CH 44

I had fun today.

Translated by Dawn

Edited by Dawn

I had fun today.

Mizutani and I came to a field with a relatively good view of the park.

Some people had already laid out blue sheets and secured a good viewing position.

Fortunately, there was still space.

We put down the small blue sheet we had brought with us in a suitable place and sat down.

Mizutani had been talking very little since a while ago.

She was not a talkative person by nature, but she was even less talkative than usual.

Perhaps she was looking forward to the fireworks that much.

I secretly peeked at Mizutani with a sideways glance.

Even though the fireworks had not yet started, her eyes were looking at the night sky.

After a while, Mizutani suddenly turned her head toward me.

Perhaps she realized that she was being watched, and her cheeks were slightly flushed.

“…I was just wondering when they would launch it.”

So was she going to claim that “I’m not a child to be excited about fireworks”? I felt like she couldn’t hide the fact that she was already excited when she was wondering when they were going to launch it.

“Heh, I see. I’m already looking forward to it. I only get a chance to see fireworks once a year.”

I said while giving Mizutani a lukewarm look.

Then Mizutani puffed out her cheeks.

“Aizawa, I know what you’re after.”

“What?”

“…You bully.”

Mizutani turned her head away.

Her blonde hair swayed, revealing the white nape of her neck for a moment.

—Maybe I like Mizutani.

It was a little too late, but I realized it.

Not because I saw the nape of her neck…but I guess that had at least a millimeter to do with it.

The nape of the neck felt very vulnerable, didn’t it?

In certain manga, the weak point of the enemy was the nape of the neck.

I forget the specific name, but I had heard that an important nerve ran through the nape of the neck.

Maybe my feeling was not so wrong.

Hyururururururu, boom!

Suddenly, the fireworks shot up.

When I looked up, against the backdrop of a sky so black it looked as if it had been painted with black ink, the stars, with the firework ball at their center, were trailing a tail of light and scattering in a radial pattern. It was a chrysanthemum firework.

The center was a pale orange, and only the tips of the petals were tinted blue-purple.

I was inwardly excited by the beauty of the fireworks, which I had not seen live for a long time when I heard a voice murmuring “…….beautiful” right next to me.

I involuntarily looked in that direction.

Mizutani was watching the fireworks with her blue eyes.

The fireworks were certainly beautiful.

But for another reason, I was speechless.

I couldn’t quite remember what kind of fireworks were being set off after that.

All that was burned into my mind was……the image of Mizutani, looking up at the fireworks with a glint in her eyes.

—Shuji, thank you.

I belatedly thanked Shuji in my heart for inviting me to the summer festival.

***

After leaving the summer festival venue, we took the train to the station nearest our home.

When I suggested that I would walk her home, Mizutani agreed more openly than usual.

I had expected her to refuse, so I was surprised for a moment.

Perhaps Mizutani still had some lingering memories from the festival.

Or was it simply because it was already late?

The truth was known only to Mizutani, not to God.

“I had fun today.”

Mizutani, walking next to me, said, as if suddenly remembering.

When I answered yes, Mizutani replied shyly.

I wonder why.

I didn’t know why my face was burning, even though we weren’t really exchanging much.

“I had fun too…”

As I spoke boldly, I felt Mizutani stop.

When I looked next to me, I met Mizutani’s gaze.

I couldn’t move my eyes, as if I was in a bind.

After staring at each other for a while, I heard a tinkling sound.

A bicycle was rushing toward us from the front.

I quickly grabbed Mizutani’s hand and pulled her to the side of the sidewalk.

The bicycle plowed through the space where Mizutani had been just a moment before.

After watching the bike go by, Mizutani breathed a sigh of relief.

We then started walking side by side.

We were still holding hands, but somehow I couldn’t mention it.

—She’s wearing getas so this is also part of escorting.

I made some meaningless excuses in my mind.

“Thanks. You saved me there.”

Mizutani said, looking at me with an upward glance.

Although I had gotten used to it recently, she was still objectively quite cute.

Such an upward glance from a girl like that had a destructive power.

In short, what I want to say is—

“Y-yeah.”

I guess it didn’t help that I responded in a manner that made me act suspicious.

Fortunately, Mizutani didn’t seem to mind my reaction.

She continued, “And…,” she said something and closed her mouth.

I regained my composure and waited patiently for her to continue.

Eventually, Mizutani turned her blue eyes to the front and opened her mouth.

“If you had fun, I’m happy too.”

“Ahh…”

If she said that to me.

I would be getting more and more ignited by this feeling that I began to realize.

“D-don’t joke with me. That’s my line.”

“…why are you trying to compete here?”

When I tried to be strong to cover up my impatience, Mizutani was taken aback.

Indeed. I wonder why I was competing with her.

When I thought about it calmly, I didn’t understand it myself.

“…Well.”

“What is that?”

Mizutani put her free hand over her mouth and chuckled.

After that, we continued walking in silence for a while.

But it wasn’t uncomfortable. I could feel Mizutani’s contentment through our joined hands, and I too felt at ease.

On the other hand, I wondered if my feelings were also being conveyed through our hands.

If so, it would be quite embarrassing…but in the first place, it was just my assumption that my feelings were being conveyed to her.

It was possible that Mizutani was thinking something completely different.

Like, what was the dinner she ate yesterday?

What sound did the insect she saw on the way to school this morning make?

And, she was wondering what name was given to the pattern of fireworks we saw earlier.

There was still so much I didn’t know about Mizutani.

I didn’t even know what she was thinking a second ago.

But I wouldn’t consider that a shame.

Because, what I didn’t know, I would be able to know one by one from now on.

As long as I had an interest in the other person.

It seemed to me now that it would be a fun thing to do.

It was when we turned right at a certain crossroad in a residential area.

I saw a familiar figure.

She had long black hair that flowed down her back and dark eyes.

She was taller than Mizutani, with a somewhat colder impression than Mizutani, although they had similar facial features.

The familiar figure was unmistakably—

“Karin…and you, I believe, the other day…”

I ran into Mizutani’s mother.