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"Finally, it's Sunday!" Hanna shouted from the stairs.
Milo was sitting at the table, having a simple breakfast, a bowl of cereal with fruit.
"How's your fourth day in town?" Isaac asked.
"Are you seriously counting every day?" Milo replied.
Misaki crossed the living room, checking something on her phone.
"Hanna, Milo, classes start tomorrow," she said, "you need to have everything ready tonight."
"What? So soon?" Hanna said with a bit of annoyance.
Isaac smiled to himself, clearly detached from the conversation.
"Hey, Milo," Isaac said. "How about we go to the pier for a while?"
"Sounds good to me," Milo replied, his mouth full of cereal.
"I'm in!" Hanna said enthusiastically.
After finishing his breakfast, Milo put on a sweater before heading out.
Isaac looked at him for a second.
"You're going out wearing that?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Winter is still far away," Isaac replied mockingly, "you're going to die of heat."
Hanna laughed in the background.
As soon as they crossed the door, the warm air hit them head-on.
As they walked, the scent of the sea filled their lungs. People strolled calmly through the streets, paying no attention to anyone else.
Milo adjusted his sweater in silence and kept walking.
The walk was a bit long, though it was easy enough to do on foot. The sea was already visible between the houses, and a cool breeze began to arrive.
Isaac picked up the pace a little, as if he knew the way by heart.
"We're here!" Hanna said.
The pier was bigger than Milo had expected, it even looked like there could be houses there without any problem.
There were quite a lot of people, watching the sea, eating at fast food stalls, children running all over the place.
Milo walked a few steps onto the pier, letting the noise, the heat, and the people pull him out of his own head.
"Well..." Isaac said, stopping near some stalls. "What are we going to eat?"
Hanna didn't take even a second to answer.
"Ice cream! It's hot, it's Sunday, and we're at the pier, it's obvious."
Milo looked around, the food stalls lined up, the sweet smell floating in the air.
"I'd prefer some churros, something warm wouldn't be bad."
Hanna looked at him as if he had just said something completely ridiculous.
"Churros? With this sun?"
Isaac jumped in, amused.
"I was thinking about fries."
"That's not even a dessert," Hanna said.
"Neither are churros," Isaac shot back.
"Yes they are," Hanna insisted.
Milo watched them argue, unsure whether to defend his idea or just let it go. He opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment a noise caught his attention. Voices, laughter, the dull thud of something falling nearby.
"What's that?" Hanna asked.
The three of them looked toward the same place. The topic of food was left hanging in the air, forgotten without anyone noticing, as the murmur of the pier continued ahead.
They walked closer; it was a small ball toss shooting game.
"Wow! I want to try!" Hanna said.
"It's just target practice..." Isaac said. "It's not that hard."
Milo watched for a bit.
"It doesn't look difficult, I'll try too."
A man behind the stall handed them a basket with some worn balls. The cans lined up in the back gleamed under the sun.
"You get three tries," he said calmly.
Hanna went first.
She took a ball, aimed without thinking too much, and threw.
The ball hit one of the cans, but didn't knock it down.
"So close!" she said, as if she didn't care much, and threw the second one just as lightly.
This time she missed completely.
Isaac took a ball next, his expression unchanged.
He threw with a quick motion. One can fell with a dry sound.
"See?" he said. "I told you it wasn't complicated."
Milo grabbed a ball. It was lighter than he expected. He rolled it between his fingers for a second before stepping up to the target. He adjusted his feet, took a deep breath, and aimed carefully.
He threw.
The ball passed just over the cans.
Milo frowned. He took another one, correcting his stance a bit, calculating the distance better. This time he threw harder.
The ball hit the wooden edge of the stall.
"Hey, easy," Hanna said. "You've still got one left."
Milo nodded without answering. He felt the heat on the back of his neck, the murmur of people behind him. He squeezed the last ball, hesitated for a moment, and threw without thinking too much.
One of the cans moved, but didn't fall.
The attendant took the basket away without saying anything.
Milo let out a slow breath. He wasn't upset, but he wasn't satisfied either. He stepped back, clearing the space, as the noise of the pier wrapped around them again.
"Well," Isaac said, "should we keep walking?"
Milo nodded. The game was over.
It was already time to head back home. Milo was tired; the warm breeze blew softly as they walked, and the sun, still high, kept raising the temperature.
The walk back was quieter. Hanna walked ahead, distracted by anything that caught her attention, and Isaac walked with his hands in his pockets, unhurried.
When they arrived, they were greeted by a familiar smell that Milo was only just beginning to recognize.
He left his shoes to the side and dropped onto the couch for a moment, feeling the tiredness finally catch up to him. It hadn't been a bad day, just... different for Milo.
Later, already in his room, Milo left his backpack leaning against the chair. He looked at it for a second before turning away.
Tomorrow would be Monday.
He lay down on the bed and listened to the distant sound of the sea coming through the open window. He closed his eyes, letting the day finally come to an end.