After a round of laughter and light teasing, the group began to move toward their viewing spot for the fireworks.
"Where exactly are we going?" Ryuichi asked.
"To the rooftop of a restaurant. Nino booked the entire terrace for us," Yotsuba explained proudly.
Ryuichi blinked. They really go all out for good seats, huh.
"Wait!" Nino suddenly cried out before they could go any farther. "We can't leave yet—we haven't bought that!"
The other sisters froze… then their faces lit up in perfect realization.
"Oh! You're right, we haven't!"
"You mean that?!"
"They have stalls here, right?"
"I wanna eat that so bad!"
Ryuichi raised an eyebrow, half amused. "And that would be…?"
Nino smirked. "Ready?"
The others perked up.
"One, two—"
"Candy apples!"
"Chocolate bananas!"
"Fried noodles!"
"Doll cakes!"
"Shaved ice!"
Five sisters. Five different answers.
Ryuichi stared at them in exasperated silence. "So much for being on the same wavelength, huh."
"…"
They exchanged embarrassed looks before tossing up their hands.
"Fine—let's just buy everything!"
And that was that.
Ryuichi could only sigh helplessly as he followed behind. Babysitting the five of them around the stalls was as much part of his contract tonight as anything else.
"Ryuichi, don't fall behind!" Miku called back to him.
"Coming," he said, catching up and falling into step beside her. "You girls are pretty fired up for this. They do fireworks every year, right?"
"Yeah," she said quietly, her tone softening. "Our mom used to take us every summer. It was kinda her thing. So now, even though she's gone, we still come every year—together."
Ryuichi's gaze softened. "Ephemeral fireworks, enduring bonds."
Miku smiled faintly. "Exactly. That's what it means to us."
Up ahead, Ichika suddenly pulled out her phone. After glancing at the screen, she gave the rest an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, I need to take this call."
Slipping away from the crowd, she ducked into a quieter corner, her voice swallowed by the festival noise.
Ryuichi watched her for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly. Lately, she'd been taking more and more phone calls, often busy with mysterious errands. He couldn't help but wonder what she was up to—but it wasn't really his business to pry.
A loud announcement then echoed through the speakers. The fireworks festival was about to begin.
Nino took the lead, trying to gather everyone toward the restaurant rooftop. But in the surge of rushing visitors, the sisters suddenly got separated.
The pressing crowd split them apart in seconds.
Ryuichi noticed immediately. Using his keen sense for magical auras, he pinpointed their locations. To him, tracking individual life energy was child's play.
He weaved through the crowd and reached Nino first. She was stumbling forward, pushed by the crush of people when he quickly grabbed her by the wrist.
"Ryuichi! Where's everyone else?"
"They got pulled apart. Too crowded right now. I'll get you to the hotel first," he said calmly.
"What? Ugh, seriously…"
"Don't complain. I'll bring the others."
Still holding her wrist, he guided her firmly through the crowd. Feeling his grip, Nino quieted down, her face turning oddly subdued as she followed.
Before long, Ryuichi led her onto the rooftop terrace. It was surprisingly empty—completely empty, in fact.
"Crap," Nino muttered. "I just realized—I'm the only one who actually knows the address."
She quickly pulled out her phone, but the screen flashed no signal.
"Wha—seriously? How can a fancy hotel have no reception up here!?"
"It's fine. The fireworks last an hour. Stay here. I'll bring them back," Ryuichi said, already stepping toward the stairs.
Nino watched him go, sighing softly to herself.
Ryuichi, meanwhile, honed in on two familiar auras—Yotsuba and Itsuki.
One had been completely absorbed in a goldfish-scooping game; the other was lured away by festival food. Of course.
After reuniting with them and giving them the rooftop's location, he moved on to find Miku.
When he finally spotted her, she looked like she was limping a little.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Someone stepped on my foot," she murmured, looking slightly teary-eyed. "It hurts."
He glanced down, then sighed lightly. "Then I'll carry you."
"Eh?" she blinked.
"You said all five of you are supposed to watch the fireworks together, right?"
He crouched down without waiting for further argument. Startled, Miku hesitated—but in the next moment, he gently lifted her onto his back.
She let out a tiny gasp, her arms automatically circling his shoulders. Her face burned red.
"This is… sudden," she muttered, trying not to think about how close they were—or whether she weighed too much.
Her worries were unnecessary. To Ryuichi, her body felt practically weightless. He sparred with devils and trained daily, often using Rias and Asia themselves as literal weights during his exercises.
"Let's go find the others," he said lightly. "By the way, you seen Ichika?"
Miku shook her head, resting her chin near his shoulder. "No… but she's been acting kinda strange lately. Different."
"Yeah," he said quietly.
"I think I once saw her getting out of a car," Miku added hesitantly. "One driven by this older guy with a beard…"
Ryuichi almost stumbled mid‑step.
"…A bearded man's car?" he echoed blankly.
That… was unexpected.
He pressed his lips together and kept walking. Before long, he arrived back at the rooftop with Miku safely on his back.
The other three sisters were already there, relief flashing through their faces as they saw him.
"Thank goodness," Yotsuba said. "You actually found her."
Only Ichika was missing now.
"Please, Ryuichi," Itsuki said softly. "Bring her back too."
Ryuichi nodded. He understood. The fireworks were something sacred to them—memories tied to love, to family. Missing even one sister would break the spell.
"Leave it to me."
With that, he headed down the stairs again.
It didn't take long to sense Ichika's location. By process of elimination, only her aura remained unaccounted for, glowing faintly somewhere beyond the festival grounds.
He followed it swiftly—until he spotted her not far ahead, standing alone under a streetlight.
Her expression was unreadable.
Ryuichi stepped closer, reaching out a hand to tap her shoulder—
But before he could, a man suddenly stepped out from the side and blocked his path.
"Who are you?" the man barked, his tone suspicious. "What do you want with Ichika?"
Ryuichi stopped, and his eyes narrowed as he took in the man's face.
A well-dressed, middle-aged stranger… with a neatly trimmed beard.
Ryuichi's mind froze for a second.
Oh. So this is the 'bearded man'.
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, caught somewhere between irritation and amusement.
What on earth had Ichika gotten herself into now?
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