LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 67
Summer vacation was almost over. For Ryuichi, it would be no exaggeration to say that this summer vacation was a time when many things had happened, and at the same time, it was a time when he once again came face to face with the important people who were always around him.
“I love you.”
The voice who’d uttered those words wasn’t Shizuna’s, Chisa’s, Satsuki’s, or even Sakie’s. It was the voice of his mother before he’d gained Ryuichi’s will, the mother of Ryuichi’s past life who’d loved him dearly… Of course, it wasn’t just her, but his father as well who’d loved him.
“…That’s right. I certainly am Ryuichi. But…I’m also the son of those two. It’s not like all my memories are painful.”
In the first place, it didn’t suit a bulky guy like Ryuichi to dwell on painful memories for so long. Besides, today was the day that Ryuichi would be going out with everyone he knew.
“This really does hit the spot.”
“Chisa-san, please try not to drink too much.”
In front of him was Chisa, sitting on a chair drinking a beer, and Satsuki, who was watching to make sure she did not overdo it. Shizuna was sitting right next to Ryuichi, and Sakie was also drinking a beer, though not as much as Chisa was.
“Has it been long since you’ve last seen a firework show, Ryuichi-kun?”
Shizuna asked him this question, and he nodded his head in response. Since today was the day of the fireworks display to end the summer season, everyone decided to go out together to the city. He had often gone out alone when he was a child because he could see the fireworks if he went to town, but this was the first time he would be going out with someone to watch the fireworks.
“Since it’s you we’re talking about, you probably just went to find some nice girls instead of watch the fireworks, huh?”
“………”
That’s not true, wasn’t something he could say. Just as Chisa said, last year he’d gone out at this time of year too, but that was because he, Makoro, and Kaname were looking for women with whom they’d have a one-night stand. If they found a partner, they would make a good impression on them, seduce them, and ignore the fireworks as they spent a sweet night at a hotel with them before going home.
“You have us with you this year, so you won’t have to do that.”
Shizuna linked arms with him, and Ryuichi nodded his head in agreement. Well, even if he had to spend this time of year alone, he had no plans on picking up girls, so there was no need for her to worry, but when he thought about it, he was deeply moved by how different things were now for him to spend his summer in such a state of bliss.
“Did something happen to you recently?”
“Huh?”
It was Sakie who’d asked this to him. Although there really wasn’t anything in particular that had happened to him, what was clear was that he’d had a reunion with his family in a dream, so it wasn’t something he could confidently talk about.
“…Well, I’ve managed to sort out my feelings a bit, I guess.”
“I see. If you’re smiling, it must’ve been a good thing.”
Sakie giggled at Ryuichi. The other girls followed suit and looked at him too, smiling. As for Ryuichi, he was pretty happy to be stared at like this, but he scratched his cheek to cover the slight embarrassment he felt.
“…Man, it feels totally different now from how it was a little while back.”
“That’s true. At the very least, if this were the you from a year ago, you wouldn’t have watched the fireworks; you would’ve just taken us all home and eaten us all up.”
“W-Was he really that aggressive?”
Chisa gave Satsuki a nod. Then, without giving Ryuichi the chance to cut in, Chisa went on to tell everyone what Ryuichi had used to be like. Everything she said was right though, so he couldn’t deny her either.
“Being aggressive is a little different from how he is now, huh.”
“…But, if it were Ryuichi-kun, I’d happily go along with him.”
“Even if it was the old Ryuichi?”
“Yes.”
Satsuki assented without hesitation. However, it seemed that Shizuna was conscious of not being outdone by Satsuki, since she also nodded her head up and down with great vigor.
“Stop talking about the old me.”
“Huh?”
“Why?”
When asked for a reason, Ryuichi answered somewhat spontaneously.
“The old me and the current me are, without a doubt, both me…but I like the new me better now that I’ve met you, Shizuna, and the others and changed. So, well, I’d rather you be with the present me than the past me…is how I’m feeling, I guess?”
He wasn’t sure he was able to put his thoughts into words well, but the girls probably understood his intentions.
“…You’ve really changed, haven’t you? Yup, yup, past you was totally fine, but you’re a really good boy now.”
The reason she’d called him a good ‘boy’ rather than a good ‘man’ was likely because Ryuichi was younger than her. Satsuki just stared in amazement since she hadn’t spent much time with Ryuichi yet, but when it came to Sakie, the oldest in the group, she reached out her arm and patted Ryuichi’s head.
“The Ryuichi I saw when I first met was wonderful, very much so. But now, I feel you’re wonderful and cute.”
“Ah, that’s it, Sakie-san!”
Ryuichi weakly brushed off her hand that was stroking him, telling her to stop calling him cute. It was inevitable that they would make fun of him for being shy, so Ryuichi hid behind Shizuna and Satsuki to hide from Chisa and Sakie, the adults of the group, so to speak.
“Geez, how could you two treat me like a kid?”
“Well, you’re a high schooler, so even from my point of view, you’re sort of like a kid too, you know?”
“Even you, Satsuki?!”
In the end, it seemed that the only ally he had was his same-aged companion, Shizuna.
“…You’re so cute, Ryuichi-kun.”
“………”
Ryuichi, clutching his chest, drooped his head down again.
It was still early in the evening before the fireworks would go off, but there were many people gathered around, so of course it was very busy and noisy, and the four beautiful women gathered near Ryuichi attracted a lot of attention, as expected.
It was easy to imagine that if they had not been so friendly with Ryuichi, they would have been catcalled by other men straight away.
…They all look really good in their yukatas.
All four girls were wearing yukatas of different colors, perhaps a summer tradition. Shizuna was in blue, Chisa in red and white, Satsuki in white, and Sakie in pale red, each with a pretty floral pattern that was impressive and emphasized their beauty. Chisa’s chest area was laid bare, perhaps because she’d drunk a lot, but she made sure that only Ryuichi could see it, which was a feat of skill.
“Ah, it’s starting soon.”
“Looks like it.”
Just as the surroundings grew quiet, fireworks shot up into the sky with a fizzle. It made a loud bang, and a large flower bloomed in the sky, brightly illuminating the spot where Ryuichi and the girls were. It had been a very long time since Ryuichi had seen fireworks not through a TV screen, but with his own eyes.
“…It’s pretty.”
Ryuichi’s honest thoughts slipped out. He smiled softly, as if the beautiful sight calmed his mood and put his mind at ease. Perhaps spurred on by the atmosphere, Shizuna and Satsuki each leaned in to embrace Ryuichi’s arms.
“…Haha.”
“Fufu.”
“Ehehe. ♪”
Incidentally, because of the scale of the event, he’d seen quite a few of his classmates in town. They seemed to have come with their friends, and they looked at him strangely because, in addition to seeing Ryuichi and Shizuna, they didn’t know the relationship he had with the other three.
Shizuna was always by his side, so they didn’t think they had a suspicious relationship, but they surely must have been envious of his situation.
“This year’s summer vacation is almost over.”
“Yup… Oh, that’s right.”
Shizuna clapped her hands together. While the sound of the fireworks going off in the sky was still echoing, Shizuna’s suggestion was definitely heard by Ryuichi and the other girls.
“Why don’t we all get together at Ryuichi-kun’s place after this? Since we’re all here together like this, let’s make the best memory of all to end things off. ♪”
“My, that sounds great!”
“I’m in!”
“Dear me, in that case I’ll be returning ho—”
“Mom? You’re coming too, you know?”
Sakie sent a gaze at Ryuichi, saying, “My, what should I do?” Ryuichi nodded as if to say, “Now that it’s come to this, no one can stop her anymore.”
It seemed an even hotter night lied ahead of them today.
Only Ryuichi and his friends knew about this relationship, and it was not something they could tell anyone about. However, since each of them had accepted this relationship, no one could lodge any complaints.
…Heh, a lot of things have really changed. But it ain’t bad… I’m happy in every way possible. So don’t worry about me.
Ryuichi looked up at the sky and smiled, as if to say that he no longer needed to call on any more dreams like that. He wasn’t sure if he’d been heard, but something like a shooting star shone in the sky as if in response to Ryuichi.
Afterword
Thank you for your many kind words about the manga adaptation. It made me really happy. It is not something I can put out just yet, but I’ve already seen the designs for Ryuichi and Shizuna myself! A quick glance was enough to make me think, Wow, this is Ryuichi, and Wow, this is Shizuna, so I’m very glad to hear that you are looking forward to it. It will be a long time until it is completed, but I hope you can wait patiently.