Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 123 19. "Even if it blooms, summer will end"

boom!
Fireworks exploded one after another overhead, colorful smoke rose, the dark surface of the Uji River shone, and people's cheers came with the wind.

Tired of looking up all the time, Masumi lowered his eyelashes and glanced at his phone. Seeing this, Asami teased:

"Oh my, Masumi-kun, you're quite bold."

"what do you mean?"

"At a fireworks festival, since I'm surrounded by so many happy people, I can only read erotic novels to kill my loneliness." Asami smiled with narrowed eyes. "You have to know when to stop doing this kind of thing."

"Masumi, are you okay?" Kurokawa Mio stared at him and said meaningfully, "If you feel lonely..."

"I'm not reading it." Masumi sighed helplessly: "This is my own novel. Because of some problems, I am a little concerned about it..."

"And, you know what? Seno, speaking ill of others is actually a reflection of your own heart."

"Hey, Masumi-kun." Asami nudged him with her elbow. "You mean I'm the one who reads those kinds of novels to kill time? But I don't read them just to be lonely."

"..."

"Ahem, the fireworks are so beautiful."

She turned her head and looked at the fireworks.

"By the way, where's Rinne?" Qian Ai wondered, "She said she went shopping and hasn't come back yet."

"I sent a message to Xiao Linyin, but she hasn't replied yet."

“Maybe there are too many people queuing.”

The radio started playing Kenshi Yonezu's "Fireworks".

After several waves of rapid-fire fireworks, a particularly large firework came, and the night sky flickered. At this time, Shen Dai still had not returned.

Masumi stood up from the waterproof mat.

"I'm going to use the bathroom."

"I'll go with Masumi." Kurokawa Mio also stood up with him.

"That's not necessary. I can go by myself."

"Wait a minute, you're not going to look for Linyin, are you?" She frowned slightly, revealing her wariness blatantly.

"If so, I must go with you."

It's okay at normal times, but if it's a fireworks festival, there's no way Masumi and that thieving cat could be alone together.

"I just went to the bathroom." Masumi sighed: "If I happen to meet her, I will come back with her."

"Then I'm going out to buy something, let's go together."

"Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you."

"Apple candy, squid cake, marshmallow, roasted corn, orange-flavored marble soda..." She parted her red lips and talked incessantly.

Masumi nodded, "I understand."

"Eh." Kurokawa Mio was stunned for a moment, "Did Masumi remember everything?"

"Yeah." He repeated it completely. Kurokawa Mio looked dumbfounded when she heard it, but the next moment, a gentle smile appeared on her lips again.

"You're truly my Masumi."

"It's just that I still feel a little unwilling." She said softly, biting her lip.

"I'll be back soon."

"Ah."

After staring blankly at Masumi's back as she left, Kurokawa Mio picked up her phone and clicked on the account named "Neko" in the LINE list.

Masumio: "Where are you? Come back soon to watch the fireworks."

◇

I walked through the crowd and came to the public toilet near the venue. There were quite a lot of people queuing, especially in the women's restroom.

After waiting for a long time, Masumi walked out of the men's restroom. Several rapid-fire fireworks shot straight into the sky in Masumi's sight. The fireworks display was already halfway through.

I wonder if Kamishiro has returned from shopping.

Masumi thought for a moment and took out his phone—

Masumi: "Where are you?"

After sending the message, he felt that it seemed a bit unnecessary.

If you are waiting in line or carrying something in your hands, you probably won’t be able to look at your phone.

As I was thinking this, there was a buzzing sound and the phone in my palm vibrated.

This was the message that Kamishiro responded to.

Neko: "Ujigami Shrine."

Attached is a photo of the shrine's worship hall at night.

Eh? Shrine?

◇

After receiving the news, Masumi crossed the Uji Bridge and headed to the other side.

I visited Ujikami Shrine during the day, but when I visited it again at night, I found a completely different atmosphere.

Although the torii gate was crowded with people participating in the festival, once you passed through it, it felt like you had really stepped into a hidden world where gods and monsters live, and it immediately became unspeakably quiet.

The imperial lanterns on both sides of the road were arranged in two rows, emitting a warm white light and a faintly eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

Masumi walked through the silent and deserted Uji Shrine and approached the moonlit Uji Kami Shrine. A crow perched on the top of a cypress tree bark cried out sharply, which made him nervous.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the festival, there is an atmosphere of cool night water here.

There was no sign of the God's Age at all.

where is she?

At this moment, the phone vibrated again——

Neko: "Dajishan."

Attached is a photo of the Dajishan Observation Deck.

Suddenly I felt like I was being teased.

If it were Seno, he would definitely ignore her and go home, but if it was Kamishiro...

Thinking back on her behavior throughout the day, she seemed to be worried.

Masumi sighed in frustration and continued walking forward from Ujikami Shrine, which was a gently undulating mountain trail.

Mount Daichi is 131 meters above sea level and its official name is Mount Buddha. Before reading the travel brochure, Masumi heard Seno read this name to her. It seemed like a famous scene from an animation.

There were no street lights on the mountain and the road was completely shrouded in darkness. Masumi turned on the flashlight on his phone to illuminate the road.

The sky was filled with the sound of fireworks exploding, which sounded like a heartbeat in the quiet mountains.

It is about 1 kilometer from here to the observation deck, but because it is a mountain road with rocks on the road, it is difficult to walk on and it takes at least ten minutes to climb up.

Masumi glanced at her phone. The interval between the two messages was less than ten minutes. How did Kamiyo get up there in such a short time while still wearing wooden clogs?

He subconsciously touched his handbag and felt the shape of the glass potion bottle. He breathed a sigh of relief but frowned deeply at the same time.

Is this lucky or unfortunate?

Anyway, this time, he was indeed hit by Chekhov's bullet.

There are less than 30 minutes left until the fireworks display ends.

This is a very rare event.

Masumi took a deep breath and decided that at least six people should watch the final fireworks together.

He then gathered his strength and ran wildly on the mountain road. Fortunately, he was wearing sneakers tonight, he thought thankfully.

The morning jogs I started in April have finally paid off.

His heart beat faster and faster, and the mountain road continued to extend. In order to reach the destination as soon as possible, he desperately squeezed strength from his legs. In his blurry vision, he seemed to see the scene when his eyes were blurred with tears.

Finally, Masumi saw the end.

The observatory located in the middle of Mount Daichi offers a great view of the Uji streets during the summer festival.
The lights on the ground are like stars, and the crowds of people walking among them are like rivers of light - two galaxies, two Uji Rivers.

Seeing all this, a slim figure in a yukata came into view.

"Kamiyo?"

Although the yukata was the familiar lilac color, the darkness covering the surroundings still made it difficult for Masumi to grasp her face. In order to confirm her identity, he asked.

"……You came."

A clear, stern voice, like the sound of ice colliding, drifted through the air, and the owner of the voice turned around.

Fireworks exploded overhead, and she hid her expression in the shadows.

"Just one moment you were at Ujikami Shrine, and now you're at Daikichiyama."

Masumi approached Rinone while breathing heavily with fatigue.

"It's totally incomprehensible."

"...If you find it so confusing, why did you come?"

The voice coming from that body didn't sound like Rin's usual voice at all. It was like the throat was being strangled and squeezed out from the vocal cords, which was disconcerting.

"What are you talking about? It sounds even more confusing."

After gradually calming his turbulent breathing, Masumi stared at her steadily, "None of this is important. First, stretch out your feet and let me see."

"..."

Linyin tilted her head, her expression twisted and speechless, obscured by a thick shadow.

"Ah! No! I mean, let me see if your foot is hurt." Masumi explained hurriedly.

I was so tired from running just now that the oxygen to my brain was taken away by my muscles, and I spoke without thinking.

"Don't worry about it."

Her tone seemed unusually cold, and Masumi kept approaching while being confused.

"What's wrong? You've been acting weird since just now." He scratched his head, struggling in confusion.

"But let's put this aside for now. I brought some potions with me before I came out, hoping they wouldn't come in handy, but I ended up using them anyway. I don't know if this is considered bad luck or..."

"Noisy!"

Those beautiful purple eyes widened, and Rinyin opened her lips and interrupted his monologue loudly.

"You're the one who's confused, aren't you? And Mami-san and the others, too. They left for a while, and then they all messaged me one by one, asking about me. I had no choice but to reply. I was trying to use my location to dissuade you, but you ended up following me all the way here. Just how free do you really have?"

"Why do you have to care about me? You five guys are having a great time at the festival, right? Why don't you just leave me alone and neglected until the fireworks festival is over?"

"It's so noisy! So annoying! What's going on?!"

The urgent shouts echoed throughout the nearby mountains and forests, scaring away the eavesdropping birds and small animals.

Masumi blinked in astonishment.

Kamishiro had always given him a calm and restrained image, displaying a maturity that was inconsistent with his age. Although he occasionally revealed a pitiful vulnerability, this was the first time he had seen him like this.

It completely overturned her previous personality and image.

How should I put it? She was just a normal 19-year-old female college student, throwing a tantrum unreasonably.

Masumi couldn't help but chuckle.

"why are you laughing?"

Linyin's expression turned cold.

"Because what you just said is completely illogical. We went out to watch a fireworks display together, and when your friend is late getting something to buy, isn't it normal to send a message to ask about it?"

"Also, even if you want to be alone and don't want to be cared about, you don't have to hide all the way from the shrine to Mount Daiji, right?"

Masumi said jokingly, "If I don't get to Daijishan in time, where are you going next?"

"This should be the highest point in Uji, right? Could it be Ama Iwato?"

"If that's the case, I'll just have to be the God of Heavenly Hand Strength for once."

(Note: From a myth in the Kojiki: Because the sun goddess Amaterasu hid in the Ama-no-Iwato, the whole world was dark, and the gods sang and danced outside the Ama-no-Iwato. Curious, Amaterasu opened a crack to peek, and was pulled out by the god of heaven's strength.)
"..."

Kamiyo Rin'in first stared at him coldly, then after a moment, her gaze fell to the ground, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her drooping bangs cast a shadow of sadness on her face.

“…I’m not a god.”

"But I'm not some god of supernatural power."

Masumi laughed teasingly, "He's just an ordinary barista in Kobe, and you're my store manager."

"..."

"I'm done venting my anger. Now can you let me see where I'm hurt?"

"..."

The black-haired girl remained silent, her gaze wandering in the air. She staggered in her wooden clogs and sat down on the bench in the observation deck.

"Oh, it's really messy."

Masumi used a flashlight to observe, then let out a heavy sigh, pretending to be injured like this. "It's going to be very troublesome to treat it."

"I didn't ask you to help me." Lin Yin frowned: "Anyway, it's all my own fault...hiss!"

She gasped in pain.

"Don't move."

Masumi gently lifted up her outstretched foot, and her long and slender curves revealed the girl's softness.

The body temperature was slightly cool, like a mermaid who had just emerged from the water, icy and slippery, and it felt like holding a piece of soft jade moistened by nectar.

On this fair and smooth skin, the deep red marks left by the belt and several bloodstains from the friction with the clogs made people feel extremely pity.

"It's time to apply the medicine. Bear with the pain." He said softly.

"This little bit of pain is nothing... Hmm."

Linyin bit her lower lip, enduring the pain.

Masumi subconsciously slowed down his movements, knowing full well that this girl wasn't in any way more tolerant to pain; she was just being stubborn. He thought that if he could bruise all the soft spots on his heart and form a thick scab, he'd no longer fear pain. But was it really that easy?
"Can you tell me what happened?"

Masumi gently and carefully applied the medicine on the red and swollen area. Her muscles were very tense, probably because she raised her foot, and it must have been related to her worries.

“…I don’t want to say.”

"Hey, but I really want to hear it. Let's just treat it as a way to kill the silence, okay?"

Rin glared at her fiercely, but then turned her head away, her eyes softening and tender. Masumi had never seen her look so gentle.

The girl sighed quietly.

"I had a dream last night."

"Nightmare?"

"No." She shook her head gently, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings: "It's just a beautiful dream."

"I dreamed that on the day of Obon Festival when I was 11, my father picked me up from the orphanage to watch a fireworks display and celebrate my birthday."

"We returned to Jindai Shrine in Gunma Prefecture and lived peacefully together, and I grew up slowly."

“…When I was about to wake up from the dream, my mother seemed to have returned to my side.”

"We are a family, living together happily."

Linyin's tone was too gentle, but there was a thin thorn hidden in her tone.

To Masumi's ears, it sounded like a very sad voice.

"I see, is this why you dozed off in the car today?"

He had tried to make his movements and strength as light as possible, like the moment a butterfly landed on a petal's heart, but it still caused the lilac flowers on the yukata to tremble slightly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper at you just now."

After calming down, Rinyin apologized again, just like she did on that spring night on Mount Rokko.

"You really love to reflect on yourself." Masumi laughed: "But at this time, there is no need to apologize."

"Really? Well..." Rinone recalled her past interactions with Masumi: "Thank you?"

She said in a tentative tone.

"No need."

Masumi shook his head: "At this time, just smile."

"..."

His answer left Rin speechless for a moment.

Her snow-white throat trembled slightly in confusion, and the girl sighed in frustration.

"Sorry, this is the only thing I can't do."

Rin turned her face away slightly, looking towards the bustling streets and the lively festival at the foot of Mount Daichi.

"I used to be able to laugh, but I don't know when it started..."

No, actually she knew it herself.

"But if it's like this."

The girl used her index fingers to push the corners of her lips upwards.

Her lips, which were usually tightly pursed into a line, broke into a faint smile, and then kept that smile fixed on her face.

It was Masumi's smile when he and her went to the shopping street to buy goods for the first time.

At that time, from the smile she forced out, Masumi saw the seriousness and sense of responsibility of being an heir, and he sincerely admired her.

But in this situation, seeing her mask-like smile again, Masumi couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest. He thought that it didn't matter if he didn't force himself to smile.

"Feel sorry."

"It's ok."

The smile faded, and Rin's face returned to its usual cold expression.

"I'm very grateful to you for bringing me here to the Fireworks Festival."

"I was actually very happy during this three-day trip. I was happy every moment."

"With the memories of this summer, I think I can get through more difficult times alone in the future."

Some people use memories to heal their lives, while others use their lives to heal their memories.

However, the girl in front of Masumi is using the painful memories that she needs to heal the most to survive the reality of having no new memories again and again, until the future.

He stared at the girl's face in silence, a startled expression on his face. His rosy lips parted slightly, pouring out poignant words:

"When I'm overly happy, I often fear the end of my happiness. Since I'm constantly worried about that day coming, I might as well end it myself."

"But sometimes I wonder...if I stop resisting others and open my heart completely, will I be happy from now on?"

When saying this, Rin's expression was careful and serious.

It was also at this time that her face finally faded from the shadows and appeared completely in front of Masumi.

The light reflected from those beautiful eyes is as crystal clear as the most beautiful amethyst. No matter how much polishing and wear and tear it has gone through, it cannot conceal the brilliance in the deepest part of its inner world.

"..."

"Of course I can." Masumi said firmly.

"Really? But this is my life. Where do you get your confidence from?"

Lin Yin glanced over with a cold gaze and retorted, "Do you think you can shoulder the responsibility of another person's life?"

This accusation was too heavy, and Masumi immediately lowered his head as if to escape, "Sorry, I was too frivolous."

“…This is not the answer I expected.”

She uttered a weak murmur from between her lips.

"Ok?"

Masumi tilted his head, not hearing clearly.

"……nothing."

The girl turned her face away to avoid the main issue, and her fair cheeks were stained with a faint blush.

"Oh, then... change to the other foot."

"Ah."

He began to apply medicine to the wound on his other foot. The hem of his yukata was wide open, but Rin seemed to trust him and didn't show any concern.

The dark blue yukata matched the night perfectly and contrasted beautifully with her fair skin.

Because of the action of lifting the foot, through the gap in the yukata, the exquisite curve of the legs and even the girlish pattern and color at the end are all visible.

Come to think of it, Kamishiro really likes cats, even her underwear has a pattern of...

Not good! It felt like I was doing something bad, but I didn't mean to see it.

Just as he was distracted, Linyin suddenly raised her foot and gently touched the inside of his arm.

"what happened?"

"You weren't peeking, were you?"

"No." Masumi made a sound that seemed to be squeezed out of his throat, sounding a little unsure.

"Well, it's okay if you want to watch it."

"Huh?" Masumi widened his eyes in disbelief.

The girl's expression darkened: "You really want to see it."

"No, absolutely not! Well, the medicine has been applied."

Masumi stood up from the bench as if she had been electrocuted. Rinne let out a quiet breath, her eyes flashing. She adjusted the hem of her yukata and was about to put on her clogs when Masumi stopped her.

"I'll carry you."

"No need, I can walk by myself."

"Your feet hurt, don't they? And it's best not to touch anything else until the potion dries up."

"Then wait here until it's done."

"I'm afraid that won't work." Masumi shook his head, unlocking his phone and glancing at it. "We're running out of time."

"time?"

"There are only 15 minutes left in the fireworks display." Masumi explained, "Since I brought you here, the six of us must watch the final fireworks together."

"Then..." Lin Yin still seemed hesitant.

Masumi added fuel to the fire: "There's no time. If we don't go back soon, Kurokawa will be angry, Seno will probably nag me for months, Chiai will be unhappy too, and there's no telling what Kaizuki will do, so——"

He spoke without taking a breath, and then suddenly paused to take a breath and said:
"Let's go and watch the last fireworks of this summer."

Lin Yin lowered her eyelashes quietly, and the soft corner of her heart felt sour because of his words, but then a warm feeling surged up.

"Ah."

The beautiful girl's soft body leaned on his back, and then he put all his weight on him. Masumi passed his arms through his legs, carried Rinone on his back, and picked up the clogs with his other hand.

They returned along the mountain trail, passed through the vermilion torii gate, and arrived at the summer festival again.

With less than 2 minutes left before the fireworks display ended, the two overlapping figures shuttled through the chaotic crowd.

Everyone stopped where they were, looking up to admire the final fireworks display, which made it impossible for them to move.

The announcement sounded on the radio——

"The final fireworks are coming!"

"Rapid Fireworks No. 5, Starmine!"

"Genji is romantic, Genji lives forever!"

Masumi's voices urged him on, making him even more anxious. He only needed to cross Asagiri Bridge to reach the stands, but as for time...

"Hey, Masumi-san!"

A familiar voice rang in my ears. Was it an illusion?

In the brightly lit area, four girls in yukata were waving towards here.

"Finally found you, Masumi."

Kurokawa Mio came trotting over in her wooden clogs, and the ornaments on her hairpin made a rustling sound in sync with her movements.

After seeing Rinyin on his back, his brows frowned noticeably, and his eyes immediately fell on the two scarred feet. "Um, are you okay? Rinyin."

"fine."

Rinne shook her head slightly, motioning for Masumi to put her down.

Mami, Chiai, and Haiyue also came closer, and Haiyue was still crunching on the candy apple.

"Really, Masumi-kun, you've been in the bathroom for so long, it's time to check your kidney function." She said jokingly.

"Masumi...so slow..."

"Why aren't you in the stands?" Masumi asked confusedly.

"Of course it's to find you and Rinne," Qian Ai said with a frown.

Then, with a matter-of-fact tone and a bright smile, he said, "We have to watch the final fireworks together, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Masumi nodded seriously.

The indigo night was lit up with fireworks one after another.

Six people quietly watched the fireworks on Tower Island. The Rapid-Fire No. 5 fireworks were like wildfire, "crackling" in the night sky, outlining winding colorful curves and lighting up the dark water surface.

Just as Masumi was looking up at the fireworks, he heard Rin's whisper in his ears.

"The last fireworks are about to end."

"Ah."

After all, fireworks are fleeting. Such illusory things have incredible power and affect people's moods.

"I just made a wish at the shrine."

"What wish?" Masumi turned his head.

"..."

Bang! There was a loud explosion above her head, the sound of fireworks exploding, and the noisy voices around her were so loud that they drowned out her whisper.

Lin Yin's eyes did not look at him, but looked straight at the fireworks, sighing:
“People are always happiest when they are infinitely close to happiness.”

Staring at her delicate profile illuminated by the fireworks, an impulse surged in his heart, causing Masumi to blurt out this question -

"Do you feel happy now?"

"Ah."

Faced with his question, the girl responded without hesitation.

At this moment, she smiled.

Her snow-white and delicate skin was dyed the color of fireworks, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

Rinyin laughed heartily.

"I am very happy now."

Masumi stared blankly at her pure and unparalleled smile.

Linyin found himself looking at her, asking something with his eyes. He seemed to have accidentally looked too far.

Masumi then shook his head to indicate that everything was fine, and looked into the distance.

There happened to be a particularly large bunch of fireworks, which covered up the words he said.

"It's just right. Seeing you happy, I feel happy with your happiness."
-
[Volume 4: Painting Summer Fireworks: End]

(End of this chapter)