The day of the summer festival arrived.
Yuzuru headed out a little early to the station to pick up Arisa.
The station was crowded with men and women waiting for friends or lovers, just like Yuzuru. Standing a little apart from the bustle, he waited for her.
(I wonder what kind of yukata Arisa will bring?)
Even as he thought that, Yuzuru himself hadn’t put on a yukata yet. He was still wearing his usual clothes for going out.
That was because Arisa had messaged him earlier: “I don’t want to get my yukata dirty, so if possible, may I change at Takasegawa-san’s house?”
Since that was the case, Yuzuru had decided he would change at the same time.
While idly watching the yukata worn by the women passing through his field of vision, he found himself imagining what Arisa would look like in one when—
“Takasegawa-san. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
He heard her usual calm voice.
Turning towards the sound, he saw Arisa standing there, her familiar poker-faced expression in place.
“No, I just got here too.”
Arisa was dressed in regular clothes, but she carried two paper bags in her hands.
One of them probably contained the yukata.
…Then what was in the other?
“What’s in the bags?”
“My yukata and… sweets. I was told to bring them if I’m going to greet your family.”
“I see.”
That was probably something her adoptive father had said.
Yuzuru hadn’t spoken with the man much directly, but from what he’d heard from Arisa and his own parents, Amagi Naoki was someone who cared a great deal about appearances.
It was better than not caring at all, at least.
Whether there was substance behind it was another matter.
“Want me to carry one?”
“Then please take the yukata. I’d like to hand the sweets to Takasegawa-san’s parents myself.”
After taking one of the bags, Yuzuru beckoned lightly.
“I’ll show you the way to my house. Follow me.”
“Yes… understood.”
Yuzuru’s house was a short walk from the station.
When they reached the gate, he stopped.
“This is it.”
“…Th-this is it?”
Arisa stared up at the gate, her face blank with surprise.
Her mouth hung slightly open.
It had to be said—coming from someone who usually knew Arisa as composed and expressionless, the look on her face right now was a little… goofy.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-no, it’s just… big.”
“Your house is pretty big too, isn’t it?”
“It doesn’t have walls this tall or a gate like this.”
The moment they passed through the outer gate—
Woof! Woof!
Several loud barks rang out.
Arisa’s body flinched.
Before long, four dogs came running towards them, tails wagging as they rushed straight for Yuzuru.
“Wait.”
At Yuzuru’s command, all four dogs stopped instantly.
“Sit.”
He added a gesture.
Though there was a slight delay between them, the four dogs all sat down.
Arisa had looked stunned at first, but admiration quickly appeared on her face.
“They’re very well trained.”
“They’re guard dogs. We let them roam the yard freely.”
Though, in truth, they had never actually been useful even once in Yuzuru’s life.
Then again, most burglars probably wouldn’t want to break into a house where they could hear dogs barking.
“May I touch them?”
“Sure. Go ahead and say hello.”
Saying that, Yuzuru beckoned to the dogs one by one as he called their names.
“Alexander.”
One of them—a dignified reddish-brown dog—walked forward.
“Wait. Sit. Paw.”
Alexander obediently placed his paw in Yuzuru’s hand.
“Good boy.”
Yuzuru lightly patted his head.
“He’s the highest in the pecking order. …Let him sniff you first, then you can pet him.”
“So he’s the leader? …Is he a Shiba?”
“No, an Akita.”
Arisa extended her white hand towards the Akita.
The dog sniffed lightly.
Then Arisa gently stroked his neck and head.
After that, she greeted the jet-black dog, then the reddish-brown one, and finally the brown dog with the black face and loose, drooping skin.
Yuzuru told her each of their names as they went.
“Still… those are quite impressive names. Alexander, Pyrrhus, Hannibal, Scipio… What exactly are they supposed to fight?”
“Burglars, maybe.”
“That’s excessive firepower… The names aside, their size too.”
Arisa looked over the four dogs.
Two of them—including the Akita—were about the size of normal large dogs.
But the other two were even bigger.
“So Alexander-chan is an Akita, and Pyrrhus-chan is… a German Shepherd, right? Then Hannibal-chan and Scipio-chan are… what breed?”
The dog named Hannibal stood roughly eighty centimeters tall at the shoulder.
Scipio was slightly taller still.
The size of their heads alone looked like they could be twice the size of Arisa’s.
Even if they were gentle, having animals that big so close clearly intimidated her a little—her smile had stiffened slightly.
“Hannibal’s a Spanish Mastiff, and Scipio’s an English Mastiff. Well, none of the four have ever seen real action. Though no one’s ever tried to break in either.”
“Life is precious, after all. Anyone who did their research wouldn’t try.”
Even so, Arisa’s expression had softened.
Her eyes had turned dreamy, and the corners of her mouth drooped into a loose smile.
She always claimed to be a cat person, but apparently she liked dogs just fine too.
She gently petted all four of them.
“Alright, Yukishiro. We should head in.”
“You’re right… It wouldn’t be good to stay too long—or get our clothes dirty before greeting your family.”
At Yuzuru’s words, Arisa reluctantly stood up.
When he gave the signal to disperse, the four dogs ran off somewhere into the yard.
After seeing them off, Yuzuru slid open the door leading to the entrance.
Then he called out loudly.
“Hey—I’ve brought Yukishiro.”
After a moment, three people dressed in traditional Japanese clothing appeared.
His father, Takasegawa Kazuya.
His mother, Takasegawa Ayu.
And his younger sister, Takasegawa Ayumi.
“Thank you for coming, Arisa-san. My son is always in your care.”
“It’s been a while. Takasegawa… Yuzuru-san actually helps me far more.”
Arisa gave a polite greeting.
Kazuya slowly narrowed his eyes.
“Well, please come in first. …It seems there are two people here who’ve been itching to talk with you.”
As he said that, Kazuya glanced lightly behind him.
Ayu and Ayumi were practically waiting in ambush.
Yuzuru took off his geta Traditional Japanese wooden sandals first and stepped inside.
Then he held out his hand to Arisa.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
Just as Arisa stepped inside, the two women moved forward eagerly.
“I’m Yuzuru’s mother, Takasegawa Ayu. Thank you for always taking care of him, Arisa-san. And my… you’re even more adorable in person than in the photos.”
“I’m his younger sister, Takasegawa Ayumi. Thanks for looking after my brother. You’re really beautiful. No wonder he’s so crazy about you.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Yukishiro Arisa. Please take care of me. Um… ah, well…”
Pressed in on by the two of them, Arisa looked visibly flustered.
Yuzuru stepped forward and stood slightly in front of her, shielding her.
“Yukishiro’s having trouble. …We can talk over tea, right?”
Then he beckoned lightly to her.
“I’ll show you the way.”
“Yes… Thank you for having me today.”
Arisa bowed once more.
