Chapter 37
Moonlight and the Summer Festival (Part 2)
I haven’t been able to talk to Tsukiyo since that day. What was that reaction all about? How was it different from when someone says other girls or boys are cute?
No—let’s stop thinking about it. It’s the summer festival, the one time a year. I should enjoy it.
But the path to the stalls was packed—so many people I could hardly move.
Especially up ahead at the intersection—an absolute sea of people.
“Was this festival always this crowded?”
“It’s extra crowded this year.”
I chatted with Seiya. At this rate, we could easily get separated.
Just as we reached the intersection, an even larger group came toward us.
What the heck!? Before we could say anything to each other, our group of ten got swallowed by the crowd.
Being alone would be bad. I had to stick with at least one person!
I glanced back at the other nine—our hands were about to be pulled apart.
I reached out and grabbed one… pulling someone close.
That was pure instinct.
The person I grabbed was a girl wearing a yellow yukata with a floral pattern.
“Ah! …Taiyō-san!”
Her worried face lit up instantly into a smile. …So cute—our school’s very own Princess Kaguya.
Tsukiyo looked at me, her expression softening into one of joy.
I pulled her arm gently and led her out of the intersection. The food stalls were spread in every direction, so it didn’t matter which way we went—just wherever we could get through more easily.
“Phew… so many people.”
“Yes, I thought I was going to get crushed.”
Crushed—by people around Tsukiyo. What a lucky crowd.
Looks like it’s just the two of us who made it out this way. The intersection was still packed, and it’d only get worse. It might be hard to regroup. Maybe we should just go ahead, the two of us.
“Taiyō-san, why don’t we just enjoy it together first?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
It seemed we agreed. Tsukiyo and I wandered through the line of stalls.
“Do you have enough spending money? Last ti—uh, last outing you said you were short.”
I chickened out before saying “date.”
Tsukiyo confidently placed a hand on her waist.
“Heh heh, it was payday, so I’m loaded now!”
“Wow, nice! Then you can handle that 100-piece pack of baby castella over there.”
“Taiyō-san, you totally think I’m some kind of big eater character, don’t you?”
We laughed and went from stall to stall, enjoying the night.
Maybe because our last “date” went so well, things felt natural between us this time too.
I’d stopped tripping over my words so much lately, though I still got flustered whenever she looked at me unexpectedly.
We ate yakisoba, okonomiyaki, hot dogs—she didn’t even bother to hide her appetite anymore. She was going full throttle.
Seeing her eat so happily made me hungry too.
Goldfish scooping, shooting games, raffles—every stall owner beamed at her cuteness.
Even gave her extra bullets at the shooting game. …Didn’t do that for me, though.
“This is so much fun!”
She turned, smiling, cotton candy in one hand.
Ah… seeing her this happy—it makes my heart ache.
Everywhere we walked, people glanced our way.
Couples got scolded because one of them stared too long at Tsukiyo.
Groups of guys whispered about how beautiful she was.
Yeah… I really couldn’t leave her side.
“This year feels especially fun.”
“How come?”
Maybe because I’m with you, I thought. But I couldn’t say that.
“…Maybe because everyone’s together this time. How about you, Tsukiyo?”
“I’m having fun too~! Kya!”
A wave of people surged past, and I instinctively pulled her close.
You really have to stay alert in a crowd like this.
…Tsukiyo? Her face suddenly looked very red.
Realizing I was practically holding her against me, I quickly stepped back.
“S-sorry!”
“No, you were protecting me, right? You really are kind, Taiyō-san.”
Her soft smile bloomed again.
Cute, cute, so cute.
I swallowed hard.
Then she stepped closer.
“I’ve been wanting to say this… your yukata looks really good on you, Taiyō-san. I can’t stop staring.”
“Ah, th-tha… thanks…”
Ugh, hopeless. Why can’t I ever act cool around her?
She’s the one making me so nervous I can’t even feel manly.
We fell silent for a while, just walking and watching the festival. Time slipped by.
“Taiyō-san, it’s about time.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
The path to the hill where the fireworks would be best visible was jam-packed. Well, it was the usual viewing spot. Should we try to squeeze through?
“There’s another hill we can reach by a different route,” Tsukiyo said.
But that meant we wouldn’t meet up with everyone else.
I tried calling to check. Would the signal even get through in this crowd?
“I’ll call Seiya. Tsukiyo, try the girls.”
I dialed Seiya—and surprisingly, he picked up right away.
“What’s up?”
“How’s your side? I’m with Tsukiyo.”
“I’m with someone too.”
With someone!? So he managed to grab one of the girls from the chaos? Lucky guy…
“Who are you with?”
“Umika.”
“Heya! I’m with Seiya-senpai!”
Sera-san!? The only girl who doesn’t have a crush on him!
“You’re still trying to pick up girls!? Don’t get all lovestruck!”
“False accusation!”
Annoyed, I hung up. That guy probably is trying to charm everyone.
Next to me, Tsukiyo was talking to someone too, updating on our situation.
From what she said, everyone except our two pairs had managed to regroup at the main spot.
“Ah, Umika just texted. Looks like the others are meeting up soon too.”
“So we’re the only ones who can’t. Oh well.”
I didn’t want to miss the fireworks, so we decided to take Tsukiyo’s alternate route to another hill.
But even there, the crowd was thick—we’d definitely get separated if we weren’t careful.
So… I took a breath, a bit nervous, and held out my hand to her.
“I—we shouldn’t get separated… so, wanna hold hands?”
“——Yes.”
She hesitated only for a second before taking my hand.
As always, her hand was soft and smooth.
Still…
“You don’t have to hold it with both hands, you know.”
“It’s fine!”
“If you squeeze that tight, my hand’s gonna—”
“It’s not that tight!”
My right hand was completely enclosed in her two hands. …Hope my palms aren’t sweaty.
The fireworks were about to start—we hurried along.
Even in the crowd, she clung so tightly that we couldn’t possibly lose each other.
Finally, we reached the hill. It wasn’t as wide as the main viewing spot, and a little sloped, but higher up—so the fireworks would look even better.
At last—it was time.
