Chapter 48: Why?

Translator: Soafp

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[Miyamoto PoV]

“Yona, are you ready?”

“Yeah. How about you, Ruri-chan?”

“I’m ready too. The meeting time is approaching, so let’s hurry.”

　At the end of the day, I took a look at my figure to make sure there was nothing strange. Yes, it should be fine …….

　The reflection of myself in the sight-seeing mirror is a light blue yukata with a drawstring in my hand. I think it’s okay to be a little confident.

“Yona?”

“Sorry, I’ll be right there.”

　Ruri-chan, wearing a pink yukata, approached me when I didn’t move, saying I was ready. My hair was tied up in a ponytail, which made me look different from usual.

　I hadn’t worn a yukata since I was little, so it took me a while to get ready. This was my first summer festival in two years, since I didn’t go last year. Perhaps it was because I had been going every year until last year, but it felt like it had been a long time since I had been.

　The meeting time was approaching, so Ruri-chan and I hurried to the meeting place, but it was hard to move and the crowd was so thick that we couldn’t move as fast as we wanted. By the time we arrived at the meeting place, it was way past our rendezvous time.

“Should I say that we just got here too?”

“You’re right, Aikawa, as long as you didn’t add anything.”

　The two men who said it like that seemed natural, as if they really didn’t care. I’m grateful and I’m sorry I’m late, but I’m a little disappointed at how natural they look when we’re dressed. I guess we have known each other for so long that they don’t think anything of us dressing differently than usual.

“I forgot to mention that both of you look great in yukata.”

　I was about to chase after Takuma, who had gone ahead of me, when Renya said these words as if he had just thought of it. That alone makes me happy, I’m so simple.

“Which one do you two want?”

　I was honestly happy that he took what I requested. I was a little bit jealous that he took the trouble to do it again and get one for Ruri-chan too. I was glad, though, because I would have felt self-conscious if I were the only one who got it. I’ll hang this stuffed animal in my room.

　After that, we wandered from place to place to buy various foods. I was a little tired, probably because I was wearing a yukata, which I was not used to. We waited until the fireworks went off near the shrine. We ate a variety of foods, taking care not to get our yukata dirty. All the food seemed to be high in calories, but it was okay for today, right?

　Takuma eats so much that I feel like I’m getting a heartattack just looking at him. It’s been a while since the four of us got together, but we’ve known each other for a long time, so we have no trouble finding things to talk about. We had been growing apart since we became high school students, and I was worried that our relationship would just disappear spontaneously, but I was a little relieved. I’m grateful to Takuma for inviting me out today.

　When the fireworks went off, we all looked up at the sky. It was an annual event, but we couldn’t see the fireworks last year. This time last year, we were worried that we wouldn’t be able to see them together again, but now we can again. I wonder what everyone is thinking as they look up at the sky? I hope we can come back next year to watch the fireworks again like this.

“Fujibayashi and Miyamoto, I’m sorry, but can you go ahead? I want to talk to Renya for a while.”

　Takuma, who had an unusually serious look on his face, said so, and Ruri and I decided to walk a little further. What are they going to talk about?

　I was curious, but I didn’t want to pry, so I ate some wagashi I had bought on my way home. We talked about how beautiful the fireworks were, how scared we were to get on the scale, how happy Ruri was that he gave her a stuffed animal, and so on.

“Today was fun, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, I hope we can all go together again next year.”

　Since the day Renya was falsely accused, our relationship has been strained, and our conversations have become somewhat awkward. He began to call us by our last names, and he began to distance himself from us. When I became a high school student, Takuma also started to call me and Ruri by our last names. When I asked Takuma why, he said, “It’s a punishment.” I have no idea why. But today, I was able to enjoy it like when I was a kid. What we did to him is unforgivable, and I intend to atone for it even if it takes my whole life. But I had always hoped that one day we could return to the relationship we had as children. I’m glad that this has come true, even if just a little.

　Maybe it was because we hadn’t done our annual event in two years, or maybe it was because of the festival atmosphere, but today everyone seemed to be reminiscing about their childhood. Those days when every day was fun.

　Even though some parts of our lives were pulled back by the past, we were able to spend our days just like those days. I hope that one day I can spend my days like that even if it’s not a special day.

　Perhaps because I was thinking in such a buoyant way, I didn’t realize it until too late. A car entered the intersection without stopping even at a red light.

　By the time I realized it, the car was almost upon me. I was so startled that my body froze.

(Did I just get hit by a bee because I wanted to go back to the way things were?)

That’s what I thought with my head that was moving against my body that was not moving. I’ve been thinking about making amends, but I haven’t yet made any amends to Renya-kun. I’ve apologized sincerely, and I’ll do whatever it takes, but you don’t want anything from me, Renya. He accepted my apology and forgave me, but I can’t say that I made amends with that alone. But now that I understand….

　I tried to avoid it, but I couldn’t move my body. I’ve never had the physical ability to jump out of the way on the spur of the moment, and right now I’m wearing a yukata that makes it difficult to move. I don’t know if I could have avoided it even if I hadn’t been frozen in surprise. Either way, all I could do now was watch as the car approached….

　Just as I was thinking about it, someone pulled on my arm. My body moved as if I were being thrown out of the car.

（Renya?)

　When I looked towards the arm that grabbed me, there was my childhood friend. He pulled on my and Ruri’s arm with his left and right hands respectively……and stepped forward through the gap between us.

（Why?)

　Why was I thrown out, why was he switching places with us, and why did he say, “I can’t think of any.”

BOOM!

Why is he lying down?

In my blank mind I don’t know what happened and I don’t want to know.

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