"—And then, it took people a very long time to realize that there was a type of ore whose powder could produce exceptionally beautiful colors..."
Ryuunosuke was still talking without end... as though completely immersed in his own world.
"Dad~! Wait a second... Stop talking for a bit~!"
Yoimiya covered her forehead and shouted loudly to stop her father.
Seriously, there he goes again.
She was utterly helpless.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
He finally heard her shouting.
"Have the firework materials we ordered earlier been delivered yet?"
Yoimiya asked.
"Yesterday's fireworks have all been sent out already."
Ryuunosuke gave an answer that had absolutely nothing to do with the question.
"No~! I'm talking about... the materials, the materials we ordered earlier!"
Yoimiya leaned closer and repeated herself loudly and slowly, gesturing continuously with her hands as she spoke.
"We've almost finished making today's batch too. Don't worry, your old man's craftsmanship hasn't gotten rusty yet."
Ryuunosuke smiled.
"No, I mean the ore materials—!"
"...The business license?"
"No—haa..."
Yoimiya had shouted so much that she was starting to lose her strength, and she let out a heavy sigh.
Has Dad's hearing gotten even worse lately?
"..."
Watching the troubled Yoimiya, the Shogun could not help feeling a little sympathy for her. With a father like this, just how exhausting must communicating with him every day be? Perhaps writing things down on paper would be much easier. He might not be able to hear, but surely that did not mean he could not read?
Thinking of that, she recalled the method she had used before.
"Sir, look here."
Hum~
Just as before, she raised her slender, delicate hand and gathered a wisp of Electro energy above her palm in the form of pale violet lettering. It floated there dreamily, much like the characters she had once transformed into the shape of a sparrow before Kokomi.
[Have the firework materials we ordered earlier been delivered yet?]
The words appeared with the message above.
"Oh—! You mean those ore materials?"
Ryuunosuke saw the words at a glance and immediately understood.
"Wow... That's so much more efficient. Haa... I really should carry some paper and a pen with me, but I forget every single time."
Seeing this, Yoimiya sighed in relief while chastising herself.
"But... that's incredible. You can actually turn elemental energy into words. Haa... I've learned something new again. Elemental energy can even be used like this..."
Yoimiya marveled.
Perhaps only people like Shogun-sama or Ayaka, who were extremely skilled with elemental energy and understood it thoroughly, could do something like this. Yoimiya certainly could not. At most, she could simply infuse it into her arrows.
"Never mind that for now. Don't you still have important business to handle?"
She shook her head, reminding Yoimiya to focus.
"Oh, right, right. The firework materials..."
"As for the materials, they haven't been delivered yet. Someone did come by and explain the reason, I think, but I couldn't hear them clearly..."
Ryuunosuke explained.
"Mm... Then—! Right, Shogun-sama, could you help convey something for me again?"
Yoimiya had instinctively been about to raise her voice again, but she caught herself and immediately stopped, turning to look at the woman beside her.
"Of course. Go ahead. I'll 'write' it."
The Shogun nodded, telling her to speak while the elemental energy above her palm began changing again.
"It's fine, it's fine. As long as we know that much. We'll just make them later. Once the materials arrive, Dad, remember to accept the delivery."
Perhaps taking the circumstances into consideration, Yoimiya deliberately slowed down her speech so the Shogun could keep up. It was entirely unnecessary, but the consideration behind the gesture still warmed her heart.
"Mm, don't worry. Leave it to me~!"
Ryuunosuke immediately understood this time. He patted his chest knowingly and agreed.
"This is much more efficient, isn't it?"
The Shogun looked at the girl beside her, her cherry-colored lips curving upward.
"Hehe, it is... But I'm sorry for troubling you with this too. I originally wanted to entertain you properly, but I'm still not finished with everything over here. Mm..."
Yoimiya rubbed her head with an embarrassed expression, along with a faint trace of guilt.
"No. I'm the one who came at an inconvenient time. If anything, I'm a little worried that my presence here might interfere with your work."
How could she possibly blame Yoimiya for this? She was not that sort of person. Besides, she had been the one to take the initiative and come looking for Yoimiya today. If anyone was at fault, it was her for choosing an inconvenient time.
"No, no, you won't! How could you possibly interfere with me? You're not getting in the way at all... Besides, just having you come to see me... is already enough to make me happy."
After all, she was neither a member of the Shogunate nor the Shirasagi Himegimi. Although she ran a fireworks shop, she was still only an ordinary civilian. The fact that the Shogun cared enough to come see her was already more than enough.
"Is that so? That's good..."
Hearing this, the Shogun relaxed slightly as well. As long as she was not getting in the way, that was enough. She knew nothing about fireworks anyway, so all she could really do was watch.
"Mm, then let's head out for now. Dad can handle the shop by himself."
Yoimiya suggested.
"...I'll follow your lead."
She nodded and followed. After the two of them said goodbye to Ryuunosuke, they headed uphill through Hanamizaka.
Yoimiya continued leading the way. The Shogun followed behind, watching her back. She had long since grown accustomed to the scenery of Hanamizaka. The only thing before her that she was not used to—or rather, had never properly seen before—was this girl, so her gaze unconsciously remained fixed on the figure ahead.
"You resemble him quite a bit. In personality, I mean."
During the walk, she suddenly brought it up.
"Hehe, lots of people have said that... According to Dad, when he was young, he was even more energetic than I am."
Yoimiya turned and smiled at her.
"Does he usually talk with other people as well?"
She asked curiously.
Wouldn't that be extremely troublesome? After all, he can't hear them properly... yet he would still have to respond and keep the conversation going somehow.
"He does, but he's usually the one doing the listening. Since Dad can't hear very clearly, he never argues with anyone or denies what they say. He just sits there smiling happily and listens."
"When I was little, I thought he understood me incredibly well. I thought he believed everything I said was right, so I told him absolutely everything."
Yoimiya slowed her steps until she was walking side by side with the woman beside her, telling her about her childhood with an engrossed tone. This time, her listener was the person at her side. The Shogun also turned her head toward the girl and listened attentively.
"But... later, I realized Dad was always smiling simply because he couldn't hear clearly. Even so, I still tell him stories every day."
Yoimiya shrugged and smiled at her.
"Even if he can't hear me, maybe he can still understand how I'm feeling. And just seeing his smiling face is enough to make me happy as his daughter."
"..."
The Shogun silently looked at the girl.
"Hehe, you think I'm strange, don't you?"
Yoimiya noticed the look in her eyes and tilted her head with a cheerful smile.
"Not at all. On the contrary, I think you're very thoughtful and mature."
She answered.
"Huh? Thoughtful and mature? Hearing you say that makes me... kind of embarrassed. But I'm really happy too, hehe///"
Yoimiya froze for a moment, then adorably squirmed a little. One finger unconsciously brushed across her cheek as she smiled with a faint blush, looking almost like some little animal eager to please.
"Pfft..."
Seeing the girl like this, the Shogun also revealed a subtle smile. She twirled the oil-paper umbrella in her hand and looked toward the main road running through Hanamizaka.
"We're here, we're here~!"
After spotting the correct name on the residence's plaque, Yoimiya walked straight up to the door and knocked.
Knock knock!
"Mr. Kouichi! It's me, Yoimiya."
The girl called through the door.
"Hey! Coming!"
A man's voice answered from inside. Not long afterward, the door opened, and a bespectacled man named Kouichi stepped outside.
"Oh, Yoimiya. This is about the fireworks, right?"
He asked before Yoimiya could even speak.
"That's right. Your family's fireworks are already finished. Just come by my place to pick them up later. Everything was made exactly according to the notes on the slip. Absolutely perfect, not a single detail is off!"
Yoimiya nodded and gave him the details.
"Great~! I'll come by in a bit."
Kouichi answered with satisfaction.
"Oh, right. Remember to bring a pen and paper when you go, so Dad doesn't get anything mixed up."
Something occurred to her, and she added the reminder.
"Sure... I remember. I'm an old customer already. There's no way I'd forget something like that~! Don't worry."
Kouichi spread his hands, signaling that there was nothing to worry about. Then he noticed the Shogun standing beside Yoimiya and looked somewhat puzzled.
"Uh... And this is...?"
"Ah, she's my friend. Her name is..."
Yoimiya paused, instinctively glancing toward the Shogun.
"Mio."
The Shogun answered out of habit.
I really have to admit, the ordinary name Kokomi gave me is incredibly useful. Maybe I should just settle on it from now on. One of my mothers is named Ei and the other Makoto, so as their daughter, I'll be Mio.
"Right, Mio is a good friend of mine... She came over to help today."
Yoimiya immediately picked up where she had left off.
"Oh... I see. Then you've definitely got to let your friend see the fireworks show. Oh, and there's the Akitsu Festival tonight too. If you have time, make sure you go join the fun."
He enthusiastically recommended it.
"We will."
She answered.
"All right, we'll leave it there for now. We still have other houses to visit. Bye-bye~"
Yoimiya took the initiative to lead her away and bid him farewell.