Horikita Suzune wore a sky-blue yukata. With her stern expression and the frosted, ice-cracked pattern of the fabric, she radiated the aura of a walking glacier. Her usually loose, flowing hair was pinned up into an elaborate bun, revealing a swan-like, graceful neckline. Kitagawa Ryo, on the other hand, wore a modest but stylish light gray yukata. The two met at their agreed-upon spot and stepped together into the bustling festival grounds.
Given their striking appearances, many passersby couldn't help but glance at them. Some even whispered guesses about their relationship. After all, the two walked side-by-side, but they neither held hands nor chatted. Even their eyes pointed in different directions. If it weren't for their physical closeness, they might have been mistaken for strangers rather than festival companions.
"Relax. You're walking like your legs are out of sync," Ryo said casually, his eyes on Suzune.
She was clearly uncomfortable with the noisy, crowded atmosphere. Her face was tense, and her posture stiff as she walked.
"That's not true…" she mumbled defensively. "I'm just not used to it. I'll be fine in a bit."
"Sure, sure. I'll take you home in a bit, then," Ryo joked, trying to lighten the awkwardness.
He exaggerated his glances at the food stalls as if he couldn't resist the temptations.
"Wanna eat something?"
"Do we have to eat something?"
"It's a festival. Of course, we have to eat something."
Ryo walked over to a stall and bought two candied apples. He wasn't particularly fond of them, but didn't dislike them either. Handing one to Suzune, he smiled:
"A child's happiness is just moving from one festival to the next, until they grow up."
"At least for today, let's not argue about strange topics or worry about reading. You can wander around on your own later if you want."
Suzune stiffly accepted the candied apple and took a cautious bite. The sweet and sour coating, combined with the crisp fruit, brought the familiar joy only sweets can give.
"The first fireworks are about to go off," Ryo said, standing beside her.
It was a strange feeling. At this exact time in previous years, the person standing beside him had always been Karuizawa Kei. He shook his head, brushing away the random thoughts. He stared at the second hand of the plaza clock. 7:59:50. Ten seconds until the first firework.
"Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls is a classic, sure. But it can wait."
Suzune heard Ryo counting down softly:
"Five, four, three, two, one."
Even the moon and stars seemed to dim in comparison as the man-made miracle burst across the sky. The colors from the chemical reactions lit up the eyes of every spectator. In one instant, they bloomed. In the next, they vanished.
Ryo placed his hand on Suzune's shoulder—something they had planned beforehand. Izaki was probably behind them taking photos right now.
Suzune was even more rigid than Ryo had imagined. He could feel her slight trembling beneath his fingertips. The yukata he chose for her was of good quality, and though his hand merely rested lightly on the fabric, it was clear there was no romantic tension in the air. His hand couldn't feel her skin at all.
Just like their current relationship, there remained a layer of time and distance between them.
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Karuizawa Kei had, unusually, left her hair down tonight instead of tying it up like she usually did. Her honey-colored hair flowed smoothly down her shoulders, still damp and warm as if she'd just taken a bath. Her pale moon-white yukata was adorned with delicate floral patterns.
She was on a call.
The girl on the other end had the name "Shiina Hiyori" and an avatar that read simply, "Ryo."
"It sounds... lively," said Hiyori, her voice alone carrying the festive ambiance all the way across the ocean to her in London.
Kei lowered her voice, a trace of pride in her tone. "Of course. It is a major festival, after all."
Tonight's call had been Kei's idea. After earnestly responding to Hiyori's earlier question the night before, Kei had asked her to be a witness this evening. If she found herself faltering at the critical moment, she wanted someone to push her forward.
Hiyori had no reason to refuse—after all, Kei's plan held its own irresistible allure.
"Do you come to the fireworks festival every year, Karuizawa-san?"
"Mm, pretty much. I don't think I've missed it. Though, it's always been with Ryo."
"I thought he wouldn't make it this year since he went to the UK. But he still came back, huh."
Kei spoke with a touch of nostalgia. She wandered through the bustling night market, watching a boy and girl chase each other playfully.
"How did you meet Ryo, Shiina?" she asked suddenly.
"At the library. We started talking and eventually spent time reading and chatting together."
Hiyori's voice was light and airy, like a torn piece of cotton candy. Whenever she spoke of Ryo, there was a sweetness she couldn't conceal.
She treasured every moment with him. They talked about Ellery Queen, Lawrence Block, and Cornell Woolrich. Hiyori was amazed by how many books they had both read. Those shared stories became a massive moon under whose light the two of them basked together. Even now, one in London and the other in Tokyo, separated by an 11.5-hour time difference, Hiyori felt they still lived beneath the same moonlight.
"Ryo does love reading," Kei replied dryly. She couldn't quite grasp the depth of Hiyori's feelings.
She glanced at the time—7:55 PM. She and Ryo were supposed to meet at 8:05. Ten more minutes.
She had wandered without a destination, but before she realized it, Kei had ended up on the same street where Ryo and Horikita Suzune were. It was no coincidence—Ryo had already told her in advance. He never lied to Kei.
At the end of the street, despite the crowd, Kei immediately spotted Ryo. His back was unmistakable. Even though his gray yukata was inconspicuous among the vivid festival colors, for Kei, familiarity itself was the most distinguishable hue.
That color was painted with memories, layer after layer. Whenever time tried to bleach it away, new memories would overwrite the old.
Ryo was buying two candied apples. He used to look even cuter than Kei when they were kids, but as he grew, his face had taken on sharper lines, a unique blend of youthful innocence and budding maturity.
Kei watched as he returned to Suzune's side. She didn't even bother to look at Suzune—her gaze remained fixed on Ryo, who was talking with a light expression. The plaza clock continued ticking. Each passing second felt like a countdown to some inevitable death.
An inescapable end.
Shiina Hiyori, still listening through her earpiece, heard a whisper—too quiet for anyone else to notice.
"Ryo."
It was the nickname Kei had always used for him.
I no longer cling to the fantasy of being with you forever.
Even so, even if that's true...
I'm still here.
By your side, at least until the end arrives.
Kei looked up. Brilliant fireworks blossomed like flames in her sapphire eyes.
In the cool night breeze, she instinctively reached out—as if to embrace someone who wasn't there, beneath the dazzling splendor of the evening sky.
But her arms froze in midair, hanging there, foolish and unmoving.
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Before tonight's fireworks festival, Kitagawa Ryo had a rare opportunity to meet with Izaki—though to be more accurate, it was the latter who sought him out.
"Young Master and Horikita Suzune are just putting on an act, aren't they?"
Right off the bat, Izaki cut straight through Kitagawa's facade. He glanced at the dried, withered rose sitting on the table.
"...Was it really that obvious? I even went out of my way to stay at her house for a night. Doesn't that look convincingly like love at first sight?"
Kitagawa sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Because you're not the kind of person who falls in love at first sight. Maybe the family head and the others could be fooled, but I've watched you grow up."
There was a hint of pride in Izaki's voice.
"All I can say is—that girl was just really lucky."
"Hm? You mean Kei?"
"Perhaps."
Izaki answered vaguely, then continued in a stern tone, like an elder about to give a lecture:
"Since we're on the topic of Karuizawa Kei, Young Master, can you tell me what you really think of her?"
"Didn't I already tell you? I want to be someone others can rely on, just like you."
"And Karuizawa Kei is part of that?"
"...It's her."
Izaki didn't hesitate to point out the flaw in Kitagawa's logic:
"But by your own admission, you only see Karuizawa Kei as someone who depends on you. You're just using her to fulfill your own desire to be relied upon."
He even changed the way he addressed Kitagawa, dropping the formal "Young Master" and switching to "you"—now speaking more like a stern parent than a servant.
"If that's the case, then it doesn't have to be Karuizawa Kei, does it?"
"You're saying that if it hadn't been Kei who approached me back then, but some other kid, I wouldn't have developed this attachment to her, right?"
"Given your circumstances at the time, yes. It could've been anyone."
Kitagawa felt a sting of indignation at Izaki's words:
"But in the end—it was Kei. No matter what-ifs or hypotheticals, the outcome was Kei. That's the truth."
"Sure. And then what?"
Izaki remained calm in the face of Kitagawa's frustration:
"What are you going to do with Karuizawa Kei? Play this game of house with her for the rest of your life?"
"Even if you annul the engagement with Horikita Suzune, Karuizawa Kei still won't have a real chance."
"...I know that."
Kitagawa was fully aware—while he enjoyed the privileges and power of his family, he would inevitably have to give up a part of his freedom and the right to choose.
"I originally thought you could handle this properly, which is why I didn't interfere with your actions these past few days."
Sensing Kitagawa's growing despondency, Izaki sighed and offered a piece of advice:
"You say you've never lied to Karuizawa Kei, but the truth is—you've been desperately trying to keep one giant lie going this whole time."
After a short pause, he continued:
"Kitagawa Ryo will be with Karuizawa Kei."
"That, Young Master, is the greatest lie you've ever told her."
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The boy in the gray yukata parted ways with Horikita Suzune and walked steadily toward the place where he had promised to meet Karuizawa Kei. Yet after only a few steps, he looked across the crowd with startling synchronicity and caught sight of Kei at the other end of the street. Kitagawa Ryo naturally curled his lips into a soft smile.
Unlike the smile he had shown Suzune, this was one meant solely for Kei. He lifted his chin slightly, signaling that he would come over immediately.
"Ryo is coming," Kei said, struck by the smile that reached her through the crowd. She quickly looked down and spoke into her wireless earpiece to Shiina Hiyori on the other end.
"Since you've already decided not to make things harder for Kitagawa-kun," Hiyori advised gently, "you should try to look a little stronger."
"I-I'll do my best."
Kei took a few deep breaths. She had already confronted her own heart. Tonight was the night to lay everything bare with Ryo.
However, Hiyori couldn't shake a subtle sense of unease about how things might unfold. She suddenly remembered a small detail Ryo had mentioned a few days ago when talking about Kei—something seemingly trivial.
Back in elementary school, after reading "The Little Prince," the two had improvised a short skit. It was the scene where the Little Prince leaves the Rose.
"But the animals?" Kitagawa Ryo, playing the Little Prince, had asked Kei, who was playing the Rose.
Her next line should have been: "I have my thorns."
But Kei had forgotten the simple line. Instead, she stammered with a pitiful look and said to Ryo:
"Don't... hurt me."