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“Ah, there she is! Prez!”

When Kasumi replied to Hijiri’s message, she said that she had already found a spot and gave them the location to find her. Once there, they found Kasumi sitting on a mat, waving at them, so Kou and the rest waved back at her.

“You got here! It also helped that Mitsuki was so easy to spot!”
“Ahahah… You look good in that blue yukata too, it’s really cute.”

Kasumi was wearing a yukata like the other girls—hers adorned with iris flowers—and had styled her hair to match. She stood up and ran to Kou, holding her hands as they complimented each other’s outfits. And then, from behind her…

“Kasumi, is she the girl you told us about?”
“Yes, Dad. This is Mitsuki Kou, one of my classmates.”

Someone else who had been sitting on the mat spoke to Kasumi. She was there with her parents, a kind-looking couple. And further back…

“Papa! Mama!”

Kasumi noticed the other people seated there and happily called to them.

“I see Ryunosuke got here before us.”
“Yup, I randomly ran into Kasumi earlier, and well… as for the others…”

With a wry smile, Ryunosuke turned to the side, revealing Sara and Hisui already sitting with Kasumi’s parents—beer cans in hand. The sight felt very on-brand for the two women.

Not really knowing how to react, Kou and the rest walked over to greet Kasumi’s parents.

“Umm… Nice to meet you. I’m Mitsuki Kou. The prez—I mean, Kasumi—has been a really good friend to us.”
“Oh my, you must be…”
“Kasumi is always talking about you, saying how she became friends with a really cute girl. And now I can see why she kept saying that.”
“What, no, I’m just…”

Kou quickly grew embarrassed as Kasumi’s parents began complimenting her. After that, Hijiri and Subaru also introduced themselves, and finally Amari and the other parents sat down to join the group.

“So, what would you like to do now?”
“Mm, I was thinking it’d be fun to check out the food stalls. Is that alright?”
“Sure, go right on. Just make sure you return on time.”

With Amari’s permission, Kou and the others left the adults to their drinks while they went to explore everything the festival had to offer.

◇◇◇

Kou’s group ended up attracting a lot of attention, but luckily didn’t run into any major trouble. The worst of it was a group of guys glaring daggers at Subaru, their jealousy practically radiating off them. But maybe that was because…

“You know, I don’t think anyone has the courage to step up and ask Mitsuki out now…”
“Yeah… they’d probably get lynched for interrupting those two…”

Subaru and Kasumi kept whispering to each other, confusing Kou. Next to her, Hijiri walked with their hands firmly clasped, fingers intertwined.

…It was almost as if the power of yuri had formed a protective barrier around them that no one dared disturb.

They soon came across a shooting gallery stall, where Miyuki turned into what could only be described as a legendary sniper—taking down prize after prize with deadly precision. (It had become prohibited to rig prizes due to issues in the past.) The old man running the stall looked like his soul was leaving his body, but even that barely counted as trouble.

In the end, what drew young people the most was always the food. There were festival staples like candied apples, followed by takoyaki that everyone shared—but their young appetites still wanted more. As they continued exploring, Hinagiku said she wanted to try chocolate bananas, so they headed to a stall selling those.

“I wish I could also eat with you.”

Rouge said that in a sad voice. She was sitting on Kou’s shoulder, with Hina and Lyco perched on her own shoulders, both nodding along in agreement.

“Hmm… now that I think about it, I saw a place selling these in Wyndham, next to the park. We could go there tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?!”

Kou and Rouge were discussing that in front of the stall.

“Is that a VR pet you have there? And she looks like a really cute one too. Here, I’ll give you this on the house.”
“Awawah?!”

The old man fiddled with a device as he spoke to them, and then out of nowhere, a chocolate banana appeared in front of Rouge—looking quite large compared to her size.

While she tried to process what had just happened, Hinagiku and Miyuki came back from paying for their food, and chocolate bananas also appeared in front of Hina and Lyco, who were now perched on the girls’ shoulders.

“Is this… food data for a virtual environment?”
“You see, our group has also been working on developing food in VR, so we can do things like that now.”

The old man tending the stall sounded rather proud as he explained, then pointed out at the crowd.

That helped them notice various creatures—small ponies with horns, birds with colorful wings, winged dogs, and so on—all displayed in AR, just like Rouge, Hina, and Lyco.

“We’ve noticed a bunch of kids walking around with those, so there’s plenty of demand for accessories like this too.”
“Woah… that’s cool.”
“I actually like that little fairy of yours though, so I won’t charge you anything. Now eat up!”
“Ah, thank you very much!”
“Thank you… thank you…”

Kou and Rouge bowed at the same time, thanking the friendly old man, who told them not to worry about it while looking slightly embarrassed.

As they walked away, Rouge began to happily munch on the chocolate banana, which was so large she needed to use both arms to hold it in her fairy form.

“Alright, let’s go there and get Rouge some more food to eat with us then!”
“Wait… wait, Freya, I can’t eat that much!”

Hijiri was more than ready to go to the next stall, but Rouge was still struggling to finish the chocolate banana, letting out a soft cry.

◇◇◇

Time seemed to pass quickly during their cheerful walk, and before they realized it, it was time to return to their parents. It was nearly seven in the evening, and the fireworks were about to begin.

“Ah… it’s started.” Kou spotted a glowing coil shoot high into the sky. A moment later, there was a muted thump as it burst, sending colorful sparks in all directions—like flowers blooming in the sky.

“Woahh… this is so pretty!”
“You think so? I’m glad you like it.”

Rouge seemed entranced by the spectacle—her first time seeing fireworks—and Kou was simply happy to see her that way. But nearby…

“Somehow this doesn’t feel right after what we saw that time…”
“I know! It’s not as fun when it doesn’t make your whole chest thump when it goes bang!”

Hinagiku and Miyuki were still thinking about the fireworks they had seen on Kanai Island, comparing them to the ones now.

“Still… I’m so happy I got to hang out with everyone and have so much fun!”
“Hinagiku…”
“And… and that’s why I really hope I can come visit again!”
“Mhm, you’re always welcome here.”

Hinagiku said that, slightly embarrassed for getting emotional, and everyone just smiled at her—starting with Kou.

That was the last day they would be staying with Kou. After the festival, they would return to the Mitsuki household, change out of their yukatas, and then Hinagiku and Miyuki would return to their usual lives. Their real-life summer event was going to end in that slightly lonesome way.

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