Ch.54Chapter 9. It Was Summer. (1)

I changed into clothes and had a meal with Yuka.

It seemed like Yuka wanted to buy me something, but today we decided to pay separately.

I didn’t want to rely on her on a day like this when I was already depending on her so much normally. Yuka must have been very tired too. Plus, I was already borrowing her clothes. I couldn’t bring myself to let her pay for my meal too.

Besides, regarding the prophecy, it seemed Yuka believed the fake prophecy I told her. Unless I deliberately tell her the truth, she’ll continue believing that version.

…Though I’ll still get paid. In reality, I’ve already caused her a great deal of trouble.

According to Yuka, the church people left after meeting with government officials.

Well, by then Kudan was already dead, so it would have been pointless for them to follow anyway.

They probably think the prophecy itself was false, so they won’t even bother asking about it.

Though my relationship with them will certainly worsen.

“Are you heading back right away?”

As we came out after having tendon for lunch, Yuka looked a bit disappointed.

But she looked even more tired.

Understandably so.

She had spent hours that night riding in a car, climbing a mountain, and having a battle of nerves with the church people.

To be honest, I couldn’t say I had slept properly either.

“I still have many days off.”

When I said that, Yuka nodded with a faint smile.

Ikebukuro Station.

Yes, it’s really crowded. Even I, who don’t know much about Japan, had heard of this place. I’m not exactly sure where in Tokyo it’s located though.

There were many buildings too. After walking a bit from the building we were in, it quickly disappeared from view. Perhaps it’s a good place to hide precisely because there are so many people and buildings.

“Well, see you later. We might meet tomorrow.”

That’s how Yuka said goodbye.

I waved my hand lightly to her in return.

Her figure, turning away and walking off, quickly disappeared among the crowd. Even though it was a weekday, and the middle of the day at that.

Perhaps all the children had poured out because of the school break.

Come to think of it, there would be college students too. Maybe some people had taken early summer vacations.

Midsummer, with the rainy season completely gone. There were some clouds, but it didn’t feel like rain would fall. Even those clouds couldn’t block the blazing sunlight.

I turned around and headed home.

After carefully reading the route map at the station, I spent quite some time on the train and returned to my neighborhood, which seemed completely deserted compared to the station earlier.

As soon as I got back, I carefully put down the shopping bag I was carrying in my room, went to the shower, took off my clothes, and washed myself.

I thought I had washed up roughly once, but small grains of sand came out of my hair, giving me quite a struggle.

After thoroughly washing my long hair and showering properly to make sure my body didn’t smell, I roughly dried myself and came out.

Wearing just underwear and a t-shirt, I got into the futon that I had laid out the night before but hadn’t put away.

And then I fell asleep as if I had fainted.

*

The next day. The 29th.

We agreed to meet a bit early.

Even though it’s midsummer, the sun sets earlier in Japan than in Korea. Though it also rises earlier since it’s in the east.

The fireworks event was scheduled to start at 7:15 PM, so we needed to go very early.

From what I heard, it seemed to be quite a famous event in Japan.

Well, I once went to see the Yeouido fireworks in my childhood and thought I was going to die from being crushed by the crowd.

At 11:30 AM, I arrived at Kitasenju Station.

“Kurosawa!”

Miura, who had arrived first and was waiting, waved at me happily. Fukuda and Yamashita were also beside her.

“Kurosawa, you’re late.”

Fukuda said, tapping her wristwatch with her finger.

What do you mean late?

I arrived exactly on time.

Actually, I was a bit worried I might be late, but I did arrive on time.

“…”

Yamashita didn’t say anything special. She just waved her hand slightly.

Perhaps she knew it would take me quite some time to get here.

“Let’s have lunch first. We need to eat well. We’ll be waiting for almost seven hours after this.”

…So she’s saying we’ll go straight to wait after eating.

Well, can’t be helped. They say that waiting is part of the fun at events, right? I’m not the type to enjoy that aspect, and since I didn’t have anyone to go with, I hardly ever went to such places.

And the place we headed to was a fast food restaurant.

Considering that what they usually ate after school was mostly sweet desserts or drinks, it seemed these girls really intended to eat heartily today.

They all bought large sets.

Since I had seen how Yamashita ate french fries when we had a meal last time, I also ordered a large set this time.

The sight of four large-sized french fries poured onto the tray was quite spectacular in its own way.

First, I devoured the hamburger, then picked up french fries one by one from the plate, occasionally moistening my throat with cola.

You know what? Being young again means your body can handle eating without getting sick as easily. In my 30s, I would often get sick whenever I ate something too greasy or overate, but since becoming this body, it hasn’t happened once.

Despite being skinny and seemingly lacking in nutrients, this body was resilient. Youth is truly amazing.

And so, while tasting the saltiness of the french fries, I listened to the conversation between Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita.

“Ah, that drama was fun—”

“That actor we saw last time, who was it—”

Well, it was basically a conversation between Miura and Fukuda.

“…”

The Yamashita I remembered was usually someone who would fiddle with her phone regardless of what the other two were talking about.

But today was a bit different.

Yamashita’s gaze was directed outside the window.

At the end of that gaze was a river. The river where today’s fireworks festival was scheduled.

Was it the Arakawa River?

“Do you like fireworks?”

I unconsciously asked Yamashita.

Unfortunately, the timing was just right as Miura and Fukuda’s conversation ended, so all attention focused on me for asking that question.

Yamashita’s gaze shifted from the window to me.

“I quite like them.”

Hmm.

If a boy had heard that, his heart might have skipped a beat. Though he would know it wasn’t a confession of liking him.

Come to think of it, fireworks festivals were an excellent device to drown out the heroine’s confession in stories.

The girls here weren’t heroines, but…

Speaking of which, how do Japanese festivals work? They were a staple in romantic comedies, but I wasn’t sure what they were actually like. The heroine would always wear a yukata, catch goldfish, or eat sugar-coated apples.

Are festivals held differently by region? Do they just set off fireworks as they please? I heard large fireworks are quite expensive, is it okay to just set them off like that?

“…”

Lost in my thoughts, I belatedly realized that the attention was still on me.

“Kurosawa.”

Miura called me with quite a serious expression.

I tensed up slightly.

Did I touch on something I shouldn’t have? Is it not okay to talk to Yamashita about fireworks?

“I… I’m not sure how this question will come across, but…”

Miura spoke to me cautiously.

“Have you ever been to see fireworks?”

“…”

Ah, so that’s it.

To others, I was no different from a child being abused at home. While Kagami, who plays the role of my mother, would happily accompany me if I asked to go see fireworks, these girls don’t know anything.

And I probably won’t be able to tell them in the future either.

After thinking for a moment, I said:

“Once, when I was a child.”

Of course, it wasn’t in Japan but at the Han River in Korea.

“I saw them from far away. Far enough that the fireworks could be covered by my palm.”

That’s how it was.

My family didn’t really like places with too many people. We preferred doing things peacefully in places with a bit more space.

But we failed.

There were too many people who thought the same as my family. Well, even back then, Seoul was a city with a population of about ten million. If just one in a hundred people had a similar thought, that’s a hundred thousand people, so it’s inevitable that there would be a lot of people laying out mats by the Han River and waiting.

Still, it was fun.

Doing something together as a family.

“…”

Fukuda, Miura, and Yamashita, who heard my story, exchanged glances.

Did what I said touch their hearts?

“Today, you’ll be able to see them from really close!”

Fukuda said with a smile.

“You can look forward to it.”

Miura nodded.

Yamashita was also quietly looking at me, so she probably had similar thoughts.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

When I answered like that, all three of them smiled.

*

We had our spots.

Actually, since the three of them had secured the spots, I wasn’t sure if it was a reservation system or first-come-first-served. But it was good that we got decent seats to watch from.

Unlike the fireworks of my childhood, today we would be watching fireworks that would go up from directly across the river.

Admission was free.

Naturally, an enormous number of people had gathered. I’m not sure how many, but probably tens of thousands?

Thanks to leaving early with the three of them, we were able to secure spots without waiting in line for too long.

Although it’s called a fireworks festival, it was a bit different from the Japanese-style festivals I had seen in manga, so I thought everyone would just come in casual clothes. Surprisingly, there were quite a few people in yukata.

“Do you want to try wearing one?”

Fukuda asked perceptively.

“…I’ve never worn one before.”

I used an ambiguous expression.

I didn’t particularly want to try it on. But I wouldn’t refuse if they offered to dress me up.

It’s not just about wearing a yukata, right? I’d probably enjoy the festival together with them.

A festival.

Festivals, events… I had kept my distance from them for a long time. In my previous life, I had been working almost exclusively for the last few years before my death.

After living for several years without family or friends, those sensations had become extremely faint.

Perhaps the time I spent alone helped me endure in this world.

It wasn’t a pleasant sensation.

“Alright, then shall we float lanterns this year?”

“That sounds good!”

Miura clapped her hands at Fukuda’s suggestion.

“There’s a lantern floating event at the shrine in our neighborhood in mid-August. Well, we’ll have to check our schedules, but honestly, does anyone here have plans that day?”

“…”

No one answered.

Mid-August… well, I probably won’t have any plans.

“None of us have boyfriends, right? Did anyone succeed at the mixer?”

“…”

No, I didn’t.

I didn’t even contact anyone.

“Well, it’s a bit awkward to make plans right away. There might be family matters.”

I’m not sure when the Sasaki siblings will meet Raiju, but since I want to be there, I hope it doesn’t overlap with that date.

I don’t care much about wearing a yukata or not, but hanging out with friends… honestly, it was a bit fun.

I glanced at Miura.

…I met Miura’s father yesterday.

Although I haven’t read the original work to the end, Miura’s father seemed to truly love her.

In “Tokyo Slayers,” Miura was just a background character who had never even spoken with Sasaki, but perhaps in the main story, her death became the beginning of everything.

I turned my gaze to look at Yamashita as well.

I wonder how Yamashita was in the world where Ms. Mori died. After losing Miura, her closest friend, and Ms. Mori, who was like an older sister to her… And considering that Yamashita had fought with Ms. Mori and left home before losing her, it’s truly the worst.

Even if Yamashita could return home after experiencing all sorts of bad things, Ms. Mori would already be dead.

What kind of life did Kotone Kurosawa live in that world?

…I doubt a bright future awaited her.

The fact that she was in the class right next to Souta Sasaki’s was an extremely suspicious arrangement.

It’s the perfect position to feel guilty, thinking, “Such things were happening in the class next door… and I didn’t know!”

Considering the sentiments of that era, just a few years after the turn of the century, Kotone Kurosawa must have been a character who saw all sorts of terrible things.

“It’s gotten quite dark.”

Fukuda said.

“Yeah.”

Miura also said.

“We started wearing summer uniforms from June, but I feel like summer has truly arrived only now.”

To Miura’s words,

“…It’s just rain until mid-July.”

I chimed in.

“Right? Summer should definitely have blazing sunshine!”

Fukuda said with a cheerful laugh.

“…It’s starting now.”

Yamashita said, looking at the time on her phone.

Not just us, but people sitting here and there seemed to realize this too, as the murmuring grew louder.

People at the front seemed to be announcing something, but I couldn’t hear clearly.

There were still people lining up. In front, there were also people with large cameras.

…Can we take good pictures with our phones?

Seeing Fukuda, Miura, and Yamashita raise their phones, I also hesitantly took out my phone from my pocket and turned on the camera.

Small screen, correspondingly not-so-good image quality.

This phone would be the latest technology in this world.

Whenever I felt things like this, it was strange. In the world I used to live in, the resolution of photos taken with phones was good enough not to pixelate when uploaded anywhere.

A high school girl, huh.

I had to press my lips tightly to suppress a chuckle that was about to escape.

How long did we wait like that?

Bang.

With a sound that couldn’t be called loud, but wasn’t small either—an ambiguous bang—a firework rose towards the sky with a whooshing sound.

And then, bang.

With a sound like a gunshot, smaller fireworks spread in all directions like palm tree leaves from the initial firework.

Starting with that, the next and the next firework rose in sequence.

Beautiful fireworks of various colors burst not just like flat images but in truly three-dimensional geometric forms in all sorts of ways.

Red, green, blue, yellow.

Intense and bright enough to be visible even on the small phone screen.

Without realizing it, I was looking up at the fireworks with wide eyes.

Fireworks seen up close can be this beautiful.

I don’t know if I should say I just learned this or that I had never even thought about it.

“How is it? Good?”

Hearing such a voice from beside me, I turned my head to see Miura smiling at me.

“…Yeah.”

I answered.

But I’m not sure if she heard me properly. The sound of the fireworks was quite loud.

Indeed, it was loud enough to drown out a heroine’s voice.

I turned my head left and right to look at Fukuda, Miura, and Yamashita.

They all seemed captivated by the colorful fireworks adorning the sky.

The bright light cast a lighting effect on their faces, making them all look very pretty.

Just pure teenagers enjoying their youth.

Unharmed and unwounded anywhere.

My heart raced.

For the first time, I was thinking about that fact.

Probably no one knows. Not Mr. Miura who is in a high position, not Ms. Yamashita who is related to the church.

Not even Kagami, Nirlas, or Yuka.

It was a story only I knew.

But that was okay. At least what I had done wasn’t meaningless.

I looked up at the sky again.

The fireworks display was said to last about an hour.

At first, I thought it ended a bit early for such a big event, but now that I was watching the fireworks, I didn’t think so anymore.

For an hour, continuously, they would paint fantasy in the sky like this.

Like someone who had spent their adult years, I also wondered how much money this cost—well, that’s not something I need to worry about.

Just, for now, like this.

I should enjoy the youth that even I have gained.

In a world with this kind of setting, I’ll probably get involved in all sorts of bizarre incidents in the future.

So, I should enjoy it while I can.

“Wow.”

From beside me, I heard an exclamation, though I wasn’t sure who made it. It might not have been from our group but from someone nearby, but I honestly sympathized with that sound.

I closed my phone that I had been using to record moderately. And putting my hands down, I thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks with both eyes.

Well, even if I die someday, I’ll probably have a chance to come once more next year, right?

At that time, let’s come with Yuka.

I was thinking such thoughts, enchanted by the brilliantly bursting fireworks.

“It’s magnificent.”

I think it was Miura who said that.

I nodded.

“It’s magnificent. Truly.”

Sitting comfortably with my legs stretched out, I was completely captivated by the sky.

Having changed into summer uniforms, with the rainy season already over.

I felt like I was just now welcoming summer.