Looking back, I had an incredibly happy childhood.
Living with a mother who truly loved me was a blessing in itself, but beyond that, I was given so much more.
We weren't well-off, so in reality, I probably couldn't have dreamed of going on distant trips. Indeed, when I was very young, during the time when Kagami and I only had each other to rely on, the places Kagami took me never extended beyond Tokyo city limits.
Most of my childhood took place during the 90s, right after the economic bubble had burst.
From what I've heard, people managed somehow until the mid-90s with money they had saved up, but people's lives are long and don't easily come to an end.
People started cutting back on spending and began saving. They wanted to build up funds they could immediately access if problems arose.
This was unavoidable. As I said, life is long. For those in their twenties, hospital visits might be rare enough that this doesn't really hit home, but for children under ten and adults over thirty, there's always the possibility that some part of your body might suddenly stop working properly.
Kagami had to consider such things. After all, she had me depending on her.
To put it bluntly, the cost of traveling somewhere distant, staying overnight, and eating out was too expensive for Kagami.
That probably wasn't great for Kagami herself either. If she could have had a love marriage like others, she might have gone on dates or at least had memories of traveling with money from her part-time jobs. But Kagami was thrown into the harsh reality of life while still in what should have been her childhood.
When others were laughing and making memories, Kagami couldn't do the same. So her compromise was to take me to various places on special occasions.
Even when we went somewhere fun, she'd have to think long and hard about places that charged admission fees, and there were many days when she couldn't buy me expensive food. But knowing that this came from stretching limited funds and investing her own rest time, I never once complained.
"Mom."
And now, I could go on trips like this while meeting friends.
"Kotone?"
Whenever I called for Kagami, she always responded by repeating my name like this.
I liked that. Actually, everyone around me does this, but I still like it best when Mom calls me this way.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"Huh? No, not at all."
Kagami raised both arms in a muscle-flexing pose. Of course, no muscles actually bulged out. It was just her way of showing she was healthy.
"Then, is it okay if I go in the water?"
"......"
At my question, Kagami's smiling face froze, and she blinked.
We always do this whenever we come to the beach—Kagami and I always have this little argument.
Kagami would wear a white cover-up over her swimsuit and sit under the parasol, watching me play with the satisfied face of a mother who's content just seeing her children having fun.
Well, she is my mother, and she probably is content just watching me have fun, but it doesn't seem right that she herself doesn't play at all.
And what's with that cover-up anyway?
It's not like she's wearing some sexy bikini underneath—it's just a one-piece swimsuit not much different from what athletes wear.
"Dad, can I take her?"
"Ah, of course."
Dad nodded.
After spending the last few days alone at home without us, when we met again, he didn't look lonely at ALL.
Rather, his face was glowing as if he'd been recharged somehow. ...Though his rugged appearance remained mostly unchanged despite the glow.
Well, Dad probably wants his own time too.
Dad, who's fairly sociable in his own way, seems to get along well with his colleagues at work. He seems to enjoy going out for company dinners too.
I'm not stingy enough to complain about that, and Koko doesn't understand whether Dad coming home late is a bad thing or not.
Kagami has hardly ever gotten angry at Dad. At most, she might slap his arm when he teases me too much.
They have separate rooms, so I think their independence is somewhat guaranteed... but still, it can't be entirely comfortable living in a house with three women.
My energetic Dad nodded again, saying he'd guard the spot under the parasol.
Seeing him casually pull out a beer, it seems he's planning to spend his time sitting alone in a daze again.
"......"
Kagami's eyes narrowed slightly. Even normally, Kagami has a somewhat sharp impression when she's not smiling.
Naturally, Dad has completely adapted to Kagami over the years and doesn't even flinch at such threatening(?) expressions.
Hmm.
I glanced around slightly.
In the distance, Fukuda-san was sitting and opening a beer can too.
Yamashita-san remained beside Mori-san. That was only natural.
Is Dad friends with Fukuda-san? I suddenly wondered... well, I suppose it doesn't matter. If he wants to become friends, he will.
"Kotone!"
I heard a voice calling me from far away. A voice I know well. Koko's voice.
To be precise, it's my voice, but...
Hearing it come from somewhere else gives a different impression than hearing myself speak.
"Mom, let's go."
I grabbed Kagami's wrist and pulled.
"Ah, um, Kotone."
When I grabbed her hand, Kagami's face reddened slightly. Why?
"I'm not really at the age for that anymore..."
"...What do you mean, not at that age?"
I responded, shocked.
Kagami was still in her twenties.
Of course, she was approaching thirty soon, and thirty might be considered quite old in this era, but—
She's still pretty. I'm proud of Kagami like this. I absolutely don't think it's inappropriate for her to wear a swimsuit.
No, logically speaking, even grandfathers and grandmothers often wear swimsuits when they go to the beach. Kagami is still in her prime.
But as Kagami kept resisting, the corners of my eyebrows shot up.
I pushed my lips forward and sat down next to Kagami.
"Kotone?"
Kagami said in confusion.
"Haha. So forceful."
Dad said nonchalantly, earning another slap on the arm from Kagami. It didn't look painful at all.
"If Mom doesn't play, I won't play either."
"Look, I..."
"Don't you want to?"
I looked up at Mom.
How long has it been since we've been to the beach?
Well, if we count the years, it hasn't been that long.
But still, it's been a while since all my friends gathered together. Plus, there were a few additional people who came along.
And I really didn't like that only Kagami was being left out.
"Kotone?"
This time, the voice I heard wasn't Kagami's but Koko's.
Koko, who had already gone into the water once and come back out, looked like 'an extremely cheerful version of me.'
She had a tube proudly around her waist. Moreover, it was a bright yellow tube with chicks drawn on it.
For some reason, she was wearing large goggles on her forehead, the kind used for snorkeling.
She was already soaked from head to toe.
Her braided hair hadn't come undone, but somehow the ends were swaying gently. ...I wonder if it's okay for it to sway so obviously, but well, to people's eyes, it would just look like it was moving for some other reason.
"Aren't you coming in?"
"Ah, I—"
"Let's go, Kotone! Mom!"
But before I could answer, Koko came running toward us with a bright smile.
In other words, she didn't even consider the possibility that we might not go into the sea.
Koko casually took my hand and Mom's hand, one in each of hers, and pulled us toward her.
You're quite strong, Koko. Well, I knew that already.
Suddenly standing up, pulled by her hands, I looked at Mom. Mom was also looking at me with a blank expression.
"Let's go!"
Koko said that and then twirled around.
"Woah!"
And with that trademark exclamation of hers, which sounds so pure and innocent, she ran toward the sea.
"After all this, we have to go in, right?"
I looked up at Mom and asked.
"......"
Kagami, who had been staring blankly after Koko, blinked and then looked back at me.
"I suppose so. After my daughter has gone this far, it would be a bit..."
"Fighting!"
Dad said with a smile.
Mom and I simultaneously turned around and kicked sand toward Dad. Even though sand got between his leg hairs, Dad just smiled without seeming to mind.
In the end, Kagami and I followed behind.
As soon as we left the parasol, we felt the hot sunlight, but—
Soon the cool sea breeze, the smell of the ocean,
And the refreshing voices of children—
Made it not feel so bad, I think.