The summer sun was blazing, and Kazuki was stretched out on the living room floor, fanning himself lazily. It was one of those days when the heat was so strong it seemed to melt all motivation. But, for once, Kazuki was more than okay with that. He planned to do nothing today—just relax, eat, and maybe nap.
Of course, fate had other plans.
Just as Kazuki began to drift into a nap, his phone buzzed, and Shizuka's name popped up on his screen.
Shizuka: *Hey, hey, Kazuki! Guess what? I'm outside your door!*
Kazuki jolted upright. "What the—? She didn't even give me a warning!"
Sure enough, he heard the unmistakable sound of Shizuka's knock at his door.
He opened it, barely suppressing a sigh as she burst in, arms full of bags and her signature grin on her face. "I brought snacks!" she announced, holding up a couple of bags stuffed with chips, drinks, and a large watermelon.
"Snacks?" Kazuki looked at her, trying to understand her logic. "Shizuka, that watermelon is like… ten pounds."
"Exactly!" she beamed. "It's big enough to keep us cool all day."
He stared at her, exasperated but unable to keep from smiling. "I was just planning on a quiet day."
Shizuka rolled her eyes, dropping her bags on the floor. "Kazuki, it's summer break! We have to make the most of it. Plus…" She gave him a mischievous look, pulling out a deck of cards. "We need a rematch."
Kazuki groaned. "You mean after you wiped the floor with me last time? No thanks."
She pouted, crossing her arms in mock offense. "Afraid I'll beat you again?"
He narrowed his eyes, his competitive spirit sparking. "Fine. But if I win, you're helping me clean up."
"Deal!" Shizuka grinned, immediately shuffling the deck with surprising dexterity.
As they sat down, Kazuki found himself quickly losing track of time. They battled it out in various games, both determined not to lose, trash-talking each other like pros. The stakes escalated with each round, and they kept daring each other to take on small, ridiculous challenges.
In one game, Kazuki lost and had to wear a silly watermelon rind "helmet" that Shizuka carved for him.
"You look like a summer samurai!" she giggled, snapping a photo before he could stop her.
He gave her a deadpan look. "Delete that."
"Not a chance," she said, grinning as she continued to snap more photos.
Finally, they agreed to call it a truce and focused on devouring the watermelon Shizuka had brought. They both sat on the floor, munching away in companionable silence, juice dripping down their chins.
"Isn't this great?" Shizuka said between bites, her eyes sparkling. "No school, no homework… just us hanging out."
Kazuki felt his cheeks warm but quickly looked away, focusing on his watermelon slice. "Yeah, it's nice."
Shizuka eyed him, her lips quirking up in a playful smile. "Wow, was that… Kazuki being sentimental?"
"Please, don't get too excited," he shot back, throwing a watermelon seed at her.
She gasped, laughing, and retaliated by tossing a seed back at him. Soon, they were in a full-blown seed fight, with laughter echoing through the room. By the end, they were out of breath, surrounded by a mess of seeds and sticky watermelon juice.
As they sat there, still catching their breath, Shizuka leaned back with a contented sigh. "This was the best day. Sometimes I wish summer break would last forever."
Kazuki felt a strange tug at his heart as he looked at her, her face glowing in the late afternoon sunlight. For a brief moment, he wondered the same—what it would be like if these carefree days could go on forever.
But instead, he just nodded, looking away before she could catch him staring.
"Yeah… me too."