Chapter 47
"Hey, Shin, look at this."
Yuu brought over a flyer in mid-September, just as summer vacation was nearing its end.
"An autumn festival?"
"Yeah. It looks like it’s happening nearby."
The flyer had "Autumn Festival" written in bold letters at the center. According to the details below, it seemed the festival would be held at a nearby shrine.
"...Oh, that place."
...Now that I thought about it, there was a shrine.
It was located slightly off the path I took to school. I’d never visited it before, but since I passed by it every day, I knew where it was.
Now that I recalled, a few days ago when I stopped by school, I’d seen lanterns hanging along the road. That must’ve been preparation for this festival.
"Mm-hmm. So, I was thinking… could we go?"
Yuu looked up at me with expectant eyes.
"...!"
Something about that expression struck me as unbearably cute, and my heart skipped a beat.
...Get a grip. What’s wrong with me?
I took a deep breath, careful not to let Yuu notice.
"...Shin?"
"Ah—yeah, sure."
Yuu tilted her head, watching me curiously.
Crap, I needed to calm down fast.
...Lately, something’s been off.
I didn’t know why, but sometimes Yuu just seemed… incredibly captivating.
"...Haaah."
After a few deep breaths, my heart finally settled.
One last exhale, and I turned my attention back to the flyer.
...A festival, huh? I didn’t mind going.
I’d never been to one with anyone besides family, so I was actually kind of looking forward to it.
"Sure, let’s go."
"Yay! Thanks, Shin!"
When I said that, Yuu beamed at me.
Seeing her that happy made me happy too.
The festival was this Saturday—the evening of the day after tomorrow.
School would start the following week, so this might be our last summer memory.
The end of this fun summer break.
I wanted to enjoy it with Yuu. That’s what I thought.
And then, the day of the festival arrived.
Yuu and I had made our way to the area near the shrine where the festival was being held.
"Uh… wow, it’s packed."
"...Yeah, I’m surprised too."
Just as Yuu said, the shrine grounds were swarming with people.
We hadn’t even stepped inside yet, and it was already like this—what was it gonna be like in there?
Right now, we were standing on a side path slightly away from the main street, so the crowd was thinner.
But if we took even one step onto the main road, we’d probably get swept up in the current of people.
...This might be tougher than I thought.
I glanced to the side, where Yuu stood in her yukata.
It was the first time I’d seen that yukata—she’d been wearing it when we left the house earlier.
On the way here, she’d told me her mom had given it to her—apparently, it was one she used to wear in the past.
...And she was gonna walk through this crowd in that?
Yuu’s yukata was cute, sure, but it looked like it’d be hard to move in.
...Would she really be okay like this?
What if we got separated?
"Uh… with this many people, we might get lost."
"...Yeah. What should we do?"
Seemed like Yuu was thinking the same thing.
...At the very least, we should decide on a meeting spot just in case.
And we should both make sure we had money on us.
"So, um… I was thinking… maybe we should hold hands?"
"...Huh?"
While I was still lost in thought, Yuu stretched out her hand toward me and said that.
Startled, I looked at her face—her ears were bright red.
Her eyes, slightly averted from mine, looked like they were shimmering with tears.
I froze, completely caught off guard.
"...No good?"
"N-no, it’s not that—"
I forced my stiff lips to move.
Hold hands? Wait, was that… okay?
...But, well, yeah—holding hands was an effective way to avoid getting separated.
Yuu wasn’t saying anything weird.
The weird one here was me, panicking over something so simple.
We were "best friends," after all. Holding hands when necessary was normal. ...Probably.
...Anyway, it should be fine, right?
That was the conclusion my scrambled brain reached.
"Yeah… you’re right. Let’s do that."
"...Mm."
I gave my reply and reached out my hand too.
Our palms met.
"..."
It was different from a guy’s hand—this was distinctly a girl’s.
Yuu’s hand was small and incredibly warm.
"Hehe."
Yuu giggled shyly in front of me, but her smile was genuinely happy.
I couldn’t help but stare.
...My heartbeat was way too loud.
"...Let’s go?"
"...Yeah, okay."
Yuu squeezed my hand and gave it a light tug.
Following her lead, I took a step forward.
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