A three-legged puppy, abandoned in the winter rain, struggled desperately to climb out of the cardboard box.

The summer this year was exceptionally sultry, with the ceaseless buzzing of cicadas filling the air. In the living room, the air conditioner hummed as it blew out chilled air, and Jingusitsuki sat quietly on the sofa, reading a book.

The mobile phone left off to the side suddenly rang, causing Jingusitsuki to lower his book.

"Hello."

"Moshi-moshi! Upperclassman!"

"What is it?"

"To ask 'what is it' like that—don't tell me you completely forgot about tonight!"

"Um... is it today?"

"It is definitely today! We agreed we'd all go to the summer festival together!"

Jingusitsuki glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall and realized it was already that time of year.

Half of the summer vacation had already passed, and he had spent almost every day immersed in reading and painting, completely forgetting the promise he made with the student council members before the end of the semester.

"I know. We're meeting in front of the station, right?"

"You are not allowed to be late, okay? I'm really, really counting on you."

After hanging up the phone, Jingusitsuki resumed flipping through the pages in his hand, when he suddenly recalled the summer festival from the previous year, a complex mixture of emotions flowing through his heart.

By evening, Jingusitsuki had dinner with his parents.

His father had finally returned to the country after a year-long overseas business trip, restoring their household to a family of three once again.

"Oh? Tsuki, are you going out?"

After dinner, as Jingusitsuki changed his clothes and put on his shoes in the entryway, his mother walked up behind him, looking at him with a hint of concern.

"Yeah, I promised everyone we'd go to the summer festival."

"I see. Have a safe trip."

"Yeah, I'm heading out."

Arriving at the station, Jingusitsuki spotted Yamada奏 waiting outside at a single glance.

Amamiya Haruka and Amamiya Kaho arrived shortly after. Both were dressed in yukatas, their long hair pinned up to reveal the fair skin of their napes. They carried paper fans and handbags, the sound of their wooden geta sandals striking the pavement in a rhythmic clatter. With every gesture and movement, the breath of summer washed over the surroundings.

"Hey-hey! What does the President think of my and my sister's yukatas?"

"They're nice."

"Yay! I got praised by the President! I can go brag to Yo-chan later."

Am I just a tool for you girls to compete with each other?

Jingusitsuki thought helplessly to himself.

Before long, the little animal made a fashionably late entrance. To think she had the nerve to call and remind him during the day, only to turn out to be the very last one to arrive, late by a full minute. Jingusitsuki showed her no mercy and knocked her on the head.

"Ow-wah... Yo-chan is so cute."

Yomiya Yo, currently rubbing her head, perked her ears up upon hearing the praise and immediately beamed with a wide smile.

"How is it? How is it? It's a brand-new yukata my aunt bought for me!"

The little animal spun around in place a couple of times. Seemingly unaccustomed to wearing geta sandals, she nearly lost her balance and fell, but Jingusitsuki was quick-witted and steady on his feet, catching her by the shoulder.

"Such a klutz. Watch your step."

"Ehehe, thank you, upperclassman."

"Ooh~~ Yo-chan, your heart is going pit-a-pat."

"Gk! Kaho, you stop right there!"

"Ow-wah-wah~! The Vice President is hitting people!"

"You two, stop running around in the middle of the street."

Jingusitsuki's reprimands had zero effect; the two young girls vanished into the crowd in a flash, leaving the young boy to press his fingertips to his forehead with a mild headache.

The group arrived at the night stalls. Yomiya Yo and Amamiya Kaho walked at the very front, the little animal turning her head every three steps to urge the boy and the others behind them to walk faster.

To this day, Jingusitsuki still couldn't get used to places that were too crowded, especially during summer festivals where the throngs of people surged like a high-pressure carwash hose, capable of washing everyone apart if they weren't paying attention.

However, it was merely a lack of habit; it hadn't escalated to the point of repulsion or outright hatred.

If anything, Jingusitsuki actually found these moments to be immensely precious.

The two young girls who used to surround him were no longer there, replaced instead by his lovely juniors who deeply trusted him in his role as the student council president, carving out a place of belonging for him.

Looking back, Jingusitsuki had almost no memories of his high school summers that could truly be called happy.

As the final summer of his high school days, being able to spend it with this group of people filled the boy with joy from the bottom of his heart.

Not far away, the twins were trying to scoop goldfish. Yamada奏, as the only other male in the student council besides Jingusitsuki, shouldered the heavy burden of burden-bearer; a fox mask, candied apples, and prizes won from shooting games were all piled upon him.

Jingusitsuki had no idea what Yamada奏 was thinking, but if it were him, his heart would surely be filled with silent misery.

"Upperclassman."

"Hm?"

"I'm a little tired. I want to go sit over there." Yomiya Yo pointed to an open space just outside the fringe of the night stalls.

Jingusitsuki nodded. "I'll go too."

"No need, I just want to rest for a tiny bit."

"I happen to want a break too."

Hearing Jingusitsuki say that, Yomiya Yo said nothing more, and the two of them went to the open area together. Jingusitsuki spread a handkerchief over a stone bench for Yomiya Yo to sit on, while he simply planted himself down beneath a tree.

"Upperclassman, you're always acting like a gentleman in these weird, inexplicable ways. Even if you're this nice to me, I'm not going to reward you for it, you know."

Jingusitsuki shook his head helplessly. "Who wants your reward?"

"The yukata... it's newly bought, isn't it? If it got dirty, my mood would definitely be ruined."

"Mm..."

The little animal nodded in silence, whispering a soft "thank you."

Jingusitsuki couldn't help chuckling, raising a hand to pat her head. "What's with thanking me at this stage?"

Yomiya Yo puffed out her cheeks, shaking her head to brush away Jingusitsuki's hand as it casually ruffled her hair. "Honestly, upperclassman always treats me like a little kid."

"Aren't you a kid, then?"

"That's not the point. There's only a one-year difference between you and me, you know."

"That still doesn't change the fact that I'm your upperclassman and you're my junior."

"Gk... If I remember correctly, upperclassman said before that you hated that whole senior-junior hierarchy thing."

"Did I? My apologies, my memory isn't very good. Being forgetful is an old flaw of mine."

"Liar!"

Faced with the little animal's disgruntled accusation, Jingusitsuki wore a faint smile.

This ordinary, mundane slice of life was probably what his past self had longed for. He didn't need grand, sweeping drama, nor did he wish to be anyone's hero—just a profoundly ordinary daily routine.

He knew all too well how hard-won this everyday peace was, which was why he found himself sinking so deeply into it now.

"Hiss... Ow, ow, ow."

It wasn't until Yomiya Yo bent over to massage her foot that the boy noticed the side of her small foot had delicate skin rubbed raw into several bloody streaks.

"I told you not to run around. Serves you right for getting a taste of your own medicine."

"Darn it! You're actually gloating!"

Seeing his troublesome junior looking ready to throw a genuine tantrum, Jingusitsuki shook his head with resignation.

"Wait here for a second."

A few minutes later, Jingusitsuki returned to Yomiya Yo's side and reached out to grab her foot.

"Wait... upperclassman, what are you doing?"

The little animal instinctively shrunk her foot away in bashfulness; she wasn't thick-skinned enough to let a boy casually touch her feet without a second thought.

"Huh? Washing the wound with water first, what else did you think?"

"Oh... oh-oh, I thought upperclassman had been so captivated by my beautiful feet that he lost his mind and finally