According to my childhood friend, “Schools back then didn’t just lack air conditioning, they didn’t even have electric fans,” apparently.

I have heard that because of global warming, temperatures around this time of year keep rising year by year and looking at it the other way around, that would mean it used to be cooler than it is now.

Still, as someone who’s had air conditioning at school for as long as I can remember, it isn’t something that really hits home.

“It's so hot…”

The season is summer.

Heat radiating back off the concrete, humidity that makes it feel suffocating just to exist, in the middle of that, Ayu walked along the morning road lazily with a parasol overhead.

“It’s so hot I feel like I’m going to dry out…”

“…”

“It’s sp-”

“Don’t, I’ve already heard that like a million times, stop.”

“…Okay.”

Even with a parasol, if it’s rough, it’s rough.

By the way, Hotaru-senpai wakes up early at times like this and gets to school quickly.

Even that senior apparently holds back from getting all sticky in this heat.

* * *

“Today’s pool day!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Where did that half-dead state from the morning even go?

Because it was pool time in P.E. Ayu, who loves swimming, had perked right up.

“Ayu-chan really likes swimming, huh~”

“Like a tuna.”

“Oh! Gin-chan, does that mean I’m big like a tuna and super popular with everyone?”

“No, I mean you’re the type who looks like you’d die if you stopped moving, you’re that restless.”

“I figured that’s what you meant!”

Even if she likes swimming, how does she manage to get that energetic in this heat? And if anything, having been reborn as a girl, swimming probably came with even more annoying things to deal with.

“Are you all good at swimming?”

“Ayu is, I’m average, Hina too… what about you, Sumire-san?”

“I’m… not very good at it.”

“Ah… you might not want to say that in front of Ayu.”

At my words, Sumire-san made a blank face. After a moment, it felt like the corner of her mouth lifted, as if she’d realized something.

“…Why?”

“She likes teaching people who can’t swim, especially friends. I think it’ll get a bit annoying.”

Back in elementary school, “It’s better to be able to swim than not and it’s fun! Being good or fast doesn’t matter!”

Ayu used to say things like that all the time and taught lots of people how to swim.

Thanks to that, in the end, a pretty large percentage of the people in Ayu’s class could swim. From middle school onward it became girls only and Hina started teaching with her too, but still.

“Heh…”

…Yeah, I can already tell what Sumire-san is going to do.

Sumire-san turned toward Ayu and, just like I expected, said, “Ayuri-san, I want you to teach me how to swim too.”

Well, if she’s fine with it then it’s fine.

And of course, Ayu replied, “Eh… of course, Sumire-chan!” agreeing happily.

This is kind of beside the point, but she gets all weird and says things like ‘the guilt…’ when Hina or that senpai gets clingy with her and reacts oddly, yet when she’s fussing over someone like this she goes all out. I do kind of wonder what sort of line she draws in her head.

* * *

“You’re good, Sumire-chan! You’ve done this before, right?”

“What is she even talking about…”

The teacher’s instruction ended and it became free time. Hina and I rested by the poolside while watching the Ayu and Sumire-san duo teaching and being taught.

“Ayu-chan got taken from you, huh~”

“…I mean, yeah, I guess I’m bored.”

“During times like this, Ayu-chan usually says something and starts something~”

Free time in classes like this is kind of a pain since you don’t know what you’re supposed to do. Normally, whenever things get boring, Ayu starts something and right now it feels even more like that.

“Well, we’re not really the age to be splashing around at the pool anymore, unlike Ayu.”

“Gin-chaaaan! Hina-chaaaan!”

“…Hm?”

Speak of the devil. Ayu, who should have been teaching Sumire-san to swim just a moment ago, came over toward us. Sumire-san followed behind her at a slower pace.

“What is it?”

“Listen, you two. Sometimes, not often, but sometimes I get the urge to swim, so I’ll go to places like indoor heated pools.”

“Eeh? Invite me next time!”

“What are you even talking about?”

This is way too out of nowhere.

“Just listen… so when I go, there are all kinds of people there, people who look like they swim regularly or elderly folks who seem to be there to build up their stamina.”

“Uh-huh…”

“And when I look at Gin-chan sitting by the pool chatting like that… it kind of feels like those old ladies who come to the pool and still do neighborhood gossip.”

“Alright, so you’re picking a fight.”

I don’t know what her goal was by suddenly saying that, but if she wants to start something, I’ll take her up on it.

And she deliberately said “Gin-chan,” not ‘you guys,’ clearly singling me out.

From where I was sitting on the edge of the pool, I lunged at Ayu with the momentum of a dive. But Ayu had already started swimming and I couldn’t catch her right away.

“Aahaha!”

“Get back here!”

Ayu and I swim. Since she started first, Ayu is ahead, but…

“Got you!”

“Huh, that fast!?”

It’s true Ayu taught me how to swim, but to begin with, Ayu isn’t especially athletic while I’m on the better side. In terms of raw physical ability, this outcome was obvious.

“Hehehe, now what should I do to you?”

“No waaay! I thought I could win this year for sure~”

…In the end, with this game of tag in the pool as the starting point, Hina and Sumire-san joined in too and we all ended up running around and fooling about without regard for our age.

I thought I’d grown up just a little, but in the end, I guess I’m still a kid too, just like Ayu.