Chapter 54

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I changed my clothes and ate with Yuuki.

It seemed that Yuuki wanted to treat me to something, but today, we decided to pay for ourselves.

I rely on her a lot already, and I didn’t want to lean on her even more today. Yuuki must have been really tired too. Besides, she already gave me some clothes. It would be too shameless to let her buy me food as well.

Moreover, Yuuki seemed to believe the fake prophecy I told her. Unless I deliberately told her the truth, she would continue to believe it.

…But I would still be paid, right? In reality, I was already causing her a huge inconvenience.

Yuuki said that the church people left after meeting with government officials.

Well, by that time, Kudan was already dead, so following us would have been pointless.

They’d likely think the prophecy was false and wouldn’t bother asking further.

Our relationship would probably worsen, though.

“Are you going to head straight back?”

As we left after eating tempura bowls for lunch, Yuuki showed a slightly regretful expression.

But she looked more tired than anything.

It was understandable.

She had spent hours riding in a car that night, climbing a mountain, and dealing with the church people.

Honestly, I couldn’t say I had properly slept either.

“There are still plenty of days to rest.”

When I said that, Yuuki smiled faintly and nodded.

Ikebukuro Station.

Yes, there were a lot of people. Even someone like me, who didn’t know much about Japan, had heard of it. I wasn’t sure exactly where it was located in Tokyo.

There were many buildings too. As we walked for a bit, the building we had been in disappeared from sight in no time. It was probably a good place to hide, with so many people and buildings.

“Well, see you later. We might meet again tomorrow.”

Yuuki said her goodbye like that.

I waved lightly to her.

Yuuki’s figure, walking away, disappeared into the crowd in an instant, even though it was a weekday in the middle of the day.

Could it be that all the kids had poured out for the summer vacation?

Come to think of it, there were probably college students too. Maybe some people took an early summer break.

In the middle of a blazing summer. There were a few clouds, but it didn’t feel like it would rain. Even those clouds couldn’t block the glaring sunlight.

I turned around and headed home.

I carefully studied the map hanging in the station and rode the train for quite some time. Unlike the busy station earlier, the area I lived in looked deserted.

As soon as I got home, I carefully placed the shopping bag I was holding in my room and went into the shower to undress and wash.

I thought I had roughly washed myself before, but small grains of sand still came out of my hair, causing me quite a bit of trouble.

After thoroughly cleaning my long hair and making sure my body didn’t smell, I quickly dried myself and stepped outside.

Wearing just underwear and a T-shirt, I collapsed onto the blanket I had left unfolded from the night before.

And I fell asleep as if I had passed out.

* * *

The next day. The 29th.

We decided to meet a little early.

Even though it was midsummer, the sun set earlier in Japan compared to Korea. Being further east, the sun also rose earlier.

The fireworks festival was supposed to start at 7:15 PM, so we had to go early.

From what I heard, it seemed like a pretty famous event in Japan.

I guess it was similar to how I almost got crushed to death by the crowd when I went to the Yeouido Fireworks Festival as a child.

At 11:30 AM, I arrived at Kita-Senju Station.

“Kurosawa!”

Miura, who had arrived first and was waiting, waved enthusiastically at me. Fukuda and Yamashita were on either side of her.

“Kurosawa, you’re late.”

Fukuda tapped her wrist where her watch would be, making a point.

Late? What late?

I arrived right on time.

I was a little nervous that I might be late, but I made it just in time.

“…”

Yamashita didn’t say much. She waved her hand lightly, but that was it.

She probably knew it took me a long time to get here.

“Shall we get lunch first? We need to eat well. The event won’t start for about seven hours.”

So, we’re going to eat and then wait immediately after?

Well, it couldn’t be helped. They say part of the fun of attending an event is the waiting. Personally, I didn’t find much joy in that sort of thing and didn’t have anyone to go with, so I rarely went anywhere.

We headed to a fast-food place.

Considering most of what we ate after school were sweet desserts or drinks, it seemed like they were serious about eating well today.

Everyone ordered large sets.

Since I had learned how to eat fries from my meal with Yamashita the other day, I also ordered a large set this time.

The sight of four large orders of French fries piled on a tray was quite the spectacle.

We finished our hamburgers first and then picked at the fries from the tray, occasionally sipping cola to wash it down.

You know, youth has its advantages in that you can eat without feeling ill. Once I hit my 30s, eating too much greasy food would make me sick, but ever since I got this body, I hadn’t had that problem.

Despite being skinny and looking undernourished, my body was holding up well, probably thanks to youth.

As I tasted the saltiness of the fries, I listened to Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita’s conversation.

“Ah, that drama is fun—”

“Who was that actor we saw last time—”

Mostly, it was Miura and Fukuda talking.

“…”

The Yamashita I remembered usually stayed engrossed in her phone, indifferent to what the others were talking about.

But today, she was a bit different.

Yamashita was looking out the window.

At the end of her gaze was a river. The river where today’s fireworks festival was set to take place.

Was it the Arakawa River?

“Do you like fireworks?”

I asked Yamashita casually.

Just at that moment, Miura and Fukuda’s conversation ended, and everyone turned their attention to me.

Yamashita’s gaze shifted from the window to me.

“I quite like them.”

Hmm.

If a boy had heard that, his heart would have skipped a beat. Though he would also realize it didn’t mean she liked him.

Come to think of it, fireworks festivals were often used to cover up a heroine’s confession scene.

While none of these girls were the heroine…

Speaking of which, what were Japanese festivals like? They were a staple in romance comedies, but I didn’t know much about how they worked. The heroine would always wear a yukata, catch goldfish, or eat candied apples.

Were festivals just community events? How did they manage fireworks displays? I heard large fireworks were quite expensive. Could they really afford to set them off like that?

“…”

I was lost in thought, and it wasn’t until later that I realized everyone was still staring at me.

“Kurosawa.”

Miura called me in a serious tone.

I felt a bit nervous.

Did I say something wrong? Was it taboo to talk about fireworks with Yamashita?

“Well… I’m not sure how you’ll feel about this question…”

Miura spoke cautiously.

“Have you ever been to a fireworks festival?”

“…”

Ah, so that’s it.

To others, I probably seemed like a child suffering from abuse at home. If Kagami, who played the role of my mother, heard that I wanted to go to a fireworks festival, she’d likely be eager to go. But they didn’t know that.

And I had no plans to explain.

After a brief hesitation, I replied.

“Once, when I was a child.”

Of course, that was in Korea, at the Han River.

“I watched from far away, where the fireworks were small enough to be covered by my palm.”

That’s how it was.

My family didn’t like crowded places. We preferred peaceful spots with a little more breathing room.

But we failed.

Too many people had the same idea. At the time, Seoul’s population was said to be over ten million. Even if only one in a hundred had the same thought, that was still a hundred thousand people. So it was no surprise the banks of the Han River were packed with people laying out picnic mats.

Still, it was fun.

Doing something as a family.

“…”

After hearing my story, Fukuda, Miura, and Yamashita exchanged glances.

Did my words touch their hearts?

“You’ll be able to see them up close today.”

Fukuda smiled.

“You can look forward to it.”

Miura nodded in agreement.

Yamashita also looked at me quietly, as if she shared the same thought.

“I will.”

When I responded, all three smiled.

* * *

We had seats.

It was thanks to the three of them that we had a spot. I wasn’t sure if it was a reservation system or first come, first served, but it was great that we had a decent place to sit and watch.

Unlike the fireworks I saw as a child, today’s show would be launched right across the river.

The admission was free.

Naturally, there were a huge number of people. I couldn’t tell exactly how many, but it must have been in the tens of thousands.

Coming out early with the others had paid off, and we didn’t have to wait in line for long before finding our spot.

Even though it was a fireworks festival, I assumed everyone would come in casual clothes, unlike the Japanese festivals I had seen in manga. But surprisingly, quite a few people were dressed in yukata.

“Do you want to try wearing one?”

Fukuda asked, noticing.

“…I’ve never worn one before.”

I used a vague expression.

I didn’t particularly want to wear one. But if they insisted, I wouldn’t refuse.

After all, wearing a yukata would probably mean enjoying the festival too.

A festival.

It had been a long time since I’d participated in any kind of festival or event. In my previous life, I had spent my last years almost entirely focused on work.

Without family or friends, I had spent several years alone, and those feelings had faded significantly.

Perhaps the time I had spent alone was helping me endure in this world.

It wasn’t a happy thought.

“Alright, shall we release lanterns this year?”

“That sounds great!”

Miura clapped her hands in agreement with Fukuda’s suggestion.

“There’s a lantern-floating event at the shrine in our neighborhood in mid-August. Well, we’ll have to check our schedules, but let’s be honest, does anyone here have plans that day?”

“…”

No one answered.

Mid-August… I probably wouldn’t have plans either.

“None of us have boyfriends, right? Did anyone succeed at the last mixer?”

“…”

Nope.

I hadn’t even contacted anyone.

“Well, it’s hard to make plans right away. There could be family stuff.”

I wasn’t sure when the Sasaki siblings would meet Raiju, but I hoped the dates wouldn’t overlap. I wanted to be there when it happened.

I didn’t care much about wearing a yukata, but hanging out with friends… well, that had been fun.

I glanced at Miura.

…I met Miura’s father yesterday.

I had never read the original story to the end, but it seemed like Miura’s father truly loved her.

In the “Tokyo Slayers,” Miura was merely a background character who never even exchanged a word with Sasaki, but in the main story, her death might have been the trigger for everything.

I turned my gaze to Yamashita.

What would Yamashita have been like in the world where Mori-san died? Losing her best friend Miura, and then Mori-san, who was like a sister to her… And thinking that she had fought with Mori-san and left home before her death… It was the worst.

Even if Yamashita had returned home after all that tragedy, Mori-san would have already been dead.

What kind of life would Kurosawa Kotone have lived in that world?

…Probably not a very bright future.

The fact that she was in the class right next to Sasaki Sota’s was suspicious enough.

“Something like that was happening in the class next to mine… And I didn’t know…!” It was the perfect setup for feeling guilty.

Thinking back to that era, just a few years after the end of the century, Kurosawa Kotone must have seen all sorts of horrible things.

“It’s getting dark.”

Fukuda remarked.

“Yeah.”

Miura agreed.

“I know we started wearing summer uniforms in June, but I don’t really feel like it’s summer until this time of year.”

At Miura’s comment,

“…It rains until mid-July.”

I added.

“Right? Summer isn’t summer unless the sun is blazing!”

Fukuda laughed cheerfully.

“…It’s about to start.”

Yamashita checked her phone and said while looking at the time.

It seemed not just us, but everyone else sitting around had realized it too, as the noise of the crowd grew louder.

I could hear the event staff up front saying something, but I couldn’t make it out clearly.

People were still lining up without stopping. There were even some with big cameras set up at the front.

…Would I be able to capture this properly on my phone?

Seeing Fukuda, Miura, and Yamashita raising their phones, I hesitantly took mine out of my pocket and turned on the camera.

A small screen with matching mediocre quality.

This phone was cutting-edge in this world, though.

It felt strange sometimes, knowing that. In the world I came from, phone photos had high enough resolution to be uploaded anywhere without pixelating.

Being a high school girl.

I had to stifle a smile that was threatening to escape, pressing my lips together.

How long had I been waiting?

Pop.

There was a sound, neither loud nor quiet, just in between, as a firework shot up into the sky with a swoosh.

And then, bang.

Like the sound of a gunshot, fireworks burst outwards, resembling the leaves of a palm tree, smaller than the initial explosion.

That was just the beginning, as firework after firework shot up.

Bright, colorful fireworks exploded in all sorts of geometric shapes, forming three-dimensional displays, not just flat images.

Red, green, blue, yellow.

Even on my small phone screen, the fireworks were vivid and intense.

Before I knew it, I had opened my eyes wide, gazing at the fireworks in awe.

So, fireworks could be this beautiful up close.

I didn’t know if I should say I was seeing it for the first time or if I had never thought about it before.

“How is it? Pretty good?”

A voice came from beside me, and when I turned, I saw Miura smiling at me.

“…Yeah.”

I replied.

But I wasn’t sure if she could hear me properly over the loud fireworks.

No wonder the heroine’s voice would get drowned out in scenes like this.

I glanced around at Fukuda, Miura, and Yamashita.

They all seemed mesmerized by the colorful fireworks lighting up the sky.

The bright lights illuminated their faces, making them all look especially pretty.

They were just pure teenagers, enjoying their youth.

Untouched, unscarred.

My heart raced.

I realized, for the first time, that I was thinking this.

Probably, no one else knew. Not Miura-san, who was involved with the higher-ups, not Yamashita-san, who was connected to the church.

Not even Kagami, Nirlass, or Yuuki.

It was a story only I knew.

But that was fine. At least what I had done wasn’t completely meaningless.

I looked up at the sky again.

They said the fireworks would last about an hour.

At first, I thought it seemed a bit short for such a big event, but now, watching the fireworks, I didn’t think so anymore.

For an entire hour, the sky was painted with a fantasy.

As someone who had once lived as an adult, I couldn’t help but wonder how much money this must cost—but, well, that wasn’t my concern.

For now, I could just—

Even I, who had gained youth, could enjoy this moment.

In a world like this, I’d surely be caught up in all sorts of bizarre events from now on.

So, I should enjoy this while I could.

“Wow.”

I heard a voice in awe from somewhere nearby. Maybe it wasn’t one of our group but someone close by, but I wholeheartedly agreed with them.

I put away my phone, which I had been using to record, and lowered my hand. I watched the fireworks with my own eyes.

Well, even if I die someday, I should have the chance to come back and see them again next year, right?

Next time, I should come with Yuuki.

As I was lost in thought, mesmerized by the brilliant fireworks exploding in the sky, I found myself thinking that.

“It’s amazing.”

I think Miura said that.

I nodded.

“It really is amazing.”

Stretching out my legs and sitting comfortably, I let myself be completely captivated by the sky.

Though I had already changed into my summer uniform and the rainy season had already ended,

I felt like I had finally welcomed summer for the first time.