Sakurajima Iori?
No way, right? Could she be Mai-senpai's mother?
Based on his experience since coming to this world, it seemed that if it wasn't a married woman, it was a mature older sister type. Meeting someone today at Shichirigahama with the surname Sakurajima—it was hard not to make the connection.
Looking at the lively and sunny girl before him, Tsushima Kagami found it difficult to associate her with that scum of a mother from the anime. The woman who wished death upon all men because of her failed marriage and signed a swimsuit gravure contract without regarding Mai-senpai's wishes.
"Miss Sakurajima, thank you so much for today. If not for you, the two of us would be sleeping on the streets."
"Oh my, please just call me Iori. It feels strange to switch back to using surnames," she replied.
"But if you hadn't helped me find my bracelet, I wouldn't have recognized you or struck up a conversation.
"I suppose this is what they call fate."
Tsushima Kagami clapped his hands upon hearing this.
"As expected of Miss Iori, born in Kamakura. Even your words have a touch of Zen philosophy."
"Hahaha, you flatter me."
After listening to Tsushima Kagami's praise, Sakurajima Iori looked at the two of them with curiosity.
"If I may ask, seeing as you share a surname, are you two brother and sister?"
Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku shook their heads simultaneously.
"Could it be older sister and younger brother then?"
The two smiled and nodded this time.
"Oh my, I couldn't tell at all," she exclaimed. "Where have you traveled from?"
"Tokyo," the two replied in unison.
Hearing this, a look of longing appeared on Sakurajima Iori's face.
"That's so nice. I want to visit Tokyo too."
"Has Miss Iori never been to Tokyo? After all, it's just an hour by train from Kamakura," Tsushima Kagami asked curiously.
"No, I haven't. Usually, aside from school, I'm helping out at home.
"But I have seen photos and videos brought back by classmates from Tokyo.
"Especially the underground idol performances at a Livehouse in Yotsuya, Tokyo."
"That sounds nice," Sakurajima Iori said, recounting the stories she had heard from her classmates.
"Does that mean Miss Iori wants to become an idol too?" Yukinoshita Shizuku, sitting to the side, asked her.
"Me?
"It's just that when I watched the videos, the girls inside seemed so full of energy.
"I just thought that if I could go to Tokyo one day, it might be nice to be like them," Sakurajima Iori said with a smile as she pondered.
"Being an idol isn't that easy," Tsushima Kagami interrupted Sakurajima Iori's fantasy, continuing, "Whether it's an idol or an actor.
"Aside from the glitz and glamour shown to the public...
"Behind the scenes, there is immense effort and sacrifice, along with endless filth and grime.
"Even then, those who manage to stand out and appear before the crowds are the minority of the minority.
"For example, just when you are about to reach the next level, your manager suddenly hints that you need to engage in 'pillow business' with a producer, director, or company president.
"Would you be willing?"
"Ah, you have to do things like that?"
Sakurajima Iori crossed her arms, looking at Tsushima Kagami with a fearful expression.
Tsushima Kagami smiled and continued.
"At least there's no shortage of such news exposed in Shukan Bunshun.
"Unless you have a certain family background or are extremely lucky, most can't avoid it."
"Then I don't want to be an idol anymore," Sakurajima Iori immediately denied her future dream.
Then, her eyes flickered as she looked at Tsushima Kagami.
"Oh my, Kagami-kun, what does this 'manager' do? It sounds quite impressive.
"Maybe I'll become a manager instead."
Weren't you going to be an idol? How did it turn into a manager so quickly? Is a dream such a casual thing?
"A manager? Generally speaking, they are punching bags and nanny-butlers.
"Especially the bigger the star or idol under you, the harder they are to serve."
"Then I'd better not be a manager either. It feels even more troublesome than some of the customers in the shop."
Tsushima Kagami once again snuffed out Sakurajima Iori's dream.
Just as Sakurajima Iori wanted to continue chatting, she noticed that because Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku had been talking with her, their food had remained untouched and was about to go cold.
She spoke apologetically. "I forgot you two haven't eaten yet.
"I won't disturb you any longer."
After speaking, Sakurajima Iori stood up and walked toward the door, then turned back.
"By the way, there's a fireworks display tonight. You should be able to catch it after you finish eating.
"You can take a walk to digest your food while you're at it."
"Thanks for the reminder. We'll go out for a walk after we eat."
After Sakurajima Iori left, Tsushima Kagami and the others began their dinner.
...
Night at the Enoshima Sea Candle.
After Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku finished dinner, they planned to go out and watch the fireworks display.
Originally, they could have watched it from the nearby coast, and Sakurajima Iori had even brought her own yukata to lend to Yukinoshita Shizuku.
But after discussing it, the two decided to visit the Enoshima Sea Candle again to overlook the night view of Kamakura and the fireworks.
The two now stood on the observation deck. Yukinoshita Shizuku, who had bathed earlier, had let her hair down to its usual shawl length.
She was currently leaning into the viewing telescope, looking at the night scenery.
"It really does look much better at night."
"Then it wasn't a wasted trip."
As Tsushima Kagami spoke, he took out a battery he had just charged at Sakurajima Iori's inn and a new cassette tape. After swapping the battery and tape in the DV, he pressed the power button again.
REC.
20:00:00
20.07.1998
"Shizuku, look here."
On the screen, Yukinoshita Shizuku turned her head to look at the DV lens.
With a whoosh, the first firework of the hour shot up into the night sky behind them, then blossomed brilliantly with a bang, illuminating the dark sky.
The other tourists who had come to watch also let out bursts of cheers.
Yukinoshita Shizuku was also attracted by the sound and turned to look at the fireworks.
The summer wind was blowing warmly, passing through her hair, passing by her ears.
On the screen, she looked sideways at the sky, tucking the strands of hair messed up by the sea breeze behind her ear. Then, smiling, she turned back to look at Tsushima Kagami, pointing her finger at the fireworks blooming one after another in the night sky.
"Kagami, look quickly."
"I'm looking."
At this moment, a line of lyrics from Summer Wind echoed in Tsushima Kagami's mind.
"The gentle, lazy sea breeze, blowing to the high mountain peaks..."
"The warm wind, the mountain wind, blowing into a mountain wind..."
After the fireworks display ended, the night sky of the small city of Kamakura returned to its usual tranquility.
Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku, along with other tourists who were still yearning for more, successively left the Enoshima Sea Candle.
On the way back from Enoshima, the two did not take the electric train but strolled along the sidewalk near the coast.
Not long after, Yukinoshita Shizuku said she wanted to see the DV footage he had just shot of her. So the two leaned against the guardrail of the sidewalk, opened the DV, and played back the previous recording.
Watching herself on the screen, Yukinoshita Shizuku revealed a rare, undisguised happiness.
"I didn't expect you to be quite good at filming."
"So you're saying you're actually quite satisfied?" Tsushima Kagami asked, looking at her.
Yukinoshita Shizuku didn't speak. Instead, she walked a few steps forward with her hands behind her back, then turned around, raised the Polaroid hanging around her neck, and looked at Tsushima Kagami with a smile.
"In return, I'll take a solo shot of you too."
Tsushima Kagami didn't say much; he rested his hand on the guardrail to the side and struck a casual pose.
"Come on!"
Yukinoshita Shizuku pressed the shutter. Accompanied by the xenon flash and the warm sea breeze, the surrounding darkness was dispelled.
The summer of you and me, the wind whispers gently.
____
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