Chapter 87

This is a heartwarming yuri episode featuring the heroines.

It was a certain Sunday.

Eri's morning was late.

She heard her smartphone ringing by her ear.

Unconsciously, she reached out and turned off the alarm. Then, the phone rang again.

She woke up with a start and sat up. Thinking she had messed up, she looked at the screen of her smartphone.

It wasn't the alarm that had rung. The call app was receiving a call. The caller was Rio.

"Eri? Why did you hang up? I'm almost there, you know?"

When she answered the call, a slightly irritated voice came through.

Finally, her head cleared, and she grasped the situation.

Today was the first Sunday of the summer break. She had made plans to hang out with Rio.

She was supposed to wake up early and get ready, but she had stayed up late watching a game stream last night, which caused her to oversleep.

And until she heard Rio's voice, she had mistaken it for a school day, thinking she had overslept.

It had only been a few days into the summer break, and her active hours were already shifting to the night.

"Ah, you can come over anytime! I'm totally ready!"

After saying this, Eri jumped out of bed and hurriedly changed clothes.

When she went downstairs, as usual, no one was home. Not even Makoto.

The clock had just passed 10:00 AM. This made her nervous. If this continued, she would become a summer break failure.

"Ah~ What should I do today..."

As for today's plans, she hadn't decided anything specific. Just a vague idea of hanging out. She had even asked Rio to come pick her up, which was a terrible move. If things went badly, they could just play games at home. As an indoor person, she couldn't think of any places to go out.

It was one thing to blend in with a crowd, but hanging out alone with a girl of the same grade was surprisingly rare. The last time she had hung out with Rio at home was the only instance.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Eri greeted Rio at the front door.

Rio was dressed in a hoodie and loose shorts, a boyish outfit. Eri thought, "Is she changing her character?" but it actually suited her well. She looked cute.

"Here, I made some cookies."

"Ah~ You didn't have to, but thank you~"

Rio handed her a small bag. Eri took it like an aunt. Realizing she hadn't eaten anything since waking up, she started eating them right there. They were delicious.

"So, what are we going to do?"

"Then let's play for real. No holding back. I stole the pro techniques from the videos, you know."

"Hmm... Since we'll be playing games all day, it's unhealthy. Why don't we go for a light jog outside? The weather is nice, too."

Eri thought, "Hmm..." but Rio had a point. She couldn't deny that she had been lacking exercise recently.

The weather was sunny and not too hot, perfect for a light jog. It would be much better than getting stressed from losing at games. Nice suggestion.

"It's a good idea. After all, JHS girls should be healthy, right?"

Eri changed into comfortable clothes, put on sneakers, and went outside.

During this time, she finished eating all the cookies. This was unhealthy. She needed to burn off those calories.

"Let's go straight down this road."

Instead of Rio, who was unfamiliar with the area, Eri visualized the general route in her head.

She didn't intend to run a long distance. Just a light jog around the neighborhood would be enough.

"Let's go, then."

Rio, who had done a light stretch, smiled. It was a bright, unclouded smile.

Eri felt a little flustered. It was a feast for the eyes.

Eri took a deep breath. The fresh air filled her lungs, and she felt more motivated.

She thought it would be a disaster, but things were settling down nicely. This included the recent series of events.

Now, Eri and Rio were friends in name and in reality... no, they could even be called best friends.

Eri smiled broadly and nodded in return.

Then, the two of them started off together, in a friendly manner.

"Yay, it's great!"

But five seconds after they started running, she was already shouting.

Rio's stride was off. The pace was off. The form was off. No, the form itself was good. Too good.

Rio stopped a few meters ahead and turned back, looking puzzled and tapping her feet.

"What's wrong, Eri~?"

"Because I said 'it's great'!"

"What~?"

"Look, I can't hear your voice. The distance is too great."

She had thought they would chat and jog leisurely together.

But why was Rio swinging her arms so seriously? Why was she leaving her best friend behind? This was clearly not a jogging pace.

And a few minutes later.

Thinking, "If you say so, I'll do it," Eri followed Rio at a high pace.

She thought, "Can I do it from here?" and deviated from the planned route, taking a detour. She couldn't. Eri didn't even know the roads they were on.

They finally made it back to Eri's house. Eri was breathing heavily, while Rio looked cool. Although her breathing was a bit off, there was no sign of fatigue on her face.

"Phew, phew... I'm dying..."

"You complain, but Eri can run pretty well, too."

"Well, I did join a sports club in middle school, you know!"

"I always run on my days off. It feels weird not to."

"I feel weird now!"

In any case, the running was over.

If they kept running like that in the neighborhood, they might be thought to have lost their minds.

"Since our bodies are warmed up, what should we do next?"

"You helped with the warm-up. We're already in top form. Do you still want to exercise? Is this the main event?"

"It would be nice if we had some sports equipment. Like a frisbee."

"A frisbee? JHS girls playing frisbee on a day off? I've never heard of it outside of a joke."

"For example. You don't have to say it like that."

Apparently, they still needed to move more. Unfortunately, there was no such equipment at home.

It was already lunchtime, so they decided to head to the supermarket Eri frequented to get some bento. They would also look for something to play with there.

When they pushed their bikes out of the alley, Rio gave her a suspicious look.

"What? Are we going by bike?"

"What? Are you trying to run there?"

A small argument broke out. This was a point she couldn't give in on.

"Then, will Rio sit on the back?"

"The back? No, two people on a bike is not allowed."

"Really? They do it in manga all the time."

"Based on Article 57, Paragraph 2 of the Road Traffic Law, riding with two people is generally prohibited by the traffic regulations established by the public safety commissions of each prefecture."

"Stop Googling to argue with me."

The flow of riding together in a friendly manner didn't happen.

In the end, Eri rode the bike, and Rio ran to the nearby large supermarket.

It was a combination of a grocery store and a home center. Eri, who knew the place well, led the way.

"Seriously, you can get anything here. Everything is available."

"Really? Then do they have kendo sticks?"

"Sorry, I don't think they have kendo sticks. Why are you looking for kendo sticks? Are you trying to scold me?"

Rio was inexplicably grinning to herself. Eri didn't know if it was a joke, but it was confusing and scary.

They looked for the sports equipment section. On the way, Eri stopped at the toy section, where a variety of fluorescent items were displayed.

"Looking at these makes me excited. Look, there's a bubble solution set. And water balloons, too."

"You suddenly dropped to elementary school level."

"There's no frisbee. Too bad, Rio."

"That's what I'm saying. When you say something once, you immediately..."

"Covering up is the basic rule. Use a slipped joke like this, got it?"

She gave a brief lecture, but Rio didn't even crack a smile. Eri thought she lacked that kind of sense.

They finally arrived at the sports equipment section. There were bats, gloves, baseballs, soccer balls, and golf balls. Most of the items were available, but they were all geared towards serious sports. Looking around, nothing really caught her interest.

"Hmm, that's not the kind of thing I'm looking for. Maybe a frisbee would be better."

She glanced at Rio, who ignored her.

However, Rio's gaze was fixed on a badminton racket hanging on the side of the shelf.

"What about this? It's sold as a set."

"Oh, badminton! That's a surprisingly normal suggestion from Rio!"

"Are you saying too much?"

They decided to buy a badminton set to split the cost. A set with two rackets and a shuttlecock for less than 1,000 yen.

After buying drinks and onigiri for lunch, they left the store and headed to the park nearby.

They arrived at the park after about ten minutes.

Since it was a holiday, there were quite a few people, mostly families.

They passed through the playground and headed to the grassy area. They sat down on a wooden bench in the corner.

"This is a nice park."

Rio said this while eating an onigiri.

It had gotten quite warm, so Rio took off her jacket, leaving her in a sleeveless T-shirt. Despite everything, she was quite exposed.

Her hair was tied back, showing her nape. She was wearing socks, but her legs were almost bare. They were long and slender, shining in the sun. Eri couldn't help but want to rub her thighs. When she tried to massage them, she was slapped.

She secretly peeked at Rio's profile as she ate the onigiri. Even a simple meal scene was picturesque. Regardless of the contents, her features were always well-defined. Eri wondered what kind of guy this girl would end up with, but she felt envious. She hoped she wouldn't end up with a weirdo.

"By the way, what's that big onigiri?"

"It says 'greedy bomb onigiri.' It has salmon, tuna, ikura, and bonito flakes."

"You're quite greedy. Is that drink carbonated? It says 'hyper charge' or something."

It was surprisingly powerful, but the contrast was cute. No, it was hot. Rio's energy wasn't endless. She needed to replenish it.

After finishing their meal and taking a short break, they basked in the sun for a while. It was peaceful.

Gradually, she started to feel sleepy, but Rio brought up an unpleasant topic, "Did you do your summer homework?"

"Alright, let's do it!"

Eri stood up with the badminton racket in hand.

She had some experience with badminton from when she was a child. She remembered it being quite fun.

"Here I go."

She swung the racket, and the shuttlecock flew nicely through the air.

There was no wind, making it a perfect day for badminton. They should have started with this instead of talking about marathons and frisbees.

Rio, standing opposite her, took a light step while looking up at the shuttlecock.

Then, she drew back her arm, took a swing, and aimed—

"Huff"

She exhaled sharply and swung the racket sharply.

A loud, sharp sound was heard, and the shuttlecock cut through the air at a dangerous speed, passing by Eri's side and hitting the ground.

"Hey"

"What?"

"Why did you go for a kill shot right away? Can you stop the friendship-destroying smash at the beginning?"

"Maybe this racket is a toy. The shuttlecock doesn't travel far."

"Let me answer that."

"Let's start with a light high clear, then a drop, and a drive."

"Stop using technical terms."

Rio looked puzzled.

This wasn't the cozy badminton Eri had imagined. This girl was starting a serious practice session.

"Are you maybe a former badminton club member, Rio?"

"No, I just played a bit in PE class."

"Really? You can hit such a vicious smash from just a PE class? You can't underestimate PE."

Her body was well-developed.

Whether she was listening or not, Rio took the shuttlecock and got into position.

"Then, I'll serve."

"Wait, what's that stance? It's a serious serve, trying to drop it low. Not that, but something to keep it going without dropping."

"Got it, a stamina battle. I'll take it on."

Something still felt off. Did she really understand?

Rio switched her racket and hit the shuttlecock in a high arc.

Eri gently returned it, and Rio also returned it softly. She floated it back again.

This was it. Finally, it was back to what Eri had imagined.

The rally continued smoothly. Rio's stability was impressive, returning the shuttlecock to an easy-to-hit position.

She waited for a high shuttlecock to fall. For a moment, she looked at the sun and lost sight of the shuttlecock.

Her swing was late, and the shuttlecock flew in the wrong direction.

"Ah, sorry!"

Just as she thought it was impossible, Rio accelerated and scooped up the shuttlecock, returning it to Eri's position.

"Wow, Rio, you're amazing! ...Ah!"

Distracted by Rio's stylish move, Eri's racket missed the shuttlecock. It was about to hit the ground when Rio dove and scooped it up.

"Haah!"

"Rio!"

She shouted involuntarily.

Rio's racket caught the shuttlecock just before it hit the ground.

Eri instinctively caught the shuttlecock with her hand. Rio, who had stood up, looked displeased.

"What are you doing, Eri? You can't catch it with your hand."

"Wait, just stop for a moment. You don't have to push yourself so hard. If it looks like it's going to drop, just let it drop. Give up and hit it hard."

She felt embarrassed being fully supported for her clumsy play.

She didn't expect Rio to catch even her missed shots.

"Since the rally was going so well..."

"But I didn't touch it this time. Rio was hitting and catching it alone, so it wasn't a rally."

Rio could play by herself indefinitely.

"Then, let's start over. We won't go home until we reach 100 rallies."

"Eh? Why?"

A mysterious game had started on its own.

Without answering Eri's question, Rio urged her to continue, putting pressure on her.

Reluctantly, they resumed. The endurance rally continued.

"An○n Smash!"

"Ry○ Flash!"

"Stop joking around."

She got scolded for joking around.

She thought it would end with a laugh, but it didn't seem to be the case. Rio was keeping track of the count.

Eri was now swinging the racket mindlessly. They gradually spoke less and less, and eventually, they were silent.

Finally, they reached 100 rallies. The park was bathed in the evening sun.

"My arms won't move... My legs are so sore..."

"Great job, Eri. We did it, together."

"Rio..."

They looked at each other.

At first, Eri thought, "Is this for real?" but after finishing, there was a strange sense of accomplishment.

"Let's go home then. I had fun hanging out with Rio today."

"Eri... I'm glad. I thought I might be reading the air wrong."

"No, not at all. Let's hang out again."

"Sure. Next time, let's aim for 200 rallies."

"No way."

This is how their friendship deepened even further.

She couldn't help but notice.

Allowing jokes

Allowing corrections

But not allowing perfect timing