It was fine until I let the goldfish go, but in the end, Sota and his gang were caught by the security guard.
It didn’t seem like the news of Sota fighting with those guys got out, and there was no incident of them being handed over to the police. In fact, they probably had their own troubles to deal with. There seemed to be adults among the men too.
“These bastards… I won’t let this slide.”
Fukuda murmured that, making Sota feel a little scared, but he decided to brush it off.
It was probably something said in the heat of the moment. The other side was already gone, so what could they do now?
Instead, he asked,
“Are you okay where you got hit?”
“I’m fine.”
Fukuda replied in a tone that didn’t seem like he was acting.
Was it that he didn’t get hit as hard as expected, or was it that Fukuda was that strong? At least for now, since the person involved said so, Sota had nothing further to say.
“……”
Yuka was deep in thought. Her gaze wandered between Kurosawa and elsewhere, only to return to Kurosawa repeatedly.
Sota could understand what Yuka was warning about. Certainly, Kurosawa had… some rather unusual abilities.
If Yuka hadn’t stopped Kurosawa there, it would have likely led to a disaster, as she said.
However, at the same time, Sota didn’t think Kurosawa was that strange after all.
If they filtered “non-ordinary beings” just by their abilities, then Sota himself wouldn’t be any different.
Rather, it might be fortunate that he could tell today that Kurosawa had feelings just like the other kids.
“Yuka, are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
Yuka nodded absently in response to Sota’s words.
Yuka also had a cut on her arm. Perhaps that was from when Kurosawa’s hair moved and hurt her.
Yet Yuka didn’t try to exclude Kurosawa. She just hoped for Kurosawa to stop while sacrificing herself.
Was it simply because she didn’t bring a knife? Or perhaps—
“Oh, it’s starting.”
Nanami said.
Her voice was a bit more exaggerated than when they were walking through the crowded street a while ago.
Since it happened on a joyful day, she probably thought to cover that memory with another enjoyment.
Sota felt the same. He had been waiting until just before the fireworks started for such a reason.
Shii seemed relieved that Sota was safe, subsequently relaxing and leaning on his shoulder.
The complicated feelings caused by the various incidents didn’t last long.
Boom!
A small explosion sounded from across the river, and a red light shot up into the sky quickly.
Boom!
Once again that sound echoed through the sky, and the red line spread out, creating a round shape.
For sure those fireworks were being affected by the gravity of the Earth, but in the way they soared to the sky, there was no sense of restriction. The radiant colors dancing around like in a zero-gravity space were beautiful enough to blow away all the complicated thoughts in Sota’s head in an instant.
Gasps escaped here and there.
And Sota’s group was no exception.
Nanami, who was expressive by nature, and Yuka, who normally seemed a bit grumpy but actually had a delicate and gentle heart, both looked up at the fireworks with slightly parted lips, wearing strangely similar expressions. Was this the scene they both desired?
Fukuda was the same. That kid, who usually acted as if everything was bothersome and seemingly forced, looked up at the fireworks with a somewhat blank expression. It seemed like he had almost completely forgotten the pain in his body now.
Shii’s eyes sparkled. Perhaps they were slightly wet with tears.
And Kurosawa.
Kurosawa also was looking up at the fireworks in silence.
As always, she wore a somewhat blank expression. Honestly, it was a bit difficult to tell what she was thinking just by looking at her face.
However, in those two red eyes visible between her hair, the reflection of the fireworks could definitely be seen.
Kurosawa was staring intently at the fireworks that were engraved into the sky.
“……”
A lot happened today. There were things that didn’t necessarily need to be experienced, and things that didn’t necessarily need to be known.
But that’s all there was to it.
All those things were merely encounters faced while coming up to this point.
Sota just wished that the memory of today wouldn’t remain as a terrible day in Kurosawa’s memory.
*
After watching the fireworks, the festival ended in a rather empty manner.
Fukuda Harumi took Kurosawa’s wrist and went to catch one more goldfish.
Like an idiot who couldn’t even say a single “thank you,” she just stared blankly at Harumi while holding the bag of swimming goldfish.
“Now then.”
Harumi said to Kurosawa.
“Aren’t we all going home anyway?”
“Uh, uh…”
Harumi knew how strange it looked for her attitude to change so drastically right after seeing the fireworks.
But she couldn’t help but continue to think.
The festival was more enjoyable than she expected.
The fireworks were so beautiful that she thought it was good to have come to see them.
But, but—
Those bastards could not be forgiven.
Harumi knew that how she thought wasn’t anything extraordinary.
She also knew she would be borrowing someone else’s hand—
No, was it really just that? The father of Yuuki, who was lying in a hospital, couldn’t just be called a stranger in that incident.
Since what happened to Yuuki became a problem, the person who befriended Yuuki also ended up being bedridden and unable to get up.
So, that uncle definitely had the right to know about this. Harumi thought so.
It wasn’t solely the bond from being a friend’s father; that thought carried some kind of purpose behind it.
And.
“……”
There were things Harumi wanted to ask Kurosawa.
Earlier, the situation turned so urgent that she couldn’t think of it, and above all, it felt like such an outrageous thought. But—
What if Kurosawa had some kind of ability? What if, like Yuuki said, she could ‘cleanse’ all those garbage in that moment?
Why did Kurosawa remain still in front of Mako?
What reason did she have to watch Mako end up like that?
……Knowing that this thought was absurd, knowing that asking wouldn’t matter, and understanding that Kurosawa would logically have a reason—
Harumi couldn’t ask right there.
She didn’t want to resolve the precious memories with a fight.
That’s why she might have brought Kurosawa back to catch another goldfish. Even to that foolish being who didn’t even know how to say thank you.
“……I’m leaving.”
And that’s why she could only say that. Because it would mean nothing to think too much in front of these kids.
Hearing the kids saying goodbye from behind her, Harumi waved her hand lightly and walked away quickly.
The hospital where Yuuki was staying was where she was headed.
*
People on the subway looked at a girl in black clothes, holding a goldfish, with her black hair a little too long, as if she was a bit peculiar.
But there are plenty of people in this world wearing strange outfits. Kurosawa’s attire was worth a glance for a moment, but nothing more than that.
Holding the bag with the goldfish, Kurosawa walked slowly from the subway station to her house.
The sky had already turned black, and there weren’t many people walking around the residential area, but Kurosawa never felt afraid of the path.
Even on the way home, nothing special happened.
Once she got upstairs, Kurosawa opened the front door.
“Welcome back.”
As always, when Kurosawa entered the house, Kagami’s voice could be heard from inside.
“Did you have fun with your friends? Wow, what you’re holding is a goldfish? Did you win a goldfish?”
Did Kagami know how to win a goldfish? Kurosawa had only seen that for the first time today.
In Kurosawa’s memory, Kagami had always been in this house.
“Yeah… Fukuda got it.”
“Wow, then is it a gift from a friend?”
Kagami said as if genuinely pleased.
Why is that?
How can someone who can’t go outside smile so joyfully just by listening to Kurosawa’s stories?
Thinking about it, other kids were the same. When they did something that Kurosawa couldn’t understand, Kurosawa felt happy receiving or eating it from them.
Kurosawa didn’t know the reason, but she felt good when they did that. If that feeling was indeed good, she liked it.
“There should be a bowl in the kitchen. Let’s put it there and keep it.”
Kagami said that.
Kurosawa carefully set the goldfish bag down on the floor. Nothing spilled even when she was cautious.
“And, what else happened?”
A question followed Kurosawa’s back as she headed to the kitchen.
As Kurosawa took out the bowl Kagami mentioned from the kitchen cabinet, she laid out the things she ate today, at least about what the kids had said.
That there were many people there.
And—
She didn’t say a word about the people who tried to hit Kurosawa and Fukuda.
For some reason, it felt like something that should be left unsaid.
There was no need to ruin Kagami’s face.
Because the other kids didn’t say a word about it after watching the fireworks.
“……I saw the fireworks.”
“Fireworks.”
Kagami spoke blankly for a moment.
Turning around with the biggest bowl she could find, she saw Kurosawa staring at her with a blank expression.
“……Were they beautiful?”
“……Yeah.”
“Is that so?”
Kagami smiled brightly again.
As if she had seen those fireworks herself.
“Next time, let’s go watch them together.”
“……Yeah.”
I wonder if we can go next time.
Kurosawa didn’t explicitly deny the words. She didn’t turn her gaze back to the chain either.
Once again, it’s worth repeating,
There was no need to ruin the expression of the person she was talking to.
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