Episode 78 – Strawberry candy

By the time we arrived at the venue, the sun was slowly beginning to set.

Under a sky that blended clear blue with sunset hues, creating a somewhat fantastical atmosphere.

Renka and I made our way through the noisy crowd.

“Wow, it’s packed, Akito. The food stalls are really crowded.”

She said it happily, but with just a hint of a troubled look.

Renka spoke to me like that.

“This is more than I imagined. Getting back is going to be a real pain…”

I looked away from Renka and replied.

…Renka’s beautiful yukata outfit was still almost impossible to look at directly. When I caught sight of her usually hidden white nape, my heart nearly stopped.

“What should we do? Want to look around a bit first?”

“Hmm… Yeah, let’s do that. Renka, is there anything you want to eat?”

“Me? Um…”

She tilted her head up, humming thoughtfully. Adorable.

“Ah—I want strawberry candy.”

“Strawberry candy? Not apple?”

“Yeah. …Is that okay, Akito?”

“You don’t need my permission. Alright, let’s go find some then.”

Strawberry candy, huh. Lately, there really seems to be this trend where they just candy any fruit they can get their hands on, so I guess that’s probably what they have.

Besides, I’ve always been skeptical about apple candy. …Man, I get so bored eating those halfway through.

“Hey, Akito. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Fireworks.”

“Now that you mention it, maybe. The neighborhood ones haven’t been held in years.”

Back in the day, they used to hold small fireworks displays on the local riverbank.

But… due to some change in the neighborhood association’s policy or something, they hadn’t been held for several years now. I remember Sena and Hideki throwing a huge fit when they found out.

“I’m looking forward to it. Watching fireworks with you, Akito.”

“Eh… Oh, okay.”

Together… huh.

In that instant, a flashback of a past conversation with Renka flooded my mind.

Those words she’d said to me: “I love you.”

Did that… really mean that?

“…Hey, Renka—”

“Ah! Hey, Akito! They have strawberry candy!”

Renka announced excitedly.

Slowly… I snapped back to reality. What was I about to say to Renka…?

“I’ll go buy some then!”

“…………, okay.”

Renka runs toward the stall and buys some strawberry candy.

—Most of the male customers passing by stole a glance at her. Her lovely, beautiful yukata outfit stood out that much. It was as if Renka alone belonged to another world.

Not that… I have any complaints about that itself. In fact, I even think that no man could help but be captivated by the sight of a beautiful girl with Renka’s exceptional looks wearing a yukata.

And now, I was about to watch the fireworks alone with her. If those men who’d just been captivated by her saw us, they’d surely envy me.

(Then… why do I feel this way…?)

As I was captivated by Renka’s beautiful profile,
my chest ached intensely.

“—Sorry to keep you waiting, Akito.”

Renka returned with a light step, holding two strawberry candies in each hand.

…When it comes to sweets, Renka becomes just as much of a glutton as Sena. That’s why she’s planning to eat both, I thought—but then,

“Here. This one’s for Akito.”

“…Huh? Mine?”

“Yeah. …Ah, it’s on me, so it’s fine. I wanted to eat it with Akito.”

Ehehe. Renka flashed an innocent smile.

Just then—a sharp click of the tongue sounded from somewhere.

Whoever made it didn’t matter. There shouldn’t be anyone I know around here, so it was just some stranger I’d never seen or heard of before clicking their tongue. Meaning, worrying about it was pointless.

But… that was clearly irritation directed at me.

At the same time. What the hell, is there a guy here?—I heard that voice.

“…Akito?”

Anxiously.

Renka offered me a strawberry candy while looking up at me.

“…It’s fine, nothing. Thanks, Renka.”

“Uh, yeah…”

Taking the strawberry candy from Renka, we started walking through the venue again.

—Ever since that earlier incident, I’d become hypersensitive to the voices around us.

“Who’s that gorgeous girl? She’s way too cute, she must be a celebrity—” Most of the comments praised Renka’s appearance.

But inevitably, among them…

“Who’s that guy next to her? They’re way too mismatched…” Voices criticizing me were mixed in too.

(…Well, fair point. I don’t think I’m a good match for Renka either—）

Suddenly.

One possibility—the reason for the pain in my chest—came to mind.

I stopped walking.

I stared intently at Renka, licking her strawberry candy with her small tongue.

“…Ah, Akito? What’s wrong…?”

Renka turns toward me, her voice tinged with concern.

—I was so close to seeing the answer.

Koiuta and I aren’t a good match. …Of course I knew that from the start. Frankly, I doubt anyone in this world could match Renka’s specs—well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but at the very least, it definitely wasn’t me.

And besides… I’m a good-for-nothing who hasn’t even bothered to try properly until now. Even though I like Renka, I never even struggled to become someone worthy of being by her side. I just clung to that utterly naive wish that “as her childhood friend, I must have a chance.” I just drifted along, thinking about her out of inertia.

(Ah—I see. So that’s why…)

Then.

Why did Renka say “I love you” to someone like me?

Was that really just words from a childhood friend?

No—I don’t know. But it was precisely because I thought it might not be that I asked Renka out on this date. To confirm her “true feelings.”

But.

If Renka truly likes me as a member of the opposite sex…

Then… could it be the same as that Renka from back then?

Could it be that the Renka of now is just… dependent on me?

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