My new wife discovered my past

Watching the countless sky lanterns floating farther and farther away, Watanabe and Noriko withdrew their gaze and turned to look in the direction where the river merged into the sea.

There are also many river lanterns floating there, flashing faint fireflies. They are lined up and drift along the direction of the river, slowly and resolutely heading towards the vast sea in the distance that merges with the night sky.

Looking down from a high place, the entire river estuary area is dotted with these twinkling lights as if it were daytime, forming a colorful light band that meanders into the sea. It is bright and warm, extremely spectacular and beautiful.

After releasing the sky lanterns, the peace and satisfaction in Watanabe and Noriko's hearts had not yet completely dissipated. Watanabe glanced at the time. There were only less than fifteen minutes left before the 7:30 fireworks show at the Hidaka Shrine officially began.

At this moment, a priestess who had been waiting respectfully not far away came over quietly, bowed to the two of them, and whispered:
“Sir Watanabe, Madam Noriko… the vehicle is ready.

"This is the viewing spot chosen by Lord Hoshimi. Now is a good time to go there."

The two looked back and saw that a black luxury nanny car had quietly parked on the road that was temporarily opened up on the river bank, which was supposed to be closed to vehicles.

It was the car that Watanabe and his friends had ridden in for their tour this afternoon. It had seven seats and the windows were all covered with dark anti-peep film.

This was obviously arranged specifically for them by the shrine using its privileges.

In the core area of ​​the festival where there were so many people that it was almost difficult to get a foot in, it was undoubtedly extremely eye-catching to have a car waiting unimpeded.

As expected, there were already quite a few tourists and passers-by around, who noticed this unique vehicle and the female priestesses standing next to it. They had obviously extraordinary temperaments and were dressed in casual clothes but their ability and competence could not be concealed.

They all cast curious, inquiring and even awe-filled glances. Some brave young people have quietly raised their mobile phones, as if they wanted to take photos or record videos and upload them to their personal INS or TikTok accounts.

Watanabe Toru turned a blind eye to this. All he wanted now was to take Noriko to the best viewing spot that Hoshimi Haruka had mentioned as soon as possible and enjoy the upcoming fireworks show in peace and quiet.

Watanabe took Noriko's hand and, under the guidance and protection of the priestess, got into the nanny car that had already started the engine and had been waiting for a long time. The air conditioner was on in the car, bringing coolness on the slightly hot summer night.

The vehicle drove smoothly and quickly away from the bustling riverside area and headed towards the best viewing spot that Xing Jianyao mentioned.

With the skilled driving of the priestess, after several turns, they soon arrived at the foot of a mountain where the terrain was obviously elevated.

As the saying goes, only when you are in a high position can you see farther and more clearly.

The "best viewing spot" that Haruka Hoshimi chose for her brother Toru and sister Noriko followed this principle.

The topography of Amomi-naka Town is quite peculiar. On both sides of the wide estuary where the holy river flows down from Takama-ga-hara, divides the town into two and finally flows into the sea, there is a small hill that is not too high but is high enough to overlook the entire estuary and coastal area.

They are like two silent giants, facing each other across the river, standing within the territories of Hidaka Shrine and Kiyomizu Shrine respectively, forming a kind of subtle symmetry and confrontation.

The place that Watanabe and Noriko were going to this time was the small hill on the side of Hidaka Shrine.

The car stopped at a hidden platform halfway up the mountain.

Further up, there is only a winding path paved with bluestone slabs for walking only.

"Brother Toru, Sister Noriko, " Haruka Hoshimi, who had been waiting here for a long time, was still wearing the gorgeous dark purple yukata with firework patterns. Standing next to her were Sakuraba Miki and Saotome Hazuki, who were also wearing yukatas.

The three girls saw Watanabe and Noriko getting off the car and immediately came forward. Hoshimi Haruka continued:
"The viewing spot is right under the abandoned radio tower on the top of the mountain. I have already arranged it so there will be no disturbance."

Watanabe Tetsuya looked up and saw that from the middle of the mountain, at various intersections leading to the top of the mountain, as well as on the surrounding forest paths, there were vaguely visible female priests wearing shrine uniforms and some maids who looked like ordinary tourists but actually had sharp eyes standing guard.

There was tight security everywhere, and it was obvious that the mountain had been completely closed off. No unrelated people were allowed to approach to avoid disturbing them.

"Thank you for your hard work." Watanabe nodded to the three women, accepting the favor.

Hoshimi Haruka smiled slightly, stepped aside to make way for the path leading to the top of the mountain, and said with just the right amount of consideration, "Brother Toru and Sister Noriko, please go up first.

"Since the fireworks show at 7:30 is specially prepared for you two to enjoy together, the three of us won't disturb you!

"We just need to wait here on the mountainside~
"Before the grand finale fireworks show begins, we will come up and meet up with Brother Toru and Sister Noriko, and watch the fireworks show with you at 8:30~"

Sakuraba Miki and Saotome Hazuki also nodded in agreement without raising any objections.

The three women had different thoughts, but they all knew that the wisest choice at the moment was to give Watanabe and Noriko enough private space and not to be tactless and act as a light bulb.

"Would this...would be too much trouble for you?"

When Jiko heard this, a trace of embarrassment appeared on her face, but deep in her eyes she could not hide the joy and anticipation of being treated specially.

"What are you saying, Sister Kiko? This is what we should do." Hoshimi Haruka smiled sincerely.

Watanabe Toru was also quite satisfied with their understanding in assessing the situation.

He said no more, but gently shook Ji Zi's hand and said softly: "Since it is Xiaoyao and the others' kindness, we appreciate it, and we have agreed on it before, right?
"Time is almost up, Jiko, let's go up first."

After saying that, seeing Kiko nod in agreement, Watanabe gently picked up Kiko and, guided by the lanterns of the two priestesses, walked along the winding bluestone path towards the abandoned radio tower on the top of the mountain.

The distance was not very far, only about fifty meters. Watanabe, holding Noriko, did not feel tired at all and did not sweat much, and they arrived at the destination.

When you reach the top of the mountain, the view suddenly opens up.

The radio tower, which had been abandoned for many years, stood alone at the highest point of the hill. The tower was rusty and bore the vicissitudes of time.

But below the radio tower, near the edge of the cliff, a flat open space was carefully cleared.

This was apparently once one of the town's favorite date spots for couples.

This can be seen from the obvious dents on the surrounding grass caused by years of sitting, as well as the love vows carved in various languages ​​on the railings that have long since become blurred.

However, the open space was now covered with thick and soft cushions, and there was a small low table next to it, on which were placed exquisite snacks and fruits. It was obvious that Xing Jianyao and the others were involved, and everything was fully prepared.

Tetsuya Watanabe and Noriko walked to the observation railing made of solid wood on the edge of the cliff and looked out into the distance.

Just as Hoshimi Haruka said, the view here is indeed the best.

Standing here and looking out, you can not only take in the bustling festival venue at the foot of the mountain, the river winding into the sea, and the night view of the town with bright lights, but you can also take in the fireworks venue on the other side of the river, the Kiyomizu Shrine, from a kingly perspective.

As expected, this place was chosen by the Hoshimi Miko herself.

In the final three minutes of the countdown to the fireworks display, Watanabe and Noriko leaned against each other, standing in front of the railing and looking out at the town.

At 7:30 in the evening, with the sound of a melodious horn coming from afar, the much-anticipated fireworks display finally officially kicked off!
“Swoosh—bang!”

The first signal firework, with a long tail flame, whistled into the deep night sky and exploded at the highest point, blooming into a huge, brilliant firework like a golden chrysanthemum, illuminating the entire night sky as bright as day.

Then, hundreds of fireworks of all kinds, as if receiving a unified command, took off simultaneously from the two main venues of [Hidaka Shrine] and [Kiyomizu Shrine] on both sides of the river, blooming in the night sky, vying with each other for splendor!

Red, yellow, blue, green, purple... For a moment, the entire night sky was completely lit up by these colorful and dazzling fireworks, as bright as day and beautiful beyond words!

Huge fireworks exploded overhead, making a deafening roar, and the ground beneath our feet seemed to tremble slightly.

The brilliant light made the faces of Watanabe Tetsuya and Shimizu Noriko flicker, and the dazzling fireworks in the sky were clearly reflected in each other's eyes.

In this extreme romance and noise, all language seems pale and powerless.

The fox masks on their faces had been taken off on the way to the hill. Watanabe and Noriko hugged each other quietly, feeling each other's body temperature and heartbeat, letting the fireworks in the sky bloom behind them to create the most gorgeous background.

At a certain moment, when a huge red firework in the shape of a heart slowly bloomed in the night sky above their heads and reflected each other's faces red, Watanabe Toru lowered his head slightly, and Shimizu Noriko couldn't help but stand on tiptoe.

Their lips touched gently under the witness of the fireworks that filled the sky with brilliance and splendor like a miracle...

On the top of the mountain, Toru Watanabe and Noriko Shimizu hugged and kissed each other under the brilliant fireworks, enjoying the romance and sweetness that belonged only to them.

At this moment, there were three other women on the observation deck halfway up the mountain, Hoshimi Haruka, Sakuraba Miki and Saotome Hazuki.

The atmosphere between them was completely different from the heated one on the top of the mountain; it could even be said to have dropped to freezing point.

The three women each occupied a corner of the platform, sitting in silence, not too far from each other.

Brilliant fireworks exploded one after another in the night sky above their heads, making a deafening roar and illuminating their faces, but it was unable to dispel the stagnant and awkward atmosphere between them.

The air in the area seemed to become thinner, perhaps because of the cold aura between the three of them, or maybe because Xing Jianyao unconsciously exuded some divine power.

In short, even the most annoying and disgusting mosquitoes in summer nights dare not easily approach this place of trouble at this moment, for fear that they will be accidentally dragged into the invisible battlefield and be smashed to pieces and die without a burial place.

In the end, it was Saotome Hazuki who broke the suffocating silence first.

Her fox eyes were as sharp as an eagle at this moment, and she looked up and down at Sakuraba Miki who was standing not far away without any hesitation.

Especially after recalling the slightly stiff walking posture of her yukata hem today, Saotome's lips curled up into a knowing and somewhat disdainful sneer, and asked directly:

"Sakuraba-san, I won't beat around the bush with you.

"You should have had an intimate relationship with Watanabe yesterday afternoon, right?"

Teacher Saotome asked this question very directly and explicitly, without any regard for Sakuraba-san's dignity.

Upon hearing this, Hoshimi Haruka just glanced at Sakuraba Miki and Saotome Hazuki, then retracted her gaze and continued to look up at the fireworks blooming in the night sky, acting as a bystander and indifferent.

But her slightly pricked ears betrayed her real interest in the ensuing conversation.

Faced with Saotome-sensei's blunt questioning, Sakuraba-san did not show the expected panic or shyness on her face.

She just looked back at him calmly and asked indifferently, "So what if it is? So what if it isn't?
"This doesn't seem to have much to do with you, Mr. Saotome, right?"

"Heh~~" Saotome Hazuki was amused by her neither humble nor arrogant attitude:
"It doesn't matter? Of course it does!

"I just didn't expect that Miss Sakuraba, who usually looks the most innocent and well-behaved, and who is so passionate with Noriko, would actually use this kind of...

"Well, a 'special' method to gain Watanabe's attention and 'love'."

Saotome Hazuki deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the words "special" and "pity", and the sarcasm in her tone was self-evident.

She continued, “There’s no need to deny it, Sakuraba-san.

"The way you walk may fool others, but not me.

"Do you think you covered it up well, Sakuraba-san?
"I could tell at a glance that there was something special about the person afterwards, that there was something stiff and unnatural about his movements and his walking posture, which was caused by physical discomfort.

"Because... I also pretended to be like this today, so I'm very experienced!"

Upon hearing this, Princess Sakuraba's expression changed slightly, but she remained very calm:
"Since Saotome-sensei is so experienced, he must understand that this kind of thing is consensual and no one else has the right to interfere.

"At least, Teacher Saotome doesn't have the qualifications!" (End of this chapter)