Chapter 146: Invitation to the Summer Festival

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Translator: Soafp

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“Yeah, since your hair's light-colored, Suzu, I think a white yukata would suit you. For the obi… maybe something in yellow tones? What do you think, Suzu?”

“Oooh~! As expected of Sora-chii! So cute!”

Sora helped Suzu choose a yukata while looking through the catalog, with the two gyaru girls watching on, clearly interested.

“Thanks for picking out ours too—you really know your stuff.”

“Well, she was the Princess's attendant back in middle school~”

Mutsu and Tsukki nodded as they reminisced about those days. At their words, Sora mumbled under her breath, then responded softly.

“Not anymore. I mean, I didn't just quit being Aika-chan's attendant… I was kinda forced out. Though in the end, I was the one who said I'd step down…”

“Oh… really?”

“Sorry, we still have this image of you from back then…”

“It's okay. Thanks to that, I got to learn things like how to pick out outfits. Let's pick out some hairpins too!”

Sora waved it off and changed the topic with a small shake of her head, trying to brush off the awkward moment. At that, Suzu threw her arms around her dramatically.

“Wah—Suzu!”

“I mean, I wanna see Sora-chii in a yukata too!”

Seeing Sora's face flush red, Mutsu and Tsukki grinned. Mutsu was even drooling a little.

“That's a great idea. Let's pick one out for her too… droooool.”

“Agreed! C'mon, to the fitting room, let's go!”

“N-No, it's fine! I already have a yukata—”

Before she could protest further, the two girls grabbed her by the arms. Sora flailed helplessly, unable to escape their firm grip.

“Just give in already! Resistance is futile!”

“S-Suzu! Wahhh!”

—About ten minutes later.

“…I knew it, I knew it, but still! Jesus!”

“Totally fooled by the baggy clothes! She's got a killer figure! Not just the face—she's S-class all around. I forgot she's related to the Princess. Even her waistline is on another level.”

“I've seen something amazing. Even though I'm way taller, I lose in cup size… But honestly, it was worth it. What a sight for sore eyes.”

Suzu and Tsukki, who had seen Sora changing in the spacious fitting room, writhed outside like vampires caught in sunlight, while Mutsu simply nodded in satisfaction. Sora stepped out of the room, glaring coldly at the three of them.

“You strip me down and that's your reaction…?”

Wearing a slightly oversized, subdued-color yukata in a boyish style, Sora removed the wide-brimmed cap she had pulled low over her face. Her striking eyes and delicate features were now clearly visible. With her natural elegance, she looked almost classically refined in her yukata.

“I always thought so, but you really do look like a different person when you take off your hat, Sora-chii. Now I get why you wear it. You're too pretty to be walking around alone.”

“Really? I'm not sure I get it, but I have had older men try to talk to me, so I'm usually careful.”

Sora combed her fingers through her hair, tilting her head in mild confusion as Mutsu stared at her in awe.

“Come to think of it, you always had bangs covering your face back in middle school, so I don't remember seeing you properly before. This is honestly shocking.”

“No way other girls who knew you back then would believe this. You look like someone out of a magazine.”

“Quit the flattery. I'm not used to it. I'm changing back now.”

Because they'd known Sora back then, Mutsu and Tsukki couldn't hide their surprise at how different she looked now. The current Sora—who had transformed through her connection with Ginji and worked on becoming more feminine—seemed like a completely different person from the one who had once been overshadowed by Aika. That rapid change wasn't just physical—it came from within, too. But Sora, who still didn't have much self-awareness about it, didn't fully grasp why the other girls were so stunned. Just as she turned to return to the fitting room—

“The yukata looks great on you. Ginji's going to love seeing you in it.”

Suzu's casual remark made Sora stop in her tracks. She turned back, eyes filled with hopeful curiosity.

“Really?”

“Of course! You should totally go to the fireworks festival together.”

“A yukata date… do you think Ginji would be happy if I invited him?”

“““Duh!!!”””

The other girls instantly shouted in unison, as if to say What are you even talking about?

“Wah—uh, thanks. I'll go change now.”

As Sora ducked back into the fitting room, Mutsu and Tsukki turned to Suzu and grabbed her by the shoulders.

“…Suzu, just to be clear—Sora-chan's boyfriend is a decent guy, right? ‘Cause if he turns out to be trash, I don't know what I'll do.”

“With how Sora-chan looks now, she could totally bag a top-tier guy. I'm kinda curious now—what's he like? Tall and popular, maybe?”

Suzu rubbed her head, clearly unsure how to explain.

“Mutsu, your grip hurts… I haven't met him that many times, but he's not a bad guy. His face is a bit scary, though~”

“So he's the kind of guy who could inspire that kind of change in Sora-chan…”

“A yukata date, huh…”

Seeing their thoughtful expressions, Suzu quickly warned them.

“I know what you two are thinking, but don't you dare get in Sora-chii's way!”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it.”

“Right, right. We've got to focus on landing boyfriends of our own this summer. Watching Sora-chan's got me totally fired up to get a guy~”

“Alright! We're gonna catch some dudes at the festival!”

““Yeah!!””

While the girls chatted excitedly—meanwhile, at work, Ginji…

“Achoo! Ah—crap!”

“Oi, Ginji! Hold in your sneezes while welding, you idiot! That's dangerous!”

“Sorry, Gen-san. I already pulled the torch away.”

“Damn right you did. Also, you've been going for a while—take a break.”

“Right. Uh, Gen-san, do you mind if I practice TIG welding today?”

“For that art project of yours? Go for it. I'll tell the boss. Grab some water first.”

“Thank you!”

Ginji stepped away from the workshop, took off his mask, and sat down on the bench in the break area, taking a swig from his water bottle.

“Man, it's hot…”

“Sorry, Gin-chan. One of the guys called in sick last minute. I'll give you a bit of extra pay. Oh, and you're free to use any scrap metal for your practice too.”

“Thanks.”

The factory owner, Iwasaki, walked over, lighting a cigarette like it was second nature.

“Phew… I only called you in today to coordinate schedules with a client, but ended up having you do welding. My bad.”

“No worries. I got some good practice in, and seeing the site helps when explaining things to the client anyway.”

“You really don't seem like a high schooler. Oh yeah—speaking of which, I've got something for you. Hang on.”

Iwasaki stubbed out his half-finished cigarette, ducked into the office, and quickly returned.

“Here, use this. Festival tickets. You can use them this weekend.”

He handed over some handmade-looking vouchers.

“Festival? What's going on?”

“You don't know? Since a couple years ago, we've been doing this town revitalization thing—fireworks by the river and all that. Our company donated, so we get these tickets.”

“Oh, right… I think I've heard about that. Thanks, I'll use them.”

“Sure, bring your girlfriend or whatever. Alright, I'll finish my smoke and head out.”

“Too much smoking is bad for your health, you know.”

“Don't sound like my wife. I only smoke here—never at home.”

“Still, that just means she cares.”

“Maybe so. Guess I'll go home early and have a drink with her tonight.”

“Sounds nice.”

After a friendly chat with his good-natured boss and a full afternoon of welding practice, Ginji returned home, took a shower, and called Sora. She picked up on the first ring.

“Hello—”

“Hey, Ginji! I was just about to call you!”

Her voice was full of joy, making Ginji chuckle.

“That so? Guess we're in sync. What were you calling about?”

“Well, I found out something today when I went out with Suzu—there's a festival this weekend. Wanna go with me? I'll wear a yukata. I want you to see it.”

“Wow, I was calling about that too. My boss gave me some festival vouchers today at work. I was gonna invite you. A yukata, huh? I'm looking forward to it.”

“Really!? Hehehe, perfect timing—just like master!”

“Master? Anyway, if you've got time, tell me about your day. Where'd you go?”

“Let's see… we went to this café and a yukata boutique downtown. Oh, and guess what—I talked to girls other than Suzu today. Impressive, right?”

“Nice, good for you.”

Since Sora usually had trouble interacting with girls at school because of Aika, Ginji was genuinely happy for her.

“Yeah, and then—”

Their phone call continued late into the night.