Chapter 14 – Summer Festival
“Matsuda-kun, did you eat soy sauce egg rice by any chance this morning?”
Miyuki asked after putting the fruit bowl in the sink.
I, who was resting on the bed with Tetsuya, answered.
“Uh.”
“How many bowls?”
“Help.”
“Are there two dishes in the sink?”
“That’s what I ate last night.”
“Then did you only eat egg rice from yesterday evening until morning?”
For some reason, I feel like something good is going to happen to me.
Something feels good
“Right.”
“Why?”
“Because… A lot of egg rice is eaten. It’s easy to make, and it’s delicious.”
“It has no nutritional value. Aren’t you thinking about your health?”
“Hey, didn’t you hear what the doctor said yesterday? You have a strong body.”
“That has nothing to do with nutrition, right?”
I lay flat on the bed and yelled at Tetsuya.
“Miura. Your mother is nagging you again.”
“Since I am speaking for you, I think it would be good to hear it.”
As expected, her arms are bent inward, so Tetsuya is always on Miyuki’s side.
But for my sake… Let’s see if you can say that later.
With reinforcements on her back, Miyuki, who became more energetic, spoke.
“There were instant lunch boxes piled up in the trash a few days ago, but if you keep eating that way, your body will get sick. In the future, try to think about nutrients enough and eat them.”
I thought you would tell me that I would bring you a lunch box in the future, but… I’m running out of energy.
A good feeling is bullshit… I just got excited.
No, I was a fool for expecting a lunch box in less than two months.
After self-reflection, I answered dryly.
“Oh, okay.”
“Did you say you knew?”
“Oh, okay.”
After repeating the words with dead eyes, Miyuki burst into laughter and spoke.
“Matsuda-kun, give me ten million yen.”
“Uh, okay… Is he kidding… Is he having fun?”
“Just like that?”
“Ha… I can’t live up to my name because of this.”
“Isn’t it because of what you eat?”
“Hey. Hey…! I’ll eat well. Stop talking about eating.”
“Okay. Now, shall we study again?”
Miyuki sits upright at the round table and opens a book.
Tetsuya and I looked at each other in boredom, then crawled like zombies toward Miyuki.
**
After being beaten by Samoyama, five days passed peacefully.
My relationship with Miyuki has developed a little more, to the point where we text each other once every few days.
The time we meet is limited, and Tetsuya is with us, so we didn’t get close quickly, but let’s not rush as we can see that we are getting closer little by little.
After going to the beauty salon and taking a shower, I looked in the mirror.
The swelling has almost all subsided.
There are still some bruises, but they are faint.
I smiled contentedly and put on my yukata.
It was to go to the summer festival held at the shrine.
It’s a must-have course for Japanese-style love comedy, but do you use it if you fall into it?
In addition, you can actually see Miyuki in a yukata, so it would be pointless to miss this opportunity.
As usual, Tetsuya, who went to enjoy the festival with his family, ran into Miyuki, who had gone to help her father open a kiosk at the shrine.
After that, after the event ends, Miyuki and I go on a date alone.
But now the player will be taken away from me.
I put the collar of my yukata back together, finished all my preparations, and put on my geta.
When I went outside in that state, I heard Geta’s unique sound of wooden heels clicking.
In addition, the string between the thumb and index toe is rubbed on it, so it seems that it will suffer the next day.
Resisting the urge to just change into sneakers, I took a taxi to a shrine near Miyuki’s neighborhood.
A shrine with lanterns lined up from the entrance.
It hasn’t been long since the festival started, but it’s a joke.
‘Miyuki… Is in the middle.’
He must be helping his father there at the takoyaki stand.
Tetsuya should have almost arrived by now.
I need to move before that.
Enduring the inconvenience of Geta, I bought two yakitori, Japanese-style chicken skewers, near the entrance.
I didn’t buy it to eat it, but to give it to Miyuki.
The leg flesh, which she says is her favorite part.
You won’t drool right away, but you’ll still want to eat it.
I went to the middle of the road lined with stalls and finally found Miyuki.
Her hair in a ponytail with her side hair falling thin is so pretty.
Next to her benevolent-looking father, she eagerly serves her guests.
Seeing her smile on her face makes me feel better too.
I glanced up at the stall. [Super delicious! The Great Taco!] Was written on it.
It’s something old, but it’s a Japanese signboard.
After clearing my throat several times, I took advantage of the gap when the customers were gone and approached the stall.
Then he looked at the well-cooked takoyaki and the menu and said.
“Six takoyaki, please.”
Immediately, Miyuki’s sonorous voice was heard.
“Welcome! Six takoyaki, 300 yen… Huh?”
Hearing her questionable exclamation, I raised my head and saw Miyuki, whose eyes were wide open in surprise, and twisted the muscles in her face.
“What? Hanazawa?”
A moment of silence followed after we met each other’s eyes.
Me, Miyuki, and Miyuki’s father looked at each other and blinked their eyes.
Having difficulty putting off a meeting pretending to be a coincidence, I tried to speak out pretending to be conscious.
At that moment, a little boy with a squiggly face approached with quick movements, picked up a paper box with takoyaki placed in front of the stall, and started running away.
“Uh…!?”
An embarrassed cry from Miyuki’s father.
I called for joy in my heart.
Even in the bookstore, in the playground, even now, the event happened at the right timing.
After all, I was a pearl artificial in Tokiaka.
After setting the plastic packaging containing the yakitori on the stall, I threw off the geta and ran with all my might.
Although the kid was very fast, he was a kid anyway, so he was able to catch him when he strayed a little from the shrine.
“Hey, let go of this!”
The little boy who was grabbed by me by the back started a rampage.
Still, she held the takoyaki box as if it were precious, but it was not intended for the child to eat herself, but for her younger siblings at the nursery school.
It seems like a good place to have a conversation as there are few people around.
After taking a deep breath, I asked.
“Who did you steal this for?”
Were you relieved by the rather soft voice?
The little boy stopped her, and she answered boldly.
“Brother! Ugh…”
But soon, seeing my frown, her whole body shrank.
My impression is that it’s not the dirty side at all… It’s disappointing.
Don’t let the honey night die.
“What brother? Younger brother?”
“No! The nursery school younger siblings.”
“Nursery school? Explain it straight One more rampage and you’ll get it back.”
When I pointed at the takoyaki box and said it in a threatening tone, the little boy, who had lost his spirits, replied hesitantly.
“I wanted to go to the festival… But the nursery school didn’t allow me to go because circumstances were difficult… My younger siblings said they wanted to eat takoyaki…”
Hesitant kid.
I said, biting her tongue.
“So you sneaked out and tried to steal the takoyaki and go back?”
“…..”
“This little bastard has only learned the bad things… Boom!”
“Hee!”
When she raised her hand high and pretended to hit her, the little boy got her scared.
My feet hurt from holding this guy, but I had no intention of actually hitting him, so I put my hand down.
This is an event with three options.
First, get the takoyaki box back.
Second, bring the kid and apologize.
Third, I send the kid back and I pay for the takoyaki.
The amount of favorability can be obtained in the order of 1, 3, and 2.
For the most favorable impression, you must choose option 2.
When that happens, Miyuki’s father understands the child’s situation and gives 20 boxes of takoyaki to the nursery school for free.
Miyuki said that because of me, she was able to do good things, and she liked it.
But I had no intention of picking number 2.
It was like I was playing an open world with a very high degree of freedom.
There is a chance to gain a greater liking, but you can’t just look at the stereotyped choices.
I raised a corner of her mouth and said to the restless kid.
“Hey.”
“…. Why.”
“Where is the nursery school?”
“It’s nearby.”
“Tell me the address and go first.”
“No! You’re going to tell the nursery school that I sneaked out!”
“Do I look like a petty guy like you? Can you give my younger siblings just 6 takoyaki? Or would you like 180?”
“…. Yes?”
**
“Matsuda-kun! Did you miss that little boy?”
“I got it… But wait… I’m late for the greeting. My name is Ken Matsuda.”
Returning to the stall, I bowed my upper body toward Miyuki’s father, who greeted me with a smile.
“Call Hanazawa Wataru. Nice to meet you. Is that Ken Matsuda?”
“You’re right.”
“You are the delinquent student Miyuki was talking about. Are you awake now?”
At those words, Miyuki looked at Wataru and made a gesture to stop talking.
Still, you were talking to your parents about me.
Didn’t I mention what I looked like when I was a bully?
“I just… I’m going to try my best. Oh, and I’m sorry for coming out of the blue, could you pack just 30 boxes of takoyaki right now?”
“Yes…? 30 boxes…? Now?”
Wataru was dazed when a large number jumped out.
Miyuki also looked at me in surprise.
I said, scratching his head as if embarrassed.
“Will it be difficult?”
“It works, but why are you suddenly packing 30 boxes?”
“As for how that happened…”
I briefly explained the kid’s circumstances and expressed my desire to help him.
By the time all the explanations were over, Wataru was looking at me very favorably.
“So it happened. So you want to buy 30 boxes and bring them to the nursery?”
“Yes.”
“Then we should start making it quickly from now on.”
Having said that, Wataru looked at Miyuki.
“Miyuki, lower the tent.”
“Ah, yes…”
The tent was made of a solid material that could not be seen from the inside.
If this is the case, even if Tetsuya comes, he won’t be able to see Miyuki.
Father-in-law, thank you for helping me.
But do you like losers?
As Miyuki was lowering the well-dried tent above, I took out a 10,000-yen note.
“Thank you. I’ll start with the calculations.”
“Done. It’s a good thing, and Miyuki also takes care of your house, so I’ll just make this for you.”
“Thank you. I asked Hanazawa to teach me how to study. Please don’t do that.”
“Even if it works?”
As Wataru is her Miyuki’s father, he must have had a similar good-natured disposition to her.
Looking at the willingness to make takoyaki now, the answer came out.
If you keep asking me to get money here, I will definitely refuse, so I’ll have to use another method.
“Then I’ll help you make it too.”
“Will you? Then come over and help me add the ingredients.”
“Yes.”
When I rolled up the sleeves of my yukata and entered the stall, I held out the yakitori from Miyuki.
“Matsuda-kun. This is yours…”
I said okay, shaking one hand.
“You eat. I have to work.”
“… Matsuda-kun, did you eat something wrong today?”
My sudden and drastic change in attitude seems to be very embarrassing.
I do good things because I feel a sense of unity in the situation without parents, don’t you know how I feel?
Actually, it’s for the sake of likability, but in the end, the kid and the children at the nursery school also have a happy ending, so I like my sister and my brother-in-law.
