After finishing the Nagashi Bina experience, I carefully stored the plastic bag containing the dolls I collected in my carrier. We agreed that everyone would take their own later.
For a while, we wandered the streets aimlessly, snapping photos and enjoying the scenery of Hakgwiyaeng, when a group swaggered towards us, approaching with a cocky air.
“Heh. What do we have here? A tourist from the rich Trinity, huh?!”
“If we capture her, we could have a blast and drink until this year’s White Night festival!”
Wow, what a cliched delinquent line to appear.
In Trinity, it was already rare to see punks or helmet gangs that didn’t recognize me; I hadn’t run into any delinquents for months. But visiting Hakgwiyaeng put me at their mercy with no fame at all.
“…Heh. Who do you think you are?”
“Huh? We’re the infamous street delinquents—Kuhuek…!”
“This brat?!”
I leisurely pulled out my gun and fired a couple of rounds, watching them collapse. It felt too wasteful to lose time to such pathetic mob characters.
After dealing with Nameless Guardians or Vina, encountering losers like these was just absurd.
“Haruna-chan, it’s such a waste of time to deal with losers like these. Let’s wrap this up and continue exploring. Don’t you want to stop by that gacha shop or snack store over there?”
“Ooh, a snack store… Hehe. Let’s go and elegantly claim our treats with a Scoville level ten million spice!”
Since we still had baggage left to deal with, we discreetly hid ourselves and readied our guns. Haruna took down one of the delinquents with a single shot, preparing for her next.
“Heh, sometimes it’s necessary to move my body like this.”
Noah smiled with a relaxed demeanor, pulling back the stock of his pistol to aim.
They wouldn’t last long against either Noah or Haruna, and before long, the skirmish came to an unexciting end. If I hadn’t been there, it probably wouldn’t have even been a hassle.
The reason? I didn’t want to hear their nagging about not trusting them. I’d realized long ago that it’s better to handle things moderately unless a truly nonsensical opponent shows up.
We stepped over the battered delinquents and entered the gacha shop. I quickly scanned the countless machines, but unfortunately, none piqued my interest.
When I say almost, it means there’s something, of course.
A Momo Friends gacha machine.
The two who well knew my subtle love for Wavecat chuckled almost in unison, as I vigorously cranked the gacha machine. Haruna slid beside me, pulled out her cellphone, and started taking pictures. When she called out to me, I turned, only to catch Noah behind me, forming a V sign with his finger, prompting a light tickle as my retaliation.
The items I was aiming for in the gacha were, of course, Peroro and Skullman, Wavecat. The rest were things I had no intention of keeping and wouldn’t even gift to anyone.
…To clarify, it was just the Skullman for Azusa and the Wavecat for me. Everything else I could give to Hifumi, and she would surely appreciate it.
After a while, engrossed in collecting cute Momo Friends goods, we headed to the snack shop, following Haruna’s wish.
And then…
Kaboom—!!!
Before long, the snack shop exploded.
…It wasn’t Haruna’s doing.
“You shameless punks! How dare you touch our delinquents and boldly pick out snacks! Outrageous, outrageous!”
Fortune or misfortune, we were examining the innermost parts of the shop when the explosion happened, so we didn’t directly suffer any damage. However, the front of the shop and its interior were in complete disarray.
“…Heh. Hehehe.”
“Uh, Haruna-chan.”
“…Yes, Mika-san. Hehe.”
“Shall I help?”
“No, it’s alright. Yes, it’s completely fine. If this teaches those uncivilized folks a lesson about not taking cuisine lightly, it’ll be enough for me to handle it myself.”
…Honestly, that’s not something you should say, Haruna. It might not be so much now, but used to be her routine to blow up shops all the time.
“I will offer a Scoville level ten million… no, one hundred million spicy taste.”
Haruna replied coldly as she unleashed hell upon the delinquents.
One hundred million Scoville? What’s that? It’s really deadly.
…Wait, haven’t I already experienced such spiciness before? Is it just me?
*
Aside from the two unexpected delinquent attacks, Hakgwiyaeng was surprisingly peaceful. A place buzzing with festival excitement.
Perhaps one of the delinquents we took down initially recovered and called in the nearby others.
Our plan to enjoy snacks fell through, and though we released our stress, Haruna was feeling down about it. Noah and I briefly discussed how to lift her spirits. While this trip served partly to strengthen our bond as three, it was fundamentally a trip for Haruna.
I felt bad for excluding Noah, who, according to Haruna, seemed to like both of us. That’s why we organized this trip together in advance.
I had to be especially attentive to Haruna’s feelings, so we reached one conclusion.
Ultimately, everything for Haruna must lead to gourmet meals.
That was our only option.
But the problem lay in the timing. At 5 PM, it was a somewhat awkward time to eat, limiting our choices.
At this time, having a snack would be awkward. It’s always a concern for foodies like me and Haruna, as it might interfere with dinner.
So what could we do instead? As I pondered, I spotted people boating on a nearby river.
That’s it. If we seat Haruna between us and just appreciate the scenery while chatting, it will surely brighten her mood.
With that thought in mind, I proposed boating, but why…
Why did Noah betray me, positioning me between them?
“Hey, Noah-chan. This is a bit different from what I expected…?”
“I’m sorry, Mika-chan. But I really don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“Seriously, you can’t be doing this? You remember everything else…?”
“Mika-san, while I appreciate your concern, unfortunately, Noah-san is on my side here.”
“Of course. While the idea of a trip for Haruna-chan is great, trips are ultimately most meaningful when everyone can enjoy it together, right?”
“So please, just surrender your arms to us. Hehe.”
It was hard to argue against their sound reasoning. But just a little while ago, they seemed on my side. How could they hit me with a backstab like this?
“Don’t you find this situation agreeable, Mika-chan? After all, you dream of conquering Kivotos with beauty. You’ve already taken Gehenna, so it’s obvious you’re aiming for Millennium next.”
“…Noah-chan, when did I ever start being perceived that way by you?!”
“Um… maybe during the summer festival?”
“Wow—oh…”
That was over six months ago, so time really flies.
“Anyway, Hakgwiyaeng is such a beautiful place… Even now, it leaves ripples in my heart with its wonderful atmosphere. Just think how enchanting it will be during the White Night festival!”
“Well, then, should we come together next time?”
“Oh my. Is this an after-party request on the very first day of our trip?”
“Well, maybe the number of participants could increase, but… for now, let’s go with that.”
It seems like it could become the stage for a serious examination?
While I can always find personal time, our relationship can only be maintained if we can all come together for shared joyful events.
Right now, I’m living with Nagisa, but after graduation, things will surely change.
Living with one person and living separately with another—it doesn’t make sense.
If things started creaking from any corner, the relationship could only break down.
That’s why I feel the need to test whether we can all get along when gathered together during the White Night festival while also checking if I can maintain this relationship.
It was proven that Haruna and Hina could get along, especially due to their idol training. If we added Nagisa, and if Noah were to become a part of this relationship, it would only get more complicated.
Seeing Noah’s attitude today, it seems they’ve already sensed that our relationship will change during this trip.
“Mika-san, don’t think too complicated. You really don’t need to.”
“Okay?”
“Hehe, just take it as you always have. Really.”
With that, Haruna naturally leaned her head on my shoulder. Noah followed suit. Both of them were quite taller than me, making it feel completely natural.
With no luxury of time to think deeply about what Haruna’s words meant, I surrendered to the luxurious boat ride accompanied by the boatman humming a tune.
