Two days had passed since summer break began. Mizuha and her family had gone to visit her grandparents somewhere in the countryside.
Meanwhile, at Takamiya Residence, Hikaru was still asleep even though it was already 10:30 a.m. The maid stood at his door, trying to wake him up for breakfast, but he wouldn't answer.
"Hikaru-sama, please wake up. Your breakfast is getting cold."
Hikaru, with his eyes closed, replied. "Maid-san, just another 10 minutes."
His sister Shiori appeared outside his room, having already eaten breakfast with their mother earlier.
"Maid-san, is something wrong? Why are you in front of my brother's room?"
After the maid explained the situation, Shiori nodded.
"I see. Geez, that's my big brother. Anyway, just let me wake him up. You can go back to your work."
"Understood, Shiori-sama." The maid then left.
Shiori kicked the door open and found Hikaru still in bed.
She made a smirking face. "Still sleeping, huh? Time to wake you up."
Without hesitation, she jumped onto his bed and slammed her elbow into his stomach while shouting, "Hey, wake up, you lazy brother! Take this—Shiori-chan elbow attack!"
"Wargh!" Hikaru's eyes shot open from the impact.
"Geez, those two, what are they doing up there? They're so loud this morning," their mother sighed, hearing the noise from downstairs.
Shiori stood on Hikaru's bed, looking annoyed. "Hey, wake up! How long are you going to sleep? Our maid tried to wake you up earlier. Didn't you hear her?"
Hikaru rubbed his eyes. "Just 5 more minutes, my dear sister. My eyes are still so heavy."
"Five minutes? How about this instead?" Shiori then locked his leg in a wrestling hold.
"Ouch, ouch! Okay, I give up, I give up! I'm getting up now, just stop, Shiori-sama!" Hikaru begged.
"Hehe, good. Now go to the dining room and finish your breakfast. Don't mess with me next time," Shiori laughed before leaving his room and returning to hers.
Hikaru grumbled. "Tch, what an annoying little sister. Can't she let me sleep in during summer break?"
He scratched his head. "Oh right, breakfast. I should eat it before it gets cold."
After bathing, Hikaru lay on his bed, pondering his plans.
It's still early, and I'm so bored. What should I do? he thought.
He got up and started changing his clothes, having decided what to do next.
As he headed toward the door, his mother asked, "Are you going out?"
"Yes, I'm just hanging out around town by myself. Don't worry, I won't come back too late."
"I see, then please be careful out there."
"Understood. I'm going now, Mom."
"See you later," his mother responded.
Hikaru started walking to town, looking around as he went. It's not too bad hanging out by myself like this, he thought.
I wonder if there are some interesting things around here to see.
As Hikaru walked past the family restaurant they had visited two days ago with Mizuha, Eri, and the group, he spotted Shimizu with someone he didn't know.
Huh, is that Shimizu? And who's that woman she's with? That person looks like an adult, and they're having a serious conversation, Hikaru thought.
Maybe it's her relative? Better leave them alone, he decided as he left the place.
In reality, Shimizu was with her usual editor, discussing her novel script. Both were too focused on their discussion, and Shimizu hadn't noticed Hikaru passing by.
Hikaru continued walking while thinking, I never expected to see Shimizu today.
If she saw me, she'd tease me again, Hikaru chuckled.
He kept walking until he arrived in front of a bakery.
A bakery, huh? Better try it since my stomach's beginning to feel hungry right now, he thought.
As he entered the bakery, a worker who was busy arranging bread welcomed him. "Welcome!"
"Oh, it's you, Hikaru-kun! Welcome!"
"Takeru!? What are you doing here?" He was surprised to see Takeru as the bakery worker who had welcomed him.
Takeru chuckled. "I'm just doing a part-time job during summer break. You know, I'm living alone, so I need a bit of money to support my expenses, haha."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."
Takeru made a smirking face. "You look a bit down today. Are you feeling sad because you can't meet Mizuha right now? Don't worry, she'll be back soon."
"Hey, stop it! Why did you suddenly bring that up?"
"Also, you're just like Shimizu, teasing me like this." He punched Takeru's shoulder in annoyance.
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry about that. I was just joking. So, Hikaru-kun, choose what you want. I have work to do in the back after this."
"Understood. Sorry to bother you."
There were many varieties of bread in the bakery: sausage rolls, cinnamon buns, chocolate cornets, melon buns, sausage pizzas, various donuts, and more.
Hikaru couldn't decide which bread to choose as they all looked delicious to him.
"They all look good to me. I can't make up my mind," he said. His gaze shifted to the sausage roll buns.
"Better try these," he said, taking two pieces and putting them on his tray. As he looked around to choose another item, something shining in the donut section caught his eye.
What's that? Why is it so shiny? thought Hikaru.
When he approached, he saw a chocolate-filled donut with small pieces of nuts on top called "Golden Chocolate."
Wow, this looks delicious too. It really looks shiny, just like its name, he thought, adding one to his tray before heading to pay for his order.
"Oh, done already?" Takeru said, standing at the cashier counter to wrap Hikaru's bread in a paper bag.
"Yes, I think this is enough for me."
Suddenly, the owner of the bakery approached them. "Takeru-kun, is he your friend?"
"Yes, he's my classmate from school."
"Oh, I see. Then why don't we give him a discount? It's a special discount because he's your friend."
"Really? Did you hear that, Hikaru-kun? The owner is giving you a discount! Good for you."
"Thank you very much," Hikaru said to the owner. "And thanks to you too, Takeru," he added as he took the wrapped bread and paid for it.
As Hikaru left, Takeru and the owner called out, "Thank you very much, please come again!"
"Understood, I'll come again." He nodded his head before leaving the bakery.
So far today, I've already met two people—first Shimizu and now Takeru. I wonder who I'll meet next, thought Hikaru.
For now, I think I need to find a place to eat this bread, he added.
After walking a few steps, he finally found the perfect spot—a bench in front of the baseball batting center.
I think this is a good place to eat, Hikaru thought.
As Hikaru sat on the bench, he decided to try the Golden Chocolate donut first. Opening the paper bag, he carefully took out the shiny donut.
Let's see how this tastes, he thought, taking a bite.
His eyes widened as the chocolate filling melted in his mouth. The combination of the rich chocolate and crunchy nuts created a perfect harmony of textures and flavors.
"Wow! This is amazing! The chocolate is so smooth, and these nuts give it such a nice crunch. It's completely different from any donut I've had before."
Before he knew it, the donut was gone. Hikaru stared at the empty wrapper.
I will come back to that bakery and buy this donut again. It's too good to have just once, he thought.
Looking at the paper bag containing the two remaining sausage rolls, he thought, I think I'll save these for later. That donut was quite filling.
Standing up from the bench, Hikaru stretched his arms and looked around.
Now what should I do? he wondered. As he turned, his eyes landed on the baseball batting center building right in front of him.
"A batting center, huh?" He was watching a few people going in and out of the building.
"Come to think of it, I've never tried batting before."
After a moment's consideration, a smile spread across his face.
"Well, now I'll give it a shot." He then clutched his paper bag as he walked toward the baseball batting center's entrance.
Approaching the counter, Hikaru pulled out 300 yen from his pocket. "One round, please," he said, handing over the money.
The staff member took his payment and handed him a baseball bat. "Here's your bat. You're in Room 7."
Hikaru walked down the corridor, looking at the room numbers. "Room 7, room 7... ah, here it is," he said as he found his assigned space.
Standing in position, Hikaru gripped the bat nervously as he waited for the first ball. The machine whirred to life, and suddenly the ball came shooting out. Hikaru swung—but missed completely.
"Damn, I missed it." He then readjusted his grip on the bat.
Well, that's okay. I still have 25 more balls to go after this, he thought.
The session continued, with ball after ball launching from the machine. Despite his best efforts, Hikaru only managed to hit four balls out of the entire round.
By the end, he was covered in sweat, but there was a grin on his face.
"This is way more difficult than I thought, but I'm actually having fun with it!" he said, wiping his forehead with his sleeve.
"But I'm actually having fun with it! I think I want to continue for another round."
As he reached for his wallet to pay for another round, a rhythmic "ping" sound caught his attention from the next room.
He noticed that the person in the neighboring room was hitting ball after ball without missing a single one.
Wow, this person's amazing! They haven't missed a single ball since I got here, Hikaru thought, impressed by the consecutive hits.
Curious about who could be such a skilled batter, he leaned slightly to get a better look into the neighboring room.
His eyes widened in shock when he recognized who it was.
What!? It's Zul? he thought as he found his friend there.
"This is so refreshing, it clears my mind," Zul said as he swiped the sweat from his forehead after finishing his final batting. Then he heard clapping behind him.
Hikaru tossed a bottle of mineral water to him.
"Wow, Zul, that was amazing! As expected from my close friend."
"Ah, thanks, Hikaru." As he twisted open the bottle cap, he suddenly stopped.
"Wait, Hikaru, what are you doing here?" He was surprised, just realizing Hikaru was there.
Hikaru chuckled. "What am I doing here? Wasting my summer break, I guess."
"So, what are you doing here?"
"Same as you, wasting the summer break too."
"So, we're in the same boat, huh? Are you alone? Where's Eri? Isn't she with you today?"
"Well, Eri and her family are on vacation in Osaka. They'll be back in three days."
"I see, she's on vacation too. By the way, Zul, what's with all the batting? I saw you never missed the ball from the beginning."
"Do I need to explain that?"
"Of course! I've never seen anything like it! You really look like a Koshien baseball player. Do you do any special training or something?"
Zul sighed. "Well, I never do any special training. I just come here to bat sometimes when I have free time."
"Really? I didn't know you went here."
"Always? No, you're wrong, I only come here sometimes."
"Anyway, why not try for another round? Maybe you'll do well this time," Zul suggested.
"Well, that was my intention already. You'll continue with it too?"
Zul smiled. "Of course I will. I'm not even satisfied with my batting earlier."
Not satisfied even though you managed to get a hitting streak? Hikaru thought.
Both of them paid at the counter to continue batting.
While Zul continued batting with his impressive streak, Hikaru also improved, managing to hit 15 balls out of 26 in this round.
Both of them enjoyed batting, looked at each other, and felt refreshed.
After finishing his last round of batting, Hikaru stopped, breathing heavily. "This is so fun, even if I'm a bit tired. It's really refreshing my mind."
After that, both of them left the batting center while talking. "This was really fun, right?"
"Yes, it's not only fun but also calms our minds."
"By the way, Zul, if you are this good at batting, why don't you join our school baseball club?"
"Hmm, I used to think about it, but I think I'll pass. Also, I don't feel interested in it."
"But why? I think it will be good for you."
"This is too embarrassing to say, but it will disturb my daytime sleep schedule."
Hikaru chuckled. "What? That's what you're worried about? Your sleeping time? What are you, an old man?"
"Well, if that's your decision, I will respect that, and I can't force you to join them."
"Also, Zul, if you want to come here again, please invite me too."
"Understood, I will invite you then."
"No, I think we should invite Eri, Mizuha, and Shimizu too next time," Zul suggested.
"That's a great idea. Let them have fun here too."
As they were walking, Zul's stomach suddenly growled.
"What was that growling sound? Zul, are you hungry?"
Zul chuckled. "Well, it's too embarrassing to say, but yes, haha."
"Then, have this," Hikaru said, giving the sausage roll he had bought earlier to Zul.
"Are you fine with this? I mean, you want to eat this, right?"
"Don't worry, I got another one inside. Just eat it, okay?" Hikaru then unwrapped and started eating his own sausage roll.
"Again? This is the second time you've treated me this week," Zul mumbled, recalling the family restaurant visit a few days ago.
Hikaru, his mouth full of sausage roll, turned to Zul. "Hmm? Did you say something?"
"No, it's nothing. Anyway, thanks for this. Bon appétit," Zul began to eat the sausage roll.
After eating, Zul and Hikaru walked toward the shopping area near the local market, where they encountered a lottery event taking place.
"Lottery event, huh? What's the first grand prize?"
Zul looked at the lottery banner. "I think it's a ticket to a beach resort for five people."
"Wow, that's a great prize. Let me try it," Hikaru said eagerly, moving toward the event area.
After a pause, Zul followed. "Well, I'd better try too."
Hikaru handed the event organizer the participation fee, rolled the lottery machine, and pushed the lever.
Zul and the crowd watched anxiously as the machine spun. When it stopped, a white ball emerged.
"Oh, too bad, you're not the chosen one," said the event handler, handing Hikaru a white tissue as a participation gift.
Hikaru stepped aside. "Ah, too bad, my luck's not on my side today. Zul, your turn now."
With the same anticipation, Zul stepped forward, handed over his participation fee, and spun the lottery machine.
Hikaru watched intently as the machine spun. When it stopped, a bright red ball emerged. Suddenly, the bell rang loudly as the event handler announced, "We have a winner! First prize!"
The crowd burst into applause. "Congratulations, you've won a ticket for five people to the beach resort," the event handler said, presenting Zul with the ticket.
"Wow, that's great, Zul! You won it! Go on vacation with your family."
Without hesitation, Zul handed the ticket envelope to Hikaru. "Here, take it all."
Hikaru stared at him, puzzled. "Huh? Zul, why are you giving it to me? You're the one who won the lottery."
"It's only valid during summer break, and both my parents are busy, so they can't go."
"If you knew that, then why enter the lottery in the first place?"
"Well, I just wanted to test my luck and fate."
Hikaru chuckled. "You're so weird, Zul."
"But giving it to me doesn't help. My family can afford to go to this resort on our own."
Zul felt confused. "Then why did you join either?"
"Well, I was planning to give it to you if I won. But I'm just unlucky, haha."
"You're weird too, Hikaru."
Hikaru mused. "So, what should we do with the ticket? It'd be a waste to throw it away."
After a moment of contemplation, Zul brightened with an idea. "Here's what I suggest—let's go with our usual group. We can invite Mizuha, Eri, and Shimizu.
With us two, that makes five people, right?"
"That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that? We can go with the five of us, like we did when we went on a picnic before."
"By the way, we'll have to wait for Mizuha and Eri to return from their trip before we can go."
Hikaru nodded. "Right, we'll wait for them. Once they're back, we can plan the date to go."
After discussing it, both of them decided to return to their respective homes, feeling a bit tired from their day.
"Okay, Zul, see you later."
"See you."
Hikaru headed home, thoughts lingering on the upcoming vacation.
Going to this vacation with Mizuha, huh? I can't wait for it. I wonder what Mizuha is doing right now at her grandparents' place. I bet she's having fun over there, Hikaru thought to himself.
When Hikaru arrived at his house, the maid opened the door and greeted him. "Welcome home, Hikaru-sama."
"I'm home," Hikaru answered before heading back to his room.