Beside the bench—
Sakurai Saki gently massaged Nino's ankle.
If it was a minor injury, massaging could help relieve it; otherwise, cold compress was better, or wait until the bruising appeared and then use a hot compress.
But right now there clearly weren't the conditions for that—the nearest convenience store was over ten minutes away.
Leaving a girl sitting here alone, Sakurai Saki didn't feel at ease.
'Moreover, this is a girl who likes ,' Sakurai thought to himself.
He had originally thought he wouldn't have any feelings for Nino, but it seed he had misjudged.
Sakurai Saki would not lie to himself, because doing so was no different from covering his eyes in the dark—pointless and aningless.
If there were feelings, then there were feelings. There was no need to lie about it.
Nino was very charming, and also very straightforward—whether she liked or disliked sothing, it was all shown clearly on her face. As long as one could endure her sharp tongue and get past that razor-edged protective shell, the softness inside was sothing no one could possibly dislike.
'It's just that the way I got past that shell was a bit of a cheat.' Sakurai sighed inwardly. That was also the reason why he didn't dare get any closer to Nino.
Her pain all originated from him; the reason she liked him… had never truly existed from the start.
The foundation of feelings between them was fake.
No matter how much she liked him now, the mont he told her the truth, all that affection would probably turn into hatred.
'...'
He didn't want her to hate him.
Sakurai Saki himself wasn't even sure why.
"How is it now?"
In truth, having feelings for Nino wasn't a problem—as long as it wasn't to the point of not being able to be without her, Sakurai Saki could still restrain his emotions.
"Much better."
Looking at his gentle face, along with the warmth being transmitted from her foot, Nino's cheeks unconsciously took on a faint blush.
This person who was always speaking to her so coldly—why was he suddenly so gentle?
'If you don't like , doing this will make misunderstand, you know.'
Nino knew very well that Sakurai Saki would not so easily like her.
'Wait… why do I even like him in the first place?' Nino couldn't help but recall.
Was it because of his appearance? Or because of that eting in front of the convenience store that day? Or was it because of her own competitiveness?
She couldn't think of a clear answer.
Without knowing when, feelings had already sprouted—love truly was a strange thing.
She pulled her thoughts back and decided not to dwell on it any further.
"I guess Itsuki and the others should have reached the gate by now, right?" Nino returned to herself, beginning to worry about her other sisters.
She had Sakurai by her side to protect her, but what about the others?
"Umu, but earlier Miku wasn't there—she probably didn't hear Itsuki calling," Sakurai replied.
Although he was a little worried about Miku, with Nino right in front of him and injured to the point of being unable to walk, he couldn't leave her alone.
"Why don't you text and ask?"
"Umu." Sakurai stopped massaging, lifted his head, and looked around.
Right nearby was the main hall of the shrine, easy to recognize.
He texted Miku, telling her to co gather here first.
Once done, Sakurai put away his phone, preparing to continue helping Nino ease her pain.
"No need, it's much better now." Nino stopped him.
There were quite a few tourists around looking on curiously, which made her feel a bit embarrassed.
"Sakurai-san, take a break."
Nino lightly patted the spot beside her, gesturing for Sakurai to sit down.
"Umu." He sat down on the bench, waiting for Miku to arrive.
Once Miku ca, he would carry Nino back to the hotel.
Fortunately, Nakano Maruo had business and had to return to Tokyo first today—it seed there was an important patient.
Before leaving, he had arranged everything, telling his five daughters and the Kendo club mbers to return together; otherwise, Sakurai would probably have been questioned by that father.
And so, they sat waiting for a while.
Nino gently lifted her injured left foot.
It still hurt a little.
But not to the point of being severe.
She put her sandals back on, shifting her weight slightly to stand up—but the mont she got halfway up, a sudden wave of pain made her realize the feeling just now had been entirely an illusion; the injury hadn't healed at all.
"What are you doing?"
Sakurai reacted quickly, managing to catch her before she could act recklessly.
"Sorry…"
Being held in his arms, Nino spoke softly.
"It's fine." Sakurai Saki let her go, but noticed she had no intention of leaving his embrace.
Just like that, the two of them stayed in that position for several minutes.
Until, in the distance, fireworks shot up into the sky, blooming into dazzling flowers—only then did Nino release him.
The darkness around them was dispelled in that mont, as if the whole world contained only the colors of the fireworks.
Watching the fireworks, Nino softly said, "So beautiful…"
So there was a fireworks show tonight.
"Umu, very beautiful." Sakurai Saki moved his gaze from her face and looked up at the sky.
Because they were quite far from the main area, it wasn't too noisy around them.
There would also be no appearance of the classic shoujo manga scenario of a failed confession.
"This is the first ti I've watched fireworks with a boy."
"This is also the first ti I've watched fireworks with a girl." Sakurai Saki replied.
Nino took her eyes off the fireworks.
She carefully turned her gaze toward him.
At this mont, his expression was extrely focused, all of his attention captivated by the fireworks.
Nino leaned slightly forward and softly called, "Sakurai-san."
Hearing her call, Sakurai Saki turned his head, seeing the young girl whose face was flushed — whether from shyness or from the light of the fireworks was unclear.
That delicate, adorable face drew closer and closer, until he could feel her breath — that familiar sweet scent.
"I like you, Sakurai-san."
Nino kissed his lips.
A very light kiss.
Then, Nino leaned back, putting a small distance between them, raised her head to look at Sakurai Saki, and observed his expression.
After a mont, she softly said:
"…It's just a kiss, Sakurai-san, and your ears are already red — so weak."
The words she spoke, along with the shy deanor of a tsundere revealing her dere side, carried no persuasive power at all. On the contrary, it was more like she was trying to act calm.
'You're the one who's weak, your face is completely red — are you really okay?'
Sakurai Saki silently muttered in his heart.
"M-maa~ overseas, kissing is just a way to greet soone, umu umu." Nino made an excuse, but the blush on her face didn't fade at all.
Nino: ( //>///
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