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“Did you need something, Sugishita-san?” Nirei asked, barely concealing the tremble in his voice as the taller boy towered over him, casting a dark shadow that shielded him from the warmth of the summer sun. Sugishita’s eyes fixated on him unblinkingly, a determined yet intimidating aura about him that left Nirei questioning his choice to stay behind. But as vice-captain, it was Nirei’s job to hear his classmates out and help them however he could.
When Sugishita finally spoke, it was with an uncertain, almost awkward tone. “Umemiya-san…wants me to branch out...do…summer activities…with friends…”
“Oh!” Like a switch had been flipped, Nirei’s lingering anxiety morphed into enthusiasm. “You want me to help you, like before?!” he exclaimed, notebook suddenly in hand as he frantically began scribbling ideas. “I take it the goal is to eventually be able to hang out with everyone on your own, right? In that case, we’ll start small and work our way up!” With a grin blinding as the sun, Nirei closed his notebook and declared, “Let’s meet after lunch tomorrow, Sugishita-san!”
The first outing in Nirei’s list of ideas was a summer classic: ice cream.
It was simple enough, not requiring much work on Sugishita’s part. And with just the two of them this time, it would be a good first step to branching out. Plus, with how hot it was lately, a nice cold treat was sure to lift his gloomy classmate’s mood! And as an added bonus, Nirei would get to learn what sort of flavors Sugishita preferred! It was a win-win in his book.
So when Sugishita finally showed up to their meeting spot, Nirei couldn’t help but begin rambling excitedly. He’d stayed up for hours just thinking up ideas for their outings and wondering what sort of things Sugishita would enjoy. Of course, this also came with a million questions too – none that Sugishita seemed too thrilled to answer, judging by the way he was visibly struggling to engage. It was hard to watch him fight the urge to speak but keep silent in the end, and part of Nirei really wanted to encourage him more, but he also really didn’t want to push him too much. It wouldn’t do any good to chase his introverted classmate away so soon into their summer outings…and well, maybe Nirei still had the tiniest lingering fear of him too.
But all doubts disappeared the moment the ice cream shop came into view, and Nirei felt a new surge of curiosity.
There were so many flavors to choose from! And they all looked really good too. Nirei was torn but ultimately settled on salted caramel in a bubble waffle cone, with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and chocolate pocky on top! And it tasted as good as it looked too!!
But what he was really interested in was which of the dozens of flavors Sugishita would choose.
...And he was only mildly surprised to see the other return from the counter with a basic half-chocolate-half-vanilla soft-serve in a normal wafer cone. Huh.
Scribbling a quick note in his book, Nirei smiled at the new information before glancing again at Sugishita’s choice ice cream. “You know…” he began, eyes lighting up, “it kinda reminds me of Sakura-sa-AN,” Nirei squeaked, jumping as ice cream splattered from the now-crushed cone in Sugishita’s hand.
Lips curled back in irritation, Sugishita ignored the melted ice cream spilling over his hand and took a large and overly-aggressive bite off the top of the cone, pretty much halving the whole thing.
Yeah, that…that was a bit terrifying. Nirei would definitely have to make a note not to compare Sugishita’s food to Sakura in the future. Yeah, not a good idea.
But…that mistake didn’t cause Sugishita to leave either. So maybe this outing was a success after all? Time to prepare for the next one then, Nirei thought as he began flipping through his notebook. “You’re free Thursday, right Sugishita-san? Ah?” he paused at the sight of his classmate squeezing his eyes shut while holding his head. “Sugishita-san, do you get brainfreeze?!” he shouted, already forgetting his thoughts as he rushed to write this newfound info down.
He couldn’t wait to study the inner workings of Sugishita’s mind– or uh, to continue helping Sugishita...Yeah.
When Thursday rolled around, Nirei was more eager than ever! He even showed up early to the train station, practically buzzing with excitement as his eyes scanned his notebook.
A jolt ran through him as a loud grunt startled him from his thoughts. Looking up, Nirei spotted his classmate, still half-asleep despite walking all the way here to meet him. “Morning, Sugishita-san!”
An unintelligible mumble was the only reply he received.
“NIREEEIIIII! SUGIII! HEEEEYYYY!” a loud voice called, earning many annoyed looks from everyone in the vicinity.
Even Sugishita’s sleepy eyes were replaced by a hardened glare, clearly unhappy with the noise.
“Tsugeura-san,” Nirei greeted as the third member of their little party arrived. “It’s a little early to be shouting, don’t you think?” he suggested carefully, afraid that being too disruptive might set Sugishita off – or even just cause him to go home. “Anyway, let’s get going!”
The idea was simple, really. They would add more people with each outing, until Sugishita grew more comfortable hanging out with others. But...Nirei was starting to have second thoughts about Tsugeura being the first to join them. He was tense the entire trip, sitting stiffly between a very talkative Tsuge and very very silently seething Sugishita. But he could tell that Sugishita was trying, at least on some level, to listen to what Tsugeura was rambling on about. And that was progress, right?
Things settled down once they reached their destination, and the three of them were thrust into the mountains for a short summer hiking trip!
Tsugeura, of course, was far more athletic than either Nirei or Sugishita, so he ended up marching on ahead more often than not. The red-head continued to chatter as they hiked, but his voice wasn’t quite as overwhelming now that it wasn’t bouncing off the walls. And while Nirei was casually conversing with him, he also did his best to hang back with Sugishita, who seemed to have the habit of stopping and staring at the plantlife.
“You like plants, Sugishita-san?”
Of course, that was probably a stupid question, given the fact that Sugishita routinely cared for the rooftop garden at school, but Nirei had always assumed that was simply because Sugishita wanted to help Umemiya, not because he himself enjoyed it. Maybe he’d been wrong?
A small, almost-smile formed on Sugishita’s lips as he gave a single nod.
“Whoa, what’s that?” Tsuge interjected, eyeing the plant Sugishita was crouched in front of.
Sugishita’s hard eyes actually softened as he began sharing what he knew about the plant. “Umemiya-san taught me about this one,” he started, his low voice trailing off into a detailed account of the plant’s uses and how to care for it.
Nirei’s own eyes sparkled as he scribbled down all the information his friend had to offer. It’s not that Nirei was very interested in plants, but he was interested in the fact that Sugishita was interested in them. So of course this info was important enough for his notebook! And if his book ended up filled with random plant facts by the end of this hike, then it would all be all the more worth it.
And when their hike finally did come to an end, Nirei was content to observe how much more relaxed Sugishita seemed as the three of them shuffled back onto the train, even with Tsugeura once again loudly rambling on about random things. And while Sugishita still wasn’t quite engaging in the conversation, it was clear that he was actively listening and nodding along. That alone made this summer outing a success!
That meant it was already time for phase three of branching out!
Flipping through his notebook, Nirei’s eyes landed on one particular idea he’d jotted down at some point. This one would take a little more planning, but it was sure to work!
On another early morning, Nirei skipped to the front door of his home, opening it with a wide grin and cheerful demeanor that contrasted with that of the person waiting on the other side. “Good morning, Sugishita-san!” he greeted and bravely grabbed the other’s wrist, dragging him inside as Nirei began raving about the ingredients he’d bought.
Sugishita, of course, stayed silent and followed along, even as they began preparing onigiri for their picnic outing. He worked diligently, although Nirei wasn’t too surprised about that, given how devoted Sugishita was to helping Umemiya however he could. He could be a hard worker at just about anything, it seemed. Nirei would have to make a note of that.
Once they finished prepping the lunch, Nirei stood back to admire their work. The white and black combo reminded him of Sakura...but it was probably best not to mention that. At any rate, Sugishita’s were really presentable compared to his own! “You’re really good at this, Sugishita-san!”
“Mm,” the other mumbled. “Kotoha-san taught me.”
“REALLY?!” That was another one for the book! “I bet she’ll be happy you made lunch for your classmates,” he chuckled as he closed his updated notebook. “Speaking of which, let’s not keep them waiting too long!”
The walk to the park wasn’t too long, but Nirei could already tell that Sugishita was much more relaxed than usual – still not the most talkative, but that was okay as long as he was comfortable!
Of course, that changed the moment Sakura came into view.
Sugishita was instantly riled up, hands clenched into fists and teeth grinding together as he glared at the group ahead. He all but ignored Tsugeura, Kiryu, and Suo’s greetings and opted for threatening Sakura. The others seemed amused as the two of them bickered and threw insults at one another. Nirei noticed neither of them were necessarily hostile about it. If anything, they were enjoying messing with each other – Sugishita holding onigiri and other snacks just out of Sakura’s reach, and Sakura yelling frustratedly about the ‘tall-ass tree of a person.’ It was their own way of getting along, and honestly, Nirei was happy they weren’t straight-up fighting and were still able to enjoy the meal.
The picnic was entertaining, to say the least. Nirei observed how Sugishita interacted with the others – or rather how they interacted with him.
Suo teased Sugishita and Sakura both, but he was also friendly and happy to listen to what little Sugishita had to say. Kiryu practically latched onto Suo and Sugishita, wanting to know all the details of whatever they were talking about. And Tsugeura, loud as he ever was, cheerfully encouraged Sugishita to hang out with them more often. Sugishita may have responded with a reluctant nod and a mumbled “whatever,” but he didn’t leave and he didn’t chase any of them away – not even Sakura. And he seemed to be enjoying their company, as far as Nirei could tell.
That definitely made this outing a success!
The next outing was a summer favorite – the public pool!
Seeing how well the last one went, Nirei decided to take a big next step and invite the whole class. And judging by how rowdy it was, it seemed he and Sugishita were the last to arrive. In fact, they weren’t two steps into the pool area before poor Sugishita was practically yanked away by Anzai and co.
Sugishita, for his part, did not look too thrilled about it, judging by the awkward stiffness in his shoulders. Nirei did his best to send him some silent encouragement through smiles and waves, choosing to join in on the fun so Sugishita wouldn’t feel like he was being fed to the wolves.
The pool party was chaotic, with music blasting through the speakers and Furin boys wrestling and tossing beach balls and doing cannon-balls into the water. Sugishita didn’t seem too into it at first, but the moment the waterguns came out, it was a whole different story. And Sakura, to no one’s surprise, was his prime target. In fact, Sugishita seemed thrilled to go after their class captain – and Sugishita’s active involvement even encouraged the others to join him in chasing down his target. Poor Sakura-san!
Nirei couldn’t help but laugh.
Everyone was having fun, Sugishita included. And Nirei didn’t even have to help him along at this point. He was participating on his own!
And by the end of the day, everyone was visibly exhausted, Sugishita included – although that was nothing new. At any rate, he seemed much more at ease with everyone, the tension from his shoulders gone and his awkwardness diminished.
Nirei was glad for it. It seemed their mission to help Sugishita branch out had been a success, and he honestly wasn’t sure where to go from here. He had several more ideas jotted down, so he’d have to start planning for the next outing! But…maybe he’d leave that for another day. After all, today had been exhausting. Yeah, he’d save the planning for later.
Although, it seemed Nirei didn’t have to plan anything.
Just a couple of days later, Nirei was surprised to find a new text in the class group chat – one from Sugishita of all people – the one person that never commented in the chat.
The message was pretty basic, just stating that he needed to go to the market and nothing more. But the silent invitation was clear as the summer sky. It was vague and indirect, but it was the first time Sugishita reached out to plan an outing with others. That was a huge step in branching out.
A proud smile spread across Nirei’s face as he watched the group chat light up with eager responses. He was quick to type his own.
‘I’ll be happy to join you, Sugishita-san!’