T/N: Thanks Takoyaki for the espresso! Actually admire it!

After the announcer gave out the cue, the primary firework was shot into the sky. It marked the beginning of the pageant.

A brilliant crimson fiery flower lit up the darkish sky earlier than spreading out and disappearing. Nearly instantly, an explosive sound reached us on the bottom.

Everybody round us marveled at this sight.

“W-Woah…”

The sound was so loud that it made my ear ring, however I didn’t discover it disagreeable.

Up till now, when it got here to fireworks, I had solely seen the smaller varieties, particularly the stick variants and the sprinklers that my mother and father used to purchase me. This huge-scale firework had solely been one thing that I might solely see from the space at finest.

That was why, once I noticed the colourful explosion on this shut proximity, I used to be overwhelmed by awe.

Whereas I used to be in that state, proper earlier than the subsequent batch of fireworks have been arrange, Umi poked me on the cheek.n.(o))V/-e–l–b.-I.-n

“Your mouth is half-opened, Maki~ I do know the fireworks look wonderful and all, however you’ll look foolish should you don’t shut your mouth correctly~”

“Huh? S-Sorry, it’s my first time seeing them this shut…”

“Hehe~ Nicely, because you appear to be having enjoyable, I’ll allow you to off. , whenever you acquired misplaced, I really regretted my choices. I believed that I ought to have gone with our unique plan.”

“Is that so…? Nicely, it doesn’t matter in the long run. We get to take pleasure in this second along with everybody… Ah, the subsequent batch is coming.”

“…Mhm.”

As soon as once more, we held one another’s arms tightly and shifted our gazes to the sky.

In response to the adverts, they deliberate to set off greater than seven thousand fireworks tonight. After the primary shot, fireworks of assorted colours and sizes adorned the evening sky, creating a stunning mild that shone upon us.

Everybody in our group had stopped consuming and raised their heads in fascination. From Riku-san, to Reiji-kun, all of them.

When the fireworks have been set off, the place acquired much more crowded than earlier than. I couldn’t see any gaps between the individuals round me. However, everybody, me included, didn’t appear to care about this. As an alternative, we have been simply having fun with the continual explosions of the fireworks.

It appeared like that they had taken the viewers’s comfort under consideration. The primary batch of the fireworks, consisting of 4 thousand fireworks in whole, wasn’t fired in a single lengthy sequence. Relatively, there have been intervals right here and there in order that the viewers’s neck wouldn’t get sore from trying up for too lengthy. After they fired all the pieces, they introduced a twenty minute break and notified us that the second batch with the remaining three thousand fireworks could be fired concurrently.

“…Mother, I need to pee…”

“Oh my… Rikkun, have you learnt the place the bathroom is?”

“I keep in mind seeing it close to the entrances, however there ought to be greater than that… Proper, there’s one close by, I’ll go along with you. You guys can be wonderful with out me, proper?”

“Sure, Reiji-kun ought to be your precedence, Bro, we’re wonderful right here. Additionally, Maki, simply in case, you don’t must go to the bathroom, proper? You don’t want to carry it.”

“True, don’t maintain it, Rep! When you have been to go in the course of the fireworks showers, we received’t be capable to accompany you!”

“I don’t want this a lot babysitting… I’ve completed all my enterprise earlier than coming right here to start with…”

I used to be going to ask Umi and Amami-san the identical query, however I held myself again. Yeah, that might be too insensitive of me to ask that type of query to ladies.

Guess I might pat myself within the again for this. If it was the previous me, I’d positively ask them with out a lot considering.

“…Sorry, I believe I’m the one who has to go. I’ve been tending to Rocky earlier than coming right here. Once I acquired dwelling and acquired prepared for the pageant, I used to be in a rush, so I didn’t get the prospect to do the rest.”

“Nicely, since Yuuchin goes, I’ll be going too. If I wait after the pageant is over, the place will certainly get crowded. I don’t need to maintain it again till I get dwelling! What about you, Umi?”

“Me? …Um…”

Umi glanced at me and tugged at my yukata. Like me, she had already completed all her enterprise earlier than coming right here, however I assume the anxiousness she felt once I was misplaced modified the sport somewhat.

Nicely, whereas I didn’t thoughts her following me to the bathroom, the alternative appeared somewhat inappropriate. If we have been at one another’s homes, it wouldn’t matter in any respect, however we have been in a public place.

“I’ll be right here with Nozomu, so you may go along with everybody. Nitta-san was proper, it received’t do you any good to carry it in.”

“…I assume you’re proper. Alright, I’ll be a part of Yuu and Nina then. Seki, I’ll go away him in your care.”

“Okay! Don’t fear, I’ll maintain an in depth eye on him in order that he received’t run off someplace!”

“I instructed you guys I don’t want that a lot babysitting… Jeez…”

And so, everybody else left for the closest rest room, leaving Nozomu and I behind.

The group of vigorous women left the place and it immediately grew to become quite a bit quieter. Nicely, I might admire the quiet ambiance, in addition to, I preferred spending my time alone with Nozomu like this— No, there wasn’t any unusual that means behind that sentence.

“Come to consider it, it has been some time since we have been left by ourselves like this. We used to do that quite a bit again after we have been within the first 12 months, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, effectively, we aren’t in the identical class anymore and also you’re too busy working towards. It was a disgrace that the earlier match didn’t go too effectively, although. You assume you may win the present one?”

“Nicely, we received our first match at that one, in order that’s that. I don’t understand how far we’ll go, although, however should you have been to ask me, I actually need us to win the nationals. Then we’ll get to senbatsu in spring and koshien in summer season.” (T/N: Each are annual baseball tournaments.)

Nozomu had already inherited the ‘ace’ place from the third-years and he had been working to be the middle of the workforce. He may typically be the butt of the jokes in our group, identical to me, however he was really a very gifted baseball participant. The type that might collect consideration from individuals inside and out of doors the nation.

My life was really blessed. Not solely I had Umi as my girlfriend, however I additionally had somebody as wonderful as him as pal. The variety of my pal circle was small, however they have been all good individuals.

“I see. Guess, you’ll be busy together with your membership for some time longer, huh? Good luck with that. I’ll attempt to provide you with one thing to get you nearer with Amami-san, so that you don’t want to fret an excessive amount of about that.”

“…Amami-san, huh? Proper…”

“Hm? Nozomu?”

Since I figured that this was one thing we might speak about, I introduced up the subject, however the second I discussed Amami-san’s title, his face misplaced its beforehand brilliant expression.

There ought to be no change between these two’s relationship. At the least, I haven’t heard about it from Umi or Nitta-san. From the best way they acted round one another, it didn’t appear to be one thing large had occurred too.

“…Maki, I don’t know if that is the best place for it, however I would like recommendation.”

“Is that this about Amami-san?”

“Nicely, yeah…”

Then he confirmed me his cellphone. There was an image of him in his uniform, smiling awkwardly, and Amami-san, who was carrying a mild smile.

The image might recommend quite a lot of issues, however there simply wasn’t sufficient data to substantiate something.

“Maki, you see… Amami-san and I have been—”

“Huh?”

The factor that he instructed me afterwards was one thing that distracted me for the remainder of the pageant.