According to my childhood friend, “Nagashi somen (cold noodles) is pretty fun but getting it ready is insanely hard,” apparently.

She did it at a relative’s house, apparently and “Not only is the prep hard, dealing with it after is a pain too and we did it outside so it was insanely hot!”

…Or so she said, though putting that aside, it was fun too, apparently.

So then, speaking of that childhood friend with those summer memories, Sakura Ayuri…

“Let’s go out!”

Where did last night’s meekness go? After breakfast, like she was saying she was bursting with energy, Ayu as usual declared that.

“Huh, no, it’s hot and I don’t want to.”

“Is there somewhere you want to go?”

“No, but…”

There isn’t?

“No, because! Even though we did homework yesterday, all four of us were together and we were basically inside the house the whole time! Including the electricity bill and stuff, it’s such a waste!”

“I don’t really mind that stuff~”

The homeowner is saying it, so isn’t it fine? But Ayu still looks dissatisfied or rather, she looks like she really wants to go out.

Even though she doesn’t have anywhere she wants to go, the fact she wants to go out in this idiot-level heat makes it obvious there’s some other real reason.

“So what’s the real reason?”

“On the way back from going out, I want to stop by my house and bring a blanket.”

“So that’s the main point.”

“Ehh, you’re bringing it~? Sleep with me tonight~”

“N-no… I slept with Gin-chan yesterday but it was a bit uncomfortable, so… it’s bad for the person I’m sleeping with too, so I thought I’d bring it~”

“Yeah yeah, sorry my sleeping habits are so bad.”

Ayu’s excuse makes me a little annoyed.

It can’t be helped, Sumire-san was on the other side. It’d be bad to bother her and anyway, what’s wrong with me hooking my leg over Ayu a little.

“I’m not complaining about you, Gin-chan…”

“Anyway, sleeping habits aside, if that’s why, then go out by yourself. I’m passing, absolutely passing.”

I absolutely don’t want to go out in this scorching heat with no real goal. If I walk under this blazing sun, I’ll melt, no joke.

“Mm… fine. Then once the laundry is done, I’ll head out for a bit. Do you want anything while I’m out?”

“Haagen (ice cream brand).”

“It’ll definitely melt on the way, so anything but ice cream.”

“Then potato chips.”

“I’m fine.”

“…Ah, I do have something I need, so I might go with you, Ayu-chan~”

Hina offered to go with Ayu. I could tell she looked like she wanted to go, but she’s really going?

“Huh, I can just buy it, it’s fine. There’s no need for you to go out in the heat, Hina-chan.”

“Hey, remember what you said a few minutes ago?”

“Ayu-chan, do you want to know what I want? Ayu-chan, you perv.”

“That’s so unfair… okay then me and Hina-chan will go.”

And after finishing the household chores, Ayu and Hina went out.

…And when they came back, they were carrying a big box. Did this idiot bring it while knowing she’s going home tomorrow?

* * *

“So, that’s why today’s lunch is nagashi somen!”

The big box Ayu brought after going home was the box for a nagashi somen machine (noodles flowing down a river-like thing), the kind where the water circulates electrically.

“Nostalgic. Last time we used this, was it the second year of middle school?”

“So nostalgic~”

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone who owns one…”

We got nostalgic while Sumire-san watched with interest.

I feel like she’s had it for a long time and judging by how worn it looks, she actually uses it more than I thought.

“I was thinking with Hina-chan about what to do for lunch and I remembered this, so I brought it from home.”

“It was pretty heavy~ we bought water and stuff too.”

“Are you going to be okay bringing it back when you go home tomorrow? I’m not helping.”

“I’ll leave it here for now and bring it back later by itself…”

“Then fine.”

Ayu and Hina steadily got everything ready.

A cool-looking glass container, condiments like green onion and ginger, mentsuyu (soup base) and somen (thin noodles) in a colander (strainer) lined up, it’s such a summer scene.

Even though she’s not posting it on social media, Ayu is taking a ton of photos.

“Alright! Now that I’ve taken enough, switch ON! Let’s run the water!”

As the owner, Ayu pressed the switch and ran water through the nagashi somen machine with its motor sound.

The way the water flowed along the rail was like a tiny water slide and just watching it made me feel like I might have fun.

“Alright, first throw is me, Sakura Ayuri! Here we go!”

“Okaaay.”

“That’s a cherry tomato!”

“Is that something you should flow first?”

She’s doing this knowing I hate cherry tomatoes.

The cherry tomato rolled along the rail… or rather, it tumbled. Since no one picked it up, it flowed to where the water collects at the end and ended up bobbing there.

“Hey, Gin-chan!”

“And you’re targeting me?”

“If you’re picky, you won’t grow big!”

“Don’t talk big when you’re shorter than me.”

When I protested, not only Ayu, but Hina had that face like, ‘Phew~ well, can’t be helped~’

And Sumire-san watched warmly.

So I’m surrounded on all sides? You’re repaying last night’s favor with this?

“Fine, I’ll eat it later. Next!”

“Okaaay.”

“That’s yellow peaches!”

“Ayu~”

She probably opened the leftover can Sumire-san brought yesterday. The chopped yellow peaches were taken and eaten by Sumire-san, the one who brought them.

Is that like producer responsibility, but for bringing snacks?

“Where are the somen? So far you’ve only flowed plant life.”

“Somen is made from wheat flour and in a broad sense, maybe nagashi somen is an event where you flow plant life?”

“I’m saying flow something that isn’t plant life in the narrow sense.”

“Geez, you’re so selfish, Gin-chan.”

Am I the bad one here? Also, why are the other two just letting this slide?

A nagashi somen machine that still hasn’t had the food it’s named after flow through it. So far it’s less nagashi somen and more like an artificial river where plant life flows.

“Alright, you’re probably hungry now, so let’s do it seriously.”

“Whose fault is that?”

“Okay, this time I’ll properly flow it from the colander!”

Ayu finally grabbed the colander full of somen… hey, wait, what is that chopstick movement, like you’re stirring the colander?

“Here we go!”

“Wait, what is that movement?”

“That’s soba (buckwheat noodles)!”

“Well, it’s noodles.”

Ayu flowed soba through the somen machine.

If you looked closely at the colander, the top was all somen, but from the side you could see dark soba noodles underneath.

…Isn’t that a lot? Is the whole bottom soba?

“Where’s the somen?”

“I like soba more than somen.”

“And you own this?”

“Maybe because I’m the owner, I got tired of it~”

“The ratio is 8:2!”

“8 somen?”

“…”

“Ah, no, that’s not it.”

And like that, our lunch nagashi somen… or rather, mostly nagashi soba, ended up being a lively time the four of us enjoyed together.