At school, my emotions held little significance. Both the classrooms and the hallways were filled with excitement as everyone eagerly awaited the start of summer break.

          It couldn’t be helped.

          There probably weren’t many students like me who didn’t embrace the idea of a long vacation, so my feelings were hardly considered by anyone. Being in the minority, I had no option but to accept the situation in silence.

          To me, summer vacation was way too long.

          Even if I stayed home all day, I’d be alone. And even if I hung out with my friends, I couldn’t expect them to be available every day, especially since we were seniors with entrance exams ahead of us. While we did have some plans to meet during the break, they were fewer than last year due to their commitments to cram schools and prep schools. Even if we spontaneously made more plans, it still wouldn’t match the number of times we hung out last year.

          I wasn’t looking forward to it.

          I was used to being alone, but that didn’t mean I liked it, so I wasn’t particularly fond of long breaks.

          「Shiori, you’re going to get wrinkles if you keep doing that.」

          Maika, who had finished her lunch, extended her arm across the table and began rubbing the space between my eyebrows with her index finger.

          「That feels really weird.」

          Shivers ran down my spine as Maika continued to touch the area between my eyebrows, which made me feel a little uncomfortable, so I took hold of Maika’s hand and gently placed it back on the desk.

          The classroom was bustling with activity and excitement during lunch break. Like everyone else in the room, Maika appeared to be enjoying herself, laughing as she extended her hand to poke me again. However, before she could do so, Ami – who was sitting next to her – managed to get to me first.

          「Man, why is the space between our eyebrows so weird?」

          Ami said casually.

          「If you think it’s weird, then quit it.」

          I said as I poked her in the side of her waist, freeing me from her touch.

          「Hey, that’s a foul.」

          「Suddenly attacking me between my eyebrows is also a foul, you know.」

          After stroking the area between my eyebrows to dispel the discomfort from earlier, I stuffed the bread I bought into my stomach.

          「I mean, you seemed a bit down today, so I thought I’d try and cheer you up a bit.」

          Maika said sheepishly.

          「Yep, I thought so too.」

          I wasn’t exactly in low spirits; it was just that I wasn’t as enthusiastic about the break as everyone else. Nevertheless, both of them appeared concerned and asked, “Did something happen?”

          Well, truthfully, something did happen, but I wasn’t going to tell them that.

          Sendai-san and I had promised to keep our after-school activities a secret, and even if we were allowed to share, I had no intention of divulging what had happened between us that day when she visited after getting drenched by the rain.

          「I went to bed late last night, so I’m just feeling a bit sleepy. But hey, maybe if you guys treated me to something nice, I’d feel more energized.」

          It was true that I didn’t get much sleep last night, but the part about feeling sleepy was a lie.

          Creating various excuses for things I preferred to keep hidden was kind of a hassle, so I often found it simpler to sprinkle in half-truths in my explanations instead.

          「Treat you to something nice, huh. What did you have in mind?」

          Maika asked as she stared at me, though I couldn’t discern whether she was genuinely considering my request or not. However, before I could even reply, Ami chimed in with,

          「I feel like having ice cream! Can you buy some for me?」

          「Why am I treating you to something now?」

          Maika expressed her exasperation, but Ami continued to make after-school plans without paying it much attention.

          「You don’t need to treat me to anything, but let’s go get some ice cream after class! It’s so hot today.」

          She was right. It was really hot today.

          In fact, it was probably the hottest day of the year so far.

          Even Sendai-san, who I passed by in the hallways earlier, was fanning herself with her hands.

          Despite Sendai-san’s usual sensitivity to heat, she usually left only one button on her blouse undone while at school. Today was no exception; her second button was fastened, concealing the hickey I had given her on that rainy day.

          Of course, even if she had left two buttons undone, no one would be able to see it anyway. Besides, it was most likely gone by now. Nevertheless, I had a strong urge to check for myself.

          It was strange of me to think like that.

          I was aware of it myself.

          But despite being aware of it, I still felt the need to confirm it myself, especially since I wasn’t able to do so the day before.

          Yesterday, after school, I called Sendai-san over as usual with the intention of having her unbutton her blouse so I could see the hickey I had left on her.

          However, I couldn’t bring myself to issue that order to her.

          「Hey, about hickeys…」

          When I realized what I had unconsciously blurted out, I quickly attempted to silence myself. However, Maika wasn’t willing to overlook my mistake.

          「What’s this about hickeys?」

          「Oh, uh, how long do you think hickeys last for?」

          I abandoned the idea of searching for excuses and instead framed it as a question.

          「Wait, what? Shiori, don’t tell me… Did you give someone a hickey? Or did someone give you one?」

          Maika eyes were brimming with curiosity as she stared at me.

          「Look, there’s no way I could do something like that when I don’t even have a partner. I was just curious because I saw Ibaraki-san with one the other day.」

          To be honest, I’d never seen Ibaraki-san with a hickey before. I came up with the excuse based on what Sendai-san had mentioned in the past.

          According to Ibaraki-san, it was possible to get rid of a hickey by cutting up a lemon and squeezing a few drops on it.

          Seeing as how Ibaraki-san was the one who recommended this method, using the excuse that I had seen a hickey on a visible area of her skin didn’t seem too far-fetched, so I went with it.

          「Ohh, I see.」

          The fact that my friends readily accepted my excuse highlighted Ibaraki-san’s reputation.

          It emphasized how one’s everyday actions played a significant role in shaping their image.

          It was things like this that often caused the truth to become distorted and fueled the spread of rumors.

          「Don’t hickeys last for quite a while? Right, Ami?」

          「Whoa, don’t look at me. I’m not sure either.」

          「Whaat? Have you and Sugikawa-kun not gone that far yet?」

          The “Sugikawa-kun” that Maika was referring to was Ami’s boyfriend, who she had started dating recently. Although he attended a different school, I heard that the two of them often studied together.

          「No way. We’re in a pure and proper relationship.」

          If hickeys were regarded as “impure” and “improper,” then Sendai-san and I clearly fell into those categories. Nevertheless, since we weren’t in a romantic relationship, ideas of purity and propriety weren’t particularly relevant to us, and it wasn’t like I was aiming to have a pure and honest relationship with her anyway.

          However, it did make me wonder what the future held for us, considering the nature of our relationship.

          I was placing too much stress on myself by overthinking things.

          Lately, I was uncertain about when to call for Sendai-san.

          Usually, I’d summon her whenever I was having a bad day.

          However, I had already broken that rule I set for myself a while ago.

          And now, I found it difficult to determine the right moment to send a text to Sendai-san.

          I was reluctant to call for her today since she already came over yesterday, and tomorrow seemed a little too soon as well.

          As I looked out the window, I saw a vivid blue sky that almost looked like a painting.

          Not long after Sendai-san’s visit to my house on that rainy day, the rainy season came to an end. Now, the weather was persistently clear and sunny – almost annoyingly so. There were no opportunities for Sendai-san’s uniform to get wet again, and no reasons for her to take it off either.

          It was hot and humid today, which was making me feel lightheaded.

          I wish it was a little cooler.

          While I didn’t resent the sun or anything, I couldn’t help but shoot a glare towards the sky that refused to let a single raindrop fall.

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