Volu 3, Chapter 10: Sumr Festival
Translator : FireHawk
Editor : chelly
Kanda-senpai’s transfer… The strange conversation in the canteen with Mishima… This ntally draining week ca to an end.
So, I completely surrendered to the power of laziness. On weekdays, Sayu always wakes up. But on weekends, she doesn’t do that.
That’s why I went to bed for the second ti and then for the third ti, accumulating all the energy to finally wake up until I noticed that it was already past 3 PM. Since I went to bed after midnight, it ans that I slept for almost the whole 15 hours. After that, my sleepiness disappeared. I shook my still-sluggish head, and my consciousness cleared up.
Looking sideways, I saw Sayu curled up on the carpet like a caterpillar.
“Good morning, Sayu…”
“Good morning.”
She said, looking at . Her voice felt sowhat empty.
“When did you wake up?”
“Huh?”
“Did you sleep at all?”
“Um…”
I asked a few questions and realized that sothing was wrong with her. It’s as if she was lost in her own thoughts.
Sighing, I called her louder.
“Sayu!”
“Whoa!”
She flinched and turned to .
“Good morning…“
“G-Good morning.”
“Did you sleep?”
“N-No, I’m sorry… Did I wake you up? It’s just that… I had my head in the clouds.”
Sayu flashed a strange smile. She looked kind of lost.
“Are you worried about sothing?”
I asked, getting up from the bed. Sayu also got up. There was an unreadable expression on her face accompanied by a sad smile.
“Nope… nothing.”
“…Okay then.”
There’s definitely sothing wrong. But she still insisted that everything was all right. So I decided not to pry further.
Instead, I thought of changing the subject. But nothing ca to my mind, so I just sat down, in Indian-style, on the bed and leaned against the wall. Sayu stood up and just stared at the floor. I looked at her since she was lying on one side, her hair stuck to her cheek. At first, I decided to remove them with a finger, but my body seed so heavy that all my strength was gone even before I got out of bed.
Sayu raised her head and our gazes t. We looked at each other for a few seconds. But even though we stared at each other, it still seed like she was thinking about sothing of her own.
“About when I’ll decide to return to Hokkaido…”
I was startled. At first, I even wondered if she was talking to , but there were only the two of us.
“Well, I don’t want to go back yet.”
She grinned. Then, she dropped her gaze again.
“I don’t want to go ho, that’s why I don’t want to return to Hokkaido. Or…”
She muttered those words and looked at again.
“Or maybe because I don’t want to part with you…”
Her voice was weak. As if to confirm this, she looked at the floor again.
“I don’t understand…”
She said and imdiately fell silent.
too… I couldn’t say anything and just sat with my mouth open.
During the rainy season, Sayu told that she would think about her future. It ant that she was getting ready to return to where she belongs. It was an important promise… for both of us.
Although she tried her best, I still felt weakness in her voice when she said “I don’t want to go back.”
I wasn’t going to bla her for that. She ran away from ho after all, so I understood her reluctance. But the fact that she said it surprised .
As far as I know, she always puts others first. She even promised that she would return ho, and yet, she said that she didn’t want to. But what for? Did she want to perceive it as naivety or to frankly show unwillingness?
And the words “I don’t want to part with you” astonished .
During all this cohabitation, we started to trust each other. But am I really that important?
“That’s…”
Thinking about it, I shook my head. Kanda-senpai’s and Mishima’s words ca to mind again.
“That’s sothing only you would know.”
I knew that that wasn’t the answer she expected, but I couldn’t say anything else.
Hearing my words, Sayu shot a puzzled look and chuckled.
“Well, yeah. I’m sorry for bringing up such a strange topic.”
She smiled helplessly.
“No, that’s not it… You’re free to say whatever you want.”
As soon as I said it, Sayu smiled with guilt and nodded.
“…Yes. I… thought about it all the ti you were sleeping.”
“I know it’s hard for you…”
“Indeed.”
She replied with sorrow but then raised her head and went to the kitchen.
I watched Sayu as she poured water into a cup and returned.
“Here.”
“Huh?”
“Water. You just woke up, so take a drink to develop your stomach and gain so strength.”
“What? Does it really work like that?”
“I read it on the Internet.”
“Sounds like nonsense… But thanks.”
I drank the water. The liquid spread in the throat and dissolved in the body. Following the first sip, I drank everything.
“Oh, right. You like to get drunk.”
“Shut up.”
I put the mug in the sink. And then I heard a low sound as if sothing exploded. I looked at Sayu.
“Did you hear that?”
“Huh?”
She looked confused.
“No, I didn’t hear anything.”
Judging by her puzzled expression, it seems like she really didn’t hear anything.
“I guess I misheard it then.”
When I said that, sothing exploded outdoors.
“Wow.”
“Well, so I didn’t mishear it.”
This ti, Sayu also heard it and nodded at .
We remained silent for a few seconds and we heard a loud noise outside again.
Sayu tilted her head and asked .
“Is that fireworks?”
“No, it’s too early for them.”
It was a little over 3 PM. The sun had already begun to drop, but it was still too bright to watch the fireworks.
“Oh…”
Realizing, I sat on the bed and turned on the laptop.
“What’s the matter?”
Sayu looked at the screen with interest.
I opened the Internet, entered the na of the nearest station, and added the word “festival” in the search bar. That confird my assumptions.
There was a Shinto shrine within a ten-minute walk, where the shopping district was hosting a sumr festival.
“The weather’s good and this is the signal for the start of the festival.”
“I see.”
Sayu nodded and then looked into the distance.
“A sumr festival, huh?”
Her voice was full of nostalgia and sothing unrelated to .
“Do you want to go?”
“Huh?”
She looked at in surprise and didn’t answer my question.
“Do you want to go to the sumr festival?”
I asked again. She blinked and then looked away from .
“Um… sumr festival… yeah.”
Her eyes were darting back and forth across the floor, she spoke in embarrassnt.
“T-That was unexpected…”
“What?”
“I’ve never been to a sumr festival in high school”
“I see.”
I also didn’t expect that. High schoolers often go to such events with friends or a lover.
“Yeah, that’s true. I had no friends with whom I could go, so I didn’t think about it.”
“…So that’s how it is.”
Sayu answered calmly, but I was overwheld with strange feelings.
Caring, kind, and pretty… A girl that cares about others… I just can’t imagine why she didn’t have any friends. I thought about the reason, but nothing ca to mind.
So I shook these thoughts out of my head. Sayu looked at .
“That’s why… Yeah… I’d like to go to the sumr festival with you, Yoshida-san.”
She smiled softly.
I’d already slept enough, so it would be possible to go out and take a walk in the evening.
Thinking that I need to change into casual clothes, sothing suddenly ca into my head.
“It’s a sumr festival, right? So you have to wear a yukata.”
“Yukata?”
Sayu’s eyes shone. I guess she really wanted it.
“Wait, do you have one?”
“No, I don’t. Why do you think a lonely man would keep a yukata?”
“Oh… Fair enough… But why did you suggest it then?”
“We can rent one. There seems to be a shop near the station.”
I checked on the Internet, and there really was a shop near the station where we could rent a yukata.
“It looks like you can rent one for about 3,000 yen. Since you’ve got a part-ti job, you can rent it with your salary.”
If we go now, considering the ti she’ll take getting dressed, we’ll get to the temple just in ti.
After my proposal, Sayu hesitated a little. But then she embarrassedly agreed.
*
“Who would’ve thought that there would be such a queue.”
“Well, the festival’s taking place near the station, so it’s not surprising that the store here’s so busy.”
After the station, we went straight to the temple.
The store was surprisingly lively, we left the house and reached it at almost 4 PM. Sayu finished changing at 6 PM.
Even though the days are longer during sumr, it’s still really dark after 6 PM.
I heard the patter of Sayu’s shoes. She was wearing a yukata and geta.
I couldn’t look at her.
“Oh, looks like it’s starting.”
Ahead of us, there was a place illuminated by lanterns. The shopping district to be precise. I heard the festival music.
“So it’s really a festival…”
Sayu looked excited. I chuckled.
“Well, of course, it is. This is why you ca here in yukata after all.”
“It all seed unreal…”
Sayu laughed.
“We decided to go to the festival, I put on a yukata… But I just couldn’t believe that we’re going to the festival.”
“Really? But aren’t we already here.”
“Yeah. Indeed…”
Sayu agreed and her shoulders started to tremble. I didn’t look at her, so it was impossible to be sure, but she was probably laughing.
The music grew louder, we went around the corner, right into the shopping district.
And then it suddenly beca very bright and noisy.
“Wow…”
Sayu’s voice was full of excitent.
“Haha…”
With her mouth open, Sayu quickened her pace and walked in front of . She was looking around with her eyes glittering. She looked like a child taken to an amusent park for the first ti. Seeing her like that, I realized that she really hadn’t been to a festival in high school.
Turning around, Sayu suddenly looked at and smiled widely.
“It’s amazing!”
That’s when I saw Sayu in a yukata right in front of .
In the lights of the shopping district, it looked bright orange. Usually, loose hair was gathered with a hairpin. There wasn’t much makeup, but under the bright light, Sayu literally shone.
“Y-Yeah… Amazing.”
I replied, looking away from Sayu.
“Hey, Yoshida-san.”
Sayu stopped in front of and looked into my eyes.
“How do you like the yukata?”
She asked… I avoided this question from the mont she ca out of the store.
To be honest, it really suits her.
She looked more like an adult rather than a “high school girl in a yukata,” but at the sa ti felt childishly young. The bright orange color harmonized with Sayu’s natural beauty. I felt uncomfortable.
“Hey! You’re not even looking at at all.”
She pouted, so I looked at her. Sayu raised her sleeves and asked again.
“So what do you think?”
I looked at her. The landscape seed to focus on Sayu, and it seed as if all the lights around were deliberately illuminating her.
“You’re beautiful.”
Sayu looked at with her mouth open. I realized what I just said.
And got embarrassed by my own words.
What did I just say to a high school student? Why didn’t I just say that she was cute? It looked like Sayu didn’t expect that answer either and got flustered. But she continued to look at , even though I turned away. Although I didn’t see it, I felt her glare on my cheek.
“Um… I an…“
Her voice was pretty quiet, but I still heard everything clearly.
“Even more beautiful than… Gotou-san?”
“Huh?”
I looked at Sayu in surprise. She was blushing as red as a tomato.
I didn’t get why she wanted to compare her to Gotou-san, but then I heard a child screaming.
“Hey, Mom! They’re playing drums there!”
The woman who followed this kid behind said, “Really? Let’s hurry then,” and quickened the pace.
“…It looks like there are drumrs. Shall we go take a look?”
I asked, and Sayu’s eyes flickered for a mont. Then she suddenly closed them.
And when she opened them again, she smiled at .
“Yeah, I’d like to see!”
“Well, let’s go then. I think they should be in the center of the square.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
I followed Sayu, who was walking in front.
My heart began to beat faster.
I was able to evade her question. The girl in front of or Gotou-san. I was at a loss who to choose and how to say it. To be precise, it wasn’t that difficult, but I just didn’t want to choose.
Although not long ago, I would’ve imdiately answered, “Of course, Gotou-san.” I was confused by my own feelings.
Am I starting to see Sayu as a “woman” and not just a “high school girl”?
Before, I perceived high school students as children. But it seems that this no longer applied to Sayu.
“Yoshida-san, w-wait.”
A voice sounded from behind and I turned around. She was standing far from . It looks like while I was lost in thoughts, I sped up my pace.
“I’m sorry…”
“So many people…”
She looked around and smiled embarrassedly. There were really a lot of people near the square, and it was difficult to walk around. Also, Sayu’s wearing geta, so I needed to adjust my pace.
When I thought about it, I felt a warmth on my right wrist. Sayu held my hand.
Surprised, I looked at her. She blushed slightly and looked at the ground.
“W-With that… We won’t get lost.”
“Y-Yeah. Of course.”
I was embarrassed and scratched my nose with my left hand.
The sound of drums ca from the square. Even though we were still far enough, the sound seed loud.
“Looks like it has already begun.”
“It has.”
“Let’s go.”
Together with Sayu, who was holding onto , we walked through the crowd.
It was really crowded, but I didn’t pay attention to it.
My face was burning.
*
Two n banged on big drums, and two won on small ones.
The sound of unpausing bangs was echoing inside the drums. The audience was joyfully shouting.
Watching the performance, I thought that this happens here every year. And looking back, every ti I heard that noise, I thought to myself, “Looks like there’s a festival nearby.”
I’ve been living here for 5 years, but I’ve never been to the festival. What a boring person. I don’t show any interest in anything but myself.
But it turned out to be very interesting. The people gathered here were having fun. I haven’t felt anything like this since high school.
Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at Sayu. She was fascinated looking at the drumrs.
If not for her, I wouldn’t have co here.
Her appearance changed my life. I began to eat 3 tis a day. On weekends, I often leave the house and communicate more. I used to live with my job, but now I’ve begun to learn the taste of life.
Perhaps if I hadn’t picked her up that day, I’d still be living by walking from ho to work. If I started dating Gotou-san, my life would’ve beco more enjoyable, but we haven’t started dating yet.
If I hadn’t t Sayu.
Thinking about it, I noticed.
The drums began to beat more intensely. The musicians were preparing to end their performance. The audience too beca even more excited, and I was overwheld by only one feeling.
If I hadn’t t Sayu.
As soon as I thought about it, I understood.
I can’t even imagine it.
I can’t even imagine how I would’ve lived without her. She has already beco a part of my life.
As soon as I thought about the fact that Sayu would be taken out of my life, I was scared.
“…shida-san… Hey!”
“Huh? What?”
Through the sound of drums, I heard Sayu’s voice and looked at her. My heart jumped.
She wasn’t here.
“Huh?”
I began to turn around. Surrounded by strangers, I couldn’t find Sayu among them.
“Sayu?!”
I walked through the crowd and finally got out in the open. I walked through the shopping district and looked around, but Sayu was nowhere to be found. I looked into the distance, but I never saw her yukata.
“Bang bang!” I heard the sound of drums, blended with applause, coming from the square. The show has co to an end. People began to scatter around the district. What terrible timing.
Making my way through the advancing crowd, I looked for Sayu, but couldn’t find her.
Where did she go? I saw her during the show, and then, she was gone. In such a short ti, she couldn’t go far… What if soone took her away?
A chill ran down my spine. I rembered the last ti she left ho without notice. I was scared that she had been kidnapped, and set out to search, but now everything was much more complicated.
I walked quickly. My gaze wandered, I was looking for Sayu. And then, I noticed an orange yukata and blackish-brown collected hair.
“Sayu!!”
I imdiately called and grabbed her by the shoulder.
“Huh?”
However, the woman who turned around wasn’t Sayu. She stared at with wide eyes. Looking closely, the yukata she was wearing was different.
“Ah… Sorry… I mistook you for soone.”
I quickly let her go. The woman smiled and disappeared into the crowd.
Sighing, I continued the search. For starters, I needed to get out of the crowd.
I went where there were fewer people, but I couldn’t find Sayu. I haven’t moved that much for a long ti, so I was out of breath.
“Ah, Yoshida-san! Found you!”
A voice sounded from behind. I turned around and saw Sayu. I blinked at first and didn’t notice how I began to shout.
“Where were you?!”
“Huh? I told you that I need to go to the bathroom.”
“…Bathroom?”
She looked at in puzzlent.
“Why are you out of breath?”
“I see… bathroom…”
So that’s probably what she told that ti when she called , I just didn’t hear it. Most likely, she said sothing like “I’ll go to the toilet,” and when I turned around, she was already gone.
I sighed.
“W-Were you looking for ?”
“…Yeah.”
“I-I’m sorry. And here I thought that it was you who had gone sowhere. It turns out that we were both looking for each other.”
Sayu ca closer and looked into my face.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah.”
“But you can hardly breathe.”
“Everything’s alright. After all, I’m not so old fart.”
I turned away, desperately avoiding her gaze. Sayu started to giggle.
“The mont I disappeared, you rushed looking for .”
She said that while standing next to . She began to poke with her elbow and said “I still rember how you were out of breath that ti when you found with Yuzuha-san at the park.”
“…Shut up.”
I recalled it as if it were yesterday.
Sayu looked at again. Then she mockingly smiled at .
“Are you that worried about being lost?”
After those words, my heart began to pound faster.
Yes, there’s no better wording.
When Sayu disappeared, I thought she had been kidnapped. But I wasn’t scared because “Sayu’s in trouble or she was kidnapped,” rather because of the fear that “I won’t see her again.”
“Yeah, if you disappear… I-I’ll worry.”
I said looking at her. Her eyes flickered. She imdiately lowered her head.
“Is that so? I’m sorry.”
She said quietly and grabbed my hand.
“I won’t go anywhere… anymore.”
I felt how she squeezed my hand. Not understanding what she was thinking about, my lips moved of their own accord.
“Hey… Are you really going to return?”
“…Huh?”
Sayu opened her eyes wide and made a puzzled look.
I was even more confused.
“Ah… no—”
Why did I ask her that? I don’t understand myself.
Sayu will return ho. I gave her ti to make up her mind. She finally made a decision and told about it, and yet I asked her that.
“No, nothing… Forget it.”
“O-Okay…”
She nodded and fell silent. I didn’t say anything else either.
“Um…”
Unable to withstand the silence, I looked towards the shopping district.
“They sell a lot of tasty things there. Wanna go take a look?”
I suggested. She also looked there and nodded.
“I’ll buy whatever you want.”
“T-Thanks.”
Together, we went to the stalls. There were fried soba, sausages, takoyaki, chocolate-covered bananas, and more. Everything typical for a sumr festival.
“Wow.”
Sayu stopped in front of a cotton candy stall.
The stall owner poured granulated sugar into a candy maker that looked like a donut. To the smiles of the children, he rolled candy on sticks.
“Cotton candy…”
Sayu muttered.
“Do you want it?”
“Yes, I always wanted to. I once was at a festival when I was a little kid, but that ti, I didn’t get to try it. Since then, I’ve always wished for it.”
As if rembering the past, Sayu narrowed her eyes.
“Then let’s buy it.”
The mont I said it, she was already opening her wallet. But I stopped her.
“I already told you that it’s my treat.”
“B-But I can buy it myself.”
That wasn’t the point, I just wanted to treat her.
While I was thinking… Ah… I get it now.
Kanda-senpai and Mishima talked about it. I felt irritated.
“It’s okay.”
I said, looking at the happy children who received their cotton candies from the stall owner.
“I want to treat you.”
After saying this, I went to the stall owner.
“One cotton candy, please.”
“Sure. One hundred yen.”
I took a hundred yen out of my wallet and handed it to him.
Then I called Sayu, who was watching from a distance.
“Co on. Don’t you want to take a closer look at how it’s made?”
“Uh… yes.”
She ca closer.
The owner was rotating a stick, and cotton candy gathered around it. It looked very funny.
“Hey.”
Sayu called and I looked at her. She didn’t take her eyes off the sugar wool and continued.
“The thing you asked .”
Rembering my last question, my stomach tightened.
I fell silent, and Sayu looked at and continued.
“You don’t want to go back?”
The question was asked, but I couldn’t answer. Sayu didn’t reproach for anything. She just wanted to honestly tell her about my feelings, which was incredibly difficult for . After all, I still can’t express my feelings properly.
I also looked at how cotton candy was made.
The stick was already covered with cotton, and it almost disappeared. Although the cotton candy threads were winding around it with each turn, it seed to like the roll was building up by itself. Now, it was a large sugary mass with a strange shape.
“Y-you… have to go back.”
I muttered.
“…Yeah, of course.”
Sayu nodded.
She didn’t complain that I didn’t give her a proper answer.
“And… it’s done.”
The owner handed Sayu a cotton candy the size of a soccer ball.
“Wow, so big… Thank you.”
A joyful Sayu opened her mouth and took the candy.
“A real cotton wool…”
Sayu smiled, indicating the cotton’s sweetness. Now she looks like a high schooler. It’s very cute.
“Good.”
“Yup! Thanks, Yoshida-san!”
She thanked , but I was embarrassed and silently scratched my nose.
Carefully pinching the cotton wool, Sayu exclaid, “Wow…”
“So sticky.”
“Of course it is. It’s granulated sugar after all.”
I grinned. She agreed and put a piece in her mouth. Her eyes widened.
“It lted right away!”
“Haha, again. It’s granulated sugar.”
The reaction was funny. Seeing laugh, Sayu pouted.
“Don’t laugh! This is my first ti trying it.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Sayu clucked again and pinched another piece of cotton candy again.
“It’s so sticky, but the mont you put it in your mouth, it imdiately lts.”
When the piece lted in her mouth, she spoke.
“If I hadn’t t you, Yoshida-san, I certainly wouldn’t have found out about it…”
And I wouldn’t have gone to the sumr festival without you. Before I could say that, Sayu turned to and tore off another piece.
“Yoshida-san, here. Say ‘Aaaa.’”
“What?”
“‘Aaaa…”
She held out a piece to my mouth. I didn’t want it, but just couldn’t resist, so I opened my mouth. When she put the cotton candy into my mouth, I felt her fingers touching my lips.
Sayu removed her hand and smiled.
“Cotton candy is so tasty.”
It lted on the tip of my tongue.
“Yeah…”
Surprisingly tasty.
“Delicious.”
I said.
Sayu began to giggle and her geta were clapping.
We enjoyed our first sumr festival until the very end.
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