Though Summer Won't Come Again

* Though Summer Won't Come Again/Gallery

***"Though Summer Won't Come Again"*** (もう夏は来ないけれど Mou Natsu wa Konaikeredo) is the ninth chapter of *éclair blanche*, written by Kabocha.

## **Summary**

While hanging out on the roof, a teacher spots her. She runs off, looking for a place to hide, and an upperclassman ushers her into her clubroom.

Several months later, Rena leaves class right away and heads for the clubrooms, though she herself is not in a club. Hiyori greets her at the entrance. Though she apologizes for not having anything interesting to do, Rena says that just talking to her is enough. Rena likes being able to spend quiet time after school with the girl she likes. However, a semester has already gone by, and Hiyori will have to study for exams. Rena wonders if she should invite Hiyori to hang out over the summer, since she'll be busy studying.

When Rena arrives home, her mother nags her incessantly about her grades and that her sister will be coming home during summer. The final day before vacation comes and goes, and Rena rushes to the clubroom. They talk about all the schoolwork they'll have to do. Rena comments how Hiyori is always looking out the window, jokingly asking how she's looking for her crush. Hiyori surprises her by blushing. Rena demands to know who, but Hiyori says that they've already graduated. Rena notices that the pool is visible from there. She tells Hiyori that she used to swim in middle school, but stopped liking it when high school came around.

When Rena gets home, her sister, Shiho, greets her. She asks if Rena needs help with schoolwork, citing how she need extra classes this summer, causing Rena to run right back out the door. The pressure of having to get good grades and having to match her sister's excellency in school and swimming is overwhelming her. She runs into Hiyori just before Shiho catches up to her. Hiyori and Shiho recognize each other, much to Rena's surprise. She puts two and two together and figures out that Shiho is the "cool senpai" Hiyori was talking about before. She feels like Shiho is even superior to her in terms of love.

After one of Rena's extra classes, she finds Hiyori sleeping in the clubroom. She wishes that she could understand how she feels. Hiyori wakes up, and Rena asks her to make some high school memories with her.

Some days later, Shiho and Rena greet Hiyori at a festival. Shiho leaves the two of them alone while they wait for the fireworks to start. Hiyori feels self-conscious about intruding, but Rena assures her that Shiho is glad that she's there. After seeing Hiyori's bashful reaction, Rena stands. She makes up an excuse that one of her friends is there, and leaves Hiyori. Though Rena feels like a failure compared to her sister, when she looks back, she sees Hiyori looking at her. Rena doesn't turn back, though, having made up her mind to give up. Still, she wishes that she had tried harder, that she hadn't met Hiyori in the first place.

However, Hiyori has come up behind Rena and found her alone. Rena asks why she followed her, and Hiyori says that Rena looked like she was going to cry. Rena says that she can't compare to her sister, so Hiyori should just forget about her. Hiyori, however, realizes that Rena is the one most obsessed with comparing the two sisters together. She reassures Rena, saying that she was the one who hung out with her in the clubroom, not Shiho. She says that it's okay for Rena to admit that she likes something. So, through tears, Rena confesses. She doesn't really want to give up on Hiyori.

Rena is at school after summer break is over. She tells her friend that she's going to join swim club. After school, she goes up to the roof again. Just as she's been spotted, Hiyori arrives as well, drinks in hand.

## **Characters**

* **Fujino Rena -** A girl who feels inferior to her sister. She develops a crush on Hiyori and hangs out with her in her clubroom everyday after school.
* **Shizu Hiyori -** Hiyori was infatuated with Shiho the year prior to the story. As she spends more and more time with Rena, though, she comes to like her more.
* **Fujino Shiho -** Shiho is Rena's older sister. She wants to be there for her sister.

## **Author Comment**

"Nice to meet you. My name is Kabocha. Somehow, I managed to slip into the second book of *éclair*. I'm grateful for that. This time the story was set in summer-apparently I like the season of summer even more than I thought. I hope you can sense the smell of a clear summer day in it."

## **Trivia**

* This is the longest chapter of *éclair blanche*.