[Warning 15+]
Author's Note:
Part 5 Sub-Part 5 starts now!
Part 5 Sub-Part 5 starts now!
Part Five
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 198
Shrine Festival
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 198
Shrine Festival
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The shrine holdin' the Festival was out in the suburbs, about a 30-minute train ride with transfers in the opposite direction from the downtown area where they usually hung out.
Aside from havin' a somewhat large shrine, the town didn't really have anythin' special to speak of, but on this particular day, it was completely dyed in an out-of-the-ordinary vibe.
The moment you stepped out of the ticket gates, the first things that caught your eye were the banner flags and lanterns decorated everywhere, people decked out in colorful yukata, and various food stalls callin' customers in. The place was packed with energy. That buzz stretched all the way to the shrine deep inside.
Totally different from the ritual-centric Festival back in Tsukinose, this was a real-deal Shrine Festival.
"Whoa, what a crowd. Must be because of the Festival..."
"It's not just us, everyone around here is wearin' yukata too. Feels like we're in a whole different country."
"Saki-chan, Haru-chan, Big Bro! Look, look! There are so many food stalls...!"
"Oh, so cool~! The cotton candy is spinnin' round and round~ and gettin' so fluffy~!"
Hayato and the others stood frozen in awe for a split second, but the Festival's electric energy quickly washed over them, hypin' up their spirits.
Both Haruki and Saki seemed to feel the same way; Both looked fidgety and restless, eyes twinklin' as they soaked in the novel sights right before them. Himeko looked ready to bolt off at any second.
"Ng, looks like both Iori and... ...Kazuki aren't here yet."
Mutterin' in a slightly stiff tone, Hayato scanned his surroundin's, but couldn't catch sight of them anywhere.
Pullin' out his smartphone to check the time, there were still a little over 15 minutes left until their meetup time. No messages had come in sayin' they were runnin' late either.
As Hayato furrowed his brows, thinkin' about how awkward it was to kick time like this, a cute yet surprisin'ly loud stomach rumble sounded from right beside him.
Makin' eye contact with the culprit, Haruki blushed beet red and hung her head, stammering out an excuse.
"Truth is, I skipped both breakfast and lunch today..."
Hearin' such a classic Haruki reason, not just Hayato, but both Himeko and Saki burst out laughin' as well.
"C'mon~, stop laughin'! I was really savin' my appetite for the Festival food stalls, okay!"
"Ahaha, my bad, my bad! Just stop pinchin' my hand!"
"Haruki-san, honestly..." "Haru-chan, geez..."
Haruki pinched the back of Hayato's hand in protest, while he whined about the pain but laughed it off with an affectionate look.
Saki chuckled nervously, while Himeko let out an exasperated sigh like 'Here they go again.'
Right then, another surprisin'ly loud stomach rumble resonated—this time from someone other than Haruki.
All eyes turned to the source. It was Himeko.
Her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment, Himeko cleared her throat with a little 'Ahem' to play it cool.
Then, out of nowhere, she forcefully dragged Haruki by the hand.
"Mya!?"
"Haru-chan, we've still got a bit of time before the meetup, so let me grab a bite so my stomach stops growlin' before everyone else gets here, okay?"
Rattlin' that off at top speed, Himeko charged straight for the food stalls. Haruki got dragged along for the ride. In the blink of an eye, both of them vanished into the crowd.
Watchin' both of them dash off, both Hayato and Saki exchanged looks and chuckled dryly.
"Well, Himeko skipped lunch, and all she had for breakfast was yogurt."
"Honestly, for lunch, I only had a convenience store salad myself."
"To be fair, all I had for lunch was a small bowl of ochazuke."
"...Pfft."
"...Haha."
When Saki poked her tongue out playfully with a mischievous look while sayin' that, Hayato confessed his own secret too.
They giggled together. When all was said and done, both Hayato and Saki were super hyped for Festival food.
"...Huh?"
"Is somethin' wrong?"
"Oh, no..."
Suddenly, Hayato realized a ton of eyes were locked onto them.
Wonderin' what was up, Hayato traced where everyone was starin' and ended up right on Saki.
Oh, that makes sense, Hayato thought.
Saki's look today featured a gorgeous yukata with a red base adorned in white and black, paired with her signature light-colored hair styled in curled pigtails. She looked both adorable and stunnin'.
Even though Saki's yukata shared the same red-and-white color scheme as the shrine maiden outfit she often wore in Tsukinose, and her hair was tied up the exact same way in pigtails, she gave off the vibe of an extroverted popular girl from the top of the classroom hierarchy, feelin' totally different from usual. No wonder she was turnin' everyone's heads.
When Saki tilted her head with a cute, clueless look and peered up into his face, Hayato felt like he'd start gushin' if he didn't firmly remind himself that she was his little sis' bestie.
"Oh, well, you give off a completely different vibe today, Saki-san."
"Um... ...does it look weird?"
"No, not at all. Sure, it's different from your usual look, but that's why it feels so fresh to me... ...um, I think it suits you and looks really cute."
"C-Cute!?"
Saki caught her breath at Hayato's blunt compliment, her face turning bright red.
But that was only for a second; Pursin' Saki's lips tightly, she spun around and gently brushed her hair to the side with one hand.
"I really put some effort into my hair today too. Like my nape, which is usually hidden... ...what do you think?"
"Ghk!?"
Now it was Hayato's turn to have his face turn beet red.
Saki's slender nape, usually hidden from view, was exposed completely defenseless. Hayato swallowed hard.
Saki's soft skin, white as fresh snow, was utterly bewitchin', makin' Hayato think wicked thoughts about tearin' through it and markin' her as his own.
"Did your heart jump, Big Bro?"
"Ghk!? O-Oh, well, I..."
"Tee-hee."
Saki turned around with a childish, yet surprisin'ly bewitchin' smile, as if gloatin' over her successful prank. It made Hayato's heart leap even faster.
It seemed like Saki hadn't just transformed her look, but her attitude had also gotten way bolder than usual.
Even so, Hayato cleared his throat with a little "Ahem" to at least maintain some dignity as the older one.
"Oh, right. Saki-san, here."
"This is... ...a key case?"
A leather key case with cute embroidery of a stylized fox.
Fiddlin' with it in her palm, Saki blinked as she stared back at Hayato, wonderin' what this was all about.
"It's kind of a thank-you gift for takin' care of me when I collapsed with a fever back in Tsukinose..."
"Gosh, you really didn't have to go out of your way...!"
"A-And besides, it looked like you were just carryin' your house keys bare, plus foxes totally remind me of you, so consider it a housewarmin' gift! Eh, I mean, combinin' it as a housewarmin' gift too, or somethin'...!"
Hayato babbled a rapid-fire string of excuses.
When Hayato really thought about it, this was the first time he'd ever given someone a gift formally like this.
Even if they'd gotten closer recently, Saki was still Hayato's little sis' bestie—a relationship that was hard to put into words.
On top of that, all dressed up, Saki was a stunnin' girl who turned the heads of everyone passin' by at the Festival.
The moment Hayato realized that, a wave of nervousness washed over him.
"...I'm so happy! I'll cherish and use it!"
"Ghk! O-Oh. Glad you like it then."
"Yeah!"
However, the moment Saki broke into a beamin' smile full of joy, all that nervousness blew away in an instant.
Hayato felt a ticklish sensation in his chest.
Exasperated by how simple-minded he was, Hayato looked away out of embarrassment and scratched his head.
Author's Notes:
The manga adaptation updated today!
Volume 1 of the manga drops tomorrow!
Meow~