[Warning 15+]
Part Five
――Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 168
The Shiftin' Seasons
――Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 168
The Shiftin' Seasons
"…"
""""…""""
Silence hung in the air.
None of them knew what to say to each other.
It was just past 7 AM.
Even though they were childhood buddies who'd been tight for ages, the sight of them all crowded around the dinin' table this early in the mornin'—without even havin' a sleepover—must have looked pretty weird to Kazuyoshi.
On top of that, Kazuyoshi's usual seat was taken.
"Eh, um, this is...!"
"! Oh, nah, you're fine right there, Saki-chan."
Saki realized it and scrambled to get up, but Kazuyoshi stopped her right away.
Kazuyoshi headed to the kitchen, brewed some coffee with the hot water from the pot, and settled down on the livin' room couch.
In the middle of the awkward vibe, Hayato cleared his throat.
"So, it's not every mornin' we see you around, Dad."
"Yeah, well, I've got a ton of stuff to handle at the hospital since early today."
"!"
The hospital.
Hearin' that word, Himeko's shoulders gave a small j*rk. Her expression turned stiff.
Hayato caught the change in his little sis from the corner of his eye and tried to pick his words carefully.
"So, when is Mom comin' back?"
"Mom's mostly recovered and she's sayin' she wants to get back ASAP, but... ...since this is the second time, we're bein' a bit more cautious on our end."
"…I see."
Was Kazuyoshi goin' to talk to the Doctor about that today, too? It seemed like the recovery was going smoothly.
It was't just Kazuyoshi; Both Haruki and Saki, who had been watchin' breathlessly, finally let out a sigh of relief and beamed. The tension in the room broke.
However, Himeko was the only one who didn't seem to be feelin' it.
Seein' that, Hayato frowned a little.
Hayato couldn't find the right words to say.
Just then, Saki clapped her hands together, forcin' a bright tone into her voice.
"Fall Festival! Now that I think about it, I heard at schools that there's goin' to be a huge Fall Festival around here!"
All eyes were on Saki.
When their gazes met, Saki smiled back sweetly. It was clearly to be considerate of Himeko.
"Oh, yeah. There's a huge shrine about two stops away by train, and they have an event there every year around this time. A ton of street food stands pop up, and I heard they shoot off fireworks too."
"W-Wait, you mean the food stands you always see in manga, like the ones selling okonomiyaki, candy apples, or baby castella!?"
"Yeah, exactly like that. I heard it's amazin'."
"But Haruki, you've been sayin' 'I heard this' or 'I heard that' for a while now, you've never been there, have you?"
"…Heh."
"Oh, my bad."
"Hey, you're hurtin' my feelin's apologizin' like that!"
"Ahaha, Big Bro..."
The convo naturally drifted over to the Fall Festival.
The vibe shifted to somethin' cozy and lively, and Himeko piped up with an "Oh!", smoothly joinin' the circle.
"Y'know, you've definitely gotta wear a yukata to a Festival like that!"
"Yeah, yeah, it's a perfect chance, right? At the Tsukinose Festival, I never really had the chance to wear a yukata! I did get to wear a shrine maiden outfit, though!"
"Wait, Haru-chan, when did you do that!?"
"I've got photos from that time, too~, I'll send them to Hime-chan sometime. Now that I think about it, I've never worn a yukata before."
"Is that right? You're always wearin' that shrine maiden outfit, Saki-chan, so I always got this really traditional vibe from you."
"Ahaha, I just never had a chance to wear one over there..."
"So, so, Haru-chan, when is the Fall Festival, though!?"
"Um, it's on the 23rd of this month. They hold it every year on the fall equinox."
"That's next week! Hey, hey, how about we go yukata huntin' next weekend!"
"I've got a part-time job on Saturday, so Sunday would be better."
"Speakin' of your part-time job, those Japanese sweets you gave us as a souvenir were super delicious!"
"I want to have that Matcha Kuzukiri Parfait from there again too, it's been a while!"
They say that when three girls get together, it's a riot.
Now the topic shifted from yukatas to their part-time job uniforms, and the convo just kept gettin' more hyped up.
Hayato, who couldn't really keep up with the convo, just sighed while feelin' a little bit out of place.
However, Hayato found it a little strange.
Before they met up again, Haruki was a childhood buddy Hayato used to think was a boy and they played together, while Saki was the bestie of Hayato's little sis (Himeko)—a relationship that was close yet far, since they'd never really hung out properly until now.
Now, Hayato was havin' breakfast in the city with the two of them.
A little over three months ago.
It was a scene Hayato never would've imagined back when summer was just startin'.
Even now, Himeko was teasin' Haruki, sayin', "Haru-chan, your fashion sense was literally a disaster a little while ago," and Saki was jumpin' on the bandwagon, sayin', "I want to see what a super dorky Haruki-san looks like," makin' Haruki let out a, "Mya!?" noise.
Just watchin' that made the corners of Hayato's mouth turn up naturally.
Kazuyoshi looked happy too. Then, noticin' Hayato's gaze, Kazuyoshi suddenly went, "Oh!", like he'd just remembered somethin', patted his knee, and called out cheerfully.
"Come to think of it, Hayato, you don't have a yukata, do you? It's better if you all go to a place like that wearing yukatas."
"…Dad?"
Hayato's voice sounded pretty skeptical.
Hayato got why Himeko, Haruki, and Saki were makin' a fuss about yukatas.
Just picturin' them in one got Hayato's heart racin'.
But when Hayato tried to imagine himself in a yukata, his eyebrows just furrowed.
Hayato didn't really get Kazuyoshi's point.
Just then, Haruki next to Hayato also shouted, "Oh!"
"That's a great idea! Everyone in yukatas, yeah, that's great!"
"Big Bro in a yukata too... ...wow, that might be nice!"
"Going to the Festival in a yukata with Big Bro..."
It looked like everyone else was into Kazuyoshi's idea.
As Hayato tilted his head, Kazuyoshi smiled and started speaking in a tone like he was givin' Hayato a lesson.
"It'll be a memory."
"A memory?"
"Because goin' to a Festival together wearin' yukatas is somethin' you can only do right now."
"…Is that how it works?"
Even when told it would be a memory or somethin' only possible now, Hayato didn't really get it.
Seein' his son's face, Kazuyoshi nodded with a thoughtful look. Then, holdin' his chin, he began to speak in a voice that sounded nostalgic.
"Was it back when I was in high school? Back then, Your Mom was bein' stubborn and said she wanted to wear a yukata because of the Festival. But since it was the Tsukinose Festival, she really stood out. She was even tearin' up. But she was laughin' like an idiot and lookin' happy, so we ended up headin' home and..."
"W-Wait a sec, Dad, that part!"
"Eek! Dad, tell us the details!"
"W-Wow, don't tell me this is how both Uncle and Auntie met!?"
"Oh! I've heard that they used to Pull the Floats wearin' yukatas all the time!"
It was nothin' more than Kazuyoshi braggin' about his romance.
Startin' with Himeko's cheers, everyone started makin' a racket.
Unlike Hayato, who found stories like this from his parents oddly embarrassin', the girls, includin' Himeko, seemed super interested. Kazuyoshi even got carried away and kept talkin'.
Hayato, face beet-red, hurriedly shoveled down the rest of his breakfast and stood up.
Ignorin' Haruki's cry of "Oh, wait up!", Hayato headed back to his room and grabbed his bag.
As Hayato was slowly puttin' on his shoes at the entrance, three sets of hurried footsteps eventually approached.
"Seriously, Big Bro!"
"…Ngh, cough. Hayato, you rushed me, so I choked!"
"Um, the dishes…"
"Yeah, yeah. Oh, I'll take care of the dishes when I get home from school."
They all wore expressions of dissatisfaction, like toys bein' snatched away while they were still playin' with them.
Hayato scratched his head and opened the door.
For a split second, Hayato's vision went white as he was hit by the still-blazin' sunlight.
Without thinkin', Hayato shielded his eyes with his hand and squinted.
Checkin' Hayato's smartphone, it was the same time he usually left the house.
From a slightly different position than when they first moved in, the sun was shinin' a bit softer than it had back then.
Author's Notes:
Better late than never, but I finally went for my first shrine visit of the year (2022) today!
A shrine maiden was performin' the Kagura dance and purifyin' the lucky arrows (Hamaya) before handin' them out, so I was straight-up gawkin' at her!
D*mn it, why'd I have to forget my wallet, me…
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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