Chapter 220: Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?
"Where is this fireworks festival, anyway?"
w(°o°)w
In the small courtyard, Shinomiya Kaguya looked at the fireworks blooming on the horizon and asked.
"Heian Jingu, maybe?" Hayasaka Ai guessed.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
At this point, guessing where the fireworks festival was being held didn't matter — either way, they could only watch it from afar.
"How long does a fireworks festival usually last?" Shinomiya Kaguya asked.
If it had been her last year, she wouldn't have cared about such things. Back then, "Ice Kaguya" only thought about how to maintain the dignity of the Shinomiya family and how to make use of anyone she could.
But this year, after joining the student council, she had begun to have a little hope for the future.
For example, spending summer vacation with friends, going to a fireworks festival during that time, going to the beach…
"Probably around a dozen minutes or so." Hayasaka Ai also tilted her head back to look at the sky.
The fireworks… looked so small.
Come to think of it, where was the best place to watch fireworks from?
The side? Or from the bottom?
From the side they'd look flatter, while from bottom below they'd probably look rounder, right?
Hayasaka Ai thought about these questions, then suddenly let out a few chuckles.
"What is it?"
"Realized I was thinking about some silly questions." Hayasaka Ai replied.
"Feels like you've gotten more lively lately, Hayasaka." Kaguya had thought she'd always keep that expressionless face.
"Kaguya-sama, you too — last year, you spoke like every word had thorns."
"Members of the Shinomiya family can't reveal too much emotion, nor are we allowed to be timid."
"So, at last year's opening ceremony, when you jumped into that filthy sewer, what were you thinking?" Hayasaka recalled and asked.
"I was actually pretty scared." Kaguya shot her a glare and replied, "What girl would like jumping into a filthy sewer?"
"The other party was the daughter of the intelligence bureau chief — otherwise, why would I have to save her?"
Hayasaka Ai sighed. "It's obvious that being straightforward would be better."
The whole "tsundere-type" thing… wasn't so popular these days.
"Hayasaka, take me outside. I want to get closer to see the fireworks." Kaguya Ojou-sama suddenly made a rather willful request.
"Even though this place is near the side gate and the guards aren't many, we'll still be spotted." Hayasaka Ai shook her head.
"Hayasaka, you really are useless." Kaguya pouted, clearly displeased.
"Rather than hope I take you out, why not hope my boyfriend comes to pick me up instead?" Hayasaka Ai teased.
Kaguya turned away, about to head back to her room.
'As expected, she still wants to see the fireworks.'
Just then, there was a sudden noise outside the door.
"Let's go watch the fireworks!! Ai-chan!!"
ヾ(＾ ∇ ＾).
Hayasaka Ai looked at Sakurai Saki suddenly appearing at the door, his face filled with joy.
When you're thinking of someone and they unexpectedly appear — what could be more romantic than that?
"Sakurai-chan!!"
₍₍⚞(˶˃ ꒳ ˂˶)⚟⁾⁾
————
Half a minute later.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sakurai Saki asked in confusion.
"This is the Shinomiya family's main house. How did you get in here?" Shinomiya Kaguya was full of question marks.
"I thought it was weird too — your family's security is so loose today, everyone was nodding off." Sakurai Saki said with a straight face.
Of course, this was the effect of today's superpower — hypnosis, which was pretty useful.
"You think I'm an idiot?" Shinomiya Kaguya looked at him with an expression like she was staring at a fool.
Kaguya: (·•᷄ࡇ•᷅ )
Sakurai Saki paid no mind to Kaguya's expression. He reached out his hand to Hayasaka Ai — who was frozen in place, unsure what to do — and invited, "There's a fireworks festival near Higashiyama. Ai-chan, come with me!"
Hayasaka Ai was a little tempted. Even if she didn't fully understand the situation, sometimes… you didn't need to overthink things.
When your boyfriend brings you a surprise, asking how he managed it… would be completely lacking in tact.
"Go on, I'll cover for you." Shinomiya Kaguya waved her hand at Hayasaka Ai.
"What are you saying? Kaguya-san, you're not coming?"
Sakurai Saki remembered the wish she had made during Tanabata and felt that leaving Kaguya behind alone would be a bit too cruel.
"Kaguya-sama, you should come too." Hayasaka Ai also couldn't bear to leave her mistress behind.
"M-maa~ since you're saying that… I guess I could go."
Kaguya: (,,¬﹏¬,,)
"Kaguya-sama, at times like this you should just be straightforward." Ai-chan said helplessly.
Hayasaka: "(ノ _ <,, )
...
Passing by a few butlers who were nodding off, the three of them walked out openly from the side gate.
Once in the car, Shinomiya Kaguya asked, "Sakurai-san, why did you come to Kyoto?"
"Of course to watch the fireworks with my girlfriend. Besides, my house is in Kyoto, so that question of yours… isn't very thoughtful." Sakurai Saki replied as he started the car.
The car rolled forward slowly.
Pressing the accelerator, the car headed toward Higashiyama—still about half an hour left, they would probably make it in time.
"I remember… yesterday at noon was when I sent you guys the message, right? Just how much do you like her?" Kaguya glanced at Hayasaka Ai and saw her face already bright red.
"Yesterday and today she keeps going on and on about 'my boyfriend, my boyfriend,' I'm about to get sick of hearing it." Kaguya teased.
"Don't say that." Ai-chan mumbled.
Hayasaka: (⸝⸝⸝╸﹏╺⸝⸝⸝)
Kaguya-sama, you don't need to remind me about that… it's really embarrassing!
"To make Ai-chan happy, I can do anything, and besides, these kinds of things aren't hard for me."
"That's true, acting quickly is one of your few good points." Kaguya looked out the window.
She was wearing a kimono, perfectly matching the summer festival atmosphere.
"Actually…"
"What?" Kaguya kept a calm expression.
"Coming to Kyoto… is also partly because of you, Kaguya-san." Sakurai Saki said, giving a reason she hadn't expected.
Kaguya: (｡· v ·｡) ?
"Didn't you once wish, during the previous Tanabata festival, that you wanted to watch fireworks with friends?"
"...You saw it?"
"It was hanging right on the bamboo branch, Shirogane and I both saw it." Sakurai Saki slowed down, as there were more vehicles here; even though he had chosen a quieter route, there were still plenty of people.
"And then?"
"Well, it's like killing two birds with one stone. I thought, if Kaguya-san didn't get to see fireworks, you'd definitely get all red-faced and grumble the whole time, maybe even spend an entire week making sarcastic remarks. To avoid getting scolded by you, I went to find you two."
After saying that, he realized Kaguya was silent.
Seeing this, Sakurai Saki focused on driving.
Shinomiya Kaguya looked out the window, her fair, delicate face tinged with a faint blush, though in the darkness it wasn't easy to notice.
'So… he didn't come only because of Hayasaka.'
Actually, when watching the fireworks earlier, Kaguya did mutter a few words in her heart, but they had nothing to do with Sakurai Saki.
'My heart's beating so fast… could I be sick?' Kaguya held her chest, her adorable face showing a trace of embarrassment.
Kaguya: ૮꒰⸝⸝> ̫ <⸝⸝꒱აﮩـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ
But before she could feel moved for more than a few seconds, Hayasaka Ai beside her curiously asked:
"Sakurai-chan, how did you get your driver's license?"
"Driver's license? I don't have that kind of thing." Sakurai Saki answered nonchalantly.
Kaguya instantly snapped out of it.
( ˶°ㅁ°) !!
The little deer in her heart that had just been happily running around… suddenly crashed headfirst into a wall and "died on the spot."
Heart racing? Kaguya felt like she was about to be hit by a truck and sent flying into another world!
"You don't have a driver's license?!" She was horrified.
Do you even realize we're on the road right now?!
"Don't worry, driving's easy. I do have a motorcycle license."
Kaguya panicked, speaking in fear: "That's not the same thing at all! Let me out of the car right now!!"
Kaguya: ༼;´༎ຶ ༎ຶ༽
Hayasaka Ai, sitting beside her, saw Sakurai Saki's smile as if he had just successfully teased someone.
"Always teasing people… you bad one."