“What’s wrong?”
Her response seemed somewhat halfhearted, so Haruya tilted his head in confusion.
Rin lightly shook her head and said “Nothing,” then muttered under her breath.
“I didn’t know Akasaki-kun could make a face like that.”
“What kind of face?”
“You usually look so lethargic, but just now, you had such a gentle smile.”
“I see.”
“Yeah. It was just that, but speaking of shaved ice, what flavor do you like?”
“Hmm. Probably Blue Hawaii.”
He didn’t have any particular preference for syrups.
After all, he had heard that the taste doesn’t really change much regardless of the syrup.
“That’s so like you, Akasaki-kun.”
Rin nodded knowingly.
“By the way, are you a crunchy ice person or a fluffy ice person?”
“I prefer fluffy, but… are there really people who prefer crunchy?”
If given the choice without considering the price, wouldn’t everyone choose fluffy?
“I actually prefer crunchy, if I had to choose.”
Rin continued,
“Because you can only get crunchy shaved ice at festivals like this, right? That’s why I like it.”
She answered with a somewhat wistful smile.
That expression didn’t seem artificial, and it made Haruya feel a bit embarrassed.
“Speaking of which, are you okay with money?”
Rin nods.
“Yeah, I’m all set.”
After leaving the queue and receiving their shaved ice, they stand at the edge, eating it.
It would have been nice if a bench was available, but looking around, all were occupied with no empty spots in sight.
It’s been a while since I’ve had shaved ice, but indeed, as Rin said, perhaps due to the festive mood, it tastes even more delicious.
While crunching on the small ice pieces, Haruya said,
“By the way, Kohinata-san, why did you choose that flavor?”
“Haha, don’t you think these kinds of flavors just pique your curiosity?”
“I-Is that so?”
The shaved ice in Rin’s hand looks horrifying .
The color is bright red and doesn’t look like strawberry flavor at all.
This is because a few minutes ago…
[Hey, Akasaki-kun. There’s a ??? flavor here.]
[??? flavor? What on earth is that?]
The menu item marked “Limited to 30 customers” was the ??? flavor.
Even though the shop had just opened, it hadn’t decreased from thirty at all.
It’s probably a joke menu item created for the festival spirit, but it’s bound to be a disaster.
Haruya orders Blue Hawaii without hesitation, but Rin seems different.
[Is this ??? flavor delicious?]
In response to Rin’s question, the clerk gives a thumbs up with a big smile.
[Akasaki-kun, I’m going for this ??? flavor.]
[O-Okay…]
By the way, the clerk just smiled and dodged the question “Is it delicious?” without actually answering.
It was definitely a trap menu item.
Rin seemed in high spirits with sparkling eyes, so Haruya decided not to intervene, but…
Looking at it again, it doesn’t look appetizing at all.
“It’s a festival. You don’t enjoy these things for the taste, but for the atmosphere.”
“I-I see.”
Rin casually puts a spoonful of the ??? flavor shaved ice in her mouth.
“Yeah. This really hits the spot because it’s so hot~”
“A-Are you okay with that?”
“What? Are you curious about the taste after all?”
“No, it’s just that you’re eating it so casually.”
“Haha. It’s a flavor that makes you keep eating.”
Saying that, she hands over the shaved ice.
“If you’re curious, why don’t you try a bite? Can I have a little of your Blue Hawaii too?”
Haruya also offers his shaved ice to Rin.
While giving her a suspicious look, Haruya scoops up a spoonful of Rin’s shaved ice.
Then, carried by momentum, he puts it in his mouth.
“…It’s s-spicy!!!”
This bright red sauce. It must be something made with chili peppers.
“Haha. I can’t believe you actually ate it. Did I get you?”
Inwardly cursing Rin who’s laughing out loud, Haruya doesn’t have the composure to complain right now.
He gives her a reproachful look while filling his mouth with Blue Hawaii shaved ice.
After the tingling in his mouth subsides, Haruya opens his mouth.
“…I-I didn’t fall for it. I just went along with it.”
“Hehe. If that’s the case, you’re kind, Akasaki-kun.”
“You seem to be eating that with such gusto…”
“I’m not eating it because it’s delicious, you know? I’m eating it quickly because it’s so spicy it hurts!”
“…If I had known that beforehand, I definitely wouldn’t have eaten it.”
“Gotcha!”
They looked at each other and chuckled.
…Good. At this rate, she should be able to relax.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
As they continued their job of taking photos, Rin escorted [this way, this way].
Indoors, the haunted house seemed popular, with a long line forming.
By the way, most of the people in line were couples.
There were also groups of just men or just women, chatting while forming the line.
Most people were probably lining up out of curiosity about the quality of the haunted house, or just for fun.
For couples, the haunted house was probably just a stage setting to create an excuse for cuddling under the pretense of being scared.
Thinking about such things, they went up to the second floor,
where Rin said,
“Akasaki-kun. This way, this way.”
The classroom Rin pointed to was for upperclassmen.
Following Rin, who was moving quickly, they ducked under the curtain to find mini-games set up.
Darts. Shooting gallery. Scooping super balls.
It was a lineup that would tickle any young boy’s fancy.
As he looked around, feeling nostalgic as if he had returned to his boyhood, the place was overflowing with customers and bustling.
Rin scurried over and opened her mouth.
“Doesn’t the shooting gallery look fun?”
“Yeah, it does.”
“Well, well, if it isn’t the festival committee members. First-years?”
An upperclassman-like person called out, probably noticing the red armbands.
“Yes.”
“Ah, yes, we are.”
“You two. The committee work must have been tough, right? How about trying out a game?”
Though they had been caught by the sales pitch, Rin seemed eager and nodded.
Haruya also nodded, following Rin’s lead.
“Let’s see. So we shoot down the prizes with this rubber gun, right?”
Rin went first.
It was a simple game where you knock down targets with a handmade-looking pistol.
There were five shots in total.
I see. They seem to have made the difficulty easy so even small children can win prizes.
“Huh, aren’t the targets small?”
Rin pointed out, and upon checking, they were indeed small.
Moreover, the shooting position was set quite far, so it was clear that the difficulty was quite high.
…No, if you let children do this, they’ll cry, won’t they?
As expected from its appearance, the setting was cruel, and Rin helplessly missed all her shots.
“Akasaki-kun. I leave the rest to you~ Show me how cool you are.”
As she handed over the rubber gun, entrusting it to him…
Haruya also missed all five shots without showing any particular prowess.
“Too bad for both of you~”
No, we weren’t even close.
Or rather, this game doesn’t seem designed for anyone to win. Probably only aspiring snipers could hit those targets.
Haruya sighed and decided to ask out of curiosity.
“By the way, since it’s this difficult, are the prizes pretty good?”
“Well… Due to budget constraints, it’s just an assortment of snacks.”
Eh… That’s too stingy.
And too cheap.
Though he thought so, Rin was happily bowing to the senior, saying [It was fun].
Haruya also followed suit, expressing words of gratitude.
Then, Rin suggested [Shall we go to the next place?].
───And so, Haruya and Rin visited several stalls.
Besides shaved ice and the shooting gallery, there were also crepes, yakisoba, fortune-telling, and more.
Although there were many things to nitpick about each stall, they ended up having quite a good time.
It was probably thanks to Rin taking the lead and actively steering the conversation.
Not forgetting their job of taking photos, they were now visiting one of the photo spots Rin had created.
“Hmm… I wonder why festival yakisoba is so delicious.”
“Didn’t you order the super spicy one again?”
“Well, yeah~”
Perhaps because it was approaching afternoon, the surrounding hustle and bustle had begun to calm down a bit.
From now on, it would probably get busier indoors than outdoors.
This was because the theater performances were about to begin.
While feeling the colors of this special day, they continued taking photos of students laughing at the objects.
This wing object was one of the things Rin had made during her committee work.
“This one Kohinata-san made is really nice, isn’t it?”
“…!”
However, it seemed Haruya’s voice didn’t reach her.
Rin was standing frozen with her eyes wide open.
“Huh? What’s wrong, Kohinata-san?”
Noticing something off, Haruya followed her gaze and also froze.
This atmosphere, could it be…
It seemed the other side had also noticed their gaze.
A pair of female students holding takoyaki boxes approached them.
“…Oh, we finally found you, Kohinata-chan.”
“Seriously, we came thinking it’d be lucky if you were here, and we’re glad you are.”
The two female students they had run into on the way back from the supermarket were there.
As they approached, surrounding Rin, Haruya stepped forward to block them.
“W-What do you want… Who are you?”
Then… the pair frowned unpleasantly.
“Oh, walking around the cultural festival together means you two are dating, right?”
“Well, I guess he’s a fitting match for someone like her~”
That was incredibly rude to say to someone you’ve just met.
For now, trying to leave the situation, Haruya called out to Rin.
“Kohinata-san. Can you move?”
“…W-Why did you come all the way here?”
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