Something was off.
Nine out of ten parts were off.
Aside from the initial mishap—specifically that foul-mouthed brat and his parents—the Summer Festival last night had been very enjoyable overall.
They played gold-fish scooping, ring toss, and target shooting; ate takoyaki, shaved ice, and candy apples; visited the shrine; and watched unique traditional music and dance performances.
Though it wasn't exactly a collection of unique experiences when analyzed closely, being immersed in that cheerful and lively atmosphere naturally rubbed off on a person.
Especially when accompanied by a like-minded friend.
But, were they really just friends?
That was a question worth pondering.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but amidst the festive joy of the Summer Festival, a subtle vibe seemed to have been faintly spreading between him and Rin.
For most of the festival, they continued to hold onto each other via the parasol, as if they had never heard the comments from that family of three.
On the way back, they maintained a wordless understanding, not mentioning the incident at all.
Thus, upon returning home, Akira had to consider a serious question—
Rin... she couldn't possibly like me, could she?
Thinking back carefully, he realized he could indeed find some indirect evidence, but at times like these, one had to ask: was this really just a delusion?
It wasn't that he was dense.
In fact, if this were his student days in his previous life, he probably would have asked himself 'Does she like me?' eight hundred times already.
But now, he chose to doubt, and then doubt again.
After all, this was'She likes me'—one of the three great delusions of life!
Rather than agonizing over this difficult-to-confirm question, he felt he could try thinking in reverse—
Did he like her?
Hmm...
It seemed there was a bit of liking there.
Besides, Rin was a girl worth liking.
It was undeniable that her exquisite and beautiful appearance was the prerequisite for his heart skipping a beat.
More importantly, in the time they had spent together so far, he felt very comfortable, without any discomfort or awkwardness.
At the same time, Rin's musical talent, her pursuit of her dreams, her level-headedness and poise during company negotiations, and the delicate, gentle heart she showed when with him...
These were all things he greatly admired.
And she was a little rich girl too.
...Why did that suddenly make it feel so vulgar?
Scratch that, scratch that.
In short, after exploring his own heart, Akira had a general idea of his thoughts.
In that case, let's just keep spending time together and see.
...
...
Although his attitude toward Rin had changed slightly, he couldn't exactly launch an immediate offensive.
For the next few days, he temporarily refocused his energy on creating "Weathering with You," and when the temperature dropped in the evenings, he would go for walks by the river with Rin.
Since starting the single recording, Rin had temporarily stopped her street performances to preserve her voice.
With the upcoming release of "Marigold," she would have to participate in promotional activities with the company, so she'd likely have even less time.
Speaking of which, while walking by the river, Akira suddenly realized that the area of Tokyo submerged in "Weathering with You" was right around here.
Did this count as sacrificing oneself for art?
In this simple and fulfilling rhythm of life, time unknowingly reached August 20th.
The Obon holiday had officially passed, but the Shonen Jump combined issue hadn't been released yet. However, what was more important for the two of them right now was—
The "Marigold" single CD was released in stores on this day.
After its first trial broadcast on J-WAVE's "Hello World" at midnight on August 9th, the response had been excellent.
Consequently, in the less than two weeks since then, "Marigold" had been requested two more times. Its popularity was rising, and it even had a decent level of buzz online.
"The melody is simple and beautiful, very comfortable to listen to."
"A great song for the afternoon or before bed."
"It feels like summer and autumn at the same time."
"It's very warm, but it also feels a bit sentimental."
"The singer's voice is lovely, and the emotional expression is great."
"I want to hear the second half..."
So, on August 20th, Akira and Rin went out together to a nearby record store that sold both CDs and CD players.
Just yesterday, Tanigawa Haruka had sent them the sample CDs, but Akira suddenly realized he didn't have a CD player at home. He couldn't even listen to his own song, which was a bit embarrassing.
So their main goal this time was to buy a CD player, and they could also check on the song's sales while they were at it.
The reason he brought Rin along was that he didn't know much about the CD player market and wanted her to help him choose.
Before they even reached the store entrance, they could already hear "Marigold" being played over the store's speakers.
At the same time, right on the shelf at the store entrance, the "Marigold" CD cases were on display.
The cover of the "Marigold" CD didn't feature their images, as per their request. Instead, it featured an actual Marigold flower.
Inside the store sat a middle-aged man with messy hair and a scruffy beard. Seeing the man look toward them, Akira feigned curiosity and asked:
"Boss, what's the name of the song playing in the store?"
Seeing this, Rin felt she couldn't help but giggle, so she quietly hid half of her body behind Akira's back.
The owner noticed nothing and replied with a smile:
"This song is called 'Marigold.' It's a new song that was just released today. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?"
"How about it, want to buy a CD?"
"Sure, and I'd also like to buy a CD player."
"! What price range are you looking for? I have everything here...!"
The owner's eyes lit up instantly, and he actively began introducing various CD players in the store, ranging from a few thousand yen to hundreds of thousands of yen.
Ultimately, on Rin's recommendation, he chose a high-end Sony CD player priced at 240,000 yen.
The owner beamed with joy at the sight.
A rare big sale!
"Thank you for your patronage!"
The owner then said generously:
"Since you've been such a good customer, I'll just give you this 'Marigold' CD for free."
"I'll also give you a copy of the 'First Love' single CD. This song is a massive hit this year; you both must have heard it, right?"
"We've heard it. Thank you then, Boss."
"Haha, you're welcome!"
A single CD cost 1,100 yen, so two were only 2,200 yen. The profit from a 240,000 yen CD player was much more than that.
"By the way,"
While the owner was packing it for him, Akira asked casually:
"How is this new song 'Marigold' selling today?"
"It's selling quite well."
The owner said with a chuckle:
"In fact, I don't have much stock left in the store. I just called the manufacturer to tell them to restock quickly."
"This song is indeed very good."
"It's catchy, fits the mood, and is easy on the ears. I've been playing it all morning and I'm still not tired of it."
"I see."
Hearing the owner's praise, Akira and Rin finally couldn't help but smile at each other.
Then, Akira laughed and said:
"Then we'll have to go back and give it a good listen."