Chapter 182: Under the Fireworks
"Kaede-kun!!!"
Seeing Kaede drink a large gulp of her milk tea, Eriri said angrily, "If you finished yours so quickly, don't come and steal mine!"
Swallowing the milk tea in his mouth, Kaede said with a smile, "Oh, it was just one sip, Eriri. You're so stingy."
"Ugh..."
Eriri didn't care anymore and quickly finished drinking her own milk tea.
In a few minutes, the fireworks festival would begin, and the crowd arriving in this area was growing larger and larger.
Just then, two more people jogged toward them.
"Sorry, we're late!"
The arrivals were a man and a woman; the girl had short hair and a cute appearance, while the boy had delicate features and was relatively more reserved.
Ryūzu Momo saw the two and said helplessly, "I'm telling you, Kashiwagi, aren't you tired working as volunteers all day long?"
"Of course we're not tired! You don't understand the sense of fulfillment it brings us, Ryūzu!"
The girl said with a smile, then came before Shinomiya Kaguya: "Sorry, Kaguya-san, I couldn't get away because I was busy with volunteer activities earlier, so I only dared to come now."
Shaking her head, Shinomiya Kaguya chuckled, "It's alright, Kashiwagi-san. Thank you very much for today's matter."
Following that, Shinomiya Kaguya introduced the couple to Kaede and the others.
The girl was named Kashiwagi Nagisa, and the boy was Tanuma Tsubasa. They were a couple, and their identities were not ordinary.
According to Ishigami Yuu's whispered explanation on the side, everyone learned that Kashiwagi Nagisa was the daughter of the chairman of a major shipbuilding company and the granddaughter of a director of the Japan Business Federation. She was a young lady whose status was arguably not much lower than Shinomiya Kaguya's.
As for the boy, Tanuma Tsubasa, Ishigami Yuu didn't know much, but it was rumored that he was the grandson of the world-renowned doctor Tanuma Shozo.
However, none of that was important. They had already met many peers with exaggerated statuses today. It was this couple...
Looking at this couple, who were holding hands and reportedly participated in volunteer activities together during the summer vacation, many single people present grew envious.
That's right, the envious ones naturally included those VIPs. Probably few people wouldn't envy and yearn for a relationship like this.
"These two seem to have become more and more brazen after getting past their initial awkwardness. They weren't like this when they were at school last semester."
Rubbing his stomach, Ishigami Yuu quietly asked Kaede beside him, "Asakura, how far do you think these two have progressed?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Nonsense, I mean *that*!"
"..."
Kaede twitched his mouth and said speechlessly, "How am I supposed to tell something like that? Do you think I have fiery golden eyes?"
"But didn't you move in with Sawamura?"
Eriri, who was on Kaede's other side, immediately blushed and glared at Ishigami Yuu.
Hearing this, Kaede patted Ishigami's shoulder and said, "I didn't expect you to be interested in these kinds of things."
"Ah, I can't help it," Ishigami Yuu said, scratching his hair. "Forget today, several times during the summer vacation when I went out to buy games and merchandise, I saw them doing volunteer activities everywhere. It's obvious they stick together all day, so I couldn't help but be curious."
"According to you, they haven't been dating for long?"
"That's right. It's probably only slightly longer than you two; they started in the first semester of their second year of high school."
Kaede and Eriri exchanged glances upon hearing this.
Their relationship had advanced by leaps and bounds because they moved in together during the summer vacation, but as for those two, they really couldn't tell what was going on just by looking at them.
Seeing that Kaede truly couldn't guess, Ishigami Yuu stopped asking.
Because the fireworks festival had begun.
On the opposite bank of the river, rows upon rows of fireworks were ready. After the festival began, the first row of fireworks was lit, and accompanied by streaks of light, the fireworks shot into the sky and burst open, forming beautiful patterns.
The previously unchanging night sky was now perfectly decorated by the fireworks, shining immensely brightly.
Tilting her head back, Shinomiya Kaguya intently watched the fireworks appearing in the sky, murmuring, "It's so beautiful..."
In the past, she could only watch the fireworks bloom silently from afar through her room window, but this scene, which she finally saw in person today, was deeply etched into Shinomiya Kaguya's heart. It wasn't just about attending the fireworks festival up close; more importantly, she had people she cared about beside her.
Turning her head and looking at Shirogane Miyuki, who was smiling while watching the fireworks, Shinomiya Kaguya said, "President, thank you..."
Vaguely hearing Shinomiya Kaguya call him, Shirogane Miyuki turned his head and asked, "Shinomiya, what is it?"
Shaking her head, Shinomiya Kaguya smiled and continued watching the fireworks.
Shirogane Miyuki scratched his head in confusion but didn't dwell on it, as today had already been perfect.
And without him noticing, Shinomiya Kaguya slowly shifted her feet, moving a few steps closer to Shirogane Miyuki...
The bustling fireworks festival finally ended after the last round of massive fireworks.
After watching, it was as if time had entered a sage mode; even Ryūzu Momo, who usually spoke sharply, looked lazy and unmotivated.
After saying their goodbyes, everyone went their separate ways, concluding the day's events.
Sitting in the taxi on the way home, Eriri leaned on Kaede's shoulder and whispered, "The fireworks festival was really beautiful."
"It was, indeed. But summer only has one such event. If you wanted to see more, you'd have to rush off to another location right after this one, and that would be too hectic."
"Hehe, it's not that serious. Seeing it once is enough; seeing it too many times can easily lead to aesthetic fatigue," Eriri said with a smile. "Fireworks festivals are only fun if you watch them once a year."
"Oh right, Kaede-kun, do you think Kaguya-senpai and Senior Shirogane will have further developments after today's events?"
"Hmm~~~~"
After thinking for a moment, Kaede said, "It's hard to say. Although I talked quite a bit with Senior this afternoon and gave Senior some advice earlier, given the long-standing personalities of those two, they won't change overnight."
"However, I do think there should be a good start. It's just a shame we aren't Shuchiin students, so we won't get the full gossip."
"If you ask me, Senior Shirogane is just too slow. Isn't it just a confession? It's just one sentence. He's too timid."
"What, why can't Shinomiya-senpai be the one to confess?"
Shaking her head, Eriri said, "I think even if Shinomiya-senpai makes a change, she seems to get embarrassed easily. It would be hard for her to confess first, wouldn't it?"
"In that case, want to make a bet?"
Hearing Kaede say this, Eriri immediately became energized and nodded repeatedly: "Okay! I bet Senior Shirogane confesses first!"
"Then I'll bet on Shinomiya-senpai."
(T/N: I'll bet they will kiss first and confess)
As for the stakes, they would just suggest something, referencing their previous bet.