It wasn't long before July 7th rolled around. Throughout the week, both the school and the community had been making preparations for the festivities to celebrate Tanabata. In the busier parts of Iwanai, shops had been more proactive in trying to get customers, and inside Iwanai Municipal High School, plenty of students were bringing in various sizes of bamboo to hang wishes on.
As fortune would have it, the holiday happened to fall on a Sunday, so everyone in town was able to attend the festivities. Thankfully, even with it being summer, plenty of people still came from out of the city too to share in the fun. Typically Iwanai was known for their winter resorts, but the areas they were located in still provided a lot of opportunities for tourists. The hills and mountains were relaxing enough, but adding in certain locations with hot springs and activities such as hiking and exploration certainly helped to keep the city's economy afloat.
One such resort was more well-known than the others though, and that was the Hidden Corner Ski Resort. It drew tons of business during winter and also happened to be home to Iwanai High's Snowboarding/Skiing Club, of which Haruna was a member. However, while the resort's prime time was when it was cold out, there was one summer event in particular that they were known for: festival fireworks.
Every year, Hidden Corner put on a huge festival for Tanabata and at the end, they had a fireworks display that most said was the best in the prefecture. That grand finale was mainly the reason so many non-natives showed up to the Iwanai festival, but that wasn't to say there weren't other things to enjoy as well. But even with all of the loud laughing and general having-a-good-time atmosphere, there was one person that couldn't relax.
Haruna continued to fidget inside her house. She found herself to be incredibly nervous while anticipating what was to come. "I'm going to the festival with Kanako..." she thought anxiously. "What will we do? Will we play games? Should I try to win her something? W-Will we be holding hands the whole time?" While Haruna panicked, her phone buzzed. Checking it, she saw Chiyo had told her to do something that would add to Haruna's stress.
Running upstairs, Haruna went into her room and dug in her closest for a certain piece of clothing. "There it is!" she exclaimed, pulling out what she had found. On a hanger tucked in the back had been an old yukata. The color of it was a dark red with a simple golden line design decorating it. The look of it almost resembled a type of Chinese dress. However, there were a couple problems.
For one, the cloth itself had several small tears had the bottom. They weren't that noticeable, but it was almost a guarantee someone would see them. Haruna knew exactly what the tears were from too. The year before the last time she had gone to the festival, Haruna had worn the same yukata. While there, she ended up tripping over a rock and getting scratched up. The fabric had taken a beating too, as it had caught on a couple of sharp edges on the ground. The next year, Haruna opted to just wear a t-shirt and jeans.
That had been her plan this year as well until Chiyo had sent her a message practically begging her to wear one. "But even if it wasn't messed up, it's still too small," Haruna said as she stared at the outfit hanging in front of her. Holding it up to fall in line with her frame, it only came down to just above her knees. "It's times like these that I'm reminded of how tall I am," Haruna sighed. Up through middle school, Haruna had basically been average height, but in junior high she hit a major growth spurt.
Knowing she'd never hear the end of it from Chiyo if she didn't wear a yukata, Haruna went to ask her mom if she had one. "Hm? A yukata?" she repeated. "I didn't know you were going to the festival tonight. I thought you said you hated it." "Yeah, well, I changed my mind..." Haruna mumbled. "Alright. I do have one that I could let you wear. It's too small for me now, but it should fit you."
Going once again back from the living room to upstairs, Haruna followed her mother inside of her parents' room. Opening the closet, Haruna's mother began to swipe through the packed rail of clothing until finally she stopped. "Aha!" she exclaimed. "Here it is. For a moment I thought I might've gotten rid of it." She pulled it out and held it up for Haruna to see. "Would you like to try it on?"
Glancing at a nearby clock, it read 4:45 p.m. Haruna had agreed to meet Kanako at 6 and her mom would drive them to the location of the festival. Knowing how long it could take to get ready, not to mention the fact that it might be good to have it on early rather than late, Haruna agreed.
Not knowing how to put a yukata on by herself, Haruna had to have her mom help. She felt a little embarrassed taking her clothes off in front of her, but it wasn't like she had much choice. Standing still in her underwear, Haruna's mother began to wrap the yukata around her daughter's body, going from right to left and left to right with the process. Once it was on properly, she grabbed the sash and began to tie it. "Tell me if it's too tight," Haruna's mother said. "It's fine," Haruna replied, surprised by how comfortable the fabric was. When her mom finished tying the sash into a bow, she smiled. "And now we get to do your hair and make-up!" she said excitedly. "Wha- Wait! Mom!" Haruna cried as she was suddenly under attack.
There was a lot of combing, tying, pulling and complaining, but when Haruna's mother was done, she let out a sound of satisfaction. "You look wonderful Haruna." Turning a full body mirror toward her daughter, Haruna moved in front of it to look herself over. "W-Whoa..." she breathed.
Haruna's somewhat unruly black hair had been refined beyond belief. Instead of just hanging loose, it was now all tuck up and tied together in an intricate design on the back of her head. All of her hair had been pulled back except for two sizeable strands on either side of her face, creating a sort of framing effect. All of it was seemingly being held together with two thick silver needles that crossed, making an X shape.
Looking more directly at her own face, Haruna saw that eye liner had been applied, along with something that had given a bit of a winged look to each outside corner of her eyes. It wasn't large, just enough to be noticeable. Her lashes had been given some attention as well, appearing to be fuller and longer than usual. On her cheeks was just a light amount of foundation and blush. For most girls, it would hardly even register, but for Haruna (who never wore make-up), it was a pretty significant difference. Rounding out the beautification to her face was the lipstick she was now wearing. It was a dim shade of red, meant simply to accentuate her lips rather than make them pop.
All in all, her head alone was enough to make Haruna hardly recognize herself, but there was still the yukata she had been given. The fabric was a deep, royal purple, causing itself to give off an aura of elegance. Decorating the surface of it were large blue flowers in full bloom, each one highlighted by gold on their petals. The design ran all the way down the length of the yukata, seeming to serve as a proud indicator that the entirety of itself was grace. Tying it all together was the sash. It was simple in nature, only being a black piece of cloth, but when paired with the rest of the elements, it was a perfect fit.
Haruna stared at herself in the mirror long and hard. "Is this... really me?" she muttered, stunned by her festival look. The last time Haruna had went to a festival was in middle school, so she hadn't really been required to dress up that much considering her age and general stubbornness. But, now that she was a second-year in high school, her body had matured and her face had grown, meaning it was the perfect canvas to create beauty on.
It wasn't long before the time came around to meet up with Kanako. Grabbing a small, handheld purse she was also borrowing from her mother, Haruna went next door and knocked. Opening the door was Kanako's mom, whose jaw dropped when she saw the girl before her. "Oh my goodness! Haruna-chan, you look lovely!" she exclaimed. "T-Thank you, Nakatomi-san..." Haruna said sheepishly. "Please, come in, come in! Kanako's almost ready, so she'll be down in a minute."
Haruna went inside and took a seat on the edge of the couch in the living room, being careful not to crush her sash's bow that had been tied in the back. While she waited, Haruna began wondering what sort of look Kanako would come out with. "Actually, I don't even remember what her yukata looked like," she thought. "But it has been awhile. I'm sure she's gotten a new one by now. I'm just hoping she's wearing one. If she isn't, I'm going to feel like an idiot."
However, Haruna didn't have to wait long. Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, Haruna stood up. When Kanako walked into the room, Haruna's eyes went wide. "Oh my God..."
To take in the view before her, Haruna went from top to bottom. Beginning with Kanako's hair, it had been changed from its usual simple ponytail to something much fancier. The front had been swept to the side, neatly creating a sheet that ran from the left side of her forehead and swooping down around the right side of her head. Beyond that, the rest of her hair had been pulled back in a way that created multiple layers while still retaining a certain amount of fluffiness. It ended in a small, tight double-layered bun, but that still wasn't all. Flowing from that was a loose, wide braid that was draped over Kanako's right shoulder. To top it all off, a medium-sized white flower rested on the point just before the braid began.
Taking her eyes down to Kanako's face, Haruna noticed make-up. It wasn't as unusual to see it on Kanako as much as it was Haruna, but it wasn't like Kanako wore much of it or used any that often. Still, there was certainly enough to make a difference, as Haruna noticed Kanako's lashes seemed to practically beckon with each blink. Her cheeks had been given a little touch-up as well, creating a sort of soft glowing effect. Finally, on her lips was pink lipstick that matched her natural color.
Moving onto her outfit, Haruna saw it was indeed a yukata, so that was one worry alleviated. And, not only was she wearing one, but it was one that looked truly marvelous. The fabric was a silky pink, wrapping around Kanako's body gently while still showing off her figure. It wasn't as if Kanako was well-endowed or had amazing curves, but there was also no denying that if she wanted to, she had the capability to be a knockout.
On the yukata itself was a design of small red flowers, each looking like it was ready to spin if a breeze blew by. They were all connected with a set of thin green vines that twisted and turned all around the cloth, culminating in a look that could be viewed as very traditional. Lastly, the final piece was a white sash, tied together nicely in a bow in the back.
It took Haruna a moment to find any words to say at all, but when she did, she just said the first ones that came to mind. "You... look so pretty..."
"Eh?! T-Thanks..." Kanako let out, surprised by such a nice compliment from Haruna. "Y-You... look really pretty too..."
"Huh?! I, um, w-well, uh..." Haruna had no idea what to say to that. Choosing to turn her face to the ground from the embarrassment, she managed to utter, "T-Thank you..."
Meanwhile, inside Haruna's head, she was freaking out. "What the hell was with that reaction?! I sounded so stupid just now! Am I seriously incapable of accepting a compliment normally?! And on top of that, what was with what I said?! Calling Kanako pretty like that... But, well, I mean, she does look great..."
Before Haruna could take that thought any further, Kanako's mother clapped her hands. "Okay you two! Let's get going!" She began pushing Kanako and Haruna toward the door while saying, "Festival time, festival time!" "Mom, you seem really excited about a festival you're not going to," Kanako commented. "Do I? Hmm. Well, maybe it's because you two girls are going together! It's been so long since you were close like this, so I guess I'm just happy to see you getting along!"
Both Kanako and Haruna felt embarrassed by that explanation. "W-We're not that close..." Haruna muttered. "B-But we are friends again, right?" Kanako asked tentatively. "Um, y...yeah..." Haruna answered. "Oh, Kanako, don't forget your geta!" her mother said, picking up a pair of wooden sandals by the door and handing them to her daughter. "Do I have to?" Kanako whined. "Of course! You can't very well go around in a yukata and tennis shoes! Look, even Haruna-chan has them on!" Kanako looked down at Haruna's feet. "That's surprising," Kanako said. "Shut up. My mom made me okay? If it was up to me, I wouldn't even bother. They kill my feet." "I know what you mean," Kanako agreed with a laugh.
"Alright you two, that's enough complaining. Now let's get going!" Kanako's mother proclaimed. And with that, the group got in the car and headed toward Hidden Corner.
*****
When they got close, Kanako's mom let them out. "I'm sorry I can't get any closer. This traffic is a mess and there are already so many people." "It's okay. Thanks for driving us," Kanako said. So with a couple good byes and a wave, Kanako's mother left. "It's only a couple minutes' walk from here right?" Kanako asked. "Yeah, it's actually just over that hill," Haruna said, pointing ahead. The two girls then began to go in that direction, eventually reaching the top of the aforementioned hill.
Standing where they were, Kanako and Haruna could see nearly the whole festival area. The way Hidden Corner was, there were hills all around, but the spot that they had built the actual resort in was a large valley. Leading out from the building was the normal entry point of the festival grounds. The area was covered in tents with all sorts of sounds and smells coming from them. Being only 6 o'clock, it wasn't dark out yet, but the amount of lights hanging around still shone bright. "Wooow..." Kanako let out. "I didn't know there was a view like this." "This isn't even the highest hill," Haruna said. "Huh? How do you know?" "My club comes here," Haruna answered flatly. "Oh, right. I forgot about that," Kanako said, still staring out at the scenery. "Come on. We should probably look for Chiyo," Haruna said as she began walking away.
After getting down the hill, the two girls began searching in the typical meeting spots for the gal. Eventually, they managed to find her by a stall that was selling shaved ice. "Oh, there you guys are!" she called and waved to them. "Wow, Chiyo, you look amazing!" Kanako said in awe. "Gee, ya think so? Ehehe," Chiyo said, acting bashful.
For her look, Chiyo wasn't entirely different from her usual appearance, but there were some differences. While her make-up had remained the same, her hair style had changed from high side ponytail to a really low one that hung from the back of her head. Her hair had also been straightened to the point that it was glistening, which caused it to give off a weird shine considering the color was an auburn-gold and the lights around them had yellow lights.
As for the clothing, of course Chiyo had worn a yukata as well. However, unlike Kanako's and especially unlike Haruna's, it seemed to be struggling to stay together in the chest area. It was faint, but Haruna could've sworn she saw a safety pin camouflaged into the fabric to help keep it in place. Haruna gave a look of annoyance. She normally wasn't one to care too much about the size of her chest in comparison to others, but she had to admit, it was moments like these that seemed to irk her the most.
The yukata itself was a boisterous bright red color and it was decorated all over with pink petals and glitter. Finally, the sash was red as well, blending in with the rest of the outfit. "Did you make that thing yourself?" Haruna asked, surprised by how gaudy it looked. "Well, kinda. I did the glitter!" Chiyo said proudly. "Of course she did," Kanako and Haruna both thought simultaneously.
"Come on girls, let's go have fun!" Chiyo announced. "Oh, but first!" Then she turned to the shaved ice stall she was standing next to. "Three ices please!" she told the man behind the counter. "I'll make mine cherry. What about you guys?" She asked Kanako and Haruna, who were surprised by the sudden generosity. "Y-You don't have to buy them for us," Kanako said. "It's fine, it's fine!" Chiyo said with a wave of her hand. "Now, what flavors?" "Well, I guess I'll have strawberry," Kanako said. "Make mine lime," Haruna said. "Lime Haru-chi? Really?" Chiyo said, baffled by her friends choice. "Tch. Everyone says that."
After acquiring their shaved ice, the three girls began to walk around the festival. People packed the passageways created by the rows of tents, forcing the group to go through bottleneck after bottleneck. "Man, it sure is tight!" Chiyo said as she squeezed past someone. "Maybe we should find an area less crowded," Kanako suggested. So, after making their way through the mass, they eventually came out toward the edge of the area where few people were.
"Let's come up... with a plan..." Haruna said, feeling slightly winded from the crowd. "Hmm. It looks like the games aren't too busy. Wanna hit those?" Chiyo said, pointing to the other side of the grounds. "Sure. Sounds like fun!" Kanako said, beginning to enjoy the festival mood. "Just as long as we don't have to deal with that many people again..." Haruna said.
When they headed over to the games area, Haruna and Kanako found out that Chiyo was right. There weren't nearly as many people playing games. "Where is everyone?" Kanako wondered aloud. "It's dinnertime isn't it? People want food more than they want to play," Chiyo said. "I guess that's true," Kanako agreed. After their conversation, the girls began to check out what their options were.
Naturally, there were a lot of pretty standard choices. Goldfish scooping, target shooting and ring tossing, along with several other more unique games, such as one that very closely resembled skee ball. Really, the only difference was the height of the ramp, with the one at the festival practically double what was normal.
"Oooh, I want a goldfish!" Chiyo said excitedly as she dashed over to the booth with the scooping. Kanako laughed. "She's like a little kid." "Yeah, or a bird seeing something shiny," Haruna said. Deciding to leave Chiyo on her own, Haruna and Kanako continued looking around for something that interested them. Although, as they walked, Haruna had a thought. "Where are your other friends?" she asked. "Well, Mayu-chan was doing something with her family tonight, and Itsuki-chan and Mi-chan are helping out in the booth the cooking club set up," Kanako explained. "Huh? A booth? Then why aren't you with them?" Haruna asked. "Because I wanted to be with you instead," Kanako answered simply and with a smile, eliciting a blush from Haruna.
However, that response prompted another question. "Hey... Why did you invite me?" Haruna asked. "O-Oh... Yeah, I guess it was a little weird to ask you to come with me wasn't it?" Kanako said. "N-No... I don't think it was weird..." Haruna mumbled. "What'd you say?" Kanako asked, unable to hear Haruna over the festival noise. "Nothing," Haruna responded. Kanako stared but decided to keep going with her own explanation instead of asking Haruna to repeat herself. "Honestly, I had been planning to invite you anyways. It sounds a little underhanded, b-but I was hoping I could score some points with Akio-kun." "I see," Haruna said with a bit of bite to her tone. Hearing it was more for Akio instead of her irritated Haruna, but Kanako wasn't finished talking. "But then, you surprised me with that talk. And now, I think I'm just happy enough being here with my friends!" That response seemed to relief Haruna of some of her irritation.
While Haruna was mulling over what Kanako had said, the girl had gone to look at a prize hanging from a tent. "Aww, it's so cute!" Kanako squealed. Haruna looked over and joined Kanako to see what she was gushing over. "A bear?" she said. "Yeah, isn't it adorable?!" Kanako said with joy. Haruna stared.
The bear being offered as a prize was certainly large. Looking back and forth to compare sizes, Haruna guessed that it would be almost as tall as Kanako. It was white in color, with two black beads for eyes and it had a red ribbon tied into a bow around its neck. In its paws it held a heart that had the kanji on it for love. "It's so cheesy..." Haruna thought.
"You know," Kanako said, looking up to Haruna, eyes brimming with hope. "It would be pretty nice of my fake girlfriend to win that for me." "Hah?! You can't be serious!" Haruna exclaimed. "Pleeeassse!" Kanako begged. "Come on, I know you're good at these!" "I'm really not..."
That was the truth. Haruna had a feeling Kanako was only remembering on specific instance when it just looked like Haruna was good at festival games. One year, she had gotten on a hot streak and won every game she tried. Before and after that though, she had been terrible, with it being a very rare occurrence for Haruna to come away with any prize at all. And now, Kanako was expecting her to win the biggest one.
Haruna turned her gaze to Kanako, who was staring back at her with puppy-dog eyes. Combined with her current physical appearance, it was practically a double K.O. "Ugh, why does she have to be so adorable?" Haruna thought. "No, wait. That's not why I'm going to do this. Her begging is just annoying, that's all."
Haruna sighed. "Fine. But you're paying for the attempt." "Okay!" Kanako said happily. She handed over a 500 yen coin to the vendor and Haruna walked up to the table. The money that had been given had bought Haruna five tries. Looking at the prize requirements, Haruna saw that it would take exactly that many to win the bear. "This is impossible..."
The game itself certainly didn't seem difficult on the surface. The way it worked was the patron would pick up the cork gun and aim at various sized targets that were propped up on shelves in random places along a back wall. In order to win the grand prize (the bear), there was no way to avoid aiming for at least one of the smallest targets.
The trick to the game was that some of the targets were held down by a thin layer of glue, just enough to make it harder for them to fall. And of course, the gun was rigged to aim a little off from the spot you pointed it at. Stuff like that was pretty much common knowledge at any festival, but even knowing that, Haruna still felt like she was at a major disadvantage.
Unfortunately for her, there was no way out. Kanako was watching excitedly as Haruna picked up the cork gun, and the vendor kept his eyes on her too. "Good luck sweetheart," he said smugly. "I'm not your sweetheart," Haruna said coldly, giving the man a dark glare. That was enough to keep him quiet.
Returning her focus back to the task at hand, Haruna began to aim at the first target. It was the biggest one and it was also typically a guarantee to fall. Taking the shot, there was a small pop and the cork flew, connecting with the target and knocking it down. "Hurray! That's one!" Kanako cheered. "Don't get too excited. This isn't going to be that easy," Haruna said, trying to keep Kanako's enthusiasm in check. Aiming for the next one, which was a little smaller than the previous target, Haruna fired again. The cork hit its mark, causing the target to wobble a bit before going down. "Yay! Two hits!" Kanako said happily. "Shut up! I need to focus!" Haruna scolded her.
The next two were both more difficult, but somehow, Haruna managed to hit those targets as well. That left several options, none of which were good. In total, ten targets hung in the tent, but each one was smaller than the last, meaning that if you took out all of the big ones first, you were left with only small ones to go for. Haruna had simply wanted to hit as many as possible, so that had been her strategy.
Staring ahead, Haruna decided to go for the biggest one left she could pick out, which was about 9 centimeters across from what she could tell. It sat in the upper right hand corner of the wall, making the shot even more difficult as Haruna had figured out that the cork gun had been rigged to aim down and to the left. Taking a deep breath, Haruna positioned the gun to her shoulder and held it steady. Kanako and the vendor watched with nervous anticipation, but for different reasons.
Lining up the shot as best she could, Haruna fired.
It was as if the moment had been put in slow motion. The cork flew out of the barrel and headed in the right direction. All eyes were glued to the projectile as it made its way closer and closer to the target. "Come on, just a little more!" Haruna prayed.
Finally, the cork made contact, hitting the edge of the target. The object twisted to the left from the impact and began to teeter on the lip of the shelf, dancing back and forth and taunting all who were watching. And then, it tipped...
...and fell to the ground.
"You did it Haruna! I knew you could!" Kanako cheered and glomped onto Haruna. "Ah, geez! Don't do that! You'll ruin both of our yukatas!" Haruna yelled. "Sorry! I'm just so happy!" Kanako said with glee. "You win the grand prize..." the vendor said, sounding disappointed. "Damn right I did." Haruna felt an odd amount of pride in her victory, while also taking some satisfaction in crushing the man's spirit who had called her sweetheart.
Unhooking the bear and pulling it down, the vendor handed it over to Haruna, who in turn handed it to Kanako. As she had guessed, the bear was almost Kanako-sized, leaving only her head visible. Hugging it tightly, Kanako beamed. "Thank you so much Haruna! I love it!" Haruna could feel her face getting really hot. "I-It was nothing... I just got lucky, that's all..." Somehow, she had managed to rekindle the magic of that one special year, and it had served to make Kanako look like the happiest girl at the whole festival.
"So, do you want something to eat?" Haruna asked. "Sure!" Kanako said from behind her bear. "Let's go find Chiyo and pick something together!" So the two girls went looking for the third member of their party. It didn't take long, as they found her right where they left her. "Alright, this is my last coin! It has to work!" Chiyo proclaimed as she handed over what was apparently the last of her money to the old lady running the goldfish scooping. Grabbing a scooper, Chiyo waited for the right moment to strike. Suddenly moving fast, she shouted, "Gotcha!" and swung the tool in her hand through the water and then high into the air. All there was to see was a piece of torn paper in the ring.
"Aww..." Chiyo moaned. "So how much money did you just waste on this?" Haruna asked as she walked up to the gal. "It's not a waste! What counts is the experiences and memories you make!" Chiyo said proudly as she stood up to face the other two girls. "Whoa, that's a huge bear Kana-chan! ... That is Kana-chan behind that thing right?" Chiyo asked Haruna. "Yep, it's me!" Kanako said, popping her head out from behind the mass of fluff. "Where'd you get that anyways?" Chiyo asked. "Haruna won it for me at a shooting game!" "Oooh?" Chiyo said, raising her eyebrows and smirking at Haruna. "S-Shut up..." Haruna said, making for a weak defense.
Before that line of conversation could go any further, Kanako told Chiyo that they were thinking of getting something to eat. "Hey, why don't we go check out your club's stall Kana-chan? I'm sure they'd love to see you!" Chiyo suggested. "I-I'm surprised you know about it. We didn't do a very good job advertising since Naomi-senpai decided so late that we were participating," Kanako said. "Mi-chan told me!" Chiyo said. "I didn't know you and Mi-chan were so close," Kanako commented. "Well, it was more like I tried to get her to come with us, but she was totally like, 'I can't, I'm busy!' and all that, so after poking her a bit more she told me what she was doing." "That sounds more believable than you two being close," Haruna said. "Baby steps Haru-chi, baby steps." Haruna still didn't understand why Chiyo had such a desire to be friends with Michi, but instead of dwelling on it, she just put it out of her mind and followed the other two toward Kanako's club stall.
When they arrived, they found several girls manning what appeared to be a yakisoba booth. "Oh? Hey, it's Kana-chan!" Naomi called out when she saw her underclassman. "Hi Naomi-senpai!" Kanako said, walking up to the table. "You should come back here and help Kana-chan! We've been swamped all night!" Rina complained. "It's so much fun!" Saki said in her airheaded way.
"So who's that with you? Friends from another school?" Naomi asked. "Huh? You don't recognize them?" Kanako said. Naomi looked hard. "Hmmm. Actually, their faces do look familiar, but I'm just not sure." "You met them at the competition," Kanako said. Naomi kept thinking, but shrugged. "Sorry, I can't remember." "What, you don't remember little ol' me?" Chiyo said as she joined Kanako at the table. "Oh! You're... Wakabayashi-san, ri-" Before Naomi could finish her sentence, Chiyo put a finger to her lips. "I'm Chiyo! Chi-yo! Say it with me!" Naomi did as she was told, feeling a little awkward while doing it. "Chiyo. Right. I'll definitely remember it now," Naomi said as Chiyo removed her finger. "So that must mean that the girl behind you is... Endo-san?" Kanako nodded.
"Whoa, is that you Kana-chan?!" Itsuki said, finally turning around from doing some prep work in the back. "You look amazing!" "T-Thanks Itsuki-chan." "I wish I could've worn something fancy, but we're all stuck with these plain t-shirts and shorts." "We're lucky we got any sort of uniform at all considering how last-minute it was," Rina said, shooting a look at Naomi. "I know, I know," she sighed. "But, hey, we're all having fun, right?"
Ignoring the rest of the conversation, Itsuki looked behind Kanako at Haruna. "Hey, Kana-chan. Who's the really pretty lady behind you?" "Huh? Didn't you hear Naomi-senpai? That's Haruna." "What?!" Itsuki shrieked. "Holy cow! I didn't know Endo-san could look like that!" "I heard that," Haruna said in a threatening tone. "Eep! Sorry!"
"Are you guys hungry? We could make something for you!" Naomi offered. "Sure! One yakisoba please!" Chiyo ordered. "I'll do that too," Kanako said. "Same here," Haruna followed suit. "Alright, three yakisobas!" Naomi called back to the rest of the group. "Hey, where's Mi-chan?" Kanako asked. "Oh, she's running an errand for us right now. It might be a bit before she gets back," Naomi explained.
As the three girls waited for their food, Kanako and Chiyo made conversation with a couple of the girls behind the table. Haruna didn't say much, only contributing when she needed to. All in all, the wait wasn't long, and soon enough piping-hot yakisoba was being presented. "Here you go!" Naomi said, handing over three containers. "Careful, it's still really hot!"
Giving it a few blows, each girl tried it. "Wow! It's so good!" Chiyo said, quickly slurping up more into her mouth. "Yeah, this is great!" Kanako complimented. Then they both looked at Haruna, catching her with noodles midway into her lips and causing her to suck them up quickly. "Yeah, it's good," she said roughly. "I'm glad everyone likes it!" Naomi said.
After a bit more conversation, the three girls said their farewells to the cooking club and began to head around the festival more. "So what should we do now? We still have some time until the fireworks," Kanako said. However, as she spoke, she kept falling behind. "Hey Kana-chan, do you want me to hold your bear?" Chiyo offered. "Oh, thanks. I guess my feet are starting to hurt from these geta, and walking with the bear keeps slowing me down too," Kanako said. "Maybe you shouldn't have gotten it then," Haruna said. "No way!" Kanako protested. "I wouldn't trade it for anything!"
After handing the bear off to Chiyo, Kanako took a moment to readjust her geta as best she could. Considering their stiffness, it wasn't like there was much she could do, but it seemed to help a little. "I think a few games are still open," Haruna suggested. "No can do Haru-chi. I'm totally broke," Chiyo said while shaking her head. "Maybe we should just find a place to watch the fireworks from, Kanako said. Considering they had already eaten and they had either had their fun or were out of money for games, the group decided that was the best course of action. However, just as they were about to look for a spot, Chiyo leaned up close to Haruna's ear. "Do your best," she whispered, then, "Oh, is that Mi-chan? Mi-chan, wait for me!"
Chiyo took off in some direction, surprising Kanako. "C-Chiyo, wait!" she called. "Oh geez. I hope she doesn't forget to give me my bear back..." "I'm sure it'll be fine. Chiyo's more responsible than you'd think," Haruna said. "Well, I guess it's just the two of us. Should we get a spot for ourselves and tell Chiyo to meet us there?" Kanako asked. Haruna was silent for a moment. "...Just the two of us..." she said softly. "Huh?" Kanako said. "Would it be so bad... if it was just the two of us?" Haruna said. The way she said it made Kanako blush a little. "O-Oh, um... sure. That's fine."
"That surprised me," Kanako thought. "When was the last time Haruna wanted us to be alone together? Maybe it's because we just became friends again." Meanwhile, Haruna didn't have an answer either. "Why did I say that?" she wondered. "What am I hoping for?" Then Chiyo's words came back to her. "What did she mean, do my best? Do my best for what?"
Knowing trying to come up with an answer would probably be unnecessarily annoying, Haruna decided that she was just going to try to enjoy the fireworks show. It had been some time since she had last seen one, and now, she had the perfect opportunity to try out something one of her club mates had said.
"Why don't we go up on that hill over there?" Haruna said as she pointed a little ways into the distance. "I-Isn't that a little far away?" Kanako asked, worried. "One of the girls in my club told me that that spot is one of the best to watch the fireworks here. They're only a little higher than your line of sight and no one goes there because it's away from the main festival area. I've been over there before too. If we start walking now, we should make it to the top with a little time to spare."
Kanako was hesitant, but she went along with the idea in the end. So the two girls began to head toward the suggested hilltop.
Luckily, there was a clear path through the woods on the outskirts of the festival grounds that led up to the top. Haruna held out her hand. "Take it. Y-you know, so I don't lose you or something in the woods." Kanako smiled. "Sure. I guess you never know when Akio-kun could be watching." "It'd be pretty creepy if he followed us out this far," Haruna said. "Yeah, you're right," Kanako said with a laugh.
It wasn't long before they reached the foot of the hill, but as they began the ascent, Kanako stopped. "My feet really hurt. I know it's not that high, but I'm not sure if I can make it." "Why not just take your geta off? That's what I was gonna do," Haruna said plainly. "B-But then my feet will get dirty!" Kanako complained. "Who cares? They're probably dirty already anyways," Haruna said as she took off her wooden sandals. "Fine..." Kanako said begrudgingly. "Actually, that does feel better. My steps aren't super stiff anymore and the cold ground feels nice." "See? It's better this way," Haruna said. Then the two finally began heading up the hill.
When they reached the top, Kanako stared in awe at the sight before her. Better than when they had first arrived at the festival, the view expanded to encompass the entirety of the area, showcasing all of the hanging lights and colorful tents. There were still plenty of people milling about as well, buying food and souvenirs and playing the games that remained open. Although, a lot of them had begun to gather in the main designated areas for firework viewing as well, wanting to reserve just the right spot for themselves to enjoy the show.
"This is amazing..." Kanako breathed. "Just wait until the fireworks go off. I bet it'll be even better," Haruna said, walking up next to Kanako. Pulling her phone out of her bag, Haruna saw there was still five minutes before the fireworks would start. Not wanting to stand in awkward silence, Haruna began a conversation.
"T-Thank you... for inviting me to come with you tonight," Haruna said shyly. "Of course. I'm glad you accepted my invitation," Kanako said. Looking at her face, she looked content. "You know, I love all of my friends," Kanako continued. "But... honestly, I'm happy you're the one that's standing next to me tonight. I've missed this so much. Being able to hang out together and do fun things like this. It's just like before." Haruna stared and Kanako went on. "I want to keep doing stuff just like this. I want to go out shopping and have sleepovers and laugh together with you Haruna. I want days like that to never end." "...Why?" was all Haruna could say. Kanako looked directly into the other girl's eyes and held both of Haruna's hands in her own.
"Because you're precious to me."
That one statement, mixed with everything else Kanako had just said, began to stir up the emotions inside of Haruna. She felt her heart begin to beat faster and faster and her feelings all starting to well up and swirl, creating one big mix of... something Haruna felt would overwhelm her. Before she could make sense of it at all, a loud boom echoed out through the valley below. "It's starting!" Kanako said, running up closer to the edge of the hill.
"Wow..." she sighed in awe. One firework after the other shot up high into the sky, creating a parade of colorful explosions. "It's just like you said Haruna! They're practically at our eyes!" But Haruna wasn't listening. She was too focused on her internal struggle. "What's going on... Why do I feel this way..." She looked at Kanako, who was enamored by the spectacle before her. "Why do my eyes go to her? Why can't I look away? Why can't I-"
As Haruna's internal storm raged, Kanako continued to take in the fireworks. "These are so amazing!" she cried. "I've seen shows before, but this spot makes it feel completely new. They're so breathtaking!" And then, finally, a moment hit. Kanako turned around with a little spin, and as she spoke, three more fireworks went off behind her.
"Haruna, aren't they beautiful?"
The light of each firework illuminated Kanako as if she was in a multicolored spotlight. Every inch of her was highlighted, from her fanciful hairstyle to her perfectly-fitting yukata. And, in that moment, Haruna's flimsy denials were shattered completely.
"Oh," she thought. "I get it now."
The same three fireworks continued to expand in the sky.
"Chiyo was right. I'm in love..."
The fireworks began to fade, finishing in-sync with Haruna's thinking.
"...with Kanako."
To the girl standing before her, all Haruna could say aloud was one thing. "Yeah... beautiful..."
"Huh?" Even though Haruna had been thinking about her feelings and saying none of it out loud for others to hear, even Kanako got the impression that there was something more behind those words that Haruna had just spoken. But before anything else could be said, the overwhelming feeling that Haruna had had earlier finally hit full force.
Tears began to stream down Haruna's face as she moved past her initial realization. "I'm... in love with her...?" she thought. "Oh... oh God..." Never being one to handle her emotions well, Haruna began to panic. Slowly, she backed away from an approaching Kanako. "H-Haruna, are you okay?" she asked. "I-... I have to go..." Haruna said with a slight shake of her head. Then, she ran.
"Haruna!" Kanako yelled, but Haruna didn't stop. She kept running and running, long enough until even the fireworks could be heard no longer.
End of Chapter Seven.