Chapter 60. Even Brilliant Fireworks Are Not as Beautiful as You
Shuta An had not been exaggerating when he said he was worried.
A fireworks festival, especially one of the scale of the Makomanai event, was not simply a place to relax and enjoy the scenery. For an ordinary group of people, it might have been nothing more than a lively evening, but for someone like him—accompanied by a full team of Uma Musume—it was an entirely different matter.
The sheer density of the crowd alone was enough to create complications.
Even if the venue itself was considered safe, with heavy foot traffic and proper organization, that very density made it difficult to keep track of everyone at all times. A moment of distraction could easily lead to someone being separated, and with the level of attention Uma Musume attracted, even a small incident could escalate into something troublesome.
By the time he thought through all of it, Shuta An had already come to a quiet conclusion.
"I probably won't even have time to properly watch the fireworks."
That thought did not frustrate him, but it did settle heavily in the back of his mind.
—
Air Groove noticed it almost immediately.
She had been paying attention to him closely over the past few days, and subtle shifts in his expression did not escape her.
Without mentioning it to him directly, she relayed the situation to Symboli Rudolf. Symboli Rudolf listened in silence, then gave a short response.
"I understand."
She did not ask for further clarification.
She didn't need to.
After a brief pause, she added,
"I'll lighten the burden for him."
Air Groove reacted instantly.
"You're not planning to send me back to Tokyo, are you?"
The question came out faster than she intended.
Symboli Rudolf stayed silent, then gave a small, almost teasing pout.
"That would solve the problem," she admitted, "but it would also make things awkward for you. I wouldn't do that."
She shifted her gaze slightly, her tone returning to its usual calm.
"I'll have the URA Association staff in Sapporo assist them. The tickets will be covered by Central Tracen Academy."
Air Groove blinked, then let out a small laugh.
"In that case, the staff there will probably be very happy."
"It's also a good opportunity for them to relax," Symboli Rudolf replied. "The Sapporo Kinen is coming up soon. Maintaining morale is important."
She did not dwell on the cost. In her view, the budget would be spent regardless. And if it were to be spent—
There were few places more worthwhile than this.
—
The next morning, Shuta An woke up with Silence Suzuka still resting against him.
He reached for his phone out of habit, only to pause when he saw the message.
It was from Sapporo Racecourse.
He read through it once.
Then again.
"So they're sending staff to accompany us?" he muttered, his lips twitching slightly. "They might as well just say they want to give their employees a day off."
Even so, he could not deny the practicality of the arrangement.
Having official staff present would significantly reduce potential issues. Their presence alone carried a certain authority, enough to deter unnecessary trouble before it even began.
The only thing that gave him pause was something else.
"Did they think of this themselves?"
Or—
"Did someone tell them to do it?"
The thought lingered quietly as he narrowed his eyes, unconsciously tightening his arm around Silence Suzuka just a little.
—
By the afternoon, preparations began earlier than necessary.
More than two hours before the festival officially opened, the group had already changed into their clothes and prepared to head out. Because of the nature of their attire, Shuta An had arranged for a private car in advance, ensuring that the journey would be smooth and without inconvenience.
When they arrived at the venue, the sun had not yet set.
The sky still held a faint warmth, and the early evening atmosphere had not yet reached its peak.
As he stepped out of the car, Shuta An glanced briefly toward the distant silhouette of Mount Moiwa before speaking almost to himself.
"With these outfits, climbing a mountain isn't realistic—"
Then, turning back to the others, he said,
"For now, let's move freely. Explore the area as you like, and meet back here before entry time. I'll be here at six."
The Uma Musume nodded, understanding the arrangement easily.
Soon, they dispersed in small groups, each heading off in their own direction.
Only Silence Suzuka remained.
Shuta An turned to her.
"Where do you want to go?"
She adjusted her hair lightly before answering.
"I don't mind anything," she said. "As long as I'm with you."
Shuta An gave a small shrug.
"I don't know this area well either. Let's just walk around."
"That sounds nice," Silence Suzuka replied with a soft smile. "That way, everything will feel like a surprise."
—
The area surrounding the festival was already filled with stalls, each offering familiar items—food, games, small trinkets. It felt no different from a traditional festival, lively and crowded, yet strangely comforting in its familiarity.
Shuta An bought two candied apples, handing one to Silence Suzuka as they walked.
To him, the sweetness was a bit overwhelming.
But Silence Suzuka seemed to enjoy it.
That alone was enough.
—
Elsewhere, Tokai Teio had been pulled away by Mejiro McQueen and Air Groove.
Their destination was simple.
A shooting stall.
"This is so unfair," Tokai Teio complained, looking at the setup. "We can't even use our physical advantages here. We might as well throw darts."
"Darts are prohibited for Uma Musume," Mejiro McQueen replied calmly.
Tokai Teio glanced to the side, confirming it for herself.
"You're right."
—
On another path, Curren Chan led a different group forward.
Kurofune followed without resistance, while Mejiro Dober and Agnes Digital walked behind, clearly less certain of their destination.
"Where exactly are we going?" Mejiro Dober finally asked.
She had originally planned something much quieter—perhaps a café, somewhere less crowded—but Curren Chan's enthusiasm had made refusal difficult.
"There's an interesting gallery nearby," Curren Chan said brightly. "It features ACG-style fan art. I heard about it from my followers."
Kurofune blinked.
"A two-dimensional gallery?"
"What are you talking about?" Mejiro Dober and Agnes Digital replied almost simultaneously, their tone suspiciously synchronized.
"It's definitely something you'll like," Curren Chan added with confidence.
—
While the Uma Musume explored, the staff from Sapporo Racecourse did not follow them directly.
Instead, they spread out, positioning themselves strategically across the area, maintaining a subtle presence without interfering.
It was not obvious.
But it was effective.
—
By six o'clock, Shuta An had already returned to the meeting point.
His pace had been slower than usual, largely due to Silence Suzuka's tendency to "feed" him along the way, leaving him slightly fuller than he would have preferred.
The first group to arrive was Tokai Teio's.
Mejiro McQueen's cheeks were slightly puffed, her expression was calm but unmistakably satisfied. Tokai Teio looked equally pleased, her energy unchanged, while Air Groove remained composed as always.
Not long after, Curren Chan and Kurofune arrived, each carrying a shopping bag. Shuta An glanced briefly inside and saw what appeared to be books.
"A bookstore, maybe," he thought.
Mejiro Dober and Agnes Digital followed soon after, both carrying noticeably fuller bags. Whatever they had purchased, it was clear they had enjoyed themselves.
Once everyone had gathered, Shuta An spoke.
"Let's take these back to the car first."
He gestured toward the bags.
"If we bring everything inside, it'll just increase the risk of accidents."
Mejiro Dober nodded immediately, holding her purchases a little more carefully.
The others followed suit without objection.
The festival—was about to begin.
—
After entering the venue, the crowd quickly revealed its scale. Even with organized entry points and clearly marked pathways, the density of people was far greater than anything they had encountered earlier in the day.
However, because their group held tickets for premium seating, Shuta did not need to struggle through the crowd for long. With a few careful adjustments to their path, he led the Uma Musume smoothly toward their designated section.
Once they reached their seats, the difference became immediately apparent. The space was far more open, the view unobstructed, and the noise slightly more distant, as though the surrounding bustle had been softened into a background hum.
"Here."
Shuta An took his seat first, settling in with a small exhale of relief. Before he could adjust further, Tokai Teio, seated in front of him, turned around and extended a bottle toward him.
"It's Sobetsu Apple Soda," she said, her tone bright with a hint of anticipation. "It's a local specialty. I tried one earlier, and I think you'll like it."
"Thank you, Teio."
He accepted it without hesitation. At first, he intended to set it aside, but the way Tokai Teio continued to look at him made that impossible. Without making a show of it, he twisted the cap open and took a small sip.
The taste was different from what he expected.
Compared to the Aomori apple sodas he had tried before, this one carried no noticeable tartness. Instead, the sweetness was clean and refreshing, light enough that it did not linger unpleasantly.
"This is good," he said, his voice low but genuine.
The reaction was subtle, but Tokai Teio caught it immediately. Her ears flicked slightly, and though she did not change her expression, the quiet satisfaction in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Shuta noticed.
"So she was waiting for that," he thought, the corners of his lips lifting faintly.
Beside him, Silence Suzuka leaned gently against his shoulder. She did not join the conversation, nor did she comment on the drink, but her attention did not miss the detail. The name of the soda settled quietly in her memory.
"When we go to England," she thought, "I'll have them prepare this in advance."
The thought came naturally, as though it were something already decided.
Not far away, Mejiro Dober had taken out her phone and was scrolling through the images she had taken earlier that day. The reproductions of the artworks she had seen at the gallery filled the screen one after another, her gaze sharp as she examined each piece carefully.
It was not that she lacked the means to purchase the originals.
But in her judgment, they were not worth the price being asked.
"Even combined, they don't have as many followers as I do," she thought, her brows knitting slightly. "And their technical skill isn't necessarily better either—"
The discrepancy between perceived value and actual ability left her quietly puzzled. That was why she had chosen to purchase reproductions instead, intending to analyze them at her own pace.
Inside her shopping bag were also several doujinshi she had picked up from a nearby bookstore. Though labeled as "original works," it was immediately obvious to her that many of the characters were based on well-known Uma Musume—and even her own Trainer.
"This is strange," she had thought at the time.
But instead of dwelling on it, she had simply taken them along.
—
At exactly 7:05, the Makomanai Fireworks Festival began.
As if in response to an unspoken signal, the noise of the venue softened. Conversations lowered, movements stilled, and attention shifted upward toward the darkening sky.
Shuta An leaned back slightly in his seat, his fingers naturally interlacing with Silence Suzuka's hand. The warmth of her presence was steady, familiar, grounding in a way that required no thought.
Above them, the sky had already deepened into night.
"I'm a bit excited," Silence Suzuka whispered softly, her voice close to his ear. "I wonder how this compares to the one at the academy."
"The academy has fireworks too?" Shuta An asked, a hint of surprise in his tone.
Silence Suzuka tilted her head slightly, resting more fully against him.
"Not really a formal festival," she said. "It's just everyone buying fireworks and setting them off in designated areas."
"Isn't that dangerous?" he asked instinctively.
"I've never heard of any accidents," she replied after a moment of thought. "If there had been, it would have been banned already."
"Even so," Shuta An said quietly, tightening his grip on her hand just slightly, "be careful. If you want to watch fireworks, it's better to come to something like this."
Silence Suzuka smiled faintly.
"I run fast enough," she said, her tone carrying quiet confidence.
—
At that moment, a sharp sound cut through the air.
A streak of light rose rapidly into the sky, trailing a faint whistle before bursting open with a deep, resonant crack. The explosion unfolded into a wide bloom of color, petals of light expanding outward before slowly fading.
The night sky, which had been still moments before, came alive.
"Wow!"
The voices of the Uma Musume in front rose almost simultaneously, their excitement unrestrained as they watched the display.
Shuta An's gaze lifted briefly to follow the fireworks.
But it did not stay there.
Instead, it shifted downward.
Toward the figure in his arms.
The soft glow from the fireworks illuminated Silence Suzuka's profile in fleeting intervals, each burst casting light across her face before fading again. The fabric of her yukata shifted slightly with her breathing, the neckline loosening just enough to reveal a glimpse of skin beneath.
He looked for a moment—then deliberately averted his gaze.
There was nothing particularly remarkable to see.
Objectively speaking.
And yet—the moment did not go unnoticed.
Silence Suzuka's lips curved slightly before she lifted her head and leaned closer, her teeth lightly catching his earlobe in a brief, deliberate motion.
"Which side were you looking at?" she asked, her tone soft but edged with playful accusation.
"Both," Shuta An replied without hesitation.
And before she could respond further, he closed the distance between them, silencing whatever words she might have added.
—
The fireworks continued for over an hour.
One display followed another, each more elaborate than the last, filling the sky with color and sound until time itself seemed to blur into the rhythm of light and fading echoes.
By the time the final set was released, the audience began to disperse in an orderly manner.
Shuta An and the others did not move immediately.
Their departure had already been arranged.
Because of their central seating position, leaving early would have forced them into the densest part of the crowd. Waiting instead ensured a smoother exit, even if it meant remaining seated for a while longer.
When they finally stood, the flow of people had thinned considerably.
This time, Shuta An and Silence Suzuka walked at the very back.
Hand in hand, they followed at an unhurried pace, watching the others ahead of them talk excitedly about the fireworks they had just seen.
"Everyone looks satisfied," Silence Suzuka said softly, leaning slightly closer as she spoke.
"They should be," Shuta An replied. "It was a good show."
She glanced at him briefly, her expression shifting just a little.
"But you didn't really watch it, did you?" she said. "You spent most of the time teasing me."
"Because in my eyes," he answered without hesitation, "you're more beautiful than the fireworks."
The response came naturally, without embellishment.
"Fireworks only stay for a moment," he continued. "But you stay with me."
Silence Suzuka's lips curved upward.
"Hmph…"
Her tone was light, but her mood had already softened.
—
A short distance ahead, Curren Chan glanced back.
Her gaze lingered for a moment before shifting away.
"Not yet," she thought quietly.
There were possibilities she had considered, paths she could take.
But timing—
Timing mattered.
"For now, it's better to wait."
And so, she let the moment pass, walking forward with the others as if nothing had changed.