Chapter 211 – Summer School (1)

Thanks to Amami-san's unusual bad luck, we had to discuss what to do about our plans going forward. But before that, we had to deal with something else first.

On the first day of summer vacation. I left home with Umi and waited for Amami-san and Nitta-san in front of the ticket gate at the station. We were going to attend the summer class today.

The class would run from 9am to 3pm for seven days (weekdays only). Which meant a quarter of my summer vacation would be filled with studying. Well, it was a good opportunity for me because I had a habit of slacking off during summer vacations.

"Sorry Umi, I need to use the toilet…"

"Again? Didn't you go before we left?"

"I can't help it, okay? This is my first time going to summer school. I'm nervous!"

"Ah~ So that's why~ This is your first time, huh? I'm amazed you actually passed our school's entrance exam without attending one. You must have worked really hard on your own. Well, you don't need to worry, I'll be with you all day."

"Thank you… I still need to go though."

"Well, go quickly then."

I let go of Umi's hand and went straight to the men's toilet.

It was still early in the morning, but I already saw a lot of people my age roaming around the station. I guess everyone was in high spirits. It was the first day of summer vacation after all.

The toilet was crowded. I had to wait a while before my turn came. Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder.

"I knew it, it's you isn't it, Maki? What's up? Ah, right, you guys are going to summer school today."

"Morning, Nozomu. What's with the uniform? You have practice today?"

"Yeah… The coach is making us play a lot of games this summer… On top of that, we have regular practice and training camp… Summer school, huh? I'm so jealous…"

"I don't think it's something to be jealous about though…"

It was a real pity that he kept getting left out. I hoped that all five of us could hang out together before the break ended. If it was impossible during the day, we could hang out at night instead. There would be festivals and other events later, so during those days, we could hang out together. Chilling at my house was also an option.

Regarding the relationship between Amami-san and Nozomu, even though they were close enough as normal friends, there was still a delicate distance between them.

I didn't want to meddle too much, but I could try helping them a little. Creating opportunities for them to be together should be enough.

"Keep an eye on Amami-san for me, Maki. Make sure there aren't any annoying bugs around her. Use Asanagi and Nitta the best you can. I'm counting on you, bro."

"I don't mind, but will there really be those kinds of people there? I mean, they're paying to study there. Going out of their way to do that just to try to get into a girl's pants is…"

"Oh, believe me, there are. You wouldn't believe the kind of people you'd meet at those places. The people applying for higher difficulty courses are the exception, but anywhere else, the bugs are everywhere."

Was that really the case? He didn't seem to be joking, maybe he saw something back when he attended cram school for our high school entrance exam.

"If that's the case, wouldn't they go after Umi and Nitta-san too?

"Of course they would. Both of them are pretty, especially Asanagi. They're gonna swarm around her if you let your guard down."

"Ugh…"

I started to feel uneasy.

Amami-san and Nitta-san aside, I didn't want that kind of person to talk to Umi. Hell, I didn't want them to breathe the same air as her.

I wouldn't let them lay their hands on my precious girlfriend.

I knew that the three of them were more than capable of taking care of themselves, but I shouldn't let my guard down. For now, I should remember what Nozomu just told me and keep a close eye on all three of them, just in case.

"Got it. I'll make the three of them cooperate with me. I don't think I could do everything myself."

"Good. If things get out of hand, call me immediately. I'll use my authority as the baseball club captain to discipline the annoying guys. Of course, I'll be bringing the entire club with me."

"Hold back a little, will you?"

It was reassuring to know that the baseball club had our backs. I should keep this in mind and contact him immediately as soon as things start getting annoying.

I doubt that it'd happen though.

"Alright, my train is here, see ya. Good luck with your studies, Maki."

"You too. Good luck with your match."

"Roger."

I parted with Nozomu and went back to the meeting place.

The two girls Umi and I were waiting for were already there by the time I got back.

"Ah, there's Maki-kun! Good morning~ Everything okay? You were in the toilet for quite a while~"

"Jeez, it's just summer class, Rep. Why are you acting like a grade schooler on his first field trip?"

It had been a while since I last saw them in their casual clothes. Too bad we weren't here to play around today. I could tell that they put some effort into dressing up. Amami-san was wearing a shirt, jeans and a pair of sneakers. Meanwhile Nitta-san was dressed in loose clothes that didn't show off her body line too much.

I was wearing my usual shirt and half-pants. Meanwhile, Umi was wearing a summer knit and jeans. We also had the bags we used during our trip a while back to hold our reference books.

"Okay, everyone's here, let's get on the train. There's still time before class starts."

"Ah, wait a minute. Rep, we're still waiting for someone. She went to the convenience store to buy something."

"Huh? Another person?"

"Yeah. Well, she's just tagging along, don't worry about her too much. She won't be attending class with us anyway."

Amami-san and Umi didn't say anything, so there shouldn't be anything strange about the mystery person Nitta-san was talking about. But for some reason, Nitta-san was acting strangely.

As I was wondering what kind of person could make Nitta-san act this way, a girl approached us with hurried steps.

"Sorry for the wait, everyone. I forgot to bring lunch, so I had to buy some… Ah, are you the boy I've been hearing about? She called you Rep or something, right?"

"Yes, my name is Maehara… Are you, by any chance?…"

The answer to my question was obvious. The girl resembled Nitta-san.

"Ah right, sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. Thank you for always taking care of my stupid little sister. I'm Yuna, Nina's older sister. Nice to meet you."

"Casually calling your own little sister stupid? Look in the mirror, stupid."

"Huh? I'm just telling him the truth. Just face it, your grades are bad and no matter how many times I told you not to, you kept wandering around in your undies like an idiot– Ouch! What are you doing?!"

"There's a boy here! You should learn to shut your damn mouth!"

"Which mouth? Also, what are you so embarrassed about? Your grades? Or the fact that you've been running around the house in your undies?"

"Oh, just shut up!"

I'll pretend I didn't hear that new information. Anyway, it was the first time I'd seen Nitta-san this flustered.

The sight of Nitta-san blushing and slapping her sister's arm was a new sight to me and the other girls.