After that, the two enjoyed the festival by playing games like ring toss, shooting gallery, and yo-yo fishing.
Once they were done playing, they started to feel a bit hungry again.
“Yakisoba and takoyaki at places like this always look so good.”
“They do. …It smells really nice.”
Drawn in by the atmosphere, the smells, and the sounds, the two bought one yakisoba and one takoyaki.
Then they sat down on the steps near a local shrine.
They split both dishes between them.
Though since Arisa was a light eater, Yuzuru ended up with slightly more.
The yakisoba tasted like it was absolutely drenched in chemical seasonings—probably terrible for your health—but it was delicious in its own way.
It was a bit overly salty, with some slightly burnt, crispy bits mixed in, but that was part of the charm.
Of course, it only tasted this good because they were eating it at a festival, swept up in the atmosphere.
The takoyaki batter was soft and almost mushy, covered in sauce.
This one was also a bit too salty.
Yuzuru hadn’t expected much from the octopus inside, but the pieces were actually larger than he’d imagined, which made this batch a lucky hit.
Of course, it was also delicious because they were eating it at a festival (and so on).
“Stuff like this really tastes great at festivals. Though I feel like ninety percent of it is just the atmosphere.”
“That may be true. But… the heat of those iron griddles is hard to replicate at home, so I think the flavour really is something you don’t get very often.”
It was tasty, but definitely salty.
Yuzuru took a sip of the lemonade he’d bought from a stall.
Incidentally, it was made by mixing lemon juice and syrup, adding ice, and then pouring in Mitsuya Cider. A popular Japanese lemon-lime soda
Thinking about it calmly, three hundred yen felt a bit expensive for that.
But he’d ended up buying it because he got caught up in the atmosphere.
The taste wasn’t bad. Whether it was worth three hundred yen was another matter.
Meanwhile, Arisa—who didn’t like carbonated drinks—was sipping orange juice.
It came in a glass bottle rather than a plastic bottle or can, which made it look more delicious.
Though it probably only looked that way.
“Takasegawa-san, um…”
“Want to try carbonated drinks?”
When Yuzuru asked, Arisa nodded slightly.
“Yes. But… it’s my first time, so I hope it’s not too painful…”
“The fizz has already died down quite a bit. It won’t be that bad.”
Saying that, Yuzuru handed her the plastic cup.
She pressed her glossy lips to the rim and took a sip.
“How is it?”
“It stings a little, but the flavour is really good.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Then Yuzuru checked his wristwatch.
There were about thirty minutes left before the fireworks began.
He gathered up the empty yakisoba and takoyaki containers and stood.
“You can see the fireworks from my house, and it’ll probably be more relaxing there. So I was thinking we should head back before they start. What do you think?”
“Yes. …Watching them from Takasegawa-san’s house feels like it would be more beautiful somehow.”
Arisa nodded in agreement.
In reality, places with the best views of the fireworks were always crowded with people, which ruined the atmosphere.
Of course, if a couple could create their own little world together, that might be different.
“We probably have time to stop at one more place. …What do you want to eat?”
“I think I saw a crepe stand on the way back to your house. I’d like to try one.”
“Sure. Let’s grab crepes on the way back.”
They stopped by the crepe shop along the route home.
Yuzuru bought a blueberry crepe, while Arisa chose strawberry.
Naturally, they each took a bite of the other’s.
Holding hands, they walked down the road while eating their crepes.
It wasn’t the most proper behavior, but on festival days, things like that were forgiven.
By the time they finished their crepes, they had arrived home.
It had grown quite dark outside.
As they passed through the outer gate—
“Woof! Woof!”
The dogs started barking again.
Their glowing eyes in the darkness were a little intimidating.
But dogs had good night vision, and they quickly realised it was Yuzuru and Arisa.
Their tails wagged wildly as they ran over, as if they hadn’t seen them in ten years.
The two of them gave the four dogs a quick pat before heading inside.
There were less than ten minutes left before the fireworks started.
So Yuzuru and Arisa sat down on the engawa (a traditional wooden veranda along the edge of a Japanese house) that faced the direction where the fireworks would appear.
Incidentally, Ayumi had decided on her own that she shouldn’t disturb them, so she sat about ten metres away.
Yuzuru and Arisa weren’t actually a couple, but if they had been, Yuzuru probably would have been grateful to her.
When the moment called for it, Ayumi could be surprisingly considerate.
That said, it wasn’t like Ayumi looked lonely sitting by herself.
“Kya—hey, stop that! Don’t lick me! Honestly, you’re such trouble!”
She was playing with the Spanish Mastiff and the English Mastiff.
The two dogs had only recently graduated from being puppies, and they were still at that stage where they wanted lots of attention.
“That’s… impressive.”
“She looks like a kid getting attacked by carnivores.”
Both of them being Mastiffs, their shoulder height was already more than half of Ayumi’s.
When they stood up, they were taller than her.
And they weighed nearly twice as much.
Even just being playfully tackled by them must have been exhausting.
Before long, Ayumi ended up flipped onto her back.
From between her long white legs, her shorts were visible.
Seeing his little sister’s underwear wasn’t exactly entertaining, so Yuzuru shifted his gaze to Arisa.
“Um… should we help her?”
“They’re trained to stop if you tell them ‘wait,’ so don’t worry. Ayumi’s probably doing this because she likes it.”
Though at this rate, it was probably only a matter of time before she actually said “wait.”
Just as he was thinking that, he heard his mother calling from the kitchen.
“I’ll go check.”
“Okay.”
When he walked into the kitchen, a faint sweet smell reached him.
“Watermelon.”
When Yuzuru muttered that, Ayu nodded while holding a plate.
She handed him a large dish.
The watermelon had been cut into small cube-like pieces—probably so it wouldn’t stain their yukata.
“Yes, this one’s for you and Arisa-chan. Tell Ayumi to come get hers too. And if she’s been touching the dogs, make sure she washes her hands first.”
“Got it.”
Yuzuru carried two plates out to the engawa.
By the time he got there, the two large dogs had already moved away from Ayumi.
They looked a little dejected.
She must have scolded them.
“Hey, Ayumi.”
“Oh, Onii-san. What’s up—oh, watermelon!”
“This one’s ours. Go wash your hands first. Then get your share from Mum.”
“Okaaay.”
Ayumi scampered off across the engawa.
Even if they were beloved pets, dirty was still dirty.
After seeing her off, Yuzuru returned to Arisa.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Yukishiro.”
“Thank you for the watermelon.”
They set the plate down on the engawa and used toothpicks to pick up the cubes.
“It’s really sweet and delicious.”
“Yeah.”
Drawn by the smell of watermelon, the Spanish Mastiff and the English Mastiff came over and sat by their feet.
Then the Akita and the German Shepherd also approached, wagging their tails.
“Um… aren’t we being targeted?”
Startled, Arisa quickly lifted the plate to chest height.
If the four dogs attacked at once, the watermelon would disappear in an instant.
Yuzuru, however, remained calm.
“Don’t worry. The dishes for human food and dog food are always kept separate, so they understand. Besides, Ayumi—or Mum—will probably bring their portion soon.”
Just as he said that, Ayumi and Ayu appeared carrying plates.
Ayumi was holding what was probably her own share of watermelon.
Meanwhile, Ayu had brought a large plate with four huge wedges of watermelon—essentially one entire watermelon cut into quarters.
Ayumi set her plate down a little away from the engawa, then stuck her fingers into her mouth and gave a sharp whistle.
Immediately, the four dogs that had gathered around Yuzuru and Arisa ran over to her.
“Alright, wait! Good dogs. I’ll give it to you in a second.”
Ayumi and Ayu placed the large watermelon slices in front of the dogs.
Then they made them wait for about five seconds.
“Okay.”
The moment Ayumi gave permission, the four dogs started devouring the watermelon all at once.
Ayumi then sat down on the engawa and started eating her own.
Meanwhile, for some reason, Ayu gave Yuzuru a wink before heading back into the kitchen.
“They’re really… well trained.”
“Right? Dogs really are the best.”
“No, I think cats are the best.”
“…You won’t budge on that?”
“I won’t.”
Sure, cats were cute.
But they couldn’t do things like “wait” or “sit.”
If you wanted a partner for humans, dogs were definitely the better choice—
Yuzuru was just about to launch into that personal theory when—
A loud boom echoed from the sky.
Looking up, they saw beautiful fireworks blooming across the night sky. ✺
