"Wait, what?" Kamitani was still tanned. It's nearing the end of summer but he was still pretty tanned because of the time he spent outdoor training with the baseball club. He wasn't alone though because Taka had been out playing in the sun over the course of summer.
"I left him for dead." Ranfa sounded so proud of it! She's talking about how she left Inui lying on the floor after she beat him up for throwing water at her face. "I need to be careful though. Got a lecture from Mom. I shouldn't do these things in front of Michiyo."
"I like how you're ignoring the way you've dealt with him and is more concerned about doing these things in front of Michiyo."
"That being said, Dad was throttling Oikawa and it made Michiyo laugh."
"I'm starting to feel concerned about what that girl finds funny."
They're preparing to set off fireworks with the kids.
Taka managed to cry to get his way and he managed get his brother to buy him a firework set for kids. Inside the packet, there's a lot of sparklers that were suitable for kids to hold but the packet also had warning that kids who were playing with the firework set should always have adults with them.
"Has Michiyo played with fireworks before?" Kamitani asked Michiyo.
"Are we playing with the ones that goes boom into the sky?!" Michiyo got excited- her eyes were sparkling with a lot of brightness.
"No- these are sparklers. The small ones so they're not going to go boom in the sky."
"Aww..." Michiyo decided to sulk and then she chomped on Kamitani's arm.
"Wait- why are you chomping on my arm? If you're hungry, just say so."
"I'm hungry."
"Next time say so before you bite me. Here, have my brother's fruit bar." He bought a healthy fruit bar for Taka but he didn't seem to appreciate so he gave it away to another baby who will.
"Healthy~."
But when Taka saw his brother gave away a snack that he didn't want, he started to cry and wail Michiyo ate his snack. "Bwaaahhhhh!!!!!!"
"Taka-kun, do you want animal cookies?" Ranfa had snacks for Michiyo. "I'm sure Michiyo will share, right?"
"You can have the monkey." Michiyo was willing to share but only if she could dictate who could have what animal cookie.
"I will have the monkey! I move fast like a monkey!" Taka was no longer crying and he felt happy Michiyo allowed him to have the monkey shaped cookie.
"Are you sure Michiyo said you can have that because you move fast like a monkey?" Kamitani asked, "Are you sure it's not because you look like a monkey?"
"I DO NOT LOOK LIKE A MONKEY! WAHHH!!!!!" Taka cried against Ryuuichi's hold when he came outside with the other babies who were in their kimonos.
"Taka-kun...Kamitani, you know Michiyo doesn't think that!" Ryuuichi scold his friend lightly while trying to comfort the still crying Taka.
Kamitani glanced at Michiyo. "What now?"
"How did you know?"
"Know what?"
"How did you know I let Taka eat monkey cookie because he looks like one?"
"...I think you should keep that to yourself."
"Michiyo-chan! Kamitani!"
...
Candles for light to illuminate through the darkness, check. A bucket of cold water so the sparklers will definitely not ignite if left unattended, check. Snacks in case the babies get hungry, check.
The Mamizuka twin's mother was teaching the babies how to handle sparklers. She reminded them they must not light a sparkler by themselves, they must not run around with the sparklers, and they must not point it at their own face or point it at each other.
"I can do it myself!" Taka exclaimed he was able to light the sparklers by himself. However, when he saw how the sparkler from Takuma's hand crackled and burn with sparks coming out, he hesitated to light it himself. He looked at his older brother.
"What? You said you can do it yourself so go on, do it yourself."
Taka looked at Michiyo's sparkler and it was lit as well. Michiyo was helped by Ranfa and she was having fun.
"Wow~! I feel like I made magic!" Michiyo was having a lot of fun.
"Sparklers are really pretty." Ranfa liked fireworks and sparklers. She always liked how pretty it was.
"Ah, I remembered something!"
"That you have ice cream in the refrigerator at home?"
"No. Oikawa-san kept going 'owie!'"
Ranfa gave Michiyo's words some thought. Was it because Iwaizumi hit him? But that's nothing new and Michiyo wouldn't have said anything unless Oikawa was owing at something out of the usual routine. What did he do today? "Ah. That. He was flipping cicadas onto their front again so they could fly."
"Ohh... Why?"
"Why? It's like seeing a turtle on its back, Michiyo. Don't you feel sorry for them?"
"Ohhh so Oikawa-san did good?"
"Yep."
"But then why did cicada give him owie?"
Ranfa actually saw it play out. Because the summer season was coming to an end, some of the cicadas were falling onto the ground and onto its back. Some were dead but some were still alive. The ones that were alive, Oikawa flipped them back onto their front again and they used Oikawa's face to bounce off and fly into the air. That's probably what Michiyo saw too. "Think of it as thanks, Michiyo."
"Is that why Kamita hit people?"
"Yes." Kamitani answered.
"No it's not. He's an exception, Michiyo."
Kotarou waddled over to Michiyo and Ranfa. He had something to say. "Kota too..."
"Hm?" Ranfa didn't understand what he meant.
"Ah! Kotarou is a good boy!" Michiyo got it though! "Flipping cicadas and let them fly! Good boy~."
"Ooh!"
'H-how did she get that from just that???' Ranfa thought to herself.
"Wahh!!!!" Kazuma was scared of the crackling noise and holding a sparkler by himself though. He clung to his mother but Takuma was having a lot of fun.
"Kazuma, look. This one doesn't sparkle." Usaida lit a snake sparkler, otherwise known as a Pharaoh's snakes or Pharaoh's serpents. They're a type of small firework in which a lighted tablet exudes smoke and ash in a growing column which resembled a snake.
"Wahhhh!!!!!!" But Kazuma was scared of it because he thought it was a monster growing longer and longer.
"Wow! It looks like a really long poop!" Michiyo was pointing at the snake sparkler and laughing at it because it had entertainment value. "So funny!"
"Poop?" Kazuma looked at the snake sparkler again. "...it...it does look like poopy..."
"Right~?" Michiyo kept laughing because it looked like poop to her more than a snake.
"Nii-chan, look! I did it myself!" Taka was doing the very thing Mamizuka-sensei told everyone not to do: Lighting the sparkler by himself, waving it wildly, and trying to chase Kirin with it.
"Taka-kun, don't do that! It's dangerous!" Ryuuichi warned him. "Good kids don't do that!"
Kamitani was there to set him straight though! One hard bonk to the head was all it took to make Taka stop what he was doing. Though this ended up making Taka cry against Ryuuichi's leg.
"Wahhh!!!!! Nii-chan hit me!"
"Kamitani..."
"What? That was the quickest way to stop that little shit."
"Nee-chan, I want to light the poopy sparkler!" Michiyo wanted to laugh at it some more so she wanted another one lit up.
"You really like it, huh?" Ranfa lit a new snake sparkler for Michiyo so she could have a laugh at it. Ranfa thought Michiyo was really kind; Michiyo finally got Kazuma laughing with her so she asked for another snake sparkler so they could laugh some more at it.
"Can a person's poopy be that long?" Michiyo asked Ranfa.
"I hope not. Wouldn't someone need to go to the hospital when that happens?" Ranfa wasn't sure but she knew for a fact one would go and book for a health check up if their stool was that long!
"Taka-kun, listen carefully! If you want to lit a new sparkler, you must wait for an adult or us to lit it for you! Fire is dangerous! Once you lit it, you must follow proper instructions or you will hurt yourself or others!" Ryuuichi had to scold Taka.
"I can do it myself! Everyone asking Ryuu and Nii-chan to lit theirs!"
"Even so, you have to wait! What will you do if you're burnt!"
"I...I won't get burnt..."
Kamitani sighed, "If you get burnt, you explain to mom why you're burnt. I won't cover for you."
Taka had no idea it was that big of a deal. He couldn't understand why he's in trouble when no one was burnt. In his point of view, if no one was burnt, it's okay, right? "But I was cool when I did it all by myself..."
"It's not about being cool. It's about safety."
"How come Kota can light it himself?"
Kotarou thought it was very grown up of Taka to lit a sparkler by himself at the candle so he decided to try it himself.
"Kotarou!"
"Ooh?" Kotarou pointed the sparkler to his own face because he could see smoke coming out from it but it wasn't burning and letting out the pretty sparks.
"KOTAROU!" Ryuuichi scrambled to get to his little brother- the sparkler was burning and letting out sparks! He put his hand in front of Kotarou's eyes in hopes none of it will get the baby's face.
Luckily for Kotarou and Ryuuichi, a cicada jumped towards Kotarou's tiny hand that's holding the sparkler and whacked it away from Kotarou's face!
"Huh?" Michiyo watched the sparkler come at her way.
"Eh?! Ah...! Ah...!!!" Usually, Kazuma would have ran away from danger. However, he got in front of Michiyo, hugging her, becoming a shield between Michiyo and the sparkler!
Kazuma and Michiyo couldn't see it happen because it all happened so quick but Ranfa caught the sparkler by the burning part and shoved her hand into the bucket of cold water! Some of the water splashed out but the sparkler was put out for sure! A hissing and sizzling noise could be heard from the bucket, steam raised into the air.
"Ranfa!" Kamitani quickly went to Ranfa's side! "Ranfa, you okay?!"
"Ah. I'm fine."
"Let me look at your hand!"
"Calm down!" Ranfa carried the bucket and she walked towards the taps. "Oi, turn the tap on for me."
Kamitani quickly did that for her. Ranfa removed her hand from the bucket of cold water and she let the running tap water cool her hand.
"It all happened so fast. I felt the heat for a split second. It's a good thing Michiyo and Kazuma were near a bucket of water."
"That was dangerous, Ranfa. Geez..."
"I was more about the sparks getting Michiyo and Kazuma. I'm glad they're safe. Also..." Ranfa looked back and and she smiled at how Kazuma was whimpering and crying but Michiyo was patting his head.
Kamitani patted her head, "You're a good sister, Ranfa."
"Does it inspire you not to hit your brother?"
"No, I will still hit him. Hm?" Kamitani watched Kazuma come over. He's holding a box of bandaids that had his father's face on them.
"Fafa, are you hurt? Use this." Kazuma wasn't stupid. He saw the sparkler coming at their way and then when he looked back, it's no longer there anymore and Ranfa needing to run her hand at the taps...he put two and two together. He didn't see how Ranfa got rid of the sparkler but he guessed she must have burnt her hand in the process.
"I think she will need bandages, not bandaids-"
"Thank you, Kazuma." Ranfa took the box with her other hand. "I was troubled! I wondered what I can use! You saved me."
Kazuma blushed and he smiled a little.
"But this teaches you all something, right? Sparklers can't be handled alone. You must have an adult with you."
Kazuma nodded.
Michiyo came over and she looked at her sister with curiosity. "W-when did Nee-chan get hurt???" She's confused because she didn't see a single thing. "Pain, pain, fly away!"
"Oh, it took off. Thanks, Michiyo." Ranfa said to Michiyo, making sure her sister was at ease.
Kamitani patted Ranfa's head again. "I'll get you a first aid box."
"Do you even know how to perform first aid?"
"Why'd you ask?"
"Just the other day, I saw a clip and I saw how this monkey got electrocuted and this other monkey performed the most violent first aid I've ever seen."
"But did the monkey save its comrade?"
"It did." Honestly, Ranfa was impressed that's what he's asking and not the fact she put him on the same level as a wild monkey.
"There you go, violence works."
"Please perform first aid as humanly as possible, Hayato."
...
Much later, Ranfa's hand was bandaged but she made sure to put one of Kazuma's band-aid onto her palm.
She's enjoying sparklers called senko hanabi, otherwise known as incense stick sparklers. The one where the flames burn from the bottom. It's mesmerizing to watch.
"Oi, why are you staring at their father's face?" Because the band-aid have Kousuke's face on it, Ranfa was staring at it.
"I mean it's literally right there. Also, I just realized if Michiyo marry one of the twins and they have babies of their own...the baby will either be very handsome or very beautiful."
"Hmm...is that so?" Kamitani looked at the kids to see they were still playing with sparklers. After a major scolding from Ryuuichi, who was angry for the misbehavior when handling fire, the babies started to play safely and carefully. "Why are they flipping cicadas?"
"Something about Kotarou's good deeds saving him from the sparkler?"
"Oh." He just had a thought! "Hey, what about ours?"
"Our baby? Wouldn't our baby be the next coming of Satan?"
"Hah?"
"With your short fuse and my strength put together, won't our kid end up ruling the world with an iron fist?"
"You have the wildest imagination ever and you have to be lying if you don't think that's amazing."
"Ha ha~." Ranfa leaned the side of her head against Kamitani's shoulder.
Kamitani looked at her bandaged hand. "Can I still hold it? Your injured hand. "
"Of course. Hey, let's set fireworks again next time."
"Sure. But next time, I get to protect you."
"Come on, you're going to be a pro baseball player. You need to protect your arms."
"You always think about everyone and I before yourself."
"Maybe it's a big sister thing? But Hayato, aren't you putting me before your future? The thought of you putting me first already makes me happy."
Kamitani looked away from her.
'He thinks because he's tanned, I can't tell he's red. He's so simple-minded.' She thought to herself as she smiled happily. "Ah, it fell off." The little molten ball at the end fell to the ground. However, the beautiful moment she shared with him will live in her memory for a long time.
"Want to light another one?" He asked.
"Light me one~."
"Last two in the packet. Knowing you, you'd want to save it for the kids."
"...can we light it?"
"Oh? So even you can be selfish when you want to be."
"Surprised?" She asked back with a smile on her face.
"Only a little. Here, let me light it for you."