──Suddenly, I noticed that the community hall, which should have had quite a few people in it as usual, had become unnaturally quiet.
Unlike our regular practices, the delicate sounds of two flutes at different pitches and the lingering resonance of the koto were pleasantly echoing in my ears.
This time, the main focus was on tuning the instruments rather than my dance, but Misora had suggested that since we were here anyway, I should dance a little…
“…Wow, it’s like art every time I see it.”
“We’re lucky to get to watch it from this close.”
“It moves me no matter how many times I see it.”
It was just a small part of practice, but before I knew it, the community hall was filled with members of the festival committee and the preservation society, all watching my dance.
This is kinda embarrassing.
“Toki gets to see this every week… Lucky her. I wanna join the practices starting next time.”
“Hehe, it’s no surprise after all these years of doing it. Sometimes I wish I could just watch as part of the audience instead of playing.”
Hold on, audience? I’m not exactly putting on a concert here.
“I can see why they call him the first love thief.”
Misora casually let that slip out.
It felt like I’d heard that term somewhere before, so I couldn’t help but ask.
“Eh, what? First love thief?”
The one who answered my question was Shiho-san.
“Oh, you didn’t know? The ‘first love thief’ of the Unjo Festival. You’ve been popular with little girls since way back, you know?”
“Since way back…”
“After all, even my kid…”
“Hey, Mom!? You don’t have to say that!”
“Oh dear, ufufu.”
Where had I hear that before?
I couldn’t quite remember exactly, but I do remember talking about it with someone.
As I was trying to recall who I’d discussed it with, Toki, sitting next to Misora, muttered something under her breath.
“Well, to the local girls, Himura is pretty much the definition of unattainable.”
Coming from you, that’s rich…
What kind of comeback is this supposed to be?
To be precise, it’s not me specifically, but the dancers of the Unjo Festival who are seen as unattainable… wait, no, that still means me.
From my point of view, Kaori and Hana Hino are far more talented, gifted, and charismatic than I am—they’re the real unattainable ones.
But “local girls” would include them as well.
So, does that mean to them, I was “unattainable”?
It’s not just a possibility; it probably was that way.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had multiple girls approaching me around the same time.
One made a move, and it sparked a chain reaction of others following suit.
Thinking about it calmly, yeah, that’s the order it happened in.
But even so, what am I supposed to do about it?
“Aoi-kun’s starting to overthink things…”
“For starters, I think you deserve some payback for unwittingly charming everyone.”
“My, fufu, being popular sure is tough for boys.”
“…Himura, I don’t want any misunderstandings, so I’ll say this upfront.”
Toki suddenly peered up at my face from below, her expression incredibly serious.
“Wh-what is it…?”
“It’s true that the summer festival was what led to us meeting, but even if we’d met some other way, I think I’d still have fallen for you.”
“Uh… huh?”
What was she suddenly saying? Her point wasn’t coming across at all.
“…What I’m saying is, even if you weren’t doing the kagura dance, I’d still like you, Himura.”
That’s apparently what she wanted to convey, in essence.
It’s purely hypothetical, though—without the kagura dance, we probably wouldn’t have met, so there’d be no falling in love or anything.
But we have met now, and she says she likes me.
And that her feelings wouldn’t change even if I stopped the kagura dance—that’s what she’s saying.
In other words, she didn’t fall for the kagura dancer, but for the boy named Aoi as a person… is that it?
As I was pondering what exactly she was trying to tell me, the president of the preservation society raised his voice a bit.
“All right, looks like everyone’s here. Ahem, it’s another scorching summer, but the season for the Unjo Festival has come around again.”
Everyone gathered started portioning out the large amounts of alcohol and hors d’oeuvres that had been prepared at some point, all while paying attention to the president’s words.
“Starting tomorrow, we’ll be moving into full preparations, so please plan accordingly. I hear there’ll be more media coverage than last year, so let’s go in with extra spirit.”
The president paused for breath there, then turned his eyes toward me as I was trying to sit at the end of the table.
“Hey, where’s the star trying to sit!”
“…Well, technically, the main attraction is the fireworks…?”
“Everyone who comes to the festival is here to see you. Come on, it’s the annual tradition—lead the toast.”
Having a student who can’t drink lead the toast isn’t exactly standard… and probably not something the star does either.
“Um… Well, since there are some new faces this year, let me introduce myself again. I’m Himura Aoi, performing the Untennei dance at the Unjo Festival’s kagura. Thank you all for coming together today despite your busy schedules.”
Well, this is just how it goes every year.
“I hear the fireworks will be on a bigger scale than usual this year, so we’re anticipating more visitors and media than normal. Though I’ve never actually seen the fireworks after my performance, so I wouldn’t know the difference… this is where you’re supposed to laugh.”
Saying a joke like that and having it fall flat is also an annual thing. Wonder when my self-deprecating humor will ever get a laugh.
“Anyway, that means this year will be busier. So, let’s use today to build up our energy. Everyone have your glasses ready? Good. Then, let’s all do our best starting tomorrow. Cheers.”
““““““““““Cheers!!”““““”
I’ve been doing this since middle school, so it’s second nature by now.
As I finally resettled into my seat next to Toki and the others, Misora deliberately shifted over to sit beside me.
“You seem like you’re used to it. Is this how it always goes every year?
“Yeah, usually the faces don’t change much… but this year, including you, there are a few new ones. Normally, I don’t bother with the introduction.”
“I’d heard about it and thought I knew, but… you really are doing something amazing, Aoi.”
“…Even if you say that, it doesn’t feel real to me.”
When I looked up, Toki, sitting across from me, was frowning and silently munching on fried food.
Why so much fried stuff? Doesn’t it make her feel queasy?
As for Misora next to me, she kept bombarding me with questions like “Aoi, you…” and “Aoi is…”
Getting tired of answering casually, I turned the tables and asked her instead.
“What about you? How’d things go with Souma?”
“Huh? Souma?”
“…I heard you confessed to him right after breaking up with your boyfriend.”
“Ah… Yeah, he turned me down.”
I also felt like asking why she’d done something like that in the first place, but I set that aside for now.
“Turned you down… but wasn’t it more like not quite?”
“He said he needed a bit more time, but after that, I had a chance to talk with Tomiya.”
“…With Tomiya?”
“Yeah. That’s when I heard about Souma’s eye issue—and about you too.”
That would be after Kiritsuki had told Tomiya and Yamabuki about my past.
“I’m sorry—I had no idea Toru was like that.”
“Well… no need to apologize to me.”
“Ahaha… Yeah, I know it doesn’t mean much coming from me. Sorry, it’s just for my own satisfaction.”
“…I heard from Shiho-san too. She said he didn’t seem like a bad guy.”
And that it wasn’t an act he was putting on.
“Um… if anything happens with Toru, tell me too, okay? I think I could help somehow.”
“I don’t think I’ll have any more run-ins with him.”
“The summer festival draws a lot of people, so just in case.”
Inwardly praying that this conversation wouldn’t jinx anything, I picked up my chopsticks and helped myself to the snacks.
