The next day, Akira noticed the small bell hanging from Shouko's keychain, but he didn't comment on it.

Some things were better left unspoken—understood only in the heart.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was Friday afternoon. While Akira was gazing out the window in a daze, the final school bell rang.

"Alright, class dismissed. Have a good weekend," said the English teacher, packing up at the podium.

The classroom quickly burst into chatter and activity.

"Takagi-san, Nishikata-kun, we're heading off!" Shouko stood up after packing her bag and eagerly tugged Akira by the hand.

"Bye-bye! See you next week," Takagi-san waved brightly.

"See you on Monday," echoed Nishikata Naoto.

"Yep, see you guys," Akira nodded back, letting Shouko pull him along.

After spending a week with those two, he had a rough idea of their personalities. The only thing that gave him mild anxiety was Shouko hanging out with Takagi-san… that girl could be a bit too sharp sometimes.

He also picked up on something interesting: Nishikata clearly had a thing for Takagi-san, though he couldn't figure out exactly why. Guess that was a mystery for another time—they had three more years to unravel it.

"Why are you in such a rush?" Akira asked as Shouko pulled him out of the school gate, their fingers laced together.

"Because I promised Auntie we'd go swimsuit shopping after school," Shouko said, slowing her pace slightly as she swung their joined hands.

"Huh?" Akira blinked. "Didn't we just buy one last month? You only wore it once."

He wasn't bothered about her buying another one—even if she bought ten and only wore them once each, he wouldn't mind.

What he did mind was his mom taking Shouko shopping for swimsuits. That... was dangerous territory.

Wouldn't she go for the sexiest options?

No—Shouko was still too young for anything like that, and didn't even have the body for such styles yet… right?

Still… what if his mom picked one that barely covered anything?

Boys liked swimsuits, sure. But no guy wanted his future girlfriend or wife flashing skin for strangers. That kind of appreciation should stay private.

Wait... she's not my girlfriend yet...

"You spacing out again?" Shouko nudged him. "Come on. You'll see when we get there."

"Can't we just use the old one?" Akira asked when they were nearly home.

"Nope," Shouko said firmly.

"But don't worry. It's not what you're thinking."

"How do you even know what I'm thinking?"

"I just do! So move it!"

"Can't I just wear swim trunks? Why do I need a top too?" Akira muttered as the three of them browsed inside the swimsuit shop at the mall.

Miyamura Shizuka ignored her son entirely. Shouko, on the other hand, shot him a look that screamed don't push your luck.

Ever since Akira agreed to go to the water park, Shouko had made up her mind—he was not going shirtless in public.

Who wanted to see their boyfriend or husband flaunting their chest to the world?

No way. That body belonged to her eyes only, thank you.

Even if Akira wasn't technically either of those roles yet, she was just that selfish.

And by "wild women," Shouko meant anyone between the ages of 8 and 20. Older women were, in her opinion, out of Akira's strike zone.

Eventually, they picked out a black swim top and matching shorts for him. Akira, realizing resistance was futile, gave in.

Meanwhile, Miyamura Shizuka tried on a very bold swimsuit, snapped a selfie, and sent it to Daiki. Within seconds, her phone exploded with incoming calls.

After some back-and-forth, she ultimately went with a more conservative style—similar to Shouko's older one—showing just her arms and thighs. It got full approval from Daiki.

Akira gave his dad a silent thumbs-up. Same wavelength, huh?

After finishing their shopping trip, Shizuka drove the two home. Shouko headed back to help her grandmother prepare dinner.

Around 6 p.m., Daiki came home from work.

"Since tomorrow's the weekend, I thought I'd check out that new water park with you all," he announced casually between bites at the dinner table.

Shizuka paused mid-reach with her chopsticks and raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say you were going fishing with friends tomorrow? What happened—got stood up?"

"…Yeah." Daiki chuckled awkwardly and looked away.

Shizuka smirked but let him off easy. If he really wanted to fish, half the neighborhood would probably volunteer. Some truths were better left unsaid.

Akira wisely kept eating in silence, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.

Ding dong… ding dong…

"Shouko~! We're here to pick you up!"

The next morning, Akira—fresh out of the shower with damp hair—heard the doorbell and an all-too-familiar voice shouting from outside.

"…Coming." After a not-so-gentle nudge under the table from his mom, Akira sighed and went to open the door.

"Shouko—!!"

Click.

"Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop!" Akira opened the door and immediately waved his hands, shutting down Matsuoka Miu's morning shouting spree.

"Miu, it's barely 8 a.m. Are you trying to wake the whole neighborhood?"

He pointed at the house number. "And! Most importantly—look! Doesn't it say Miyamura here?"

He gave her a flat stare. "So tell me again. What's Shouko's last name?"

Standing before him were three small but mighty troublemakers: Matsuoka Miu, Ito Chika, and Sakuragi Matsuri. All three had different hairstyles and colors—every loli fan's dream lineup.

"Miyamura Shouko!" Miu said confidently, without missing a beat.

She had already peeked past Akira and confirmed Shouko wasn't inside. No danger of being scolded—yet. She was feeling pretty clever right about now.

"Heh heh heh…"

"Miu!! What did you just say!?"

A sudden voice snapped everyone's attention to the house across the street. The gate had quietly opened.

Shouko's head popped out, her cheeks flushed pink with indignation.

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