{Making Summer Plans Together 1}

The bus we boarded at the shopping mall stops at a familiar bus stop.

“We’re getting off.”

I called out to Miyu, who was sitting next to me, and got up from my seat first.

“Okay.”

She responded. She seemed to have been dozing off, maybe from the alcohol, but she was awake now, quietly following behind me.

Outside, it was much different from the air-conditioned bus interior—humid, as expected for a summer night. As soon as we stepped down, a wave of stifling heat hit us.

After the bus roared away, I reached out my hand to Miyu.

“You okay? Can you walk?”

“I’m totally fine,” she answered, taking my hand.

Her palm felt even hotter than the surrounding air.

“I was a little sleepy on the bus, though.”

“Yeah, you were pretty quiet.”

“But I’m fine now. I’m not that drunk.”

People who’ve had a bit to drink always say, “I’m not drunk,” but Miyu didn’t seem to be lying. She seemed steady when she got off the bus and didn’t look sleepy anymore.

Besides, she only had two glasses of wine at the restaurant—hardly enough to get really drunk. Honestly, I thought she might want to drink more, which would’ve been fine as long as she didn’t get sick.

“If you couldn’t walk, I was planning to carry you home,” I joked.

Miyu laughed out loud. “That might have been nice, actually.”

“Nice? I can still do it if you want.”

“No way, I’m too heavy.”

She answered lightheartedly but then murmured softly, “But your back is wide, Atsushi. I bet it’d feel nice to be carried.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

It seemed she was a little tipsy after all. Normally, Miyu would be more reserved.

The walk from the bus stop to our apartment was just five minutes.

Since we weren’t in a hurry, and we had a bit of alcohol in us, we decided to take it slow and enjoy the pleasant evening.

“Look, the sky is so beautiful,” Miyu said, stretching her neck to look up.

Above us was a clear night sky. Even though the moonlight drowned out most of the stars since it was nearly full, the bright moonlight itself added to the charm of the warm summer night.

After 9 PM, the residential neighborhood was quiet. If we listened carefully, we could hear the faint sounds of a TV from someone’s house, water running in a kitchen or bathroom, and the occasional chirping of summer insects. Even our footsteps seemed to be absorbed by the stillness. It was a peaceful night.

“It really feels like summer,” I murmured.

Miyu glanced at me. “You mean the stars?”

“No, just everything in general. It feels like a typical summer night.”

I’m not particularly knowledgeable about the stars. I know about the Summer Triangle—Vega in Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus, and Altair in Aquila—from school, but I don’t often look up at the sky to find them.

Still, the Milky Way filling a corner of the sky, the moon shining brightly, the hot, still air, the buzzing of insects that sounds nothing like autumn’s cooler nights, and the way just walking makes you sweat—all of it seemed to scream “summer” at me.

“Do you like summer, Atsushi?” Miyu asked.

I answered honestly, “It’s hard to say. It’s hot and uncomfortable, but there are things you can only do in summer. No matter how old I get, summer nights always feel exciting.”

The night air in summer reminds me of festivals and fireworks, bringing back memories of childhood. Tonight, the wine had me in an especially good mood.

“What about you, Miyu? Since you were born in summer, do you like it?”

When I asked her, she pouted slightly.

“Hmmm… If I had to choose, I’d say I’m not a fan.”

“Really? That’s surprising.”

“Well, it’s not that I hate summer or anything,” she added, sounding a bit apologetic before looking up at the sky again.

Her hair, damp with sweat, stuck to the back of her neck, and her earrings gleamed softly in the moonlight. I noticed her gaze wandering toward them before I brought it back to her face, where she looked somewhat troubled.

More than that, she looked sad.

“Summer makes me think about things I wouldn’t normally consider during other seasons,” she said quietly.

Her words caught me off guard, and I wasn’t sure how to respond.