"How long do you plan to sulk?" I asked with a tired sigh, glancing at Miku. Despite myself, I had to admit she looked unbearably adorable like this—adorable enough that I wouldn't have minded watching her for hours.
"I'm not sulking," she replied curtly, eyes fixed straight ahead.
I gave an awkward smile. The reason for her mood was she had lost to me in the small after-school quiz we'd played in the library, one focused on Sengoku-period warlords. And now, as punishment for her defeat, we were on our way for her to treat me—the so-called winner—much to her obvious displeasure.
I could understand her frustration. She had always taken pride in her extensive knowledge of Sengoku-era warlords, only to be defeated by me of all people. The truth was, I already knew the kind of questions she would ask. Her passion for the subject had rubbed off on me long ago, and I had read extensively about those warlords even before coming to this world. In a sense, I had cheated—just a little.
Still, sorry, Miku. I wouldn't have minded losing to you in anything else. It was just one of those moments where I couldn't afford to hold back. If I had, I never would have been able to convince her to take her studies seriously.
"Where are we going, anyway?" I asked.
She stopped in her tracks. "I… don't know."
I let out a quiet sigh. "Figures. Let me lead, if you don't mind."
"…Alright."
I ended up taking her to a newly opened ice cream shop. A long line stretched out front—apparently they were offering some kind of special service, allowing only a limited number of customers inside at a time. Most of the people waiting were couples.
"Are you uncomfortable?" I asked, a little concerned.
"Not really," she replied casually.
I smiled at her. "That's good, then," and turned my gaze back to the front of the line.
Soon, our turn came.
"What would you like, sir and ma'am?" a cute girl asked as she slid the menu toward us.
She was cute—but cuter than Miku? Not a chance. And even if she were, anyone other than the Nakano sisters might as well be talking weeds to me.
Miku didn't even bother looking through the options. "One milk matcha for me."
"You really like matcha, huh?" I commented, amused. I mean, she even drank matcha soda—imagine that.
"Yeah. I don't like things that are too sweet."
I already knew that, but I asked anyway.
"And you, sir?" the waitress turned to me.
"The same for me."
Miku turned to me in surprise. "I didn't expect you to order the same."
I smirked. "I like you—and whatever you like, I like too."
A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she quickly glanced around us. The waitress let out a soft chuckle, clearly not expecting me to say something like that in public.
"I can't believe you," Miku muttered. "Your logic doesn't make any sense."
Our ice creams arrived within seconds. As she handed them to us, the waitress added cheerfully, "We're offering a free photo shoot for couples today. You'll get a copy to take home for free too, would you like to participate?"
Miku's head snapped toward me instantly. At the same time, my head snapped to the other side, deliberately avoiding her suspicious gaze.
"You planned this, didn't you?" she suspiciously.
I blew air through my lips, attempting to whistle, but no sound came out. "Whatever do you mean?"
She let out a small sigh before turning to the waitress. "Sorry, we're n-not a c-couple."
"Eh? Really?" the girl exclaimed. "But you two look so good together!"
Miku's face instantly turned crimson. I leaned closer and whispered, "You heard her."
Her face grew even redder.
I chuckled but didn't tease her any further. Instead, I put on a pleading tone. "We really can't? It's just a photo together, right?"
She wasn't heartless, so after a moment of hesitation, she reluctantly agreed. I turned away, grinning to myself.
'Photo secured.'
Everything happened so fast that before we knew it, we were already leaving the shop—ice creams in one hand, a photo in the other.
"It turned out well, didn't it?" I asked as we headed toward the station.
"…True."
It was a simple picture: the two of us holding our ice creams, standing a little closer than usual. I was smiling like an idiot, overflowing with joy, while she looked slightly tense and flustered.
"Hehe, I'm going to cherish this for the rest of my life," I said quietly.
After all, it was a photo of me and my crush.
"You're exaggerating."
"Not at all," I replied, my eyes fixed on the photo in my hand. "You have no idea how much this means to me."
"…I still don't get you."
-------
The Sunday I had been anticipating the most had finally arrived. Everyone looks forward to Sundays, but this was the first time I had ever waited for one with this much excitement. I was restless the entire night, barely able to sleep, endlessly agonizing over what to wear and what to do—like a little girl preparing for her very first date.
That was exactly my state of mind. In the end, though, I realized I didn't actually own any decent clothes. I was never that kind of guy to begin with. So I settled on a pair of blue jeans and a plain white T-shirt—clean, simple, and presentable enough.
And besides, it's not like Miku really cared about looks anyway.
And now, here I was, waiting for Miku outside the festival road, where the crowd had yet to gather. The sky was already darkening, dusk slowly giving way to night. The fireworks were scheduled to light up the sky from seven to eight in the evening.
After waiting for a few more minutes, I spotted Miku in the distance, glancing around as if searching for someone. I raised my hand and called out with a smile, "Here!"
She noticed me and walked over. She was dressed simply, just like she always was—and that was more than enough. She didn't need stylish dresses or anything fancy to look pretty. At least, that's what I think.
"Sorry, did you wait long?" she asked apologetically.
I waved it off. "Of course not. Seeing your face in the end makes it worth the wait."
She blushed faintly. "You never miss a chance to flatter, do you?"
"My flattery isn't for just anyone," I replied in a joking tone. "Only the most beautiful girl in my heart deserves it—and that's you."
She let out a small chuckle. "How cocky."
As we started walking toward the festival, she spoke up hesitantly.
"There's one more thing… I'm really sorry. Even though I promised to watch the fireworks with you, I actually can't." She looked genuinely apologetic as she explained. "There wasn't any plan at first, but my sisters suddenly decided to come to the festival to watch them too. I can't refuse them. Watching the fireworks with my sisters means more than that to us."
I simply smiled in response. I had expected as much.
"Don't worry about it," I said gently. "I'm just glad you came. Besides, we still have some time before the fireworks start."
She looked at me with a hint of disbelief. "You… you're not angry?"
I laughed. "Are you kidding? Why would I be?"
Then my tone softened, turning serious. "I don't have a family. That's why I understand how important it is."
I finished with a faint, bitter smile. More than anything, I respected—and envied—the strong bond they share.
To her credit, she didn't pry into my situation. Still, the atmosphere had grown awkward.
Ugh, I'm such an idiot. Why did I have to say that?
"U-um," I started, forcing an awkward smile as I scratched the back of my head. "Have you guys decided on a spot to watch the fireworks from? If not, I can tell you about the place I was planning to use when we watched them together. It's probably going to be empty—and it's high up."
I was doing my best to lighten the mood. The spot I had in mind was similar to the rooftop Nino planned.
"Nino already planned a spot," she replied, her gaze lowered.
"That's good, then… haha," I said, forcing a laugh.
What the hell? I was trying to lighten the mood—so why did it feel even heavier now?
While I was berating myself internally, Miku slowly lifted her gaze and glanced at my face. Almost immediately, she looked away again, her head dropping in shame.
"It's my fault," she muttered under her breath, too quietly for me to hear.
We had about an hour before she was supposed to meet up with her sisters, and like people always say, when you're truly enjoying yourself, you don't realize how quickly time passes. We hopped from one stall to another—eating candied apples, chocolate bananas, and trying out little festival games. One of them was a shooting game, and I managed to win a koala keychain, which I immediately gave to her.
There wasn't much we could do in such a short time. An hour was far too brief to fully savor the moments i got with her. Still, it was fun. And although she looked a bit tired—Miku wasn't exactly the outgoing type—I think she enjoyed herself too, even if only a little.
As the time for the fireworks drew closer, the crowd began to thicken. It was almost time for us to part ways, but the surge of people made it hard to even find a spot where we could separate properly. At one point, I saw Miku nearly get swept away by the flow of the crowd, and without thinking, I hurriedly grabbed her hand.
If she got lost here, she wouldn't be able to find her sisters in time…
Who was I kidding? I just wanted to stay with her, even if only for another minute. And, if I were being honest with myself, I had another ulterior motive as well.
I pulled her closer, placing a steady hand on her back. "Careful."
Her face flushed faintly. "T-thank you."
"No problem. Here—grab my sleeve and tell me where you're supposed to meet your sisters. I'll take you there."
She nodded and reached for the hem of my sleeve, but the moment she took a step, she let out a small groan.
"What happened?" I asked, concern creeping into my voice.
"It… it seems someone stepped on my foot," she said, her face tightening in pain.
Now that I thought about it, something like this really had happened to her in a crowd. I glanced at my phone—there were about fifteen minutes left before the fireworks started. For now, I needed to get her somewhere she could sit and rest a bit.
But with her foot like this, there was no way she could walk properly through the crowd.
That left me with only one option.
"Excuse me," I said—and with that, I scooped her up into a princess carry.
I could've given her a piggyback, but that softness would have been far too much for my fragile heart to handle. A princess carry was safer—at least for me. Probably not for her heart, though.
"W-What are you doing?! Put me down!" she protested, her face turning as red as a tomato as she lightly pounded on my chest.
"Didn't you say watching the fireworks with your sisters is really important?" I replied calmly. "Then just bear with me for a bit."
I moved quickly through the crowd. She was surprisingly light, and it wasn't as if I lack exercise—don't forget, I used to fight thugs, even if I am an otaku now.
Miku stayed completely quiet in my arms, meekly hiding her face from the surrounding eyes, overwhelmed by embarrassment. However, the moment I pushed through the sea of people and reached an empty spot, I came to an abrupt stop.
Sensing it, Miku lifted her head as well. She looked ahead—and her eyes widened instantly, the blush on her face deepening.
The reason I stopped wasn't because I'd found an empty spot—it was because I had unintentionally run straight into two groups.
Each group had three people.
On one side stood Itsuki and Fuutarou, both of them frozen with their mouths slightly open, their faces a perfect mix of shock and disbelief. Beside them was a small girl—Raiha, Fuutarou's little sister—looking utterly confused, clearly recognizing only her brother and Itsuki.
On the other side were Nino, Ichika, and Yotsuba. Nino wore the exact same stunned expression as Itsuki and Fuutarou. Ichika, on the other hand, was watching us with an unmistakably amused smile, while Yotsuba looked pleasantly surprised, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Still in my arms, Miku immediately covered her face with both hands, overwhelmed by embarrassment. I let out a quiet sigh.
My intention was to meet her sisters….Just not like this.