Inviting Ishigami to the Hoshin Festival wasn't difficult. I told him it wouldn't just be the two of us, that Miko and Onodera would be coming too, and it seemed Ishigami was planning to go to the Hoshin Festival alone anyway, so things went quite smoothly. I followed him when he suggested we go see a performance his senior, a gaming friend of his, was putting on for his club, and along the way, we saw a sign from a classroom advertising a "Wanko Soba Eating Contest (Walk-ins welcome)."
"Wanko soba, gorge yourself..." *glances around*
As I tried to approach Miko-chan, who was standing still in front of the sign, Onodera-san...
"I'll keep an eye on Iino, so why don't you go on ahead?"
"...picture?"
"Onodera, is this okay?"
"It'll be fine, we can meet up later, right? ...Besides, we'll be full soon, won't we?"
Onodera-san implies that she's so small, but Miko-chan is a huge eater, despite her tiny size. You'd be surprised if you saw her in person...
"Ishigami, what do you want to do?"
"Well, I guess I'll go ahead rather than wait for you to finish eating... Is that alright with you, Great Buddha?"
"Okay, sure. So, Onodera-san, I'll leave Miko-chan in your care."
"Okay, leave it to me. Well then... good luck to you too, Great Buddha."
"Hmm? What are you going to work hard at?"
"Well, that's fine. Go on, go on."
"Hey, Onodera, don't push me, I get it! So... I'm leaving Iino in your care."
"Okay."
As I followed Ishigami as he started walking, I glanced back just once and saw Onodera winking at me. It seemed he was trying to be considerate. But I thought I might as well enjoy this opportunity.
...…
The constellations adorning the night sky changed their appearance busily, but their light gradually weakened until finally it was back to the same pitch-black darkness as when we entered. Suddenly, the door opened, and light poured into the dark space.
"Time's up, how was it?"
"It was amazing! Even though the clubroom was so small, the night sky looked so vast and it was incredibly beautiful."
"Heh heh, the 'narrow' part is unnecessary."
Senior Ryuju, who was grumbling about it, accepted Ishigami's words of praise with a smile. It seemed he wasn't entirely displeased.
"Oh, um... I was really impressed by how beautiful it was."
"Oh, I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"Well then, senior, please do your best at working at the shop."
"Okay, see ya."
The moment I parted ways with Ryuju-senpai, I received a message from Onodera-san.
"...As expected of Miko-chan."
"Huh? What happened to Iino?"
"They've made it to the finals."
"...As expected of Iino."
"I'm a little worried..."
"...Iino's stomach?"
"Hmm... We're out of stock of Wanko Soba."
"Hahaha, you're right."
Walking down the corridor with Ishigami, chatting and laughing...it almost felt like we were a couple on a date. Leaving the school building and heading to the courtyard, we sat down on a bench together...the courtyard was deserted, a stark contrast to the bustling atmosphere inside the school building just moments before.
"The high school cultural festival is really on a larger scale."
"Yeah, you're right..."
Contrary to the still, silent air, my heart was pounding as if I had just run. The legend of the Hoshin Festival says that if you give something heart-shaped to the person you like, you will be blessed with eternal love... I had initially intended to give it to her casually, but with this much nervousness, there was no way I could do it casually. To distract myself, I turned my gaze to a tree standing beside the bench and saw flowers blooming on its branches that reached high above my head.
"What kind of flower is this...?"
"These are cherry blossoms."
"Cherry blossoms? Are there cherry blossoms that bloom in winter?"
"Ah... this is called a winter cherry blossom, and it's a type of cherry blossom that blooms twice a year, in winter and spring."
"Cherry blossoms that bloom twice...that's unusual."
"That's right... The language of winter cherry blossoms is spiritual beauty, graceful woman, purity, and calmness... It's like the Great Buddha."
Ishigami's words made my face burn.
"I-Ishigami... you're overestimating me!"
"Really? ...Actually, there's one more reason why I thought the winter cherry blossoms looked like a giant Buddha."
"...What's the reason?"
"Winter cherry blossoms are also known by another name."Small-leaved cherry blossomsKobazakura (Cherry blossom)
"...That's definitely the real reason!"
"Haha, sorry about that. I wasn't trying to make fun of you or anything."
"Oh no..." *grumble*
When I picked up the vibrating smartphone, a message from Onodera-san appeared.
"Miko-chan won the championship."
"I thought you'd do it... Shall we meet up soon?"
"...Yeah, that's right. We have to celebrate Miko's birthday."
"Okay, let's go."
I stood up from the bench and left the courtyard. Looking back, I saw the winter cherry blossoms swaying in the wind. I hope that by next year's Hoshin Festival, Ishigami will have come to like me... and this time, I'll give him this with genuine feelings, without trying to hide anything.
"..." *squeeze*
The heart-shaped keychain is held tightly in my hands; my Hoshinsai festival won't be over until I can give this to them.
complete