Polaroid | Suna Rintarou

06: Summer Break

"What are you doing here?!" My lidded eyes widened as she stood before my doorstep, adorned in a white summer dress with a floral pattern.

"I knew it! You haven't checked any of the messages I sent you!" Arms crossed and a pout adorning her lips, she confronted me. I quickly averted my gaze, scratching the back of my head in response.

It was true; I deliberately ignored all of her messages and calls this summer. After enduring weeks at the summer training camp with my teammates and tolerating the antics of the twins, I had been looking forward to some much-needed solitude. But now, she stood before me, shattering that hope.

"How did you find my house?" I inquired. Her knowing smile confirmed my suspicion, and as if on cue, the colorful-haired twins appeared.

"Yo!" Osamu greeted with a salute.

"Whoa! Suna, what's with the bed hair? It looks terrible," Atsumu chimed in. I rolled my eyes at his greeting.

"Of course, this idiot gave away where I live," I muttered. "So, what brings you all here?"

"We're going to the pool!" She beamed.

I stifled a yawn and began to retreat into my house. "No."

She seized me by the collar, nearly choking me in the process. I jerked my head back, shooting her a glare, but she was already glaring back.

"What do you mean 'No'? We haven't hung out all summer, and I've already planned our entire day!"

"We wouldn't want to waste her efforts in planning this trip now, would we?" Atsumu interjected.

"Come on, Suna! Don't leave me with these two," Osamu pleaded.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, Osamu-kun!" she protested.

"Yeah! What's that supposed to mean, Samu?" The dumber twin chimed in.

Osamu avoided their gaze, sulking. "Rin-kun, get changed now, please!" She insisted.

With a heavy sigh, I relented. "Fine." Turning my back, I retreated indoors.

"Wait in the living room; my parents left to visit my grandparents, so it's just me here," I directed them before heading upstairs to prepare.

—

"Oi, Suna. What's up with [Reader]? We've been waiting for her to finish changing for over half an hour now," Osamu grumbled, fanning himself.

I let out another deep breath. "That's just how she is. It's your fault for letting her drag you out here. I can't blame you, though; she always has her ways of getting what she wants."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Where's your brother?" I inquired, noticing the absence of the blond troublemaker.

"Over there," Osamu pointed, directing my gaze to Atsumu, who was busy flirting with a random girl.

"Hey!! Thanks for waiting." Her voice snapped my attention back to her, and I felt a flush rising to my cheeks. Damn summer heat.

"Finally, let's go," Osamu urged, leading the way to the pool, with [Reader] following closely behind. I trailed after her, resigned to my fate.

Atsumu cannonballed into the pool, causing a large splash, much to [Reader]'s amusement. She laughed as the twins competed to see who could swim the fastest and hold their breath the longest, with her serving as the referee and judge. Watching them, I found myself unexpectedly enjoying their antics.

Standing at the pool's edge, I relished the cool breeze when She called my name. I turned to face her, only to have water splashed in my face, followed by her giggles.

"You look like you're about to take a nap here. Such a sleepyhead," she teased. Without thinking, I retaliated, splashing her back.

Startled at first, she quickly adopted a mischievous expression, and soon, we found ourselves engaged in a full-blown splash battle, with the twins joining in. Despite myself, I couldn't help but laugh and smile along with them.

Afterward, we took a break and enjoyed the lunch she had packed. While the twins remained seated at the table, she took a seat on a nearby bench. I bought ice cream for us, surprising her with a cone.

She looked genuinely surprised but quickly thanked me with a smile. I could feel the stares from others, but I brushed them off.

"I'm super jealous! How can he date a girl that hot?"

"I wish I could date someone like her."

"You wish."

Comments like these were becoming routine whenever I was with her. I wanted to correct them, to tell them we weren't dating, but it felt like a futile effort.

"Wow! This is delicious," she remarked, smiling from ear to ear.

"Is this your first time having this?" I asked, to which she nodded.

"What? Really?" I sat beside her, watching the pool's activity unfold.

"From now on, this is my favorite," she declared with enthusiasm.

"Glad you like it," I replied, looking at her with a smile, which she returned.

"Oh, it's melting!" she exclaimed suddenly, quickly licking the melting ice cream with childlike delight.