Outside the bathroom…
Sora was jumping.
Literally jumping.
Hop.
Hop.
Hop.
Just to peek through the window.
— Ta-ke-ruuu?! — he shouted between jumps. — You in there?! Ta-ke-ruuu?!
Every jump broke the syllables apart.
— Ta—ke—ru!
Kenta crossed his arms.
— Who even takes a shower at this time?
Inside the bathroom…
Takeru stood under the shower.
Eyes closed.
Trying to IGNORE THEM.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Maybe if he ignored them long enough…
They would go away.
Silence.
— TAKERUUUU?!
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
It didn't work.
Takeru gave up.
He stepped away from the shower and moved to the bathtub beside it.
Even so, he answered calmly:
— I was cooking.
Silence.
— It smelled like garlic.
Outside, Kenta sniffed the air.
— …It actually does.
Takeru slowly opened one eye.
He looked at his own skin.
Looked at the steam filling the bathroom.
Thought:
"…what do you mean? I smell great."
He was clean.
But before he could question that further…
Sora kept jumping.
— Ta-ke-ruuu!!
JUMP.
JUMP.
JUMP.
Takeru finally lost his patience.
— WHY ARE YOU JUMPING?!
Silence.
— STOP JUMPING!
Kenta sighed.
Then crouched down.
Now Sora could see through the window without jumping.
Problem solved.
Meanwhile…
Yuu was collecting little sticks from the ground.
Ren was putting dirt inside his own lunchbox.
— Move your big head, — Ren said politely.
— ONE, TWO, THREE, FIRE! — Sora declared like a soldier.
They threw everything through the window.
Luckily…
Takeru was in the bathtub.
Not under the shower.
The dirt landed on the bathroom floor.
Sora saw it.
His eyes lit up.
— ARE YOU PRETENDING TO TAKE A SHOWER?!
Takeru blinked.
— Hm?
— He just left the shower running!!
Silence.
Ren replied calmly.
Juice box still in his mouth.
— That's something you would do.
Yuu turned dramatically.
— ARE YOU DEFENDING HIM?!
— REN STOP DRINKING THAT JUICE AND HELP ME HERE!
Sora then tried to climb through the window.
He shoved his head inside.
Just his head.
— Hi, Takeru.
Takeru was starting to believe he was safe.
Then—
Kenta let go of the boost.
Sora fell.
THUD.
Meanwhile…
Kenta turned to Ren.
— By the way, Ren… speaking of that.
Ren kept sipping his juice.
— Hm?
— STOP BUYING THAT JUICE.
slurrrp
— When I go to the vending machine… it's always sold out!
Ren replied calmly:
— Then go to the shop.
— I DON'T HAVE MONEY! It's more expensive there!
Ren thought for a moment.
— I'll pay.
Silence.
Kenta froze.
Slowly…
His eyes began to shine.
— You… you'd do that for me…?
Dramatic atmosphere.
— You love me, don't—
Ren interrupted.
— I'd pay for my own peace.
Silence.
But then Ren remembered something.
He had no money.
Everyone slowly turned…
Toward Yuu.
Ren immediately made the saddest abandoned-puppy face imaginable.
— Yuu… would you lend me a few yen every day…
— …so I can pay a scammer who haunts me daily?
Silence.
Yuu looked deeply moved.
— Of course!
Kenta immediately blew a kiss at Ren.
An imaginary heart floated through the air.
Ren grabbed a golf club.
And SMACKED THE HEART INTO OBLIVION.
Meanwhile…
Sora was hanging from the window again.
— I'M GOING TO FALL!!
— TAKERU!!
— CATCH M—
Takeru calmly stood up from the bathtub.
Sora smiled.
"He's going to save me."
Takeru removed his fingers from the window ledge.
Sora fell.
And took all four of them with him.
CRASH.
Silence.
Takeru returned to the bathtub.
Closed his eyes.
"Peace?"
he wondered.
Too soon.
The bathroom door burst open with a BANG.
All four boys stood there.
Covered in dirt.
— Takeru…
— YOU'RE NOT ESCAPING!!
Takeru looked at them.
Thought for a moment.
I'm doomed.
At that exact moment—
DING DONG
The doorbell rang.
The boys were busy.
Mei went to answer it.
When she opened the door…
Her eyes lit up.
— Aiko!
— Hina!
The two girls stood there.
Aiko Momohara and Hina Uminari.
Mei's friends since the banquet.
— Sorry we're late! — Aiko said.
— We heard the boys were coming here…
Hina lifted a bag.
— So we went to buy ice cream!
Mei beamed with happiness.
But just as she opened her mouth to answer…
From deep inside the house—
— NOOOOO!!
— DON'T JUMP, KENTA!!
— AAAAAAAH!!
— TSUNAMIIII!!
SPLASH.
Silence.
Water began slowly flowing across the floor.
Reaching Mei's feet.
She looked down.
Thought about it for a second.
And simply ignored it.
This was normal.
She smiled at her friends.
— Come in.
The three girls went to the living room.
The afternoon finally seemed calm.
Happy.
The girls eating all the ice cream.
The boys…
In the pool.
Or rather…
The bathtub.
But…
Later that same day…
A revelation would be made.
Or maybe…
Someone would simply begin to notice something that had always been there.
But that…
Was a story for later.