Haruya and the others steel themselves before plunging into the darkness.
Frankly speaking, it was terrifyingly scary.
But when Rin suddenly grabbed his hand in the darkness, Haruya was able to calm down instead. She had grabbed his hand while letting out a voiceless groan of “hiiii” beside him.
The soft sensation continues to linger in Haruya’s hand.
To reassure her, Haruya silently grips back firmly, but Rin says in a trembling voice:
“Th-that’s… A-Akasaki-kun… you’re being bold…”
“…Yeah. This horror attraction is really bold in how it scares you.”
Haruya didn’t have much composure either.
Though it’s part of the design, every time the flashlight goes out, something scares them.
Hands emerge from the walls, heads drop from the ceiling…
The structure with many corners makes it especially nasty.
Each time, her grip tightens.
“A-Akasaki-kun…”
Rin must be getting embarrassed. Her face is turning red.
Her pace slows and she starts looking down at the floor more often.
(I’m being… gripped so firmly and strongly… When he holds my hand like this, his rough hands feel so very boyish…)
Honestly, Rin was no longer in a position to worry about the horror.
More than that, her face turns bright red with embarrassment.
Her pace slows and her gaze turns to the floor.
────Clatter.
Just then, the floor suddenly opens and emits a red light.
Realistically crafted eyeballs float up from the floor.
“Uwaaah!?”
Rin is startled and slips, losing her balance.
“Whoa!?”
Haruya, who was holding her hand, gets pulled backward but immediately grasps the situation.
“That’s dangerous!”
He reacts quickly and pulls the connected hand firmly, drawing Rin’s falling body into an embrace.
Though it was unavoidable, Haruya ended up embracing Rin.
“…Thank you, Akasaki-kun.”
“Are you okay? Kohinata-san…”
“Y-yes… I’m fine. Nothing happened.”
She looks up at Haruya while being embraced.
In the darkness, visibility is poor and only her hearing becomes sensitive.
The somewhat desperate voice resembles that of her “onii-san”…
─────Thump, thump, thump.
What she can say for certain is that her heartbeat is playing a tremendous beat.
After that, perhaps because they got used to it, they were able to finish the horror experience rather easily.
Yuna and Kazamiya, who had finished escaping first, asked, “Kohinata-san looks really happy – was it that fun?”
Apparently, Kazamiya and the others were thoroughly fed up, and their complexions looked somewhat poor.
Since the scaring methods were a bit malicious, Haruya could understand their feelings.
However, he couldn’t understand Rin’s behavior alone.
(…Even if she got used to it, wouldn’t she not be making such a happy smile?)
She was bad with horror and had been showing an anxious expression until just before it started.
Yet the moment it ended, she suddenly became all smiles, so Haruya’s questions were endless.
After finishing the test of courage event, the sky was about to be dyed in crimson colors.
The large shopping district still showed no signs of losing momentum, and the crowds remained thick.
Yukatas could be spotted here and there among the outfits of passersby.
Fans in one hand. Hair ornaments in hair. The echoing sound of geta sandals.
The evening sun and the sea reflecting it in all directions.
The scenery had become thoroughly summer-like.
It was probably about time to prepare for the fireworks festival.
Today, Haruya and the others had come all the way to this town mainly for the fireworks festival.
Though it’s only one station away from Sara’s grandfather’s house…
“────It was the same with the swimsuits, but this is nerve-wracking, Akasaki.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Currently, the place where Haruya and the others are is a kimono shop.
They had come to the store attached to this shopping district to rent yukatas.
The area is filled with noise due to other customers as well.
Originally, Sara had suggested renting yukatas and had already made reservations.
Though the rental fee isn’t cheap, Sara’s grandfather seems to be covering the cost for the girls. Apparently, there was originally talk of just the girls having a sleepover during summer vacation.
Since the boys joined suddenly, they would have to pay for their own yukata rentals.
Moreover, it ended up being more expensive than expected, so Haruya and Kazamiya gave up.
Pathetically, they’re now waiting for the girls to change in the kimono shop’s rest area.
“…Hey, Akasaki. Who are you going to choose?”
Kazamiya suddenly asks such a thing in a serious tone.
“These fun times won’t continue forever. I was thinking that maybe through this sleepover, you’d be able to think about the future a little.”
His heart is pierced sharply.
Since there’s none of the usual playful atmosphere, Haruya looks away.
…Because it was a topic he didn’t really want to think about.
“I-it’s not like we’re in that kind of relationship where I’d choose─”
As he answers with poor articulation, Kazamiya lets out a small sigh.
“I see. Well, I guess it’s not time yet.”
After saying that, he continues.
“…I think I mentioned this at the hot springs too, but look after Himekawa-san during the fireworks festival.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
When he tries to confirm, Kazamiya suddenly breaks into a smile, destroying the serious atmosphere.
“No~ I’m really looking forward to seeing what their yukata outfits look like.”
He’s getting more and more excited imagining Sara and the others in yukatas.
Seeing Kazamiya like this, Haruya can’t help but think to himself:
(…Kazamiya. Do you know about my past?)
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Meanwhile, around that time───.
Sara, Rin, and Yuna, having finished changing into their yukatas, face each other.
Her grandfather told her, “I’ll cover the cost, but in exchange, take lots of pictures.”
Therefore, considering taking photos of all three, they decided to at least coordinate the atmosphere of their patterns.
“Sara-chin, you look really cute.”
“Rin-san, that hairstyle really suits you.”
When they face each other, Rin is the first to bloom with a bright, radiant smile.
She’s wearing light makeup and her lips are glossily colored with lipstick.
“You both look good. Same as always though.”
The last to arrive was Yuna.
Making small sounds with her geta sandals, she asks “How do I look?” seeking their reaction.
That gesture alone is cute enough, but… more than anything.
“Yuna-rin looks really mature.”
“Yes. You’re so beautiful, I was surprised.”
Rather than cute, her beauty was worthy of being described as beautiful.
Yuna modestly expresses her thanks, then gives her impression: “Sara and Rin both match your images and look really good.” Here, they finish exchanging compliments about their yukatas.
Then, Rin and Yuna look at each other and nod.
“?”
Not understanding what kind of communication they’re having, Sara tilts her head.
She felt something was off but didn’t particularly press the matter and continued.
“…We’re keeping Akasaki-san and the others waiting, so let’s go.”
“…Wait!”
It was Rin who called out to Sara’s back as she was about to head to the boys.
“…Um, you know. Today’s fireworks festival will essentially be the last event of our sleepover, right?”
Sara nods in response to the confirmation-seeking question.
“That’s right. This fireworks festival is the last one.”
This time Yuna continues, speaking to Sara who smiles somewhat sadly.
“Originally, this sleepover was something Sara suggested to thank Akasaki-kun, right?”
“…That’s right.”
Before summer vacation started. Words exchanged at school.
Sara nods, reconfirming that the sleepover was indeed for that purpose.
“I think we still haven’t been able to directly express our gratitude to Akasaki-kun.”
Rin leans forward as she speaks.
Indeed, the time they could spend alone with him during the sleepover was short, and they hadn’t achieved their goal of expressing gratitude.
Taking a light breath, Yuna continues as if steeling her resolve.
“So during the fireworks festival, I think it would be best if we all create individual time with Akasaki-kun to express our gratitude. …Rin and I have been talking about this. What do you think?”
“…!”
Sara involuntarily gasps.
“…That sounds good.”
It was a proposal she hadn’t even considered.
Since there’s no reason to refuse, Sara nods in agreement.
Though her expression somehow seems to lack vigor.
“Alright, let’s each send Akasaki-kun a message…”
Following Yuna’s voice, everyone takes out their phones.
They send individual messages to Haruya.
Messages to arrange promises to go around the fireworks festival together, just the two of them.
───Please notice me.
Each of them presses the send button while praying thus.
Haruya’s gaze was stolen by the irregularly arranged, vivid yukatas and the girls wearing them.
After waiting dozens of minutes in the kimono shop’s rest area.
They had chosen glossy yukatas that matched each of their image colors, and they wore them beautifully beyond measure. The evening sunlight streaming in and illuminating them seemed almost divine.
“You all look really good in them.”
Haruya showed his reaction by nodding to Kazamiya’s comment.
───However, Haruya couldn’t look directly at the three of them.
Of course, there’s no doubt that the yukatas are beautiful, but the cause lies more in the three messages that had been sent to him earlier.
What exactly is this all about…
What was shown there was, in a word, invitations to the fireworks festival.
That itself was already decided, and there was no reason to be confused, but the problem was “just the two of us.”
In other words, he had received messages from each of the girls asking to go around the fireworks festival together.
Having seen such messages, it would be difficult not to be conscious of it.
When he glances at the three lined up gorgeously, they’re looking at him with slightly flushed cheeks. …Only Sara seems to be a little less energetic.
In any case.
There’s still time before the fireworks festival.
After this, they’ll probably wander around the shopping district again with the girls in their yukatas to kill time before heading to the venue.
Even so, he thinks.
(…My heart definitely won’t be able to handle the fireworks festival…)
Even now when there’s plenty of time, Haruya’s heartbeat has quickened just a little.
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