My new wife discovered my past

"Yeah, it's okay, Hazuki-chan, I'm not very tired."

Facing Saotome's caring question, Noriko responded with a happy smile on her face, then pointed to the fireworks that were constantly rising and exploding on the other side of the river and said excitedly:
"Tetsuya-kun picked a great spot. The view is amazing! You can even see the fireworks from the [Kiyomizu Shrine] across the street so clearly!"

"It was Xiaoyao who chose the place." Watanabe Tetsuya corrected with a smile, and picked up a piece of dessert that Noriko liked and handed it to her.

"Oh, really? That Xiaoyao sister is really amazing!" Jizi immediately turned around and gave Hoshimi Haruka a big, sincere smile, "Thank you, Xiaoyao sister!"

"As long as Sister Jiko likes it." Facing Jiko's innocent smile and sincere gratitude, the coldness on Hoshimi Haruka's face melted a little involuntarily, and her tone became much softer.

Sakuraba Miki also smiled and said: "Yes, the scenery of the selected location is indeed beautiful.

"I'm afraid I will never forget this year's Summer Festival Fireworks Display. After all, I was able to be with Sister Noriko, Teacher Watanabe, Hoshimi Miko, and Teacher Saotome. This is something I never thought of before."

For a moment, the atmosphere became unusually harmonious.

The four women gathered around Watanabe and the fireworks, chatting with each other and sharing their experiences at the summer festival tonight.

Saotome Hazuki is no longer as sarcastic as before, but her words are still charming and full of genuine concern for Kiko.

Hoshimi Haruka also restrained her usual arrogance and sharp tongue, and would occasionally say a word or two along with Kiko's topic, and would no longer target other women.

Sakuraba Miki always maintained a decent smile, listened quietly, occasionally glanced at Watanabe Tetsuya inadvertently, and then responded to Hoshimi Haruka and Saotome Hazuki's words in a friendly tone.

Noriko Shimizu was keenly aware of this subtle change in the atmosphere.

She felt that the atmosphere of overt and covert struggle between Sister Hoshimi Haruka, Sister Sakuraba Miki, and Hazuki-chan, which had always been there and not there, and made her feel a little uncomfortable...

It seems that,, is gone?
The relationship between them seemed... to have really become much better than before?

At least now it seems that they really are like a group of good sisters with harmonious relationships, accompanying me and enjoying this wonderful night together.

Although she was not sure what happened at tonight's summer festival or just now halfway up the mountain, this discovery made the simple-minded Kiko feel sincerely happy and relieved.

The night breeze on the top of the mountain brought a hint of coolness, blowing on everyone's hair and yukata sleeves, and also brought the faint noise of the festival venue in the distance and the lingering sound of fireworks exploding from the Kiyomizu Shrine.

Noriko looked at this rare harmonious scene in front of her. Her heart became particularly sensitive and delicate because of her pregnancy. She couldn't help but lean close to Watanabe's ear and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear, with a hint of joy in her tone:
“Tetsuya-kun, do you feel that… Xiaoyao and the other two seem to have gotten along much better tonight?
"Just now when we were at the foot of the mountain, I was worried that they would quarrel!
"Now it seems that I was worrying too much."

Upon hearing this, Toru Watanabe turned his head and looked at his wife Noriko's clear eyes that were shining with innocence under the fireworks and lights, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

He raised his hand, gently pushed a strand of hair that was messed up by the night wind behind her ear, and said softly:
“Yeah, I noticed that too.

"It seems that our Noriko is really charming. In order to make Noriko happy, the sisters who originally had some minor conflicts are willing to put aside their grudges and live in peace."

He paused, and continued in a soothing tone, "So, Jiko, just enjoy the fireworks display tonight and stop thinking about it, okay?

“Relationships between people require time to get along and adjust.

"The most likely possibility is that they were just not familiar with each other before, or there was some small misunderstanding.

"Like tonight, when everyone comes out to visit the festival together, watch the fireworks, and experience some good times together, relationships will naturally improve."

Although Watanabe Tetsuya comforted Noriko in a nonchalant manner, he was not really so relaxed in his heart.

In fact, he was also keenly aware of the subtle changes in the atmosphere between Hoshimi Haruka, Sakuraba Miki and Saotome Hazuki.

When they met halfway up the mountain, the tension and wariness between them were clearly visible.

How come in just less than half an hour, after he brought Jiko up the mountain, the atmosphere between them suddenly became... so harmonious?

Something must have happened that he was unaware of.

Watanabe Tetsuya was full of doubts, but he did not show any of it on his face.

He just secretly decided in his heart that after returning home tonight, he must find an opportunity to ask Hoshimi Haruka and Sakuraba Miki alone.

During the time they were waiting halfway up the mountain, what exactly happened between them and that woman Saotome Hazuki, or perhaps they reached some deal that he didn't know about.

The relationships between these women are far more complicated than they appear.

Watanabe Toru must always remain vigilant to ensure that everything is under his control, so that some sudden alliance or betrayal between them will not disrupt his subsequent crucial palace coup to seize power.

The few of them chatted casually for a while, mostly about Jiko and the baby in her belly who was "predicted" to be her younger sister by the little girl.

Before I knew it, time had quietly slipped to eight thirty in the evening.

At this moment, from the direction of the main venue of Hidaka Shrine, a horn sounded again, which was longer and more powerful than before!

Immediately afterwards, three heavy and solemn bell tolls rang out, resounding throughout the night sky of Ameminaka Town like a declaration from God!

"It's started! It's started! It's the finale fireworks at the shrine~" Noriko was a little excited. She took Watanabe's hand and pointed at the night sky.

Sure enough, as the bell rang, fireworks that were denser, more brilliant, and more shocking than any before burst out from every corner of the main venue of the Hidaka Shrine at the same time, like a volcanic eruption, and soared into the sky!
Hundreds, even tens of thousands of fireworks suddenly bloom in the night sky at the same time!
At that moment, the whole world seemed to be illuminated by this extreme brilliance!

The dazzling light, like a miracle, completely illuminates the night sky of [Amamine Town] as if it were daytime!
Fireworks of countless colors and shapes, like flowers scattered by fairies or pouring out of the Milky Way, display their most gorgeous, dreamy and intoxicating postures wantonly, fully and unreservedly in the night sky.

Watanabe Toru accompanied Noriko and the three women behind him who were also shocked by the magnificent scene, looking up at the night sky that was completely lit up by fireworks and was as magnificent as a mythical epic.

At a certain moment, his eyes inadvertently swept over Sakuraba Miki and Hoshimi Haruka who were not far away from him. Looking at their young faces, which were also illuminated by the fireworks and were filled with a bit of intoxication and yearning, Watanabe Tetsuya's mind involuntarily emerged some long-ago scenes that he had deliberately sealed deep in his memory.

That was many years ago, when he was still in the orphanage.

Whenever a similar summer festival or New Year celebration was held in the town, Naoko's mother would always bring him, the then very young sisters Asahina Rina and Asahina Yuna, and other people from the welfare home, to sit together in the somewhat shabby but cleanly swept yard of the welfare home, sharing the cheap snacks bought from outside that they would never eat on weekdays, and then looking up at the fireworks in the night sky that were equally gorgeous but far less grand and luxurious than the ones before their eyes.

At that time, Naoko's mother always had a gentle and satisfied smile on her face, and her eyes were full of anticipation for the future.

The young Asahina sisters would scream and clap their hands excitedly at every burst of fireworks...

Thinking back on it now, those simple and pure joys seemed as far away as a lifetime ago, and like a needle tip, gently pricked his heart that had long since become hard and cold.

It made Watanabe Toru feel a little melancholy, and also made him... miss her terribly.

And then, another memory that was even more unbearable, even more humiliating and disgusting, came to his mind at an inopportune time.

Those were the years after he was "adopted" to Hidaka Shrine.

Whenever a fireworks festival was held in Amemonaka Town, the perverted old woman, Mari Hidaka, would always force him to wear those inappropriate "Son of God" costumes that made him feel ashamed, and stand with her and the then-young Haruka Hoshimi on the highest observatory platform of the shrine, which was never open to the public, looking at the fireworks and noise that belonged to mortals in the small town below the mountain.

Then, under the illumination of the gorgeous fireworks, in a dark corner unknown to anyone...

Even Watanabe Tetsuya felt extremely nauseous when thinking about it now...

Thinking of this, Watanabe Tetsuya subconsciously clenched his fists, his nails digging deeply into the palms of his hands, and only then did he barely suppress the nausea that was about to burst out of his mouth.

Fortunately, not all memories are so bad.

His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the second year after he came to Tokyo. That summer, he had just been successfully admitted to Waseda University and had just met Noriko Shimizu.

He remembered that it was also on such a summer night, and also on such a night with fireworks.

He and Noriko did not go to the crowded festival venue, but stayed in the small but clean apartment he rented at the time.

The two of them snuggled on the sofa in the living room near the balcony, sharing cheap beer and snacks bought from the convenience store, while looking through the window at the fireworks in the distant night sky, which were equally gorgeous but seemed a little hazy and unreal due to the distance.

The fireworks outside the window are beautiful, but what is even more beautiful is the pretty face of the girl in his arms, which is slightly flushed due to excitement and a little bit of alcohol, and her clear eyes that are brighter and more moving than the stars in the sky, and are full of love and trust.

That night, witnessed by fireworks, stimulated by alcohol, and in an ambiguous atmosphere, many...many firsts happened between him and Kiko.

That was the most memorable, happiest and most satisfying night for Toru Watanabe in his two lifetimes...

The fireworks that filled the sky finally died down after lasting for nearly a quarter of an hour with extreme splendor.

The only things left in the night sky were people's lingering cheers and sighs.

For Tetsuya Watanabe, Noriko Shimizu and the others, the summer festival and fireworks display of Amami-naka-cho, which was full of various episodes and memories, has finally come to an official end.

They lingered on the top of the mountain for a while, admiring the tranquil night view of the town after the fireworks faded away, which was like stars scattered on the earth.

Seeing that it was getting late and Noriko was indeed a little tired, the group decided not to stay any longer and took the shrine's special bus that had been waiting for a long time halfway up the mountain and set off on the journey back to Hidaka Shrine.

The vehicle was driving on the way down the mountain, and when they passed a certain turn, looking out of the car window, they could just see the finale fireworks display at the Kiyomizu Shrine on the other side of the river.

At this moment, it is also trying hard to bloom its last brilliance in the night sky, as if drawing a belated but equally wonderful end to this grand festival...

As the night deepened, the fireworks at the Kiyomizu Shrine gradually became sparse, eventually turning into a few scattered sparks that disappeared into the deep night.

[Amomi-naka-cho] The annual, grandest summer festival and fireworks display has finally come to an end.

The convoy returning to the shrine drove smoothly up the mountain. The atmosphere in the car with Watanabe Tetsuya and his group of four was much more harmonious than when they were going down the mountain in the morning.

Noriko snuggled in Watanabe's arms, her face still showing the excitement and satisfaction left over from watching the fireworks, but her eyelids were beginning to feel heavy, and she was obviously very sleepy.

Watanabe gently hugged Noriko, looking through the car window at the rapidly receding tree shadows outside that seemed a little hazy in the night, wondering what he was thinking.

The three girls in the back row, Haruka Hoshimi, Miki Sakuraba and Hazuki Saotome, did not say anything after noticing Noriko's sleepy state. Instead, they were reminiscing about the gorgeous fireworks tonight, or perhaps they were thinking about their own thoughts.

Soon, the convoy drove smoothly into the heavily guarded rear hall complex of Hidaka Shrine.

The vehicle slowly stopped in front of the attic where Watanabe and Noriko were temporarily living.

The accompanying priestess got out of the car first and respectfully opened the door for them.

However, just as Watanabe Toru was carefully holding Noriko and preparing to get off the car, he caught a glimpse of Miss Yukiyo, Ikeguchi Gonjyouji and Amekawa Gonjyouji standing at the steps of the corridor not far away.

The three women were standing side by side with solemn expressions, followed by several lower-level priestesses and maids who looked like their confidants. It was obvious that they had been waiting here for a long time.

Watanabe Tetsuya's eyebrows raised slightly, almost imperceptibly.

The first thought that came to his mind was that it was most likely those women, Hidaka Mari, Tsukimi Saki and Kunomiya Sakura, who had sent people to cause trouble for him.

Could it be that they were dissatisfied with their behavior of acting alone today with only Kiko, Hoshimi Haruka and the other two girls?

Or have they come up with some new trick and are planning to "summon" me overnight to continue the endless "party"?
When he thought of this possibility, Watanabe Tetsuya could not help but feel a deep sense of disgust and vigilance. (End of this chapter)