By the roadside, Eikichi Onizuka was already waiting, while Danma Ryuji had gone ahead on his motorcycle.
Despite the heavy congestion in Tokyo due to the Sakura Festival, the group managed to reach guro without much trouble.
The guro River originates from Setagaya, flows through Shinagawa and guro, and finally empties into Tokyo Bay, stretching for about eight kiloters.
From Ikejiri Bridge to Kakobashi Bridge, approximately 830 cherry blossom trees bloom along the riverbanks.
In the wider sections of the river, boats can be seen gliding along the water, while in the narrower parts, only about five to six ters wide, the cherry tree branches et in the middle, forming a natural tunnel of pink petals.
While the density of the trees here is slightly less than that of Chidorigafuchi, the narrower river gives the illusion of a much fuller cherry blossom canopy.
Unlike Chidorigafuchi, where the cherry trees form an uninterrupted canopy, the cherry blossoms along guro River were originally planted as part of a riverbank reinforcent project.
Due to environntal factors and natural replacents over ti, many of these trees are younger and smaller, so they don't create the sa overwhelming effect.
However, the narrower river enhances the impact, making the "Cherry Blossom River" here even more breathtaking.
The festival's main hub was in Nakaguro.
This part of the river, only five or six ters wide, was lined with quaint cafés and restaurants, which beca bustling hubs of activity during the festival.
Apart from the lanterns sponsored by local businesses, the pedestrian paths on both sides were filled with stalls selling snacks, trinkets, and other festival delights, offering visitors an enjoyable way to pass the ti while admiring the cherry blossoms.
By the ti Miyamizu Mitsuha and her companions arrived, the sky had already begun to darken.
They had left their large picnic box and mat with Onizuka, who would later deliver them to Kyousuke's house.
Having rested earlier, the girls wasted no ti and imdiately began exploring the festival.
As everyone knows, the Sakura Festival isn't just about the flowers—it's about the rare treats and performances that only appear during this special ti of year.
———————————————————————
As night deepened, a sudden gust of wind swept through the area.
A flurry of petals filled the air—the fad "Sakura Blizzard."
Standing on the famous Bessho Bridge in Nakaguro, the four girls watched as the petals danced in the wind before gently settling onto the dark waters of the guro River below.
The river wasn't nad "guro" because of its black color, yet its shallow and narrow waters did indeed appear dark.
Illuminated by the warm glow of red lanterns, the drifting cherry blossom petals seed almost ethereal, transforming the river into a true "flowing river of cherry blossoms."
Watching the petals scatter and blanket the water's surface, Miyamizu Mitsuha felt an unexpected pang of reluctance.
'Would she rember this scene when she woke up tomorrow?'
'Would she recall the white duck boats slicing through the water?'
'Would she rember the cherry trees forming a canopy over the river?'
'Would she rember the picnic they shared beneath the falling petals?'
'Would she rember this beautiful night, this river of drifting sakura?'
'Would she rember the bright and cheerful Sakura, the adorable Shouko, and the ever-jealous Naoka?'
'Would she rember all of this?'
"Kyousuke!" A sudden voice pulled her from her thoughts.
Turning around, she saw a beautiful girl with chestnut-colored hair dressed in a pale green kimono.
Mitsuha could see the deep joy in the girl's amber eyes, it was the happiness of seeing Kyousuke again.
But... what was her na?
"Ah, hello."
Clueless, Mitsuha could only smile and nod politely.
...Hmm?
No matter how gentle her eyes were, no charm could be conveyed through such a polite, distant smile.
In that mont, Okudera Miki sensed the unfamiliarity and detachnt radiating from Kyousuke's gaze.
The countless words she had wanted to say froze in her throat.
The happiness of this sudden reunion, the excitent bubbling in her heart—all of it was swallowed back down.
"...Hello."
Her face shifted to the professional smile she wore at work, and she gave a small bow.
The pale green kimono, embroidered with golden rapeseed flowers, perfectly accentuated her graceful figure, making her look like a classic Yamato Nadeshiko from the Heian era.
But Mitsuha could feel her sorrow.
Realizing she might have made a mistake, Mitsuha wanted to explain.
Yet before she could, Miki had already taken the hand of her companion and lted into the crowd.
Only then did Mitsuha notice the girl walking beside Miki, a woman dressed in a white coat with jet-black hair cascading past her waist.
As she turned to glance at Mitsuha, her face was filled with open disdain.
"Miki, why did you stop ?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked.
"Because the performance is about to start," Okudera Miki replied with a serene smile, her voice devoid of emotion.
"But that bastard Kyousuke pretended not to know you! I should've gone over there and given him a piece of my mind!" Shizuka raised her fist angrily.
"Kyousuke might have his reasons," Miki replied gently.
"Hah! He's just pretending because he's with other girls. I saw that girl walk up to him just now."
"Hmm~ Kyousuke isn't like that. Besides, I don't think he was pretending not to know ."
"You're just trying to make yourself feel better! How could he not recognize you?"
"I don't know... But sothing about his eyes seed... different. And besides, it's not like Kyousuke and I are that close. Why would he go out of his way to pretend?"
"Wait, you two aren't actually dating?!" Shizuka stopped in her tracks, stunned.
"Haha, Shizuka, I told you that when we first t."
"...Fine. But I still think he needs to explain himself."
"Alright, alright. I'll ask him later. Kyousuke isn't that kind of person."
"He better give you an explanation! Or I'll go to his school myself!" Shizuka still looked indignant.
"He will, he will. Now hurry up, your favorite cody show is about to start."
"Who said it's my favorite? It's obviously yours."
Miki didn't argue, simply pulling her minimalistically dressed friend through the crowded festival.
She hadn't just been trying to comfort Shizuka, she truly believed that Kyousuke wasn't the type to ignore her like that.
Though she had no idea why he had looked at her with such unfamiliarity, she chose to part with dignity.
Forcing him into an explanation would only make things awkward. Tonight was supposed to be a joyful celebration of the Sakura Festival.
Maybe... I just look too stunning in this kimono?
Perhaps Kyousuke was simply so surprised that he didn't recognize right away. Haha.
With that thought, Okudera Miki brushed the encounter aside, turned her attention to the performance, and soon, the crisp, cheerful laughter of two young won rang out before the festival stage.
———————————————————————
anwhile, Miyamizu Mitsuha, watching Miki disappear into the crowd, frowned, trying to recall if she had ever seen her in Kyousuke's circle before.
"Mitsuha, who was that?" Sakura, who had been browsing accessories at a nearby stall, suddenly appeared at her side.
"I think she's a friend of Kyousuke's, but I..." Mitsuha trailed off, then suddenly, as if struck by lightning, she rembered.
Oh, right, Okudera Miki, the staff mber from the Italian restaurant Kyousuke frequented.
The sa Okudera Miki who had texted her during their body-swapping days, wondering why he hadn't co to the restaurant.
"Sigh... It feels like I ssed things up for Kyousuke again," the girl said, looking dejected.
"Don't overthink it. Is this really your fault?" Sakura reassured her, patting the tall Mitsuha on the shoulder.
"But Kyousuke always did great in Itomori, he never made a single mistake," Mitsuha said, still feeling down.
"Hahaha, are you sure you're not overestimating him?" Sakura laughed.
"I'm not! Didn't I tell you before? In the eyes of Itomori's townspeople, Kyousuke has practically beco a divine ssenger. He probably has more influence than my father now."
"Mitsuha, you really think too highly of Kyousuke."
As they spoke, Sakura pulled Mitsuha into a narrow alleyway, a small space between two buildings.
Normally, this alley was empty, but during the guro River Cherry Blossom Festival, this re two-ter-wide gap turned into a sought-after dining area.
Vendors would cook at the entrance while custors sat inside, enjoying their food and resting.
Right now, Naoka was already dragging Shouko to the stall, struggling to decide what to order.
The place specialized in fried chicken, its golden, crispy aroma so tempting that even Sakura had to resist the urge to grab a bite.
But no matter how much she craved it, she wasn't about to risk her health for it. If she was going to indulge, she'd wait until...
"Mitsuha, I already ordered you a chicken leg," Naoka called out.
"Thanks."
Mitsuha had wanted to look at the nu, but Sakura had already pulled her to a small table and sat her down.
"Earlier, when you were braiding my hair, you asked what I was laughing about, right?" Sakura asked as they settled in.
"Yeah, I thought I had said sothing funny."
"Hahaha, no, I was just thinking, Kyousuke probably had no idea how much that auntie's waterlon business makes each year. That's why he suggested her son move to the city without a second thought."
"No way! Even if we locals get cheaper waterlons, I've only been here a few days, and I already know how expensive they are in Tokyo."
"It's possible. Unless it's for cooking sothing for , Kyousuke doesn't really care about food. He'd never go out of his way to buy sothing like waterlon, he just picks up whatever fruit is convenient to get his vitamins."
Shouko, who had just returned with a plate of fried chicken, joined the conversation.
"You've swapped bodies with him so many tis, you must've noticed his fridge, right?" Sakura asked.
"Now that you ntion it... I think I only ever saw papaya and beef in there."
Yesterday, they had bought other fruits for dessert, but they were already gone.
And in Kyousuke's notes, the only food-related reminder was that if he got hungry, he could use the beef for a late-night snack.
Despite being so skilled at making desserts, he never made any for himself.
Mitsuha found herself once again astonished by Kyousuke's "laziness."
"And you say Kyousuke was great in Itomori, so much so that your father now avoids you whenever he sees you. Doesn't that seem a little strange?"
"...Not having to get scolded by my dad is a good thing, isn't it?"
Wait a minute.
'What the hell did Kyousuke do to my father?! '
Mitsuha finally realized sothing was off.
"Hahaha! And even those subordinates you think are so reliable—at first, Kyousuke couldn't stand them."
"Back when school started, he was so afraid of getting jumped that he carried a bamboo sword around every day."
"He only ended up as the leader of the delinquent gang because of Kisaki Tetta and Makki Hojou. Once he beca the boss, he figured having a gang of underlings wasn't so bad after all."
Sakura laughed. She had dug up these stories from Eikichi Onizuka, she had to, since Aunt Mikiko was eager to hear all the gossip.
'Afraid of getting jumped?'
Mitsuha was dumbfounded.
The leader of Tokyo's largest delinquent group... afraid of getting attacked? She recalled all the stories about Kyousuke single-handedly taking down entire gangs.
"Oh, and you've all seen the writing on his socks, right? He never buys plain T-shirts because it takes him too much ti to figure out which side is the front."
Sakura continued exposing Kyousuke's little quirks.
"He doesn't even realize it, but he always slips into a Hokkaido accent. When he says 'very,' he uses なまら instead of the typical とても."
Shouko chuckled, sharing her own small discovery.
"Hahaha, I knew that too! Aunt Mikiko talks the sa way," Sakura laughed, picking up a fried chicken drumstick.
"Kyousuke always ties his shoelaces into tight knots because he's too lazy to retie them when they co undone," Naoka added, not wanting to be left out.
"And Sakura, look at your stomach," Naoka said, poking Sakura's waist with her finger.
"What are you doing?!" Sakura yelped, reacting like a startled cat, though she still refused to put down the chicken. She quickly covered the spot Naoka had poked.
"Careful, you might gain weight," Naoka teased.
"This isn't fat, it's happiness weight!" Sakura declared with confidence.
———————————————————————
Mitsuha had wanted to help Kyousuke maintain his friendships, but in the end, she was the one who ended up getting comforted.
Watching the three girls laughing and bickering, Mitsuha grabbed a piece of fried chicken and took a bite.
Then, she started wracking her brain for embarrassing stories about Kyousuke from Itomori.
"He once tried braiding my little sister Yotsuba's hair, but the mont he finished, she imdiately pulled it out in disgust."
"Hahaha, he used to braid my hair when we were kids too—but he has zero talent for it," Sakura said.
At the end of the cherry blossom festival, the four girls made plans to et up in Itomori.
———————————————————————
anwhile, elsewhere...
A certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed doujin artist found herself stranded in a banquet hall, watching the fireworks outside.
Unfortunately, this ti, no prince ca to rescue her. The self-proclaid hero was hundreds of kiloters away, deep in the mountains.
And a certain black-haired, red-eyed bestselling author was similarly stuck at a corporate networking event in Wako City.
Her father, delighted at her interest in Tokyo's cherry blossom festival, he figured going to Wako city was just as good, plus, it gave him a chance to brag about his daughter to his friends.
And so, this historic gathering remained limited to just four people.
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