Chapter 4 — Sleep, until your life is over • Episode 4–5 — Happy Dream ③
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
Ryō, with a white fox mask pulled over her head and a purse and a water balloon won from yo-yo fishing hanging from her wrist, stares earnestly at the rippling surface of the water. In her right hand she held a tool called a poi, which looked like a piece of paper with the lens of a magnifying glass removed, and in her left hand she held a bowl of water. In the water shallowly stretched over a rectangular box, red and black goldfish of various sizes swim vigorously as if fleeing from challengers.
「…」
Ryō, who had his sights set on a relatively small, less mobile, and closer-to-the-surface individual, silently dunked the poi into the water, and as she slowly tried to scoop up the goldfish, the paper easily tore. The goldfish she had been aiming at dived over the edge of the poi as if to mock Ryō and fled.
「There is no way I can scoop it up like this! Chisaki-san, this is not right! This is a scam! Such a villainous vendor!」
「Hey— there, there, you did your best. It’s hard to take care of them even if they’re removed, so why don’t we just stop now? Right?」
Even though it is the first time for them to actually come to a festival, they will have some knowledge of what kind of entertainment is offered if they have been exposed to creative works. Ryō knew, of course, that goldfish scooping is a challenging game in which goldfish are scooped up from the water using tearable paper, but until she actually tried it, she may have somehow thought she would be able to do it well. Ryō, who had failed three times without getting any results, did not complain on the spot, but walked silently over to Chisaki, who was watching from a little distance, and began to complain while pressing her head against Chisaki’s chest with a gripping motion.
Chisaki hugs Ryō and pats her head, telling her to calm down as if she is having a tantrum. Chisaki also understands Ryō’s feelings because when she was a child, she wasted money many times because she somehow felt she could do it. She understand, but giving up is the key in this kind of thing.
Before this goldfish scooping challenge, Ryō had tried many of the standard festival stalls, such as target practice, die-cutting, and raffles, and had poor results in all of them.
The target is too short to lean forward and aim, and it is difficult to hit the target in the first place, even when she managed to hit a game console or a stuffed character toy with a cork bullet, which was treated as a showpiece item, it didn’t move at all, as if there were a weight inside it. As a result, she stopped aiming for the big ones along the way and went for smaller prizes, like commercial snacks, and finally succeeded in shooting one down.
No matter how many times she tried die-cutting, the thin parts would break off, and she quickly became bored with the process of chiseling with a tiny needle in the first place, so she never succeeded. However, it’s a stall that is built on the faint dream that little children with little allowance might have more money in their pocket, and it is not surprising that Ryō, who is not strapped for cash, would get tired of it quickly.
In the lottery, where it was doubtful whether there was a winner or not, the lowest-ranked G prize was drawn five times in a row, and the result was only an increase in the luggage of prizes that were not much wanted, and they’re thrown into the tower apartment in the Magical World as soon as possible.
「Festival stalls are nothing but scams and rip-offs! I will not be fooled anymore!」
「I mean, that’s part of what we’re buying into, the atmosphere. It’s fun to go to festivals like this with someone, isn’t it?」
「That… you’re right.」
Although the material results weren’t great, Ryō always seemed to enjoy herself, whether it was aiming at the target with Chisaki holding her hand behind her during target shooting, competing to see who could succeed faster at die-cutting, or comparing their luck in a lottery. Goldfish scooping was also very fun and exciting when Chisaki was first playing with them.
「It was nice to be able to come to the festival with someone… no, but you, Chisaki-san!」
「I’m glad you enjoyed the festival a little bit. I’m getting a little hungry, so let’s look around at the food next, shall we?」
「Yes!」
Two hours have already passed since the dusk rendezvous, and it is just in time for dinner. They were making their way around the stalls, prioritizing the system of playing first before they became too full to move, but the good smells were wafting from everywhere, as the stalls were not segmented by any kind of food. For Chisaki, all of the stalls were familiar, but for Ryō, some were familiar, such as yakisoba and takoyaki, while others were rare, such as chocolate bananas and candy apples, which she had never seen outside of festivals, and she had been curious about them for some time.
They bought some food that Ryo was curious about for starters, and decided to go back to the shrine they used to meet up and sit on a bench to share.
「It’s sweet and delicious. Chisaki-san, here you go.」
Ryō first got her hands on a chocolate banana, which is a sweetened, naturally dried banana that is made by sticking a disposable chopstick into a banana, then dumping it into a machine filled with chocolate, then spraying it with chocolate spray, and then letting it dry naturally. Ryō was impressed by the generous nature of the stall, saying that the owner challenged her to a game of rock-paper-scissors if she bought one, and if she won the game successfully, she would receive two bottles. She had no way of knowing that this is a system that has been introduced nationwide at chocolate banana stalls. By the way, she lost the rock-paper-scissors game.
「This one is a little more subtle…」
The apple candy, coated with tortoiseshell candy, which she had purchased because of its glossy shine and vivid red color, didn’t seem to suit her palate, and she proceeded to eat it piece by piece, wrinkling her brow a little. Chisaki, who had foreseen this and didn’t buy one for herself, helped her eat it, and Chisaki, who had initially planned to buy a large one, advised her to buy a small one, which she did.
「I can eat karaage anytime, but I always feel this tastes better.」
As a palate freshener, she and Chisaki shared a paper cup full of fried food with toothpicks stuck in it, and when it tasted even better as a compensation for the festival, they proceeded to eat it with gusto, and the large size was gone in no time.
「Hot, it’s hot!」
Ryō puts the takoyaki in her mouth, which is still hot, but not so hot that it burns her, because she had already eaten the other food first, and she holds her mouth with her hand while huffing and puffing and taking in air to cool the heat.
After putting away the various foods, and when their stomachs had been sufficiently filled, the lively voices of small children frolicking about reached her ears as she watched Ryō adoringly eat the cotton candy she had saved for dessert.
When she looked toward the voice, she saw a group of girls in their early elementary school years running happily around the precincts of the temple, shouting loudly. While Chisaki was smiling at her cheerful appearance, a person who looked like the mother and father of the girls, who were standing nearby, held the girls in their arms while lightly warning them not to make too much noise. Then they would cackle happily again.
As Chisaki gazed at the family, she suddenly felt a tug on the sleeve of her yukata, thinking, “Children are the most energetic.”
「…? Ryō-chan?」
When she turned around, she saw Ryō, who had just been happily eating cotton candy, looking up at Chisaki with a reproachful look.
「Uhh, I don’t think that kind of thing is good.」
「Eh? Why is that?」
「B–Because, I don’t think it’s a good idea to have a girlfriend and then make a move on another girl, or something like that.」
Covering her mouth with cotton candy and shyly averting her eyes, Ryō began to say such a thing as if she were talking about something else, as if it were generally true rather than what she thought.
「Perhaps you are jealous, Ryō-chan?」
「I’m not jealous or anything, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. I only saw Chisaki-san…」
「Mmph～! Don’t you worry～! I can only see Ryō-chan, too!」
Ryō, who had been giving the impression that she didn’t think so herself by saying “normally,” immediately became jealous and pointed her mouth at her, saying that she only sees herself as Chisaki. Chisaki was about to embrace her, but the candy cane between them prevented her from doing so.
「It’s not like that, okay? It’s not like I’m attracted to other girls, that’s not going to happen.」
「…If so, that’s good. More importantly, isn’t it about time for fireworks?」
Ryō, who clearly sounded happy in response to Chisaki’s words, said something like that as if to divert the conversation. It was certainly time to start moving, although it was probably just a thought to avoid being pursued for being jealous any further.
「Oh yeah. Shall we move now?」
「Yes.」
Chisaki had already told Ryō that there was a good spot to watch the fireworks, so Ryō answered without any further comment and followed behind Chisaki. Perhaps it was difficult to cross her arms while eating, or perhaps she thought it would be bad to stain Chisaki’s yukata, but she didn’t try to forcefully embrace her as she had done when they left.
It’s not a spot with a spectacular view that no one knows about like in a shoujo manga or a romantic comedy comic book, but a place that is well known by locals, and although it’s far from being just the two of them, it’s still good enough to get a good view of the fireworks without having to wait for a long time for a spot.
When they arrived at the spot where the fireworks display was to be held, there were already a few people waiting for them, chatting and eating food from food stalls until the fireworks started.
Chisaki followed suit and was about to open her mouth to kill time while talking with Ryō, when the first fireworks went off.
With a heavy bass sound that resonated in the pit of her stomach, bright red light particles spread out like a flower and disappeared.
Following this, fireworks of various colors such as blue, green, white, yellow, etc. were shot off one after another, creating a large flower in the pitch black night sky. The fireworks are so ingenious that it never gets old no matter how many times you see them: several fireworks are shot off at the same time, some change color in mid-air, and some explode with a particularly loud and powerful boom.
Chisaki looked down to see if Ryō was enjoying herself, and her eyes met hers as she was chasing the fireworks and looking up at the sky.
「The fireworks, they are so beautiful.」
「It’s amazing. They’re going to go up about 3,000 rounds today alone.」
「Yeah…」
Ryō, who seemed to be completely fascinated, replied in a small voice, looking deeply moved, and then fell silent. If she was that impressed, it was worth inviting her, Chisaki also tried to return her gaze to silently watch the fireworks, but was unable to do so.
Ryō’s expression as she admired the fireworks was so beautiful. And because she had a bad sense of déjà vu.
It could be a cool, dignified expression like when she was fighting the Diests, a slightly slack expression in her personal life, a cute expression when she was upset about her love life, or any other expression Chisaki has ever seen, but that beautiful, passionate expression. Those eyes.
She shouldn’t have seen it, but she remember it. She’s not supposed to know it, yet she did. She wanted to get that look, but it’s not her that it’s directed at.
「——Nmuh!?!」
Chisaki found herself kissing Ryō, who was illuminated by the fireworks, as if attracted to her.
The look in Ryō’s eyes, the feeling that she belongs only to her, that she won’t give her to anyone else, that she doesn’t want to give her to anyone else, that she’ll get her back from someone she shouldn’t have known.
Ryō’s eyes widened in surprise at first when she received the forceful kiss, but she didn’t reject it. Rather, she embraced Chisaki, put her hands behind her back, and closed her eyes as if to accept everything from Chisaki.
Even though she was trying not to miss the beauty of the fireworks that she had never seen before, even sparing a blink of an eye to keep the emotion locked in her eyes, she gave it all up to Chisaki if she wanted.
And so it goes until the last firework, the biggest and most beautiful one, is launched and disappears…
「In a place like this, not here, Chisaki-san.」
When the fireworks are over and Chisaki releases Ryō, Ryō tells her that she is not satisfied, though she is out of breath and choppy from lack of acidity. Despite her words, she doesn’t seem to be blaming Chisaki, but rather her heated eyes seem to be urging her to continue.
「Kick them to the curb.」
Chisaki muttered to Ryō’s words without replying to Ryō’s response, which was convenient for Chisaki. Immediately, a bright light envelops Chisaki, transforming her into a mysterious girl in a glittering costume.
「Chisaki-san? Why——」
「I’m sorry.」
Chisaki interrupts Ryō’s words, who looks as if she is having trouble keeping up with the situation, to say just that, and steps firmly on the ground.
Again and again, and again.
And then Ryō who’s in front of her cracks,
A crack runs through the sky,
The world shattered.
