In any case, it was decided that Riku-sanâs group would join us, so Umi and I went to notify the rest of our group about it. No one seemed to have any particular objections.
I still felt a little worried about Amami-san though, since those two had a rather unsavory past about each other.
[Asanagi: Sorry for bringing that stupid brother of mine with us, Yuu.]
[Amami: Itâs fine. I already knew that the old incident was a misunderstanding. Riku-san also apologized to me already, so everything is okay now.]
Or so she said. It seemed like Riku-san had resolved everything before he moved away.
In the end, that particular topic ended quickly. At the moment, they were talking about Reiji-kun, who would be coming with Riku-san and Shizuku-san.
[Amami: This is Reiji-kun? Ahh so cute~!]
[Amami: Is he being shy about getting his picture taken? The way he blushes and covers up half his face like that~ So cute~!]
[Nina: Seki, donât get jealous, heâs just a kid.]
[Seki: What are you even on about?]
[Nina: Huh, I thought youâd be seething and getting all jealous, thatâs why I figured itâd be better to remind you.]
[Seki: I donât need that reminderâŠ]
[Asanagi: I really want to capture his full face, but he noticed it before I couldâŠ]
[Nina: Well, thatâs how it goes with a shy boy like him. He might be like this right now, but heâll get used to this kind of thing eventually.]
[Asanagi: I know. I often take his pictures whenever weâre alone, but itâs hard to get him to make a good face. At least heâs okay with getting his picture taken with everyone nowadays though.]
[Seki: I noticed that. Compared to before, his back is straighter and he seems more confident in pictures.]
[Amami: What are you guys even talking about??]
[Amami: Never mind, I get it.]
[Amami: Yeah, I noticed that too!]
[Maehara: This is about Reiji-kun and not me, right?]
In any case, it seemed like we would be able to enjoy the festival together without any issues. Or so I thought before Amami-san sent us a sudden text an hour later.
[Amami: Sorry, everyone! I might be late!]
[Asanagi: Hm? What happened, Yuu?]
[Amami: Since thereâs still some time, I was taking Rocky for a walk, and in the middle of our walk, his nose got stung by a large bee!]
[Amami: He acts like usual, but his nose is swollen. Look!]
Then, she sent us a picture of Rocky. His nose was swollen to the point that it covered a part of his mouth.
While he might seem fine now, it would be better if he were to be taken to a vet quickly before anything irreversible could happen to him.
I quickly looked for the nearest vet with my phone, but the nearest one I found was about thirty minutes away by car. While that wasnât a big problem, since there was a matter of checking up and all those things, there was a huge chance that sheâd end up getting late.
[Asanagi: Got it. For now, we wonât change the meeting time, but make sure to call me if you really are late.]
[Amami: Okay. You donât need to wait for me if Iâm really late, Iâll just ask my father to drive me right to the venue.]
[Amami: Sorry for the troubles, everyone.]
[Maehara: Donât worry about it. I mean, Rocky is part of your family too, Amami-san.]
[Nina: Yeah, donât worry.]
[Seki: Take care, Amami-san.]
The situation suddenly changed a few hours before the meeting time, but it wasnât that big of a deal. As long as we could handle everything calmly, everything would proceed smoothly.
And so, Amami-san went to bring Rocky to the vet while the rest of us re-checked our plans again. We decided to wait for her at the nearest station until the meeting time arrived. If she ended up late, weâd be taking the train ahead of her and wait for her in the venue instead.
After that was decided, more time passed and we finally finished getting ready.
âItâs almost time, Shizuku, are you done yet?â đđČđ±đ»đŒđŻđđčïŒđšđ«đŽ
âYes, weâre done. Câmon, Umi-chan, hurry, come out and show how cute you are to Rikkun and Maki-kun!â
âWhy do I need to show my brotherâ You know what, fine. Iâll make today an exception.â
Then, from the gap of the sliding door, Umi appeared, fully dressed for the festival.
My first impression of her wasâŠnot different from usual. She was still my cute and pretty girlfriend.
Well, rather, that was the only thing that came to my mind.
âUh, I left everything to Mom and Shizuku-sanâ Anyway, how do I look?â
âUm⊠UhâŠâ
She wore a light-colored yukata with hydrangea and morning glory patterns. The fabric didnât make it seem too shiny. Her shoulder-length hair was tied to a knot with the blue blue flower hairpin that I gave her as a birthday present.
I originally bought that hairpin for her because it matched the dress she wore for the Christmas Party, but now that I saw her wearing it again, it didnât look out of place at all with the yukata.
âAlright, Iâll leave you young lovebirds to your own devices~ Rikkun, Reiji, letâs go.â
âHuh? âŠOkayâŠ?â
âSure⊠Weâll walk slowly, so you can catch up to us, okay, Maki?â
âHehehe, since I donât want to be a third wheel, Iâll get our groceries for tomorrow~ Make sure to lock the door before you go, you two~â
âW-Whaâ? Why are you all acting like this?!â
Everyone rushed out of the house, ignoring Umi who was blushing furiously.
Before long, we were the only ones left in the house.
ââŠAnyway, letâs lock all the doors and windows first. Iâll lock everything on the first floor.â
âOkay, Iâll take care of the second floor⊠But, before that⊠Can I ask you a question?â
ââŠSure.â
âMaki, how do I look? Do I look cute? Did your heart skip a beat?â
âYes⊠You look cute and pretty⊠AlsoâŠâ
While there was no one here aside from us, it still felt embarrassing for me to say the rest of my words out loud. So, I whispered it to her instead.
âYou look hot⊠Honestly, it made me a little excitedâŠâ
âWhat a pervert~ Hehe, well, itâs good that youâre honest~ Anyway, that yukata looks good on you, Maki.â
âThanks⊠HahaâŠâ
This would be my first time going to a fireworks festival, so I really looked forward to it. But, then again, even if the festival were to suddenly get canceled, I honestly think that I wouldnât mind that outcome.