Chapter 65: Summer Festival
Time flies while one is buried in work; by the time Hikaru Hoshino snapped out of it, the streets had undergone a total transformation.
The shopping district had shed its usual desolation, becoming lively and crowded. The shops remained open, but the empty spaces in front of every storefront were now filled with small stalls. These stalls were lined up in neat rows, connected by colorful strings adorned with lanterns and fairy lights.
Various paintings and posters were hung in the gaps between buildings. The posters featured boys and girls in yukatas, holding candied apples and gazing at the vibrant, colorful night sky.
A firework hissed as it shot up from the ground, followed by a brilliant blossom of light exploding in the night sky.
"Hurry, hurry, Hikaru! The festival is starting!"
Ai had already changed into a pinkish-purple yukata, her hair swept up into a beautiful bun. She was tugging at Aqua and Ruby while urging Hikaru to move faster.
Hikaru was still at his computer; after setting his videos for scheduled upload, he changed into the clothes Gotanda had sent over.
A men's yukata wasn't complicated. He was soon dressed and pushed open the door.
"These clothes are weird; I'm not used to this."
Hikaru was wearing a solid black yukata with no patterns, save for a white cloth belt tied at his waist. This outfit replaced his usual approachable image with a look that was cool and aloof.
However, the moment he spoke, the illusion shattered.
"Are geta (wooden clogs) even meant for humans? Who actually invented these things?"
"Eh? Hikaru, you even changed into geta?" Ai looked surprised, lightly covering her mouth. "There are no strict rules for footwear; you can wear whatever you want."
"See? I'm not wearing geta."
Ai lifted the hem of her yukata slightly, revealing her flawless lower legs. She indeed wasn't wearing geta, but a pair of black flip-flops with pink straps. Her fair, petite toes peeked out nimbly from the straps, each one rounded and smooth like translucent jade. Her insteps were pristine and elegant, the bones of her ankles well-defined, even the small depressions clearly visible.
Hikaru stared for a second too long before averting his gaze just before Ai could blush. "Gotanda prepared the shoes. I wondered why he was suddenly so kind to include me; turns out he was just holding a grudge."
"That old geezer never does anything decent. I'll have to give him a piece of my mind when I see him."
Grumbling, Hikaru swapped the clogs for the hotel's standard slippers. As the four of them prepared to head downstairs, they bumped into the film crew at the corner.
Teppei Nishikawa had chosen a deep blue tone, while Gotanda hadn't bothered with a yukata at all, showing up in a tracksuit. Koromo Shiranui wore a pure white yukata with pink floral embroidery on the hem and sleeves, her long, straight black hair flowing down her back, making her look gentle and serene.
"You've got your yukata on backward. How do you mess up something that simple?"
Upon meeting, Gotanda struck first, firing directly at Hikaru.
"For a yukata, the left side goes over the right. Right over left is only for the deceased; you'll get stared at if you go out like that."
Ai quietly turned her face away. She wasn't too familiar with these traditional details either, otherwise she would have pointed it out to Hikaru earlier.
Aqua was clearly stifling a laugh. While the other children wore kid-sized yukatas with exquisite patterns—looking like porcelain dolls with their cute faces—only Aqua was dressed in dark gray with a solid black belt. He looked like a pint-sized Grim Reaper, one katana away from being a samurai.
Though Hikaru thought the look was a bit "try-hard," truth be told, if a person is handsome enough, they can make a burlap sack look good. Aqua's naturally cold temperament actually suited the black better than Hikaru's.
Evidently, Akane and Kana's eyes were already glued to Aqua, while only Ruby stood there sillily holding Ai's hand, not giving Aqua a single glance.
The group filed out. The moment they stepped through the hotel's main entrance, it felt like entering another world. The streets were a sea of people; the sounds of vendors hawking, people chatting, and fireworks exploding were incessant. Occasionally, one could hear the flirting of young couples or the crisp, wind-chime-like laughter of children.
People wore all sorts of clothing, though yukatas were the mainstay. The dizzying array of colors and styles made one feel as if they were walking through an oil painting. However, other styles existed too; like Gotanda's casual wear, many men wore their everyday clothes, blending in amongst the vibrant yukatas of the women.
There were others to draw the eye—a few men in formal suits stood by the roadside; one held a phone to record while the others gestured wildly and began to rap, completely immersed in their performance and drawing frequent side-eyes from passersby.
Further ahead, a woman in heavy makeup wearing a *shiromuku* (white wedding kimono) was scooping goldfish; one might have thought they'd stumbled into a wedding.
An open space at the foot of the hill had been cleared early on, and a makeshift stage had been set up days ago to serve as the festival's center stage. Though the celebration hadn't officially begun, the area was already swarming with people. Miko (shrine maidens) in red and white were dancing on stage with graceful movements, though it was unclear which shrine they belonged to.
The backstage staff saw Gotanda and flocked to him as if he were their savior, approaching with wide smiles.
"Oh, we've finally been waiting for you, Mr. Gotanda! The festival is about to start; please get ready."
Gotanda had put on sunglasses for this outing, causing a massive shift in his aura.
"Don't worry," he patted the coordinator on the shoulder. "We're a professional team; we won't drop the ball."
The program list had been given to Hikaru long ago; both he and Ai were scheduled for the end. Since the festival had just begun and there was a long time before their performance, he planned to take Ai for a stroll first.
They had rehearsed with the band yesterday, and while the effect wasn't perfect—flaws still remained—Hikaru wasn't a perfectionist. He felt their current level was a passing grade and sufficient for this kind of venue. As for Ai, there was even less to worry about; she was a top-tier idol who had performed at the Tokyo Dome. A small-town festival was a minor stage she could handle with ease.
But Ai was still very nervous—far more so than Hikaru.
"We've only practiced the new song for three days. What if the performance is a mess?" Ai asked worriedly.
"It'll be fine, just have fun! The audience isn't made of professional judges. If you make a mistake, just sing louder to cover it up!"
Hikaru gave her a thumbs up and flashed a toothy grin.
"Easy for you to say," Ai said, looking like she wanted to bite him. "The President said he's already arranged a livestream, and the recording will be uploaded to the website."
"Isn't that better? Such a perfect performance definitely needs to be recorded!"
"Honestly, there's no talking to you."
Ai looked at the nonchalant Hikaru, feeling quite annoyed. She suddenly lifted her right foot and lightly stepped on his slipper.
This was the debut of the new song; she didn't want to fail Hikaru's expectations. She was racking her brain to make the performance perfect, yet the composer himself didn't seem to care at all.
What a blockhead.
Hikaru didn't think that far ahead; he felt that as long as he gave the song to Ai, there was nothing to worry about. The end result would naturally be perfect.
As a hardcore fan of Ai, he would never doubt her professional capabilities.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Suddenly, deafening drumbeats echoed from ahead, followed by synchronized footsteps as a group of people in white yukatas took the stage.
This was a traditional dance troupe specifically invited by the organizers. They took up strange stances and began a bold, expansive dance to the beat of the drums.
At the same time, fireworks shot into the sky one after another, exploding with a *pop* in the night.
The Miyazaki Festival had officially begun.
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