Chapter 226 – Going to the Pool with Everyone (4)

After that, I rode the slide once again with Umi as promised. I didn't realize that the first ride was over because I'd been clinging to Amami-san the entire time. You can't blame me for doing that, it was scary as hell.

"…Maki, you dummy."

As we parted ways with the other three, who went to another part of the pool, Umi, who was standing next to me while holding my hand, muttered quietly.

Apparently she saw me clinging to Amami-san when we were up there. Honestly, I barely remembered anything because I was too busy shitting my pants up there.

Nonetheless, I should still apologize to her.

"…I see how it is. You're fine with embracing any girl, huh, Maki? Getting to hug a pretty girl like Yuu must've made you excited, huh?"

"…Sorry that you had to see that, Umi."

Honestly, it was inevitable. It wasn't because it was Amami-san. If Nozomu was in front of me, I would still do the same thing. But if I were to say that to her, it would sound like an excuse, so I decided to just apologize instead.

I understood how she felt though. Seeing her boyfriend embracing another girl like that, of course she would be jealous. The circumstances didn't matter, jealousy would come either way.

The fact that Umi got jealous easily also didn't help my case. No matter who the girl was, as long as she saw me getting along well with them, Umi would be jealous. The correct move for me back there was to have Nozomu between Amami-san and me, but at that time I was too anxious to think about anything else, so that happened.

"Sorry, Umi, I'll be more careful next time."

"Be more careful about what? Hiding the act so I won't see?"

"Of course not. Whether you're going to see it or not, I don't want to do something that'll make you feel bad, Umi."

"…Fine. Do that from now on, okay?"

"Yes. Thank you for showing mercy."

"Mhm. I have high hopes for you in the future… You know what'll happen if you break my expectations, right?"

"Of course. Don't worry, I will do my best to make you happy, Umi."

She might get jealous easily, but at her core, she was still a kind girl. As long as I talked it out with her properly and sincerely, things would soon get better.

Honestly, I hated making uncertain promises like this, but if it was for Umi, I'd do my best to make it happen.

"…Thank you, Maki. I know that it isn't Maki's fault, but I was still…"

"Don't worry, if I were in your position, I would do the same thing."

There was no point talking about something that didn't happen, but imagining Umi getting along well with another guy drove me insane. Perhaps she had a reason for doing so, but even though I understood it logically, I still wouldn't accept it emotionally.

"Maki."

"Hm?"

"I really don't want to say this when Yuu isn't here, but…"

"Just tell me. We can keep it a secret between the two of us."

"I see. Then, keep this a secret, okay?"

Then, she pulled me closer to her and whispered something to my ear.

"When I saw you sticking close to Yuu… I felt really jealous… We talked earlier and she apologized to me, but it still felt bad, even though I told her that I didn't mind…"

"I see… Sorry…"

"It's okay, don't be sorry. But, you know… I want to be the only one you do that with… I want to be the only one who sees your cool and uncool sides…"

If the five of us continue to get along, even if we tried to be careful, something like this would definitely happen. I was sure that Umi was also aware about this.

However, that didn't mean that she had to keep quiet and bear with it silently.

I think that it would be best for all of us if she'd just come forward and discuss it calmly. We could find a solution together that way.

"Got it, then from now on, I'll try to stay by your side as much as possible… But, they'll tease me to hell and back for it… Ugh…"

"Hehe, but you don't mind that, do you?"

"Well, I guess… Especially in places like this… I'd prefer to be with someone I'm comfortable with…"

Umi must've noticed it. Ever since we got here, I always tried to keep her in my sight as much as possible. And I also tried to hold her hands whenever possible.

After all, if I didn't do that, I'd feel anxious. Yes, in the end, I was just as needy as Umi.

"Umi, I'll be going first this time. I showed you my uncool side, so I'll show you my cool side this time."

"Oh, as expected of my boyfriend. But you don't need to force yourself. I know you're afraid of heights."

Umi gently squeezed my hand, which had been trembling from nervousness.

The warmth of her hand managed to heat up my cold hand.

"…Sorry."

"Hehe, don't be. You should embrace me like how you embraced Yuu previously– No, embrace me tighter than that. Can you do it?"

"Yes. I'd be happy to."

Shortly afterwards, we arrived at the starting point again. We told the staff that we would be going together as a couple.

I sat behind Umi and embraced her. I could feel a soft sensation on my arms, probably because I touched her chest without realizing it.

"Hehe, perv… Where do you think you're touching, hm?"

"S-Sorry. B-But, you know, this is the only good place for me to hang on…"

"I'm not saying that I hate it, don't worry~ Anyway, let's go on quickly, we don't want to trouble the staff."

"…Jeez, seriously, you two."

I glanced and apologized to the staff before entering the slide with Umi.

We went down the ride together without separating, all the way to the end.

"Pwah! Hehe, that was fun, wasn't it, Maki?"

"Mhm. Unlike the first time, I managed to experience it properly this time."

"Then, again–"

"No."

"Ehh…"

"No means no."

Before we knew it, we were back to our usual antics. We completely ignored the stares of the people around us as we went to buy some drinks for the other three who were playing elsewhere.

When it was only the two of us, I could feel the date-like atmosphere between us.

Since it had been a while since I last went outside with her, I kind of wanted to do something different.

"What do you want to drink, Maki? They have a lot of options."

"I kinda want some shaved ice…"

"Alright. What flavor? Strawberry? Or melon?"

"Blue Hawaii."

"Hehe, what a childish taste. Well, I like it too."

And so Umi and I ordered Blue Hawaii, and for the rest of the group, we bought strawberry, melon and lemon flavor. They could decide on which one they wanted later.

"One each of Blue Hawaii, strawberry, melon and lemon please."

"Just one Blue Hawaii?"

"Well, my stomach hurts if I eat too much shaved ice, so I'm thinking of sharing one with you. Do you mind, Umi?"

"Of course not. Alright, make sure to get two straws for us."

It seemed like the store clerk was trying to be quirky because the straws on the Blue Hawaii looked wiggly. It seemed like they wanted to make a heart with it but failed. Well whatever, we could still use the straws.

We then walked to the flowing pool, where Amami-san and the others were at with all the shaved ice in our hands. It was quite crowded since it was near lunchtime.

Maybe it would be a good time for us to go to the amusement park nearby… As I was thinking of that while looking for Amami-san and the others, Umi nudged my arm.

"Maki, isn't that?…"

"Hm?"

I looked in the direction where Umi was pointing at to see someone wandering alone with five drink cups.

Since he wasn't wearing his glasses, I didn't recognize him for a moment, but his face was familiar and both his proportions and atmosphere matched a certain someone that I knew.

"Ooyama-kun?"

"Huh? Maehara-kun? …Ah, and Asanagi-san…"

He looked a little relieved when he saw my face but as soon as he saw Umi next to me, he immediately averted his gaze.

We were in the same class last year, but he hadn't talked much with Umi, so he probably had some reservations about her.

"Sorry for calling out to you like this, Ooyama-kun. You seem troubled, so I figured I asked… Did you get separated from your friends or something?"

"Asanagi-san… Yeah, well… Kinda… I went to buy drinks for them, but when I came back, everyone was gone."

Since he was holding five cups, he probably came with the four friends that I saw a while back. I didn't remember their faces because they didn't leave any impression on me. All I knew was that they were all boys and all of them had the same dull appearance as me.

"Ah, I'm doing this because I lost the rock-paper-scissors, so you don't need to worry about me."

"I see. But, isn't it tough carrying all of them?"

"Oh it's okay, don't worry. They were here just now, so they shouldn't be too far. Anyway, you can just leave me alone, I don't want to bother you two."

"It isn't a bother… Right, Umi?"

Umi nodded after hearing my words.

After that incident at the cram school with Ooyama-kun, I'd been unsure about how I should approach him, but that was that, and this was this. 

"No, seriously, just leave a loser like me alone and enjoy your time together. Goodbye."

"Ooyama-kun–"

However, he decided to stay away from us and blended into the crowd. We quickly lost him.

I hoped that he found his friends quickly, but with how busy it was…

"Did I say something wrong, Umi?"

"I don't think so… But maybe he felt like a third wheel after seeing us together?"

Or maybe he felt that I was trying to show off, even though that wasn't my intention at all.

If it was Nozomu instead of Umi who was standing next to me, things might have turned out differently. I was once again reminded of how difficult it was to socialize with others.