I remember the fireworks I watched with my friends last year.
It was the closest I could get to see the fireworks among all I had seen.
I wonder how Kagami felt.
Did they ever see fireworks in their childhood?
Looking back at me and my friends wandering around, with them pulling my wrist and walking diligently, I think that’s unlikely.
Who was around Kagami, I wonder?
Kosuzu didn’t even think of Kagami as family. Even if they might have understood the dictionary definition of family, they didn’t give anything that one typically expects from family. To Kosuzu, Kagami was merely a tool—a tool to become God.
The deities that Kagami had to manage after Kosuzu left abruptly couldn’t be called friends or family either. Naturally, that’s how it was. Without Kosuzu, Kagami had no choice but to be a priest, after all. The followers probably only revered Kagami.
So for Kagami, today might be the first time to enjoy a festival with people.
Thinking about it, all the feelings my friends felt for me could actually be applied directly to Kagami.
An abused child growing up without friends or a proper family.
…Outwardly, they seemed grown up, but inside, they hadn’t matured at all.
“Is there something on my face?”
Kagami asked me again.
I keep staring at Kagami intently.
Could it be that this joy is just a facade? I kept having that thought.
There wasn’t really any basis for that thought. In fact, I’m not sure why I even thought that.
“No.”
But I didn’t want to confirm it.
If Kagami was genuinely enjoying themselves, that was enough. If it was sincere, I had no reason to interfere.
If it’s a facade, well…
If… Yeah. If they were just trying to mimic something they never had, then there was nothing I could do to help.
I can only hope that someday Kagami will overcome that.
“……”
I, too, didn’t overcome it in my previous life.
I lifted my camera and took a picture of Kagami.
Click. The big shutter sound unique to DSLRs echoed, and I felt a slight vibration in my hand.
“Are you having fun?”
I asked while looking at the photo. Thankfully, it didn’t shake. I feel like my skills improve a little each time I take a shot. Maybe it wouldn’t be a problem to join the photo club again?
Well, that’s just a thought.
“Yes, it’s fun.”
Hearing Kagami’s voice, I looked up.
Kagami was looking at me with sparkling eyes.
They looked like Koko.
“That’s good.”
For some reason, I felt a sense of relief from that expression.
*
The fireworks soaring high into the sky were beautiful.
With a bang, the fireworks left a white trail as they went up, and with another bang, they bloomed brilliantly.
By the time the first burst of fireworks disappeared, pop-pop-pap, small fireworks went off one after another.
How on earth can the fireworks explode at such uniform angles, and how can they produce such vivid colors despite being mixed together—such questions honestly didn’t matter right now.
Like watching a magic show, there was no need to think about the tricks. Right now, all I had to do was enjoy it.
Kids were looking up at the sky with their mouths slightly open.
I was with these kids last year too.
I remember sitting together, looking up at the sky and having all sorts of conversations.
When I turned my gaze, I saw Koko.
Koko, who loves vibrant scenes in the anime she watches on TV, was mesmerized by the fireworks, looking up at the sky with her mouth slightly open.
I couldn’t tell if it was intentional, but the surroundings were a bit dark, so when the fireworks burst, colorful lights flowed onto Koko’s face.
The expression on that face, looking up at the sky without a thought, was somehow a bit different from her usual self.
The focused expression without saying anything… somehow didn’t look as youthful as usual.
I found myself thinking that they resembled Kagami.
Click.
I took a picture just as the light fell on Koko’s face.
I wonder what my face looks like.
Do I resemble Koko and Kagami as much?
I don’t think it’s just because we have similar faces.
The sense of resemblance seeps out through gestures and habits.
As I hesitated to check the camera’s photo, I just turned off the power.
Then, I looked up at the sky.
Fireworks painted a picture on the black sky.
So pretty.
It was so beautiful that I wanted to come back to watch it next year.
And the next year, and the year after that.
Even if we keep changing, even if we fight and disappoint each other a bit,
I hoped that we could meet again, sitting together and looking up at the fireworks.
*
“Kotone, that’s great.”
Mako said with a bright smile.
Since I cleared up Mako’s misunderstanding last time, Mako has been talking to me more often. Not just when we meet, but she sends emails more frequently and sometimes even calls.
I only wanted to take a bit of the burden off Mako by clearing up her misunderstanding, but it seems I made Mako worry even more, and I felt a bit sorry for that.
“It’s nice to reconcile with my mom.”
Honestly, this was also somewhat of a misunderstanding.
I never had such a bad relationship with Kagami…
We had moments we couldn’t trust each other. Kagami found me suspicious, and I had my reservations about Kagami.
Maybe if Kagami hadn’t approached first, we would have lived like that forever.
…So while it’s somewhat of a misunderstanding, in some sense, it’s also a fact.
“Yeah.”
“How were the fireworks?”
Harumi asked Kagami.
Given that she’s my mom, it doesn’t seem like there’s much of an age gap, and above all, since she kept hanging out with Kagami today and talking, Harumi seems to have developed quite an affection for Kagami.
“They were amazing.”
Kagami said with a smile.
I wonder what I told the kids about the fireworks last year.
Did I say we watched them from afar?
I don’t know if Kagami had ever seen fireworks or not, but at least judging by Kagami’s face right now, they looked like they had a lot of fun, whether they had seen them before or not.
“By the way, everyone.”
Kagami suddenly said as if recalling something.
“Since it’s already late, would you like to stay over at my house?”
“Oh!”
Harumi answered at Kagami’s suggestion.
“Is that alright?”
“Of course. There are plenty of spare rooms anyway.”
Well, it was more like there were many spare rooms than just a spare room.
Thinking about it, it was quite reassuring that Kagami was the owner of the building. The house might be old, but as long as there were rooms needed inside, they could just decorate any place casually.
“I don’t have any plans for tomorrow, so I’m fine.”
Yuka said.
Seeing Yuu and Mako nod, it seemed the two were okay too.
To be honest, considering “Since it’s already this late,” my house is quite far. It takes an hour by train from Tokyo and a 30-minute walk.
It would definitely be faster to go to Mako, Yuu, Harumi… or maybe Yuka’s house.
Of course, it feels a bit off because Kagami is with us.
“Well, shall we change our clothes and meet again?”
“Yes, yes! Then, we’ll wait around here comfortably, so please take your time to grab your stuff and come back! Let’s meet and set off together. Kotone, Koko. Is that okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Me too!”
Hearing our responses, the kids all smiled brightly.
First, we decided to take them to the nearby station, and the three of us agreed to spend time leisurely nearby.
It’s not like it’s a school vacation after all.
We went into a convenience store and each bought a carbonated drink.
Feeling that it was necessary, we all got Ramune.
“Uh, are you gonna drink?”
Kagami asked after hesitating, choosing a chuhai.
“Not right now.”
Kagami said with a bit of an awkward smile.
“I just… feel like trying it this way.”
I can’t even imagine how many things Kagami hasn’t experienced. It’s not just the things they couldn’t do in their childhood but also the normal things they should have had a chance to experience while growing up. It’s just now that I’m realizing a bit.
That’s right.
Going on a trip can be done alone, without friends or family, but Kagami didn’t even think of such things until they parted ways with me and Koko.
“……”
I feel like I want to drink with them.
But if I say I’ll drink, I bet Kagami would freak out. Honestly, I’m not even sure if they’d allow it after I become an adult.
No, maybe, if it ends up being my first time drinking, they might suggest we drink together instead.
I imagined the three of us—me, Koko, and Kagami—stepping into a house to drink some beer or highballs, and it felt a bit amusing.
“Do you dislike seeing your mom drink?”
Kagami awkwardly asked, and I shook my head.
“No. I was just thinking about whether we should buy something to eat on the way.”
I adjusted the camera slung across my messenger bag as I said.
“Shall we get some karaage?”
“Is it usual to eat karaage with drinks?”
“Other than karaage… we’ll eat a lot, right?”
I was slightly flustered by Kagami’s response.
I mean, anything eaten would be a snack, wouldn’t it? Whether it’s karaage, skewers, or just meat.
“Then let’s buy a few things on the way.”
Normally, Kagami would cook directly, but given that it was a bit awkward cooking at this time, decisions were better made.
Thud.
As I pushed in the marble of the Ramune bottle cap, the fizz of the carbonated drink rose up.
Taking a sip of the fizzy drink, I walked ahead.
It might sound a bit nonsensical, but who cares? The streets were buzzing with excitement. No one would scold us for wandering around while drinking.
The three of us walked side by side, slowly taking in the surroundings.
Were all those people in the lively street here to see the fireworks?
Even though the fireworks had ended, the lively mood they generated didn’t seem to dissipate. We wandered through the streets for quite a while without any particular reason.
I wished this moment would never end.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.