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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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“Thank you so much… Really, thank you…”
The orphanage director expressed his gratitude numerous times.
Miyuki and I, who had delivered not 30 but 40 boxes of takoyaki to them, were about to head back to the shrine.
Just then, we heard a tap on the window and turned our heads.
Looking up to the second floor, we saw the little boy who had stolen the takoyaki quietly mouthing ‘thank you.’
You little… Don’t steal things like that again, you hear me?
Well, steal if you must, but only steal from Miyuki and get caught by me.
“Ah, is that the boy?”
Miyuki said as she waved at the kid with me.
“Yeah, even though it all happened in an instant, that’s him alright. I guess I have keen eyes.”
“Yeah, I think the same. But, Matsuda-kun.”
“What.”
“How did you even come up with this? You’re usually so selfish.”
There she goes again, teasing me.
Letting out a hollow laugh, I scratched my cheek.
“It’s just… I guess I relate to him because he doesn’t have parents either. What do you call this…?”
“Kinship?”
“Yeah, kinship. That’s what I felt. But, will it be okay with your dad?”
“What do you mean?”
“He must be losing a lot of money out of this, right? 40 boxes are 12,000 yen.”
“My dad loves to share, so he won’t mind the money at all.”
“That’s good to hear, but… I’m sorry that this happened because of me.”
At those words, Miyuki stared intently at me.
Her expression was unreadable.
After a while, her gaze fell upon my yukata, and a smirk played at the corner of her lips.
“By the way, Matsuda-kun, after all that junk food you eat, did you finally kick the bucket?”
“What are you talking about? Trying to jinx me?”
“Sorry. But you tucked the right side of your yukata over the left. That’s how they dress the deceased in a shroud.”
“Who even cares about that…”
“I do. Just hold still for a sec.”
Miyuki stepped closer, close enough that I could feel her breath on my face, and began to undo the obi that held my waist.
The soft rustling sound, for some reason, sounded strangely erotic.
Maybe she wants to have outdoor sex already and is starting to undress.
Our Miyuki has exhibitionistic tendencies, huh?
Later, I should make her walk around Tetsuya’s house naked.
Miyuki, holding my obi, turned around and said,
“Tuck the left side over the right and say when you’re done.”
Licking my lips in disappointment, I followed Miyuki’s instructions.
“When you’re done.”
Miyuki turned back to me and let out a small laugh.
You think it’s annoying to react to a lame joke like that, right? I know.
Shaking my head slightly, I watched her meticulously tie my obi.
She could’ve just told me to do it myself. To think she’s tying it for me herself, looks like her opinion of me must have risen due to this event.
Once she was finished with that, Miyuki checked the time on her phone.
“We still have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves. Let’s go.”
“Don’t you have to help out at the stall?”
“It’s fine. Dad told me to enjoy the festival with you.”
“Really? You’re such a bad daughter, leaving your dad to work alone.”
“Where did you buy that yakitori from earlier?”
She’s reached the point where she can naturally change the subject now.
I’m so proud.
“It’s by the shrine entrance. Want to get some?”
“Yeah. The weather’s really nice, isn’t it?”
“It is. Perfect for a festival.”
We chatted as we walked down the darkened path.
Me, with my hands clasped behind my head, cracking jokes at Miyuki.
Miyuki, giggling in response before hitting me with nonsensical trivia questions.
The mood was pretty good.
I wonder if Miyuki felt the same way?
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“I’ll have drumsticks again.”
“Didn’t I buy you drumsticks last time?”
“You did.”
“And you still want more?”
“They’re delicious. What do you want, Matsuda-kun?”
“Breast.”
“Okay. Excuse me! Two drumsticks and two breast pieces, please!”
Miyuki placed the order in a cheerful voice and was about to take out money from her cute, little purse.
However, I beat her to it and paid in full myself.
Miyuki’s eyes widened.
“Wait… I was going to pay for that…”
“Don’t worry about it. I had some change left.”
“But still… Okay, then I’ll get the next one. Thanks.”
“Whatever you say.”
“But Matsuda-kun, there are no pockets in your yukata, where did you get the money from…?”
“Curious?”
I asked, my face contorting into a mischievous grin.
Miyuki’s eyes darted across my yukata before they gradually widened in realization.
“D-don’t tell me… No way…?”
Her gaze, filled with a mixture of shock and disbelief, was fixed on my lower body.
To be precise, it was where my underwear should be, even though it shouldn’t be visible at all.
Clicking my tongue, I said,
“Do you seriously think I just pulled money out of my underwear? I’m wearing shorts underneath. Wanna see?”
Miyuki’s face turned crimson as she quickly averted her gaze.
Her flustered attempts to regain her composure were adorable.
“That’s not… I didn’t think that…!”
Her ears were red as she frantically tried to explain herself.
“Yeah, right. Why don’t you just admit it?”
“There’s nothing to admit!…”
“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
“….Sigh…”
Letting out a long sigh, Miyuki finally confessed.
“You always talk about lewd things, and your face just now was weird… So naturally, I thought that’s what you did…”
“When did I ever say I carry money in my underwear? And you always tell me not to have prejudices…”
“I-it’s not prejudice, it’s a stereotype… Anyway, I’m sorry. I thought wrong…”
“Well… Did you really think wrong?”
I asked playfully, causing Miyuki to freeze once more.
“What…?”
“Just kidding. Man, you’re so gullible.”
“….Matsuda-kun. That wasn’t funny at all.”
Miyuki sounded as if she was sulking.
Chuckling to myself, I got the yakitori from the guy at the stall, and handed two sticks to Miyuki.
Then, we headed towards the inner part of the shrine.
As I was about to enjoy the festival with Miyuki in earnest, we encountered an unexpected guest.
Tetsuya, who was enjoying the simple parade prepared by the shrine with his family, spotted Miyuki.
“Miyuki!”
He called out her name and approached us with quick strides.
A bright smile spread across Miyuki’s face as she greeted Tetsuya.
“Tetsuya-kun! Having fun?”
“Yeah. But where have you been? I went to your dad’s stall, but it was closed. I was worried something had happened. Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
“Oh… I was busy, and I couldn’t check my phone. I’m sorry, Tetsuya-kun.”
“No, it’s okay. But what do you mean by busy?”
“I’ll tell you later. It’s a long story.”
Miyuki glanced at me, and Tetsuya’s gaze followed suit.
His face was a mixture of surprise and confusion.
Don’t tell me he’s only noticing me now? If so, he’s a real jerk.
After a brief moment of silence, Tetsuya asked,
“Matsuda’s here too? When did you get here?”
“A while ago.”
“Really? Did you two just run into each other or something?”
So he’s aware.
He’s trying to act clueless, but it’s obvious he knows.
“Hanazawa will tell you about it later.”
“Ah… Okay…? Are you enjoying the festival?”
“Not bad.”
“Right…?”
‘Right’ my ass, you leech.
I need to get rid of him quickly.
I nudged Miyuki’s shoulder and pointed to a stall bustling with people.
“Hey, Hanazawa. Do you know how to scoop goldfish?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“I’ve never done it before in my life. Can we go try it now? Teach me how.”
“Really? Let’s try it then. Tetsuya-kun, have a good time with your family. I’ll call you later so I can also say hi to your parents.”
As Miyuki spoke, a look of disappointment washed over Tetsuya’s face.
On the other hand, I was ecstatic.
I was touched that Miyuki was trying to send Tetsuya away first so we could spend some alone time together.
In fact, it was a natural outcome, when I thought about it.
Tetsuya didn’t participate in the orphanage event that took place at the beginning of the festival and spent the whole time with his family.
Knowing Miyuki, she wouldn’t want to interrupt their time together.
And of course, the goodwill I’ve built up until now must’ve contributed to Miyuki’s decision.
“Ah… Yeah… Sure.”
Tetsuya, who seemed like he was about to say something, finally agreed.
This timid little… That’s why you’ll never win.
If it were me, I would’ve wedged myself between them even if it meant interrupting their time together.
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“How could you not catch a single goldfish even after spending a thousand yen?”
Miyuki remarked as we waited for the fireworks to start in the middle of the shrine grounds.
Scratching my head sheepishly, I grumbled,
“How was I supposed to know the net would rip so easily?”
“Who was it that didn’t listen when I told them to go slowly because it’s made of thin paper?”
“Oh, shut up. Just thinking about it makes me mad…”
I bit down on the candied apple I was holding and crunched loudly.
Miyuki giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.
Her eyes, curved into crescents, were strangely sexy.
After staring at me for a while, still chuckling softly, she asked,
“It’s fun enjoying the festival in a wholesome way, isn’t it?”
“It’s alright, I guess.”
“Giving it such a low rating after having so much fun? Or are you saying that because your feet hurt from the wooden sandals?”
“Maybe. I’m never wearing these again.”
“It’s always like that when you wear them for the first time. Once you get used to them, you’ll like how cool and fresh they actually feel. Speaking of which, you surprised me today.”
“Why? Because I turned out to be terrible at catching goldfish?”
“No… That’s not it, it’s just… I never imagined you would be so thoughtful of the orphans. It was unexpected, and it made me see you in a new light.”
Miyuki suddenly turned serious and complimented me.
Slightly embarrassed, I rubbed my nose with my finger and said,
“I just took pity on them and gave them some charity.”
“Earlier, you said you did it because you felt a sense of kinship for them. Don’t you remember?”
“Nope.”
“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
She’s throwing my own words back at me from when we were buying yakitori. Her skills are improving.
“Not even a little bit. What are you gonna do about it?”
“Liar.”
“How do you know whether it’s a lie or not?”
“I just do.”
“Enough with the nonsense and watch the fireworks.”
“The fireworks haven’t even starte-”
Fwooooosh!
A single firework shot up high into the sky, just as Miyuki was about to retort playfully.
Then, with a deafening BOOM!, a burst of white sparks showered down in every direction.
At the same time, the crowd gathered at the shrine erupted in unison, shouting ‘Tamaya!’
It was an age-old Japanese tradition.
Startled by the unexpected firework, Miyuki missed her cue to shout ‘Tamaya!’ and pouted in disappointment, which was rather cute.
Starting with the first blast, fireworks continued to shoot up into the sky in rapid succession.
The way the colorful explosions lit up the night sky with their bright flashes wasn’t half bad.
“Wow…!”
Miyuki, forgetting all about her earlier disappointment, let out a gasp of admiration, her eyes glued to the sky.
Every time a firework went off, I caught glimpses of her beautiful side profile.
I want to leave my mark on that delicate jawline and slender neck.
“They’re so pretty… Don’t you think so too, Matsuda-kun?”
Miyuki’s question snapped me out of my daydream.
Instead of answering, I continued staring at her. The moment our eyes met, I slowly turned my gaze towards the sky and replied,
“Yeah. Very pretty.”
Leaving her to wonder whether I was talking about her or the fireworks.
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