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A few days had passed since Mizuha had returned from her trip to visit her grandparents in the countryside the previous week.
That morning, Mizuha had just finished her summer break homework and was working on a new drawing.
Many things had happened last week when I visited Grandpa and Grandma, Mizuha thought, recalling her time at their house. She reminisced about the fun experiences—helping with farming activities at the family orchard, picking mikans from the trees, going fishing with her father and relatives, learning to cook traditional dishes from her grandmother, and playing with her cousins who had also come to visit.
She had even explored the countryside, capturing beautiful nature scenes to use as inspiration for her drawings.
As she thought back on those memories, Mizuha remembered a message from Hikaru three days ago. He had texted her, saying, "There's a surprise waiting for you when you get back!"
I wonder what kind of surprise Hikaru has in store for me, Mizuha murmured to herself.
Just then, a notification popped up on their group chat. Hikaru had sent a message:
"Hey, guys! Are you all free now? If so, let's meet at our usual family restaurant. I've got something to tell you!"
Everyone in the group confirmed they were free and agreed to gather at the restaurant in the afternoon.
As the time to meet approached, Mizuha changed into her casual outdoor outfit. Heading downstairs, she grabbed her bag and prepared to leave the house.
"Going out?" her mom asked as she saw Mizuha coming down the stairs.
"Yes, I'm meeting Hikaru and the others," Mizuha replied with a smile.
"Take care of yourself out there," her mom said warmly.
"Understood! Mom, I'm heading out now," Mizuha called as she closed the door behind her and stepped outside.
As she stepped out of her house, Mizuha began walking toward the family restaurant. After a short while, she suddenly heard the ring of a bicycle bell from behind. Turning around, she saw Hikaru calling out to her while riding his bicycle. From a distance, she noticed he was coming down a steep, hilly road.
"Mizuha!" Hikaru shouted, waving his hand enthusiastically.
"Hikaru!" Mizuha called, smiling.
Hikaru waved but lost his balance. The bike wobbled, then shot downhill.
"Whoa—aaagh!" he yelled before crashing into a wall and tumbling off.
Mizuha immediately ran over to check on him. "Hikaru! Are you okay?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I'm fine, thanks," Hikaru replied with a sheepish chuckle.
"Geez, this isn't funny, you know! You could've really hurt yourself!" Mizuha scolded. "What about your bike?"
Hikaru inspected the bike briefly. "It's fine—just a little scratched, nothing serious. Maybe I'm just not used to riding it yet," he admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"Oh, by the way, welcome back, Mizuha," Hikaru added with a warm smile.
"It's good to be back, Hikaru," Mizuha replied, returning the smile.
Mizuha eyed the bike. "Since when do you ride a bike? I don't think I've ever seen you riding one before," she asked curiously.
"Well, I just bought it yesterday," Hikaru explained. "It's faster than walking, and I figured it'd be handy for getting around. I'm even planning to ride it to school after the break. Oh, and I could give you a ride home every day too!"
Mizuha shook her head, laughing softly. "Geez, you don't have to go that far just for me!"
"By the way, Hikaru, is this bike the surprise that you wanted to show me, as you said earlier?" Mizuha asked.
"Hmm, this? No, not this bike. It was worth less than the surprise I will show you along with the others when we arrive at the restaurant soon," Hikaru replied.
"Then Mizuha, come on, get on!" Hikaru said as he steadied the bike. "I'll give you a ride to the restaurant."
"Are you sure this is, okay?" Mizuha asked, hesitating. "I mean, you just said you're not used to riding it yet."
"What are you so scared of? Haha, sorry about that mess earlier," Hikaru replied with a confident grin. "Don't worry, that was my fault—I took one hand off the handlebars while riding. This time, I promise not to make the same mistake."
"Well... if you say so," Mizuha said, reluctantly climbing onto the back of the bike.
"Uh, am I making the bike a bit heavy?" she asked nervously.
"No, not at all. It feels the same to me," Hikaru reassured her.
"Okay, then... Let's go," Mizuha said, holding onto Hikaru's back tightly.
"Alright! Hold on tight!" Hikaru said as he started pedaling carefully.
This time, he was extra cautious, making sure to give Mizuha a safe and steady ride to their destination. "See? Like I said, this is much faster than walking," Hikaru said with a grin.
"Yes, you're right about that," Mizuha replied, nodding.
"By the way, how was your visit to your grandparents' house last week? Did you enjoy it?" Hikaru asked suddenly.
"It was really nice being there," Mizuha said with a smile. "I did so many activities with my grandparents and my other relatives. There's so much to talk about, I don't even know where to start! But overall, I really enjoyed it."
"I see. I'm glad to hear you had a good time," Hikaru replied warmly. "As for me, well... I didn't go anywhere special last week. I mostly stayed at home, but sometimes I hung out with Zul. It was just the two of us, wandering around town," he added.
"Oh, that sounds fun too," Mizuha said.
"Oh yeah, Mizuha," Hikaru said, a bit more animated now. "There's a place I want to stop by before we head to the restaurant. I think you'll like it."
"Huh? What is it?" Mizuha asked curiously.
"That's a secret," Hikaru said with a sly smile. "But I bet you'll love the food at this place."
Hikaru didn't mention that he was planning to take Mizuha to a bakery he had discovered last week, a place with treats he knew she would enjoy.
Meanwhile, Takeru, busy with his part-time job, was handling his customer. "Thank you so much, please come again," he said, standing at the bakery counter.
"So many customers today; I didn't have time to slack off even for a moment," sighed Takeru.
Suddenly, another customer came inside, and he greeted them. "Welcome," he said.
Takeru was glad that the person coming was his classmate, Akemi. "Oh, it's you, Akemi-chan! Welcome!" he said, greeting her.
"Erk!? Why are you here?" said Akemi, feeling uneasy with Takeru.
"Why am I here? I'm working part-time here, of course," said Takeru.
"Then why are you here? Are you coming here to see my face? I feel very happy for that," Takeru said, joking with her.
"Oh, come on, please. No one wants to see your face. The face I want to see is Hikaru-kun's, not yours," said Akemi.
"I'm coming here because I heard this bakery is famous recently," she said, choosing the bread and ignoring Takeru.
"Don't be so mean to me, Akemi-chan. Hey, how about hanging out with me later?" said Takeru.
"Me? Hanging out with you? Oh, come on, please. I'm not interested in you at all," said Akemi.
"You're really showing your true nature today, huh? It's different from your usual self at school, I see," said Takeru.
"Speaking of Hikaru-kun, he just stopped by here earlier today, before you came," said Takeru, mentioning him.
"Really, he's coming here too? What bread is he buying? Is he with someone today? Where did he go after stopping here?" asked Akemi.
"Hey, please calm down. Who are you, a police officer, asking me so many questions like this?" replied Takeru, chuckling. Akemi gave him a scary glare after he said that. Woah, that's a very scary glare, thought Takeru.
"Well, he came here with Mizuha to buy his favorite donut and introduce this place to her. I don't know where they went after stopping here," said Takeru.
"Tch, again with that girl," said Akemi, whispering.
"Hmm, did you say something?" asked Takeru.
"It's nothing. Here, please count all the prices for this bread," said Akemi.
"Yes, yes, I know. Why are you so cold to me today?" said Takeru, complaining.
Akemi then left after paying for the bread she bought, and Takeru said, "Please come again," and waved his hand at her.
You really like Hikaru-kun, huh, Akemi? thought Takeru.
Back to Hikaru and Mizuha, they finally arrived in front of the restaurant. As Hikaru parked his bike, he said, "We're a bit late. I bet Shimizu's going to complain about it inside."
"That might be true. I wonder what she'll ask us to do because of it," Mizuha said with a chuckle. Together, they entered the restaurant.
"They're late. What were they doing?" Shimizu complained, sipping her drink.
"You're right. They're a bit late," Zul agreed.
Noticing their arrival, Elly called out, "Mizuha-chan, over here!!" while waving her hand.
"Oh, here they are," Mizuha said, approaching Elly and the others with Hikaru.
Shimizu stood up, complaining, "You two are late. What were you doing?"
"Ah, sorry, sorry, something happened on the way here," Hikaru said, scratching the back of his head.
"Because you two are late, Elly-chan has already drunk all three glasses of melon soda while waiting for you. Who's going to pay for this?" Shimizu pointed to the three empty glasses.
“Wait…Shimizu-chan…,” said Elly.
"As punishment for being late, you need to cover the payment for that," Shimizu added.
"Really!? I'm sorry about that, I'll pay for it," Hikaru replied.
"No need, Hikaru. It wasn't Elly. It was Shimizu. Elly hasn't even finished her drink yet," Zul said, sipping his own drink.
"Zul, you traitor! Why'd you have to say that?" Shimizu exclaimed.
"You're so mean, Shimizu-chan. How could you use my name like that?" Elly said with mock indignation.
"You're the worst, Shimizu," Mizuha added, putting her palm to her forehead.
"Shimizu... I knew it, it was you!" Hikaru said, upset, while clenching his fist.
"Haha, you caught me! Just kidding, tee-hee!" Shimizu giggled.
"Take this!" said Hikaru while punching Shimizu's head.
"Ouch, that hurt," Shimizu responded.
"What are you doing, Hikaru? I thought you didn't hit girls," said Shimizu.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you were a girl. Sorry about that. Tee-hee," said Hikaru with a smirk on his face.
Woah, he seems really upset with me, thought Shimizu.
"Enough of that, both of you. People have been watching us since earlier. Watch your manners," said Mizuha, trying to calm down the situation.
"Yes, you're right, sorry about that," said Hikaru.
Then all of them sat back in their seats and resumed their conversation.
"Then, what do you want, Hikaru? Why did you suddenly call us here?" asked Shimizu.
"Hehe, I'm glad you asked. There's something I want to show you guys. Zul, did you bring that thing?" said Hikaru.
"Yeah, I brought it. Here," said Zul, handing over the pamphlet for the vacation and the ticket for the resort he had won in the lottery a few days ago.
"Wait, Hikaru, is this...?" asked Mizuha.
"Yes, this is a ticket for a vacation at this resort. Zul won it last week when he entered the lottery event."
"You won it, Zul? Wow, that's so cool," said Elly, amazed by her childhood friend.
"It was just luck on my side that day," replied Zul.
"So, what do you want to do with that ticket? You won it, right? Why not use it and go there with your family?" asked Shimizu.
"My family is a bit busy during this summer break. They don't have time to go there, so I discussed what to do with it with Hikaru earlier. We decided to use the ticket and invite you guys to go together with me. What do you think?" said Zul.
"Wait, do you mean you want to bring all of us to this resort?" asked Elly, a bit shocked.
"Yes, that's what I planned with Hikaru," said Zul, smiling. All of them were happy to hear that from Zul.
"Yahoo!" shouted Shimizu.
"Wow, that's nice. Thank you, Zul, for inviting us," she added.
"Hey, Shimizu, lower your voice. Everyone is looking at us right now," said Mizuha.
"Oh, sorry about that. I was too happy to see this," said Shimizu, apologizing.
"Hey, Hikaru, is this the surprise you wanted to show me earlier?" asked Mizuha.
"Yes, this is it. How about that? It's a surprise, right?" said Hikaru.
"Yes, that really did surprise me," replied Mizuha.
"Let's go there together, Elly," said Zul. "Yes, I can't wait!" replied Elly, smiling.
As they were enjoying their conversation, suddenly Mizuha felt something was off and noticed it. "You guys, sorry to interrupt, but we actually forgot something."
"Huh!? What is it, Mizuha-chan?" Elly asked.
"When are we planning to go?" Mizuha replied.
All of them froze, shocked by what Mizuha said. "Oh, yeah, we haven't discussed that yet, right, Zul?" Hikaru said, facepalming. "Yeah, we totally forgot about that. Sorry," Zul apologized.
"Then what are you guys waiting for? Let's discuss it now," Shimizu said. "What date is suitable for us to go?" Hikaru muttered. "What do you think, Mizuha?" he added.
"I have no idea, I’m just counting on you guys," Mizuha said.
"I know! How about three days from today? Do you all agree?" Hikaru asked.
"Oh, that's not bad," Zul said.
"How about you, Elly?" he added.
"I'm fine with it," Elly replied.
"Three days from today, huh? Let me check if it clashes with my other schedule," Shimizu said, checking her smartphone. She was shocked when she realized it did clash with her schedule.
Damn, I have a meeting with my editor in three days, too, Shimizu thought.
"What's wrong, Shimizu-chan? Does it clash with your other schedule?" Elly asked.
"Yes, it looks like that," Shimizu sighed.
"Sorry, you guys, it clashes with my schedule in three days. Can we change the date?" Shimizu said.
"What are you doing on that day, Shimizu? Going on a date with someone?" Hikaru teased with a playful grin.
"Of course not! Have you ever seen me with another guy? I have my own reasons for being busy that day," Shimizu retorted.
Ah, she must have a meeting with her editor, Mizuha thought.
Everyone was quiet for a moment, thinking about Shimizu's words.
"Then how about five days from now? It's the weekend, too. How about that, Shimizu? Does it clash with your schedule?" Hikaru asked.
"Wait, let me check... umm... okay, it's clear. I’m free that day and four days after that, too," Shimizu replied.
"Then it’s decided. We’ll go on Saturday! Is everyone okay with that?" Hikaru asked.
"Agree!!" they all said in unison.
"Sorry, Zul, I’m taking the role of leader for this discussion. It was supposed to be you since you were the one who won the ticket for it," Hikaru said.
"Don't worry, I don’t mind at all. You’re the perfect person for this role instead of me," Zul said.
Suddenly, Elly spoke up. "Umm… Mizuha-chan, Shimizu-chan, can you come with me to the restroom? There's something I want to talk to you about," she whispered to them.
"What is it, Elly-chan? Is it too embarrassing to say here?" Mizuha asked.
"Yeah, something like that," Elly replied.
"Understood. Then let’s go to the restroom for a bit," Shimizu said.
The trio of girls suddenly stood up and began making their way to the restroom.
"Huh? Where are you guys going?" Hikaru asked, looking at them curiously.
"Restroom. We want to have some girl talk," Mizuha answered.
"What’s the matter, Hikaru? Want to follow us too?" Shimizu teased, smirking.
"No thanks, I’ll pass. Pretty sure I’d get caught if I entered the girls' restroom," Hikaru shot back.
"Haha, I'm glad you understand that," said Shimizu.
With that, the trio headed off, leaving Hikaru and Zul alone at the table.
"What with them all, is that the confidential thing they want to talk inside there?" Hikaru complained. "Who knows? Maybe they didn't want us to listen to it," Zul replied.
"Ah, I suddenly feel thirsty. I'd better order something at the counter," said Hikaru. "Zul, do you need anything? I can order it for you," he added.
"No, thanks. I think I'm good. My drink from earlier isn't finished yet," replied Zul.
"Okay, I'm going now. Please wait here," Hikaru responded.
Meanwhile, inside the restroom, Mizuha and her friends began their conversation.
"What's wrong, Elly-chan? Is there something you need to tell us?" Mizuha asked.
"Yeah, is something on your mind?" Shimizu added.
"No, it's just... can you guys accompany me to town after this?" Elly said hesitantly.
"Sure, we can go with you. Where do you want to go?" Mizuha replied.
"Well, I want to buy a new swimsuit..." Elly said, her cheeks turning red.
"Huh? A new swimsuit? But didn't we just buy swimsuits before our picnic at the river?" Shimizu asked.
"Yeah, I remember that too," Mizuha said.
"Well, when I wore it during my vacation with my family last week, it... it felt too tight. I think I gained a little weight," Elly admitted, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment.
"I see, so that's why you didn't want to talk about this in front of Hikaru and Zul," Mizuha said.
"Wait, Elly, are you sure you gained weight?" Shimizu asked, moving behind Elly.
"What do you mean, Shimizu-chan?" Elly replied, confused.
Without warning, Shimizu hugged Elly from behind and began to fondle her chest. "There, there, there," Shimizu muttered, inspecting gently.
"Kyaa! Shimizu-chan!" Elly yelped.
"Hey, Shimizu, what are you doing? Stop that right now!" Mizuha shouted.
After a few moments, Shimizu finally let go. Flustered, Elly ran to Mizuha and hugged her tightly.
"What's wrong with you? You're acting like a complete pervert!" Mizuha scolded.
"I knew it... they've grown a bit since before," Shimizu said.
"Elly, listen," Shimizu continued. "You haven't gained any weight at all, but..."
"But what is it, Shimizu-chan?" Elly asked nervously.
"Your chest has grown a little since last time," Shimizu said bluntly while pointing her finger at Elly's chest.
"Really? Are you sure about that?" asked Elly.
"Yes, I'm really sure about that; that's why your swimsuit felt tight earlier," said Shimizu confidently.
"If you don't trust me, you can ask Mizuha to touch and check it," Shimizu added.
"Me? No, thanks. I'll pass on touching that, but just let me take a quick look," replied Mizuha.
Mizuha took a look at Elly's chest and inspected it with a glare. I know they're always bigger than mine, but I never expected they'd grow again like this, she thought as she compared them with her own chest.
"How is it, Mizuha-chan?" asked Elly.
"Sorry to say, but Shimizu was right; they've grown since before," said Mizuha, feeling a bit jealous of Elly's chest size.
Mizuha and Shimizu glared at Elly's chest and had the same thought: they had really grown since before.
"Alright, we'll accompany you to buy your new swimsuit after this, right, Shimizu?" said Mizuha.
"Of course, for my best friend, I will accompany you too," replied Shimizu.
"Really? Thank you, Mizuha-chan, Shimizu-chan," said Elly, grateful to them.
After that, the trio left the restroom and returned to Hikaru and Zul. They saw Hikaru and Zul talking to each other while eating the food on the table. Hikaru was eating a donut he had bought at the bakery earlier, while Zul was eating the French fries he had just ordered.
Shimizu approached them and said, "Ah, not fair! You guys started eating without waiting for us," she complained.
"Well, you guys took a long time talking in the restroom earlier. We got hungry waiting for you, so we started eating first without waiting," replied Hikaru.
Shimizu then noticed the French fries Zul was eating and thought, those fries look delicious; I'd better order some for myself. She took a seat and raised her hand to call the waitress. "Excuse me, I'd like to order some French fries," she said.
Mizuha and Elly looked at each other and chuckled at Shimizu's behavior. "Let's join in too, Elly-chan," said Mizuha.
"Yes," replied Elly, sitting back at the table.
All of them enjoyed their food together and talked about their upcoming vacation plans.
After eating, they left the building and gathered outside. They then split into two groups: the trio of girls moved on to accompany Elly to buy her new swimsuit, leaving Hikaru and Zul behind.
"Okay, see you guys later," said Mizuha before walking off with Elly and Shimizu.
"See you soon," replied Hikaru.
"So, they're hanging out together," said Hikaru. "Yeah, it looks like that" replied Zul.
"Then, what should we do now, Zul? It's still early, and I don't want to go back home yet," he added.
"How about we head to our usual baseball batting center? Let's continue our game and see if you can beat me this time," Zul suggested.
"Woah, that's a great idea, Zul! Alright, let's go there. This time, I'll show you I can beat your batting score," replied Hikaru.
"Then let's see about that," Zul chuckled.
After that, the two of them headed to the baseball batting center to enjoy their day.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
