The Last Homework | Short-Short

August 31st. I sat at my desk, clutching my head. The theme for my independent research project was "The Ecology of Cicadas." However, I didn't have a single specimen.
My mother yelled, "Do it now!" I replied, "It's fine, I'll figure something out."

The radio said, "Signs of autumn will begin tomorrow..."

I was startled. If things went on like this, summer would end. I looked out the window and heard cicadas chirping. I grabbed my insect net and dashed into the garden.
While chasing them, I tripped near an old well and found something that looked like a tin can buried in the ground. Written on the front was "End of Summer."

I opened it. It was empty inside. But the sound of the cicadas stopped, and when I realized it, the date on the calendar had returned to "August 30th."

"...This is it!"
I had a flash of inspiration. It was a can that rewinds summer. As long as I had this, summer vacation would continue, and my homework would never have to be finished.

The radio repeated, "Today is another day of extreme heat."

I grinned. How convenient. I had discovered the first method in human history to never submit homework.
It was Nobel Prize material. It would surely be in the textbooks.
"The ecology of cicadas? That's not such a small theme. I'm researching the 'ecology of time.'"

...Saying that, I sat at my desk. My independent research notebook remained completely blank.
This was already the tenth can. Empty cans were rolling around in my drawer.

Perhaps the future me might be in trouble.
But that is 'tomorrow' me's homework.

Summer vacation is finally coming to an end, isn't it?
I tried to turn that childhood panic of "What am I going to do about my homework!" into a slightly strange and funny story.
I would be happy if you could chuckle after reading it.

#ShinichiHoshi #ShortShort