Volume 1 - CH 7

Chapter 7 - Fireworks

The afternoon of the fireworks.

The five of us, all wearing yukata, gathered at the station closest to the school.

The boys wore black, blue, or plain colors that were not too bright, while the girls wore colorful yukatas.

Asagiri-san wore a yellow yukata, and Narushima-san wore a pink one. They also tucked a fan into their obi, and it looked good. This is what summer in Japan looks like. It feels very peaceful.

"Hey guys and girls, if you see a girl wearing a yukata and you don't make an impression, it's rude."

"The thing is, we bought it together yesterday..."

Seiran gave that annoying answer after Asagiri-san said confidently.

"But it's also part of the manners to say your impression..."

"Ah. Well, I see. You two are very compatible in that regard."

"Ufufu, that's what she said. Thank goodness then, right Yoru?"

The shaken Narushima-san just mumbled: "Yes...". But she was actually very happy.

"Then what about Koga-kun and Tanaka-kun? It looks like you haven't given your impressions yet."

She stared with fiery eyes. I can't stand this...

"Yahh, you guys are very compatible, aren't you?"

Then I threw it at Shintarou,

"Umu umu. Asagiri-san, who's always cheerful, goes well with yellow, and I think Narushima-san is very cute in a pink yukata. Your choices are okay, too. Once again, you guys are amazing."

He gave a very polite compliment, like an expert culinary reporter.

"Yes. Tanaka-kun won. And Koga-kun, please repeat."

"Why?"

"Because you're saying the same thing as Seiran-kun, and it's so boring. Right, Yoru?"

"Ahaha, that's right... Koga-kun, please do it again."

"Let's get on the train quickly."

These two girls wouldn't move an inch from the ticket counter until they were satisfied.

A large river that cuts through the city will be the site of the fireworks festival.

The fireworks masters board a boat in the middle of the river and set off beautiful fireworks from there.

On the banks of the river, there are tons of stalls lined up and crowds of spectators and customers waiting for the fireworks.

The five of us were also in the crowd, casually wandering between the stalls.

Stalls selling cotton candy, goldfish scoop, apple candy, bracelet toss game, shaved ice, cold cucumber, and others.

There were all kinds here, but I was already an expert in the category of just looking around.

You see, every stall would have a festival price, and it's really expensive.

For example, look at that Coke over there, it's only the size of a regular can, but it costs 300 yen. In that case, it's best to run to the nearest convenience store and buy it there.

"Huh? Where are Seiran and Narushima-san?"

Suddenly, such a question came out of Shintarou's mouth.

I looked around, the two seemed to have disappeared before I noticed. And there was only Shintarou and Asagiri-san next to me.

It seems like they got separated in the crowd──wait, that can't be right.

The problem is that this is Narushima-san. It's possible that she said something to lead Seiran somewhere.

"Duh... Where are they going anyway? I told you we'd travel together..."

Her tone was slightly different, Shintarou was not usually like that.

"Yeah, what can I do, right?"

Me and Shintarou understood what Asagiri-san's "what's the big deal, right?" meant.

"Don't try to interfere. Because it's really unavoidable.

"Hey, look around! There's a shooting gallery over there! I like that~"

Asagiri-san got excited and shouted for joy when she found the shooting stall.

"Hey, let's go there! I want to try it!"

With a big smile on her face, she patted me and Shintarou on the back and led us to the shooting range.

She was as excited as usual, but it could have been that she wanted to get me excited about something else.

Perhaps my thoughts were the same as Shintarou's, she wanted to restore our joy.

"Oh yes, Asagiri-san, did you know? The gunshots we heard in that movie were just fake gunshots made with sound effects. Even if we used real ones, they wouldn't be as good as what you saw on screen."

"Really? I didn't know that, even though I watch a lot of movies. So what is the real sound?"

Asagiri-san gave the shooting stall keeper some change, and then took the toy gun the stall keeper gave him.

"If it's like a shock wave, it seems great. From what I've heard, the sound is heavy and very loud, and it makes your eardrums vibrate and feels like it's filling your ears."

"Oh, is that so? That must be it."

Asagiri muttered with a troubled look on his face, rolling up his yukata sleeves and taking aim with his toy gun.

"A gun that makes such a loud noise to aim at someone's life, I think it's pathetic. If it's like that, I don't want to hear the original."

Asagiri-san can really say something like that.

Even though she's just a kid who looks like an adult, when she's with us, she always has fun with us like a kid.

But sometimes, as a freshman in high school, she says things that I can't understand.

Then, at that moment, she makes an expression like a very bored adult woman.

That's why I can't understand the strange feeling Asagiri-san has───.

Click...

The crisp sound of the gun Asagiri-san was holding was heard.

It wasn't the scream of an assassin, but just a sound mixed with the lively summer.

"Yay, I hit it with one shot. This is rare luck!"

Asagiri-san pointed at the candy she hit, and she danced around like a child.

And at that moment, the image of the bored adult woman disappeared without a trace. I smiled reflexively.

"That's good, Asagiri-san. I want you to show it to Narushima-san and Seiran as well."

"Huh! Then we'll have to come here again sometime!"

"Yes! Shall the five of us go to the next festival again? Uh, no, wait a minute. If we want to surprise them, we can save it until the shrine visit at the beginning of the year. I guess so.

My words stopped there.

We may not be together during the shrine visit at the beginning of the year.

Because after this summer is over, I'm sure───

"Wat's up?"

"A-ah, it's fine. Ahaha. By the way, where did Seiran and Narushima-san go?"

The thought of someone leaving this group crossed my mind, so I hastily corrected my sentence.

"Hey. I've been thinking about that for a long time."

Asagiri-san laughed softly, pretending to load a rifle bullet.

"That Koga-kun, he really likes to make a stupid fuss with everyone, huh. Besides, you're the type who doesn't care about gender and treats everyone as friends. I didn't expect someone like that to exist."

She aimed at one of the targets from where she was standing, and there was another "ctakk" sound as she hit the candy a second time.

"Is that so? ...But Asagiri-san is like that, too."

"You. But I think Koga-kun is the one who has that feeling more than anyone else. You could say that the feeling of "Let's make a fuss together anyway" is strongly conveyed by you. Is the trait of a leader instilled in him? And I think that's a good thing."

Even while talking, Asagiri-san hit the mark again. She's really good...

"A-ahaha, but I wasn't like that before... At least, I wasn't the leader."

I shook my head shyly.

When I was with Kazumichi and Megumi, I used to brag like that too, but I was more reserved.

And that changed when I broke up with them.

At that time, I thought I had really lost all my friends. How unlucky I was.

But it turned out that Shintarou came back to me. Then I made a new friend named Seiran.

From the bottom of my heart, I really felt saved.

Still, that's humanity, and I realized that they would definitely go their separate ways one day. I finally decided to make as many memories as possible with my precious friends.

Memories of the beautiful stupidity and also the best dark history.

In order to make as many good memories as possible, I decided to be the loudest person of all.

Then, what started with just three people here, eventually grew to five.

And in that moment, gender didn't matter. Because everyone here was my friend.

"That's right. Since that happened, I have made new friends..."

I was just talking to myself then.

"What do you mean, 'that thing'?"

This seemed to reach Asagiri-san's ears, and she stopped shooting and looked at me.

...Well, it looks like I don't have to hide it.

Since she's my friend, I wanted her to hear it.

I started to tell Asagiri-san about what happened to me in middle school, including Kazumichi and Megumi.

The three of us walked in the flickering light of the kiosk and I told her everything.

The me that liked Megumi, the me that was super stupid, fat and shameless, I told her everything.

Although Shintarou and Asagiri-san both listened silently to my story, they looked in different directions. Shintarou always looked down, and Asagiri-san always looked at me.

"That's how it is... There's a couple in the group..."

"Yes. After that, the four of us who used to play together were separated. From then on, I always thought of making a stupid fuss with the friends I had."

Asagiri-san, who was holding the strap of her purse, offered the gift of ramune she had gotten from the shooting stand earlier.

TL/N: Ramune (ラムネ) is a type of carbonated drink (Wikipedia).

"Do you want some?"

I politely declined, and she continued to put the ramune in her mouth.

"Hmmm... This is a rather complicated matter. When two people in a group start dating, things definitely won't be the same. But judging from how close they were, it's understandable that they eventually fell in love."

"Ah, I'll tell you what, I don't want to stop you guys if that happens, okay? Because falling in love is a natural thing. The same goes for Shintarou and Asagiri-san. Wouldn't it be nice if we all had boyfriend?"

To fall in love is a natural thing. And no one has the right to give it up just because the person they like is in the same group.

So when it happens, it is inevitable because it is a natural thing.

It's just that I don't want to go out with anyone. Especially with someone from the group.

"Falling in love is natural... isn't it?"

Shintarou, who finally spoke after a long silence, muttered with a bright look.

Then she smiled at me.

"Then, if I fall in love with someone, I will definitely tell Junya!"

"Eh, what's that, Shintarou? Maybe you're in love with someone in our group?"

"No! I said it was just an example!"

"Ahaha. But if that happens, don't hold back, okay?"

Asagiri-san nodded with a serious face.

"You know, I'm the same way... If I find someone I like, I'll definitely tell Koga-kun!"

"I'm sorry for making you guys worry about me. But since you said that, I'm very happy."

"Btw, Koga-kun, would you like to go out with me?"

Asagiri-san laughed like an ignorant child and suddenly hugged my arm.

I can't believe her well-developed chest is pressed against my body under the thin yukata cloth──.

"Huft!"

It was like fire was going to come out of my face. Or maybe it was already coming out.

"Hey, Junya. It looks like your face is turning red."

Of course it is. That's because I'm really interested in Asagiri-san.

People seem to be joking by asking, "Will you go out with me?" while hugging my hand.

"Your jokes are too heavy, Asagiri-san..."

I slowly withdrew my hand.

Then Asagiri-san said, "Sorry, sorry," while smiling brightly, as bright as the stall here.

"But I guess I'm okay with not having a boyfriend. You see, I want to have fun with the five of us for a little while longer."

She said that.

Maybe she also meant until Narushima-san expressed her feelings for Seiran.

After the summer plan ends──that is, after we all see fireflies, Narushima-san will confess her feelings to Seiran.

Seiran said "I won't go out with her"... But I don't know what happened to the five of us after that.

"Ah, I got a reply from Seiran, he said he was under the bridge with Narushima-san."

Shintarou looked at his hand phone, then pointed to the crowd there.

The two of them were standing in front of the yakisoba stand.

A tall man and a small, but unreasonably tall girl.

That's why Narushima-san and Seiran stood out even in the crowd.

"Sorry sori~ I kept looking at the stalls until I got lost before I realized it."

Seiran was eating yakisoba in a transparent container.

Then I approached Narushima-san who was standing next to Seiran and whispered in her ear.

"Oh, so Narushima-san brought Seiran here on purpose..."

"That's not it. I'm sure I'm following Seiran-kun, I'm really lost."

Well, it doesn't matter anyway.

Then Asagiri-san checked the clock on her phone.

"Hey, the fireworks are about to start. How about we find a place where we can see them better?"

..................................

One by one, large fireworks were launched from the boat in the middle of the river.

Red, blue, yellow and green colors.

Fireworks of different colors in the night sky, their light clearly reflected on the surface of the river.

The back and forth of the river combined with the campfire was an extraordinary sight.

"Uwaahhh~so beautiful... I...want to cry..."

"This year's fireworks are also very beautiful. I'm grateful to be able to see them."

"Seiran, you came here just to look at the stalls, right?"

"Yes. But really, it's really beautiful. I'm so grateful that you came here to see it."

The five of us stood next to each other on the large bridge that hung over the river, enjoying the scenery that filled the night sky and the surface of the water.

Another memory of the five of us was formed.

I thought about this while watching the fireworks that were lit one after the other.

Suddenly, something soft and warm grabbed my hand.

I saw Narushima-san standing next to me. She smiled at me with her usual mischievous smile.

Then she spoke in a voice that only I could hear,

"I really got lost, you know?"

She said. Then I replied in the same tone,

"But why did you have to grab my hand?

I tried to let go, but she tightened her grip, like someone on a date.

"Doesn't it make you nervous to think of me as Hinoko-chan?"

"Ah, that's what you meant. Never mind, just let go of my hand. Everything is here..."

We said this in a whisper.

The other three people continued to watch the fireworks that came one by one until they didn't notice us secretly holding hands.

This is bad. I really suck. I really suck.

You see, even though it was Narushima-san who said it, I was already nervous.

I wonder what it would be like if it was Asagiri-san───Ah, what was I thinking?

It must be a secret from others that I get nervous easily when I hold a girl's hand.

When I hold a girl's hand.

It feels like you can taste bitter and sweet with the palm of your hand.

In the stressful state of fear that they might catch me holding hands, I somehow felt a strange sense of optimism.

This feeling filled my chest.

"This is the first time I have had a pleasant summer experience. Thank you... ──kun."

Narushima-san's thin voice was drowned out by the sound of the biggest fireworks and the cheers of the people around.

Really, what the hell is this guy...

Then, for once, I grabbed Narushima-san's hand tightly.

I hope she won't be separated from this group even after this summer is over.

But it was very difficult.

Before everyone noticed, I slowly let go of my fingers.

I couldn't change her mind about choosing love over friendship.

Finally, our hands let go without any effort.