The mood had become a little gloomy.
He had said those things to comfort Arisa, but maybe it wasn’t the kind of conversation to have right before going out to enjoy a festival.
That said, if he left her feeling burdened like this, she probably wouldn’t be able to enjoy herself either… which made it a difficult judgment call.
“Well then, enough of the heavy talk… let’s enjoy the festival. Is there anything you want to do? Or something you want to eat?”
“…To be honest, I haven’t really come to places like this much. Even when I did, I never bought anything.”
Perhaps she was still carrying the low mood from earlier—Arisa answered in a somewhat dejected voice.
Given her personality, she probably couldn’t bring herself to ask her adoptive parents to buy things for her.
“I see. Then… let’s decide while we walk.”
“That sounds good.”
Festivals really did seem to brighten people’s hearts.
At first, Arisa had been surrounded by a gloomy atmosphere, but as they walked, she gradually started to brighten up.
She looked around curiously at the stalls, peeking into them.
Her expression itself didn’t change much, but her eyes looked more lively than usual.
Still, what created the lively festival atmosphere was the crowd itself—and crowds meant people.
The event had only just started, but there were already plenty of people.
It was inevitable that you’d bump into others now and then.
“Ah—”
“Careful, Yukishiro.”
Someone bumped into Arisa, and she stumbled on a small stone, nearly falling.
Yuzuru quickly caught her.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, that was my fault for not paying attention… You’re not used to this kind of place.”
After hesitating for a moment, Yuzuru held out his hand.
Arisa blinked and stared at it.
“What is it?”
“I thought we could hold hands, if you’re okay with it. That way it’ll be easier for me to help if something happens.”
If you don’t like the idea, that’s fine too—
Before he could say that, Arisa took his hand with her pale one.
Then, smiling shyly, she said,
“Please escort me.”
“Understood, princess.”
“…Aren’t you embarrassed saying that?”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t point it out, because now I am”
Yuzuru let out a wry smile.
Then he firmly held Arisa’s hand and began walking again.
(I see… So this is why couples like to flirt in public.)
Feeling the surrounding gazes on them, Yuzuru thought that.
Arisa had always been beautiful, but today she was wearing light makeup, which made her look even more alluring than usual.
And she was dressed in a beautiful yukata.
Because of that, men passing by couldn’t help sending lingering looks her way.
And at Yuzuru—who was holding hands with such a beautiful girl—those looks turned into a mixture of jealousy and envy.
Strangely enough, it felt good.
Of course, Arisa wasn’t actually his.
Which meant there was also a faint sense of emptiness mixed in.
If she were truly his girlfriend or fiancée, that sense of superiority would probably feel incredible.
“Ah—cotton sweets… may I?”
“Cotton sweets, huh… Yeah, sure.”
“…Did you just laugh?”
“Of course not.”
The fact that she had such cute, childlike tastes despite normally being so mature—and especially with the elegant atmosphere she carried today—was something he kept to himself.
So this was what Soichiro had meant by gap moe. Gap moe—a charm created by an unexpected contrast between someone’s usual image and a different, often cuter side of their personality or behavior.
Reaching this new understanding, Yuzuru approached the stall with Arisa.
“Excuse me.”
“Welcome! …Oh, aren’t you the Takasegawa family’s boy?”
The stall owner recognised Yuzuru and narrowed his eyes happily.
The people who ran stalls at this festival were mostly the same every year.
And Yuzuru attended the festival every year as well.
Because of that, he was at least somewhat familiar with many of the stall owners.
“Your little sister came by earlier. …But wow, haven’t you gotten taller again? How tall are you now?”
“I passed 170 centimeters this year.”
“Wow. At this rate she’ll overtake you next year.”
Then the owner turned his gaze towards Arisa, who was standing beside Yuzuru looking a little puzzled.
A grin spread across his face.
“So she’s the girlfriend your sister mentioned, huh? My, she’s quite the beauty. Lucky you.”
“Thank you very much.”
Arisa politely bowed in response.
Meanwhile, the owner began making the cotton sweets.
“So the cotton sweets is for the girlfriend, huh? Unlike your sister, you never buy any yourself.”
“Haha, sorry about that.”
His sister bought some every year—hopefully that would make up for it.
After a short wait, the cotton sweets was finished.
It was noticeably bigger than the ones given to other customers.
Looking slightly surprised, Arisa accepted it cautiously.
After handing it over, the stall owner winked at Yuzuru.
“The Takasegawa family helps us out every year. …Tell them we’re counting on them again next year, will you?”
The Takasegawa family wasn’t directly involved in running the festival.
But they did hold a certain amount of influence.
The reason the owner recognised Yuzuru and Ayumi was also because the stall operators sent greeting letters to the Takasegawa family every year before setting up.
“I’ll pass the message along to my grandfather and father.”
With that, Yuzuru left the stall with Arisa.
Then he bought a frankfurter from a nearby stand.
“Hey, Yukishiro… can I have a little of that cotton sweets?”
“You were making fun of it earlier.”
With a teasing expression and tone, Arisa pretended to be annoyed.
When Yuzuru apologised—“Sorry, sorry”—she held the cotton sweets out to him.
“Go ahead.”
“Can I bite it?”
“I don’t mind.”
That answer somehow made things a little complicated in its own way.
Thinking that, Yuzuru leaned forward and bit into the fluffy surface.
“Mm…”
“Well?”
“It tastes like sugar.”
“Of course it does.”
Arisa let out an exasperated sigh.
Then Yuzuru held the frankfurter out to her.
“Want some? I haven’t taken a bite yet.”
“Then I’ll accept your offer.”
Arisa opened her small mouth and bit off the tip of the frankfurter.
She licked the oil from her lips with her tongue—a gesture that looked strangely alluring.
“Well?”
“It’s delicious. But…”
“But?”
“It’s a little embarrassing somehow.”
“Right?”
Yuzuru and Arisa looked at each other and laughed.
