Chapter 71: Summer Saturated
Hikaru Hoshino wove through the crowd and arrived at the somewhat spartan backstage area. Ai was standing before a full-length mirror, adjusting her hairstyle.
She had swapped her original pink-purple yukata for one with a pale pink base, adorned with exquisite white cherry blossom patterns. Her sash had been changed to a snowy white, making her look refreshed and radiant.
"All changed?" Hikaru asked, walking over. He had also switched into a deep blue yukata with a navy sash, giving him a much more steady and composed appearance.
He pulled two masks from his bag. "These are for you."
Hikaru handed Ai a white fox (*kitsune*) mask, decorated with delicate red patterns on both sides—the craftsmanship was superb. He held a black *Karasu-Tengu* mask for himself, its long protruding nose looking rather comical.
"Wow, so cute!" Ai took the mask curiously. "Where did you buy these? I didn't see any stalls selling masks earlier."
"Right by the entrance." Hikaru slid the mask onto the top of his head, not fully covering his face but letting it hang at a jaunty angle. "Just a bit of cover; no one's looking that closely anyway."
Ai mimicked him, perching her mask on her head and adjusting its position before turning to him. "How do I look?"
Hikaru looked at the girl before him and was momentarily dazed. The pink yukata, the white fox mask—the combination looked ethereal under the lights, as if she had stepped straight out of an anime.
"Let's go. There are still plenty of stalls we haven't visited." Hikaru took a deep breath and strode toward the backstage exit.
Ai followed quickly, and together they stepped out, re-merging into the sea of festival-goers.
The festival was now at its peak; the crowds were dense, shoulder-to-shoulder. Every stall was doing a roaring trade, with long queues snaking out from almost every vendor. The cries of hawkers, the sounds of laughter, and the boom of fireworks intertwined to create the unique symphony of a summer festival.
Not far away, Aqua and Ruby were at a ring-toss stall. Ruby tried several times but failed to land a ring on the keychain she wanted. Kana Arima stood by, giving "instructions" with exaggerated gestures but refusing to try herself. Akane Kurokawa stood quietly, simply observing. Just as Ruby was about to give up in disappointment, Aqua stepped in. With a few precise tosses, he hit the targets dead-on and easily won the prizes, earning praise from the stall owner while Kana reluctantly acknowledged his skill.
Fireworks bloomed one after another in the sky, enveloping the entire festival in a brilliant glow.
To prevent getting separated in the thick crowd, Hikaru instinctively took Ai's hand. Ai didn't pull away; she simply squeezed back gently.
They slowly walked to the edge of the festival grounds, arriving at the foot of the hill where a vermillion torii gate stood silently at the base of the stone steps. They were far from the hustle and bustle now; there was hardly a soul around, only the dense forest rustling in the night breeze.
Hikaru and Ai took off their masks and sat side-by-side on the stone steps. The steps were old, their edges worn smooth and dotted with patches of moss. On either side were tall cedar trees, their straight trunks casting dappled shadows in the moonlight. The distant festival lights became hazy points of brilliance, while the night sky above turned exceptionally clear.
The environment was profoundly tranquil. The roar of the festival was filtered down to a vague hum, with only the occasional clear laugh drifting through. Every so often, the fireworks bursting in the sky broke the silence, their multicolored light briefly illuminating their faces before returning everything to darkness.
With a *boom*, another firework blossomed in the air, spilling golden light across the earth. Ai's eyes reflected the magnificent sight, and her entire being seemed shrouded in a soft halo.
*Fireworks in the sky—should we watch them from below or from the side?*
*—As long as you're watching with the person you like, any angle is perfect.*
"I was really happy today," Ai said softly. "Memories like this... I'll cherish them for a long, long time."
Even a hundred years wouldn't be enough to forget.
The fireworks in the sky came in all shapes and sizes. Ai stared upward, her attention drawn to the variety of displays. "Hikaru, look! There's a red jellyfish firework! That's so cool... I want to set some off too."
Hikaru, however, was quietly watching Ai's profile, his thoughts drifting. He remembered his life before crossing over—an orphan drifting through a big city with no sense of belonging. Truth be told, his love for Ai back then was just an affection for a fictional character shaped by a plot, much like a fan's love for an idol.
Since crossing over, he had unknowingly experienced so much.
Saving Ai from tragedy, ensuring the Dome performance was a success, dissolving B-Komachi, planning Ai's transition, preparing the movie, seeing their careers flourish...
Ai was fully absorbed in the fireworks, but Hikaru's gaze had shifted entirely to her face.
The moonlight and the glow of the fireworks intermingled on her skin, illuminating her slightly upturned chin and shimmering eyes. The corners of her lips were curved up, her cheeks flushed with excitement. Her purple hair danced in the breeze, occasionally brushing against her slender neck. Her eyes reflected the sky, the two stars within acting like black holes, completely swallowing Hikaru's gaze until he couldn't look away.
"Looking at it this way, I really am still your fan," Hikaru blurted out.
"What's with that, all of a sudden?" Ai turned her head, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "Of course you're my fan, Hikaru."
"But, you know... I'm Hikaru's fan, too." Ai suddenly took Hikaru's hand and held it to her chest, causing his heart to skip a beat. "Hikaru is my hero."
"Thank you for everything you've done for me."
Hikaru froze, his expression turning stone-still. He didn't know how to respond; it felt as if his throat were stuffed with cotton, making it impossible to produce a sound. His ears began to burn and his cheeks heated up. He could only stare blankly at the girl before him, as if time itself had come to a standstill.
Another deafening *boom* echoed as a massive golden firework erupted, lighting up their faces.
Ai's cheeks were flushed red by the firelight. Her neat purple bangs covered her forehead, below which her long, upturned eyelashes were clearly visible and distinct at this close range. And the most captivating part, of course, were those eyes shimmering with starlight.
Eyes that were experts at lying.
But in this moment, those eyes—usually so full of lies—were no longer deceptive. They were overflowing with sincerity.
"Yeah." Hikaru suddenly felt awkward and turned his head away in embarrassment, his voice dropping low, only to turn back around immediately.
He looked at Ai's face so close to his own and felt truly lucky—lucky to have crossed over, to have started a new life, and to have met these living, breathing people.
Lucky to have the chance to be part of the story and rewrite it, bit by bit.
Hikaru took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and finally flashed a smile as bright and relaxed as Ai's.
"I'm the one who should be thanking you, Ai."
Meeting her was the best thing that ever happened.
(End of Volume 1)
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LanLi: Well that sums up the vol 1.
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