Chapter 3: Fireworks Festival, Changing Feelings
It's been two weeks since Sei-chan came to my house, had a study session and had dinner with Rie.
That day, I immediately ate the gyoza they had made together after walking Sei-chan home.
It was delicious and perfect. I wish they could make it every day.
"Phew, the exams are finally over."
Yuuichi Shigemoto sighed in relief after the last of the finals.
The last few days have been hectic because of the exams, but today marked the end of all the tests.
Yuuichi isn't particularly good at studying, so it must have been tough for him.
"Yes, club activities can start again today!"
"Good for you, Yuuichi. Do you think you did well on the exams?"
"Of course. I'm pretty sure I can't go to my clubs once the results come out."
"So you're already certain you'll be taking make-up tests?"
Didn't this guy study with Tojoin-san and Fujise?
Not that I can say much since I'm not a stellar student myself, but at least I don't get so close to failing that I need to take retests.
"Yuuichi? Are you really in danger of failing some subjects?"
Tojoin-san came to our classroom after school.
Fujise and Sei-chan are around Yuuichi and me.
"Ah, Kaori, thanks a lot! Thanks to you, I'll only have to retake my weakest subjects instead of all of them!"
"...Well, glad to hear that."
"You too, Fujise! Thanks for saving me!"
"Yeah, I'm glad I could help."
Tojoin-san let out an exasperated sigh while Fujise gave a wry smile.
It seemed that even with their combined efforts, Yuuichi's studies left much to be desired.
"Well, it's fine. Yuuichi, you better keep your promise,"
"I know, I know. Thanks for helping me study. I'll go to the fireworks festival with you."
"Tojoin-san, I'll be coming too, okay? I might not be as good at studying as you, but I did my part to help Shigemoto-kun as well."
"Very well. Without you, he probably would have failed all his subjects again. So, I'll allow you to come along."
"You don't have to act so superior about it, but thanks anyway!"
As usual, the two of them are at odds over Yuuichi.
"Well, I'm off to basketball practice. See you later!"
Yuuichi said, grabbing his things and sprinting off to practice at full speed.
Whether he noticed the tension between the two girls or not, Yuuichi seemed more interested in heading off to do what he loved most. Quite typical of him.
Some of the other guys in the class muttered enviously.
"That guy's going to the fireworks festival with both of them..."
With Yuuichi gone, Tojoin-san bid us farewell with a polite "good day" and left the classroom.
"Ah, Sei-chan, I'm going to the fireworks festival with Tojoin-san and Shigemoto-kun, so I won't be able to go with you this year. Sorry."
"Hmm? We didn't make any plans to go together this year, did we?"
"Yeah, we didn't, but we've always gone together every year. But this year..."
Fujise trailed off, glancing at me before continuing with a teasing smile.
"Hehe, are you planning to go with someone else this year, Sei-chan?"
"Huh!? T-That's…!"
Sei-chan glanced at me before starting to speak quietly with Fujise so that our classmates wouldn't overhear.
"Shiho, you understand, right?"
"Of course, you're going with Hisamura-kun, aren't you?"
"Y-Yeah, but this time, we're going with his little sister, Rie, too."
"Eh, with Rie-chan? I see."
They had met during the cooking class we had earlier.
"Considering your future with Hisamura-kun, I guess it makes sense to get along with his little sister first."
"That's not why I'm getting along with Rie, okay?"
I wasn't sure what she meant exactly, but I'm glad Sei-chan and Rie are getting along.
It would be a problem if Rie actually fell for Sei-chan, though.
The three of us are going to the fireworks festival tomorrow.
While I'm excited, I have a lingering sense of unease or, rather, a concern.
I'm gradually forgetting my knowledge of the original story of <Ojojama>.
I've loved this manga and had read it multiple times before entering this world.
I was supposed to remember the story inside out. There's definitely a fireworks festival arc.
But I couldn't recall the details.
I vaguely remember that yuuichi and Tojoin-san went to the fireworks festival together in the original.
Fujise had gone with Sei-chan, and they had randomly met up at the festival.
Beyond that, my memory was blank.
It has been about two months since I entered this world, and my memory isn't so bad that I would forget the plot in such a short time. I had reread it so many times that I should remember everything.
The fact that I can't recall it now suggests that I may be gradually forgetting the original story.
I have no idea why this is happening. I don't even know why I'm here, after all.
Given the strange circumstances, it isn't surprising that bizarre things keep happening. It was already weird enough that I was in this world.
But losing my memory of the story is a little sad. I really like this manga.
"Tsukasa? What's wrong?"
"S-Sei-chan…"
I had been deep in thought and hadn't noticed Sei-chan looking at me with concern. She's peering into my face worriedly.
Fujise and the rest of the classmates are gone already.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about something."
"...I see. Did something happen?"
"Hmm? No, nothing in particular."
"If you say so, but you looked a bit lonely."
No way, Sei-chan noticed that.
Was my expression really that obvious?
"I'm here to listen if something's bothering you. Are you sure you're okay?"
Sei-chan's so kind and always ready to listen.
But this isn't something I can talk about.
Besides, it's not a serious problem.
Sure, it's sad to forget the manga's storyline, but I've been experiencing so many wonderful, happy things lately.
Of course, the happiest thing is being in this manga world and dating Sei-chan.
Compared to that joy, the sadness of forgetting the original story is almost nothing.
"I'm okay. I was just thinking about how delighted I am to be dating you, and I worried that this might all be a dream."
"Really? Are you just saying that to cover something up...?"
Sei-chan blushed slightly but still looked concerned.
I'm not telling the whole truth, but my summary of the problem is accurate enough.
"Dating you is like a dream come true for me."
"...I can't tell if you're serious or joking sometimes."
"I'm definitely serious."
In the real world, Sei-chan is a manga character.
I've always loved her character deeply, but I never thought I would actually get to date her.
Dating a manga character isn't exactly the most realistic thing most people imagine.
"You really say the most embarrassing things..."
"I'm just being honest. Being with you makes me incredibly happy."
"Stop. Let's go home already."
"Hehe, you're right."
Sei-chan and I left the classroom together and headed to the shoe lockers.
"Sei-chan, I'm looking forward to the fireworks festival tomorrow."
"Yeah, me too. I'm also looking forward to spending time with Rie."
We chatted about the festival as we walked home.
Despite my excitement, a bit of anxiety still lingered in the back of my mind.
I can't remember the original storyline, so I have no idea what might happen.
If it was just a regular fireworks festival, I doubt anything significant would occur.
However, in the manga's story, something important was supposed to happen during the festival, even though I can't recall what.
This nagging feeling is really bothering me.
It's just a plain rom-com, so there shouldn't be any dangerous events.
I think everything will be fine, but I'm still a little worried.
*
And then, the next day.
I still can't remember the manga's storyline, even when the festival is already here.
The fireworks start at 8 PM, and we're supposed to arrive early to check out the stalls.
We agreed to meet at 6 PM at the venue, but Rie left the house alone much earlier.
Rie said she wanted to meet Sei-chan first before heading to the meeting spot. I wanted to go with her as well, but…
"Absolutely not. Onii-chan, you need to go to the meeting spot alone and arrive a little early."
So, here I am, waiting by myself.
It feels a bit lonely like I've been left out.
I arrived more than ten minutes early, as Rie ordered. I wonder when they'll get here.
As I was staring absentmindedly at the passing people…
"Onii-chan, sorry to keep you waiting."
I turned around at the sound of Rie's voice, and my eyes widened in surprise.
"Rie, is that a yukata?"
"Yup. How do I look?"
Rie is wearing a beautiful red yukata adorned with purple flowers.
Her hair, usually in a side ponytail, is intricately braided and adorned with a blue flower hairpin.
"You look great. The yukata and your hairstyle are really cute."
"...Yeah, thank you."
Rie blushed a little and looked away. I never expected her to show up in a yukata.
However, her yukata seems vaguely familiar, as if I've seen it before. Why is that?
"Sei-san should be here any minute."
"I see- hmm…?"
Wait a minute. If Rie showed up in a yukata, does that mean Sei-chan is also…?
"Rie, Tsukasa, sorry to keep you waiting. Am I a bit late?"
Before I could prepare myself, Sei-chan's voice called out from beside me. Nervously, I turned to look and saw-
"This is my first time wearing a yukata, but it's better than I expected. Thanks for inviting me, Rie."
"No problem, Sei-chan. I really wanted to wear yukatas together. It suits you so well!"
"Thank you, Rie. You look great, too."
Sei-chan is wearing a black yukata with white and gray floral patterns, giving off a chic, calm vibe.
Her hair is braided similarly to Rie's, adorned with a cute red flower hairpin.
Seeing Sei-chan in a yukata was such a shock that it felt like my heart might explode.
"Tsukasa? What's wrong?"
Sei-chan looked up at me with concern, and her glance always made my heart skip a beat, but today was on another level.
I have no words to express how beautiful she looks.
I could only manage one phrase.
"I'm so glad to be alive...!"
I clasped my hands together and expressed my gratitude to the goddess in front of me.
I must have been born just to see this moment.
"Onii-chan, Sei-san isn't a goddess, you know."
"Eh, is he praying to me?"
"...Ha, you're just too beautiful. I really thought you were a goddess."
"What are you saying...?"
Sei-chan gave me an exasperated look, but she's so stunning that I can't see her as anything but divine.
I couldn't look directly at her anymore. Her beauty is too overwhelming.
"Too cute, too beautiful, too…perfect. I can't handle it. It's too much..."
"Onii-chan is broken."
"Is he really going to be okay?"
"Sei-san, just say something to him, and he'll be back to normal."
"Tsukasa, are you okay? Can you still go to the festival?"
"Who are you calling a goddess!?"
I inadvertently called Sei-chan a goddess, earning a mild scolding from her.
But in reality, Sei-chan is a goddess to me.
"Onii-chan, let's cut the jokes."
"I'm not joking. Sei-chan is so divine I can't even look at her directly."
"Q-Quit saying these embarrassing things…"
Sei-chan blushed with embarrassment, and it struck my heart harder than usual.
I feel like I might just die from sheer cuteness…
"Onii-chan, go change into your yukata. Maybe you'll get used to Sei-san's yukata while you're at it."
"Eh? Me too? Where?"
"There's a shop right over there that rents out yukatas and help with dressing you. Sei-san and I got ours there."
Ah, so that's why Rie left the house early. She planned this as a surprise for me.
"It would've been nice if you came with us, but I wanted to surprise you with Sei-san in a yukata."
"You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"So, should I not have done it?"
"Rie-sama, you're a genius. Thank you."
"What are you two talking about...?"
Sei-chan sighed dumbfoundedly.
Following Rie's instructions, I headed to the yukata rental shop and got dressed.
I picked a simple black yukata, similar to Sei-chan's.
It's surprisingly affordable, comfortable, and perfect for the summer festival.
I slipped on the geta sandals, and now I truly felt like I was ready for the festival.
It was quick. I rejoined Rie and Sei-chan in about 10 minutes.
"Sorry to keep you two waiting."
"That was quick. It looks good on you."
"Thanks, Rie."
After being complimented by Rie, I turned to Sei-chan.
I'm still not used to seeing her in a yukata, but I wanted to keep looking at her, even if it made my heart race.
Sei-chan's face turned red, and she seemed hesitant to speak.
"What's wrong, Sei-chan?"
"...Uh, well, it suits you very well. Your yukata."
She said, looking away and speaking softly.
"Eh? Ah, thank you."
Sei-chan's genuine, bashful tone made me feel a bit shy as well.
"...Are you two forgetting that I'm also here?"
Rie asked, giving us a slightly exasperated look.
"N-No, of course not, Rie."
"Yeah, no way I would forget about my little sister."
"Well, I understand that you're a couple and have your moments, but remember that I'm here today, too."
Rie, looking slightly pouty, took Sei-chan's right arm and hugged it.
"I've been looking forward to this festival and spending time with you, Sei-san. So, don't forget about me."
"...Rie. Hehe, I'm looking forward to it as well. I really am."
The two of them laughed together, looking like sisters.
Rie seems to have taken quite a liking to Sei-chan.
"Alright, let's go! There's so much I want to eat and play with."
"Yeah, let's."
Standing on Sei-chan's left, we made our way to the festival grounds.
"By the way, Rie, are you planning to walk while clinging to Sei-chan the whole time?"
"You two would forget about me otherwise."
"Sei-chan, is it difficult to walk like that?"
"It's fine. Shiho clings to me like this all the time."
"...Is that so? Dammit, Rie! I want to walk while holding onto Sei-chan, too!"
"Hey, Tsukasa, what are you saying all of a sudden…?"
"But onii-chan, won't you freeze up if Sei-san clings to you in her yukata."
"...Yeah, probably. Actually, I would freeze up even if she wasn't wearing a yukata."
"See? So, I'll hold onto her for you."
"No, your logic is definitely flawed."
"Both of you, please don't have weird conversations with me in the middle..."
We continued our banter as we walked.
*
When we arrived at the venue, it was bustling with people and stalls. The place is lively and filled with laughter and chatter.
Meeting up here would have been tough, so waiting near the yukata shop was a good idea.
With stalls lined up on either side, we walked through the venue.
"There's still some time before the fireworks start. What should we buy first?"
"I have a few things I absolutely want to buy and eat."
Rie declared, still holding onto Sei-chan.
It's hard not to feel a bit envious seeing Rie cling to Sei-chan like that.
"Like what?"
"Chocolate bananas. You can only get them at summer festivals, so I definitely want one."
"There are other things you can only get at summer festivals, right?"
"That might be true, but chocolate bananas are first."
"I see. You just really like them, right?"
"...Yeah, that's true. Is that childish?"
Rie looked a bit embarrassed, but Sei-chan smiled and shook her head.
"No, I like chocolate bananas too. They are like a sweet treat you can only enjoy at festivals."
"Really? I've loved them since I was a kid. I would go to festivals just to eat them."
"Hehe, you like them that much? Alright, let's go get some."
"Yes, let's!"
The two of them walked on, chatting happily.
They really do seem like sisters, with Sei-chan acting like the older one.
"Sei-chan, you like sweets too, right? You always get those really sweet, almost dessert-like drinks at Moonbucks."
"Really? That's a bit surprising."
"Is it?"
"Yeah, you seem like the type who doesn't eat a lot of sweets or particularly enjoy them."
"I get what you mean, Rie. But seeing Sei-chan enjoying a parfait is really cute."
"Onii-chan, what are you talking about out of nowhere?"
"Yeah, Tsukasa. Please stop saying these things…"
"And Sei-san, can you please not get this embarrassed over such a conversation?"
"Seeing Sei-chan blush in a yukata is so cute, I can't even look at her...!"
"Onii-chan, I'm not here to be your comedic foil. I won't be correcting you anymore."
Rie's gaze was growing colder towards me alone. Why?
We continued chatting as we moved, eventually reaching a stall selling chocolate bananas.
They have the usual chocolate-covered ones, as well as pink and white chocolate versions.
"Which one are you getting?"
"All of them, of course."
"...Seriously?"
I never realized Rie was this obsessed with chocolate bananas.
There were four colors, so Rie bought four, while Sei-chan and I each bought one.
"Mmm, chocolate bananas are definitely the most delicious."
"Rie, are you sure you won't drop any of those, holding four at once?"
"Don't worry, it's impossible for me to drop a chocolate banana."
"You sound way too confident. What's with this love for chocolate bananas?"
Rie's grip, with the bananas nestled between her fingers, gave off a weirdly professional vibe.
"Hehe, now I know an unexpected side of you, Rie."
Sei-chan said, smiling as she enjoyed her chocolate banana.
After a bit more walking, we came across a shooting gallery.
While arcades have shooting games, this cork shooting setup is something that gives off the most festive vibe.
"Do we want to try that, Rie, Sei-chan?"
"Sure, let's make it a competition. Let's see who can knock down the most prizes."
With two guns available, Rie and I went first.
"Hmph, I'm pretty good at shooting games, so this should be a piece of cake."
"I've played those games too, you know."
"...I see. I'm not much for arcades, and this is my first time trying a shooting gallery, so it seems tough."
Oh, it's rare for Sei-chan to lack confidence.
But knowing her, she's likely better than us at these things, even without experience.
Alright, the guns are loaded with six cork bullets each.
The aim is to knock down as many targets as possible, so going for the small candy boxes seems like the best strategy.
I took aim and fired.
"...Missed."
"...Me too."
We both shot at almost the same time, and both missed our targets.
It seemed Rie had the same idea as me, aiming for the small candy boxes.
No worries, we still have five shots left. Plenty of chances to redeem ourselves.
"It's…over."
"...I didn't hit anything either."
We had both gone through all six shots without hitting a single target, failing to win any prizes.
"Is it really that difficult?"
It is challenging, but I think it's more that Rie and I are just really bad at it.
I can't believe we didn't hit even one target…
Now that I think about it, I've never actually beaten any of those shooting games in arcades, either.
"Onii-chan, it seems like we share the same blood."
"Indeed, my little sister. Both of us scoring zero prizes is quite the feat."
"...This is awkward, but may I give it a try?"
Rie and I stepped back, and Sei-chan took the gun and aimed.
"That stuffed animal looks cute."
She set her sights on a palm-sized plushie.
Hmm, it seemed Sei-chan didn't understand the strategy here.
Despite being small, plushies are usually too heavy to move with a cork bullet.
The best targets are the small candy boxes.
"Sei-chan, the easiest to knock down are the small candy boxes-"
"Got it. Hm? Sorry, did you say something?"
Sei-chan asked, holding up the plushie she had just knocked down with her first shot.
"...No, it's nothing."
I sighed, retreating quietly. It's Sei-chan, after all. Of course, she would succeed effortlessly.
Sei-chan went on to win three stuffed animals, solidifying her victory with ease.
"Sei-san, you're really good at this. Are you sure this is your first time?"
"Yes, it's my first time. I think I did quite well for a beginner."
"You did exceptionally well even if it wasn't your first time."
"It's because she's Sei-chan. She's naturally gifted at everything."
"Why are you the one bragging, onii-chan?"
"Because it makes me happy too when Sei-chan gets praised."
Despite being a novice, Sei-chan's performance was awe-inspiring.
She managed to win three nearly identical plushies. Did she want them that badly?
"Here. These are for you two."
"Wait, these are the ones you won, right?"
"Yes, I won three so we could each have one."
Sei-chan smiled, handing the plushies to Rie and me.
"Thank you, Sei-san!"
"Thank you, Sei-chan."
Each of us received a different colored bear plushie, personalized with unique patterns.
Sei-chan had clearly intended to win one for each of us.
"This is my first gift from Sei-chan. I'm going to treasure it forever…!"
"Y-You don't have to go that far…"
"I'll just put it on my desk."
"Well, I'm going to do that as well."
Having something identical to the three of us made me feel even closer to them.
Placing it on my desk would remind me of Sei-chan all the time.
…Then again, I already think about her constantly.
Rie is also holding her plushie carefully as if it were a precious treasure.
After that, we continued exploring the festival stalls, enjoying various activities and games.
We tried our luck at a lottery booth, but none of us won any big prizes, only getting the consolation prize of chewing gum.
Even Sei-chan, with her exceptional abilities, didn't have much luck when it came to this game.
I wondered what the odds were of winning something good since I never managed to.
Next, we attempted the water balloon yo-yo fishing game.
This time, we did better than at the shooting gallery.
Rie and I each managed to catch one, but Sei-chan, as expected, outdid us by catching five.
"Darn, the string broke. If I had gotten the hang of it sooner, I could have caught more."
"You're amazing, Sei-chan. Your skills are just too overwhelming when luck isn't involved."
"Is this game even supposed to let you catch that many?"
Sei-chan could've probably caught all of the floating balloons.
We continued enjoying the festival, buying classic foods like shaved ice, takoyaki, yakisoba, and candy apples.
We had them packed in transparent containers to enjoy later while watching the fireworks.
"It's almost time for the fireworks to start. We should find a spot soon, or we might not get a good view."
"Alright, let's move."
"Wait, I need to go to the bathroom first."
"Sure, go ahead. Rie, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Can I go get another chocolate banana while you're gone?"
"You're getting another one?"
I understand that chocolate bananas are tasty, but I didn't realize she liked them that much.
"Yes, each stall has a slightly different taste."
"I-I see. I don't really get it, but okay."
"Rie, are you sure you can eat that much? We did buy quite a lot of food."
"Don't worry, I have a separate stomach just for chocolate bananas."
"Not sure if that makes sense."
It's like that saying about having a separate stomach for sweets.
"I'll be quick. You go ahead to the restroom, onii-chan."
"Got it."
Rie headed off to get her chocolate banana while Sei-chan and I made our way to the restrooms.
After finishing up, we met back at the agreed spot, but Rie was nowhere to be seen…
"She's taking a while."
"Yeah, she might have gotten lost."
We waited a few more minutes, but there was still no sign of Rie.
It shouldn't have taken this long just to buy a chocolate banana and come back.
I tried calling her on my phone, but she didn't answer.
"Why isn't she picking up?"
"Maybe her hands are full of chocolate bananas."
"That…actually makes sense."
She did mention having a separate stomach for chocolate bananas.
Maybe she bought so many that her hands were full, making it difficult to answer the phone.
"What should we do, Tsukasa? Should we keep waiting here?"
"...No, let's go look for her. I'm starting to get worried."
"Right, let's split up."
"Sure, we can call each other if we need to. Unlike Rie, our hands won't be full of chocolate bananas."
"Hmph, same to you."
We split up to search for Rie.
I decided to check the area around the chocolate banana stalls first.
The crowd was thick, making it hard to spot anyone, but we had to try.
As I waded through the throng of people, a sense of unease settled over me…
Something about this felt familiar as if I had experienced it before. But with my memory of the original manga fading, I couldn't place my finger on it exactly.
I didn't think there was any real danger, but the uncertainty gnawed at me.
I hope my worries are just misplaced.
*
"…I'm lost."
Rie sighed, holding two chocolate bananas in each hand as she stood among the crowd.
Since she hadn't been able to attend the festival last year due to exams, she figured she would make up for it by eating more chocolate bananas this time- but that plan had backfired.
She had bought four again this year, but instead of eating them all herself, she intended to share with her older brother Tsukasa and Sei.
…Though if they both said they didn't want any, she would’ve just eaten them herself.
"My bag vibrated earlier, so maybe I got a call. I couldn't answer it, though..."
Since both her hands were full of chocolate bananas, she couldn't take her phone out of her bag.
She had wandered through the festival for a while after her phone had buzzed, but there was no sign of Tsukasa or Sei.
In other words, Rie had gotten herself lost.
That said, she isn't the type of kid to panic over something like this.
"If I free up a hand, I could grab my phone. Well, I guess I have no choice but to eat these…"
If she ate two of the bananas, she would have a hand free to use her phone.
So, it wasn't like she wanted to eat all of them herself. She just had no other option.
Making this excuse to herself, she moved to the side of the road and began to eat one of the chocolate bananas.
"Mmm, delicious."
As Rie munched on her snack and watched the people passing by…
"Hey, are you by yourself?"
A voice from behind startled her. She turned around.
Standing there is a flashy guy, taller and clearly older than her.
"M-Me?"
"Yeah, you. Chocolate Banana-chan."
"C-Chocolate Banana-chan…"
Rie was a bit shocked by the strange nickname, but since she was indeed holding two bananas and eating them, she couldn't exactly deny it.
"You're super cute. Are you alone? I'm alone too, so how about we hang out together?"
"Uh, no, I'm not alone."
"I know a great spot where you can see the fireworks really well."
"Uh, I said…"
"It's a really quiet place, perfect for just the two of us."
No matter what Rie said, the guy kept talking like they were already going to hang out together.
She quickly realized he was hitting on her, but with how pushy he was being, she was starting to feel a bit nervous.
And since she hadn't even finished one banana yet, both her hands were still full, making it impossible to contact anyone.
Rie had moved to the edge of the street, ending up in a darker area, and now the tall man was closing in on her.
"U-Uh, I…"
"I'll buy you something besides a chocolate banana too. No need to hold back. Come on, the fireworks are about to start. Let's go."
The guy grabbed Rie’s right wrist and tried to drag her along.
"Ah…!"
Rie let out a small yelp and tried to resist, but there was no way she could overpower someone much taller and stronger than her.
Fear began to take over, and though she wanted to call for help, she couldn’t raise her voice.
Was she really going to be taken somewhere like this?
(Someone…help me…!)
With tears welling up in her eyes, Rie screamed in her heart.
In the next moment, her blurry, tear-filled vision caught the sight of someone approaching.
"-Hey, what do you think you're doing to my little sister?"
At that voice, the man let out an "ouch", and Rie felt herself being pulled away.
Startled by the sudden movement, Rie quickly realized who had grabbed her, recognizing the voice immediately.
"Onii-chan…!"
"Yeah, Rie. Sorry to keep you waiting."
Her older brother, Tsukasa, had pulled her close, stepping in to shield her.
The man, still holding his sore arm, glared at them angrily.
"What the hell, man? You just hit me out of nowhere…!"
"I just chopped the dirty hand that was grabbing my sister. If that hurts, maybe you’re lacking some muscle, huh?"
"What!? You think you’re tough or something…!"
The man’s face twisted with rage, and it looked like he was about to lunge at Tsukasa.
Tsukasa wasn’t trained in martial arts, and the guy was definitely more muscular.
Rie worried a fight might break out…
Just then, familiar voices interrupted the tense scene.
"Hey, is that Tsukasa?"
"Oh wow, it really is! And there’s Rie-chan too!"
"Ara, what a coincidence."
Rie turned toward the voices and saw three people approaching: Tsukasa’s friend Yuuichi Shigemoto, Sei’s friend Shiho Fujise, and the elegant Kaori Tojoin.
All of them were dressed in yukata, and together, they looked like a striking group of handsome and beautiful people.
"Yo, Yuuichi. Perfect timing- though I did kind of plan it this way."
"Planned it? What do you mean?"
"Just something I remembered."
"...I have no idea what you're talking about. Anyway, that guy over there, is he your friend, Tsukasa? If so, your taste sucks."
"Of course not. The only friend of this caliber I need is you, Yuuichi."
As Tsukasa and Yuuichi exchanged smirks and banter, the flashy guy raised his voice again.
"Don't you punks dare underestimate me! You high schoolers think you're so cool just because you're surrounded by girls…!"
Instead of going after Tsukasa or Yuuichi, the man grabbed the arm of one of the girls nearby.
"How about I take one of them for myself? Blondies are my type!"
"Ah…"
Yuuichi’s face paled slightly when he saw the girl the man had grabbed.
"Hey, let go of her right now! Or else…!"
Seeing Yuuichi's panicked reaction, the man grinned, thinking he had gained the upper hand.
"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do if I don't?"
"This."
"Eh-"
In the next moment, the man's body spun in midair, crashing face-first into the ground.
"Gurk!"
"Are you suicidal or something? The only person who gets to touch me in this world is Yuuichi."
Kaori Tojoin declared coldly, looking down at the now-unconscious man on the ground.
"...Warned you, bro. Kaori’s a black belt in both judo and aikido."
"You forgot karate and kendo, Yuuichi."
Kaori Tojoin had been trained in martial arts since childhood, so taking down a guy like that was child's play for her.
"Tojoin-san, that was amazing!"
"Thank you, Fujise-san."
Though the two girls seemed to be competing for Yuuichi's attention, they actually got along surprisingly well.
Soon after, the unconscious man was carried away by some men in black suits that Tojoin had called over.
"Phew…"
With the danger finally gone, Rie felt the tension leave her body, and her legs started to give out.
"Whoa. You okay, Rie?"
Tsukasa quickly caught her, wrapping an arm around her waist for support as she wobbled.
"...Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks."
"Sorry for being late."
"No, it’s my fault for getting lost while buying chocolate bananas."
"You really did end up buying four, huh?"
Even though she had almost collapsed, Rie hadn’t dropped a single banana.
She had been scared, but there was no way she was going to waste even one chocolate banana just because some flashy guy had tried to bother her.
"It’s fine to buy what you like, but at least answer your phone."
"...Ugh, I'm…sorry."
"Well, what matters is that you're safe."
"Mm…"
While still holding Rie, Tsukasa gently patted her head.
Rie's face was flushed with a bit of embarrassment, and she shyly looked away.
"Good work, Tsukasa."
Yuuichi, who had watched the flashy guy get taken away, spoke up.
Not wanting to be seen by others at such a close moment, Rie quickly pulled away from Tsukasa.
Noticing this, Tsukasa smiled wryly but continued the conversation with Yuuichi.
"Yeah, thanks for showing up. Honestly, if I had been alone, it could’ve been bad."
"Maybe. Well, it wasn’t me who handled it- it was Kaori."
"You’re free to fall for me anytime, Yuuichi."
"I already knew Kaori could handle stuff like that."
"So you were already in love with me? Guess we’re married now."
"That’s not how this works."
As Yuuichi and Kaori continued their conversation, Fujise took Rie’s hand with a concerned expression.
"Rie-chan, are you okay?"
"Yes, I’m fine. Shiho-san. Thank you for coming to help."
"I didn’t do anything at all. That must have been really scary, though. I had a similar experience when I was in middle school. A guy tried to approach me like that."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but Shigemoto-kun helped me back then. He came to the rescue even though we didn’t know each other yet. Ehehe, I ended up falling for him right there…"
"I-I didn’t know that."
"Yeah. But I’m just so glad you’re okay, Rie-chan. Your brother came to help before we even arrived."
"...Yes, I’m really relieved."
If Tsukasa had arrived any later, Rie might have been taken away by that creepy guy.
Thanks to Tsukasa arriving when he did, Yuuichi and Tojoin had enough time to make it as well.
"Hehe, you've got a really dependable big brother."
"Y-Yeah, he is…"
Rie couldn't help but blush with embarrassment at the thought of praising her brother, especially in front of others.
Seeing this, Shiho smiled warmly at her.
"Rie, we should probably head over to where Sei-chan is…wait, why’s your face so red?"
"I-It’s nothing. Really."
"Okay then. Anyway, I already contacted Sei-chan, so let's go meet her."
"Got it. I feel bad for causing Sei-san trouble. I need to apologize."
"Yeah, let’s do that. Yuuichi, Fujise, Tojoin-san, thanks again. We’ll be heading out."
"Thank you so much for your help."
Just as Tsukasa and Rie were about to part ways with the others, Tojoin called out to them.
"Wait a moment, both of you. The fireworks show will be starting soon. Where are you planning to watch it?"
"Uh, well, I guess somewhere near the venue where we can still find a spot."
"You think you'll find a good spot just a few minutes before it starts? By now, all the good places will be taken, and you won’t be able to sit anywhere."
"Wait, seriously?"
"I wasted so much time because I got lost…"
Rie’s face darkened with guilt, but Tojoin quickly brightened the mood with a smile.
"It’s unfortunate that some sleazy guy caused a delay, but you’re in luck- you have something better going for you."
With a lady-like smile, Tojoin reached into her yukata and pulled out what looked like tickets.
"You see, you have the privilege of being my friends."
*
Meanwhile, Sei had already received Tsukasa's message saying they had found Rie, and she was relieved.
Apparently, there had been a bit of a dangerous situation with a pushy guy hitting on Rie, but Shiho had helped smooth things over.
Sei arrived at their meeting spot, which was a bit away from the main festival grounds, where the fireworks would be best seen.
(Why did we agree to meet here? Sure, it's less crowded, so it’s easier to regroup, but still…)
As she waited for Tsukasa and Rie, deep in thought…
"Huh? Shimada-san?"
A voice called out from behind her, causing Sei to jump a little as she turned around.
There, she saw two girls from her class.
If she remembers correctly, their names are Satou and Itou.
"Oh, Satou-san and Itou-san. What a coincidence."
"Yeah! Also, Shimada-san, that yukata looks amazing on you!"
"Seriously! You look so pretty and cute!"
"I-I see. Thanks."
Even though Tsukasa compliments Sei often, she still isn't used to it and felt a bit embarrassed.
"We should try wearing yukata next time there’s a festival, huh?"
"Yeah, though I doubt we would look as good as you do, Shimada-san."
"No, I think you two are cute, so I’m sure you would look great."
"H-Huh? Thanks, Shimada-san. You know, it’s kinda thrilling to hear that from you- you’re cooler than most guys!"
"Totally! My heart just skipped a beat!"
"Being called cool doesn’t make me that happy, though…"
As they continued chatting, the two girls seemed to notice something.
"Shimada-san, are you here with someone? You two meeting up?"
"Oh, yeah, I’m just…waiting for someone…!"
It suddenly hit Sei that Tsukasa would be arriving soon.
(I-Is this okay? I haven’t told these two that Tsukasa and I are dating…! They will figure it out when he shows up…!)
She needed to somehow keep the two from realizing, maybe distract them or something.
(Hm? Wait, why am I feeling weird about this…?)
Sei felt a strange sense of unease rising in her chest, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.
"Shimada-san, what’s wrong? You went all quiet."
"Did you get separated from the person you’re with?"
"N-No, it’s nothing. We’re meeting here, so it’s fine."
If they had left before Tsukasa arrived, everything would have been fine.
But before she could figure out what to do…
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sei-cha- huh?"
Tsukasa had arrived at the meeting spot.
*
"Rie, are you really okay? Does your arm hurt where that guy grabbed you?"
"Yeah, I’m fine. My arm doesn’t hurt either."
"I see. That's good, then."
Rie and I had parted ways with Yuuichi and the others, and we were now heading to meet up with Sei-chan.
Honestly, I'm relieved I managed to find Rie in time.
While searching for her, a memory of the original story suddenly came to mind- one I had forgotten entirely.
I don’t know why, but it just popped into my head.
The scene I remembered was from the original work where Rie gets hit on during the fireworks festival, and Yuuichi steps in to save her.
That was Rie Hisamura's first appearance in <Ojojama>.
In the original story, Rie ends up falling for Yuuichi after he rescues her from that guy.
Once I remembered that, I knew I had to stop that from happening at all costs. That’s why I was so desperate to find her.
If Yuuichi had been the one to save her, Rie might have developed feelings for him.
And if that happened, she would be dragged into the already messy love triangle between Tojoin and Fujise, who were both after Yuuichi. As her brother, I absolutely had to prevent that.
Luckily, since I vaguely remembered where Rie had been hit on in the original story, I managed to find her before Yuuichi did.
But if Yuuichi and the others hadn’t shown up when they did, things could’ve gotten nasty.
In the original, Yuuichi had been the one to take down the sleazy guy, but this time, Tojoin-san handled it instead.
…I knew she was strong, but I didn’t realize just how strong. You're in for one hell of a ride, Yuuichi.
Since I found Rie before Yuuichi did, she probably doesn’t feel like Yuuichi saved her.
If anything, it was more thanks to Tojoin-san. And even if Rie somehow fell for her, I doubt it would cause any drama, so no worries there.
"We’re almost at the meeting spot with Sei-chan."
"Ah, onii-chan, can I throw this away real quick?"
"Sure. Want me to come with you?"
"It’s just over there. Don’t worry so much."
Rie smiled a little and went to throw away the chocolate banana sticks.
...She really ate all four, huh? Impressive, as always.
The meeting spot was just ahead, and I could already see Sei-chan.
Even from behind, in her yukata, she looked cuter than usual. It made my heart skip a beat.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sei-cha- huh?"
I was about to call out to her when I noticed two familiar faces standing in front of her.
…Those two. They are Satou-san and Itou-san from our class, right?
I didn’t expect anyone else to be here besides Sei-chan.
Did they run into each other by chance?
"Huh, Hisamura-kun?"
"Wait, Shimada-san, were you waiting for Hisamura-kun? Did you two come to the festival together?"
"Really?"
"Uh, well…"
I froze for a moment, caught off guard, but then locked eyes with Sei-chan.
We had an unspoken agreement to keep our relationship a secret.
So, I have to make sure these two don't find out. I have to keep it hidden, no matter what.
I could sense that Sei-chan understood the situation too from our quick exchange of glances, but man, this is going to be tough…
To anyone else, it would definitely look like we were a couple on a date, wearing yukata together.
"Wait, you really came together? Are you two…a couple?"
"Seriously!? That would be so surprising, but…wow!"
Satou-san and Itou-san were already talking like it was a done deal.
It felt like there was no way we could keep our relationship hidden anymore…
"Onii-chan, Sei-san, sorry to keep you two waiting."
Suddenly, Rie appeared from behind me after throwing away the trash.
She tilted her head curiously as she noticed Satou-san and Itou-san.
"Uh, are they your friends, onii-chan?"
"Onii-chan? You mean Hisamura-kun?"
"Yes, I'm Rie Hisamura. Tsukasa's little sister."
"Oh, right! Hisamura-kun did mention before that he had a sister!"
With that, the girls' attention shifted toward Rie.
"She’s so cute! I heard Hisamura-kun is a total siscon, and now I can kind of see why!"
"...Onii-chan, did you really say that?"
"I might have."
"Sheesh, onii-chan…"
Rie blushed with embarrassment, and Satou-san and Itou-san exchanged amused smiles.
"Hehe, your sister’s adorable!"
"So, the three of you came together?"
Ah, this is it!
I suddenly realized how we could cover up the situation, and I spoke with a sheepish smile.
"Yeah, that’s right. Rie and Shimada are pretty close, so I’m kind of just tagging along."
I don't like using Rie like this, but this won't get them to suspect Sei-chan and I are dating.
"Ah, I see. That makes sense."
"Rie-chan, how did you and Shimada-san meet? You're in different grades, and I don't think Shimada-san is in any clubs, right?"
Crap, that was a pretty direct question.
Rie looked up at me, clearly unsure how to answer.
I tried to communicate with my eyes and expression, silently begging her to go along with whatever I said.
"...Uh, well, we met in the high school library. I was studying, and Sei-san just happened to be sitting next to me, and she helped me with my homework. We became friends from then on."
"I see. Shimada-san is pretty smart, after all."
"Yeah, she’s super smart."
Rie quickly made up a story, and the conversation moved on smoothly.
Nice one, Rie!
Thanks to her quick thinking, it looked like we could get through this without them realizing Sei-chan and I were dating.
"I totally thought Hisamura-kun and Shimada-san were dating, though."
"Me too! I was so surprised when Hisamura-kun showed up."
Both Sei-chan and I flinched after hearing that.
So, they had suspected something, after all.
But thanks to Rie’s explanation, it seemed like we dodged a bullet.
"N-No, I’m just here because I came with Rie. Shimada and I aren’t dating or anything."
I forced a chuckle as I lied to keep our relationship a secret.
I glanced at Sei-chan for just a moment, but…
She had a slightly troubled expression on her face.
Eh? What's going on?
She looked…a bit hurt, which left me feeling confused.
"Shimada? You okay?"
"Sei-san?"
Both Rie and I called out to her, clearly concerned.
Sei-chan snapped out of it and flashed us a smile, though it seemed a bit forced.
"Y-Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about something."
"If you say so…"
What could she have been thinking about? I'm starting to feel worried.
Sei-chan, seeming to want to change the topic, quickly turned to Satou-san and Itou-san.
"We should probably head to the fireworks venue soon. Otherwise, we won’t get good seats."
"Oh, right! Gotou-chan and Katou-chan are saving seats for us!"
"Yeah, we totally left them waiting. We should get going."
With that, Satou-san and Itou-san waved goodbye and hurried off towards the venue.
Once they were out of sight, Rie turned to Sei-chan and spoke up.
"Sei-san, I'm really sorry for causing trouble by getting lost."
"No, it wasn’t any trouble. It sounds like something dangerous happened, but are you okay?"
"Yes, onii-chan and Tojoin-san helped me out."
"That’s good to hear. As long as you're safe, that’s what matters."
"Thank you, Sei-san."
"By the way, what happened to the chocolate bananas? You did buy them, right?"
"I already ate them all."
"I figured since you couldn’t answer the phone, you probably bought four again."
"Yes, I ate all four. Now I won’t have my hands full anymore."
"...I-I see."
Sei-chan looked like she wanted to say something, but she just gave a little chuckle instead.
"Rie, thanks for helping me out earlier. You really covered for me."
"Well, you gave me that ‘go along with it’ look, so I just followed your lead. But why are you hiding that you and Sei-san are dating from those girls?"
"We’re keeping it a secret for now. We don’t really want to broadcast it to everyone."
"Why keep it a secret?"
"Isn’t it kind of romantic, having a secret just between me and Sei-chan?"
Sei-chan and I had talked about it after the end-of-sports festival celebration.
Sei-chan mentioned that she prefers to keep the things she values most private instead of showing them off to everyone. She wanted something special, just for the two of us.
I loved the idea, so we agreed that while it was okay to tell people we were dating, we wouldn’t say who we were dating.
Since I hadn’t even mentioned to Satou-san and Itou-san that I was seeing anyone, they had no reason to suspect Sei-chan and I were together.
So, I stuck to our promise and kept it a secret.
"...But I already know, and there are a few other people who know too, right?"
"Yeah, that’s true, but it’s okay. Right, Sei-chan?"
"...Y-Yeah, that's right."
Sei-chan looked a bit conflicted again as if she was lost in thought.
I wasn’t sure what she was thinking about, but if she didn’t want to talk about it, I didn’t feel the need to pry.
"Right, Sei-chan, about where we’ll watch the fireworks…"
"Ah, yes, we need to head to the venue soon. We might not be able to find seats, but we can still watch standing up."
Though it's not Rie's thought, we're definitely running late to the fireworks venue.
Sei-chan seemed eager for us to hurry, but…
"About that. Check this out."
I pulled out the tickets Tojoin-san had given me from my pocket.
Sei-chan looked at them curiously.
"What’s that?"
"These are 'Special Friend Tickets' from Tojoin-san."
"Special Friend Tickets?"
"Yeah, according to Tojoin-san, they are for the best seats at the fireworks festival."
"Huh, that sounds just like her. So, where are these seats?"
"Over there."
I pointed to a tall building nearby, the one Tojoin-san had mentioned.
"...You’re pointing at the tallest building in the area, right?"
"Yep, the terrace on the top floor."
"...Unbelievable. That's Tojoin for you."
"Yeah, really."
We both shared a small laugh, and then we made our way toward the building.
*
Afterward, Sei and the others made their way to the top floor of the building.
The entire restaurant had been reserved, and the terrace seating offered an unobstructed view of the surroundings.
With no ceiling overhead, the summer night sky stretched out endlessly above them.
Yuuichi and Tojoin are already sitting on the terrace.
"Oh, you guys made it."
"Of course we did. We couldn’t turn down an invite to such a prime spot."
"Well, I didn’t arrange it. Kaori had it all set up before I even knew it."
"I wanted to rent a blimp for the best view, but that would’ve meant no time to walk around the festival with Yuuichi, so I had to settle for watching from the ground."
"Yeah, thanks for that, Kaori. A blimp would’ve been a bit much."
Tojoin’s extravagant remark drew a quick but composed retort from him, causing a small chuckle from the group.
Sei and Rie placed their bags on the table before taking in their surroundings, both letting out a sigh of admiration.
"...Reserving such an amazing place, Tojoin-san really is incredible."
"The fireworks are going to launch right in front of us. This spot’s perfect for a relaxed view."
"Won't the fireworks explode at almost eye-level from this height?"
"Yeah, looks like it."
"This is a little scary, but I’m really excited."
"Sei-chan! Rie-chan!"
Shiho came bounding over to them, beaming and carrying bags in both hands.
"Whoa, Sei-chan, you’re wearing a yukata! You look so pretty and cute!"
"Thanks. You’re wearing one, too, Shiho. It really suits you."
"Thanks! Rie-chan, you’re adorable too! The patterns on your yukata are similar. Did you and Sei-chan rent them together…?"
"Yes, I wanted to wear a yukata with Sei-san. We ended up getting them together, and…onii-chan did too."
"Nice, Rie-chan! Sei-chan never wears stuff like this, so it’s thanks to you…or maybe your brother?"
"W-What do you mean?"
"Well, I tried convincing Sei-chan to wear one, but she never did. Yet when Rie-chan and Hisamura-kun ask, she immediately puts it on. So, who did she really want to show off to? Right, Sei-chan…?"
"...U-Ugh, well, that would be Rie."
"Ah, Sei-chan, don’t use Rie-chan as an excuse."
"Exactly, Sei-san."
"There was only one choice from the start! Rie, don’t get carried away!"
Sei exclaimed, her face turning even redder as Shiho and Rie giggled.
"...Sheesh. Anyway, what's in those bags, Shiho?"
Sei asked, pointing at one of the bags Shiho was holding.
"Oh, thanks! These are, of course, the spoils from the festival stalls!"
"Spoils?"
"Yup! I got okonomiyaki, takoyaki, candy apples, yakitori, cotton candy, yakisoba, French fries, karaage…and probably more, but I can’t remember. So much stuff!"
Shiho listed off the foods with a sparkling smile, but Rie looked a little overwhelmed.
"T-That's amazing, but…can you eat all that?"
"It’s for five people! And Yuuichi and I can eat a lot!"
"Yeah, with Shiho and Shigemoto, I’m sure it’ll be fine."
"I-I see…"
Rie, not knowing just how much Shiho and Yuuichi could eat, still found it hard to believe they would finish everything.
"Ah! I also bought about ten chocolate bananas! Want one, Rie-chan?"
"Yes, thank you very much."
"Rie, how many chocolate bananas are you planning to eat today…?"
"Chocolate bananas go to a different stomach!"
"I-Is that so…?"
Now, it was Rie’s turn to leave Sei a little stunned.
"Festivals are so much fun! I wasn’t sure how things would go with just Shigemoto-kun, Tojoin-san, and me, but we had a great time!"
"Glad to hear that."
"Yeah! Did you guys have fun too?"
"Yes, it was delightful. I couldn’t go last year because of exams, so I’m thrilled I got to go this year with Sei-san and onii-chan."
"I’m glad to hear that! What about you, Sei-chan?"
"Yeah, of course…"
Sei was about to say it was fun, but then the memory of earlier came rushing back.
The moment she and Tsukasa had hidden their relationship from Satou and Itou.
That uncomfortable feeling deep in her chest that had been bothering her ever since.
"Sei-chan…?"
Realizing her sudden pause, Shiho asked again, her tone curious.
Startled by Shiho’s voice, Sei quickly responded.
"Ah, I had a lot of fun. But, sorry, I’ve just been lost in thought for a bit…"
"...Does it have something to do with meeting those two earlier?"
'R-Rie, you noticed?"
"You seemed a little off since then, Sei-san."
"I see…"
That strange, uneasy feeling had been with Sei ever since.
It was a familiar sensation, one she had felt before.
It was the same feeling she had when hiding her relationship with Tsukasa from Tobise before.
And now, she understood why.
(I don’t like lying about not being in a relationship with Tsukasa...)
Even though it was her who had asked to keep their relationship private, Tsukasa had respected her wishes and kept it hidden from the two girls earlier.
Yet every time he did, this uncomfortable feeling bubbled up inside her.
(I want to keep our relationship a secret and treasure it, but still...)
She wanted to keep it special, to protect what they had.
But when they tried to hide it, her chest tightened painfully.
Why was she feeling such contradictory emotions?
Sei didn’t fully understand why yet, but one thing was clear: she hated keeping her relationship with Tsukasa a secret.
"Can I talk to you two about something? Shiho, Rie?"
"Talk to us?"
"Me too?"
"Yes, both of you. This is something I can’t talk to Tsukasa about yet..."
"Did something happen between you and Hisamura-kun?"
"No, it’s not like something happened. It’s just…a problem with my feelings."
"This sounds interesting. Mind if I join in?"
"Huh! T-Tojoin, since when were you behind me…!"
Rie, startled, turned around to find Tojoin standing there with her arms crossed.
"From the moment you said, 'Can I talk to you?' It's rare to see Shimada-san showing any vulnerability, so I got curious."
"It's not like it's a weakness, and finding this amusing is in bad taste, milady."
"I'm a lady, so I have many tastes. Didn't you know?"
Tojoin, in a yukata, let out an elegant laugh.
Sei sighed as she watched her behavior.
"Sigh, whatever. If you're willing to listen, I don't mind you hearing it."
"Ara? Really? That's surprising. I know I offered, but I didn't expect you to actually seek my advice."
"You're a lady with bad taste, but you're not the type to mock someone seriously asking for advice."
"Hehe, true. I'm not that much of a bad sport."
Sei glanced around, confirming that Tsukasa and Shigemoto were nowhere to be seen.
"Where did those two go? I can't see them anywhere."
"Yuuichi went to get some food and drinks. He mentioned something about having a competition between guys."
"Eh? I bought plenty of food, too, though."
"With you and Yuuichi, no matter how much there is, it won’t be enough."
"...How much can they eat?"
Rie, who didn’t know about Shigemoto and Shiho’s enormous appetites, muttered, slightly taken aback.
Since Tsukasa wasn't around, Sei felt comfortable enough to discuss the matter.
She told the two classmates she had just met about how they were hiding their relationship.
They had already agreed to keep their relationship a secret from when she and Tsukasa first got together.
So, in theory, there shouldn't have been any issue with keeping it hidden.
"And yet, my heart feels…unsettled. Even though it was something I wanted, I can't help but hate it now."
"Are you saying you hate having to hide the fact that you're dating Hisamura-kun?"
"Yes."
"But didn’t you say something super cheesy like, 'I want to treasure this and keep it hidden from everyone'?"
"...Ugh, I did say that...but...I don’t even understand why I’m feeling this contradicted."
Despite her reddened face, Sei earnestly sought advice, and even Tojoin, who had been teasing her lightly, was thinking seriously.
"Maybe the feeling of wanting to talk about it is simply stronger than the desire to keep it hidden?"
"That's true if you look at it simply..."
Rie's comment was spot on, but Sei still felt like something was off. She didn’t have such a strong desire to talk about the relationship.
"I still want to keep it a secret and treasure it. But at the same time, there's this part of me that doesn't want to hide it."
"Yeah, well, I don’t really get it..."
Rie said, unable to offer more.
"...It's a more complicated problem than I expected. If you really hate hiding it, wouldn’t it be better to just come out with it?"
"Ugh, well, you're right about that, but...I also really want to keep it a secret..."
"That's surprising. I didn’t think you were the type to worry about something like this, Shimada-san."
"H-Huh? What do you mean by 'something like this'?"
"I mean a typical girl-like dilemma. Honestly, I’m a little jealous. If it were me, I’d already be dating Yuuichi and announcing it to the world."
"Yeah, that sounds like you..."
Before even dating Yuuichi, Tojoin had already spread rumors about the two of them being together as a way to ward off any other girls who might get in the way.
From her perspective, Sei’s problem probably made no sense at all.
"Sorry, but the only advice I can give is just go public already and start being lovey-dovey."
"You’ve said that before..."
"Well, you and I just think way too differently. I don’t think I can really help."
"...I see. No, even just listening helped a lot. Thanks."
"Of course. But...what about the person who's been sitting here in silence with sparkling eyes this whole time? What are you thinking?"
"I was hesitant to bring this up, even though I asked for advice myself..."
Since hearing Sei’s concerns, Shiho had been watching her with sparkling eyes, looking genuinely excited.
"Sei-chan, I’m so happy! I can’t believe I get to hear such an adorable and sweet concern from you!"
"R-Really?"
"Of course!"
Shiho, unable to contain her excitement, grabbed both of Sei's hands and brought her face closer.
"I never thought I would get to hear such a heart-throbbing romantic problem from you. We should thank Hisamura-kun for this!"
"...I’m not sure I follow. Shiho, were you even listening to my problem?"
Shiho nodded eagerly, then calmed down a bit and smiled as she started to explain.
"You’re worried because you want to keep your relationship a secret, but at the same time, you hate having to hide it from people, right? And what’s confusing you is why you feel that way, isn’t it?"
"Yeah, that’s it. I feel like my emotions are contradicting each other..."
"Nope, they are not contradicting at all."
"Eh?"
"Keeping something a secret and hiding something are two different things, I think."
"They are?"
Sei had assumed they were the same, but Shiho began to explain further.
"You and Hisamura-kun didn’t let anyone suspect you were dating, so you were able to keep it a secret without really needing to hide it, right?"
"Yeah, that’s true."
"But from what you just told us, it sounds like you had to actively hide it when your classmates almost found out, right? That’s more like lying than just keeping a secret."
"You're right. That's exactly what happened."
"So maybe what really bothered you was the idea of having to lie to hide your relationship."
"Eh!? I see…! That makes sense!"
Up until now, keeping their relationship a secret had just meant not telling anyone. It wasn’t about lying or actively hiding it.
But today, when their classmates got suspicious, Sei felt like she had to lie to cover up their relationship.
And she doesn't like it.
It felt as if she was saying their relationship was something to be ashamed of, something that had to be hidden from others.
"Wanting to keep it secret but not wanting to hide it. So, it wasn’t a contradiction after all..."
"Yup, that's just a romantic girl in love’s heart, Sei-chan."
"A romantic girl in love’s heart, huh…?"
Sei felt relieved that her confusing emotions were now clear. But along with that relief, the embarrassment began to rise within her, making her blush as she shyly looked away.
"...Ahh, I can't take it anymore! Sei-chan, you're just too cute!"
"Wha!?"
Overwhelmed, Shiho threw herself at Sei, hugging her tightly from the front.
"You've always been cute, but ever since you started dating Hisamura-kun, you've become even more girly and adorable! It's criminal!"
"W-What are you even saying?"
"I don’t know whether to thank Hisamura-kun for making you even cuter or to be jealous that he's seeing a side of you I never knew!"
"Shiho, calm down! Tojoin, Rie, stop watching and help me out here!"
Tojoin remained unfazed, simply smiling at the scene.
"You two are getting along so well. And since it looks like your problem is solved, can I go search for Yuuichi now?"
"Sorry, I'm not as strong as Tojoin-senpai, so I don't think I can pry Shiho-senpai off you."
Rie said with a slight shrug, clearly not planning to intervene either.
"Ugh, you two...!"
Realizing that no help was coming, Sei had no choice but to try to push Shiho off herself.
Just as she was about to, however, Shiho suddenly loosened her grip.
"Hmm?"
Shiho stepped back, looking Sei up and down in her yukata, her hands still on Sei's shoulders.
"What is it? What's wrong, Shiho?"
"...Sei-chan, did your chest disappear?"
"W-What are you talking about!?"
Sei quickly backed away, crossing her arms over her chest to hide herself.
But Shiho, narrowing her eyes and staring intensely at the area in question, nodded firmly.
"Yeah, it's definitely smaller! I’ve been jealous of your chest every day, so I would know for sure!"
"How is that something you can be so certain about...?!"
"Shouldn't you feel a little sad, Fujise-san?"
From behind, Tojoin added with a sigh.
"I'm…used to it."
"I didn’t expect such an enlightened response from you, Fujise-san."
"My chest isn't something that should lead anyone to enlightenment..."
"Ha! That's not the point right now!"
Shiho shook her head, quickly regaining her composure as she turned back to Sei, ready to ask something else.
"The usual weight I feel when hugging you isn't there, Sei-chan!"
"Now that you've mentioned it, it's making me want to avoid being hugged by you..."
With a sigh, Sei glanced around, making sure Tsukasa and Shigemoto hadn't returned yet, then lowered her voice.
"The truth is.. when I was picking out my yukata, the shop clerk said it’d look better if my chest weren’t emphasized too much, so I’m wearing undergarments that flatten it a bit."
"Oh, that exists? No one said anything like that to me. I wonder why?"
"Y-Yeah, I wonder why…"
Sei knew the answer but turned her gaze away to avoid hurting Shiho’s feelings.
"Probably because it’s not necessary for you, Fujise-san."
"Tck…!"
Tojoin’s merciless comment hit hard, and Shiho clutched her chest as if physically wounded.
"T-Tojoin! How could you say something so hurtful to Shiho?!"
"Shimada-san, you know the truth already, so why not be honest? There's no point in trying to sugarcoat it."
"Y-Yeah, but still…"
Of course, Sei understood, but she didn’t want to hurt Shiho by saying it outright.
"T-Tojoin-san, are you wearing something like that as well…?"
"Yes, I am. Yuuichi prefers girls with a larger chest, but I chose something that suited my yukata."
"Gah! So when I saw you in that yukata today, I thought your chest hadn't changed much, but that’s because you were hiding it…!"
Shiho looked utterly defeated, clearly taking a heavy emotional hit from hearing about both Sei and Tojoin's chest-related adjustments.
Sei wanted to comfort her somehow but knew from experience that nothing she said would cheer Shiho up in moments like this.
"R-Rie-chan, you're not wearing that kind of underwear, right? You're just wearing regular ones, right?"
"Y-Yes, just regular ones..."
Rie flinched at the sudden question but answered honestly.
Shiho let out a relieved smile upon hearing Rie’s response.
"Thank goodness! If Rie-chan had been wearing those kinds of undergarments too, I would have been shocked!"
"I-Is that so?"
"We’re comrades, right?"
"Y-Yes…"
Shiho firmly shook Rie's hands with a look of newfound solidarity while Rie forced a strained smile in return.
"Doesn't it make you sad to be relying on your kouhai Rie-san?"
"Tojoin, quiet. Shiho’s recovering relatively quickly right now."
"...You must have a tough time being friends with Fujise-san. Whether it’s her chest or her cooking."
"Well... other than that, she’s a really good person."
Sei answered, gazing off into the distance a bit.
Despite everything, Sei had to admit that Shiho had given her great advice about her dilemma this time.
(So, I want to keep my relationship with Tsukasa a secret, but I don't actually want to hide it from everyone...)
That realization explained why she had felt so unsettled when she tried to hide it from her classmates earlier.
Just understanding that made her lingering discomfort vanish.
"What are you going to do now, Sei-chan?"
Shiho, who had formed some odd sense of camaraderie with Rie, suddenly asked Sei.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Are you going to stop hiding your relationship with Hisamura-kun?"
"...Well, I'm not sure about it yet, but I'll talk to Tsukasa."
"Yeah, I think that’s a good idea."
Shiho smiled and nodded at Sei's answer, her genuine consideration for Sei and Tsukasa’s relationship shining through.
Sei felt grateful to have Shiho as a close friend.
(Albeit a slightly troublesome one…)
...But everyone has their quirks, and that’s part of what makes Shiho who she is.
"...Did someone just say being flat-chested is a quirk?"
"N-No one said anything like that, Shiho."
"Really?"
"Okay, enough about Fujise-san's chest. Isn't Yuuichi taking a long time to get back?"
"Yeah, onii-chan hasn't come back either."
It had been a good number of minutes since Yuuichi and Tsukasa had gone off to get snacks and compete, and they still hadn’t come back.
The fireworks would be starting soon.
"I suppose I'll call him."
Tojoin said, pulling out her phone and dialing Shigemoto.
He picked up quickly.
"Where are you, Yuuichi? The fireworks are about to start- eh?"
Tojoin began speaking, but her expression gradually darkened as the conversation went on.
With a sigh, she lowered her phone and turned to Sei.
"Shimada-san, do you happen to know someone named Mariho Tobise?"
"Tobise-san? Yeah, she's Tsukasa's senpai at his part-time job. I know her, but why are you asking?"
"Apparently, Yuuichi and Hisamura-kun are with her."
"...Why?"
*
Yuuichi and I had been wandering around, grabbing random snacks from the food stalls and competing in various games.
Earlier, we couldn’t get a turn at the shooting gallery, but this time I thought we might actually get to play. Though, as it turns out, I didn’t win a single prize. Typical…
After fooling around for a while, we figured it was about time to head back to where Sei-chan and the others were.
As part of a penalty for losing our last game, I went to grab some juice for Yuuichi before heading back to meet him...and then I saw it.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, thanks! I must be heavy, sorry about that. Wow, you’re really strong!"
"Uh, no, you’re not heavy at all..."
For some reason, Yuuichi is carrying Tobise-san on his back.
…Wait, is this cheating? Did I just catch him in the act?
No, wait, Yuuichi isn’t dating Tojoin-san or Fujise yet, so it wouldn’t technically be cheating, right?
"T-Tsukasa! Help me out here!"
"Huh, Tsukasa-kun! Wow, so you're friends with him? What a coincidence!"
Tobise-san, perched on Yuuichi’s back, waved energetically at me.
I let out a deep sigh as I approached them.
"Yuuichi, what are you going to do if Tojoin-san sees you like this?"
"T-That’s not what it looks like! I just helped her when she was getting hit on by some creeps! And then she twisted her ankle while trying to run away, so I’m just giving her a ride!"
…This guy is saving girls from pick-up artists again.
Sure, it’s admirable and all, but how many flags is he trying to raise with women?
Today, if things had gone according to the story, he was supposed to help Rie out from a similar situation and create a connection there.
Now, it looks like Tobise-san took Rie’s place. Well, whatever…
"Tsukasa-kun, long time no see! Thanks for covering my shift the other day!"
"Good to see you again, Tobise-san. No problem. The extra pay was nice since I filled in for you."
"You two know each other? In that case, why don’t you carry her instead-"
"No can do. There’s only one girl I’ll carry on my back."
"...What the hell are you even talking about?"
"Oh, you mean Sei-chan, right? Haha, Tsukasa-kun really does love Sei-chan."
Bullseye, Tobise-san. Right on the mark.
It looked like she was also here to enjoy the festival, dressed in a lovely yukata.
Tobise-san might have twisted her ankle because she wasn't used to wearing wooden sandals.
"Yuuichi-kun, if I’m too heavy, I can walk, you know? It hurts a bit, but I can still walk."
"Oh, no, it’s fine. I’ve got plenty of strength and stamina, so don’t worry."
"Really? Hehe, that’s impressive. Thank you!"
Tobise-san clung to Yuuichi’s back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Since she's wearing a yukata, which isn’t exactly thick, her full figure is pressed up against Yuuichi’s back.
His face turning bright red was all the proof I needed.
"Good for you, Yuuichi."
"W-What are you talking about? It’s not like I’m enjoying this or anything!"
"Right. You definitely wouldn’t be thrilled if Tojoin-san saw you like this."
"...I’m completely cooled off now."
Yuuichi’s face went from red to pale in an instant.
But still, what were we going to do about Tobise-san?
"Tobise-san, who did you come to the festival with?"
"I came with my younger brothers and sisters, but when I went off to do some shopping, those guys tried to hit on me."
"I see. So where are they now?"
"They are waiting under that big building over there. I told them to wait for me."
…A big building, huh? Oh, she must mean the one Yuuichi and I were planning to head to, where we had reserved the top floor.
It’s a bit away from the main fireworks area, so there aren’t many people around.
It’s a good landmark for meeting up, but from there, the building itself would block the view of the fireworks.
"Are you not planning to watch the fireworks?"
"Well, I did want to see them, but I didn’t expect it to be this crowded, so we didn’t save a spot. And now that I’ve hurt my foot, I'm thinking of just heading home. I feel bad for my siblings since they were looking forward to it..."
Tobise-san gave an apologetic smile.
With three younger siblings, it would’ve been tough to find a spot for all of them without reserving a place in advance. And with her injured foot, standing to watch would probably be out of the question.
Yuuichi and I exchanged glances.
We have one of the best spots in the entire fireworks venue, a spacious area where Tobase-san could sit down and where her siblings could run around with room to spare.
But Yuuichi and I didn’t secure the spot ourselves- it was Tojoin-san’s connections that allowed us to get in.
"Hey, Tsukasa, if we ask Kaori, she would let them in, right?"
"She would never agree if I asked, but if you ask, she might think about it. But...are you sure?"
I seriously doubted that she would react well to Yuuichi bringing along a woman she didn’t know.
"I’m a little hesitant, but...I feel responsible since she got hurt after I helped her escape from those guys."
"No, Yuuichi-kun, it’s not your fault. You saved me when that man tried to drag me away..."
"Still, it would be awful if Tobise-san and her siblings missed out on the fireworks. I’ll take responsibility."
"Yuuichi-kun. thank…you!"
Wow, Yuuichi looked pretty cool right there.
Well, aside from the fact that Tobise-san was now hugging him tightly from behind, he couldn’t quite hide the grin on his face.
"Maybe I should tell Tojoin-san and Fujise about this..."
"Hey, Tsukasa, don’t. Stop right there."
"Oops, did I say that out loud? Don’t worry, don’t worry, I was just joking."
"Come on, any guy would crack a smile in this situation...!"
He has a point, but if it were me, I would like to think I wouldn’t budge.
Well, if Sei-chan did the same, I wouldn’t just smile—my whole face would probably melt.
"Oh, shoot. My phone’s buzzing. It’s probably a call."
Yuuichi’s hands were full, still carrying Tobise-san, so he couldn’t reach his phone.
"Ah, I'll grab it for you."
Tobise-san offered, stretching her right arm out while still on his back and retrieving his phone from the bag he was carrying.
"Thank you."
"Should I answer it and hold it up to your ear?"
"...Yes, that would be great."
"Okay~"
With Tobise-san holding the phone, Yuuichi started speaking with Tojoin-san.
"Kaori? Sorry, I was just about to head back, but I need to ask you for a favor..."
He began explaining the situation to Tobise-san.
I couldn’t hear Tojoin-san’s side of the conversation very well, but judging by Yuuichi’s increasingly hesitant tone, it was clear she wasn’t in the best mood.
"So, do you think it would be okay if I brought Tobise-san and her three siblings along...?"
By the end, he was practically using formal language.
"I-I heard that Tobise-san knows Shimada and Tsukasa, so..."
For a moment, Yuuichi went quiet, likely because Tojoin-san was discussing things with her group on the other end.
After a bit, Yuuichi started speaking again.
"O-Of course, I’ll do that. Yeah, thank you. We’ll head over now."
With that, he ended the call and let out a deep sigh.
"Tobise-san, thanks for holding that for me."
"No problem, but how did it go?"
"I managed to get permission so we can head over."
"Really? Thanks so much, Yuuichi-kun!"
It looked like he had successfully gotten the green light, but I couldn’t help but wonder what that last part of the conversation was about. Did she set some sort of condition?
Yuuichi’s expression seemed a little pale…
In any case, the fireworks were about to start soon, so we hurried toward the building.
Once we arrived, we met up with Tobise-san’s younger siblings.
Two little brothers and a little sister, making four in total, including Tobise-san.
The sister is in fourth grade, and the twin brothers haven’t even started elementary school yet.
They are all as cute as their older sister.
"Onee-chan is getting carried!"
"I want a piggyback ride too!"
The twins are a bit rambunctious, but it's endearing in that typical kid's way.
We took them up to the top floor of the building, where we joined Tojoin-san and the others.
After some quick introductions, there was definitely an awkward vibe in the air at first.
"Wow! It’s so big and spacious!"
"We can play so much here!"
But the twins, oblivious to the tension, immediately started running around and playing, which lightened the atmosphere considerably.
"Kaori-chan, thank you so much! My little brothers are so happy!"
"It’s no problem, but Kaori-chan…?"
"Yeah, Kaori-chan, right?"
"...Well, fine."
Tojoin-san seemed a little taken aback by Tobise-san’s casual way of addressing her.
After all, if you knew anything about Tojoin-san, you would know most people would never dare call her something like that.
If I remember correctly, Tobise-san referred to her as "Kaori-chan" in the original story as well.
"Here, you're hurt, right? I’ve prepared some cold compresses and tape."
"Wow, thank you so much! I’m really in your debt!"
"...No need. Now hurry up and get off Yuuichi’s back."
Ah, so that’s why Tojoin-san seemed annoyed- because Tobise-san was still clinging to Yuuichi.
"Right, Yuuichi-kun. Thanks for carrying me."
"No problem at all."
"You’re so strong! My heart was racing the whole time. I’ll have to repay you somehow next time."
Tobise-san flashed a sweet smile, making direct eye contact with Yuuichi.
Naturally, Yuuichi’s face turned red, his heart clearly skipping a beat.
"N-No, it was nothing, really..."
"Yuuichi? What exactly are you blushing about?"
"Eek!? No, I'm not blushing, Kaori."
Yuuichi panicked as if he had been caught cheating, scrambling to explain himself.
Behind Tojoin-san, Fujise was also glaring at him with a sharp, accusing look.
"Wait, are you and Kaori-chan dating, Yuuichi-kun?"
"Yes, we’re dating."
"No, we aren't!"
"No, they aren't!"
Tojoin-san lied with such casual confidence that both Yuuichi and Fujise couldn’t help but react.
Tobise-san looked even more confused, tilting her head further.
"So, which is it?"
"Sorry, I mean, we're just getting married in the future."
"That’s not true! I’m the one who's going to marry Shigemoto-kun!"
"Hmm? So Shiho-chan likes Yuuichi-kun, too? Wow, Yuuichi-kun, you're really popular!"
Tobise-san said with a cheerful laugh, clearly enjoying the playful rivalry between Tojoin-san and Fujise.
Meanwhile, Yuuichi, caught in the middle of all this, looked utterly exhausted. Slowly, he tried to slip away and head toward me without drawing any more attention.
"Yuuichi, you look worn out. Tough crowd, huh?"
"Easy for you to say from the sidelines..."
"Exactly. Still, I’ve got to respect the guts it took to help Tobise-san and bring her here, knowing it would make Tojoin-san unhappy."
"I couldn't just let her and her siblings miss the fireworks because of me."
Yuuichi replied, glancing over at Tobise-san’s younger brothers and sister, who were now playing with Sei-chan and Rie.
"You're a good guy, Yuuichi. Even though it’s turning into a bit of a mess for you."
"I’ll take any compliment I can get right now."
"By the way, didn’t Tojoin-san give you some conditions over the phone? What was it?"
"Oh, she said she wants me to go on a date with her sometime."
"That’s it? Huh, kind of surprising."
"...Yeah, which honestly makes it scarier, doesn’t it?"
"True..."
Tojoin-san probably has something else in mind.
"Good luck, Yuuichi. Seems like you were born under a complicated star."
"I know it’s a bit of a 'luxury problem', but I wouldn’t mind being born under a calmer, more ordinary star."
Yuuichi is clearly aware of his situation of being in the middle of a love triangle with two of the most popular girls in school.
Even he admitted it was a privileged problem to have, though it was also a source of constant tension.
Not that I would want to switch places with him. After all, I have Sei-chan.
"Yuuichi! Get over here! What exactly did you do to Tobise-san!?"
"Tobise-san says Shigemoto-kun pulled her in for a close hug!"
"Hehe, it’s not a lie, though~"
From a distance, we could hear Tojoin-san and Fujise calling out for Yuuichi angrily.
Only Tobise-san seemed to be having a great time. She’s definitely enjoying this, isn’t she?
Even in the original story, she was the type to stir things up, but it looks like Yuuichi’s going to have an even harder time now.
"Good luck, bro."
"Yeah…"
Yuuichi responded, looking worn out as he trudged over to Tojoin-san and Fujise.
From behind, he looked like a middle-aged man wholly exhausted from a long day at work.
Wasn’t he supposed to be the cool, handsome protagonist in the original story?
After that, I turned and walked over to where Sei-chan and Rie were.
They had been chatting with Tobise-san’s younger siblings, but the kids had already run back over to join their sister.
Heading straight into that chaos, those kids are braver than I thought…
"Looks like you made it back just in time before the fireworks started, onii-chan."
"Yeah, just barely."
"...Tobise-san came with you too. I heard she hurt herself, so I guess it couldn’t be helped."
Sei-chan glanced over at Tobise-san, a bit of a complicated look on her face.
I remembered that once, Sei-chan had outright told her, "I don’t like you!" It wasn’t serious, but it had been in response to Tobise-san teasing her.
Still, I got the sense that Sei-chan wasn’t exactly comfortable around her.
"Her siblings are pretty adorable, though."
"Yeah, they seem like really sweet kids."
"The twins are definitely at that rebellious age, but even that’s cute."
Sei-chan watched the kids playing around Tobise-san, her expression softening into a gentle smile.
"You really like children, huh, Sei-chan?"
"I guess so. I hadn’t thought much about it before, but I do seem to like them."
The way Sei-chan gazed at the children was filled with warmth.
It was nice seeing this tender side of her.
"What about you, Tsukasa? Do you like kids?"
"Me? Yeah, I guess I do. I think I would be happy to have kids of my own one day."
It's not something I would think about deeply, but I guess I'll be glad to have them.
Standing side by side with Sei-chan, we both looked over at Tobise-san and her siblings.
"...Yeah, I hadn’t really thought about it much either, but seeing Tobise-san’s siblings makes me think I might want kids, too."
"Mm-hmm, it’s nice to have siblings like that, too."
"Yeah, I would want at least two kids if possible...ah!"
Sei-chan suddenly stopped mid-sentence. I glanced over at her, and her face had turned bright red.
"Sei-chan? What’s wrong?"
"N-No, it’s nothing…!"
"You don’t look like it’s nothing."
"I-I said it’s nothing!"
She insisted, her face still flushed, as she scooted a little further away from me, hiding shyly behind Rie.
"Uh, Sei-san, could you please not use me as a shield?"
"J-Just for a little bit. Please."
"Well, fine, but did you just realize you were talking about having kids after marrying my brother?"
"D-Don’t say it out loud!"
I couldn’t hear their conversation, but whatever they were discussing had Sei-chan blushing so hard it looked like she might catch fire.
What is she getting so embarrassed about?
As I pondered that, a loud boom echoed through the air, followed by a brilliant burst of light in the night sky.
The fireworks have started.
It was the first time I’d seen fireworks this close, and the sound reverberated through my chest.
The colors exploded in the clear night sky, filling it with beautiful flowers of light.
Watching from the rooftop, we were so close that it felt like we could almost reach out and touch them.
I found myself speechless, staring up at the overwhelming beauty and intensity of the fireworks.
"Wow, amazing!"
"They are so big!"
I heard Tobise-san’s twin brothers shout in awe, their voices full of excitement.
Their enthusiasm brought a smile to my face, and I turned to see Sei-chan and Rie reacting as well.
"This is my first time seeing fireworks this close. They are so beautiful."
"Yeah, same here. It's stunning…"
Standing next to Sei-chan, I continued gazing up at the fireworks lighting up the sky.
It wasn’t so much looking up as turning to the side- they were that close.
"It’s...incredible. I don’t even know what to say."
"Yes, me neither."
"Same."
For a while, we just stood there silently, gazing at the flowers blooming in the night sky.
The scent of gunpowder and smoke hung in the air, and the sound of the fireworks reverberated through our bodies. Being this close, it wasn’t just our eyes. It felt like all our senses were taking in the fireworks.
It's really incredible.
As we watched, I heard the sound of the kids getting rowdy again behind us.
Glancing over, I saw Tobise-san's twin brothers making a fuss.
It seemed they had already lost interest in the fireworks and were now focused on eating and playing.
Yuuichi was keeping them company, though it looked more like he was just eating along with them.
No, knowing him, he probably wanted to eat more than anything else.
Fujise was sitting with them, too, happily chatting with Tobise-san's younger sister while munching on her food.
Next to them, Tobise-san and Tojoin-san seemed to be in the middle of a conversation, though I couldn’t tell if it was a peaceful one…
They were gathered near the entrance to the terrace, a bit of a distance away from us.
"Looks like they're enjoying themselves over there."
"Yeah, mostly thanks to the food, though."
"Hehe, true enough."
"I think I’ll grab another chocolate banana."
"...Rie, can you stop eating so much?"
"I’ll be fine! It’s just for today."
That’s not exactly the correct response to ‘don’t overeat’, but I suppose it’s okay.
I was tempted to warn her about gaining weight, but Rie's already pretty slim, so I doubted it would be an issue.
Before heading off, Rie leaned in and whispered something to Sei-chan.
"Sei-san, maybe you should talk to onii-chan alone about that conversation from earlier?"
"Yeah, you're right..."
"The area over there by the plants isn’t visible from the entrance, it would be a good spot for just the two of you."
"...I see. Thank you, Rie."
"No problem! I just thought if you two want to, you know, get cozy, it’s better to be alone."
"W-We’re not going off to be cozy! We’re just going to talk..."
"Well, you are a couple, so it wouldn’t be so bad to watch the fireworks together, just the two of you."
"...Yeah, that’s true."
"...You know, Sei-san, you’re more of a romantic than I thought."
"K-Knock it off, Rie, stop teasing me..."
"Hehe, sorry, Sei-onee-chan."
"And don’t ever call me that in front of Tsukasa...!"
"I know. I know. It would make you too self-conscious, right?"
"S-Shut up. Just go eat your chocolate banana already."
The two of them seemed to be enjoying their conversation, and Rie cheerfully headed over to the seats near the entrance.
"What were you two talking about?"
"N-Nothing in particular, really..."
"Really?"
Her blush told me something was definitely going on, probably more teasing from Rie.
But seeing Sei-chan and Rie getting along so well made me happy.
Ever since that time when I left them alone together at home due to my temporary job, they had grown really close. It was good to see.
"So, Tsukasa, I need to talk to you."
"Hm? About what?"
"Can we...talk somewhere more private?"
She gestured toward a quieter spot, away from everyone, surrounded by potted plants.
"Of course. Let's go."
"T-Thank you."
We stopped at the far edge of the terrace.
Normally, the view would’ve been blocked by the walls, but since this place was all glass, we had an unobstructed view of the fireworks.
In fact, being this close, it felt even more intense than from where we were before.
"The fireworks are magnificent."
"Yeah, they are. I’ve never seen them this close before. It's gorgeous."
"I didn’t expect to see them like this. We should thank Tojoin-san for this."
"Yeah, definitely. I’m actually really grateful to her for this."
For a while, we just stood there watching the fireworks, surrounded by plants and with the dazzling light show blooming right in front of us.
It felt like we were in a different world, just the two of us.
Sei-chan, in her yukata, is looking more beautiful than ever.
My heart is racing faster than usual.
I wonder if she is feeling the same way.
I glanced over at her, and at the same moment, she turned to look at me. Our eyes met, and for a brief second, it felt like time had stopped.
After we exchanged surprised glances, we both smiled at each other as if we’d come to a mutual understanding.
That simple connection made me really happy.
At that moment, I gently took Sei-chan’s hand.
Despite it being such a special day, a fireworks festival, we hadn’t really held hands until now.
With Rie around earlier, we couldn’t exactly act like a couple.
"............"
Sei-chan tensed for just a second but then quickly squeezed my hand back.
We stood there, hand in hand, watching the fireworks.
And just that simple gesture made me feel incredibly happy.
"...I did say I wanted to talk. Would you listen?"
"Of course. What is it?"
"Earlier, we ran into Satou-san and Itou-san from class, remember?"
"Yeah, that was a close call. It made me nervous."
It had been a bit tricky to come up with an excuse, especially since Rie wasn’t around at that moment to help.
"You kept our relationship a secret, just like we agreed, and I appreciate that, but…"
Sei-chan paused, her voice unsure. She looked up at me, gathering her courage to speak.
"I realized...I don’t like hiding our relationship."
"Eh?"
She doesn’t like hiding it?
…Wait, but isn't she the one who wants to keep it a secret?
"I thought you wanted to keep it under wraps?"
"I did, and I know it sounds contradictory, but...can I explain?"
"Yes."
Sei-chan told me that while I had been off with Yuuichi, she had talked to Fujise and the others about her feelings.
Through that conversation, she realized that she still wanted to keep our relationship private, but she didn’t want to hide it actively.
I see. Keeping something private and intentionally hiding it are two very different things.
"I started feeling like...having to lie and hide our relationship made it seem like it was something we should be ashamed of..."
"I see…"
I had lied to Satou-san and Itou-san to cover up our relationship before.
"Shimada and I aren't going out."
It was a blatant lie, and I felt a little uneasy when I said it.
Now, I realized that maybe I felt the same way as Sei-chan. Perhaps I didn’t like hiding our relationship either.
"I'm sorry for insisting that we keep our relationship a secret."
"No, it's fine. I also felt a bit awkward trying to hide it."
"In that case, from now on, I don't want to hide it anymore if someone asks about us. What do you think?"
"I don't mind at all."
Honestly, I never had a strong desire to keep it secret in the first place, and this time it made me feel guilty.
"Thank you. I'm sorry for changing my mind after I was the one who wanted to keep it a secret. It feels like I'm just being selfish."
"Don't worry about it. Both requests are pretty cute, actually."
"C-Cute?"
"Wanting to keep it a secret was because you wanted to keep your 'treasure' all to yourself, right?"
"Y-Yeah, I guess so."
"And wanting to stop hiding means you want to show off our relationship, right?"
"Wha!? I-I'm not trying to show off! I just don’t like hiding it...!"
"Is that so? I would love to show it off, though. Like, 'Hey everyone, look at my super cute girlfriend!' I would shout it to the whole world if I could."
"T-The whole world? That's a bit of an exaggeration..."
Sei-chan looks slightly embarrassed but also smiles, a bit exasperated.
But to me, it’s not exaggerated at all- it’s just the truth.
"So you really don’t have to feel bad, Sei-chan."
"...I see. Thanks, Tsukasa."
Sei-chan's eyes softened as she smiled sweetly.
Honestly, requests like this are no problem at all.
"But showing off at school might be a little tricky...especially with Yuuichi around. Will it be okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"I’m sure the guys will get jealous. I mean, even now, just having lunch with Yuuichi, Tojoin-san, Fujise, and you is enough to make some guys jealous."
One of my classmates even once said, "Must be nice for you. Just being Yuuichi’s best friend means you get to eat with those beauties."
Well, he’s not wrong, and there’s no denying it.
The only reason it hasn’t turned into something bigger is because Tojoin-san and Fujise both like Yuuichi, so people see Sei-chan and me as just tagging along.
"If they find out you and I are dating, those guys' stares are going to burn. I hope having Yuuichi around helps take some of that heat off..."
"...Are you really okay with this? If it’s too hard for you, I think we can still keep our relationship a secret."
"Oh, no, it’s fine."
I’ve made Sei-chan worry about me.
"Sure, dealing with the guys' stares might be a hassle, but the happiness of being with you far outweighs that."
"I-I see..."
"I mean, I get to be with the girl I love most in the world and show that off. I'm honestly so lucky."
I genuinely feel like no one could be luckier than me. If I can have this happiness, I’ll gladly endure any jealous glares.
"...I...I feel the same."
"Hm?"
"Since I started dating you, I've been having so much fun...and I think you're an amazing boyfriend, too."
"Sei-chan..."
Sei-chan, who rarely says things like this, confessed her feelings with a bright red face.
I was so surprised that I found myself staring at her.
"D-Don’t look at me so much..."
But instead of pulling away, she moved even closer to me as if to hide her face.
We held hands, and now her body was pressing against my right side. Her head was resting on my shoulder.
I never expected her to come this close on her own, and my heart was pounding so loud it was hard to think straight.
With her face hidden, I turned my gaze forward, watching the fireworks still going off in the sky.
Loud explosions echoed through the night, painting colorful flowers across the sky.
Every time the fireworks boomed, it felt like Sei-chan’s body gently shook against mine, and my heartbeat was racing just as fast as the explosions.
The fireworks continued for a while, but then there was a brief pause.
The loud noise that had filled the air suddenly vanished, leaving an almost eerie quiet.
If I listened closely, I could hear the faint voices of people chatting over by the terrace entrance.
But right here, it's just Sei-chan and me alone together.
I glanced down at Sei-chan, resting her head on my shoulder.
Once again, our eyes met.
The distance between us had shrunk so close that I could see Sei-chan’s long, beautiful eyelashes.
"............"
I heard her gasp softly.
Her flushed cheeks and the warmth radiating from her skin told me she was just as nervous as I was.
Her big, beautiful eyes seemed to glisten, slightly trembling.
I've experienced this feeling before…
It was just like the time at Tojoin-san’s house when we had that cooking class for Fujise, and I ended up alone with Sei-chan.
That same tension, that same atmosphere, was this another one of those moments…?
I didn’t know how to react the first time, and now, even the second time, I'm not any more prepared. In fact, my nerves are even more intense now.
I had to calm myself. I broke eye contact with Sei-chan for a moment.
If I kept staring into her eyes, I wouldn’t be able to think straight.
Just as I took a deep breath to steady myself, another firework exploded in the sky, lighting up the space around us.
I thought the fireworks might help me regain some composure, but then…
"-going to?"
“Huh...?”
The sound of the fireworks almost swallowed her tiny voice, but the following words reached my ears more clearly.
"So you're not going to?"
Her voice, soft and almost fading, yet rich and alluring, echoed in my mind.
It sent a shiver down my spine, making my heart race.
My eyes locked onto hers again- her tear-brightened eyes, her flushed cheeks, and her perfect, red lips.
Before I knew it, I was standing directly in front of her, my hands gently reaching around her neck.
Sei-chan gazed up at me with those mesmerizing eyes, her gaze almost pleading.
Then, she closed her eyes.
Her head tilted up slightly, waiting for me.
With her in my arms, I leaned in, closing my eyes as well.
…And then, our lips met.
"Mm…"
Her soft, warm lips pressed against mine, and I heard a delicate sigh escape from her.
The sensation of her lips, the warmth of her body as I held her, all of it wrapped me in a moment of pure intimacy.
The sensations were overwhelming- my heart raced, and heat spread through my body.
I could feel Sei-chan's warmth, too, as if we were sharing the same heat, exchanging it between us.
Even though the fireworks were still going off, their sound faded into the background, drowned out by the intensity of the moment.
I had no sense of time. Seconds, maybe even minutes passed, but I couldn’t tell.
Eventually, I slowly pulled back, breaking the kiss.
When I opened my eyes, there was Sei-chan, her face even redder than before, and I was sure mine was the same.
My breathing was a little heavy- I hadn’t realized how nervous I was, and I must have held my breath.
Sei-chan was also breathing a little harder, her shoulders rising and falling as she looked at me.
Our eyes met again, locking in that shared, intimate silence.
I couldn’t let the quiet stretch on too long. It would just get awkward. I had to say something.
"Ah…"
My voice cracked, my throat dry from the nerves. I swallowed hard and managed to speak.
"...Uh, thank you, Sei-chan."
"...F-For what?"
"For giving me a push... again, I guess."
"...I-I wasn't really trying to."
She mumbled, turning her gaze away.
Despite her embarrassment, I was still holding her close, so there was little distance between us.
My hand rested on her waist, and I couldn’t help but notice how incredibly slender she was.
She felt so delicate that I worried if I hugged her any tighter, she might break.
But at the same time, she was so soft and...well, just too cute for words. It was overwhelming.
I felt like I might lose myself if I held her any longer.
But at the same time, I couldn’t bring myself to let go.
"...Tsukasa, when are you going to let go?"
"S-Sorry, can I hold on just a little longer?"
"...Fine, but isn't this position kind of awkward?"
She had a point. There was still some space between us, and it felt like I was hesitating, unsure if I should hug her properly or not.
My hands around her waist and back weren’t gripping tightly at all.
"This is as much as I can handle..."
"Why the formal tone...? You can't be helped."
Then, she closed the remaining gap between us.
She wrapped her arms around my back and hugged me tightly, pressing herself closer.
"W-Wait, Sei-chan…!"
Sei-chan clung to me, resting her head on my shoulder, bringing our faces close enough that our cheeks almost touched.
“Why are you getting nervous now...? We just did something more intimate than this, didn’t we?”
She whispered in my ear with an adorable voice, but I really wish she wouldn’t say such provocative things...!
Her yukata is thin, so I can feel the warmth and softness of her body directly against me.
It’s super embarrassing, and my heart won’t stop pounding, but I don’t want to pull away…
“O-Of course I am. But right now, I’m too embarrassed to even let you see my face.”
“Yeah, me too, but...how about we just let go and look away from each other?”
“...That would be lonely, though.”
Please, Sei-chan, stop saying such ridiculously cute things while clinging to me like this!
Ugh, my head is starting to spin.
Normally, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was already getting a nosebleed by now, but I have to hold back today.
If we stay this close, I might get blood on Sei-chan- and on top of that, this is a rented yukata, so that’s definitely a no-go.
“So, um, when are you planning to let go?”
“...Do you want me to let go, Tsukasa?”
“No, actually, I would be happy to stay like this forever, even take this all the way to the grave with you.”
“W-What are you saying, idiot...!”
Sei-chan, please don’t squeeze me even tighter out of embarrassment…!
I’m seriously reaching my limit here, and just as I was about to push her away by her shoulders gently…
“Ahh! They are sticking together!”
"They are hugging!"
Suddenly, we froze and quickly pulled away, turning toward the source of the voices.
There, pointing straight at us, were Tobise-san’s mischievous twin brothers.
“Were you two playing hide-and-seek here?”
“They were hiding together and hugging!”
The rowdy boys kept shouting and giggling, their voices loud enough to reach the entrance of the terrace, where others started to gather.
“Wait, were Sei-chan and Hisamura-kun hugging?”
"Ara, ara, we couldn’t see you two, but it seems you’ve been acting quite like a couple, haven’t you?”
“Well, I already knew you two were alone together.”
"Woah, how nice. This must be youth."
The girls gathered around us, each wearing a mischievous grin.
Behind them, I could see Yuuichi still happily eating his shaved ice.
Sei-chan and I had already pulled apart, but it didn’t seem like we would be able to talk our way out of this one.
"D-Damn you all…"
Sei-chan was trembling, her face bright red as she glared at everyone.
Usually, she would be furious by now and disperse the teasing atmosphere with her anger.
“W-Well, it’s fine, isn’t it? Tsukasa and I are lovers, after all.”
Still blushing, Sei-chan boldly clung to my arm as she made that declaration.
Not only me, but everyone else in the group was left wide-eyed in shock.
“S-Sei-chan...?”
“There’s no need for you to be embarrassed either, Tsukasa, right…?”
“Uh, Sei-chan, your voice is shaking from embarrassment though.”
“S-Shut up! I’m still not used to this yet, okay!?”
It seemed Sei-chan had decided she wasn’t going to hide anymore and was trying to act confidently.
But clearly, she couldn’t suppress her embarrassment entirely.
“...Sei-chan actually said something like that. It’s super cute, but it feels like my best friend is slipping further away from me…”
“I’m the one who left them alone, but I didn’t expect things to go this far...”
Fujise had a complicated expression on her face, while Rie was looking quite surprised as well.
Wait, so it was Rie who gave us the chance to be alone? Now that I think about it, she did wander off to buy a chocolate banana.
That was a pretty awesome move. I’ll definitely treat her to a chocolate banana next time to show my thanks.
“Looks like Shimada-san’s finally let go of her reservations. Honestly, it was frustrating to watch, so this is for the best.”
“Hey, Tojoin-san, why do you sound like you’re talking down to me?”
"What was that?"
“I have a boyfriend. Meanwhile, you like someone, but you haven’t managed to become their girlfriend yet. So, I wonder who's really in a better position…?"
Sei-chan, still clinging to my arm, smirked as she said this in a teasing tone.
Though, with her cheeks still red, it didn’t come off as quite the taunt she was aiming for. It was adorable, though.
"Tck, to think you out of all people managed to one-up me like that…!"
Tojoin-san glared at Sei-chan, her face full of frustration.
“Fine, go ahead and enjoy yourself while you can. I’ll be dating Yuuichi soon enough.”
I didn’t expect Tojoin-san to be so easily provoked!
Tojoin-san, looking furious, turned to face Yuuichi, who was still eating his shaved ice.
He froze in place, spoon in mid-air.
"Yuuichi, start dating me right now!"
“Hold on, Tojoin-san! I’m going to date Shigemoto-kun!”
Fujise couldn’t stay quiet any longer and joined the fray.
They were getting along just moments ago, but now, Fujise and Tojoin-san exchanged glares for a brief moment.
"So, who will you choose, Yuuichi?"
“Shigemoto-kun, you’ll obviously choose me, right?”
“Uh, well, I...I think I need a bit more time to think...”
Yuuichi, clearly overwhelmed, muttered in a small voice.
“That’s okay, Yuuichi. Don’t worry about Fujise-san. Whenever you’re picking someone, someone else will inevitably get hurt.”
“That’s right, Shigemoto-kun. It might be tough to reject your childhood friend, but it’s something you’ll have to do eventually.”
“Ara? Didn’t I mention before that Yuuichi prefers women with bigger breasts? There’s no way he’ll choose you.”
“Wow, Tojoin-san, so you think you’ll be picked just because of that? There are other important things like overall appearance and personality, you know.”
Fujise and Tojoin-san exchanged smiling insults, though their eyes definitely weren’t smiling.
It was tense...and a bit scary. Meanwhile, Yuuichi was trying to sneak away unnoticed.
“Huh, so Yuuichi-kun likes women with big breasts, huh?”
“W-What? Uh, well, I’m not so sure about that...”
For some reason, Tobise-san, who hadn’t missed yuuichi’s escape attempt, flashed a playful smile and chimed in.
“When you carried me earlier, you seemed pretty happy when my chest pressed against you!”
“H-Hey, Tobise-san, that’s not...!”
“What was that?”
“Shigemoto-kun, is what she said true?”
The moment Tobise-san’s words came out, Fujise and Tojoin-san, who had been arguing with each other, instantly turned on Yuuichi, demanding answers.
Sweating nervously, Yuuichi began backing away.
“Well, uh, that’s, I mean...”
He glanced over at me as if looking for help, but...sorry, there’s no saving you from this one, man.
Also, I had a feeling Tobise-san was just teasing him, but it seemed she really noticed Yuuichi enjoying himself a little too much.
“Ehehe, looks like things are getting fun over there.”
“Tobise-san, you’re quite the mischievous one, aren’t you…?”
"Aw, Sei-chan, that’s mean. I only said it to protect you and Tsukasa-kun."
It’s true. Tobise-san’s little distraction had entirely derailed the teasing about us being all over each other.
But, honestly, I think the mood had already shifted when Sei-chan provoked Tojoin-san earlier.
"But it wasn’t just hugging, right, Sei-chan and Tsukasa-kun?"
"W-We were just hugging. That's…all…"
Sei-chan averted her eyes, clearly trying to dodge the subject. But then, Tobise-san glanced at me and gave a sly smile.
“Hehe, but I see some lipstick on Tsukasa-kun’s lips. I wonder whose it could be?”
“Wha!? Huh...!?”
Sei-chan turned to me in shock. I instinctively reached up to touch my lips, but…
"Ahaha, just kidding! I don’t see anything.”
Tobise-san laughed, her voice light and playful.
Both Sei-chan and I froze, staring at her in disbelief.
“It’s dark out here, after all. I couldn’t see anything, even if there was. You’re fine.”
“T-Tobise-san, you...!”
“But your reactions...hehe, they’re perfect. Ah, youth is so sweet!”
Tobise-san gave us her brightest smile of the day.
We've been bamboozled!
I sighed while Sei-chan’s face flushed red as she trembled with embarrassment.
“Grr...! Tobise-san, I really can’t stand you, after all!”
“Ehehe, but I love you, Sei-chan!”
Tobise-san made a playful move to hug Sei-chan, but this time, Sei-chan was ready, smoothly dodging and slipping behind me.
“Aww, she got away.”
"I don't know why you keep trying to hug me, but for the record, I really don’t like it.”
“Hehe, but when someone’s this cute, don’t you just feel like hugging them?”
I have no idea what’s going on here, but could they at least stop using me as the buffer in their conversation?
*
Before we knew it, the fireworks had finished. The festival was over.
It seemed like the only ones who actually watched the fireworks until the end were Rie and Tobise-san’s younger sister.
Then again, Rie was also still holding that chocolate banana and munching on it the whole time.
I might have missed the grand finale of the fireworks, but honestly, today was one of the best nights ever.
…I felt genuinely happy.
Epilogue
The fireworks festival ended, and before I knew it, Monday had arrived.
Just like always, another typical week was about to begin...or so I thought. But there was one thing that had changed.
Starting today, I would be walking to school with Sei-chan every morning.
“Sei-chan, are you really okay with this?”
I glanced at Sei-chan, who was walking beside me in her school uniform.
She looked stunning in her yukata the other day, but her uniform is just as cute.
“Yeah, I’ve decided not to keep our relationship a secret anymore. There’s no problem with us walking to school together every day.”
“That’s true. Honestly, I’ve always wanted to walk with you like this, so I’m happy.”
"R-Really…"
Sei-chan looked away, a bit embarrassed.
She’s still shy about these things, and that just makes her all the more adorable.
“Do you want to ride on the back of my bike to school?”
“That would be easier, but walking gives us more time to be together.”
"S-Sei-chan…!"
Her words hit me right in the heart. I was so moved.
Sei-chan seemed to realize she had said something embarrassing, and, as expected, she looked away.
“C-Come on, let’s go. It would be stupid if we were late because of this.”
She started walking ahead of me, but not before grabbing my hand and pulling me along.
My heart skipped a beat, but I squeezed her hand back as we walked side by side.
“Yeah, let’s go together.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Hand in hand, we made our way toward school.
Just before we arrived, when more students started showing up, we let go of each other’s hands.
Sei-chan said that walking in front of everyone with our hands clasped like that was too embarrassing.
But even though we weren’t holding hands, the distance between us was much closer than it used to be.
Before, we’d keep a bit of space between us so no one would notice, but now, we were close enough that I could easily reach out and take her hand again.
Knowing that we didn’t have to hide anymore made me incredibly happy.
After changing into our indoor shoes at the entrance, we walked into the classroom together.
The moment we entered, I could tell the atmosphere in the room was...different.
It felt like the air had shifted somehow. I had walked into class with Sei-chan before, but we had never gotten this much attention. What's going on…?
"Hisamura!"
“Hey, you! Yeah, you!”
"H-Huh? W-What's up…?"
A group of boys immediately surrounded me, all of them glaring at me with intimidating expressions.
“We heard that at the fireworks festival, you were on a double date with Shimada-san and another beautiful girl holding a chocolate banana! You were walking around with both of them!”
“Everyone’s saying it was you! And who’s the other girl? People saw you at different times, but they all said she was holding a chocolate banana!”
“I saw it too! It was definitely you, Hisamura! So, what’s the deal?! Explain yourself!”
"Ahh, uh, well…"
I didn’t expect our trip to the fireworks festival to have already been found out.
And wait, they are talking about Rie, right?
I didn’t realize she was being seen that way.
Now, I’m getting swarmed by my classmates. I’m about to get crushed under this pressure…
“T-The girl with the chocolate banana was my little sister, Rie.”
“You have a little sister?! And she’s that much of a beauty?!”
"Seriously!? Please introduce her to us, onii-sama!"
"I'll punch you."
Like I would ever introduce my cute little sister to these guys.
I would rather introduce her to Yuuichi, but there’s practically zero chance that she and Yuuichi would end up together anyway.
That’s why, at the festival, when those guys tried to hit on her, I stepped in and helped out. In the original story, Yuuichi was supposed to be the one who saved her, which was how she fell for him, but I took care of it instead.
“Hey, guys, you’re making Shimada-san and Hisamura-kun uncomfortable.”
“They are just friends. Shimada-san is close with his sister, but she’s not dating Hisamura-kun.”
Satou-san and Itou-san, the girls we met at the fireworks festival, chimed in to help me out. They were throwing me a lifeline here.
“Oh, so that’s how it is? Well, in that case, I feel better now.”
“Though it’s still pretty enviable, walking around with two beauties like that.”
Thanks to their intervention, the mood in the classroom began to settle, and the boys started to calm down.
If things continued this way, Sei-chan and I could probably avoid saying anything and let it blow over…
"I'm sorry, Satou-san, Itou-san."
Sei-chan spoke up suddenly.
Both girls tilted their heads in confusion, not understanding why she was apologizing.
Then Sei-chan leaned into me, resting her weight against my side-
"I lied. Tsukasa and I…are dating."
She wrapped her arms around mine and boldly declared it to the room.
I was so shocked that my eyes went wide.
But even more surprised were the two girls who had just tried to help us.
And then, of course, the guys who had been grilling me earlier.
"E-Eh!? Seriously!?"
“I had a feeling, but...you’re really dating?!”
“Hisamura! You sneaky bastard! You’ve been secretly dating Shimada-san this whole time while hiding behind Shigemoto?!”
"The Shimada-san who's on the top of this school's Hidden Beauty Rankings!?"
"You traitor!"
Absolute chaos. Both the guys and the girls were freaking out.
Wait, hold up. Is that even a real ranking?
I had never heard of it before. And ‘hidden beauty’?
What’s that supposed to mean? It sounds like she’s only ranked high because she’s been keeping a low profile.
That’s ridiculous! In my book, Sei-chan is number one in the World’s Most Beautiful Rankings, hands down.
...But I should probably save those thoughts for later.
“I didn’t think you’d make such a bold announcement, Sei-chan.”
I whispered to Sei-chan, who was still holding onto my arm.
The classroom was so noisy that no one would hear us if we kept our voices low.
“Sorry for not consulting you first.”
“...It’s fine, I think? I mean, is it really fine?”
“I didn’t expect it to cause this much of an uproar, either...”
“But it seems like you’re actually having fun, Sei-chan.”
Despite the pandemonium, Sei-chan was smiling just a little.
“Heh, well, if I was going to announce it, I wanted it to be a bit of a spectacle.”
"Really?"
"Yeah."
She looked up at me, leaning in close to whisper in my ear.
“I’m revealing my most precious treasure. It deserves this kind of reaction, don’t you think?”
"...!"
Her words sent my heart racing, and I stared at her in surprise.
Sei-chan blushed, averting her eyes for a moment.
But then she looked back at me, flashing the cutest smile, her lips curling into a soft, shy grin.
From here on, my school life is probably going to get a lot more chaotic and intense.
But as long as Sei-chan, my number one, most precious person in the world, is my girlfriend…
There's no doubt I'll be happier than ever.
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