Chapter 49: Spring Festival- eve(3)

We headed towards the lockers, clutching the giant teddy bear I’d won at the shooting game. I was happy Aya had given it to me, but I couldn’t carry this thing, practically the size of my torso, around the festival.

“Wow, it’s huge,” Mizuki said, admiring the bear.

“Yeah… Aya, are you sure I can have this?” I still couldn’t believe it. A perfect 50 in live ammunition shooting… and the fact that Aya had given it to me…

Aya looked at me and nodded. “You earned it.”

“But… you got the highest score.”

“You… adapted the fastest.” She spoke with her usual nonchalant tone, but her eyes seemed to be studying my reaction.

I hugged the giant teddy bear, barely able to carry it, and we finally reached the lockers. I found the largest one, opened it, and tried to stuff the bear inside.

“Ugh, it’s too big,” I grunted. It seemed they hadn’t anticipated anyone actually winning the massive teddy bear, using it as a sort of… bait. I finally managed to squeeze it in, a pang of regret at having to leave it behind.

“You look so happy, Rina,” Mizuki chuckled, watching me.

“I-I’m not!” I quickly slammed the locker door shut, my face burning. Just then, Aya tilted her head slightly.

“Rina.”

“Yes?”

“Do you need help carrying it home later?”

I looked at her, my heart fluttering at her words. Why did that sound so… sweet?

“…Ah, yes, please,” I mumbled, scratching my head, and Mizuki grinned, putting her hand on my shoulder.

“Let’s go back to the night market!”

I glanced at the locker one last time, then nodded, steeling my resolve.

‘The festival’s just begun.’

We left the school building and returned to the bustling night market.

****

The night market was even livelier than before, the cool evening air filled with the tantalizing aroma of food, the bright lights of the stalls beckoning.

“Wow~! This smells amazing! This is what a festival is all about~!” Mizuki exclaimed, her hands clasped together in delight. I looked at the long lines of stalls, the exotic scents strangely familiar, perhaps a lingering influence from my past life.

Takoyaki, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, yakitori… and cotton candy, chocolate-covered bananas, roasted corn… every kind of festival food imaginable was here.

“Should we get something to eat?” Aya asked.

“Hmm… so many choices,” Mizuki mused, turning in a circle. “Let’s start at the beginning~! Takoyaki first!”

“Sounds good!” I followed Mizuki, and Aya trailed behind us. We arrived at a takoyaki stall, watching the vendor expertly flipping the little balls of batter.

As we waited, I glanced at Aya. Even under the red glow of the stall’s lights, her silver hair shimmered, her beauty serene and captivating.

‘Being here with Aya… it feels different.’

As I stared at her, she turned to meet my gaze. “Rina?”

“Ah, n-nothing!” I quickly looked away, waving my hands dismissively, and Mizuki said playfully, “Ooh~? Rina, do I need to run another errand~?”

“N-No way!”

“Hmm~? Really~? Here’s our takoyaki.” She grinned, handing us skewers of steaming takoyaki.

“Careful, they’re hot! You’ll burn your mouth if you’re not careful.” She blew on hers before taking a bite.

Lost in the surreal atmosphere of the festival, I popped a takoyaki ball into my mouth without thinking.

“Ow, hot…!” Just as I was about to burn my tongue…

Aya placed a cold can of soda in my hand.

“Ah, thank you…!” I quickly took a sip, cooling my burning mouth. ‘When did she even get that?’

Mizuki, seeing this, grinned knowingly. “Hee hee, I told you they were hot! Here, Aya-ring, have some.”

“Thanks, Mizuki.”

Even eating takoyaki, Aya managed to look elegant and refined. How could someone eat like an elf? Perhaps the surreal atmosphere of this festival was due to Aya’s presence.

After satisfying our hunger at the food stalls, we moved on to the activity booths. “Should we try some of the activities now?”

“Sure! Where to?”

We arrived at a fan-making booth, where we could paint our own designs on paper fans. “Fan-making?”

“Hee hee, time to show off my hidden artistic talents!” Mizuki declared confidently.

Mizuki… could I trust her artistic skills? Well, she was surprisingly sophisticated for someone so cheerful and playful. Aya sat down with a faint smile.

“Ooh, it’s the Trinity!”

“Please, have a seat here. You can paint your designs here.”

The Trinity again… I was getting used to it. I wondered if Reina-senpai was at the festival today.

Lost in thought, I began painting. Mizuki was the first to finish. “Behold! A masterpiece!”

But… it was… an abstract painting?

“Mizuki… what is this?”

“What? It’s an expression of my feelings!”

I stared at her fan, speechless. Abstract swirls and dots… while it had a certain artistic flair…

“Mizuki, explain the philosophy behind this,” I said, and she replied, “See? Aya-ring gets it! It’s a representation of my free spirit!”

“…Right…” I tilted my head, a puzzled expression on my face. Aya, beside me, was painting cherry blossoms, her delicate brushstrokes creating a beautiful image, like an old Japanese painting.

“Wow… Aya, you’re really good.”

“Hey~ don’t favor Aya-ring just because you two are dating! Rina!”

“W-We’re not dating!”

“Then, Rina, show us your skills.”

I took a blank fan and a brush from Mizuki and cautiously began drawing a cat. And then…

“…”

“…Rina, are you drawing the Yamata no Orochi?”      (TL Note- Yamata no Orochi is a legendary eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent monster from Japanese mythology)

“No! It’s a cat!” I insisted.

Aya, who had been quietly painting, chuckled at our banter. “It’s a cat, she said. It’s cute.”

“Aya-ring, don’t be biased! It looks like a monster~!” Mizuki giggled, waving my fan around.

I glared at her, my cheeks puffed out. “…I tried my best!”

Aya looked at my drawing, then smiled. “It’s very… Rina.”

Her words warmed my heart, and I blushed. “…I-Is it?”

“Yes.”

We left the fan-making booth, and after wandering through the night market, we found ourselves back where we’d started, passing the shooting gallery.

“We actually covered the entire festival,” I said, adjusting the strap of my tote bag, filled with goodies from the various booths. I’d sort through them later, reliving the memories of the day.

“We did~” Mizuki stretched languidly. “Should we head towards the stage?” Aya suggested, and I turned to look at the brightly lit stage, the performers, the cheering crowd. Aya had hosted the opening ceremony, but now, a senior from the Broadcasting Club was the MC.

A band was performing on stage, the drums pounding, the guitars wailing, the vocalist’s powerful voice filling the night air. The guest performers were excellent, but the academy’s students were just as talented.

I unconsciously tapped my foot to the rhythm, the festive atmosphere infectious. “The performances are for three days, right?”

“Yes.”

We walked towards the stage, and Mizuki, spotting something near the backstage area, pointed. “Oh, it’s Kasumi-chan~ Hi!” she called out, waving.

I turned to look.

The backstage area, bathed in the glow of spotlights, was filled with shimmering figures. Kasumi and her group members, their faces a mixture of excitement and nervousness, looked like goddesses preparing to take the stage.

Kasumi, hearing Mizuki’s voice, looked over and waved shyly.

“Wow… Kasumi… she looks like a real idol.”

“Well, she is a real idol,” Mizuki chuckled, nudging my shoulder playfully. Looking at Kasumi, surrounded by stern-looking bodyguards, preparing for her performance… I felt a strange sense of unreality. She was a junior I’d chatted with casually just yesterday, yet she seemed to belong to a different world.

‘…This night feels like a dream…’

Kasumi and her group took the stage. Their performance was breathtaking, the best I’d ever seen.