In any case, it was decided that Riku-san’s group would join us, so Umi and I went to notify the rest of our group about it. No one seemed to have any particular objections.
I still felt a little worried about Amami-san though, since those two had a rather unsavory past about each other.
[Asanagi: Sorry for bringing that stupid brother of mine with us, Yuu.]
[Amami: It’s fine. I already knew that the old incident was a misunderstanding. Riku-san also apologized to me already, so everything is okay now.]
Or so she said. It seemed like Riku-san had resolved everything before he moved away.
In the end, that particular topic ended quickly. At the moment, they were talking about Reiji-kun, who would be coming with Riku-san and Shizuku-san.
[Amami: This is Reiji-kun? Ahh so cute~!]
[Amami: Is he being shy about getting his picture taken? The way he blushes and covers up half his face like that~ So cute~!]
[Nina: Seki, don’t get jealous, he’s just a kid.]
[Seki: What are you even on about?]
[Nina: Huh, I thought you’d be seething and getting all jealous, that’s why I figured it’d be better to remind you.]
[Seki: I don’t need that reminder…]
[Asanagi: I really want to capture his full face, but he noticed it before I could…]
[Nina: Well, that’s how it goes with a shy boy like him. He might be like this right now, but he’ll get used to this kind of thing eventually.]
[Asanagi: I know. I often take his pictures whenever we’re alone, but it’s hard to get him to make a good face. At least he’s okay with getting his picture taken with everyone nowadays though.]
[Seki: I noticed that. Compared to before, his back is straighter and he seems more confident in pictures.]
[Amami: What are you guys even talking about??]
[Amami: Never mind, I get it.]
[Amami: Yeah, I noticed that too!]
[Maehara: This is about Reiji-kun and not me, right?]
In any case, it seemed like we would be able to enjoy the festival together without any issues. Or so I thought before Amami-san sent us a sudden text an hour later.
[Amami: Sorry, everyone! I might be late!]
[Asanagi: Hm? What happened, Yuu?]
[Amami: Since there’s still some time, I was taking Rocky for a walk, and in the middle of our walk, his nose got stung by a large bee!]
[Amami: He acts like usual, but his nose is swollen. Look!]
Then, she sent us a picture of Rocky. His nose was swollen to the point that it covered a part of his mouth.
While he might seem fine now, it would be better if he were to be taken to a vet quickly before anything irreversible could happen to him.
I quickly looked for the nearest vet with my phone, but the nearest one I found was about thirty minutes away by car. While that wasn’t a big problem, since there was a matter of checking up and all those things, there was a huge chance that she’d end up getting late.
[Asanagi: Got it. For now, we won’t change the meeting time, but make sure to call me if you really are late.]
[Amami: Okay. You don’t need to wait for me if I’m really late, I’ll just ask my father to drive me right to the venue.]
[Amami: Sorry for the troubles, everyone.]
[Maehara: Don’t worry about it. I mean, Rocky is part of your family too, Amami-san.]
[Nina: Yeah, don’t worry.]
[Seki: Take care, Amami-san.]
The situation suddenly changed a few hours before the meeting time, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. As long as we could handle everything calmly, everything would proceed smoothly.
And so, Amami-san went to bring Rocky to the vet while the rest of us re-checked our plans again. We decided to wait for her at the nearest station until the meeting time arrived. If she ended up late, we’d be taking the train ahead of her and wait for her in the venue instead.
After that was decided, more time passed and we finally finished getting ready.
“It’s almost time, Shizuku, are you done yet?”
“Yes, we’re done. C’mon, Umi-chan, hurry, come out and show how cute you are to Rikkun and Maki-kun!”
“Why do I need to show my brother— You know what, fine. I’ll make today an exception.”
Then, from the gap of the sliding door, Umi appeared, fully dressed for the festival.
My first impression of her was…not different from usual. She was still my cute and pretty girlfriend.
Well, rather, that was the only thing that came to my mind.
“Uh, I left everything to Mom and Shizuku-san— Anyway, how do I look?”
“Um… Uh…”
She wore a light-colored yukata with hydrangea and morning glory patterns. The fabric didn’t make it seem too shiny. Her shoulder-length hair was tied to a knot with the blue blue flower hairpin that I gave her as a birthday present.
I originally bought that hairpin for her because it matched the dress she wore for the Christmas Party, but now that I saw her wearing it again, it didn’t look out of place at all with the yukata.
“Alright, I’ll leave you young lovebirds to your own devices~ Rikkun, Reiji, let’s go.”
“Huh? …Okay…?”
“Sure… We’ll walk slowly, so you can catch up to us, okay, Maki?”
“Hehehe, since I don’t want to be a third wheel, I’ll get our groceries for tomorrow~ Make sure to lock the door before you go, you two~”
“W-Wha–? Why are you all acting like this?!”
Everyone rushed out of the house, ignoring Umi who was blushing furiously.
Before long, we were the only ones left in the house.
“…Anyway, let’s lock all the doors and windows first. I’ll lock everything on the first floor.”
“Okay, I’ll take care of the second floor… But, before that… Can I ask you a question?”
“…Sure.”
“Maki, how do I look? Do I look cute? Did your heart skip a beat?”
“Yes… You look cute and pretty… Also…”
While there was no one here aside from us, it still felt embarrassing for me to say the rest of my words out loud. So, I whispered it to her instead.
‘You look hot… Honestly, it made me a little excited…’
“What a pervert~ Hehe, well, it’s good that you’re honest~ Anyway, that yukata looks good on you, Maki.”
“Thanks… Haha…”
This would be my first time going to a fireworks festival, so I really looked forward to it. But, then again, even if the festival were to suddenly get canceled, I honestly think that I wouldn’t mind that outcome.
