I, the mastermind behind the scenes at Soubu High, refuse to be caught in a bloodbath.

"Do you really think I brought you here just to appease those people?"

"ha--?"

"Of course we should have a great time at the fireworks festival! There's still an hour and a half before the fireworks, so let's eat, drink, and have fun until then!"

Himekoji pulled Kawasaki along as they jogged towards a less crowded stall. Their wooden clogs clattered on the stone slabs. Kawasaki couldn't keep up with Himekoji's pace. He hadn't expected Himekoji to be so playful, and he was dragged along, almost losing his little fan in the process.

At the same time, Kazusa's shopping list was also sent over.

Marshmallows 500 yen * 2

Apple candy 500 yen

Takoyaki 500 yen

Honey Toast 400 yen*∞

"Hey, hey, hey... this infinity is way too much! How about I buy this stall and cook for you non-stop?"

Ji Xiaolu looked at the email that came to her phone and muttered to herself in exasperation.

"That is—?"

"A shopping list sent by one of my family members who couldn't come here."

"Huh? You have brothers and sisters too?"

"No, that's not it...it's just my childhood friend." Seeing that Kawasaki was about to ask more questions, Himekoji pulled her to the stall and said, "What do you want to eat or do? Today, all your expenses are on me."

"I don't have the habit of spending other people's money..."

Even so, Kawasaki was already quite eager to try it out.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I just forced you to attend that kind of event, so it doesn't matter. Besides, I don't believe you can spend that much in one night."

"Hmph, don't underestimate me. Girls are really good at snacking, it's just that they usually can't indulge themselves because of financial constraints!"

Himekoji sensed that Kawasaki was ready to roll up his sleeves and get down to business.

The first stall she chose was for scooping goldfish. The nets for scooping goldfish were made of paper and were very easy to tear. To scoop out goldfish, you had to control the timing and speed. Also, the goldfish would jump around, which could easily cause the wet paper to break. You couldn't stack several nets together to scoop them out. Each net cost 200 yen. Kawasaki squatted down and happily scooped away, but she didn't catch a single one.

This guy probably just wants to spend money, not catch goldfish!

Ji Xiaolu deposited 10,000 yuan with the boss, hoping he would make a fortune.

Kawasaki carefully scooped up a red-tailed goldfish in a paper net, spreading out a bag filled with water with one hand and swaying the still-throwing goldfish towards the opening of the bag with the other. However, just over two seconds after scooping it out of the water, the paper net tore, and the goldfish fell back into the tank. Kawasaki's expression instantly turned disappointed.

"Keep trying, there's still a chance."

Himekoji patted her on the shoulder to encourage her. The crowd became increasingly dense, with some popular stalls packed shoulder to shoulder. Some people couldn't even find a place to stand. The broadcasts gradually began to feature children searching for their irresponsible, lost parents. Kawasaki became serious again and again, only to become disappointed once more.

"You're really obsessed with catching goldfish."

Himeko felt something was unusual. He really admired people who could figure out the tricks after playing this kind of game a few times, and who kept playing despite failing. Moreover, Kawasaki was always so serious, and even after failing, he would pick himself up and continue. Himeko thought there might be some reason behind this.

"It's nothing... Let's go." Kawasaki said, reluctantly standing up. Himekoji put her hands back on her shoulders and said, "If you want to catch goldfish, just keep doing it. It's only 20,000 yen. What's a few tens of thousands more? I don't know why you're so obsessed with catching goldfish, but I think it means more to you than a few tens of thousands of yen means to me."

"You bastard..." Kawasaki looked at Himekoji with surprise, then glanced at his shoulder and said, "Let go."

So Himekoji let go, and Kawasaki called out to the stall owner, "Boss, ten more nets, please!"

"Haha, this young man really dotes on his girlfriend!"

The stall owner, dressed like a traditional Japanese vendor with a towel wrapped around his head, smiled as he smoked a cigarette.

"Girlfriend? No way!"

Kawasaki's face flushed, and his hands trembled as he dropped the goldfish he had just scooped up into the bag.

"what...!"

She became dejected again, and Ji Xiaolu felt that her legs were going to go numb from squatting.

I tried to fish it out nearly fifty times, but I didn't catch it even once.

"Forget it, I'm not doing it anymore," Kawasaki said, brushing a strand of her silvery hair behind her ear. She stood up angrily and held out her hand to the stall owner, saying, "We used 44 nets in total, you'll have to come back to us..."

"No need to look anymore, let's go."

Fifty nets would only cost ten thousand yen, and Himekoji didn't care about a few hundred yen. She pulled Kawasaki away from the stall, and it seemed that she had really given up on catching goldfish.

"So, you damn rich people..."

Kawasaki, who had been dragged a few steps, cursed through gritted teeth.

"This isn't my fault. I can't control what happened before I was born."

"Ah! That! Cotton candy!"

Kawasaki became excited, a smile spreading across his face. He pulled Himekoji along, squeezing through the crowds. The cotton candy machines hummed, emitting a sweet aroma. Vendors gathered the fluffy white sugar strands from the machines onto bamboo sticks, then put them into bags and hung them on the eaves of their stalls. The bags were all printed with anime or superhero characters; it seemed Toei Animation must have made a lot of money.

The cotton candy looks exactly the same as when Himekoji was a child, unchanged by the passing of time. Kawasaki, the same age as him, is also immersed in nostalgia, looking at the cotton candy with affection.

"It reminds me of when I was a child... I used to really like cotton candy, but suddenly I started to dislike it."

Kawasaki was about to reach for one, but then withdrew his hand, pursed his lips, and looked somewhat unfocused.

Author's Note:

PS: Please give me some razor blades, this is the eighth update.

Chapter 137 A Chance Encounter: [Sagami Minami] Intends to Extend an Invitation

What happened when you were a child?

“When I was little… I had a lot of younger siblings,” Kawasaki shook his head with a headache. “When I wanted to eat cotton candy, I had to give it to my younger siblings, or they simply wouldn’t buy it for me. Everyone wanted to eat it, but I was the only one who didn’t get any… Now that I’m older, I don’t care anymore. On the contrary, I think I should give more to my younger siblings.”

"Excuse me, boss, please give me this one."

Before Kawasaki could finish reminiscing about his childhood, Himekoji bought a cotton candy with "Inuyasha & Kikyo" printed on the bag, then handed it to Kawasaki, saying, "Now that you're all grown up, someone's treating you to this. Eat it."

"Oh... thank you." Kawasaki took it, and just as he was about to leave, he asked, "Your childhood friend, she—did she want some cotton candy too?"

"I'll buy it for her on the way back. This thing will get flattened if it gets squeezed even slightly, and it will look terrible. I bet she'll beat me and make a scene when we get back."

"That sounds like a really willful guy."

Kawasaki's lips curled up slightly, and he turned and walked away.

"Huh?!"

Just as Himekoji and Kawasaki turned around, two familiar faces came into their view: Hikigaya and Yuihama. Unlike Himekoji, Hikigaya wasn't wearing a kimono; he was dressed casually in a short-sleeved shirt and casual trousers, which were only slightly more formal than home wear. Yuihama, on the other hand, was dressed very cutely.

Her pale red yukata was adorned with small flowers, and her vermilion sash was very eye-catching; her brown hair, decorated with pink, was not tied up in a bun today, but rather combed upwards and coiled together. Compared to Kawasaki, they each had their own merits. Kawasaki went for a mature and elegant style, while Yuihama went for a completely youthful and cute style.

"Kawasaki—you're Kawasaki from our class, right!"

Because she was wearing makeup, Yuihama seemed a little uncertain, but she clearly recognized her.

"Long time no see, Yuihama, and also, Hikigaya."

Himekoji would never mispronounce someone's name. Hachiman's gaze wandered; he never really liked these kinds of occasions and instinctively wanted to leave.

"You are... Oh, so you're one of the two I saw at the hotel."

Kawasaki's impression of Yuihama and Hikigaya was limited to this, and she acted indifferently.

"I didn't expect you two to be shopping together."

Himekoji adjusted her glasses, looking directly at Yuihama and Hikigaya, without any hint of sarcasm.

"Hmm... but I thought Himekoji-kun would come with Yukino."

Indeed, Himekoji's invitation to Kawasaki was not only unexpected by the Yukinoshita family, but even Hachiman's clever mind could not guess what his intention was. Judging from the previous situation, although it can be roughly judged that Himekoji and Kawasaki may have known each other before, their relationship was definitely not that good.

"Huh—, Yui?!"

Just as Himekoji was about to reply, another soft sigh came from the right. Himekoji turned around and saw Sagami Minami from Class F. According to Hikigaya, she was in another large popular group in Class F, a woman in the second tier of the class, and the leader of the group.

She was dressed very fashionably, not wearing a traditional yukata but a dark blue sleeveless top with the long hem tied together, and a light blue short skirt. She also carried a dark purple ladylike handbag, making her look mature and beautiful. The two girls next to her were her best friends, one named Kato Ran and the other Asashima Sakurako. The two followed Sagami Minami's lead and dressed in an extremely avant-garde style, but they did not steal Sagami Minami's thunder.

"Oh my! Student council president Himekoji-kun is here too! By the way, who is this...?"

Sagami temporarily ignored Hikigaya and turned its attention to Kawasaki.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Himekoji responded politely.

“If you’re in the same class as someone else, you should at least remember my name, right?” Kawasaki glanced at her dismissively and tossed her head, saying, “I’m Kawasaki Saki.”

"Oh... hello hello," Sagami, having been rebuffed, stopped looking at the two and turned to look at Yuihama, then cast a glance at Hikigaya next to Yuihama.

"Ah, this is Hikigaya from the same class, and this is Sagami Minami from the same class."

Yuihama acted as the middleman, introducing them.

Sagami glanced at Himekoji, then looked at Hikigaya, and their eyes met. At that moment, a smile appeared on Sagami's lips.

"Oh, I see... You two came together, right? Unlike me, who's at a girls-only fireworks party. Ah, that's great~ I also want to feel young again~"

"Haha...you're making it sound like a swimming competition. We're not like that at all!"

Yuihama was a little unsure how to respond, so she simply laughed it off with the other person.

"Huh? What's wrong with it? It's summer now, isn't it perfect?"

Sagami was subtly mocking Hikigaya, which made Hikigaya extremely uncomfortable, not only because of himself, but also because of Yui Hama beside him. Because "he" was by her side, it lowered her rating in Sagami Minami's eyes. To put it bluntly, he was just a hindrance in this situation, and he should never have come out with Yui Hama today.

That's right, I was set up. If I couldn't see such an obvious setup, I would be too slow-witted.

It's just that I don't want to accept it, I don't want to believe it.

So-called youth is nothing but a complete and utter lie.

"Hachiman and Yuihama, want to go sightseeing together later?"

Of course, Himekoji's purpose wasn't really to go shopping with them; they would definitely refuse. He just wanted to help Hachiman. In this particularly embarrassing situation, Himekoji felt sorry for him. Besides, he also planned to get Hachiman to help him in the student council at the cultural festival. If he could get Hachiman to owe him a favor, things would be much easier.

Besides, no matter what, I'm still in the same department as Yuihama and Hikigaya, so what is Sagami Minami?

Before Yuihama and Hikigaya could answer, Sagami spoke first.

"Eh—? Himekoji-kun, are you going shopping with Yui and this Hikigaya-kun? No way, it's not good to bother them. Come with the three of us, including Kawasaki-kun next to you. That'll be one boy with four girls, everyone will be so envious, right~"

As he spoke, Sagami winked at himself and smiled knowingly.