On a midsummer afternoon when the record-breaking heat continued and I couldn't stop sweating, my mother left me, a ronin student, on a trip, during which my aunt, Yuka-san, took care of me. Alone under the same roof, seeing Yuka sweating, her heart thumped uncontrollably. One day, Yuka-san asked me a question when I returned from prep school. "Are you interested in girls, Takashi-kun?"