Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 122 18. "Indigo Flowers Bloom in the Night"

"Masumi-kun, come over here and help save the goldfish."

Asami squatted down in front of the goldfish stall and waved at Masumi.

"Why save the goldfish? Is your Japanese really that bad?"

(Note: The Japanese words "瓢" and "救" are homophones.)
In response to her greeting, Masumi walked closer while making a light complaint.

In order to finish the shaved ice quickly before it melted, I ate it a little too hastily and got an ice cream headache again.

However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Kurokawa was sent away and went to buy takoyaki with Chiai.

"Oh, no way, Masumi-kun, you don't know?" An incredible expression appeared on Asami's face.

"The goldfish left behind at the stalls will either become fertilizer or feed for other fish, so the word 'rescue' is the most appropriate description."

"Which light novel did you see this view in?"

"You guessed it all, not bad, Masumi-kun." Asami nodded: "I don't have many friends."

"I know." Masumi replied calmly.

"It's the name of the light novel!"

The white skin on the soles of her feet stuck to her clogs, and Miss Mami stomped her feet in anger.

"What I meant was 'I know this light novel'."

Masumi shrugged helplessly, which earned Asami a vicious glare at him.

"Stop talking nonsense and come over here to catch the goldfish. As long as you catch the black bulging-eyed goldfish, you win!"

This is most likely a rule set arbitrarily by some willful light novel heroine.

"Come on, Masumi-kun! Come on, Masumi-kun!"

Asami kept clapping her hands like a child, cheering him on.

"Don't be so loud, you've scared the goldfish away." Masumi was helpless, and the paper net in his hand broke as the goldfish struggled.

Sure enough, it was quite difficult to scoop up the wet and heavy goldfish with a paper net.

"You're just too weak, Masumi-kun... Wait! Uh-oh~ I actually managed to get it! Two hundred points for you!"

"Thank you. Here you go."

"Hey, are you going to give me a ride?"

"I'm not a member of the Goldfish Rescue Association." Masumi shook his head.

Mami took the small plastic bag filled with water from him. A black goldfish with bulging eyes was swimming leisurely in it.

"Thanks, Masumi-kun."

"Speaking of which, this guy's eyes are really weird."

She stared at the goldfish in the bag.

"What should I give you a name... I got it! I'll call you Shintan!"

"I want to collect royalties for the name." Masumi said lightly.

"It's the charcoal! Because you see, it's black, and looks like a burnt charcoal, right?"

(Note: "真澄" and "真炭" in Japanese are homophones.)
As long as she's happy.

"It's almost time to go," Masumi said.

"Ah."

Asami nodded with a satisfied smile on her face and suddenly let out a hiss.

"what happened?"

"I squatted for too long and my feet are numb."

"Not that much."

"Because it's very tiring to wear clogs, please wait for me."

Mami gently moved her clogs and tried to stand up, but then her smile froze and her body fell back irreversibly, screaming out:
"Ah! I'm going to fall—huh!? Why didn't you fall?"

She blinked in disbelief.

"Could it be that... I have awakened my superpowers at this critical moment?"

"Not really. If you think of me as a Stand user, that's another story."

Masumi's voice came from behind him.

His knees supported her back through the bow on her belt, and at the same time, she felt a sense of support from below her hips, and the power that prevented her from falling came from there.

"Uh, thank you, Masumi-kun."

Asami said this, she tried to stand up again, but it was completely futile as her body sank.

The overflowing soft and plump buttocks immediately filled his palm, and his fingers almost sank into the softness, making Masumi's palm feel the heavy weight.

"Wait, don't sit on it."

"Who, who's sitting here!" Mami blushed and yelled, "I can't get up in this state!"

"Keep your voice down." Masumi said helplessly.

He glanced around, and luckily everyone nearby was talking and laughing loudly, enjoying the festival and had no time to pay attention to this side.

The goldfish scooping stall owner's attention was also focused on two girls who were scooping goldfish. The girl with big eyes and a hairband had already caught 7 goldfish in a row.

"Amazing……"

Masumi muttered to himself.

"Where are you looking, Masumi-kun, help me up."

Because her hair was tied up, her red ears could be clearly seen.

Mami's face flushed. It was terrible. She looked so miserable. It looked like she was sitting on Masumi-kun.

The warmth of his palm was transmitted to him through the layer of yukata. I thought he wouldn't think I was heavy.

"Oh, then give me your hand."

Holding Mami's support, he slowly stood up.

She still had the plastic bag of goldfish hanging from her hand and exhaled.

"That was a close call. I didn't expect Masumi-kun to be so strong. He only needed one hand..."

"After all, I exercise every day, and as a guitarist, the part above the wrist is quite strong." Masumi nodded and said without any special meaning, "Especially the fingers."

Because you need to bend and vibrato the strings, if your fingers are weak or inflexible, you will be completely unqualified.

"This, this is it."

Mami fiddled with the ends of her hair nervously.

"Mamaru-san, Mio-san and I are back from buying takoyaki."

Qian Ai came over with a plastic box of takoyaki in her hand.

"It's just the right amount, so each person can only eat one."

"Masumi, what do you think this is?"

Kurokawa Mio approached as if to seek credit, holding up a newly packaged PS5 game console in both hands.

"Where did this come from?"

"My sister Qian Ai and I just went to play air rifle shooting, and this is the prize."

"Mio is amazing! She hit the jackpot after only two shots."

The innocent childhood girl no longer had any grudges against Kurokawa's teasing of her just now, and nodded excitedly.

"so."

Masumi had always believed that the big prizes at the air gun shooting booths were there to attract customers and that they were definitely impossible to shoot.

"The owner of that stall is quite honest and the settings are all within the acceptable range." Kurokawa Mio raised the corners of his lips proudly: "As soon as I thought of Masumi, I tried my best to take it down."

“This PS5 is for you.”

"Thanks, but I don't usually play games."

"It's okay, Masumi, just treat it as me and play with it as you please every day."

That's a terrible idea. The controller will break if you play like that.

"Or..." She licked her lips: "Masumi wants to play with it more than the game console..."

"Thank you, I'll accept it then."

Masumi interrupted her and took the PS5 from Kurokawa Mio, who smiled nonchalantly.

The PS5 has been on the market for several years now, and this gaming console must be an old employee at the stall. It will be employed in the coffee shop from today on.

Haiyue walked over with a chocolate banana in her left hand and an apple candy in her right hand.

Lin Yin frowned slightly after seeing this.

"You ate too many snacks tonight, both hot and cold. Be careful not to upset your stomach."

"No... this is what Masumi and I ate together..."

She said expressionlessly, staring at the takoyaki in Masumi's hand while answering.

"Do you want to eat? Takoyaki."

"Ah."

"Then I'll give you mine too."

The jellyfish girl opened her lips and took in the takoyaki he put into her mouth.

"Chew, chew~ Delicious... Masumi... Which one do you want to eat?"

After saying that, Haiyue handed over the candy apple and chocolate banana in her hand, "...You choose first."

Masumi thought for a moment and said, "Apple candy."

Hanekawa's eyes were fixed on the chocolate banana. After Masumi chose the candy apple, she visibly sighed. "Then... this bigger dessert... is mine..."

It turns out that it is measured by size, which is a very economic consideration.

After inserting a bamboo skewer into a peeled banana, a layer of thick chocolate sauce is evenly spread on it, and colorful sugar beans are sprinkled on the surface for decoration. In short, it is a dessert snack with a high calorie content.

"Hmm...but...it's so big..."

Haiyue frowned, revealing a slight distress, and stretched out her pink tongue slightly, licking the chocolate banana from the bottom up.

"How do you eat it like that?" Masumi complained.

"That's right, it's too sentimental!" Mami's eyes sparkled: "Ah~ Xiao Haiyue, can you hold the chocolate in your mouth for a bit?"

"No...I can't do it..."

"Hey, how can we not try hard? You can never give up so easily in life."

Please don't use such motivational words in this kind of situation.

"Don't worry, the distance from the throat to the lips is 13cm, and the normal opening and closing size is 3.7-4.5cm, so it's fine."

"Ms. Mami, you're spreading obscene knowledge again."

"Hey, if Chi'ai can understand, doesn't that mean you're not that simple?"

"No, no! It's all because of Mami-san that I'm like this!"

"That's such an extreme statement. Big sister is so sad."

"..."

The group chatted and laughed while strolling around the summer festival.

There were still 10 minutes before the fireworks display started, so it seemed a bit late to grab a seat now, but the six of us had no intention of reserving seats in advance.

For a fireworks display of this scale, if you don't have VIP tickets, you have to arrive quite early if you want to get a good spot in the general area.

"It's okay, it's also nice to stand on Asagiri Bridge and watch the fireworks with Masumi." Kurokawa Mio said with a smile.

"But you're not allowed to stay on the bridge to watch the fireworks."

"Leave it to me, Masumi-san." Qian Ai volunteered enthusiastically.

"My friends and I have been to the Kobe Port fireworks festival several times. We are the best at taking advantage of every opportunity. Everyone, follow me."

Qian Ai took the lead and pushed through the crowd to find an empty seat.

On the radio, the mayor of Uji was delivering a long speech and reading out a list of thanks to sponsors.

In addition to some corporate companies, the shopping streets on both sides of the Uji River also made a lot of efforts to revive the fireworks festival.

It seems that the new mayor is quite capable. Masumi thought that successfully reviving this event would be of great benefit to his election prospects. After all, since the ancient Roman period, consuls had tried to curry favor with citizens by building the Colosseum and sponsoring public events such as circus performances.

After the mayor wished the event a complete success, several people found an empty space on the river bank and took advantage of the opportunity to spread the waterproof mats they brought on the lawn.

There was not enough space here originally, but Qian Ai saw the potential of this open space and after brief negotiations with several groups of spectators around, she successfully pieced together space for six people.

"That's amazing, Chi'ai-chan."

"Thanks to you, Chiai."

"Qian Ai... is very powerful..."

"Huh, sister Qian Ai really has a way."

"Oh~ I feel a little embarrassed when everyone praises me so much." Qian Ai scratched her head happily, and her sunflower hair accessories trembled like excitement.

In comparison, Rin seemed a little depressed, or perhaps worried.

"What's wrong? Kamishiro, you don't look very energetic." Masumi asked.

"...I'm fine."

She shook her head gently: "I'm just a little tired from being squeezed in the crowd just now."

"Really? Then sit down and enjoy the fireworks in peace."

"Ah."

Linyin nodded slightly and sat down upright on the waterproof mat.

The grass on the ground was lush, spreading out green. The radio sounded, and the bass shook the ground, sending a slight vibration.

This time the voice was replaced by a female voice that was energetic yet gentle:
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, the Uji River Fireworks Festival is about to begin."

"Please enjoy the world of this dynasty scroll—"

The venue immediately echoed with warm applause, and some people who were too excited were whistling, and the enthusiasm on both sides of the Uji River was ignited.

Taking off her clogs, Asami stretched her legs on the waterproof mat, clasped her palms to her lips, and joined them, shouting loudly:

"Ta-ma-ya! (Tamaya)"

"Sister Mami, that's too old-fashioned." Qian Ai complained: "Very few people would yell like that nowadays."

"Oh, really?"

Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere, several children around imitated Mami and shouted "Tamuya" in a serious manner, and then more and more people joined in.

Soon, the sound of "Tamuya" could be heard one after another on the left bank of the Uji River.

"Well, this is the magic of the fireworks display."

Mami, the instigator, lifted her hair and proudly raised her white and tender bare feet.

I see. It's just the atmosphere.

Kotaro Isaka once said, "The primal joy brought by fireworks washed away the fatigue and meaningless obsessions of everyone present, returning everyone to the innocence of childhood."

Masumi nodded: "You can move your feet now."

"Hey, stingy, this place is so small."

Masumi wanted to say something else, but suddenly all the voices fell into the noisy silence.

From deep within the indigo sky came a vibration like a meteor piercing the atmosphere—that was the sound of fireworks exploding.

A group of meteors flying in reverse rose into the sky and exploded into thousands of light particles.

The spark with a silver tail had not yet fallen, but the second firework had already trailed an emerald-colored trail and shot straight into the sky, blooming into a colorful flower in the eyes of everyone who was looking up.

Bright colors spread in all directions, and at the moment the petals unfolded layer by layer, the third firework followed.

The lamp tree has thousands of light, and the flowers bloom with seven branches.

"So beautiful." Qian Ai murmured to herself, her fair skin slightly stained with the color of fireworks.

"...It's so hot." Asami fanned herself with her hands and said, "It's obviously a yukata, but it's not cool at all."

"Ms. Mami, you're really ruining the mood."

"Wow! Haiyue was so busy looking up at the fireworks that the shaved ice was about to melt and drip onto his clothes."

The rapid-fire fireworks dissipated in an instant, and the wind blowing from the Uji River carried a faint smell of gunpowder.

Masumi quietly admired the fireworks as music started playing on the radio at the venue: Utada Hikaru's "First Love," and even the fireworks bloomed into a heart shape.

The sweetness of love suddenly filled the entire summer night.

He sighed with annoyance, and suddenly felt a brush against his calf that was exposed from the hem of his yukata.

I thought it was an illusion, but when I looked down, I saw a pair of snow-white, delicate feet with the toes tensed. While everyone was concentrating on admiring the fireworks, the feet were teasing my nerves wantonly.

"...Kurokawa."

Masumi turned his head and met Kurokawa Mio's gaze.

Her rosy lips were outlined in a smile, the collar of her yukata was slightly open, and her delicate collarbone was illuminated by the fireworks.

"Why don't you watch the fireworks?" He downplayed the situation to hide his inner excitement. The magic of the fireworks display was very dangerous.

“I’m watching it now.”

Her tone of reply was as sweet as the candy apple she had just eaten: "The fireworks in Masumi's eyes are beautiful."

"Have it."

"Yep."

Kurokawa Mio blinked childishly, still teasing him playfully with her right foot.

"Just focus on watching the fireworks, it's really hard to see them." Masumi sighed, and gently held the delicate and soft feet with his left hand to stop it from moving.

"Ah."

Kurokawa Mio responded softly, and stopped moving her right foot. She only occasionally lifted up her round and smooth toes. It was obvious that she was in a good mood.

What is this?

Masumi was grumbling in her heart. Other couples were holding hands at the fireworks festival, but she was...

Still holding her feet in his hands, he glanced at the beautiful woman in the yukata with a smile as beautiful as a flower.

Before meeting Kurokawa, the impression she left on him was that of an elegant, calm, serious, and impeccable person, a solitary and powerful keyboard player.

Only in front of me would she reveal her childish and clingy side, and I'm sure only I can see this side of her.

Masumi suddenly felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. This was not good. The magic of the fireworks festival seemed to be too strong.

He forced himself to suppress this lustful thought, because momentary throbbing is called "emotion", while long-term stability is "emotion".

However, this is not something I should consider now that I am stuck in a stagnation.

Now, just focus on enjoying the fireworks display.

The music gradually died down and was replaced by subtle classical music. The fireworks display also entered a more leisurely stage, with only small fireworks being released, and the number was significantly reduced.

There were audiences everywhere who had left their seats to buy things or go to the bathroom.

"Where is Rinne going?"

In front of Masumi, Rin was wearing wooden clogs, and there were marks from the straps on her fair feet.

"Go buy some things and be back soon."

After saying this, she left with her frail figure in a yukata.

(End of this chapter)