T/N: Sorry for disappearing, I had to clear up my schedule since I have a lot of things to take care of nowadays. But things have considerably slowed down by now so I can regularly update the series again! Since I went bye bye for a week, I'll make up for it by releasing 3 chaps for a week, hopefully I won't get too busy again. Anyway enjoy!
Next day, Saturday. Although the weather wasnāt exactly a pleasant one for an autumn day, the forecast said that there would be no chance of rain. They announced that the fireworks festival would proceed as planned today on their social media. Based on the reactions, it seemed a lot of people would be going to the venue.
Since it was a holiday, I got out of bed a little later than usual. When I headed to the living room, I could scent the smell of coffee wafting through the air.
In the kitchen, Umi was humming a tune joyfully as she poured some coffee into two cups. Somehow, this had become a regular scene in this house.
āGood morning, Maki. You woke up late today, hm? Well, since itās a holiday, it doesnāt matter, but keep in mind that if you do this too often, youāll get insomnia.ā
āGood morning, Umi. Iāll keep that in mind, thanks for the coffee.ā
āDonāt mention it. Anyway, letās leave the lecture about your sleeping habit after our breakfast. Come here~ā
We went to the couch and proceeded with our morning routine. She stroked my head and fixed my hair with the comb and the hair wax that she brought. Since we would be going outside with everyone today, she put in more effort than usual.
I still had the aversion of getting my hair touched by others, but Umi was an exception among exceptions. Her gentle touches and the soft texture of her hands always felt so comfortable. If I were to let my guard down, I could fall asleep right there and then. šššļ½šļ½šš.ššš
āHehe, if youāre still sleepy, you can go back to sleep. We promised to meet in the evening anyway, I can just wait until youāre awake.ā
āNah, if I go back to bed now, itāll just ruin my hair again. Besidesā¦ Umā¦ You need to get ready, right? You know, with clothes and stuffā¦ā
āWell, yeah, I mean, this kind of festival only happens once a year. Since youāll be there too, Iād need to put more effort into dressing up.ā
As was the case last Christmas, Umi was the kind of person whoād put an effort into dressing herself up in an event like this. There was no way she wouldnāt be doing the same this time.
Iāve seen her in a yukata during the summer vacation, but this would be the first time Iām seeing her wearing one in a festival. As her boyfriend, I was really looking forward to that.
āAh, right, we have an old yukata at home. Itās my brotherās, he used to wear it back when he was still in middle school, but it should fit you. Too bad we donāt really have menās yukata at our place. Anyway, you should wear it.ā
āHuh? Iām wearing a yukata too?ā
āOf course! What, are you telling me you want to wear a normal shirt, jeans and a pair of sneakers for the festival? Even though Iāll be putting a lot of effort into dressing up?ā
āā¦Canāt I?ā
āGee, I donāt know~ Can you~?ā
āā¦Fine.ā
I understood her desire to walk around the once-in-a-year fireworks festival while wearing a yukata together with me. Especially when it was doubtful that we would be able to go to another festival next year.
ā¦But, stillā¦ I've only been wearing shirts, jeans (sometimes) and sandals whenever I went outside. Could I really pull off a yukata?
āYou donāt need to worry, Iāll dress you up so youāll look good in it! Iāll give you a clean haircut, beautiful eyelids, straight nose, sharp jawline and smooth skin without any blemish! What do you think?ā
āAside from the hair, youād need to do a plastic surgery on me for all that.ā
āHehe, I know, I was kidding, but you really donāt need to worry about anything, Maki. Youāre a lot more toned compared to last year.ā
So she said, but she was the one who said that a middle schooler yukata would fit me. I really wanted to grow taller and bigger.
ā¦At least until Umi could entrust herself to me with a peaceful mind.
āIn any case, youāll be wearing a yukata today and thatās final. Also, donāt tell anyone about this! Letās give them a surprise!ā
āYouāre speaking as if me wearing a yukata would be a big dealā¦ Well, whatever, Iāll leave that matter to you.ā
āHehe~ Iāll be seeing you in a yukata for the first time~ Iām excited to see how youāll look~ Ah, wait, I have to call my mom first.ā
It seemed like I would be at the mercy of the Asanagis today too. Well, when I saw how giddy Umi looked, I decided to just accept my fate. After all, it had been a while since Iāve seen her this excited.
The upcoming festival was something that I was personally looking forward to, but that wasnāt as important as her smile.
After weāve eaten our breakfast, it was decided that weād move over to Umiās place so I could get dressed. I felt bad for intruding, but Sora-san welcomed me with open arms.
āWelcome, Maki-kun~ Hehehe, this yukata has been sitting on the drawer for years now, finally thereās someone whoās willing to wear it. I bought it for Riku, but he was too shy to wear it.ā
āI seeā¦ā
ā¦Iād say she was too welcoming. When I got there, Sora-san was holding Riku-sanās old yukata with a smile that looked so similar to Umi.
Whenever I saw this kind of thing, it reminded me of how those two were truly related. They probably never realized it, but the expression they made as they pushed that yukata onto my face was a hundred percent similar.
They took me to the guest room on the first floor. It seemed like they wanted to finish my affairs first before getting Umi to dress up.
āHmmā¦ Maki-kunās hair is getting longer again, Umi. Why donāt we cut the front part and the back part a little? Thatāll give him a cleaner look.ā
āTrue. Itās still noon anyway, so we can get that done. Maki, leave that yukata behind. Letās go outside and cut your hair.ā
I thought I only needed to take care of my clothes, but it seemed like weād be doing much more than that.
ā¦This made me wonder what everyone else was doing.
Thanks to that thought, I became a little worried. I havenāt heard anything from Amami-san and the others, who knows, maybe they had decided that theyād go a little later than us.
āBefore you start cutting my hair, can I use my phone for a while, Umi? I want to check up on everyone.ā
āSure. You know, I should just do the same.ā
While Sora-san went to prepare the scissors and clips for cutting my hair, I opened up the group chat that our group of five usually used to communicate.
When I typed in a message, everyone immediately answered.
[Maehara: Hello, everyone.]
[Seki: Yo.]
[Seki: Never change with that greeting, eh, Maki?]
[Maehara: What do you mean? Isnāt this how youād normally greet other people?]
[Nina: I know right? Never change, Rep. Anyway, heya~]
[Amami: Hehe, hello~ Is Umi with you, Maki-kun? Or is she at least in the same room as you?]
[Asanagi: Hello, everyone.]
[Maehara: Why are you imitating me?]
[Asanagi: Hehe~]
[Seki: Get a room.]
[Nina: Get a room.]
[Amami: You two, get a room! Hehe, kidding~]
[Maehara: Sorry.]
[Maehara: By, the way, will you guys make it to the festival? Thereās no problem like youāll come in late or feel sick, right?]
[Nina: No problem for me, what about you, Yuuchin?]
[Amami: Me too. What about everyone else?]
[Seki: Me three.]
[Asanagi: No problem here too.]
[Maehara: Since Iām the same, then we can follow the planned schedule I guess.]
For now there didnāt seem to be any problems. That meant we could meet up at the planned time.
As planned, weād be meeting up here at Umiās house since it was the closest place to the bus station. While I was pondering that Umi sent a new message to the group chat.
[Asanagi: Alright, weāll meet at the bus station at five as planned. If any of you are going to be late, just contact either me or Maki. Especially you girls. Yuu, Nina, you two got your yukatas ready, didn't you?]
[Amami: Yes, of course! My mom insisted that I wear it!]
[Nina: I mean, Iād be looking so out of place if Iām the only one not wearing one.]
āHuh?ā
Based on what we were doing yesterday, weād be going to the shrine that Umi and I went to. After we got there, weād go to that secret spot and watch the fireworks from there.
I decided to stop texting for the time being and turned my gaze towards Umi.
āUh, Umi?ā
āWell, umā¦ I had a second thought. I guess it would be better for everyone to watch the fireworks from the actual venue. Sorry, I shoulda notified you earlier, but honestly, I only came to a decision this morning.ā
āI see. Well, Iāve already prepared myself to deal with the crowds in the first place, so this is fine, butā¦ Were you having a second thought because of what I had said last night?ā
āā¦ā
After hearing my words, a red tinge appeared on Umiās cheeks as she nodded.
āI gave it a lot of thought last night. I know Iāve said all those things last night, butā¦ In the end, I decided that it would be better if we were to monopolize that place. I feel a little guilty, but, you knowā¦ What you said last nightā¦ Made me really happyā¦ā
Last night, I thought I really was being selfish, but it seemed like Umi felt the same way as me.
We only stayed at that place for half an hour last night, but we didnāt spend all that time stargazing.
Remembering what we did made me feel embarrassed. Basically, because of the atmosphere around us, we ended up flirting a little harder than usualā¦ To summarize, what happened wasā¦
āMaki, which one is prettier? Me or the night sky?ā
āā¦Thereās no one around us, Maki. You can be a liiiittle more proactive.ā
And so on. Maybe it was because we hadnāt gone on a date for a while, but we ended up going overboard.
That was why, honestly, if we were to bring everyone to that place, Iād be too busy thinking about those memories instead of watching the fireworks.
āBut, are you sure this is okay? Iāve never gone to one, but donāt fireworks festivals usually have a huge crowd? Iām more or less already getting used to the crowds, but thereās still a chance that unsavory things might happenā¦ā
āDonāt worry about that, I have a plan for thatā¦ We have to bring more people with us because of that thoughā¦ā
āBring more people? Others will come with us too? Like Nitori-san and Hojo-san?ā
āNo. Theyāre adults. Well, you already knew them.ā
āI already knew them? Could it beā¦?ā
When it came to my acquaintances that were adults and were free enough to lead five high schoolers in a fireworks festival, not many people came to my mind. As I was pondering about this, I heard the sound of the front door being opened.
āIām home. Seriously, I haven't had a day off for two months and a half and I have to spend it babysitting?ā
āJeez, Rikkun, I know youāre looking forward to seeing Sora-obaa-san and Umi-chan.ā
āIām notāā
āHuh, that voiceā¦ā
If Umi was talking about those two, then they were indeed the people I knew.
āYo, Maki. Itās been a while.ā
āHello. I heard thereāll be a fireworks festival here, so I thought itād be nice to see it with Rikkun. Of course, we brought Reiji with us too. Cāmon, say hello.ā
āHello, Big Brother!ā
āRiku-san, Shizuku-san and even Reiji-kun is here?ā
Umi would probably tell me the details on how things came to be like this later. In any case, it seemed like the festival would be rowdier than I previously thought.