
"Don't worry, mom. I know you're doing your best at your job for me. I can't be thankful enough."
After all, the reason why I was able to enjoy my vacation without having to work part-time was because my mom always gave me allowance money whenever I needed it.
I wish I could pay her back for everything she had done for me.
"Oh, right, when you're flirting with Umi-chan, make sure to–"
"Yes, mom, we were only doing it in my room."
"Really? You guys didn't do it in the living room?"
"O-Of course not…"
There were times when we were suddenly in the mood while playing games and stuff, but we made sure to move to my room whenever that happened, so what my mom suggested never happened.
Anyway, keeping everything in moderation was important. I knew that we were way past that line, but we should still keep it in mind so we wouldn't get too carried away.
After that, my mom nagged me for a while and after that was over, I heard the front door was being opened from the outside. That should be Umi. She used to ring the intercom whenever she visited, but ever since my mom gave her permission, she had been going in and out the house whenever she liked.(T/N: By permission, obviously he was talking about his house's spare key.)
"Morning, Maki. We don't have classes yet, but let's do our best at school today. Also, good morning, Masaki-san."
"Welcome, Umi-chan. Thanks for always taking care of my son. I hope you'll continue to get along with him."
"Leave it to me. He's in my good hands."
Whenever it was just the two of us, she would act like a spoiled child, but originally, she was a serious and dependable girl. Because of that my mom trusted her a lot.
Just like how Sora-san trusted me more than her daughter, my mom trusted her more than her own son. I guess that was proof our relationship was going well.
After saying goodbye to my mom, who would be staying home for a bit longer since she'll leave at a later time, we went to school for the first time in a month.
The summer vacation was over, but I didn't feel that bad about it. Probably because of the girl beside me.
"School has started again huh? Ugh, I can't hang out at your place every day anymore. I know that we're going back to our usual routine, but it still feels disappointing…"
"I know that feeling. Well, we can't keep playing around forever. At least we had a good time."
"Yeah… There's still next year anyway. Also, you still need to work harder for next year, Maki."
It was a pity that we wouldn't be together as often anymore, but it was time for me to work towards my goal.
To get good enough grades so I'd be in the same class as Umi and eventually, enter the same university as her.
Next year, I'd be using the entire summer vacation to study so that I could be together with her for the year afterwards—
"Oh, by the way, Umi, have you told Daichi-san and Sora-san about it yet?"
"Ah, u-um… Y-You know since that's the plan for the future, I-I had only been hinting at it to my mom… I haven't told both of them anything yet… What about you?"
"I told my mom about it a while ago."
"I see… So, what did she say?"
"It's too early to talk about that, she said."
"Ahaha… I guess she's right… I had a feeling that she'd say something like that…"
We were talking about what to do after we graduated. We planned to live together and we wanted to discuss it with our parents, but what my mom said was right, it was too soon to talk about it. Though, the fact that I had told her about it should give her the hint that I was serious about my relationship with Umi.
"For the time being, let's do our best, Maki."
"Mm… I'll do my best for you, Umi."
While the other students were disappointed about the summer vacation that ended prematurely, Umi and I decided to focus on our future.