"Champion?!" Orihime Inoue hugged Tatsuki Arisawa excitedly. "That's amazing!"
Tatsuki Arisawa ruffled her hair. "Thanks to you, I'm in a much better mood."
"Huh?" Muten Natsu looked curious. "How come winning first place in the high school inter-school tournament doesn't make you happy?"
"It wasn't an honorable win!" Tatsuki Arisawa huffed, slapping her thigh. "My opponent was this gorilla-like woman. I thought we'd have a proper fight… but after her quarterfinal match, she went to buy some juice and got hit by a car—she broke her arm. She barely made it through the semifinals, and by the time she faced me, she could hardly fight at all."
"To actually feel like your victory isn't honorable because your opponent got injured…" Chizuru Honshō leaned in. "Why didn't I see any mercy from you when you were beating me up?"
Tatsuki Arisawa quickly grabbed Chizuru Honshō's hand as she reached for Orihime Inoue. "I've never seen you behave yourself either! You're just a wild cat always on the prowl!"
"That's way too harsh!" Chizuru Honshō struggled angrily. "At least I should be a house cat!"
"House cats get surgery," Michiru Ogawa whispered. "Even if you wanted to… you couldn't do it."
Mahana Natsui draped her arm over Ryō Kunieda's shoulder. "Honestly, I think Chizuru would still act like this even if she did have surgery~"
"Long time no see, Kuchiki-san." Ryō Kunieda looked up from her book. "I was a little worried about how you've been doing, but seeing you now… my worries were probably unnecessary."
"Actually, I did run into some trouble." Rukia Kuchiki gave a polite smile. "Thankfully, everyone helped out."
Ryō Kunieda turned to Muten Natsu.
Muten Natsu yawned. "The others should be here soon, right?"
"Oh!" Ichigo Kurosaki and Yasutora Sado walked over together. "Are we late?"
Mahana Natsui waved. "It's still early~"
"I—chigo—!" Keigo Asano ran over happily. "I've been waiting so long for you, Ichigo! Playing by myself was so lonely!"
Thud!
Ichigo Kurosaki kicked out, stopping Keigo Asano's lunge. "Thanks."
"You're so heartless!" Keigo Asano shouted.
"I'm back~" Mizuiro Kojima, tanned from the sun, waved. "Were you lonely all by yourself, Keigo?"
"Shut up! Get lost!" Keigo Asano shoved Mizuiro Kojima away. "You traitor! You must've had a blast in Phuket with that women's soccer team! You're so tanned—were you outdoors all the time? You definitely did something wild out there!"
"Sometimes I was indoors too…"
"You actually dared to be indoors!" Keigo Asano was ready to explode. "Do you have any idea how I've spent the past few days? Going out alone seemed pointless, so I stayed home in this blazing heat, playing video games every single day, just games, games…"
Michiru Ogawa tilted her head. "Isn't that fine?"
"What's fine about it!" Keigo Asano protested loudly. "Summer vacation is meant for fun! Sun, sand, cact…"
Mizuiro Kojima raised her hand. "Honestly, it's not that fun."
"Shut up!" Keigo Asano snapped. "At least there's the fireworks display, the lively festival, all kinds of food stalls, girls in yukata… and yet you showed up in regular clothes."
Chizuru Honshō fixed her gaze on Orihime Inoue. "Exactly! How could you not wear a yukata?"
Tatsuki Arisawa pursed her lips. "Aren't you not wearing one either?"
Chizuru Honshō pushed her glasses up. "Did you expect me to wear one?"
Tatsuki Arisawa replied immediately, "Of course not."
"If no one's expecting me to, why should I wear one?" Chizuru Honshō's eyes sparkled. "But I'm really looking forward to seeing Orihime's yukata!"
Orihime Inoue wore a pale yellow T-shirt that elegantly hugged her bust and tapered at the waist to highlight her slim figure. Her pink printed skirt fell past her knees, swaying gently in the breeze. "Casual clothes are more comfortable."
Rukia Kuchiki tugged at her light blue dress. Her graceful posture and cute gestures, combined with the refreshing colors, gave off a lively summer vibe. "I like dresses a little more."
"If I have time to fuss over a yukata," Ryō Kunieda glanced at the book in her hand, "I'd rather read more."
"If Ryō isn't wearing one…" Michiru Ogawa's cheeks flushed. "I don't feel like wearing one either."
Mahana Natsui scratched her head. "I forgot where I put my yukata…"
Keigo Asano sank to his knees in despair. "Has this era lost all the cute girls who wear yukatas? Holding sweet treats, calling out from behind in even sweeter voices…"
"Nii-san!" A sweet voice rang out.
"Yes, yes, yes, that's it!" Keigo Asano's face lit up as he looked toward the source. Two adorable little girls were running toward him, and a middle-aged man followed closely behind.
They all lunged at Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Whoa!" Ichigo Kurosaki was knocked flat onto the ground.
"Nii-san, here, take a bite of this chocolate-covered banana too!" Yuzu Kurosaki held the treat to her brother's mouth. "It's really good! Come on, open up!"
Karin Kurosaki, usually a bit serious, beamed and added, "Hurry up and eat!"
"I… what's happening here?" Ichigo Kurosaki noticed his sisters' voices were louder than usual. "They're…"
"They're drunk." Isshin Kurosaki held grilled squid in one hand and dragged a plate of takoyaki with the other. "Uncle Ken from the 800-Super accidentally used alcohol instead of water for the juice at his stand… Never mind that. I went over to the other side at seven this morning and reserved VIP seats. Let's all go together!"
Karin and Yuzu bounced up and down with excitement. "Let's go!"
Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima, overjoyed, immediately ran toward Isshin Kurosaki.
Ichigo Kurosaki and Yasutora Sado followed along as well.
"I'll stay here." Tatsuki Arisawa sat down on the grass by the riverbank. "It'll be too crowded if we all squeeze in."
Orihime Inoue stayed behind, Muten Natsu didn't feel like walking further, and Rukia Kuchiki avoided the crowded area.
Chizuru Honshō had planned to stay with Orihime Inoue but was dragged away by Mahana Natsui.
Michiru Ogawa wanted to check out the food stalls, so she pulled Ryō Kunieda along with her.
Orihime Inoue spread her arms wide by the riverbank, gazing at the flowing water reflecting the fiery sunset. The gentle breeze lifted her hair. "It feels like… it's been so long since I've been here!"
"Well… a lot has happened, after all." Tatsuki Arisawa turned her head toward Orihime Inoue. "Orihime?"