落とし穴６７堀：ぼくらの夏休み３ 昆虫王者決定戦と帰省 (Part2)
It seems Yuki-kun heard a voice, but Taiki-kun, who was busy climbing a tree in search of insects, didn't seem to notice.
"Taiki-kun. Once you've got that, come on down. It's time."
"Eh? Oh, you're right. Understood!"
With that, Taiki-kun jumped down, presumably having successfully caught his target.
"Heave-ho! Look at this!! With this size, it’s bound to be a top contender. It’s gotta be one of the biggest ones we’ve found so far, right?"
In his hand, he held a beetle of magnificent proportions. It was certainly the largest one caught in the last few hours.
"Well then, why don't you keep that one, Taiki-kun?"
"Yeah, that sounds right."
"Wait? Are you sure? Didn't we say we'd decide who gets what after a consultation?"
"As Taizo-san said, the time is almost up, and we need to sort through what we have."
"Right. We have to let the other beetles we aren't using go."
There was no point in keeping a large number of them for no reason. If we were children, keeping them all would be a badge of honor, but thinking about next year and the year after, it’s better to release them so we can look forward to the future.
"I see. Then I'll gratefully make this beetle my candidate. The rest are for the matches, right?"
"I really have no idea how the matches will go. Body size is important, but even small ones can be surprisingly fierce."
"True. Measuring length is straightforward, but insect sumo is a different beast entirely. But Yuki-kun, the other large beetles are unfortunately a bit smaller—what should we do about them?"
Indeed, insect sumo aside, the other beetles Taiki-kun brought back—and the two we caught earlier—were noticeably smaller at a glance. In other words, they were destined to lose the length competition.
"Ah, you can have the big ones, Taizo-san. My main goal is to liven up the event, after all. If I were to win, people would suspect me of match-fixing."
"...I see. In that case, I will gratefully accept this beetle and aim for the championship."
While discussing this, we sorted through the beetles and stag beetles and returned to the meeting spot, but it seemed no one else had returned yet.
"For now, let's head to the cottage."
Prompted by Yuki-kun, we headed toward the cottage to wait for everyone else. It was too hot to wait outside. After turning on the air conditioning and taking a breather with some cold drinks, the others began to trickle back.
"Ah, Big Brother is here!!"
"Brother!!"
"Oh, you guys were fast!"
"We managed to catch some too!"
"...Very big."
It seemed everyone had enjoyed the insect hunting well enough. I had been a little worried, but this isn't Japan. Monsters exist here, so insects are nothing to be afraid of. The women who disliked them didn't participate, so this was the natural outcome.
"Alright, everyone. Let's take a break, and then we'll start with the beetle length measurements. Bring me the one you think is the best."
And so, the final battle began. Even if it was just a game, my heart was racing. I’m happy to still feel this kind of excitement. I am still alive, after all.
"Yay!! We both won!!"
"We won!! Aslin and Firia are invincible!!"
For some reason, Aslin and Firia swept both the length measurement and the insect sumo. Though victory is a matter of timing and luck, I felt a strange mix of emotions. I felt a bit childish for feeling disappointed after working so hard, but I was convinced by Yuki-kun's explanation.
"Well, there's no way we could beat children in their prime."
It’s only logical. There’s no reason for us to win against children who are bundles of energy. If we had won, it would have been rather ungentlemanly.
Thus, as the sun set and the sky turned a deep red, the insect-catching tournament came to a close. However, the cicadas still wouldn't stop singing.
"Shall we come back to catch more?"
"Indeed. It's still summer, after all."
"Next time, let's look for a giant stag beetle."
"They exist here!?"
"Of course."
"...Is that giant stag beetle really that rare?"
Apparently, in their era, the giant stag beetle was known as the "Black Diamond." At its peak, a pair could cost as much as 10 million yen. It really is a peaceful world. I’m sure Fabre-den would be envious if he could see Japan now.
Ignoring the two of them as they excitedly discussed their giant stag beetle capture plan, I whispered to the crimson sky.
"Summer in Japan. We meet again."
Summer has only just begun. It might be fun to try various things with the help of Yuki-kun and the others.
As written, summer has only just begun. I will return to the main story for now, but there might be many pitfalls during the summer. Please look forward to it.
Summer has arrived!!
Adults and children alike, it’s time to continue the summer we couldn't finish back then.