Summer Vacation (2): Animals Aren't My Thing
Animals weren't really my thing. I'd nearly been bitten by a dog once, and with my weak stomach, bugs grossed me out in every way possible. No matter how cute they looked or how much I wanted to bond, the thought of having to touch them with my own hands killed any affection before it could start. Dealing with people was exhausting enough—getting tangled up with another living creature was pure stress.
Tae-il knew he was the same type as Ayane. They were both cautious about everything. They rarely stepped forward without certainty, weighing every possibility like cowards before taking a single step. Nicely put, it was prudence; harshly, it was cowardice. For someone like Tae-il, who even tapped bridges before crossing, raising a pet was an incredibly grueling choice.
Reality was the real battlefield. No matter how meticulously planned childcare might be, it crumbled like a sandcastle in the face of actual life. Pets were no different. To Tae-il, taking responsibility for a life was an unknown abyss, a hell that triggered stress.
Maybe that's why he admired Yuuya so much—she naturally embraced a realm he couldn't even dream of.
"Everyone has their own sweet spot, right?"
People had things they were good at and things they sucked at. Tae-il figured caregiving or child-rearing just wasn't for him.
"Welfare work's off the table for me."
The sun hung high in the midday sky. Pushing the hand truck through the increasingly stuffy hallway, he returned to the Animal Husbandry Club room.
"We're back."
"Good work."
Yuuya, who had been playing with the turtle inside, greeted him warmly.
"Should I put the tank here?"
"Yeah. Wasn't too heavy?"
"Haha, gotta do what I can as a guy."
Tae-il played it cool. Truth be told, the hand truck made it a breeze.
"Oh, wait. Let me help."
"Thanks."
Yuuya gave the turtle's shell one last check before gently setting it down and helped Tae-il hoist the massive tank onto the shelf.
"Tanks can shatter easily, so be careful."
"I know. I've seen it online a lot."
He'd come across plenty of community pics: shattered tanks, water and fish flooding the living room floor. Tae-il was glad he didn't keep fish at home.
"At least ours are terrapins, so we're lucky."
"Really...?"
"Depends on the person."
Turtle tanks varied by species. The ones in the Animal Husbandry Club were terrapins—a type of aquatic turtle with uniquely beautiful shell and skin patterns.
"Toto's a water turtle, so just give him a basking platform for occasional sunning."
"Yeah, he swims around all day."
Every feeding time, its legs flailed wildly as it paddled on the surface—hilarious. Stick a finger near the tank, and it gaped its mouth thinking it was food.
"They won't outgrow this tank, right?"
"Nope, this is max size."
Yuuya stroked Toto's head, which fit perfectly in her palm. Tae-il found it fascinating how aggressive they got with him during feedings but melted under her touch.
Do they discriminate by gender too...?
Tae-il shot the turtle a dirty look while wiping down decorations. Yuuya finished petting Toto and set it lightly by the window for some sun.
"I'll clean the tank."
"Sure."
As Yuuya grabbed a dry cloth to wipe residual water, Tae-il scrubbed the boat-shaped ornament meticulously.
They say reptiles are easy to keep...
Easy my ass. Total bullshit. Maybe Yuuya just lacked the knack. Not that he blamed her—she truly loved the animals and poured her heart into caring for them. For a non-pro breeder to take it this seriously was downright admirable.
Senpai handled all this alone before I joined...?
Tae-il set down the gleaming boat model and moved to the next decoration. Humans were simple creatures. Like or love someone, and you wanted to do more for them. Same went for pets. Provide a great environment, top-notch food, even find them a mate. If effort alone could achieve it all, that'd be ideal—but sadly, the world had limits. In the end, you needed money.
Ah, that's why YouTube...
He'd been too scared to check the budget, but the club ate up way more cash than expected. School funds couldn't cover it all physically. Whoever thought of YouTube as a workaround was a genius. Even for a prestigious private school, promo costs weren't cheap. Invest in students, they produce results, that generates buzz—a virtuous cycle.
YouTube's different. Minimal input for max output.
Yuuya was already nailing it with bare-minimum investment. The wooden tank decoration Tae-il was gently polishing now? Over 50,000 yen. Not bought by her—an anonymous fan's gift. He'd gone extra gentle the moment he heard the price, terrified of scratching it.
"Senpai, decorations are all done."
"Thanks."
"No biggie. I'm club staff now."
"Uh, y-yeah... grr!"
Yuuya couldn't muster a proper retort to Tae-il's deadpan reply and grumbled while scrubbing the tank. Her hands couldn't reach the bottom. Her cute left foot paddled the air frantically.
Tae-il sneakily held his hand up to her head level from behind.
Senpai really is short.
Not elementary-school tiny like Rena, but around Ayane's height. Definitely below his eye line. It hit him anew how tall Sakuya was. She was his senior, yet watching her was just... cute.
Several seconds of silently watching her tiptoe and strain.
"Senpai, hold on."
"Hm?"
Yuuya's eyes went wide at the sudden sensation of floating. She turned to see the cause.
"Taechi...?"
"Haha."
Tae-il slipped his hands under her armpits, lifted her effortlessly, and set her down away from the stool.
"I'll handle it. You watch the turtle."
"I-I can do it..."
"Couldn't stand watching from behind. And I'm no good at bio stuff anyway. Division of labor."
She handles critters; he does chores. Perfect split, right? Tae-il grinned, snatching the cloth from her hand.
"Ugh..."
Yuuya pouted like Ayane and glared. Tae-il knew full well but played dumb.
"What, Senpai?"
"Idiot."
She spun away and headed to Toto by the window. Tae-il shrugged, wiped the tank bottom spotless, repositioned the decorations identically, and finally installed the rub-a-mang basking platform for land access. Sloped gently for easy water-to-land transitions—this was Yuuya's handmade creation. Add the filter and lights last, and done. Water turtles were fairly low-maintenance aside from water quality. Dumb as rocks, though.
"Senpai, setup's complete! Time to fill 'er up?"
"Yeah."
"Where's the saltwater...?"
"Sink."
Tae-il grabbed the bucket of premixed saltwater from the sink as instructed. Terrapins needed salinity. Referencing Yuuya's notes, he poured the right ratio of disinfected water and saltwater.
Perfect timing—Yuuya approached.
"Here you go, Toto. Your clean home's ready."
Toto ambled slowly from her palm onto the rub-a-mang.
"No feeding needed?"
"He ate plenty."
While Tae-il cleaned, Yuuya had stuffed it with nutrient pellets. She smiled softly.
"Nutrient pellets..."
Wealthy breeders cubed meat, but the club's "nutrients" meant one thing: crickets. Toto adorably nibbled her finger with its cute mouth.
"Hehe, still hungry? Glutton."
"Uh, yeah..."
Tae-il's reaction was lukewarm as he eyed the cricket bin with dismay.
And so, the most hands-on turtle care wrapped up. Yuuya washed her hands and asked,
"Good job. Tough, huh?"
"Nah."
"Bet you're hungry. Lunch on me?"
"Lunch?"
"Yeah. Gotta talk YouTube too."
"Ehey, in that case, my treat."
He wasn't shameless enough to mooch off advice and food. But unexpectedly, Yuuya looked flustered at his refusal.
"I-I'm the senior. I have money..."
"Tell that to the junior in your debt who also has cash."
"Ugh, juniors who won't back down..."
"Maybe 'cause I lose arguments daily now? Slipped out."
"You argue in Light Music Club...?"
"More like I get one-sidedly roasted."
Tae-il gave a wry smile, standing beside her to wash up.
"Arguing?"
"Opinion exchange. Means they're taking it seriously—grateful for that."
"Fun?"
"A blast. Swing by if you're bored, Senpai."
"Mm."
Yuuya quietly pictured the Light Music Club members. Katsuragi Ayane: stubborn-looking first-year ex-Morals Committee. Arisugawa Iris: notorious second-year beauty, equally fierce vibe.
"..."
They didn't seem like easy conversationalists like Tae-il.
"Still, glad you're enjoying it."
"Yeah."
Tae-il agreed. He'd worried at first—past traumas resurfacing. But band practice with the girls was way more fun than imagined.
A few bumps, sure...
He believed they were steadily marching toward his dream band.
"Fun gets better with recognition."
"You too, Senpai?"
"Yeah."
Yuuya hadn't joined Animal Husbandry Club to help the school. Pure love for animals. Couldn't keep pets at home, so she threw herself into club activities. And it paid off. Asakura, the principal, tons of people—they all loved her animal care.
Just quietly doing what she loved, and getting recognized? Nothing better.
She wanted to help Tae-il. Let this earnest junior feel that same joy.
So...
I'll help. She knew zilch about music or instruments. But having a way to support him anyway? Pure delight.
"Same club, after all. Count on me."
"Thanks."
"Seniors helping juniors is natural."
"Haha, juniors helping seniors too?"
"Stubborn..."
Summer break had hit its one-week mark. Amid her usual hectic day, Sakurako carved out precious time to meet her cherished junior.
The spot: a budget-friendly neighborhood family restaurant. Some anime collab lately had otaku-lookalikes swarming the place.
"Shouldn't have picked here."
"What's wrong?"
Unlike Sakurako, bothered by the skewed stares, Ayane casually sipped her smoothie.
"Well, look at you—acting all grown up."
"Heh. Unlike some seniors, Ayane's growing."
"Wanna die?"
Thwack. No mocking her height, even from a fave junior—Sakurako kicked Ayane's shin.
"Ow!"
Ayane teared up. Sakurako scrutinized her face.
Makeup different?
Hard to pin, but Ayane seemed changed. More mature, maybe. Biggest shift: her outfit.
Sakurako's odd gaze scanned Ayane top to bottom.
"Ayane, your fashion's totally revamped."
"Notice? Ayane rarely shows casuals to you."
"If you say so."
Morals Committee members rarely hung out off-campus. Top students only—bookworms who didn't know fun. After school? Study time. Libraries, school rooms, cram schools. Sakurako and Ayane were outliers.
Sakurako carefully scooped a bite of parfait to keep it intact.
"Hate to say it, but summer or not, you used to be full-on Islamic ninja."
"I-Islamic ninja...?"
Ayane shot an incredulous look at the fresh nickname. Sakurako giggled.
"Yup. Islamic ninja. No hijab, but hide in shadows, cover your eyes—no one'd spot you."
"Ehh, not that bad..."
Ayane denied weakly under teasing. It hit home—Iris had said the same days ago.
"You've always wondered: do you dress like that on purpose?"
Iris spotting Ayane in a hoodie and sweats mid-summer.
Not just that.
"Ayane, aren't you hot?"
"Sweltering?"
"Yet all-black...? Gross."
Friend Hinako had recoiled.
"Can't take it. Hey, class rep!"
"Not class rep, Misuzu, you yankee."
"Not yankee, Hinako! Anyway, Harajuku! I can't see her like this anymore!"
"Weird. You and I agree for once."
"Quit the smug genjutsu!"
"Huh?"
Ayane got dragged by friends to Harajuku, fashion street—dressed like a doll in endless outfits. Miserable then, grateful now.
Shin-chiin likes it...
Absorbing trends, Ayane tweaked her style bit by bit. Practice: comfy clothes. Outings like this: skin-showing like dates with Tae-il. Black tennis skirt, pink sleeveless tee, sheer white blouse.
Sakurako nodded.
"Looks good. Shoulda done it sooner."
"Hehe."
"Things good with him?"
"With Shin-chiin?"
"Yeah, that Shin whatever. Can't remember his name."
"Kinda?"
Ayane's flower-bud hands made her grin ear-to-ear. Not all smooth—rivals multiplying, dangers aplenty. But.
Hehe.
Hot springs memory loosened her lips. Tae-il desperately knee-hiding that.
It stood 'cause Shin-chiin wanted Ayane... hehe.
He got hard for her—not another girl—hence the cover-up. Sakurako winced at Ayane's blushing dopey grin.
"Urk."
So nauseating she dry-heaved, snapping the delusion.
"Shouldn't have asked. Some of us are still single."
"Single?"
Ayane's grin paused, head tilt.
"Senpai still no news?"
"Yeah, fuck. Why are guys such cowards..."
Sakurako griped. Buff like bear-slayers, yet dodging girls' signals—dojang trainees.
"Bummer. Ayane was hoping for double dates."
"Shut it."
Sakurako scratched irritably.
"Good news soon. Wait."
"Take your time. Hehe."
"Grr..."
Outdone by a junior—unfair. She demolished the parfait aggressively.
"But Senpai, break time—how to snag a guy?"
"Ways exist. Don't worry."
"Not Gakunan, right?"
"As if."
Sakurako self-assessed well. Pride kept her persistent, but she knew: zero sex appeal body.
If they fall for that, straight to jail...
She wanted normal guys, not pervs. Hence dojang trainees. All flops.
"Anyway, good news soon. Working the dojang boys hard."
"Dojang—your karate one?"
"Yep."
Sakurako crunched the parfait cherry, nodding. Hiiragi Sakurako: heiress to a generational karate dojo. Petite like Rena, but thug-flattening Morals Committee cred had reasons. Underestimate her size? Dead.
"Lotsa guys there?"
"My age alone: nearly a hundred."
"Bigger scale than thought."
"Eh, mostly joined 'cause of me."
"Ehh..."
Ayane's gaze turned rabbit-detective skeptical at the brag. Sakurako bristled.
"Ugh, true! I was the dojo idol as a kid!"
"Not anymore?"
"Ugh, those rude bastards..."
Ayane got the picture.
Poor Senpai...
Kid-Sakurako: cute, leaderly, popular. Admirers aplenty, boys begging to join her dojo. Problem: they grew; she stayed pint-sized.
"Grow a bit and ignore me—uwah..."
Tears welled.
"They dodge spars! Too much? Weaker than me! Cheaters!"
"Ahaha..."
Venting done, Sakurako glared at the parfait like a nemesis and ravaged it.
"Senpai's got it rough."
Ayane finally got why Sakurako oozed confidence: childhood popularity = lifelong, she thought. Reality: brutal.
"Hang in there."
"No pity! Makes it worse!"
Boys fawning turning to "not a girl" post-puberty? Humiliating.
"No, if Shin-chiin did that, Ayane'd be heartbroken too."
"R-Really...?"
"Yeah. Might even suicide...?"
"Whoa, your scale's wild."
Ayane's gloomy aura vanished Sakurako's blues. She sighed relief: Glad you're not my girlfriend.
"Ayane likes guys anyway."
"Figurative! Bratty junior won't yield."
"Haha, can't help it. More annoying flies than you lately—Ayane's on edge."
"Calling me annoying?"
"Ack! Slip!"
"..."
"Dehet?"
"Ha. Life... even this one's a junior..."
Sakurako sighed, gazing out the window. Facing Ayane tired her out.
"Huh?"
Then, familiar duo in view: mint-green ponytail girl in Yuuma High's black sailor uniform, and a casually dressed guy she'd seen before. They passed the window, entered the restaurant.
"Face rings a bell. Who...?"
"Shin-chiin...?"
Sakurako shivered, rubbing goosebumped arms. Chilly. AC too low? Parfait? As she puzzled, Ayane cautiously stood.
"Huh? Bathroom?"
"Shin-chiin's there..."
"Shin-chiin? Oh, your BF? Aha! Yeah, it's him. Thought so. But with a girl—face looks familiar too..."
"Shin-chiin!"
"Hey! Ayane! What the—agh!"
Cherished but cheeky junior bolted screaming for Shin Tae-il. Sakurako panicked, dropped her spoon, chased after. Instinct screamed: leave her be, trouble brews. Guaranteed.