Chapter 96: Summer Festival ⑤

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Translator: Soafp

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“I knew it! You’re Ko-kun! I wasn’t completely sure because you’ve changed so much… but there’s no mistaking that face!”

Kokoa-san’s sudden interruption left all of us staring in surprise.

It didn’t seem like she had jumped in this time to stop the argument.

Her eyes were focused entirely on Nagasawa-senpai.

Nagasawa-senpai pointed at himself in confusion.

“Me?”

“Yeah! Who else would I be talking about? Ko-kun, don’t you remember me?”

“Umm… Where did we meet again…?”

“Come on! It’s not like I dyed my hair like you did! The only thing that’s really changed about me is how I dress!”

Kokoa-san pulled out her phone and opened her photo album.

There was a picture of her as a child.

Of course, she wasn’t dressed in her current dark-fashion style.

She looked like an ordinary elementary school girl.

She was even wearing glasses.

Peering at the photo, Nagasawa-senpai’s eyes widened.

“D-Don’t tell me… Miyo…?”

“That’s right! Honestly, you’re terrible!”

“No, you’ve changed way too much…”

To be fair, I agreed with him on that point.

Aside from her hair color, almost nothing remained of her former appearance.

More importantly…

“So Miyo-san’s Ko-kun turned out to be this guy.”

Airi whispered quietly, though loudly enough for me to hear.

Then even Nodoka, who had been trembling behind me, cried out in shock.

“W-Whaaat!? No way!!”

Honestly, I never would have guessed.

That Nagasawa-senpai had once protected Kokoa-san from bullying?

In my mind, he seemed more like the type who would be doing the bullying.

(…The traffic accident must have changed him.)

After losing his parents, Nagasawa-senpai had probably been forced to move away immediately.

With the shock of the accident, he likely never had the chance to properly say goodbye to Kokoa-san.

Kokoa-san only knew the person he used to be.

The Ko-kun she remembered no longer existed.

Should I tell her that truth now?

Or should I stay silent and let her keep the memory as something beautiful?

“Ren-kun.”

Airi squeezed my hand and softly called my name.

Right.

Even if Nagasawa-senpai was Kokoa-san’s first love, it didn’t change what we needed to do.

Right now, the priority was getting Yui away from here and helping her calm down.

“Yui, come stand next to Nodoka.”

“Eh? O-Okay…”

“Kokoa-san, this is the person you’ve wanted to see all this time, isn’t it? I’m sure you have a lot to talk about. Take your time. We’ll excuse ourselves.”

“Eh? R-Ren-sama?”

If Nagasawa-senpai were going to do something terrible to Kokoa-san, I would have seen it beforehand in a nightmare.

But I hadn’t seen anything.

So at the very least, the worst-case scenario wasn’t going to happen.

Besides, even Nagasawa-senpai wouldn’t do anything to a middle school girl in a crowded public place.

“B-But today was supposed to be spent with you, Ren-sama…”

Kokoa-san looked back and forth between me and Nagasawa-senpai.

It was understandable that she was confused.

After all, she had unexpectedly run into her first love at a place like this.

I smiled gently.

“Don’t worry about me. In a way, maybe all your hard work as an idol was leading up to this moment.”

“That’s true, but…”

“We’ll see each other again soon. For now, spend time with the person you’ve wanted to meet.”

After all, we were about to become neighbors in the same apartment building.

I bowed to Burn-san.

“Then we’ll be taking our leave.”

At last, we could finally head to our reserved seats.

Or so I thought.

Just as I took a step forward—

“Hey. Wait.”

A hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder.

I turned around.

It was Nagasawa-senpai.

“…What is it?”

“You. What’s your relationship with Miyo?”

“Huh…?”

“Why does Miyo call a guy like you ‘sama’!?”

Wait.

What?

I genuinely had no idea what he was talking about.

Nagasawa-senpai was wearing the most serious expression I had ever seen.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

Even the photography club members were holding their breath.

“I see. So that’s how it is.”

Airi giggled.

“Even trash has its own version of pure love.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Ren-kun, ask him. Ask him if he likes Miyo-san.”

“…What?”

At last, I understood what Airi was getting at.

To Kokoa-san, Nagasawa-senpai was her first love.

And to Nagasawa-senpai—

“W-What!? N-No, that’s not it!!”

As expected, Nagasawa-senpai had heard every word.

His ears turned bright red.

…Nobody asked for a male tsundere.

His unusually innocent reaction immediately drew sharp glares from the club president and the others toward Kokoa-san.

“What are you, anyway?”

“Yeah. You seem to know him, but could you stop barging in?”

“I don’t care if you’re some idol or whatever. Stop trying to get close to Senpai!”

Apparently they viewed Kokoa-san as a dangerous rival and immediately went on the offensive.

The hostility they’d been directing toward Yui had completely disappeared.

Airi snorted.

“Trash women for a trash man. How fitting.”

I quietly nodded.

Especially considering that first-year girl had only moments ago been wondering whether to ask Kokoa-san for an autograph.

Then Nagasawa-senpai frowned at the girls.

“Would you all shut up already!? Who do you think you are, talking to Miyo like that!?”

“S-Senpai…?”

“W-What’s gotten into you, Nagasawa?”

“What did this girl ever do to you, huh!? Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves as human beings!?”

…Hearing common sense come out of Nagasawa-senpai’s mouth almost made me wonder if I was dreaming.

Kokoa-san awkwardly smiled.

“A-Are they your girlfriends, Ko-kun? You’re popular, huh? I always thought you were popular, but I didn’t think it was this bad!”

“They’re not my girlfriends.”

“Really? Then what kind of relationship do you have?”

“W-Well…”

Nagasawa-senpai looked away.

Well, of course he couldn’t explain it properly.

Not when the truth was that he’d been stealing other people’s girlfriends.

“Senpai, what was that supposed to mean!? The other day you told me I was your woman!”

“That’s right!! You said the same thing to me too!!”

Naturally, the girls immediately started protesting.

The sweet words he’d once used to steal other men’s girlfriends had now become poison that bound him instead.

Finally, Nagasawa-senpai snapped.

“Will you all knock it off already!? I was never serious about any of you! You knew that, so why are you acting like this!?”

“Even if you weren’t serious, at least lie to us! You’re usually good at that! Why are you acting like this today!?”

“President, it’s because of that Miyo girl! That’s why Senpai is acting this way!!”

“If you like her that much, then why don’t you just sleep with her too!?”

Whoa.

This had become a full-blown disaster.

It felt like someone could pull out a knife at any moment.

That was how tense the atmosphere had become.

Confusion appeared on Kokoa-san’s face.

“K-Ko-kun…? Sleep with…? What does that mean…?”

“I-It’s not like that! This is…”

“Perhaps that’s enough.”

At that moment, Burn-san stepped between Kokoa-san and Nagasawa-senpai.

Nagasawa-senpai was a fairly large guy himself.

Yet standing next to Burn-san made him look small.

“I didn’t recognize you at first… but now I remember. You’ve grown quite a bit, Kotaro-kun.”

“Y-Yes… It’s been a long time.”

“Sorry, but I’d like to watch the fireworks with my daughter. Would you mind if we went ahead?”

“O-Of course.”

“I hope you enjoy the festival with your companions as well, Kotaro-kun.”

Burn-san effortlessly lifted Kokoa-san over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

…His strength was ridiculous.

Leaving the stunned Nagasawa-senpai behind, Burn-san approached us while still carrying Kokoa-san.

“Fukagawa-san. Please continue taking care of my daughter.”

“Ah, yes…”

Taking care of her… in what sense?

As her sponsor, obviously.

At least, that’s what I assumed.

At long last, we began walking toward our reserved seats.

Beside me, Airi started giggling again.

“You saw it, didn’t you, Ren-kun? Similar isn’t the same thing.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Who knows?”

Airi stretched up on her tiptoes and whispered into my ear.

“It’s called being in love.”

Chu—

Without warning, she kissed my cheek.

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It had been a day as chaotic as a storm.

But when the final fireworks bloomed across the night sky, the summer festival finally came to an end.

The moment Kokoa-san climbed into Burn-san’s car, she shouted:

“I had so much fun today, Ren-sama!”

while waving both hands enthusiastically.

After taking Nodoka home, we’d probably head back ourselves.

Even I was starting to feel exhausted.

I just wanted to rest.

Thinking that, I started heading toward Nodoka’s house.

But then Nodoka suddenly grabbed my hand tightly.

“Where do you think you’re going!?”

“Hm?”

“The night’s only just beginning, isn’t it!?”

She wrapped herself around my arm.

“You promised me today, remember!? You absolutely have to keep that promise!”