The three days of exams passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was Saturday.
The summer vacation, most anticipated by countless high school students, officially arrived.
However, they still had to go to school in the morning to hear the teachers talk about summer precautions and pick up their final exam papers to take home.
"It's so hot."
Kitahara Makoto walked out of his house, the scorching sun already shining down on the world.
Unknowingly, the time had come to mid-July, the hottest time of the year.
The summer was scorching.
Cicadas chirped loudly.
Kitahara Makoto arrived at the Train Station under the sun, but he didn't immediately board the train. Instead, he walked to a shady corner and waited silently.
Time passed quietly.
A pink-haired girl wearing a tracksuit, carrying a guitar, and looking down at her toes walked over, her movements appearing cautious, as if she was constantly worried about stepping on the flowers and plants beneath her feet.
Bang.
Gotō Hitori suddenly bumped into someone with her forehead.
"S-Sorry..."
Ignoring the pain in her forehead, Gotō Hitori quickly bowed and apologized.
The next second.
An incredibly familiar voice entered Bocchi-chan's ears:
"When apologizing, you should offer bread."
"Eh?"
Gotō Hitori looked up in surprise, and what met her eyes was an incredibly familiar face.
"Kitahara-kun, why haven't you gone to school yet?"
Seeing that the person she bumped into was Kitahara Makoto, Bocchi-chan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Waiting for Hitori."
Kitahara Makoto spoke truthfully; of course, he wouldn't pretend it was a chance encounter.
Gotō Hitori's small face quickly flushed red, her gaze flitted about, not daring to look at him, and she stammered:
"W-Waiting for me to do what...?"
The shyer Bocchi-chan was, the more Kitahara Makoto enjoyed teasing her sense of shame:
"Because today is the first day of summer vacation, and I really want to go to school with the girl I like."
Gotō Hitori nervously looked left and right, and seeing no one else around, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief:
"It's just the first day of summer vacation... It's not, not a very important day..."
Kitahara Makoto looked up at the sky, which was cloudless and clear, and said softly:
"I remember the first time I met Hitori, it was the first day of school. In the blink of an eye, a semester has passed, and now it's the first day of summer vacation."
"The first day of school, and the first day of summer vacation, might not be important to others, but to me, they are incredibly meaningful days."
...
Gotō Hitori's small face was crimson, and she lowered her head, not daring to speak.
"Shall we take a photo as a memento?"
Kitahara Makoto pondered for a moment, then took out his phone from his pocket.
"N-No."
Gotō Hitori panicked and quickly shook her head.
"Why not?"
"Th-That..." Gotō Hitori stammered, lowering her head to look at her toes in self-consciousness, "I'm neither cute nor good-looking... I don't have the right to stand next to Kitahara-kun for a photo..."
Kitahara Makoto: "..."
She actually said she wasn't good-looking?
It seems she's been sealed by her thick bangs for too long, making her completely oblivious to her own appearance!
Without another word, Kitahara Makoto pulled Bocchi-chan into a corner, then took out the answer book:
"Is Hitori-chan cute?"
Whoosh.
The answer book flipped through pages on its own, without any wind.
[Super cute]
"Did you see the answer in the book?" Kitahara Makoto put away the answer book and looked at Hitori, "The answer given is 'super cute'."
Bocchi-chan still lacked confidence:
"The answer must be wrong; how could I be cute...?"
Kitahara Makoto sighed:
"It seems I'll only be able to help Hitori regain her confidence by loudly confessing to her on the train later."
"No!"
Gotō Hitori immediately panicked, her small head shaking like a rattle drum.
(Oh no, oh no, oh no!)
(Being confessed to in front of a train full of people... I'd faint, wouldn't I? I definitely would!)
(Absolutely not that kind of thing!)
Just thinking about it made Gotō Hitori want to dig through the ground with her toes and hide on the other side of the Earth.
Kitahara Makoto took out his phone:
"If you don't want me to confess on the train, then come over and take a picture together."
"Oh..."
Gotō Hitori's small face was crimson, her hands clutching the hem of her clothes, as she cautiously walked over to Kitahara Makoto's side.
"Look at the camera."
"Okay..."
"Don't close your eyes."
"The sunlight is a bit dazzling..."
"Just a few seconds, and smile."
...
Click, click.
Kitahara Makoto took several photos in a row before letting go of Hitori.
"It looks pretty good."
Kitahara Makoto nodded in satisfaction.
Gotō Hitori secretly tiptoed, looking at the phone from the side, and couldn't help but praise:
"Kitahara-kun's photography skills are amazing."
The two people in the photo stood under a tree, with sunlight filtering through the gaps in the branches, casting dappled shadows on them.
Gotō Hitori had originally thought her smile would be stiff, but seeing the photo now, she realized her smile was surprisingly natural and beautiful.
"Hitori, do you want me to send you the photos?"
Kitahara Makoto asked.
Gotō Hitori blinked, her face red, and said softly:
"Please send me the photos."
(I have a printer at home, so I can secretly print them out and cherish them properly then.)
(But I need to be careful not to let Futari find out...)
Kitahara Makoto sent the photos to Bocchi-chan:
"Now for the serious matter... Hitori, you just bumped into me. What do you think we should do about it?"
"Eh?"
Gotō Hitori looked up in confusion.
"My ribs were almost broken just now. An apology definitely isn't enough." Kitahara Makoto raised his hand to cover his chest, "Hitori-chan needs to take responsibility."
Gotō Hitori: "..."
(Liar!)
(I used to walk with my head down and never bumped into anyone. Kitahara-kun clearly jumped out to block my way!)
(And, and, it was just a light bump. How could it possibly break ribs?!)
"How about this, seeing that Hitori didn't do it on purpose, we'll make a mountain out of a molehill today." Kitahara Makoto said solemnly, "Although summer vacation has started, we can't neglect our studies... Starting tomorrow, Hitori, come to my house every morning, and we'll study together."
"N-No."
Gotō Hitori's eyes widened, her small face quickly turning red.
(Excuses!)
(Studying together is just an excuse; Kitahara-kun clearly wants to continue the punishment challenge!)
(If I go, I'll definitely be taken advantage of in this way and that, won't I?)
(As expected, I still want to hide in the closet like in previous summer vacations, at most going out into the yard to sunbathe and space out...)
"Then I'll compromise; come to study every two days." Kitahara Makoto said seriously, "Although Hitori passed all her exams this time, she's still far from getting into Todai. You can't slack off during summer vacation either."
"Th-That..."
"When Hitori came home after the exam and said she was confident, your aunt and uncle must have been very happy, right? You definitely want to make them even happier, right?"
...
A moment later.
Gotō Hitori, still feeling dizzy, suddenly heard Kitahara Makoto's voice:
"The train is here. Let's get on."
"Oh..."
Gotō Hitori subconsciously stepped forward to follow.
Kitahara Makoto then added:
"In three days, Hitori-chan, don't forget to come over to study."
"Eh?" Gotō Hitori looked confused, "What three days?"
"Tsk~"
Kitahara Makoto silently raised his phone and tapped play.
Not long after, Gotō Hitori's dizzy voice came from the video:
"Th-Three days, go study once..."
Gotō Hitori: "..."
Meow meow meow?
When exactly did I say that?
Why... why do I have no memory of it at all?!
"One must keep their word." Kitahara Makoto put away his phone, "Since you said it, Hitori-chan must follow through. You don't want to disappoint your mom and dad again, do you?"
...
The train swayed, arriving at school.
After getting off, Bocchi-chan scurried away.
Kitahara Makoto didn't mind; after all, there was plenty of time during summer vacation. He walked through the campus and into the classroom, where he saw a blue-haired girl resting her chin on her hand, silently gazing out the window at the sky. Her perfect profile attracted the secret attention of many curious classmates.
"Togawa-chan, good morning."
Kitahara Makoto walked to his seat and casually greeted her.
"Good morning."
A week had passed in the blink of an eye, and Togawa Sakiko's sense of shame had finally cooled, so she no longer deliberately avoided Kitahara Makoto.
"Togawa-chan, what are your plans for summer vacation?"
Kitahara Makoto asked softly.
"Arrangement, huh…" Togawa Sakiko raised her hand to tuck the hair falling to her chest behind her ear, and gently pursed her beautiful lips. "First, we need to make demon-like sensei confess and be punished by law. Fukada has already bribed the neighbor next door to demon-like sensei, and the RV is also in place, just waiting for us to act."
"Then there's the National Piano Competition; I want to participate."
"And…"
Togawa Sakiko exhaled softly and whispered, "I want to go to the South to secretly check on how rotten old man is doing."
Family affection is the most inseparable bond in the world. Although rotten old man deeply hurt Togawa in the dream, he was still the father they relied on, and it was impossible to truly sever all ties.
Kitahara Makoto said softly, "I'll go with Togawa then."
"No need." Togawa Sakiko replied reservedly, "I can go by myself then."
"Then I won't go?" Kitahara Makoto deliberately provoked, "The time saved can be used to go on dates with Soyo and Tomori."
"…"
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face immediately froze with a layer of frost. She silently picked up a pen, turned it to the blunt end, and poked Kitahara Makoto's back repeatedly.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong." Kitahara Makoto immediately lowered his head and apologized, "I will definitely go with Togawa then."
"…"
There's no need to elaborate on what happened next.
After the class bell rang, a teacher quickly walked in and began distributing the final exam papers.
It must be said that Japan's privacy protection is quite good; they only call out names for students to come to the podium to get their papers, without announcing scores. They even specifically use something to cover the score area of the paper to prevent others from accidentally seeing the exam scores.
Half an hour later.
Kitahara Makoto had already received all his subject papers and had not wasted his hard work during this period; every subject's score was above ninety points.
Then, the homeroom teacher re-entered the classroom, said some summer vacation precautions, and the start date of school in September, and the high school summer vacation officially began.
Summer homework?
Sorry, absolutely none.
Everyone only needed to choose a topic of interest and write a research report.
Summer tutoring?
Also none.
From late July to early September, not a single bit of summer vacation time would be occupied.
Happy education, just relax and it's over.
In his previous life, Kitahara Makoto believed that this kind of education was not good, that a lack of pressure would make people lazy. Now he understood that most people, even after graduating from university, are still toiling like cattle and horses, so happy education might not be bad after all.