Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 340, Section 8: "Longing, soaring into the sky with fireworks."

……

Stepping outside, I could hear the incessant chirping of cicadas.

"...Ah~ Let's Pool like this is so much fun."

On the way back to the coffee shop from the hotel, I spoke in a tone reminiscent of a bygone era.

"When will we have another group activity like this to strengthen relationships? I'm ready to fly over from Miyako Island anytime!"

"Uh, I mean..."

Masumi looked tired, and her eyes and cheeks twitched slightly.

"You guys are having a lot of fun, but having six of you all at once is really taking a toll on my body..."

"Don't say that."

I gently tapped Masumi's shoulder with my long, slender fingertips.

“Masumi didn’t work alone; we fought alongside you.”

"Wow! It's so much fun being together with everyone..."

Haiyue raised her fist towards the midsummer sky, revealing a gentle smile.

The childlike innocence emanating from her relaxed expression made Masumi sigh softly.

"No, that should be considered internal strife."

In order to prevent anyone from monopolizing their time for too long, whenever it was a girl's turn, the other girls would maliciously gang up on her.

"...It's all your fault for doing those unnecessary things."

Mio tied a knot between her eyebrows unhappily.

"I originally wanted to possess Masumi a little longer."

Instead of blaming others, Mio should reflect on her physical strength, which is inconsistent with her arrogant tone.

"Huh? Rinne, who is the winner but too tired to move and can only hear other people's voices, has no right to talk to me."

"What did you say!"

Rinne's expression immediately turned cold.

"...Those two, who were just looking exhausted and unable to straighten their backs, are now arguing energetically."

Qian Ai, who was walking behind, sighed wearily.

"You agree, right, Mami-nee... Mami-nee?"

"Oh, sorry, what does Chihiro like to say?"

"What's wrong? Mami-nee hasn't recovered from her daze yet."

"No, I was just thinking about something..."

Mami looked thoughtful.

"what?"

"I thought it would be embarrassing, but being with everyone... it wasn't so bad... quite unexpected."

"Eh!?"

Qian Ai's entire face turned bright red all the way to the roots of her neck.

"Why, why are you saying these things?"

Mami smiled slightly.

"It's nothing, Chia, just pretend I didn't say anything..."

◇

As Kobe transitions from dusk into a slightly deeper night, the roads gradually transform into a single color, much like the river. The figures on the road resemble lanterns drifting on the water.

After resting and recharging at the coffee shop, everyone took the tram to the summer festival.

The girls were dressed in pretty yukatas, but Masumi, because she was afraid of the heat, simply wore a regular T-shirt and shorts.

There were so many heads moving around along the way, it felt like there were more people than cicadas clinging to the trees.

boom!boom!
Fireworks shot into the night sky one by one.

Intersecting ripples of light illuminated the buildings and figures on the ground, instantly transforming the world into a splendid and bustling place as night fell.

The area beneath the river embankment already seemed to be packed with tourists who had already secured their spots.

"...Oh no! It's already started!"

Mami took a bite of the Frankfurt sausage in her hand and mumbled something indistinctly.

"Asami-nee doesn't seem to be in a hurry at all."

Chiai sighed, waved the sleeve of her yukata, and fanned her face with her hand as if she was hot.

The pale yellow flower pattern was enhanced by the vendor's lights.

"Because there's no use in being anxious now."

She said as a matter of course.

"That's why we're running out of time, Mami-nee-san."

"Well, since it's too late anyway, let's just find a place nearby to watch the fireworks."

Masumi smoothed things over, saying that as they approached the riverbank where the fireworks festival was located, the crowds gradually gathered on the same road. Because there were no paid viewing areas, the situation of reserving seats was extremely chaotic.

A significant number of people arrived early to secure good spots, while Masumi and her group were only leisurely strolling over by then; the good spots had probably already been taken.

Masumi can see things more beautiful than scenery at very close range, so he is not obsessed with fireworks.

Since the fireworks will be launched high into the sky anyway, we might as well enjoy them from a distance.

In the crowd, Masumi saw many young couples holding hands, then looked down at the string of couples she was holding...

Yes, that's right, it's a string of them.

Masumi held Rinne and Mio's hands, then Rinne held Kaizuki's hand, and Mio held Chiai's hand.

If it weren't for Mami and my senior, Ruko, browsing the mask vendors with great interest, the scene on this string would have been even more spectacular.

However, this was enough for Masumi to receive envious, jealous, or resentful glances from the boys around her.

"There are so many people here, you'd better hold my hand tightly!"

If they get separated, it will take some effort to find them.

Even if beauties like them are overwhelmed by crowds, they will still shine like fireworks in the night sky.

"I'm not a child."

"Okay, I'll hold Masumi's hand tightly and we'll never be apart."

Their outward reactions were completely opposite, but the force in both hands increased.

Ah... fireworks...!

Haiyue suddenly took a step forward and strained to lift her fair face.

"Wait, Haiyue, don't run around."

Like a mother worried about her daughter getting lost, Rinne held her daughter's small hand tightly, and unconsciously tightened her grip on Masumi's hand as well.

Her fair skin was tinged with blue, and fireworks soared into the sky amidst the cheers of others at the festival.

Like a jellyfish swimming in the deep sea, the blue light crackled and sparkled, outlining a winding curve as it slowly fell.

"Wow, that's amazing! I heard that blue fireworks are the hardest fireworks to produce."

Qian'ai watched intently, letting out a sigh of admiration.

"Blue fireworks...that's amazing..."

I was very excited to see the blue fireworks exploding one after another on the sea moon.

She took a step toward the human wall, then another step to get closer to the fireworks, until her arm, which was clasped with Rinne's, was almost fully extended before she stopped.

Masumi's gaze followed the moonlit sea illuminated by the fireworks, and she didn't really look at the sky.

"Masumi?"

Mio said to him as he stopped walking.

After a short pause, Masumi finally smiled.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking that it really feels like summer right now."

I could smell a very complex and varied aroma at the tip of my nose.

The warm air carried the cloying sweetness of candied apples, the aroma of takoyaki or grilled squid sauce, the scent of women's shampoo, and the gunpowder smell of burning fireworks...

This is probably what summer festivals are all about.

Perhaps in the distant future, he will smell the same scent again around them.

That must be something that makes people feel truly happy.

Coming to her senses, Masumi wholeheartedly prayed about this matter.

"I feel a lot of nostalgia..."

Bathed in colorful lights, Rinne let out a sigh-like whisper.

"I remember just last year, watching fireworks with you and everyone else like this, and now another year has passed..."

Rinne stopped there and looked up at the fireworks.

Flowers that seem too ethereal bloom in the night sky.

Her face and eyes looked as if they had been meticulously sculpted by a deity, and were now adorned with the colors of celestial flowers.

"yes……"

Looking into Rinne's eyes, which seemed to be gazing into the future, Masumi felt a strange, indescribable feeling in her heart.

It's like the wind should be blocked by people and heat, so it's impossible for it to blow over, but his cheeks have the illusion of being blown by the wind.

He took a deep breath of summer air and suddenly realized that he didn't need to come up with new ideas every year to maintain a sense of novelty.

As long as we stay together, even if things never change, it's not so bad.

The fireworks that soar high into the sky are heading towards the darkness that fills every crevice of the world with their own power.

No matter how many lights are lit in the sky, they cannot reveal the other side of the night.

Only tomorrow will we know what it looks like there.

Masumi entrusts this longing to tomorrow, letting it fly into the sky with the fireworks.

(End of this chapter)