episode_0054

In preparation for the summer festival in the evening, I stopped by a department store near Ueno Station. Like any other department store, there wasn’t much of a difference, maybe just in terms of size. Perhaps this area sees a lot of Korean visitors, as Korean characters were visible on every sign.

“…How is it?”

And there was a place selling yukatas. There were various designs of yukatas, and even though I didn’t try any on, it was fun to look at them.

The yukata that Yuhee tried on had a deep navy base with three thin white lines on the left side, and a small apricot pattern in the center.

The purple obi around her waist was simple, with apricot and its stem forming a pattern, complementing Yuhee’s cool appearance and giving off an overall chic impression.

“It suits you well…”

Yuhee always feels like anything she wears looks good on her. The staff nearby seemed to be saying something to Yuhee as well. Probably giving her compliments?

“Want to try on something else?”

Yuhee went back into the fitting room. While waiting, the staff suddenly approached me.

“Boyfriend?”

“Uh… yes…”

“Yu A So Hansom!”

“Thank you…”

Although it was in Japanese pronunciation, I roughly understood what they meant. Lip service for foreign customers. It felt somewhat strange.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh… they suddenly talked to me…”

“How is it?”

“…”

The black background with colorful cherry blossom decorations now represented Yuhee’s annoyed face, and the mid-calf length of the kimono made it look cool and not stuffy despite being black. The black obi also matched well with the overall look compared to before.

“It looks better than before. Beautiful.”

“…Really?”

Fortunately, the pink cherry blossoms began to stand out more than the black background, and Yuhee’s chest seemed to be slightly excited as the obi rose slightly above it.

“This one.”

“Hai. Wakarimashita.”

“Are you wearing it?”

“Yeah. It’s starting soon.”

After the payment was done, as I came out of the store, there were already crowds of people heading to the festival site, making it crowded. Worried about losing Yuhee, I put my hand on her shoulder.

“Train ride?”

“No, I… just in case I lose you.”

“Cute.”

“…Is that so?”

As we went further in, a sign for Shinobazu Pond was visible, and in one corner, people dressed in matching outfits were hurriedly preparing.

“Wow…”

As we continued down the street, various food stalls like yakisoba and various games were lined up, and even though it hadn’t been long since it started, the atmosphere on the street had already livened up.

“Let’s do that.”

“Shooting?”

I have confidence in shooting, having fired many shots in the military. Similar to the air guns at amusement parks, here you put a cork in the barrel and shoot.

Seven shots for a thousand yen. Depending on the score, they give out prizes.

Bang. Thud.

“Wow!”

Having hit the center with all seven shots, people around us applauded. I received a doll the size of Yuhee from the owner and even took a commemorative photo.

“How is it?”

“Not great.”

“…It wasn’t great?”

“There were too many girls looking at you.”

“…?”

I felt like Yuhee was incredibly jealous about something…

~~~

Following Yuhee’s wish, we went to a secluded place where the delicious savory smell of yakisoba filled the air. Although we have tried it at restaurants in Korea, I wanted to try it served in a styrofoam box like in Japan.

“Do you want to try that?”

“Yeah.”

The glass noodles sizzling on the hot plate with sauce, and the bubbles rising on top of the sauce, were tantalizing. And when you crack an egg over it, it was truly perfect.

But then, a problem arose.

“…”

“Yuhee…?”

Yuhee, who always fluently ordered and paid in Japanese, suddenly fell silent. Even when I hinted for her to say something, she deliberately kept her mouth shut.

Could it be that I have to order…?

‘Yuhee is quite…’

Unable to just stand there, I recalled the time I went to the convenience store alone and decided to speak to the clerk.

“Um…”

“はい。お二人さん？(Two people?)”

“Uh…”

I had no idea what the words behind ‘Hi’ meant. When I looked at Yuhee with a pitiful expression, she was giggling.

“Two… please.”

“Ah, okay. Wait.”

Surprisingly, they understood well, but Yuhee didn’t seem surprised or look back at me. I wanted to show off a cool image… but ended up feeling embarrassed.

Fortunately, thanks to the universal language of body language, we were able to place our order.

“Oh~”

When I glanced at Yuhee, she reached out her arm and affectionately stroked me as if to say I did well. A bit of her armpit was visible between our arms, so I instinctively averted my gaze.

“Why are you doing that…?”

“It’s revenge from earlier.”

“….”

“はい。お待ち。(Here’s your order!)”

She was too cute for revenge, so I wanted to hug her…

—

“まもなく、花火が始まります。(The fireworks will start soon.)”

“They’re starting soon.”

“Have you ever seen fireworks, Yuhee?”

“Yeah, sometimes with friends.”

“I see…”

Come to think of it, I’ve never heard about Yuhee’s friends or stories about them. There were things I didn’t ask about, but our relationship back then wasn’t exactly like family.

There’s still so much I don’t know about Yuhee.

“Hey?”

“Oh… I was wondering what Yuhee’s friends are like.”

“…They’re just good people.”

“Really?”

“Are you interested?”

Yuhee’s jealousy reared its head again. There was no need for jealousy, really…

“Well… I’m curious about Yuhee’s school days… since I’ve never been to a public class.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“No! You don’t need to apologize. It’s my fault…”

It seemed like a pointless question. Yuhee probably had unnecessary guilt of her own, and I poked at something I shouldn’t have.

“I’m sorry.”

“What…? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“It’s just… the atmosphere got awkward…”

I deeply apologized in my heart. For abandoning Yuhee at birth, for making her live in an orphanage, for not caring for her during her school days, and…

Boom!

As if to blow away my distractions, fireworks rose from the river and spread in various directions. Two red fireworks shot up on either side, then four fireworks exploded simultaneously.

The townspeople stopped their business to watch the fireworks. They took photos or videos, but Yuhee and I were silently gazing at the sky where the fireworks burst.

“…”

We held hands and walked along the riverbank. We communicated not with words, but with our hands. Yuhee’s soft hand trembled slightly, and I held it to reassure her.

There’s no need to worry. I’ll stand by your side. I reminded her of my promise never to abandon her, no matter the situation.

As we walked, people began to gather near the riverbank. Following the crowd, Yuhee and I turned around to find ourselves alone behind the riverbank.

The silence after the fireworks made the atmosphere even more tense. When I looked at Yuhee, she seemed to have the same thought as me.

“Chu…”

And then, without a word, she grabbed my face and kissed me. Through the kiss, we forgot our worries and distractions. Perhaps it was more effective than alcohol.

“Mmm…!”

Naturally, Yoohee placed her hand on Yuhi’s chest and gently squeezed. The softness felt through the clothes gradually erased all distractions in my mind.

‘This sensation… could it be…’

The thin fabric made it easy to feel the chest inside the clothes. And something protruding prominently in the middle of the chest brushed against Yoohee’s clothes, causing her to moan.

‘Is she not wearing a bra…?’

That means, Yoohee had been braless all this time.

“Ah… darling… ah!?”

Without giving a chance for any awkwardness to arise, I kissed her again. This time, I slid my hand inside the clothes to directly touch her chest. Yoohee tried to pull away in embarrassment, but she didn’t want to let go.

“If someone sees us… how embarrassing….”

“Then the rest….”

“The hotel was expensive….”

“But….”

“Just until people arrive….”

“……”

I hid my body in a dense cherry blossom tree. It may seem strange coming from a foreigner, but human desires know no bounds. Yoohee, seemingly wanting to try it as well, grabbed onto the tree and turned her body.

“Yoohee, this is…!”

“P-please don’t worry….”

And underneath the lifted yukata of Yoohee, there was a black T-panty, a sight of her wearing it for the first time in her life.