[Warning 15+]
Part Five
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 203
Frozen Expression
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 203
Frozen Expression
"Alright then... ...hm?"
"!"
When Hayato finished hangin' his ema plaque and turned around, Himeko was standin' right beside him before he even noticed.
Himeko held the ema close to her chest with a somewhat gloomy expression, a far cry from how hyped up she was about matchmakin' just a moment ago.
"Himeko?"
"Big Bro..."
As Himeko softly grabbed Hayato's sleeve and looked up at him with anxious, tremblin' eyes, for some reason, it overlapped with how she had been back when their Mom collapsed.
Surely, when it came time to write Himeko's wish on the ema—what she truly hoped God would fix for her—she ended up thinkin' about their mom, just like Hayato (her Big Bro) did.
That's why Hayato flashed a reassurin' smile and aggressively tousled his little sis' hair.
"H-Hey, Big Bro! What's that for all of a sudden!"
"Hey, did you know? They say if you stack matchin' wishes on these ema, they carry even more good luck. So Himeko, that wish of ours is definitely comin' true, got it?"
"...Oh."
—Because we're wishin' for the exact same thing.
Flashin' a gentle smile, Hayato cast his glance toward the ema he had just offered.
Perhaps because Hayato's feelin's got through to Himeko, the stiff look on her face relaxed.
"Geez, Big Bro, you're messin' up my hair!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Though Himeko pouted her lips, her voice held a spoiled, affectionate tone as she let Hayato pat and mess with her head.
◇
Together with Himeko, Hayato returned to where the others were. It seemed they were the last ones.
With both Iori and Ema blushin' bright red at the center, an awkwardly tense air hung over the group, as if everyone was beatin' around the bush.
In the middle of that, Hayato's eyes met Kazuki's.
Kazuki shot him a knowin' grin that practically asked, "Who did you wish to be matched with?", so Hayato knit his brows and shook his head to mean, "Mind your own business."
Kazuki shrugged as if to say "Bummer," then checked the time on his smartphone before speakin' up.
"There's still plenty of time before the Fireworks start, but people are already startin' to gather. We can't sit down here, so movin' to a different spot might be a good idea. What do you guys wanna do?"
Just as Kazuki said, lookin' around revealed that the previously sparse plaza in front of the main shrine hall was gradually fillin' up with people. But this was also a space meant for worshippers, and it wasn't particularly spacious to begin with.
Apparently, the fireworks themselves were bein' launched from a nearby sports park, so a lot of people were headin' over there to get a front-row view.
Honestly, either way was fine by Hayato. Everyone else seemed to feel the same, lookin' indecisive and troubled on what to do.
Then right in the middle of that, Himeko raised her hand and went, "Me!"
"I looked into this Festival earlier, and are the Fireworks visible through the torii gate in this photo taken from here?"
"Probably, yeah."
"Then I wanna watch the Fireworks from that exact angle! I even wanna snap a picture if I can!"
"Well then, since we're here, though, why don't we go find a good spot?"
"Yay!"
Kazuki looked around at everyone's faces as if asking "Sound good?", and with no objections from anyone, he naturally took the lead and started walkin'. The rest followed right behind him.
Along the way, Himeko called out, "Oh, should we grab some cotton candy or somethin' to snack on while watchin' the Fireworks!?", elicitin' a round of laughs from everyone.
Amidst the laughter, Kazuki was the only one whose face went dead serious with a "Wait, what!?", hittin' Hayato's funny bone so hard his shoulders shook with quiet chuckles. Himeko puffed out her cheeks in protest.
"Geez, what's with that face, Kazuki-san! It's not like I'm hintin' for you to treat me. I'll pay for it myself~"
"O-Oh, no, it's not that, I just thought... ...um... wouldn't eatin' too much give you a stomachache?"
"I'm totally fine, no sweat at all! There's always room for dessert!"
"O-Oh, I see."
Right then, Haruki, wearin' a weirdly plastered-on grin, whispered softly into Himeko's ear.
"...Diet."
"! H-Haru-chan...?"
"Speakin' of which, Hime-chan, you've been eatin' a lot of the new fall convenience store sweets lately, so you were worried about your waistline, right~?"
"Even Saki-chan!? I-It's fine! I've been holdin' back lately, plus I skipped breakfast and lunch today!"
Himeko's expression stiffened in an instant.
When Saki delivered the follow-up blow, Himeko's whole body froze solid.
Apparently, Himeko was well aware that she had overeaten today.
Both Haruki and Saki, who had been self-controlled in their own ways, looked totally unbothered as they directed suspicious glares at Himeko.
As Himeko groaned "Ugh," Kazuki flashed a warm, affectionate smile and whispered in a sweet voice.
"It's alright, Himeko-chan. You've been holdin' back all this time, haven't you? Then you should just make today a cheat day."
"Cheat day... ...Oh, I've heard of that!"
"It's where you set aside one day a week to eat whatever you want without worryin', which helps blow off steam and is actually effective for diets. Big Sis does it too."
"Your Big Sis too!? Then today's my cheat day! I'm eatin' without a care in the world!"
It was straight-up a whisper from a devil.
Himeko's eyes sparkled as if she had just obtained a free pass. Seein' that, Kazuki's smile widened even more.
Hayato let out a heavy sigh at his same-old simpleminded little sis and chimed in.
"Himeko, cheat days only work if you've been sticking to a strict diet for months, y'know."
"!? Wait, no way... ...I mean, why do you even know somethin' like that, Big Bro!?"
"You were makin' a fuss about dietin' before, remember? I looked it up back then. ...Realize that Kazuki's just teasin' you."
"Kazuki-san!?"
"Ahaha."
Himeko shot Kazuki a look that practically said, "That's a lie, right?"
Kazuki himself stuck the tip of his tongue out, winked one eye, and lightly raised both hands as if caught red-handed pullin' a prank.
Himeko's eyes narrowed sharply as if yellin' "You tricked me!", playfully pummelin' Kazuki to protest.
"Geez, even you, Kazuki-san!"
"Ahaha, my bad, my ba----"
"Seriously, talking about a girl's weight----Kazuki-san?"
"..."
Kazuki, who had been flashin' a cheerful smile until now, suddenly froze solid. The color drained from his face as his expression vanished in an instant.
Thinkin' she must've done somethin' wrong, Himeko started flakin' out in panic.
Hayato and the others found it strange how Kazuki suddenly froze in his tracks. Followin' Kazuki's gaze, they spotted a group of six boys standin' frozen in place just like Kazuki.
Before long, one of them snapped back to his senses first, flashin' a cold, condescendin' smirk as he spoke up.
"Yo, if it isn't the traitor Kaidō. Still draggin' girls around with you as usual, huh."
Author's Notes:
Phew~.