— — — — — —
It wasn't until a while after Oikawa dragged Yui away from the festival stall that she finally came back to herself. When she did, she spoke hesitantly.
"Um… Oikawa… could you let go of my hand first?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Oikawa frowned and looked at her. Yui kept her head down and murmured, "My hand… it's sweaty."
Seriously?
Oikawa stared at her, completely at a loss.
He released her hand, sighed in exasperation, and said, "Yui, do you realize those girls were picking on you just now?"
"Picking on me? No… we're all friends."
She didn't dare lift her head. She didn't dare meet his eyes.
"Friends? You call them friends?"
Oikawa's voice rose as he scolded her. "They said things like that and you still call them friends?"
"Yui, your standards for friends are way too low."
He genuinely felt she was a hopeless idiot.
"Don't… don't say that."
Yui suddenly looked up, eyes glistening as she gazed at him, hurt written all over her face. Tears slipped down her cheeks while she nervously clutched the corner of his sleeve.
Seeing her like this, Oikawa's chest tightened. He tried several times to say something else, but the words wouldn't come.
In the end, he just let out a long sigh.
After watching her for a moment, he said softly, "Come on. Let's find somewhere to watch the fireworks. They should be starting soon."
What could he even say to her like this?
And what more could he bring himself to say?
...
..
The sun finally gave up, slipping below the horizon before it could see the fireworks it had lingered all evening for.
The moon, meanwhile, had only just clocked in, still yawning, when the first bursts of color exploded across the sky.
The plaza was packed, shoulder to shoulder.
Oikawa and Yui had missed their chance to claim a spot. Every good viewing area was already taken.
With no other choice, they wandered around, hoping to find somewhere they could sit and watch.
But walking beneath the sky while fireworks bloomed overhead had its own charm.
Yui had already wiped away her tears. Now she was smiling again, and it didn't look forced.
"Oikawa, look! That pink one is so pretty!"
"And the orange one too!"
She chirped beside him like a little songbird, talking nonstop. Strangely, he didn't find it annoying at all.
"There are so many people…"
They searched for quite a while, but still couldn't find a good spot. Every decent place was taken.
"This is my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to stand and watch, Oikawa…"
She still wouldn't look him in the eye.
"It's not your fault."
He wanted to lecture her again, really did, but he swallowed the words.
You don't have to be this kind, he thought.
You can afford to be a little selfish.
You don't need to care so much about everyone else.
"How is it not my fault?"
"It obviously is… it's because of me…"
She looked even more guilty.
Oikawa didn't speak again for the rest of the fireworks show. He was sulking.
By the time the event ended and the crowd began to disperse, he finally pulled Yui along and left the venue. They avoided the first wave of people, and by the time they reached the station, it wasn't crowded anymore.
After finding seats, Oikawa closed his eyes to rest.
Yui sat beside him, sneaking glances at him every so often.
He'd bought a ticket for the same stop as hers. With it this late, he wasn't comfortable letting her go home alone.
At night in Japan, not only did biker gangs roam in groups, but drunken vagrants also wandered the streets of Chiba.
...
The train stopped after only a few minutes.
Yui hesitated, unsure whether she should get off.
"Come on. I'll walk you home." Oikawa sighed and stepped out first.
"Really? That's okay?"
"Oikawa, thank you so much."
She walked ahead of him, smiling brightly, hands clasped behind her back as she skipped along. Maybe it was because she'd been wearing geta all evening, but she didn't move very fast.
The street was empty. Aside from the two of them, there was no one else.
Neither of them spoke.
After about two minutes, Yui suddenly stopped and turned around.
Their eyes met.
"Oikawa… um… Oikawa-kun, thank you for tonight."
"Because of me, things between you and your classmates got awkward… I… I'll definitely repay you."
She said it with unusual seriousness.
"Repay me? What, you're going to devote yourself to me?"
Oikawa joked.
He didn't want her repayment. He just hoped she'd stop being so naive. Why did she feel the need to please everyone?
"I… if Oikawa-kun…"
Ring, ring, ring— The sudden sound of a phone cut her off.
"It's my mom. She's probably worried."
"Go ahead."
Oikawa turned around and walked a few steps away.
Yui took her phone from her small handbag and answered.
"Yeah, I'm almost home. You don't need to come get me… I… a classmate walked me back, so don't come out. Not him, seriously not him. If you come out, I won't talk to you ever again. Did you hear me? Don't come out!"
She emphasized it several times, only hanging up after getting a promise.
"My place is just up ahead. You can stop here, Oikawa… Oikawa-kun. See you at school."
"Yeah."
Come to think of it, there really weren't many days left before classes started again.
Why did breaks always feel so short? It felt like vacation had just begun yesterday, and now it was already ending.
"Oikawa-kun, good night!"
Oikawa waved. After watching her disappear into a nearby apartment building, he turned and left.
Just like he'd said earlier, the streets of Chiba weren't exactly peaceful. There were more drunkards out tonight than usual.
He flagged down a taxi, gave the driver the address, then turned his head to the window.
The day was just getting started.
If he stayed up a few more days after getting back, he should be able to send the revised second volume of Your Lie in April to Ayame Kagurazaka.
How big of a reaction would the second volume cause?
Oikawa was looking forward to finding out.
This time, he'd be scamming the whole world.
.
.
.