Gohan: "I'm at the reserved spot for watching the fireworks. Is anyone with you right now?"
[On the phone – Goten]
『I'm with Itsuki right now, and we're heading your way. If possible, I'd like to bring the others too…』
Gohan: "Got it. As long as you can sense ki, you won't get lost. I'll leave it to you."
『Mm!』
Gohan: "…Alright, looks like Goten is on his way here with Itsuki."
Nino: "But doesn't he not even know where the shop is…?"
Gohan: "T-that's because! After I told him the shop's name, he said he just happened to pass by it earlier!"
Nino: "Eh? Is that so…"
Anyway, next up is to call Uesugi.
[On the phone – Fuutarou]
『What's up, Gohan?』
Gohan: "Uesugi-kun, is anyone with you right now?"
『N-no… ah, wait, Ichika's here.』
Gohan: "After I hang up, I'll send you the shop's location. Can you bring Ichika along?"
『Why? Instead of forcing everyone to gather, wouldn't it be fine if we each just found a place to watch the fireworks on our own?』
Gohan: "…Well, maybe. But it seems like there's a special meaning to the five of them watching together…"
『…I don't really get it, but fine.』
Gohan: "Thanks, I'm counting on you!"
…Good. That settles Ichika and Itsuki. Next are Yotsuba and Miku…
Nino: "Yotsuba should be with the little sister."
Gohan: "Then the only one unaccounted for is Miku…"
Where could Miku be…?
The crowd is huge, and everyone's ki feels about the same, making it hard to pinpoint…
…Here? No, that's Goten nearby—so probably Itsuki.
…There? No, Uesugi's ki is there—so that must be Ichika.
…Ah, here's Saya's ki—so that should be Yotsuba…
Not good. The quintuplets' ki is too similar, hard to distinguish in a crowd this big. But still…
Gohan: "…Alright, found her!"
Nino: "Huh??"
Gohan: "Miku's not picking up, so I'll go get her myself~!"
Nino: "…Found her? Did this guy hack into the surveillance cameras or something…?"
Alright, she should be around here—
Miku: "…Eh? Gohan?"
Gohan: "Ah! Miku! Come on, let's go to the shop Nino reserved. Don't you all want to see the fireworks together?"
Miku: "Y-yeah… Ow…"
Eh? What's wrong…?
Miku: "My foot got stepped on…"
Ah, I see… She's wearing geta without socks, so it was basically barefoot when she got stepped on. That must hurt a lot…
Gohan: "…Then, here we go—"
Miku: "Kya…!? Wh-what are you doing…!?"
Gohan: "It'd be hard for you to walk like this, right? And if you got stepped on again, it'd be even worse."
Miku: "Th-that's true, but… this way of carrying… isn't it heavy for you?"
Gohan: "Hm? Not at all. Don't worry about it!"
Miku: "T-that's not what I meant…"
Being carried princess-style is just way too embarrassing…
Gohan: "…? What was that?"
Miku: "N-nothing…"
In her heart she thought, "Even piggybacking would've been better… but hearing him say I'm not heavy at all… it made me kinda happy…"
Still, if her foot injury was ignored, it could get worse. So along the way, he bought a cooling patch and bandages to treat it.
Gohan: "That should ease the pain a little, right?"
Miku: "…Th-thank you…"
Gohan: "You're welcome. …Hm?"
A call from Uesugi. Wonder what's up?
Gohan: "I'll take this call… Hello?"
[On the phone – Fuutarou]
『Gohan, did you see Ichika anywhere?』
Gohan: "Eh? N-no, didn't you say she was with you?"
『I called out to her, but then some weird mustached old man suddenly started talking to her and… we got separated.』
Gohan: "What? A weird mustached old man…?"
『So you haven't seen her, huh…? If you do, let me know!』
Gohan: "Got it!"
…A strange old man? Could that be a kidnapping attempt…?
Miku: "What's wrong?"
Gohan: "Uesugi said he lost Ichika. Did you see her anywhere?"
Miku: "…I didn't, but earlier I saw Ichika getting out of some mustached guy's car."
Gohan: "Eh?"
Miku: "So maybe she actually knows him…"
If he's an acquaintance, then maybe it's not the worst-case scenario. What a relief…
Gohan: "Either way, let's keep an eye out for Ichika on our way to the shop!"
Miku: "…You're really kind, Gohan. Even though you've only known us for a short time…"
Gohan: "Ahaha… Well, after hearing what you said earlier, I just feel like no matter what, I want the five of you to be together for this."
Miku: "…I see…"
Gohan: "Anyway, can you walk? If not, then like before I can… (reaches out)"
Miku: "Ah, I can walk! It's fine!"
Gohan: "Eh? Oh, o-okay…?"
Miku: "So, no need to carry me…?"
Gohan: "Right. Got it! But standing up might be tough, so I'll help you."
Miku: "Mm…"
"Excuse meee—! We're doing a survey for visitors at the fireworks festival! Just answer a question and you'll get a 100-yen voucher—"
Ah… with a pitch like that, Uesugi might totally fall for it…
Gohan: "Sorry, we're in a hurry…"
"Just one question! So, what's the relationship between you two?"
Gohan: "Eh? Relationship?"
"Hehe, isn't it obvious? You two look totally like a couple."
"Ahh… yeah, they really do."
(End of Chapter)
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