CH 23

“Hiyori.”

I called out to her as she was cooking in the kitchen.

“What is it, Hidetsugu-san?”

“Would you like to go to the summer festival with me?”

“Summer festival …?”

“Yeah, I think it would be fun if you and I went together.”

Hiyori placed the ladle on the edge of the pot.

“I-I want to go.”

“Really? I’m glad.”

“But Hidetsugu-san… I don’t have a yukata.”

“Hm? You can wear normal clothes, right?”

“Well, that may be true, but…”

Hiyori’s cheeks were blushing while she kept looking down.

“Well then, let’s buy a yukata.”

“Heh? Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make such a request. ….”

“It’s fine. If Hiyori asks for anything, I am willing to listen to it.”

“H-Hidetsugu-san”

“That said, I don’t have that much money either… Ah, that’s right.”

I clapped my hands.

“Hiyori, I can’t buy you a yukata, but I can dress you up.”

“What?”

“Let’s rent it together”

“Re-rental? Together…?”

The sound of cheerful flutes echoed in the night sky of summer.

And several delicious aromas wafted on the night breeze, making people feel even more cheerful.

“Hiyori, you look good.”

I told her that as she stood beside me.

“R-really?”

The yellow-colored yukata suited Hiyori very well. It enhanced the cuteness of Hiyori’s petite figure.

It was not a dark yellow color, so it properly exuded the charm of a woman who was on her way to adulthood.

No, like climbing the stairs of adulthood. …

“H-Hidetsugu-san, you also…look cool in the yukata.”

“Really? Thank you.”

I smiled at Hiyori as she said shyly,

“Shall we go?”

“Yes, but there are a lot of people here. …”

“Yeah, that’s why …”

I held out my hand to Hiyori.

“Shall we?”

“Y-Yes.”

Hiyori held my hand with reserve. The two of us walked into the hustle and bustle of the festival.

“Hiyori, is there anything you want to eat?”

“R-right… What do you like, Hidetsugu-san?”

“Hmm~~…Ah”

I spot a food stall.

“Shall we eat takoyaki?”

“I want some.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

I pulled Hiyori’s hand and we headed there.

“Excuse me, takoyaki… one with 6 pieces, please.”

“Sure!”

A generous and friendly man quickly prepared the takoyaki.

“Five hundred yen!”

“Here”

“Thank you!”

I looked around and spotted a rest area.

“Shall we eat?”

“Yes.”

Hiyori and I grabbed toothpicks.

“”Itadakimasu””

And together we ate takoyaki. ……

“”Ahh, it’s so hot…!””

We both held our mouths. But we soon laughed at each other.

“It’s delicious.”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

“But, I feel like my mouth is going to burn. … Ah, Hiyori, Wait here a minute.”

“O-Okay.”

I quickly left the place and returned immediately.

“Now can we cool it down a little? It’s carbonated.”

“Lemon soda…, right?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded and pushed the marble in. Pshhhh, a nice, soothing sound.

“Hiyori, do you want some?”

“No, not at all. Hidetsugu-san first.”

“Alright.”

I drank the soda.

“How is it?”

“Yeah, it’s delicious.”

I smiled and said,

“You should try it, Hiyori.”

“ah, um, …”

“Hmm? Ah.”

Then I finally realized that I had only bought one bottle of Ramune. Yes, I had only bought one bottle.

It was unintentional. There was no hidden agenda. Just purely to prevent Hiyori from burning her mouth. …

“M-my bad. I’ll go get another bottle.”

I tried to get up in a hurry.

“Hidetsugu-san”

I was stopped by Hiyori’s voice.

“I-I’m fine…”

Hiyori stared at the soda I had just sipped. Then she took it in her hand, tilted it and drank it.

“…It’s  delicious.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

I was kind of nervous.

Then me and Hiyori finished eating the takoyaki and we both enjoyed the festival. We ate yakisoba noodles, cotton candy, played target practice, and ring toss. ….

I’ve visited this festival a couple of times before…. but I can’t believe how different it feels with my girlfriend next to me. It’s like a dream.

“… It’s like a dream.”

My thoughts and Hiyori’s words were similar, and my heart was pounding

“Hiyori?”

“I can’t believe… I get to enjoy a summer festival like this with my beloved Hidetsugu-san.”

(T/N: How cute can you get)

Her smiling face was so adorable. I just want to keep her all to myself.

“… Hiyori, why don’t we take a short break? You must be tired from walking around in the unfamiliar geta, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

Then I took Hiyori with me and went a little away from the hustle and bustle of the festival. We came to the premises of the shrine.

It was a little eerie there, but it was quiet and still. It was just right to cool my burning cheeks, body and mind. We sat down on the steps of the shrine.

“…., I feel like I’m dreaming too.”

“Eh?”

“To be able to enjoy a summer festival like this with my beloved girlfriend… Hiyori. Besides that… Everyone is happy too.”

“Hidetsugu-san…”

Hiyori and I gently placed our hands on top of each other’s.

“Ah …….”

I gently hugged Hiyori and kissed her. It was just the two of us in the quiet space. So I made it slower and longer than usual.

“… sorry, Hiyori, you are just too cute.”

“You don’t have to …… apologize, okay? I … don’t mind what you do to me, Hidetsugu-san?.”

“…… Hiyori.”

My eyes suddenly fell on her white skin peeking through the gap in her yukata. I wondered if she was also feeling excited. Her skin was slightly reddish.

When I looked into her eyes again, they were moist and staring at me. So, I couldn’t end it where I usually end it. I gently touched Hiyori’s slender shoulder.

She jerked.

“H-Hidetsugu-san?”

“I’m sorry, Did I scare you?”

“I-it’s not that….it just makes me very nervous.”

“Tell me if you don’t like it? I’ll stop right away. But… early, okay?”

“… I won’t say anything.”

“Eh?”

“As I said before,…. I don’t mind what you do to me,… if it’s you, okay?”

With that one word, my rationale broke a little. I grabbed the seam of Hiyori’s yukata and opened it slightly.

“Ahh, ….”

The white and beautiful skin was still dyed red, even more than before.

“I-I’m sorry”

“Eh? A-as I thought, you don’t like it…”

“That’s not it, just … my b*****s are small.”

“What are you saying… I don’t care about that.”

“Eh…ah…”

I touched Hiyori’s chest really gently, only lightly.

“I love everything about you, My Hiyori….You’re so adorable.”

“Th-that’s… it’s no good, I’m feeling strange…”

“It’s fine, me too…”

I supported Hiyori with one hand while stroking her with the other. Hiyori reacted with a twitch each time I did so, which was cute.

It’s bad, I seriously can’t stop. It’s a bad idea to do this at a shrine.

But ….

“…Hidetsugu-san.”

In front of such a cute Hiyori, as a man… I didn’t have the confidence to stop.

So I laid Hiyori down gently  on the stairs.

“Oh ….”

Then, Hiyori widened her eyes, but as if realizing something, closed her eyes.

My heart was racing, but I found myself strangely maintaining a sense of serenity. Or maybe my mind was already racing and I was just being an idiot.

Even if that’s the case, there’s no stopping――

“…Ah”

I touched her cheek and she jerked. But at the same time, I noticed.

“… this can’t get dirty.”

“What?”

Hiyori opened her eyes.

“It’s a rental, so if I mess … up, that’s bad,”

“T-that’s right.”

I helped Hiyori up.

“I mean, seriously, I’m sorry … I got carried away.”

I put my hand on my forehead and said. I never thought I was such a lustful man.

“Don’t be sorry … I was so happy.”

“Hiyori …?”

Hiyori quickly adjusted her yukata and smiled. Just then, a flower bloomed in the night sky.

“Ah,… fireworks.”

“Beautiful. …”

We both stared at the night sky. I and Hiyori overlapped our hands.

“….I love you, Hiyori.”

“…. me too, Hidetsugu-san.”

The summer night breeze caressed our cheeks and slowly cooled the fire in our bodies. Maybe that’s why … we both felt so shy and …

“Uwaa~…”

“Hah~……”

We couldn’t look at each other for a while. But our hands remained on top of each other all the way to the end.