Chapter 48

Hand in hand, Shin and I made our way through the bustling festival crowd.

We had just passed through the stone steps and entered the shrine grounds.

"It’s really packed..."
"...Yeah, it is."

No matter where I looked—left or right—there were nothing but people, making it hard to move forward. If I let my guard down for even a second, I’d probably bump shoulders with someone passing by.

"See? I’m glad we held hands after all."
"Ah—y-yeah, right."

Shin was tall, but at my height, I’d easily get swallowed up by the crowd. If we hadn’t been holding hands, we would’ve gotten separated ages ago.

...Well, no—that wasn’t entirely true.

Even just holding hands probably wouldn’t have been enough to keep us together. There was another reason we were still side by side right now.

"...Sorry. It’s kinda hot, isn’t it?"
"...N-no, it’s fine."

When I apologized, Shin replied without quite meeting my eyes. His gaze was slightly lower than my face—somewhere around my chest.

...I know it can’t be helped, but being stared at so intently is a little embarrassing.

Shin had never looked at me like this before, so it wasn’t like I minded... but, well, it was a bit... overwhelming.

"......"

Right now, Shin and I were walking arm in arm.

To be more precise, I had his right arm hugged tightly against my chest.

This had happened while we were climbing the stone steps, where the crowd kept threatening to push us apart. Before I knew it, we’d ended up like this.

...I could feel Shin’s gaze.

He was clearly trying his best not to look, but it seemed he couldn’t help stealing glances.

"...Hey, wanna go somewhere less crowded for a bit?"

The mix of embarrassment and quiet happiness was getting hard to bear, so I made the suggestion.

From what I’d seen earlier, the area slightly off the main path—where the food stalls were—seemed a little less packed.

"...Yeah, sure."

Once Shin agreed, we slowly made our way through the flow of people. As we neared the edge of the shrine grounds, the crowd and stalls thinned out.

"...Ah."

Along the way, one particular stall caught my eye.

Apples and strawberries skewered on sticks were lined up in front of it.

"Is that...?"
"...Looks like a candy apple stall."

...Candy apples, huh?

There was a time when I’d really wanted one.

Way before I ever went to another world—back when I was little.

My parents never took me to festivals, so I’d always wanted to try the kind of treats you could only get at places like this.

I still remember how happy I was the first time I tried one, after I’d grown up enough to go to festivals on my own. After that, I made sure to buy one every time.

"...Wanna get some?"

Shin asked with a gentle expression.

...Was I really making such an obvious face? That’s kinda embarrassing.

"Uh... are you sure?"
"Of course."

Shin bought two candy apples from the stall, then led me to a nearby set of stone steps where we could sit.

I unwrapped mine, and a sweet, nostalgic scent wafted up.

"...It’s good."

Even after all this time, the taste was just as delicious as I remembered.

I guess this is what they call "the flavor of memories."

Glancing over, I saw Shin taking a big bite of his.

True to form, he’d gone in with his usual enthusiasm—and now had red syrup smeared on his cheek.

"...Hehe."

I pulled a wet wipe from the small pouch I’d brought.

Good thing I came prepared.

"Shin."
"Hm?"

I reached out and wiped his cheek. Since the syrup was fresh, it came right off.

"Pfft."
"Ah—uh—"

Shin flustered a little.

Maybe I’d been a bit too bold just now.

Now that I thought about it, between clinging to his arm earlier and this, today had been full of embarrassing moments.

...But even so, I didn’t feel bad about any of it.

If anything, I was too happy.

...I’m really glad we came.

The whole reason I’d wanted to go to this festival was because Shin’s summer break was almost over.

Even though his university vacation was long, it still had to end.

At first, it felt like it would last forever—but before I knew it, there was less than a week left.

...Over the past month and a half, Shin and I had spent nearly every moment together.

There wasn’t a single day we didn’t see each other.

We always ate meals together, and whenever neither of us had anything to do, we’d usually just stay in the same room.

But once school started, that wouldn’t be possible anymore.

I’d be alone during the day, and if Shin had assignments, he’d be buried in them even at home.

There might even be days we couldn’t eat dinner together.

It had happened before summer break, after all.

...The thought made me unbearably lonely.

But I knew there was nothing I could do about it.

So at the very least, I wanted us to enjoy something together before then.

That’s why, when I was looking for ideas, this festival stood out.

It was nearby, easy to get to, required no preparation, and wouldn’t cost much.

Since we’d never been to a festival together before, it’d make for a good memory, too.

...And, well, there was one other reason.

A scene from a movie I’d seen once had stuck with me.

The main couple holding hands so they wouldn’t get separated—that image had stayed sharp in my mind.

So I’d wondered... could we do the same?

In the end, it had worked out perfectly.

"...It’s good, huh?"
"...Yeah. Really good."

While lost in thought, I’d nearly finished my candy apple.

I took the last bite, savoring the sweet-and-tart flavor.

"Hehe."

When I glanced at Shin, he was rubbing his cheek with his left hand.

His right hand, though, was still intertwined with mine.

"Shin."
"...Yeah?"

When I called his name, he turned to me—still looking a little flustered.

"Should we get going?"
"...Yeah."

Since we’d finished our treats, it was time to head back to the festival.

We stood up together and made our way toward the main grounds.

The night was still young.

There was still plenty of time to enjoy it with Shin.

That’s what I thought.