OST: Summer Time

With everyone done changing, we left the facility feeling alleviated and refreshed. This trip to the swimming pool had turned out to be a fun experience, creating memories that would last us a lifetime. Despite the mixing of groups that don't usually hang out together, we managed to make it work out for everyone involved.

"Hey guys, there's a konbini not too far from here. Wanna go and get ice cream?"

Yukimura suggested a great way to end our session. With no objections, our group made its way to the konbini that was only a few miles away.

Naturally, I walked at the back of the group, avoiding interaction with anyone else. This time though, Yukina was also at the back, handing me an SD card.

"Here..."

"Thanks for the help. I'll be sure to thoroughly dispose of this."

I assured her that as I slipped the SD card into my pocket. Yukina huffed, her face going dark pink.

"I can't believe they tried to do that..."

"I felt the same way when I found out. That's why I could only rely on you for this. If I asked anyone else, they'd call me a pervert."

"Yes, I see that now. Thanks for saving everyone, Yuu-kun."

"I'm not the hero here. You are."

Following the group, we entered the konbini, and rushed around the ice cream corner. Opening the freezer, Yukimura peered inside, grabbing a kakigori with sweet melon syrup.

"Kakigori on a hot summer's day is the best!"

He proudly declared that as Mitsuba shoved him out of the way. Grabbing a strawberry cone, he presented it in front of Yukimura.

"No, no, ice cream cones are the best on a summer's day! You can hold the cone, and eat it afterwards! You can't eat the container of a kakigori!"

"But kakigori is more refreshing than that soft serve! Also, melon is superior to strawberry!"

"You take that back! Strawberry is the ultimate ice cream flavour, everything else sucks in comparison!"

Somehow, even those two could fight over something as simple as ice cream.

"You guys can choose first. We're the elders, so we can wait."

Himeji encouraged us, the first years, to get their ice cream first. Sakigamiya took him on his offer, and perused the options available to her.

Demiza reached in and grabbed a vanilla ice cream that had a shell of chocolate around it, while Hono took a strawberry flavoured ice popsicle. Unexpectedly, Katsumi chose to have a blue raspberry slushie, which could double both as a drink and ice cream. Very creative.

"Aha! Even Hono-san agrees with me, strawberry is superior!"

"They don't even have melon flavoured popsicles, you idiot!"

Nora looked over all the ice cream, seeming mesmerised by it all. It looked like it was the first time he was buying ice cream. Fujimura was trying to not squeal over how cute Nora looked as he innocently picked up different ice creams and read through their descriptions. Suzuki, who was tired of Nora's indecisiveness, grabbed some cola flavoured ice candy, and put it into his hands.

"This one is good. Have it."

"U-um... o-okay..."

"Hey, Mayuri-chan, don't force anything on Takayuki-chan! Let him choose what he wants."

With two gyaru flanking him, Nora seemed to having trouble keeping his cool. Even though we were at the pool moments earlier, he was red in the face and sweating again.

Sakigamiya chose to have a cone, like Mitsuba, but got a vanilla flavoured one with a flake. Tanaka chose to have a kakigori like Yukimura, but had a caramel syrup.

"Alright, good going Tanaka! Kakigori supremacy!"

"W-well, Sakigamiya-san chose a soft serve!"

"But it ain't strawberry, ya bitch!"

Suzuki had chosen to buy the cola flavoured ice candy she suggested to Nora. Fujimura decided to get a chocolate soft serve. Nora fiddled with his fingers, not sure what to buy still.

"I-I'm sorry..."

He began to apologise for no reason. It seemed like even choosing ice cream was too pressuring for him.

"If you want, we can share. Would that be better?"

Fujimura decided to give him another option if he couldn't choose one. However, Nora shook his head.

"N-no... I wouldn't want to trouble you like that... so... um..."

He reached in and got both a chocolate soft serve and cola flavoured ice candy.

"I'll... just have the same... as you two..."

That was a smart solution to his issue. Why choose one when you could have two? I might do the same...

Sanou went in next, grabbing a strawberry syrup kakigori, silencing Yukimura and Mitsuba's pointless argument.

"Oh my god... she's the chosen one, Yukimura-san!"

"We're not worthy! We're not worthy!"

"It's just ice cream... calm down, ya boneheads."

Sanou managed to knock some sense into them. Nibiiro laughed, grabbing lemon and lime flavoured ice candy. Shinomiya followed after him, also taking lemon and lime flavoured ice candy. Himeji decided to go for a blue raspberry slushie like Katsumi.

Even in such a place, I found it interesting that each of their personal idiosyncrasies were slipping into view. While some people bought the same items, the ways they went about it was slightly different, such as flavour or reactions.

"Aren't you gonna choose?"

I turned to Yukina, who also waited for everyone else to get theirs first.

"I was wondering the same thing for you."

"Personally, I don't mind waiting. Don't feel obligated to as well, just for my sake."

"Maa... I feel the same way as Nora-san. With so many ice creams, it's hard to decide."

It seemed that Yukina was also overwhelmed by the number of choices that were available.

"Why don't you pick a side on Yukimura-san and Mitsuba-san's argument?"

"It's a bit too late for that now."

"True."

I stared into the freezer, glossing over everything. However, I knew there was one item that I wanted above all.

"I think I've decided."

"Me too, Yuu-kun."

I reached my hand into the freezer, going to grab my ice cream of choice, the standard vanilla soft serve. Just as I was about to pull it out, my hand crashed into Yukina's, intertwining as we held onto the same cup of ice cream.

We looked at each other, blinking owlishly. It seemed we both had the idea of buying the same thing.

"O-oh, I'm sorry..."

Yukina removed her hand, and I slowly pulled out the ice cream from the freezer. She then took her own cup of the soft serve after me.

"I-it's fine..."

For the second time today, me and Yukina accidentally touched each other. I awkwardly walked away, paying for my ice cream and going to eat it outside in the open space in front of the konbini, like everyone else.

Yukimura, Tanaka and Sanou were having an eating contest to see who could finish their kakigori first. So far, Tanaka was in the lead, eating nearly half of the shaved ice already. Hono was sucking her popsicle happily while talking to Sakigamiya, who was licking her ice cream.

Nora was sitting on the bench, quietly enjoying his ice candy and soft serve. To no one's surprise, Fujimura was sitting next to him, eating her soft serve with a pleasant face. It was rare to see Fujimura looking peaceful. Leaning against the bench was Nibiiro and Shinomiya, eating their sour ice candy together.

Katsumi and Himeji happily slurped away their slushies, and Mitsuba was struggling to eat his melting cone. That guy has no good luck when it came to anything. Demiza was biting away at the chocolate shell of her ice cream, while Suzuki had already finished her ice candy. Watching everyone else eat their ice cream made me want to as well.

Opening up the cup, and ferrying the soft serve into my mouth, I felt the milky ice cream melt and spread out on my tongue. The sweetness and coldness from it was just what I needed after that long, exhausting day playing with everyone else.

"This is delicious..."

I sighed, eating more of it. Yukina laughed as she ate her soft serve beside me.

"It is good. I've never seen you make that face before, though."

"My face?"

"Yes, your face. It's always so plain, but eating that ice cream, it looks like you've attained heaven."

I suddenly didn't want to show my face to her anymore.

"Well, it's delicious. I can't help it."

"Anyone would find ice cream delicious in this simmering heat, Yuu-kun."

"That's true."

Before I knew it, my ice cream was melting as I talked to Yukina, dripping onto the asphalt and leaving stains on top of it.