Chapter 38
Moonlight and the Summer Festival (Part 3)
Tsukiyo and I looked up at the night sky together. The first firework was about to go off any moment now.
Looking around, it seemed like there were a lot of couples. I wondered what we looked like to everyone else.
Tsukiyo still hadn’t let go of my hand. Even though I wasn’t holding tightly anymore, she was still gripping with all her strength.
“Taiyō-san! The fireworks—look!”
“Whoa!”
The light came first, then the sound. The classic rhythm of summer.
Last year I watched them fooling around with my guy friends… but this year was different.
This year, I was with the most adorable, gentle, and captivating girl I knew.
Maybe this time won’t last forever… but I want things between us to stay just like this.
“They’re so beautiful.”
“Yeah. No matter how many years I see these fireworks, I never get tired of them.”
The fireworks were beautiful. But Tsukiyo, watching them, was just as beautiful.
Her yukata somehow reminded me of the fireworks themselves.
When I stared at her too long, she noticed.
“Is something wrong?”
“Your yukata really matches the fireworks. Did you pick it for that?”
“I picked it myself, but… maybe I had fireworks in mind when I chose it.”
“A yukata like fireworks, huh… both are beautiful.”
I turned my gaze back to the sky.
“A big one! That’s huge!”
“Ta–Taiyō-san…”
“Hmm?”
“Which do you… think is prettier?”
“What?”
“Me or… the fireworks?”
“…Tsukiyo, I think it’s you.”
“Eh—wha–whaaaa!?”
Wait, hold on.
“What did I just say? I feel like I said something outrageous.”
“N-nothing! You didn’t say anything! The fireworks are very pretty!”
“Then why are you looking down when the fireworks are up there?”
“D-don’t look at me like that, pervert!”
Pervert!? What does that even mean!?
The fireworks show was nearing its finale. I looked over toward the main viewing hill.
Ah, there were Seiya and the others. It looked like we could reach them if we went down the stairs.
“Tsukiyo, if we go down these stairs, we can meet up with Seiya and the rest. What do you want to do?”
“Eh…”
For just a moment, her face looked lonely. That brief look left a deep impression on me.
“It’s almost over anyway. Let’s join them after it finishes.”
“——Okay!”
Let’s make this moment just ours.
Then, the final grand firework burst in the sky.
We held hands… and I knew this memory would never fade.
◇◇◇
After that, Tsukiyo and I rejoined the group.
Something about the others’ stares annoyed me a bit—like they were teasing us silently.
“My, my, aren’t you two awfully close,” Mizusato-san said, her tone dripping with mischief.
I knew exactly what she meant—but it seemed Tsukiyo only just realized she was still holding my hand.
“Ah!”
She looked down, blushed furiously, and then glanced at me. Our eyes met—
and she quickly turned her head away in embarrassment.
Yet… she still didn’t let go.
At this rate, we were definitely going to get teased. I needed to say something to deflect.
“If you’re all so jealous, why don’t you hold hands too?”
At that cue, all the girls turned into hunters.
Every guy present froze as their faces stiffened.
“Hey, what are you—hey! Don’t grab my hand!”
Three girls clung to Seiya’s left hand, and three to his right.
Even Seiya couldn’t withstand six girls at once and was dragged away helplessly.
“Wait! Ow—hey, let go! That hurts!”
His pained cries faded as the ferocious girls led the way.
“Taiyō-san…”
Tsukiyo looked up at me, meeting my eyes. Her cheeks were pink, her double-lidded eyes pure and bright.
Her soft-looking lips made me want to… well, almost.
God, she’s beautiful.
“I’m looking forward to the new semester,” she said softly.
“Yeah… me too.”
I wanted to treasure this time, always.
Still holding hands, Tsukiyo and I followed behind the others.
“Oh, let me take a picture later, okay?”
“…Eh?”
