"Won't there be any danger?"
Ajitani bit off the tip of her popsicle with a 'crunch,' shook her head, and said indistinctly, "No, there will be signposts to guide you, and the organizers will check for potential dangers before it starts."
"But this two-person group…" Nishikata's gaze returned from the children playing in the distance, a bit hesitant about how to speak.
"You guys just participate, I'll skip it. I've already participated seven or eight times," Ajitani waved her hand indifferently. "That area never changes, and there are no staff members dressed as ghosts to scare people. I'm already tired of it."
"But—"
Ajitani snapped her fingers. "Alright, it's happily decided."
With that, she stood up, aimed at a nearby trash can, made a precise shot, and then looked back at the four people with satisfaction.
"Let's go, we'll pick up some pretty seashells and then go home!"
"Mhm."
After two meals of grilled squid by the fishing port, watching fishing boats go out early and return late twice, and the orange soda in the convenience store's freezer empty and refilled, two days of summer vacation just drifted by amidst the sound of cicadas.
At the yukata rental shop, yukatas were piled high on wooden shelves. Shouko and the others slowly picked out patterns, while a staff member squatted down, arranging sashes, and the fitting room curtain occasionally swayed.
Ajitani watched Tsuna being pushed into the dressing room by Shouko to try on a yukata. She raised an eyebrow at Takagi, who understood immediately. Takagi went to hold Shouko back while moving closer to Nishikata.
"Nishikata, how did that thing I asked you to do the day before yesterday go? Did you manage to get anything out of him?"
"…"
The old fan above his head creaked, and the sound of cicadas outside the door came in waves. Nishikata found himself unable to speak for a moment.
He thought about how, in the past two days, every time he asked Miyamura, Miyamura would cleverly change the subject, always ending in failure…
"So it failed?" Ajitani saw his hesitant expression and immediately guessed the answer.
"Mhm…" Nishikata nodded with difficulty.
"Then forget it."
Ajitani waved her hand helplessly. She hadn't held much hope anyway; it was somewhat unrealistic to expect Nishikata to get information out of Miyamura.
"Don't worry, I'll give you the reward for your request."
"No… no need, it was just a question—" Nishikata instinctively wanted to shake his head and refuse, but he paused when he heard the reward she mentioned…
"For tonight's test of courage, I'll find a way to get you and Takagi in the same group," Ajitani promised, patting her flat chest.
"Is that really okay…?"
"What's not okay about it? Isn't it normal for a boy and a girl to be in a group? Do you want to be in a group with Shouko-chan instead!?"
"No, no, no, I didn't say anything."
Nishikata quickly shut his mouth. Seeing Miyamura come out of the dressing room, he decisively put some distance between them, afraid she might change her mind and also afraid Miyamura might have heard what she just said and strangle him.
"How is it?" Tsuna walked up to Shouko and the others. He felt the linen fabric itching his skin a bit, and the new yukata still had a faint scent of starch.
He had planned to buy a new yukata directly. He didn't know how many people had worn the rented ones, and even though they were cleaned, he felt a bit uncomfortable about it.
"Very handsome, young man." Before Shouko could comment, the uncle staff member from the side walked over, repeatedly looking him over and praising him.
"The subtle bamboo pattern is perfectly aligned with the shoulder line, making you look particularly tall and straight. When the sash is tightened, your shoulder and back lines are accentuated, showing a few points of my handsomeness from back in the day."
"…" The scattered customers present were a bit speechless, especially when their eyes fell on the two faces. They became even more speechless.
"…" Tsuna couldn't stand the other party's chattering words, which were almost all unique praises.
Finally, after receiving Shouko's comment, he immediately bought the gray yukata he was wearing.
When they left the yukata shop, Shouko also bought a yukata with white as the main color and blue cherry blossoms as embellishments. Takagi rented an orange and white yukata.
Under the staff member's persuasion, Nishikata eventually rented a black yukata, while Ajitani came and left empty-handed, as she lived nearby and could still wear the yukata she bought the year before last.
---
The fireworks festival stalls had just set up their lights, and the sea had already swallowed half of the sun.
Streetlights along the breakwater lit up one after another, and waves rolled with Broken Gold (shattered gold, referring to the sparkling sunlight on the water) onto the shore.
Ajitani's clogs clacked on the floor, mixing with the sound of cicadas outside the door, and she said impatiently, "Ready to go!"
"When you're out playing, remember to be careful," Ajitani's grandmother walked out of the kitchen, wiping her wet hands with a tissue, not forgetting to remind them again.
Ajitani looked back at the old woman. "Grandma, are you really not coming with us? I heard it's going to be very lively this time."
"Which year do you not say that?" Ajitani's grandmother chuckled and waved her hand. "In a little while, I'll be ready to sleep."
"Alright then."
Seeing no results, Ajitani stopped trying to persuade her and waited with Tsuna and Nishikata, who were chatting in the living room, for Shouko and the others.
"Class Monitor, are we going directly to the test of courage later or should we look around first?"
After she sat down, Tsuna shifted the topic to her, hoping she could distract the somewhat talkative Nishikata.
"Let's go visit the stalls on the beach first. The stalls there are different every year, so I'm quite looking forward to it."
Then Ajitani shared some interesting stalls she encountered the year before last with the two. Tsuna and the others quietly listened, nodding occasionally.
Ajitani's grandmother sat with them for a while before getting up to go to the bathroom.
"Is Shouko not ready yet?" Ajitani asked curiously, looking at Takagi, who had changed into her yukata and was walking down.
"Just a few more minutes." Takagi subtly glanced at Nishikata's reaction, then contentedly walked to the chair next to her and sat down, asking curiously.
"Miyamura, is the second volume of your Anohana going to be released in a few days?"
Tsuna nodded, guessing, "Shouko told you?"
He hadn't actually mentioned the specific release date of the second volume of Anohana to any of them, only that it would be during the summer vacation.
"No," Takagi shook her head, took out her phone from the kinchaku bag hanging by her waist, and showed him the content inside.
"Futaba Publishing's official website just released the first preview for Anohana, saying that the second volume of Anohana will be released in August, so I guessed it would be these past few days."
"Really!?" Ajitani took Takagi's phone and watched the preview information.
"If it's released in the next few days, can we buy it at a bookstore nearby?" Nishikata asked curiously, also worried about not being able to buy it immediately.
"I'm not sure if you can buy it here, but don't worry, it won't be released before we return to Tokyo, okay?"
Tsuna chuckled and spread his hands, revealing some inside information to them: "It's releasing next Thursday. Barring any surprises, we should already be home."
"Thursday!? Are you sure?" Ajitani's eyes lit up, looking up at him.
"…"
"Class Monitor, You Already know I'm the author…"