Chapter 15
“Thank you so much... Thank you...”
The orphanage director thanked us over and over.
Miyuki and I had delivered not thirty but forty boxes of takoyaki to them, and were about to head back to the shrine.
Then we heard someone knocking on a window and turned our heads.
Looking up at the second floor, I saw the little boy who had stolen the takoyaki quietly saying thank you.
You little brat... Don't steal things from now on, got it?
Well, if you do steal, just steal Miyuki's things and let me catch you.
“That's the little boy from earlier?”
Miyuki said, waving at the little boy alongside me.
“You saw his face even though everything happened in an instant? You've got quite an eye for detail.”
“Yeah. I think I do. But, Matsuda-kun.”
“Why?”
“How did you come up with something like this? You're incredibly selfish, Matsuda-kun.”
Here she goes, teasing me again.
I let out a hollow laugh and scratched one cheek.
“Well, it's just... We have similar circumstances, both without parents, so... Well... How should I put it...”
“A sense of kinship?”
“Yeah. A sense of kinship. That's what I felt. But do you think your dad is okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“The loss has to be pretty significant. Forty boxes cost twelve thousand yen.”
“Dad likes sharing things, so he won't think the money was wasted at all.”
“That's good, but... I feel bad that this happened because of me.”
At that, Miyuki stared intently at me.
Her expression gave nothing away.
After watching me like that for a while, she looked at my yukata and raised one corner of her mouth.
“But Matsuda-kun, you've been eating nothing but food with no nutritional value. Have you finally kicked the bucket?”
“What are you talking about? Don't say something so ominous.”
“Sorry. But you fastened the right side of your collar over the left. That's how you dress the dead.”
“Who even pays attention to something like that...?”
“I do. Stay still for a moment.”
Miyuki came right up to me and began undoing the obi around my waist.
The soft rustle somehow sounded lewd.
She was already taking my clothes off because she wanted to have outdoor sex.
Our Miyuki had an exhibitionist streak after all.
Maybe I should have her take a naked stroll around Tetsuya's house later.
Holding my obi, Miyuki turned around and said,
“Fasten it with the left side of the collar on top, then tell me.”
Disappointed, I smacked my lips and did as Miyuki told me.
“Tell me.”
Miyuki turned back toward me and let out a hollow laugh.
It's an annoying joke to react to, isn't it? I know.
Shaking her head, she carefully tied my obi for me.
She could have just told me to do it myself, but since she was fastening it for me, this incident must have raised her opinion of me.
After finishing everything, Miyuki checked the time on her phone.
“There's still plenty of time left, so we can enjoy ourselves. Let's go.”
“Don't you need to work the stall?”
“I don't have to. Dad told me to enjoy the festival with you.”
“Really? Leaving your father to work alone makes you a pretty unfilial daughter.”
“Where did you buy those yakitori earlier?”
She'd even reached the point where she could change the subject naturally.
I'm proud of her.
“They were near the entrance to the shrine. Want to go buy some?”
“Yeah. Isn't it really cool out?”
“It is. How did it end up like this right on the day of the festival?”
We walked along the darkened path, chatting quietly.
With my hands clasped behind my head, I joked around with Miyuki.
She giggled, then asked me a series of lame nonsense riddles.
The mood was pretty good.
I wondered if Miyuki felt the same way.
**
“I'll have thigh meat.”
“Wasn't what I bought earlier thigh meat?”
“It was.”
“And you're still eating more?”
“It's tasty. What will you have, Matsuda-kun?”
“Breast meat.”
“Got it. Sir! Two servings each of thigh and breast, please!”
After placing the order in her lively voice, Miyuki tried to take money from her pouch-shaped wallet.
But I beat her to it and paid.
Miyuki's eyes widened.
“No... I was going to pay...”
“I had some change left, so I figured I'd use it. Don't worry about it.”
“Still... Then I'll buy the next food. Thanks.”
“Do whatever you want.”
“But, Matsuda-kun, your yukata doesn't even seem to have pockets. Where did that money come from...?”
“Curious?”
My face took on a sly expression.
Miyuki's eyes darted around as they roamed over my yukata, and her mouth slowly fell open.
“S-surely not... right?”
Her gaze, almost stricken with shock, shifted to my lower half.
To be precise, she was looking at the panties that couldn't possibly be visible from here.
I clicked my tongue and said,
“Do you think I pulled money out of my underwear? I'm wearing shorts underneath. Want me to show you?”
Miyuki's face instantly turned red, and she lowered her head slightly.
“N-no... I thought that too...”
Her ears red, she fumbled adorably.
“What do you mean, you thought that? Why not just admit it?”
“There's nothing to admit, so how could I admit it...?”
“Don't you feel guilty?”
“.... Haa...”
After letting out a long sigh, Miyuki confessed honestly.
“You've made so many lewd jokes before, and your expression just now was weird, so of course I had no choice but to think that...”
“Did I ever say I take money out of my underwear? And weren't you the one telling me not to have prejudices...?”
“N-no, it's not prejudice, it's a stereotype... Anyway, I'm sorry. I was wrong...”
“Well... Did you really misunderstand?”
When I asked that in a sly tone, Miyuki was dumbfounded again.
“What...?”
“Just kidding. Why are you so innocent?”
“.... Matsuda-kun. That wasn't funny at all.”
Miyuki's tone sounded sulky.
I chuckled, took the yakitori once it was ready, and held out two pieces to Miyuki.
Afterward, we walked farther into the shrine together.
Just as I was about to properly enjoy the festival with Miyuki, I ran into an unwelcome guest I hadn't expected.
Tetsuya, who had been watching a small parade put together by the shrine with his family, had spotted Miyuki.
“Miyuki!”
The guy called her name as he approached at a brisk pace.
Miyuki greeted Tetsuya with a bright smile spread across her face.
“Tetsuya-kun! Are you having fun?”
“Yeah. But where have you been? I went to the stall Wataru runs, but it was closed off by a curtain, so I was worried something had happened. Why weren't you answering your phone?”
“Ah... I was busy and didn't have time to check my phone. Sorry, Tetsuya-kun.”
“It's okay. But what were you busy with?”
“I'll tell you later. It's a long story.”
When Miyuki glanced at me, Tetsuya's gaze naturally followed hers toward me.
He looked thoroughly surprised.
Had he really only just noticed me? If so, he was a real asshole.
After a brief pause, Tetsuya asked,
“Matsuda was here too? When did you get here?”
“Quite a while ago.”
“Really? Had you only just met Miyuki?”
So he was conscious of it.
He was talking as if he were calm, but his feelings were obvious.
“Hanazawa will tell you later.”
“Ah... Really...? Are you enjoying the festival?”
“It's not bad.”
“Right...?”
What do you mean, right, you leeching bastard?
I had to chase him off, and fast.
I tapped Miyuki on the shoulder and pointed toward the sign above a crowded stall.
“Hey, Hanazawa. Do you know how to scoop goldfish?”
“I know how.”
“I've never done it even once in my life. Can we go try it now? Teach me.”
“Really? Then let's take this opportunity to try it. Tetsuya-kun, have fun with your family. I'll get in touch later when I go say hello to your parents.”
At that, Tetsuya looked flustered.
Meanwhile, I was crowing with delight.
I was moved that Miyuki had sent Tetsuya away so she could spend time alone with me.
In fact, this outcome was only natural.
Tetsuya hadn't participated in the orphanage event at the beginning of the festival, and had spent the whole time with his family, enjoying a warm, happy time together.
Given Miyuki's personality, she probably hadn't wanted to disturb them.
The affection points I'd built up by now must have helped her say that, too.
“Ah... Yeah... All right.”
Tetsuya fidgeted as if he wanted to say something, but eventually nodded.
What a timid bastard... This is why you'll never get anywhere.
If I were him, I'd have barged in just to get in the way of things between us.
**
“You spent a thousand yen and didn't catch a single goldfish?”
Miyuki said this while we waited for the fireworks in the middle of the shrine grounds.
I scratched my head and grumbled.
“Who knew the net would tear that easily?”
“It was made of thin paper. Who was it that wouldn't listen when I told him to take it slowly?”
“Oh, shut up. Thinking about it is making me annoyed all over again...”
I bit into the candied-apple skewer I was holding and crunched it loudly.
Miyuki covered her mouth and laughed.
The corners of her eyes had turned into crescent moons, making her look strangely sexy.
After gazing up at me and snickering for a while, she asked,
“Isn't it fun to enjoy the festival in a wholesome way?”
“It's all right.”
“You had fun, yet your rating is so harsh. Is it because your feet hurt from the geta?”
“Maybe. I'm never wearing these again.”
“That's normal when you first wear them. Once you get used to them, you'll like how cool they feel. Anyway, I was really surprised today.”
“Why? Because I was so bad at catching goldfish?”
“No... I mean, I truly never imagined Matsuda-kun would think about the children at the orphanage. It was unexpected. I saw you in a new light.”
Miyuki suddenly praised me in a serious tone.
I rubbed my nose awkwardly and said,
“I just gave them a handout because I felt sorry for them.”
“Earlier, you said it was because you felt a sense of kinship. Don't you remember?”
“I don't.”
“Don't you feel guilty about that?”
She gave my own words from when I bought the yakitori right back to me; she was pretty good.
“What am I supposed to do if I don't feel guilty at all?”
“Liar.”
“How do you know whether I'm lying?”
“I just know.”
“Stop saying useless things and just watch the fireworks.”
“The fireworks haven't even started ye—”
Fwoooosh-!
Right as Miyuki was about to playfully talk back, a firework shot high into the sky.
Then, with a huge boom-! sound, white fireworks burst in every direction.
At the same time, the many people gathered at the shrine all shouted ‘Tamaya’ in unison.
It was an old traditional Japanese cry.
Startled by the unexpected firework, Miyuki missed her chance to say it, and the way she pouted in disappointment was a sight to behold.
The fireworks continued launching in rapid succession, one after another.
The colorful fireworks bursting across the sky and filling it with bright light were pretty nice.
“Wow...!”
As if she'd never been sulking, Miyuki exclaimed in admiration without taking her eyes off the sky.
Her profile, glimpsed between bursts of fireworks, was alluring.
I wanted to leave kiss marks on that sharp jawline and the nape of her neck.
“It's really pretty... Matsuda-kun, don't you think so too?”
Miyuki's question snapped me out of my fantasies.
I didn't answer. I simply kept looking at Miyuki,
and when her eyes shifted slightly toward me, I slowly turned my head toward the sky and opened my mouth.
“Yeah. It's pretty.”
I said it so she'd be left wondering whether I meant Miyuki or the fireworks.