The Day of the Fireworks Festival
On this day, Nanami received an email.
[Just go home after training today. I've got something to do and won't be home.]
She let out a slight sigh of relief.
After Hayasaka Ai's earlier suggestion, she had indeed been wondering whether Akira wasn't planning to go to the fireworks festival simply because he didn't have anyone to go with.
She'd been worried and conflicted about it for quite a while.
But after receiving this message, there was no more need for that inner struggle.
Still, perhaps because she had dwelled on it for too long, while she felt relieved, she also felt a little… disappointed.
"Miss Aoyama, it's nearly lunchtime. Time to head to the kitchen for cooking practice."
Hayasaka Ai opened the door, noticing Nanami holding her phone and looking a little dejected.
"What's wrong?"
It was the first time Hayasaka Ai had seen Nanami looking so deflated.
"Ah, it's nothing. Thank you for the reminder, Miss Hayasaka . I'll head over now."
Nanami quickly replied [Got it] and hit send. By the time she stood up, she had returned to her usual cheerful self.
Even so, Hayasaka Ai was still a bit concerned about her earlier demeanor.
They left the room together, heading in the same direction down the hallway.
Casually, Hayasaka Ai asked, "Was that a message from Mr. Ogiwara?"
"Huh? How did you know that, Miss Hayasaka ?"
Nanami was a little surprised, though not overly so. Over the time they had spent together, she had grown to deeply respect Hayasaka Ai—almost in awe, really.
After all, Hayasaka Ai truly seemed to know everything that turned being a maid into an art form.
Their chats often turned into mini-lectures, ranging from psychology to economics, from business operations to PC assembly, from celebrity gossip to survival camouflage.
Even though Nanami felt like she wouldn't need half of those skills, it didn't stop her from admiring someone so knowledgeable.
She still felt she had a long way to go before she could be considered a proper maid.
Of course, her admiration for Hayasaka Ai was still some distance away from what she felt for Akira.
Hayasaka Ai might be able to guess who the message was from, but in front of Akira, she felt like she couldn't hide anything at all.
Not that she had anything to hide.
As for Hayasaka Ai, she simply gave her a knowing look.
"Just a guess. Out of everyone you know, the only one I've heard of is Mr. Ogiwara. What did he say?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just that he's going out today, so I don't need to stop by."
"Ohhh?"
Hayasaka Ai let out a meaningful "Oh?", her voice filled with implications.
"Today is the day of the fireworks festival, right? So, maybe Mr. Ogiwara is going to the festival… with another woman."
"Huh? Another woman?"
Nanami was stunned. The first person who came to mind was Utaha.
To be honest, she had never quite figured out what kind of relationship Akira and Utaha had.
Judging by some of the things they'd said in passing, there did seem to be romantic undertones—but nothing ever seemed to actually happen.
She had asked casually before, but the answer she got from Akira was: "A tenant who needs a place to rest and a landlord who owns a cat."
Utaha, on the other hand, had described it as "a creditor and a debtor."
That only confused her more.
Still, if the two of them went to the fireworks festival together, she wouldn't be surprised. They did seem to get along well…
Or maybe not? Were they close or not?
Their attitude toward each other never seemed warm. There was even a subtle sense of tension.
They didn't talk much when they were together—more like a typical landlord-tenant relationship.
Yet somehow, there seemed to be a shared understanding between them that only the two of them could grasp.
It all seemed so simple… yet so complicated.
Seeing Nanami spacing out, Hayasaka Ai knew—there really was another woman.
"Is that woman prettier than you?" Hayasaka Ai asked.
"If it's Miss Kasumigaoka…" Nanami hesitated for a moment, then honestly admitted, "Her figure is definitely better than mine. And she's very beautiful."
Hayasaka Ai followed up, "What kind of figure is considered good? And what else is she good at?"
"Well… her chest is bigger than mine, her legs are longer, uh, and her butt is bigger too.
She looks a little gloomy when she's not talking, but she's quiet, elegant, has a lot of presence…
Oh, and she's already a published light novelist. She's really amazing."
In her mind, Hayasaka Ai immediately formed a mental image of a curvy literature girl.
Yeah—an intellectually sensual body that stimulates primal instincts. A noble status that tempts one toward defilement and conquest.
The quiet demeanor? That could become a striking contrast when flipped, adding spice to the experience.
Definitely a tough opponent.
Then she looked at Nanami.
Her figure was decent—beautiful enough to be appreciated, but not provocative.
Her face was cute, but that cuteness was mostly hidden behind her independence and strength, making it harder for people to even notice.
As for her personality… bright, admirable, even capable of dispelling darkness in others.
Basically, it was hard to think of her in a dirty way.
Which made things even harder.
Hayasaka Ai fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.
She had suddenly realized that Akira was completely different from her own overly pure young lady who didn't even know the basics of romance.
He made a strong impression, sure—but she couldn't actually say what his attitude toward love was.
If she kept pushing this, she wasn't sure whether she'd be helping Nanami… or pushing her into the fire.
Snapping out of it, Hayasaka Ai said, "You'd better get to the kitchen. Lunch prep should be starting soon. I've got to go see the young lady too."
Nanami snapped out of her thoughts and picked up the pace toward the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Hayasaka Ai walked over to Kaguya's room, opened the door, and found Kaguya sitting by the bed, staring blankly out the window.
"Still upset about what happened the other day?" Hayasaka Ai walked over and sat beside her.
Two days ago was the day Kaguya was supposed to go out shopping with friends for the first time. The very first time.
Sounds unbelievable, doesn't it?
The dignified young lady of the Shinomiya family—someone who could get anything with a snap of her fingers—had never experienced something as mundane as shopping.
Not because she didn't want to.
But because she couldn't.
As the Shinomiya heiress, everyone around her demanded that her actions reflect her family's status. She had to be perfect, unproblematic.
So she couldn't go bug-hunting in the summer, couldn't build sandcastles at the beach, couldn't scoop goldfish or eat candy at a festival, couldn't splash water with her feet while eating ice pops by the pool.
Even fireworks—she had only ever seen them from afar, through a window.
Kaguya had zero summer memories.
She even needed an "accident" to be able to experience walking to school.
A canary in a gilded cage.
Then two days ago, full of nervous anticipation, she had planned to go shopping with her student council friends… only to be suddenly taken by a butler from the main family back to the Kyoto residence.
There was no emergency. She was just asked to go home and greet her father as he passed through the front door. That was all.
As always, her life never went the way she wanted.
"It's okay."
Kaguya stood up from the bed, opened the window, and looked longingly outside.
"Because today, I'm going to the fireworks festival!"
For the first time—with friends. With the person she liked. Not watching from behind a window, but standing side by side to admire those huge, awe-inspiring bursts of light.
With that, she felt like she could fall in love with this summer.
...
And then, as always, her life didn't go the way she wanted.
"No, young lady. Your recent conduct has been quite improper. In a crowded place, you could easily be separated from your attendants.
If anything happened to you in that kind of situation, how would we ever explain it to your father?"
The butler from the main house gave a respectful bow—but stood there, immovable.
Kaguya took a lifeless step back.
Hayasaka Ai's eyes darkened. The hands folded beneath her sleeves curled slowly into tight fists.
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