fireworks display.
Akira stood at the entrance of the port, dressed in a navy blue yukata, waiting for Sajuna, with whom he had an appointment, to arrive.
He lowered his head, estimating Sajuna's arrival time. Several girls in yukatas and geta walked past, and Akira looked up, then lowered his head in disappointment.
Some came alone, some as couples, but the one girl he longed for, whom he sought in his dreams, was not among them.
Click, clack, clack.
Akira subconsciously ignored the sound of approaching geta, but the sound stopped beside him. Akira reacted, looked up, and felt time freeze in that instant.
"Aki-Kun, good evening."
Sajuna, holding a sachet, stretched her neck to greet Akira, her eyes full of curiosity about Aki-Kun's reaction.
"G-good evening."
Akira looked at Sajuna, who was standing in front of him wearing a yukata, and stammered his reply before coming back to his senses.
"Sajuna is so beautiful."
"Absolutely stunning."
Sajuna wore a white yukata adorned with vermilion chrysanthemums and brown goldfish, with a bright red obi around her waist, making her look both striking and elegant.Her hair, usually styled in twin pigtails, was now pinned up with a hairpin that matched her yukata, revealing Sajuna's fair, soft neck, as if it had been washed in milk.Her lips were glistening, and as Sajuna smiled, her full lips were incredibly rosy, looking very inviting, making one want to gently bite them.Seeing Akira's dazed expression, Sajuna's face showed happiness. She raised her arms, showcasing her entire outfit to Akira.Her loose sleeves swayed gently in the breeze. Sajuna stood on her tiptoes and spun around, revealing the snow-white instep of her foot in her geta to Akira. Its color was even fairer than her neck, and the elegant arch of her foot constantly showcased why Akira had always loved this work of art so much.Akira couldn't help but take two steps forward, embracing Sajuna's waist. It seemed only by doing so could he feel that such a dreamily beautiful girl in front of him belonged to him.The lingering glow of the sunset painted the evening sky. The setting sun's rays fell upon Sajuna, and a wave of happiness welled up in Akira's heart as he gently patted Sajuna's back."Seeing Sajuna makes me regret coming to the fireworks display.""Eh, why would you say that?""Because I don't want such a beautiful girlfriend to be seen by others.""Aki-Kun, you're so naughty…"Sajuna pouted, tightening her embrace around Akira's arm, and looked at the navy blue yukata Akira was wearing with a helpless expression."Aki-Kun is also very handsome; I don't want others to see the handsome Aki-Kun either."After a while of hugging, Sajuna was the first to feel uncomfortable with the surrounding gazes and gently shook Akira's arm."Aki-Kun, everyone around us is staring."Akira released Sajuna, then took her hand and led her towards the fireworks display.Although it wasn't dark yet, the fireworks display was already bustling with crowds. People in various outfits strolled in front of different stalls, and there were countless girls in yukatas.Fortunately, the crowd wasn't so dense that it was impossible to walk, and it wasn't so bad that people who came together would get separated.Akira held Sajuna's hand, not walking straight ahead, but taking care of Sajuna beside him, occasionally pulling her into his embrace to avoid contact with the surrounding people.As they strolled slowly, Akira saw a food stall nearby, so he pulled Sajuna over and stood beside the stall."Sajuna, do you want an apple candy?"Sajuna nodded.Akira took out his wallet, paid, and accepted the apple candy from the vendor, handing it to Sajuna."Thank you, Aki-Kun."Sajuna took the apple candy and smiled twice, but she wasn't in a hurry to taste it. Instead, she offered it to Akira's mouth."Aki-Kun, quickly try it.""But I bought it for Sajuna…"Akira replied helplessly, then slightly lowered his head and took a bite of the apple candy. He felt the sweet and sour taste, accompanied by Sajuna's loving gesture, flow directly into his heart."I've had my bite, it's Sajuna's turn now, right?"Only then did Sajuna nod, and she gently began to eat the apple candy in her hand.To Akira, the apple candy, which was of normal size, seemed quite substantial next to Sajuna's face, making him wonder if she might hurt her teeth.After buying the apple candy, Akira led Sajuna to look at the various stalls, asking her about snacks she might be interested in, wanting to fill Sajuna's stomach first."Aki-Kun, don't talk anymore!"Listening to Akira introduce the surrounding delicacies, Sajuna felt overwhelmed with choices, so she jumped up, wanting to cover Akira's mouth.The geta made a clicking sound, and in the end, Akira simply stopped talking on his own."Eating at the fireworks display is also fun, and besides, I'll be eating with Sajuna.""But Aki-Kun talks too much. Why don't we just buy whatever we want to eat when the time comes…"After Sajuna finished speaking, she pulled Akira towards the game stalls. In the bustling crowd, children wearing masks occasionally passed by with toys, followed by adults with gentle expressions, watching over the playing children ahead."That's the air gun shooting over there, Aki-Kun, let's go play that!"Akira followed Sajuna's refer to direction, saw the counter displaying various prizes, and then followed Sajuna towards the stall."Boss, we want to play this!"Sajuna told the boss, so the boss handed them the air guns for shooting.Sajuna hugged the gun in her hands, fiddled with it a few times, then leaned her body against the shooting position, her eyes on the prizes on the counter."Aki-Kun, quickly help me aim?""How can I help with that? I'm not the one shooting…""Aki-Kun, hug me from behind, then help me see if I'm aiming accurately…"Sajuna said. Akira obediently hugged Sajuna's waist, pressing against her bent body, trying to find the prize the muzzle was pointed at."I want that little bear!""Aki-Kun, quickly tell me if I can hit it!"The two calibrated for a few minutes before Sajuna confidently pulled the trigger.Bang—The cork, propelled by gas, shot out of the muzzle, then grazed past the target item on the counter, hitting the wall several meters away."What a shame, I missed."Sajuna said regretfully."It's okay, Sajuna. It's fine if you want to try a few more times.""Why don't Aki-Kun play? I think Aki-Kun can definitely win a prize."Sajuna put down the gun, made way for Akira, and then watched as Akira confidently picked up the gun and aimed at the prize.Bang—Again, it grazed past the prize on the counter. Sajuna wasn't disappointed at all; instead, just like the time she took Akira dancing, she smiled in surprise."So Aki-Kun really isn't omnipotent after all."