She rolls a candy apple around in her mouth.
Looking like an ordinary girl of her age, yet she’s over 60 years old.
The cognitive dissonance is driving me insane.
Seira glances around nervously.
But alas.
“President…”
Kasumi-senpai’s sympathetic gaze lands on Seira.
“So you had that hobby…”
Eri’s surprised voice flies in next.
“I-I didn’t see anything!”
“Y-Yeah, that’s right. I didn’t see anything either, President.”
Olivia covers her eyes and Rin shakes her head in agreement.
“Hawa wawawawa…”
Makoto, hiding her mouth with her hand from the back, chimes in as well.
Anyone can tell they’ve all seen it.
[W-Wait, sister. No, Seira… What happened while I wasn’t looking…?]
The voice of the Black Prince, once Seira’s comrade, echoes in my mind.
He’s set to be the youngest among the Five Crowns.
Claimed to be 15 during the Great Catastrophe 30 years ago.
I mean, it’s a Japanese light novel that loves its teens, so it’s a bit ridiculous for a 15-year-old to save the world, right?
Isn’t that like a child soldier?
“…It seems everyone has witnessed it, President.”
Aris speaks calmly.
“Ughhh…”
Seira’s face turns beet red.
Her red eyes spin around wildly.
Completely opposite of her usual composed and seductive smile.
“W-Well then. If that’s the case, we have no choice! Follow me, everyone. And, owner! Give us some candy apples to match the crowd size here!”
“Ah, understood.”
The candy apple vendor is taken aback by Seira’s suddenly elderly tone.
He inadvertently hands over the candy apples.
Candy apples, huh.
To think I have one of those essential summer festival snacks in my hand.
I pop the red sugar-coated candy apple into my mouth.
Crunch.
The sweetness of the sugar and the tartness of the apple mingle on my tongue.
Delicious.
I think I get why people carry candy apples around during festivals.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Seira picks up a fan that fell on the ground and clears her throat.
She hides her face with the fan and stops by a food stall selling festival treats to buy a bunch of goodies.
“Here, take this, Aris.”
“Understood, President.”
Like a dedicated secretary, Aris follows Seira around.
By the time her hands are bulging with plastic bags…
They arrive at the park.
Dong, dong dong.
A traditional Japanese drum performance is happening on the stage set up in the park.
Various festival foods, often seen during Japanese festivals, lay on picnic tables, illuminated by sparkling orange lanterns.
It’s that time again: the picnic table is loaded with all the delicious foods you often see at Japanese festivals.
Japanese stir-fried noodles, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, and even takoyaki and karaage.
It’s not a feast of kings, but there’s definitely a generous spread.
“Didn’t you skip dinner? Aren’t you hungry? It’s all on me, so dig in!”
With a dramatic flair, Seira, in her black yukata, spreads her arms and shouts.
Eri, plucking at her chopsticks, speaks in a deadpan tone.
“Chairman, were you trying to cover up that earlier scene?”
“Th-th-th-that’s…”
Seira hides her face behind a fan, flustered.
You can see her cheeks flushing through the swaying fan.
Noticing this, Aris speaks in a calm voice.
“The Chairman sometimes enjoys displaying a childlike side. I ask for your understanding, juniors. And please keep this confidential.”
Aris bows her head.
“Cough, cough. That’s just how it is!”
Aris continues to hide her face with the fan, looking quite awkward.
What a scene!
“Well, if the senior president says so…”
Eri’s words are echoed by all the women, nodding along.
Looks like the friendly atmosphere is keeping things smooth.
“Thank goodness. I feel like I’ve aged ten years.”
Seira comments as she sticks the fan into her yukata’s obi.
“Now, let’s all enjoy this feast, my beloved students!”
While tuning out Seira’s words, I grab my chopsticks to snag a takoyaki.
The bonito flakes, sauce, flour batter, and octopus swirl together in my mouth.
Delicious.
After devouring the takoyaki, I move on to the yakisoba.
Of course, the summer festival calls for yakisoba.
Slurp.
The unique sauce and noodles melt in my mouth.
Nothing beats food that someone else has paid for.
“Hey there, try this.”
Just as I’m wolfing down on the yakisoba, Olivia shoves a piece of okonomiyaki in front of me with her fork.
Oh great, more feeding.
Well, I decided to go along with it today.
Silently, I take the okonomiyaki from her hand.
“Hmm, you’re eating well. Of course, the food I give you is the best, right?”
Olivia beams with her trademark lady smile.
Seeing Olivia, Eri puffs up her cheeks and pokes a toothpick into her own takoyaki before thrusting it toward me.
“Hmph! Eri’s gonna give her master takoyaki too! Here! If you don’t eat it, Eri will sulk.”
“Junior, you’re gonna eat the karaage I give you too, right?”
“Master, I prepared some grilled eel just for you. I hope you eat it!”
“Here, Kim Deok-Sung! This is the taiyaki I chose with great care. Eat it!”
At this rate, I might burst from eating too much!
[It’s the path you chose, Partner. You gotta tough it out against all odds.]
‘Where did you learn that kind of line?’
[From the Korean internet.]
I can’t even respond, it’s too ridiculous.
I turn my head away.
Eri is puffing up her cheeks, Makoto is making irritating sounds, Kasumi-senpai is muttering something about a ‘black beast,’ and Rin is biting her lip with a ‘kuh’ sound.
What a sight it is!
“I’ll eat everything, so calm down a bit.”
The chaotic food fest only ended after I wolfed down everything the girls were offering me.
Once I polished off all the festival foods, Aris silently placed a bottle in front of me.
It’s ramune.
Touching the glass bottle, it feels pretty cold.
It’s cold.
“Please drink, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
Aris gazes at me with her silver eyes.
How do I even open this?
After ripping the plastic and pulling out the ring, I forcefully pop the plastic cap in.
A glass marble that was blocking the neck falls out.
I finally take a sip of the Ramune.
Aris’s gaze turns toward me.
Honestly, it’s not my taste. Korean Chilsan cider is way better.
“…How is it?”
“It’s tasty…”
But there’s really no need to voice that.
Hearing my answer, Aris nods her head.
Just then, a faint smile graces her lips.
Clap.
Seira claps her hands.
“Well then, young ones, an old geezer like me can’t just join in on your fun. I shall take my leave now. Stand up, Aris.”
“Chairman, it’s already been revealed to everyone that you’re ‘Seira-tan,’ so you don’t have to act like an adult.”
*Cough, cough!*
It seems Seira chokes on Aris’s remark.
“Wow. Senior Chairman, you’re so cool.”
“Senior Chairman is more like an older sister.”
Eri and Makoto exclaim as they look at Aris.
Seira’s face turns red upon hearing that.
“Bwoooh…”
Seira makes a strange sound, puffing air into her cheeks.
What’s with this old lady?
Did she eat something weird?
[Seira, looks like you’ve been through a lot in the time we haven’t seen each other.]
Even the Black Prince, her companion, shakes his head in disbelief.
Just when I let out a sigh.
Seira pulls out a fan pinned to her waistband, covering her face, and looks at me.
Seira’s red eyes keep glancing this way.
“So, um, is it alright if I join in the festivities too?”
Why are you asking me?
Before her words finish, all the women’s gazes turn towards me.
[Partner, I think it’d be wise to grant permission…]
The Black Prince unnecessarily offers his advice.
“Why are you asking me? Do as you please.”
“That means it’s okay, huh. Well then, I suppose I have no choice. I’ll join in as well.”
Hehe.
Seira waves her fan while chuckling.
“Then I’ll also assist the Chairman, so I’ll be acting with you from now on.”
Aris chimes in as if she’s been waiting for this moment.
“You’re not being honest, are you? A-chan.”
Seira’s red eyes narrow.
Her gaze shifts toward Aris.
“Chairman, please don’t call me by that nickname in front of our juniors…”
Aris shakes her head, her face turning red.
Aris and Seira are dressed in yukatas.
Definitely a sight I’ve never seen in the original.
More like something out of merchandise.
In the festival arc of volume 5, the heroine accompanying the protagonist was Olivia, Rin, Eri, and Kasumi—four of them.
“Once you’re done eating, let’s start moving.”
Aris, now back to her usual expressionless face, gets up from her seat.
After cleaning up, with Aris and Seira joining in, our group of many people strolls through the festival food stall streets.
“Wasshoi!”
“Wasshoi!”
A distant, unfamiliar call echoes.
Along with it, I catch a glimpse of a lively parade with bearers in fundoshi carrying a ceremonial palanquin, mikoshi, and red lanterns following behind.
It’s a mikoshi procession, an essential event in summer festivals.
“Wow…”
Aris lets out a small exclamation.
Her gaze is glued to the mikoshi parade.
It gets stuck.
But isn’t it heavy to carry such a big palanquin?
The bearers, dressed in mikoshi, are endlessly lined up one after another.
“What are we doing? Saionji-senpai. Let’s hurry up.”
“…I was about to go, Kim Deok-Sung.”
Finally, Aris moves her feet only after I urge her.
The place we’ve arrived at with our group is a street filled with game stalls.
Just like I saw in anime, there are plenty of game booths like goldfish scooping, water balloon fishing, cork shooting, and lottery draws.
“Master, did you want to play some street games?”
“I didn’t know you liked this sort of thing.”
“When it’s a summer festival, you have to play street games.”
Eri, Olivia, and Rin chatter beside me.
“I don’t really like it. I just wanted to try it.”
Expressing my honest feelings, I head for the goldfish scooping booth that stands out among the many stalls.
Just like I saw in the animation, I see a tank filled with colorful goldfish and a paper scoop.
I’ve always wanted to try it.
I pay the 150 yen entrance fee and receive a paper scoop.
[What do you think? Partner. How’s the grip on the scoop?]
‘It’s fine! This should be a piece of cake.’
Honestly, trying this multiple times is just ridiculous.
‘I just need to succeed on the first try.’
Splash.
As I dip the paper scoop into the goldfish tank, trying to catch one.
Rip.
The scoop tears.
“Okay, the first try was a bit much. I’ll need to try twice.”
I put the second scoop into the water.
This time, even before I can catch, the flimsy paper scoop tears.
“Well, I can go for three tries…”
Third attempt.
Just as I was about to succeed, it tears.
I’m starting to get frustrated.
I keep trying.
Four times, five times, six times, seven times…
Finally, at the twentieth attempt.
The voice of the Black Prince echoes in my head.
[Partner, why are you so bad? It’s frustrating just watching. Where did the guy who said he’d succeed on the first try go?]
‘Shut up. This is harder than I thought. The scoop keeps tearing.’
Not even one caught after twenty tries?
Now it’s personal.
Let’s see who wins.
[You should just enjoy it; why take it so seriously? I heard Koreans don’t just enjoy games, they try to win…]
‘Isn’t the point of games to win?’
[Partner. It’s a bit pathetic for someone who’s caught not a single fish after twenty tries to say that. A true gentleman knows when to back down sometimes.]
Back down? What do you mean back down?
I’m not leaving until I’ve caught every single goldfish here.
With that steely resolve, I receive the twenty-first scoop.
“Kim Deok-Sung. Do you really want a goldfish?”
I hear a voice beside me.
Turning my head, I see Rin, confidently placing her hand on her ample chest, wearing a blue yukata.
She laughs, brushing her navy hair to the side.
“How about letting me, Shinozaki Rin, take over? With my trained goldfish scooping skills, I can catch several!”
Was that really something to say with such a serious tone?
“Sure. Give it a try.”
I hand her the twenty-first paper scoop.
Let’s see how good she really is.
You can’t hand it over (illustration included).
Taking the scoop, Rin takes a deep breath and plunges it straight into the tank.
Splash.
The moment the scoop hits the cold water.
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