Morning arrived. After breakfast, Yukinoya and Dakota were picked up by their parents. Dakota left first, insisting that the roach incident had proven he possessed excellent survival instincts.
Yukinoya climbed into her mother's car a few minutes later, waving through the window as they pulled away from the Kyotani residence.
Halfway home, she suddenly stiffened.
Her eyes widened.
Yukinoya: "Mom."
Her mother glanced toward her through the mirror: "What is it?"
Yukinoya looked down at her bag.
She searched through it once.
Then twice.
Her panic grew with every passing second.
Yukinoya: "Can we turn around?"
Yukinoya's mom: "Did you forget something?"
Yukinoya pressed both hands against her face: "Something important."
Yukinoya's mom smiled knowingly.
Yukinoya: "Don't."
Yukinoya's mom: "Your stuffed animal?"
Yukinoya groaned.
Back at the house, Chifuyu was helping gather the blankets when he noticed something wedged between Yukinoya's futon and the wall.
Chifuyu: "Hm?"
He reached down and pulled out a small stuffed animal.
It was a slightly worn rabbit with pale fabric, floppy ears, and a blue ribbon around its neck. One of its button eyes had been repaired with thread that didn't quite match.
Chifuyu turned it over in his hands: "What's this?"
Something about it felt familiar.
A vague image passed through his mind—Yukinoya much younger, sitting beside him with the rabbit tucked beneath one arm.
Before he could remember clearly, the front door flew open.
Yukinoya rushed inside: "CHIFUYU!"
He turned. Then looked at the stuffed rabbit in his hands. Then back at her. Her face became bright red.
Chifuyu slowly smiled: "Oh? Looking for this?"
Yukinoya forced a smile: "Hey, you found it. Would you be so kind as to give it to me."
Chifuyu: "You still sleep with a stuffed animal?"
Yukinoya lunged: "Give it back!"
Chifuyu stepped aside: "What's its name again?"
Yukinoya: "It doesn't have one."
Chifuyu: "No, no. It definitely does."
Yukinoya: "No, it doesn't!"
Chifuyu held the rabbit near his ear.
Chifuyu: "What was that? Mr. Floppy says you cuddle him every night."
Yukinoya's blush deepened: "His name isn't Mr. Floppy!"
Chifuyu: "So he does have a name."
Yukinoya: "I hate you."
She tackled him into the couch and wrestled the stuffed rabbit out of his hands. Chifuyu laughed the entire time. For the rest of the summer, he refused to let her forget it.
Those days quickly blended together.
One warm morning, Chifuyu, Yukinoya, and Dakota rode their bicycles to a creek near the edge of the district. They raced most of the way there, though Dakota repeatedly claimed he wasn't trying because his bike was "built for comfort, not speed." They spent hours skipping stones and attempting to catch tiny fish with their bare hands. Dakota sat beneath a tree and played his handheld console when he got tired until the battery died, then complained that nature had no charging ports. Another afternoon, they visited the local arcade. Chifuyu dominated the basketball machine. Yukinoya refused to leave the claw games until she won a tiny bear keychain. After Dakota nearly spent all his money, he earned enough tickets for a plastic whistle and two pieces of candy. They visited the recreation center pool whenever the heat became unbearable. Chifuyu challenged other kids to races. Yukinoya joined despite knowing he was faster, then accused him of starting too early. Dakota spent most of his time floating lazily on his back until Chifuyu and Yukinoya tipped him into the water. He resurfaced with his hair covering his face and solemnly informed them that revenge would arrive when they least expected it. It came twenty minutes later when he fired a water gun at them from behind a vending machine. They held water balloon fights in Chifuyu's backyard. They attempted to cook pancakes without adult supervision and somehow created one that was burned on the outside but still liquid in the middle. Chifuyu ate it anyway. Yukinoya called him disgusting. Dakota said it was probably safer than cafeteria food. On quieter days, they simply stayed indoors. They argued over controllers, invented unfair rules, and spent hours attempting to defeat bosses. Sometimes they wandered through the shopping streets with no real destination. They bought frozen treats from small vendors and sat near the fountain, comparing their plans for the future as if adulthood were only a few weeks away. Chifuyu talked about maybe going pro in basketball. Dakota said he wanted to be a gaming streamer. Yukinoya said she wanted to travel. Chifuyu told her they would go together. Dakota agreed, though he insisted every destination needed somewhere with internet access.
Near the end of July, they attended a neighborhood festival. Yukinoya wore a light summer yukata, and Chifuyu teased her for walking more carefully than usual. Dakota spent most of the evening trying to win a limited-edition character figure from a booth game that was clearly rigged. When he finally gave up, Yukinoya secretly bought him a cheap imitation from another stall. He noticed it wasn't official merchandise immediately, but still kept it. Their days were always full. Even when they did nothing, they somehow made it feel important.
There were moments when Yukinoya seemed more tired than usual. She had always mentioned feeling sleepy every now and then, perhaps a few times each month. Recently, however, it happened more often. She would stop in the middle of an afternoon and sit down. Sometimes she leaned against a wall while the boys argued. Other times she watched them play instead of joining. Whenever Chifuyu asked what was wrong, she smiled and said she was tired. He never thought much of it. He had no idea how hard she had been pushing herself. To him, the summer remained perfect. A collection of bright days that seemed as though they might continue forever.
One afternoon, the three sat beneath the shade of a large tree near the recreation center. Chifuyu lay flat on the grass with his hands behind his head. Dakota sat beside him, focusing on his game. Yukinoya leaned against the tree trunk and stared toward the distant clouds. For several minutes, no one spoke.
Then Yukinoya suddenly sat forward: "We should plan a trip during the Golden Festival."
Chifuyu turned toward her.
Dakota paused his game.
Chifuyu: "A trip where?"
Yukinoya smiled: "Does District 8 sound like any fun to you?"
Chifuyu: "District 8?"
Dakota: "A lot of people go there for vacation, right?"
Yukinoya: "Yeah, and I'm sure it'll be a ton of fun during Golden Festival."
Chifuyu: "That sounds like a blast."
Dakota: "My parents have been wanting to go on a trip. They'll probably be excited to go there."
Chifuyu: "It most likely won't be a problem asking mine. Did you already mention this to your parents?"
Yukinoya: "I did. As a matter of fact, they said they'd talk to your parents and figure everything out."
For a moment, the three simply stared at one another. Then the excitement hit all at once.
Chifuyu: "We're really going on vacation!"
Dakota: "District 8 arc."
Yukinoya: "Life isn't an anime, Dakota."
Dakota: "Life needs chapters."
Chifuyu held one fist toward the sky: "Golden Festival, here we come!"
The three began talking over one another immediately, already planning what they wanted to do first. None of them noticed the way Yukinoya's hand briefly pressed tightly against her chest.