At the outdoor club, we were told to decide on activities to do around late June.
Well, it’s our fault for holding hands under the table, so there’s no helping it.
Anyway, I don’t particularly dislike acting openly.
“Hey hey, what about this place?”
Suzuka, who was searching on a cheap laptop she bought from Kaneda-san, calls out to me.
Looking over her shoulder, I see a page open about a certain river.
“A river, huh?”
“Even without a car, it’s easily accessible by public transportation, and the people over there will provide barbecue equipment.”
“But we have Yashiro-senpai and Yamanaka-senpai to drive us, so we don’t need to worry about accessibility that much, right?”
“I see. Hmm. Then let’s not worry too much about accessibility…”
The two of us research places where we can play outdoors.
By the end of the summer vacation, it’s already decided that we’ll have a hardcore camping trip on September 15th, led by Yashiro-senpai and Yamanaka-senpai.
This time, what we’re in charge of is casual outdoor activities.
In other words, as long as we can play “outside”, anything is okay, as Yashiro-senpai put it.
With that in mind…
“How about something like an obstacle course?”
“I see. Obstacle courses count as outdoor activities, too. Then hiking would be good, right?”
“I see…”
When you think of outdoor activities, camping often comes to mind.
But in reality, almost anything outdoors can be considered an outdoor activity.
Having realized that, Suzuka and I continue to research various options.
So, well, we’ve come up with some decent ideas.
After confirming with Yashiro-senpai that it’s okay to use his car, we’ll head to the foot of a mountain where we can easily climb to the top.
When I ask if this kind of plan is okay, Yashiro-senpai responds with,
“That’s great. I thought you were going to suggest a safe barbecue by the river, so I’m surprised you actually thought about it. As for which mountain to go to… let’s decide together with me and Yamanaka as we’ll be driving.”
As I said, things worked out pretty well.
In the food exploration club that I belong to, there’s a group starting to plan a trip to Osaka, although it’s not organized by the club as a whole, but by members who want to join.
In the photography club that Suzuka belongs to, there’s talk of everyone going to a valley to take photos.
It seems like there will be various events happening in the upcoming seasons.
Naturally, if we participate in all of them, our money will rapidly deplete.
Indeed, Suzuka and I have some financial flexibility from winning the lottery.
But if we indulge ourselves too much, we’ll spend it all in no time.
So, we’ve calculated precisely how much to spend each month and budgeted accordingly.
If we participate in all the events that are about to happen, the money we’ve allocated might not be enough.
“Hmm, should I get a part-time job? Or is it better to spend more money without working for these few years? Yuki, what do you think?”
“It’s true that when you’re young, you’re often told to enjoy yourself if you have money to spare… If you work as a full-time employee rather than part-time, you’ll quickly surpass what you earn from a part-time job. So, it’s often said that if you can avoid doing part-time work, you should use that time to gain life experiences.”
“It’s a luxurious dilemma.”
“Yeah.”
Just as we were truly grappling with this luxurious dilemma, the intercom alerted us to a visitor.
Who could it be? I wondered, but Suzuka dashed to the door.
And then, a minute later…
“Ta-da!”
She proudly showed me a cardboard box.
From her excitement, it was obvious what was inside.
“A camera?”
“Yeah! Let’s open it!”
She opened the box and took out a camera from inside.
She attached the battery that was detached, attached a strap to hang around her neck, inserted a microSD card.
Then, Suzuka turned on the power button.
She looked like a child who just got the toy she wanted.
Feeling warm inside, Suzuka looked at me with a happy smile.
“Isn’t it great?”
“You really seem like a child.”
“I’m not a child~. Alright, manual. Manual.”
She turned on the power and finished the initial setup while holding the manual in one hand.
Then, with a proud expression, Suzuka held up the camera and clicked the shutter.
“The first commemorative photo will be of Yuki!”
“Seriously, you’re just manipulating me so easily…”
“Hey, look, look~”
She showed me a slightly silly photo of myself.
From then on, Suzuka took pictures of everything in the room.
I watched with a relaxed feeling.
“Hey, can I try it for a bit?”
“Ugh, don’t break it, okay?”
Despite her complaints, she lent me the camera.
However, since I could only use one hand, I couldn’t hold the camera properly.
“You can’t hold a DSLR with just one hand, even if it’s fine for a phone. Here, let me have it back.”
“You’re acting all high and mighty even though it’s mine. Anyway, say cheese!”
“Hey, you’re taking too many pictures of me, aren’t you?”
“Then, can I take a picture of you, Yuki?”
“Alright, if that’s the case…”
I launched the camera app on my phone and took a picture.
It was just Suzuka’s ordinary face.
But still, somehow, just looking at it made me feel happy.
“Can I use this as my wallpaper?”
“It’s a little… awkward to have just me in the picture…”
Suzuka looked reluctant.
Indeed, making your wife’s face your wallpaper… No, I’d love to make it my wallpaper, but?
“Just for a little while, let me use it as my wallpaper.”
“Remove it soon, okay?”
Ignoring Suzuka’s reluctance, I set her picture as my wallpaper.
When I took out my phone and unlocked it, Suzuka’s face was there, waiting.
“…This is the best. It feels really nice to have someone who lets you take close-up photos of their face.”
“Okay, done!”
She swiftly took back the phone and reverted the wallpaper back to its original.
…I’ll secretly change it back to Suzuka’s photo.
As I thought that inwardly…
“Delete. You were making a face like you were about to secretly make me your wallpaper.”
“Guh…”
“After all~. We’ve been together for so long~ I can tell when you’re up to something like that, you know?”
“Don’t make my wallpaper just you, and let me take a picture of you alone.”
“You’re such a devoted husband! But I know you’ll still set the picture you take as your wallpaper~”
And so, Suzuka and I continued our playful banter.
In the end, since I wasn’t allowed to take a photo, I finished my bath and got my hair dried by Suzuka.
Then, Suzuka headed to the bath herself.
“Well, if she said she wants a photo where only she is in it for her wallpaper, it feels a bit… strange.”
Nevertheless, I really wanted a photo where only Suzuka was in it.
I absolutely had to get one.
Just as I was thinking that…
A message came in.
“To my dear Yuki who wants my photos as a gift!!! This one won’t be suitable for a wallpaper, right?”
“Hmm?”
Before I could understand what she meant, a photo came along with the message.
It was, well… a bit naughty.
With her clothes loosened, revealing a glimpse of underwear and her white skin.
Perhaps because of that attire, Suzuka had a slightly embarrassed expression.
My feelings were all stirred up.
I couldn’t help but want to rush straight to Suzuka in the bath.
“Okay, let’s go attack.”
“You’re going to attack me?”
Turning to the direction of the voice that came from behind, I saw Suzuka standing at the entrance of the living room, grinning mischievously.
She must be curious about how I’d react to receiving such a selfie.
She must have been sneakily watching me.
“Guh, attacking you just because you goad me like that feels like losing, so I’ll pass.”
Suzuka was clearly expecting me to attack.
But I felt like I’d lose if I gave in to her provocation, so I desperately suppressed my feelings.
…Even though there’s no need to suppress them.
“Hehe, you don’t have to hold back, you know?”
She gave me a teasing smile.
“You naughty girl…”
“You called me a naughty girl, right? Well then, I’m off to take a bath~ Oh, I’ll leave the door unlocked for you~”
With a satisfied expression, Suzuka headed towards the bathroom.
…Well, yeah. She’s really a naughty girl, isn’t she?
