Chapter 88. Festival, Fireworks, and That Lie
"So many people~"
Looking at the sea of humanity and the bustling street, Kaguya let out a gasp of wonder.
This was her first time attending a festival, and she hadn't expected the crowd to be this large.
Heads bobbed in all sizes.
The dark world was lit by lanterns strung up everywhere.
Just looking at it, you could feel a roaring tide of noise rushing at you, and it was easy to be swept into the joyful atmosphere.
"There's still a bit of time before the fireworks.
Let's stroll around the festival first."
As the local most familiar with the area, Raiden Mei naturally led everyone into the festivities.
Because there were so many people, once they merged into the flow they split into two groups.
Mei took Kiana and Sirin.
Xander took the remaining three.
"Wow, this smells so good!!"
"It really does!"
Catching the rich aroma from a food stall, Kiana and Sirin dashed off at once, leaving Mei to trail behind them with a weary heart.
Things were much better on Xander's side.
Everyone walked along with the crowd at an easy pace.
His arm was around Kaguya, preventing any ill-intentioned bumping or groping.
As for Seele and Bronya?
Those two really didn't need him to worry.
Ring toss, shooting galleries, goldfish scooping.
At one mini-game after another, their smiling faces were left behind.
Soon, after strolling until they were a bit tired, Seele and Bronya took Kaguya to buy snacks and treats.
Xander stood at a street corner waiting for them.
Just as he was bored enough to start scrolling his phone, a delighted voice came over.
"Ah, it's Xander !"
Puzzled, he looked up to see Ken Sugisaki waving with a grin.
"Old Man Kirito" and Iori Kitahara were beside him, and the three quickened their steps happily when they saw Xander.
"Hey, hey—so the 'plans' you mentioned were actually coming to the festival?"
"You even dared turn down our invitation.
You've gotten pretty bold, huh?"
"Ahaha..."
Xander gave a noncommittal smile and waved at them as they came over.
But when he saw the petite figure walking next to "Old Man Kirito," his expression showed a hint of surprise.
He high-fived the three first.
Then he looked at the yukata-clad girl and greeted her with a smile.
"Yo, Suguha, you came too.
Long time no see."
The girl looked a bit shy.
She hurriedly bowed and, looking at Xander, said with a blush, "N-Masato -brother, long time no see."
All four of them were in yukata.
Which made his casual clothes look a bit out of place.
"Yeah.
Didn't expect Suguha to become even prettier after a year."
Xander tried to lift his hand to give Suguha a head-pat, but "Old Man Kirito" swatted it away at once.
"What are you doing?"
Puzzled by Kirito's guarded look, he watched the serious face and heard, "You give off way too much 'playboy.'
I don't want Suguha falling victim to you."
"Hey, hey—don't you trust your bro?"
"It's exactly because you're my bro that I don't trust you."
"..."
Fair enough.
Sound reasoning.
Convincing.
Seeing this, Kitahara immediately jumped in, saying excitedly, "So cool, Kirito! As expected of my future bro-in—oof!!!!"
Ken Sugisaki punched Kitahara in the gut, then looked apologetically at the clearly startled Suguha.
"Sorry, he's had too much to drink and keeps spouting nonsense.
Don't mind him, Suguha."
"Mm, okay..."
Suguha took a small step back, doing her best to keep a smile.
Holding her phone, she forced a laugh.
"Um, my friends just called me over.
You guys go play.
Don't worry about me!"
With that, Suguha bent in a deep bow, then quickly ran into the crowd.
"It's your fault you scared her—oof..."
Just as he pointed a blaming finger at Xander, Kitahara took another punch to the stomach.
He rubbed at it and straightened up, unbothered, then looked at the group of dudes.
"Great.
Now we don't even have the only girl left."
"Whose fault do you think that is?
You were spouting weird stuff the whole way," Kirito added with a disgusted look.
He thought about it, then refrained from giving him a third punch.
Kitahara scratched his head and slowly sighed.
"In that case, how about we grab a bite?
There's a yakisoba place over there that's pretty good."
"Sure, I happen to be hungry."
"Yeah.
What about you, Xander ?"
Seeing how quiet Xander had been, Ken Sugisaki asked him.
"Ah, I'll just—"
"Brother~"
A pleasant voice came from the side.
Under Kitahara's eye-popping glare, a girl cute enough to explode with charm latched onto Xander's arm, then looked at them with eyes as clear and blue as the sky.
"Who are they?"
"The guys I told you about—Ken Sugisaki, Kazuto Kirigaya, and Iori Kitahara."
Hearing the introduction, Seele suddenly understood and spoke politely.
"They're Brother's friends, right?
Thank you for looking after him."
"Hey, so, my future bro-in—oof!!!!"
This time, Xander used a bit more force, leaving Kitahara unable to get up for quite a while.
He patted Seele's head and introduced her to the others.
"My little sister—or rather, my lover—Seele Vollerei."
The "Brother" made Seele break into a sweet smile.
She chimed along, "Please just call me Seele."
"Hiss, that hurts… Lover is lover.
What's with the whole 'brother-sister' kink?
Got my hopes up for nothing."
Clutching his stomach, Kitahara grumbled.
"Use your brain a little.
They're that close, and their surnames aren't even the same.
Think for two seconds and you'd know," Ken Sugisaki said helplessly as he thumped Kitahara's shoulder, then looked at Xander with eyes full of envy.
"No wonder you ditched us, Xander .
Must be nice, having a lover with you."
"Yeah.
Must be real nice~"
When would they ever…
"Husband, this concubine found a snack that tastes amazing.
Hurry and try it~"
Under the three men's bewildered stares, another girl—so beautiful she perfectly matched their idea of beauty—walked up to their bro, then fondly fed him with a toothpick.
After feeding, she even used a handkerchief to wipe his lips.
Also… what did she just call him?
"Husband?"
Kitahara's face twisted a little.
He forced himself to stay calm, turned his stiff neck toward the two single brothers beside him, and said, "Did I hear that wrong?"
"Probably."
"I think so too."
"You didn't."
"!!!!!!! Shut up!"
Under their furious glares, Xander hugged the slightly dazed Kaguya and said to them with a smile, "Kaguya Houraisan.
My fiancée."
"Heh-heh… I… I must still be half-asleep."
"It's fake.
All fake."
"A-amazing..."
The three exchanged looks.
Then, in unison, "Let's go eat yakisoba."
But before they could escape, another voice came.
"What are you talking about?
So lively."
Bronya hugged Xander from behind, then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, fed him the dessert fruit she'd just bought—mouth-to-mouth.
The utterly unapologetic display left the three of them dumbfounded.
Kitahara's spirit shattered.
He spun on his heel and strode off without hesitation.
Ken Sugisaki and Kirito quickly followed.
"Um, actually, I was thinking yakisoba too—"
"Scram!!!"
With a roar, their figures vanished into the distant crowd.
"What just happened?"
Bronya licked her lips and tilted her head in puzzlement.
Why did everyone leave the moment she showed up?
"Nothing.
Three single mutts couldn't handle the shock."
Showing off in front of his bros left Xander feeling great.
He was all smiles.
"Husband, did this concubine do something wrong?"
She'd been too eager to share with her husband just now, so Kaguya hadn't noticed the three standing to the side.
"No, no.
You did great, Kaguya."
Humming a cheerful tune, Xander waved a hand ahead.
"Let's go.
Keep playing~"
Time ticked by, and the fireworks show was about to begin.
Mei picked up her phone to confirm the spot she'd reserved for viewing.
Then she looked at the two still itching to wander—Kiana and Sirin.
"Kiana, Sirin, it's time.
We need to go secure our spot."
"Eh?
But there's still stuff I want to eat..."
Seeing Kiana with her mouth slick with grease made Mei frown.
Eat, eat, eat.
She'd eaten all the way here.
How could she still be thinking about food?
"It's not just me.
Sirin too.
Right, Sirin?"
She poked the sister beside her, who was busy with a candy apple, and Sirin nodded quickly.
"It'll be fine.
Mei, you go ahead.
Just drop me a location pin.
I'll bring Sirin over."
"The fireworks are about to start," Mei said, torn.
"Don't worry.
We'll hit—three… no, two more stalls at most, and we'll definitely head over!"
"Mm-mm!"
Sirin couldn't speak, but her head bobbed fast.
"All right.
Sirin's phone's been acting up, so don't get separated."
Since the afternoon, Sirin's phone had, for some reason, had no signal.
After a few more worried reminders, Mei finally headed toward the spot she'd reserved, looking back every few steps.
It was a quiet stretch of riverside.
Seeing the leveled ground set with tables and chairs and the unobstructed view, Mei nodded in satisfaction, then picked up her phone.
Not long after she sent her message, she saw Xander approaching with the other four.
Just as she was about to greet them, she noticed with some puzzlement that Xander's clothes looked rather grimy.
"What happened?"
He looked like he'd rolled on the ground.
"Pff~"
The moment she asked, everyone except the black-faced Xander couldn't help but laugh.
Bronya brushed dust off him as she explained, "Someone overdid the showing off and got dragged into the bushes for a beat-down."
"Click.
They're just jealous."
"Yeah, yeah.
Turn around."
The perfunctory reply only made Xander more aggrieved.
He silently vowed to make sure those punks learned a lesson once school started.
Once he was mostly cleaned up, Kiana sauntered back at last.
"Mmmphm here..."
Her mouth was stuffed full as she showed off the big bag of spoils in her hands.
She was about to share when she met Mei's grave gaze.
"Where's Sirin?"
"Eh?"
She whirled around and stared at the empty space behind her.
Kiana froze.
The bag slipped from her hands and hit the ground with a smack.
...
"Kiana, this looks delicious too.
Let's buy—eh?"
Focused on the stall, Sirin hadn't noticed the swelling crowd as the fireworks neared, and by the time she reached out for her companion's hand, her fingers closed on air.
"Kiana?"
She looked left and right in a hurry, but no matter how she searched, she couldn't find her sister's figure.
"Kiana?!"
Her voice rose, but was instantly drowned out by the waves of noise from the throng.
Panic seized her.
"The fireworks are starting soon! Hurry up!"
Some kid's loud complaint made the crowd surge even faster.
Sirin was jostled to the very edge and nearly fell.
She stared at the uproar before her, eyes going blank.
So she'd… been left behind?
Gradually, the flow of people receded toward the riverbank.
On the whole street, only Sirin was left.
"Hey, little miss, why aren't you off to watch the fireworks?"
The snack-stall old man tidied his things while looking curiously at Sirin, who stood there at a loss.
"I… it's nothing."
Sirin bit her lip.
She raised a foot toward the riverbank.
She remembered Mei saying the reserved spot was very close to the water.
But just as she took the step, she drew it back.
What if—what if they came back looking for her?
Besides, the fireworks were about to start.
Caught in this tug-of-war, Sirin soon heard a hum.
With a trailing flame, the firework hissed skyward, and in a rush it burst into brilliant light.
The five-colored radiance flashed without stopping, and Sirin couldn't help but lift her eyes to the sky.
"Pretty?"
"Mm."
A question sounded by her ear, and Sirin nodded on reflex.
Then she jolted, instantly sidestepping.
"Relax, it's me."
Xander caught the nearly stumbling Sirin and spoke a bit helplessly.
"Y-y—you—when did you get here?"
Fluster made her words stutter as she tried to steady her racing heart.
"Here, when the first firework went up."
He raised his phone to her and continued, "I already messaged everyone that I found you.
Don't worry, they're all in the know."
"I… I see.
Thanks."
Walking shoulder to shoulder with him, Sirin spoke a little sheepishly.
"You should thank me.
To find you, I gave up a romantic kiss-under-the-fireworks with my lovers, you know."
"Tch.
You really are… Which one would you even choose among Seele and the others?"
"Why choose?
Kiss them all, one by one."
"As expected of you.
Shameless and honest about it."
"Flattered, flattered."
"Not heading back?"
"No time.
Let's watch from here."
They raised their heads at the fireworks again and fell into silence.
After a while, Sirin spoke softly.
"Hey."
"Mm?"
"Sorry."
"Mm."
"Is 'mm' all you can say?"
"Oh."
"Tch."
Xander lowered his head, chuckled at Sirin's mix of annoyance and apology, then walked over to a balloon-shooting stall under her puzzled gaze.
"Hey, uncle, can I borrow that guitar for a bit?"
The shopkeeper hadn't planned to lend it, but a glance at Xander—and at Sirin peeking from behind him—made a mischievous grin bloom.
He took down the grand-prize guitar, handed it over, and winked.
"Lucky you, kid.
I just tuned it.
One song only~"
"Much appreciated.
One is enough."
He took the guitar and gave the strings a light strum.
Satisfied with the tone, he nodded.
Not bad.
Back at Sirin's side, he met the girl's curious eyes.
"Be my audience for a bit?"
"You can play?"
"I know a thing or two."
The guitar was one of the few instruments he could handle in both his previous life and this one, and he'd studied more after starting game development.
"Know a thing or two" was modesty.
He didn't know many songs from this region in his past life, but one happened to fit perfectly.
Borrowing a little stool from a nearby vendor, Xander sat right in the middle of the street.
Without any buildup, with the fireworks as his backdrop, he began to play a song called "Uchiage Hanabi."
Clean guitar.
A voice that carried.
Fireworks blooming across the sky.
And most importantly, the person smiling beneath those fireworks.
The sight made Sirin unconsciously take out her phone and record it.
Then, quietly, she set it as her wallpaper.
...
The fireworks ended quickly.
Xander returned the guitar, and amid a chorus of wolf whistles from the stall owners, led Sirin away.
"Come on.
They're still waiting for us."
"Mm."
Seeing the faint pink on Sirin's cheeks, Xander smiled.
"Don't mind their teasing.
They were just messing around."
"Mm."
"So now you're the one who can only say 'mm'?"
"Oh."
"..."
Xander gave up on the banter and strode ahead.
Sirin followed close behind, clutching the hem of his shirt like she was afraid of getting lost again.
Before long, Sirin spotted Kiana and the others in the distance.
She glanced down at her fingers pinching Xander's shirt, hesitated, then let go.
After one last look up at him, she hurried forward.
"Sirin!!!!"
Kiana barreled into her and hugged her with tearful eyes.
"Wahhh, I'm sorry, Sirin, I'm so sorry, wahhh..."
"Tch.
I'm fine."
Pushing away Kiana's face in mild disgust, Sirin lifted her gaze toward Xander—now surrounded by Seele, Kaguya, and Bronya—and her expression grew a little complicated.
"Heh-heh, listen up.
I looked super cool playing guitar under the fireworks just now..."
"Really?
What a shame Seele didn't see it."
Picturing what her brother described, Seele's eyes sparkled.
"Sirin~"
Xander's voice snapped the dazed girl back.
"What is it?"
"Nothing.
Did you take any pictures just now?
It felt like a moment too good not to capture."
Sirin's hand went to the phone in her pocket on reflex, giving it a light squeeze.
Then, looking at him, she slowly shook her head.
"Sorry.
I didn't."
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