Adachi to Shimamura - Volume 5 - Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1 Leaving Azure

I held the piece of paper in front of me. On it, you could see the results of two nights of work. 
Stay over at Shimamura's house for a second time. 
Go shopping with Shimamura. 
Hold Shimamura's hand. Also, have lots of fun. 
Visit the pool with Shimamura. Is the ocean too much work? Too far away? 
Shimamura. 
It was a list of all the things I wanted to do during summer break. Most of them—or really, all of them—contained the word "Shimamura". 
I'd been too busy trying to decide what to write when making the list to notice, but now that it was all done and I looked at it again, I had to admit, it was a bit unsettling just how many times her name appeared. And embarrassing. Restlessly, my eyes jumped around the paper. 
All the blank space available had been put to use. That was the reason why the last item had turned out the way it had; there was no room for an entire sentence, and so instead, I'd chosen to fill it with simply her name. 
What it meant, I had no idea. The things I came up with when sleep-deprived continued to puzzle me. 
Even so, I didn't think it was wrong or incorrect. Summer break, Shimamura. While it was clear to me just how much of my mind those two things occupied, the threads weren't fully connected. As such, a part of me was seriously worried that, were I not careful, my thoughts would end up growing dim due to the summer's heat, leaving me to wander aimlessly while things came to an end around me. 
The only thing I'd be left with after summer would be a big pile of regrets. 
I didn't want that. Sure, my summer days thus far had been nothing to write home about either, consisting mostly of me idling away, but between the two, this outcome felt far worse. 
I at least wanted to get to see her. Now that summer was back. 
It was for that reason I felt it to be important to keep myself organized and write everything out. Sure, building the list had eaten up two whole days, but still. 
We'd go somewhere and have fun. That seemed to be the essence of it. Then again, thinking about it a bit more, there wasn't really anything else we could do. Plus, going somewhere with just the two of us was a definite sign of closeness. Maybe. Surely. 
"A sign, huh?" 
How nice would it be to actually have something like that? Were I ever to obtain one, I could easily see myself running around town, proudly showing it off to anyone I came across. 
Take something that couldn't be seen and make it visible. Hmm... In a way, wasn't that what a thermometer did? 
I checked the time. It seemed that I'd soon have to leave for work, and so with that, I began changing my clothes after gently placing the list on the table. As I was doing so, however, a realisation hit me: I'd forgotten to eat breakfast this morning. Well, whatever. 
There wasn't much reason for me to still be working, honestly. I suppose it was better than doing nothing? Plus, having money saved up meant that I wouldn't be in trouble if there came a time when I needed it, I guess. 
Though that had been my motive originally, saving money, I still hadn't found anything to spend it on. 
Sure, going out with Shimamura did require that I wasn't completely broke, but we hardly did that often enough for it to be a problem. 
And yet, I wasn't able to pull the trigger; continuing to work there meant that it was possible I might get to witness Shimamura's family coming by again, and there was definitely a part of me eagerly waiting for that to happen. There were embarrassing aspects to it, sure, but at the same time, she had complimented how I looked in the China dress, leading me to think that perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing overall, letting her see me in it. The thought of her being able to pick up on my at... att—attractiveness? Something like that—was certainly a wish which I harboured somewhere deep within me. I knew it was too much to ask for, but really, how nice would it be if she took some step towards me as well, and it wasn't always just me doing it? 
Becoming close to someone wasn't a unilateral process. That was how I saw it. 
There were many things no one had ever taught me and I'd had no interest in learning that I was now studying. 
Would it be one of these days that I managed to overcome my late start? 
"..." 
I'd written down her name so many times. 
I wonder, was it because of that I now wanted to hear her voice? 
Maybe I should call her once I was back from work. Yeah. 
I didn't have anything to talk about, yet I still wanted to hear her voice. I would love to have been able to convey that to her somehow. 
Sadly, I wasn't capable of that; doing so without growing completely incoherent in the process went far beyond my abilities. 
I was so impatient. Always rushing things. Examining my behaviour, it was clear what a failure I was. 
Really wish I would've grown conscious of that only after coming back from work. 
Making sure that I had both my bike and house keys with me, I opened the door leading outside. 
The air that hit my face wasn't cool in the slightest, and it was there that I remembered it: The heat wave from yesterday had been predicted to continue today as well. 
Greeted by the cicadas, the heat encapsulated my body. 
It truly felt like opening a door to summer. 

Cicadas used the corners of their heads to sing. That was what someone had once told me. I'd also heard that it was the sound sunlight made when it plunged into them. 
The buildings stood out clearly against the blue sky. Though not vivid, the difference in colour between them was quite deep. 
The warmth wasn't something I was particularly good with, but even so, I did enjoy the scenery that came with summer. 
"What are you doing, Sis?" 
Apparently, me standing idly by the window had made my sister suspicious. 
"Hmm, nothing." 
I'd actually been reminiscing about last year's summer. The warmth of the soil I'd buried the cicada in had left a strong impression in my hands, and looking back to that time, I could still almost feel it. 
A year had passed since I'd met Adachi. Honestly, it felt kinda surreal; had it really been that long? Before I knew it, I'd found myself being a second-year student, with only a year and half left till graduation. 
I likely wasn't going to be attending university after this. That left me to wonder, what was I going to do in the future? And where? 
The only thing I knew for certain was that it'd likely be more annoying and tedious than my current life. 
Just thinking about that stuff made me yawn. 
"Ah, Shimamura. And Shou." 
Following after my little sister, Yashiro too entered the room. It was common for us to pass each other in the hallway, giving me the impression that she'd all but settled down here. She often ate dinner with us. She even used our bathtub. Even so, it wasn't the case that she was always around; regardless of how it felt to me, she did usually leave when the night came. Where did she go? I had no idea. In any case, when morning rolled around again, I'd often find her lying down somewhere within the house. 
"Oh, right. Sis, look. There's a festival coming", my sister exclaimed while holding up the bundle of advertisements she'd been gripping. It looked like one of those things that got placed between the pages of a newspaper, or perhaps circulated throughout a neighbourhood. I took the paper and glanced at it, and saw that it was advertising a fireworks display. The same one I'd agreed to go to with Tarumi. Why were they advertising something like this from door to door? Probably because of the food stands there, supplied by a handful of restaurants from the shopping district. That would be my guess. Next, I turned my eyes towards the date, displaying a night next week. 
"What is this?" Yashiro asked, glancing at the advertisement from next to my sister. This was immediately followed by her tilting her head: "Firework display? Fire work?" 
She didn't know about fireworks? Wait, no. That wasn't really surprising; considering her track record, it would've been more weird if she did know about them. 
While her lack of grasp on things that were common sense did lead me to wonder if she was perhaps from a foreign country, her Japanese was really good if that was the case. There was a clear mismatch going on here; she was simultaneously way too ignorant and way too knowledgeable on stuff. I certainly got the impression that the path she'd travelled here wasn't one you'd be able to walk were you to limit yourself to going horizontally along the Earth's surface. Yashiro, if anyone, had a vertical dimension to her. 
"Hmm", the girl mumbled to herself, almost as if pretending to be thinking hard about something. Who did she think she was fooling? After that, she pinched her nose between her fingers and pulled on it. 
"Ah, your nose. It's stretching." 
"I was wrong?" 
Taking my sister on her word, she quickly let go. 
"Fireworks go like, boom! And they're really pretty." 
"I see, I see", Yashiro nodded repeatedly, even though it was clear at glance she had no idea what she was talking about. I wonder, was she doing so to please my sister, to make her feel like she was doing a good job explaining? 
"You want to go?" 
"Sure, I can come with you if you want." 
Why was it that she sounded so proud of herself? And why did she only act like that with me? 
"Hmm, I actually promised to go with a friend." 
"Huh!?" 
Her voice cracked. Her feet stretched straight, almost like she was standing on tiptoes. 
"A friend... Huh!?" 
She repeated herself after a short pause, the tone of her voice expressing great dissatisfaction. Act shocked all you want, Big Sis has her own circumstances to worry about. 
Not that I didn't get how she felt. 
After all, unless she went with me, she wouldn't get to go to the festival at all. 
No way were our parents letting her go outside by herself that late into the night. 
Plus, I couldn't imagine them taking her there; they were the sorts of people who hated crowds, or really, anything that caused them inconvenience. 
"I can come with you as well", Yashiro stated, with her hands on her hips, like she was here to save the day. She seemed even more proud of herself than before as implied by her upturned nose—still stretched from the earlier. As much as I appreciated her feelings, this didn't exactly settle anything. Really, it only made me more anxious. 
Scratching my head, I stared down at my little sister, now puffing her cheeks. 
It was always difficult to get her back in a good mood once she started doing that, started pouting. 
"Alright then. Give me a second." 
Would she be against it? Probably. Even so, I was still going to ask. 
I grabbed my phone. Navigating to the call log, I chose the latest name there and pressed the call button. 
After approximately two seconds, she picked up. 
"Shima? What is it? What's wrong?" 
Tarumi spoke in a rushed voice, making it sound like she'd run to her phone and answered as fast as she could. 
"No, it's nothing like that. No need to panic. Anyway, hello." 
"Hi. Don't tell me, you can't make it?" 
Why was it that Tarumi always took everything so seriously? I wonder. Then again, I suppose that she was still calmer than Adachi. 
While her footsteps were loud, at least she was moving forward. As for Adachi, well, it was more like she was stomping in place. 
"That's not why I called you, no. Well, it does have to do with the fireworks. Is it okay if my little sister and one other person come with us?" 
Her response didn't come immediately, and as I waited for it, a wry smile appeared on my face: Knew she'd be against it. 
The fact that we were friends didn't make attending a festival with someone else's little sister any less weird. 
Regardless, I'd promised to Tarumi first, meaning that my sister would need to be the one to give up here. I was just about to turn towards her and tell her that when... 
"Who is the other person?" 
...Tarumi asked me that, sounding ever so slightly firm. 
That was what bothered her the most? Clearly, we focused our attention on different things. 
"Hmm, it's hard to explain. A friend of my sister's? Something like that." 
Mostly accurate, although it had been me who'd met her first. It really was quite the bizarre relationship we had. 
"Little sister? Right, you have one of those, huh, Shima?" 
"Yep. She was still super little when you last saw her. You remember her?" 
"Well, I know she exists, but nothing beyond that. I doubt she knows me either, huh?" 
Right, I nodded. Back then, she'd always hidden in her room whenever Tarumi came over to our house to play. Wait... That wasn't really all that different from right now, was it? In a way, I found that aspect of her sort of charming. 
"So, how about it? If you don't want to, then that's fine too. Yeah." 
This was hardly going to be the only night festival held during summer, meaning that we could always go some other day. Although, they might not shoot fireworks; doing so had become far less popular as years went by, to the point where it was actually rare to hear their loud bangs echoing through any given night. 
Well, I say "rare", but they did shoot them around once per week at this time of the year. 
"That's... That's fine. Sure, it's fine", Tarumi stated, sounding like that wasn't necessarily what was on her mind. 
Honestly, I was pretty surprised. 
"Thanks". 
I hesitated for a few moments whether I should say "sorry" instead, but ultimately chose not to; there wasn't really anything for me to apologize about. 
"No, it's fine. Seriously. Like, why would I mind? I just wanna have fun with you, Shima. That's all. Yeah!" 
"Really?" 
There was no need for her to force herself to act this positive. 
"Yeah. Of course. It's fine, totally. I mean, she is your little sister." 
She's my little sister... and what? While her comment did leave me puzzled as to what exactly she meant, I decided to not pay attention to it, choosing instead to thank her a second time before ending the call. Or at least, that's what I tried to do; having possibly sensed my intentions, Tarumi quickly interrupted me: 
"Oh, Shima, Shima!" 
I returned the phone to my ear. The way she said my name there, repeating it twice in a row, reminded me of the old her. 
"Don't forget. I'm seriously looking forward to it!" 
With that sharp statement, Tarumi at last ended the call, for real this time. Unlike Adachi, she never showed any hesitation when it came time to do that. 
Still, I had to wonder, what was that thing just now? A warning? A comment showing how excited she was? Something in between? It was difficult for me to tell. 
Was she perhaps afraid that I hadn't been serious about going and might end up breaking my promise? 
No way were my screws that loose. I mean, summer break had just begun. Nuh-uh. Thinking that to myself, I turned around. 
There, ignoring whatever it was that Yashiro was doing with her nose, I spoke to my sister: 
"So, yeah. Looks like you can tag along." 
"Ooh!" 
That was the sound my sister made as her puffed cheeks caved in, pushing out all the air in her mouth through her lips. 
"Still, what about you? Are you sure you don't mind going with a friend of mine?" 
She was the sort of girl who acted super distant towards everyone outside our family, even our relatives. Trust me, I'd know. 
And yet, contrary to my expectations, she chose to reply by nodding her head slightly. Not that I was complaining; it was about time she overcame her fear of people. 
If she didn't, then... Hmm. I suppose Adachi wasn't exactly afraid of people, was she? No, it was something slightly different with her. 
"By friend, you mean the girl who stayed over the other day?" my sister asked me. It had definitely been longer than "the other day", but regardless, the person she was referring to was obviously Adachi. 
"No, a different friend." 
"Hmph." 
The slightest bit of dryness could be heard in her voice as she groaned in response. Seriously, what was up with her attitude today? 
"A friend of yours is a friend of mine, Shimamura." 
"..." 
Then you had this one, grinning without a worry in the world. 
"A friend robo. Clack clack clack!" 
What Yashiro was doing, I had no idea. Astounded, I stared at her, and as I did, my eyes ended up shifting somewhere else entirely. Somewhere distant. 
An ocean appeared before me, the one beneath which the past lay submerged. 
With it came a flood of things I'd bluntly stated back in those days. Re-examining them, I realised that a lot of those statements made the current me feel a bit uncomfortable. 
I wonder, was it because they resembled me that I was able to say that? 
Or was it the other way around; was it the fact that I was able to say that which made me see the resemblance? 
I plunged deeper into the sea as I searched for the origin of these layered vestiges. 

A fireworks display, huh? Though I was currently working, I still couldn't get those words out of my mind. 
Then again, despite what I'd just said might make it sound like, it was hardly going to be anything special; instead of staring at the sky filled with beautiful flashes of radiance, I'd be spending my time welcoming in customers. 
The Chinese restaurant where I worked at—or "Creative New Chinese Cuisine", as the ridiculous sign outside put it—was going to be part of the festival in the form of having a food stand there, apparently, and wouldn't you know it, I too had been asked to help out. My first reaction was to refuse, but as soon as I did that, the manager lady immediately started pretending like she didn't understand Japanese. She was mean like that. In the end, I had no choice but to go along, not because I wanted to, but because I was forced to. 
Would I even get paid for this? 
At the same time, it was also true that fireworks displays—or really, summer festivals in general—were a blind spot of mine. 
For me, the first things that came to mind when I'd thought about summer break were pools and the ocean. Not festivals. I hadn't even considered those. If I had to come up with a reason why, it likely had something to do with the fact that, while I had definitely visited a pool before in my life, I couldn't recall ever doing so with a festival. I just hadn't been able to form the kind of relationship with my parents where they'd take me to one. Intentionally putting that subject aside, I decided to focus all of my attention into wondering how it might be going to see fireworks with Shimamura. 
It'd certainly be nice; summer sceneries were already dazzling, and would only be more so when accompanied by a flood of light. The two of us, swaying up and down on waves of warmth and sunlight. That was the image that came to my mind as I stared at the street outside through the blurry window. Though the way the world was normally didn't mean anything to me, right now, I was really able to take it in, put value on it. Having just a single positive thought to push you forward certainly did wonders in terms of broadening your perspectives. 
"So, make sure to come, okay?" 
"Understood." 
I'd just finished working when the store manager—the one who walked like a penguin—thought to remind me. 
If only this hadn't happened, I would've been able to ask Shimamura to come visit the festival with me. What a bummer. 
Then again, had it not been for work, I would never have learned about the existence of the whole thing. I was left in two minds: On one hand, I was certainly in a better spot now than I'd been before, but at the same time, I couldn't deny that I found the matter a bit irritating. I often found myself daydreaming of how nice it would be were I somehow able to separate the bad outcomes from the good and live my life without them. 
"By the way, what are we selling there?" 
"Chicken." 
"Oh, okay..." 
The woman was talking about the long, stick-like pieces of fried chicken we always had on sale. Where they were made, I had no idea. 
Next, I headed to the dressing room and changed back to my regular clothes. While cool air blowing from the air conditioner was certainly a nice change of pace compared to the heat outside, believe it or not, that wasn't actually the reason why I chose to sit down on the bench with my phone in my hand instead of leaving. No, there was something I needed to do first. 
I was going to call Shimamura. 
I usually texted her first to make sure it was okay, but this time, I decided to skip that step. 
My fingertips began to tingle as I sat there, anxiously waiting for her to pick up. In a way, it felt kinda adventurous. 
I ended up not having to wait for all that long; the call connected mere moments later, and with it, the stream of emotions flowing inside me reached its destination. 
"Yes, hello?" 
"Ah..." 
It was Shimamura. I was hearing Shimamura's voice. My shoulders immediately jolted. 
Though parts of my body had been completely dry just moments earlier, it now felt like there was water running through them. 
Repeated waves of both pain and throbbing blew through me, and whether that was ultimately a good thing or not, they really did make me feel like I was rejuvenating. 
"Hey!" 
"Huh? What?" 
That was the first thing she said to me—not a greeting, but a loud exclamation. I was left utterly confused, something Shimamura could likely tell by my voice as immediately afterwards, she offered an explanation: 
"Sorry, it's just this girl... Hey, don't try to get on my head!" 
Something appeared to be going wrong on the other end of the call. Who was this "girl" she was talking about? If not her little sister, then maybe that weirdo with blue hair? 
Also, she was... clinging onto her head? Climbing onto her back? 
Regardless of who the person was, that didn't feel good to me. Or to put it more accurately... 
"Stay put, alright?" 
"Okay..." 
Shimamura's words caught me off-guard, and against my better judgment, I ended up replying to them while drawing my head in. 
"No, not you, Adachi. Well, I guess it does apply to you as well." 
"Huh?" 
"Just joking. So, why did you call?" 
Gently, her voice filled my ears. 
What should I say? I felt nervous, like I didn't know what to do. My eyes began to spin. 
I used to act so cool around her in the past, but just look at me now. Really, where had the old me gone? 
"Umm... I wanted to hear how you were doing?" 
While I'd obviously meant to talk about the fireworks display, not having it in me to bring up such a topic right away, I ended up going somewhere different with it entirely. 
"Hmm, I'm doing fine. Like usual. I do feel like I might melt because of this heat, but that's pretty much it." 
I could hear the sound of something bouncing against the floor. Likewise, the tone in which she spoke was quite stern, certainly conveying her being in good spirits. 
"Okay then. How about you, Adachi?" 
"I'm... doing fine. Yeah..." 
Despite my attempts to mimic her, I was unable to muster nearly the same level of energy. The slightest giggle—so soft it was almost like she was merely breathing—left Shimamura's mouth, instantly turning my cheeks red. 
"Have you been keeping up with the homework?" 
"Huh? We had... homework?" 
"Nope." 
Once again, I could hear her laugh a little. It was only after the fact that I realised she'd been treating me like an elementary schooler. 
"I just finished at work." 
"Oh, really? Working during summer break? You sure are diligent, Adachi." 
Wouldn't think you were a delinquent, she added as a joke. I was a delinquent? 
"So then... Well, it's not really a topic worth a 'so then', but..." 
"But what?" 
It's a weird thing to say about yourself, but seriously, how could someone be so bad at transitioning from one subject to the next? I needed something to glue the different topics together, to bridge the gap between them. 
Wait, no. It was actually the other way around; there was so much glue that I got bogged down in it. 
Overall, I was just really clumsy when it came to segues. 
I knew that. I knew that it made me look bad. And yet, I had to say something to be able to make progress. 
"Some time... One of these days... Could we..." 
"Yes?" 
"Could we... go visit a festival? Together?" 
If I had to grade my performance on objective terms, one easy piece of criticism would be the fact that the lead up really didn't have anything to do with what followed. 
Shimamura didn't say anything. It was almost like she didn't know how to respond. Then, after a few moments of silence... 
"A festival? Are you talking about that fireworks display?" 
"Yeah. Oh, but, it's fine. I know it's sudden. We can... umm... visit some other one. Later on. Yeah." 
It wasn't like I could go there anyway. Well, more precisely, I couldn't go with her. 
"I mean, summer break has only begun. Let's pick a day that... works for the both of us. Or something." 
She hadn't even said if she wanted to go yet, and here I was, already rushing ahead. I also noticed that I'd at some point lifted my bum up from the chair and was now hovering over it in an awkward, half-sitting stance. I remained like that as I waited for Shimamura to answer, all the while the breath coming out from my mouth continued to irritate my ears. It felt so rough, so gritty. 
"Hmm... Okay. Let's pick out some other one and go there." 
A positive response. Before I knew it, my mouth had opened wide. That's just how happy her words made me. 
I could feel something flowing through the area right below my chest and seeping into the very centre of my body. 
"Sure. Yeah. Oh, but there doesn't need to be fireworks there. Just a festival. That'll do fine." 
"Right, I figured as much." 
"Huh? You... You did?" 
Shimamura understood me? That was kinda troubling. Embarrassing. But, it also made me happy. Understanding someone was one thing, but being understood yourself, that was something else entirely. Something special. 
We continued talking for some time after that, until eventually, Shimamura announced that it was time for her to go have dinner. This—unfortunately—put an end to our call. My shoulders were heavy with exhaustion, like I'd just run a marathon, but also with a certain sense of success. I sat back down, and with my head hung, gripped my phone tight. 
I could tell by my shoulders and cheeks that I was currently smiling. 
The expression on my face must have been completely unsightly. Yeah, it probably was. And yet, ignoring the voice in my head telling me that, I decided to simply let my emotions run wild. 
Every single day as of late, I always had my goals set on Shimamura. I was like a bird, circling around her with the aim of landing on her shoulder. Not a single moment passed where I wasn't looking for an opportunity to do just that. And then, once I did manage to land, I'd immediately start flying again, all so that I could soon return there. 
She was what I was aiming for. Everything ended on her. Everything began from her. 
While saying that I was living by her support might have been exaggerating it a little, there was no denying the fact that she was acting as my guideline for things. 
The smile on my face, that was it in its essence. I knew it to be so. 

"I'd like if you'd let me draw you, Shima." 
This was certainly not something I had expected Tarumi to say when I'd seen her calling me. 
Then again, even the fact itself that she'd called me came as a surprise. 
I wasn't completely sure why, but for some reason, I'd kinda been under the impression that we weren't going to be talking to each other till the fireworks display in three days. Not on phone or in person. It was for that reason I now found myself slightly perplexed. 
Putting that matter aside, what the heck was she talking about? 
She wanted to... draw me? 
"Umm, okay. Feel free to." 
"No. No, no. I can't draw you unless you're with me." 
Let's meet, she added, pretending to sound casual. Was this her way of suggesting that we go out together? 
"Umm, you mean drawing as in, drawing a picture?" 
"Yes, drawing." 
"Drawing me?" 
"Correct." 
"Right now?" 
"Yes." 
I glanced outside the window and saw that the sky was completely clear. With no clouds to block it, a tsunami of sunlight hit my eyes, prompting me to quickly close the left one. 
Drawing a picture under this bright sun? It seemed that Tarumi too was quite aggressive in her approach. 
"Phew..." 
And with that, I ended up going. The place we'd agreed to meet at was under Kinka Bridge, near Nagara River. While I could definitely remember passing the bridge multiple times and staring at the fishers down below, as for walking on the gravel which formed the riverbed here, how many years must it have been since I last did that? The rocks—tinted yellow under the sunlight—passed a dry sensation to the bottoms of my shoes as I stepped on them. 
I could feel myself being roasted alive with each step I took. Not even the backs of my knees were safe. 
Regardless, the temperature did drop as I walked deeper down the beach. I wonder, was it because I was near water that the wind felt so lacking in warmth? Wave after wave of air blew by, playing the sand like an instrument and wrapping my body. My head spun and my ears rang, and soon after, I found myself all but carried away. 
I was surrendering myself to summer. 
The sensations which had been exposed continued being burnt by the sun. 
Walking forward, I shifted my attention into the distance. You could get a view of both Mount Kinka as well as Gifu Castle from this beach. I wonder, how old had I been when I last rode the cable car up the mountain? We hardly ever did that anymore now that my sister was older too—go out on a picnic with the family. 
Tarumi was already there when I arrived, and by the looks of it, had spent the last however many minutes setting up a canvas on the gravel. All the doubts I'd had were instantly dispelled as I glanced at her work; the stand supporting the piece of paper was one you'd see a professional use, the kind with three legs, leaving me with the impression that she was actually serious about this. And I thought she would just draw a quick sketch or something. Mixed feelings filling my mind, I gripped the brim of my hat. 
Had I known that I was going to be made to act as a model, I would definitely have spent more time working on my attire. My hair too; the reason why I was wearing a hat in the first place was to hide the untamed mess underneath. As for makeup, well, I'd figured based on the intensity of the sun that I shouldn't even bother trying. Like, it felt like my face would get so sweaty it'd be washed away by the time I got there anyway. Even so, I did still kinda want to check my eyes for any crust. 
"Ah, Shima", Tarumi waved at me, having at last noticed my arrival. Waving back, I circled around her and took a glance at the canvas. Naturally, there wasn't anything drawn on it. Yet. She was seriously going to do that, huh, draw my picture here? I found myself slightly embarrassed by the thought. 
"Sorry for calling you so suddenly." 
"It's fine. I didn't have anything to do anyway." 
Tarumi's skin was still perfectly pale, showing no signs of summer. Regardless, that didn't seem like it was going to be the case for long; despite having a coat on, she wasn't actually wearing a hat herself, giving me the impression that at least some parts of her fair skin were going to end up sunburnt by the time we'd be done here. For whatever reason, I found that to be kind of regrettable. 
"Here", she stated while handing me a black parasol. "The sun is shining pretty intensely, so I figured I would draw you holding up this thing." 
"Oh, how considerate. Thanks." 
I grabbed the parasol—the pattern on it consisting of black lilies—and lifted it above my head. 
If I'm being perfectly honest, it really wasn't that good at blocking the sun. I suppose that whoever had made it valued aesthetics higher than usage. 
"Oh, I think it kinda matches you", Tarumi commented as I observed the device. Was this really a conclusion she'd come to in mere seconds? Felt kinda fishy. 
"You think so?" 
"Yep. Then again, as far as I'm concerned, everything probably matches you." 
So, don't use me for reference, she added hastily before returning to getting things ready. 
Don't take it seriously, I'm just flattering you. Was that what she was trying to say? 
"Ahaha." 
I actually didn't dislike this honest side Tarumi had to her personality. 
Now then, I guess I should get ready too. I began putting some distance between us, only for Tarumi to stop me in my tracks. 
"Hey, where are you going?" 
Turning my head I took a look around, and quite surprisingly, saw that she'd set up a folding chair right close by. 
"It's just, I have pretty bad eyesight. I won't be able to pick out your subtle features unless you're close." 
"Oh, is that so?" 
My subtle features? 
Although this whole thing did feel kinda suspicious, I ultimately chose to do as told and sat down on the chair prepared for me. 
The position I assumed placed me facing the river, with the bank behind my back. I could see the dazzle of the water's surface being reflected in the corner of my eye. 
Ever so slightly, the old men wielding fishing poles in the distance caused that lump of light to waver. 
"Chair and a parasol... If you'd dressed a bit more like a proper young lady, I think it might have made for an even better picture." 
Easier said than done, considering that I didn't own such clothes. Hino might. Wait, no... I guess hers would all be Japanese style. 
After a bit of fooling around, Tarumi gripped her paintbrush, giving me the impression that she too was ready. She then stared at me intensely through the canvas. This was probably going to take a while, wasn't it? We'd barely even started yet, and my neck was already feeling itchy. Making matters worse, I couldn't even turn my head.  

"Alright, I'm gonna paint you now", she declared, almost like we were about to start playing catch or something. 
"Bring it on." 
My reply was equally powerful, making it sound like I really had caught whatever it was she'd thrown my way. 
Was this exchange too audacious for something preceding an indulgence in the fine arts? Possibly. 
Regardless, it also felt fitting of the season—that being, summer. 
It wasn't really based on anything, but the impression I had was that summers were thick and winters thin. 
Still staring at me, Tarumi began moving her hand. Could she really paint without looking at what she was doing? Our eyes immediately met as I thought about that, prompting her to quickly hide her face behind the canvas, as if pulling her head back. Just like how Adachi would do. 
I couldn't help but feel like these were the sorts of people who tended to gather around me. 
Adachi, Tarumi, and also my little sister. With three of them in total, things would get pretty awkward if they all wanted to hold hands with me simultaneously. 
I could only pray that a day like that would never come. 
Observing the miscellaneous tools and bags placed by my feet, I decided to go ahead and say something. 
"I never knew this was a hobby you had, Tarumi." 
"Hmm... I only started about a week ago." 
I guess that explained it. 
"Up-and-coming, huh?" 
Was that the right term? I wasn't sure. 
"It'll be fine. I mean, we used to draw together all the time." 
"Oh... Yeah, I think I remember. On the backs of fliers, right?" 
I had a distinct image in my head of Tarumi only ever drawing birds. As for me, well, most of my pictures ended up being of sweets. 
I wonder, was it in that difference that the foundations of our current personalities could be seen? 
"Yep. Anyway, no need to worry about it turning out too miserable to look at. Or something." 
As she spoke, Tarumi took a glance at me—her model. 
"That's good." 
"Yes, lovely." 
We both laughed. While at it, I gave the parasol a quick spin. 
The faint rays of light which passed through danced on top of my forehead. A short while passed, after which Tarumi shifted her attention away from the parasol and back to the canvas. 
Even if your painting does come out horrible, you can't blame that on the quality of your model, Taru. 
Now then, going back to what she'd said earlier, it had only been a week since she started painting? That was right when summer break began. 
"Is this like, a summer project?" I jokingly asked, turning my eyes alone into her direction. I remembered those being a thing while we were in elementary school. Meanwhile, the river before me continued its silent flow. There was also a river near where I lived, although that one was quite a bit smaller. I wonder, was it because of the two straight days of clear weather that its bottom was now visible? Regardless, while that obviously wasn't the case with this abundant flow, there still were no clouds reflected on its surface. 
Three more days, and no doubt would this area be bustling too. We'd disappear into that crowd of people, and not just Tarumi and I, but Yashiro and my little sister as well. I was seriously going to have to keep an eye on those two if I didn't want them to get lost. I wonder, would I even get time to view the fireworks? 
It'd been a while since I last saw any. They must've gotten so much more advanced since those days. 
My sister grew bigger, fireworks got more flashy, I moved through high school. 
I could really get a sense of the passage of time. 
Still moving her hand, Tarumi began talking. 
"Speaking of, I actually remembered something." 
"Huh? What?" 
"It has to do with your sister. Well, more precisely, with you." 
Her head peeked out from behind the canvas as she said this, the ends of her curly hair blowing in the wind. 
"You'd already fully taken on the role of a big sister back then." 
"Oh, really?" 
"Yep. I remembered you treating her like she was super precious to you." 
The gentle tone of her voice, sounding like she was looking at something adorable, caused the muscles in the back of my neck to twitch slightly. 
As nice as pleasant memories were, as long as you weren't able to share them with someone, the only thing they led into was embarrassment. 
"Hmm, yeah, I guess it was like that..." 
I couldn't remember. Treating someone like they were precious, what did that even look like? 
My memories of the past were completely fragmented, appearing to me like a torn photograph with all but one of the pieces missing. I did remember my sister, naturally, but in my mind, the reason why I'd looked after her was more so the fact that we were siblings than anything else. Why had I seen things that way? Was it something my parents had told me? 
Value others. On a closer look, I wasn't quite able to tell what intuition that concept was built on. 
After all, it was hardly the case that someone clinging onto you was what made them precious to you. 
"Oh, do tell me if your throat gets dry." 
Slouching forward, Tarumi grabbed a plastic bottle she had previously placed on the ground. On contrary to what it said on the label, the bottle itself appeared to be filled with barley tea, and from the bits of ice not yet melted floating inside, I could assume she had frozen the drink first before bringing it here. Not only was the action itself very considerate, this was also exactly what I'd wanted right now. 
Adachi was like that too, always coming up with ways to pay attention to me. Although, in her case, things often ended up working not quite the way she would've wanted. Was that a result of her overthinking everything? Maybe. That's how I saw it, at least. Not to say that wasn't entertaining in its own way. 
"Hmm? Did I say something funny?" 
"Huh?" 
"You're grinning." 
As if to demonstrate, Tarumi dragged the corners of her own mouth upwards with her fingers. No way was the expression I was making that strange. Probably. 
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just laughing at something I remembered." 
I kinda felt like this wasn't the first time we'd had this conversation. Also, letting my guard down and making an unsightly face? Who was I, Adachi? I seriously needed to start paying attention. 
Tensing up all of my muscles, I made a conscious effort to remain as still as possible—like a model should. 
"Your face is getting red, Shima. I guess it really is hot." 
"Huh? No. I mean, yes." 
However, as it turned out, all that accomplished was causing her unnecessary worry. Hmm... I guess you could say it was because of the heat that I found it so difficult to move my head. There you go, it was actually the sunshine's fault, not mine. 
A lone child on a bike rode across the river bank. She wasn't holding up a parasol or anything like that, making it apparent that her fair skin was about to be burned. 
With every breath of dry, warm air I took in, I felt myself adapting to the summer which surrounded me. 
Tarumi continued bringing up various topics as she painted, likely so that I wouldn't get bored. She was actually pretty dexterous, wasn't she, being able to move both her hands and mouth at the same time like that. That continued for a while, until at some point, I decided to ask her where she'd gotten the idea to randomly paint me. 
This was her answer: 
"Well, it's like... a way for me to get closer to you. I mean... Ahem. That's definitely one aspect to it. Yes. However, I also wanted to make something to remember you by, now that I have the chance. Like, who knows, we might get separated again one day. Obviously, I don't want that to happen, and I'm doing my best to make sure it doesn't, but still, there are situations where that isn't enough. Circumstances you can't do anything about. As such, if that ever does happen... I want to have something concrete. Something physical." 
"Hmm..." 
I could definitely see where she was coming from there. 
Even if you were super close to someone, even if you never fought with them, you could still one day wake up to find the two of you having drifted apart. 
An unbreakable bond might not actually be enough to hold people together. Given that, if something of the sort did happen to you, then how were you supposed to act? I often found myself thinking about what answer Tarumi might give to that question. 
The worst thing that could happen was if I focused too much on what was in front of me and forgot what truly mattered—the past. 
Memories. Memories were important. 
Reciting that to myself, I turned my eyes towards the sun. Would we be done before it started getting dark? Probably; days were quite long during summer, a fact which filled me with confidence. Not that it had actually been all that long. 
There was no clock in sight which I could use to check, but if I had to estimate, I'd say that we'd been doing this for around two hours, three at most. 
Hmm, I guess that was pretty long. 
"Okay, I might be done now." 
A vague smile appeared on Tarumi's face as she spoke. Looking at her more closely, she was less smiling and more simply tensing her cheeks. 
"Really? Can I take a look?" I asked out of morbid curiosity. 
"Hmm, sure, I guess it's ready to be shown." 
"I'd hope so." 
Was she just lacking confidence, or was the picture actually not ready? Hard to say. 
Whatever the case, I was getting more curious by the second. 
Don't tell me, it wasn't the sort of painting where I had seven mouths or something like that, was it? 
I stood up. Instantly, I could feel the warmth within my knees melt down, dissolve as it came in contact with the coldness surrounding my skin. Even so, this was no time to be complaining about that; it wasn't every day that I got to admire Master Tarumi's work. Circling around her, I turned my eyes towards the canvas. 
"Huh?" 
That was the only sound I was able to make. No other words would come out of my mouth as I stared in awe at the wholly unexpected level of workmanship before me. 
"Is something wrong?" 
"It's just, I was thinking earlier how I was going to give you my honest opinion without hurting your feelings." 
"Seriously? How mean." 
"But, it looks I was worrying over nothing. This is actually really good." 
You could tell at first glance that this was supposed to be me. She'd also nailed my hairstyle. The parasol was there too, with its pattern perfectly replicated. Same for the chair. I went through the entire painting looking for mistakes, only to find none. 
The texture of my hair, the length of the parasol, the shadow of the chair. Everything about the scene had been captured. No way did the doodles I drew during class even compare. Seriously, this was the level she was on? After only a week? My eyes narrow, I took a long, hard look at Tarumi. 
"Are you actually some sort of genius, Taru?" 
"Hmm, I wonder. Haha." 
Why was she laughing in such a grandiose manner? I might have spoken too soon, as immediately afterwards, she coughed and looked away. 
"I have to confess. I've actually been doing this for longer than a week." 
"Have you?" 
Awkwardly, Tarumi scratched her neck. 
"I began practising when we met during winter. I had some photos from when we were kids, and I... painted stuff based on them." 
She then tilted her head downwards as if to say sorry. Was this the sort of lie that required an apology? As far as I was concerned, no, not really. 
And yet, I could understand where she was coming from. 
"I see. No wonder then." 
My eyes met with the painting—the other me. 
"No wonder what?" 
"Hmm... The face you painted looks young." 
There was something about the innocent expression on her—or I guess "my"—face which made me think of Yashiro. She was open, defenceless, so much so that I couldn't help but worry about her. 
All in all, the current me would never make a face of this sort. Seriously, where had you been looking while painting, Taru? 
Those questions continued to linger in my mind. And yet, the fact remained that this was an absolutely stunning piece of work. I shifted my attention away from the slightly-too-adorable version of myself and back towards Tarumi. 
"Thank you for making me look so cute." 
Was this what they meant when they said that friends tended to see friends in a favourable light? 
"Huh? N-No, nothing like that!" 
With great speed, Tarumi shook her head from left to right. 
"Are you saying that I'm not cute?" 
"I'm not. It's more that, like, the real you is... w-way more, extra-extra attractive? Right, yeah!" 
It's was difficult for me to interpret her statement given that she was staring at the ground, but I guess she was complimenting me? 
Still... Extra-extra? What was that supposed to mean? 
"I'll do my best to... get closer to that." 
Having now lifted her head, Tarumi opened her eyes wide. The way her jaw stuck out made her expression appear quite strange over all. 
As if keeping up the momentum, she then took my hand and gripped it, covering it under her own. 
"Can I ask you to act as my model again? I want to keep painting you for as long as you're fine with it, Shima." 
Her request was very enthusiastic, so much so that I could feel the hand which she held start growing sweaty. 
Something also welled up in my eyes. Tears, perhaps? Close, but not quite. 
"Umm... Okay." 
Overwhelmed by her passion (was that the right word?), I ended up simply nodding my head. I kinda wanted to ask why me, but then again, I suppose that would've been a little coarse. 
The city was filled with many different things, both objects and people. 
Out of all those, what Tarumi wanted to paint was me. 
While I didn't fully understand what was going on here, I still had to wonder, was that really all? 
As if having read the one thought on my mind—that being, "my hand burns"—Tarumi quickly let go. 
"Why don't we get some ice cream? What do you say?" she then asked in a slightly shrill voice. Ice cream to cool me down? I suppose that made sense. 
"Sure, sounds good." 
I could feel my cheeks loosen and my face twist into a warm smile as I spoke. Seriously, why was I so happy about this? It made me seem like a child who'd endured through something unpleasant just to be rewarded with candy once it was done. Hmm... Not that far off the mark? 
Having finished packing everything away, the two of us climbed up the riverbank, Tarumi and I. 
All the while, the dazzling light of the sinking sun continued applying weight on my shoulders. 
I spent the next couple of moments like that, indulging in this illusion which could only be felt during summer. 
"Shima?" Tarumi called to me, having noticed that I'd stopped walking. 
A few seconds passed. Then, I smiled. 
"I was just thinking, it really is summer." 
My arms spread open, I turned to look behind me. 
What greeted me was the blue sky, both dry in its colour, yet also vibrant at the same time. 
I shook my spread arms, almost as if scratching its surface. 
I could feel wind underneath my nails. 
This right here, this must have been what it was like touching the sky. 

It was at noon that day when I noticed I'd forgotten something in the classroom. 
While not shocking enough to drain away all the blood from my face or anything like that, I did still find myself growing stiff as I went through my bag and realised it wasn't there. 
The item in question was a notebook. Sure, it was kinda odd to bring school equipment with me when the only thing we had scheduled for the day was the end-of-term ceremony, but let me explain. This was no ordinary notebook. No, I was talking about Shimamura Note. 
I'll give you one guess as to what was written on its pages. 
Given that there was no reason for anyone to drop by the classroom during summer break, the chances of the notebook actually being discovered were extremely low. That is what I told myself initially. However, the more I thought about it, the more restless I grew. What if someone did see it? No, that didn't matter. I honestly couldn't care less what others thought. The question was more what would happen if through some cruel twist of fate Shimamura were to find the book. I'd probably die, that was my guess. Blood would shoot from my ears. My head would come clean off. Something like that might actually happen, I really did think so. 
There was one thing there that was especially bad. So bad that simply the thought of it caused my heart to skip a beat. My eyes, having been opened wide, immediately grew dry. 
The reason why I'd brought the notebook with me was because I knew Shimamura would be there, and ironically enough, that also ended up being why I forgot it. 
Now then, what was I going to do? Should I go grab it? Or should I leave it there until school started again? 
School premises were accessible for club purposes, but did that also extend to the building? I wasn't quite sure. Would I need to get permission from a teacher? Or would it be hopeless regardless of what I did? While busy thinking about that, I found that I had at some point stood up and gotten ready to leave. I guess I was going then. Rather than actually deciding to do so, I was more simply conforming to what was happening. 
Now outside, I shifted my attention to something different. 
My family had been nowhere to be seen when I left the house. Just like usual. I unlocked my bike, hopped on, and began pedalling. 
A sense of regret immediately filled me as I basked in the sunlight; I really should have worn a hat. Seriously, how long was this heat going to last for? I guess that was a kinda absurd thing to say about summer, but even so, it really was how I felt. Going outside during the night was far and away the better choice on days like these. Walking around the neighbourhood lit by festival lights, walking around with... Shimamura. 
"..." 
I decided to make a slight detour. No, this wasn't me taking a look in advance or anything like that. I was just curious, and since I was already here, I might as well. 
Departing from the school road, I soon found myself pedalling past the river near which the fireworks display next week was going to be held. Various stands would soon litter the area, and I too would be helping out at one of them. Although not really the normal way to do it, this was going to be my first time in ages attending a festival of any sort. 
The previous time had been with my family. I couldn't remember much anymore, but the few memories I still had of the event mostly had to do with the massive crowd of people there and how I'd felt like I was going to choke. As for the brilliance of the fireworks, that had left no impression on me. 
Not because I didn't care, but rather, because the sparks of them simply had not reached me. Nothing inside me had flared up. 
And yet, here I was, having my heart shaken by the notion of a fireworks display. While it was certainly disappointing that I would have to wait till some indefinite festival after this for my dreams to be realised, my chest continued burning nonetheless. Like most things, this too was something brought upon me by Shimamura. 
What would it be like if we really were to attend a festival together? Before I knew it, I found myself having stopped the bike to think about that question. 
Ignoring the intense sunlight shining above me, I hopped off and onto the ground. 
"Right here. Shimamura would stand here, like this." 
My hand moved around as I painted her shape in the air. Following this, a series of food stalls rose before me with the river as their backdrop, forming a mirage of the night to come. That was quick. Maybe I should go see a doctor. 
Shimamura and I would walk side by side. Not just that, we'd have to hold hands in order to avoid losing sight of each other in the sea of people. I'd probably be the one gripping hers, most likely. She'd laugh, comment on how hopeless I was, but ultimately, let me do it. The sleeve of my yukata would be left rubbing against hers. I would feel blood pumping through every inch of my body, even the bottoms of my feet. 
That was how I imagined us to walk down the night, with me occasionally touching my part of our matching pair of hairpins. Aiming for the dim lights hanging in the air, we would float along the river of people, not fighting back against the current but simply allowing it to carry us with it. There wouldn't be much space, and though that was bad in its own way, it also placed us a full step closer to each other than we normally were. Occasionally, my shoulders would come in contact with hers. 
Shimamura's hair would be tied up in a bun above her head. That wasn't how she usually wore it, and while it would be kinda weird seeing the sides of her neck fully exposed, I also wouldn't be able to look away. Her mouth twisted into a slight smile, light would trace the outline of her portrait. 
One after another, fireworks would shoot up, filling the sky. 
The afterglow of each colourful explosion would paint over us two. 
Truly, there was no greater makeup for Shimamura to wear on a summer night. 
"..." 
I could hear cicadas singing. Kinda strange, considering that there weren't any trees nearby. 
I also noticed that I'd gotten all sweaty while lost in thought. 
My eyes burned by the midday sun, everything before me now appeared tinged green. 
Indulging in fantasy had left me to be fried by reality. Quickly, I hopped back on my bike. 
Even now that I was pedalling again, the image of the festival remained stuck in my mind. 
What should I wear? For a summer festival, a yukata would probably be the right choice, huh? Yeah. 
I decided to drop by the mall on my way back to buy one. Like they say, there won't be anything to worry about if you're prepared. I'd love to see Shimamura wear one too, although then again, I could easily imagine her finding it too bothersome. If I asked her to do it for my sake, would she? Maybe? Maybe not? I guess it was a pretty strange thing to ask someone. 
Alongside people fishing, I saw a girl with a paint brush in hand standing on the riverbank. There was another girl too, her model apparently, although since that one was holding up a black parasol and had her back turned towards me, I wasn't really able to tell for sure. Quite the thing to do in this temperature. Paying no mind to them, I quickly shifted my attention away. 

I kinda felt like I'd seen the girl standing before the canvas somewhere. However, as I wasn't able to recall her face immediately, I simply ended up giving up. She likely wasn't someone worth remembering anyway. 
Come to think of it, how many people even were there that I truly needed to remember? 
Quite few. You could likely count them with a single hand. 
My hair burning after the detour I'd taken, I at last arrived at school. There, a series of shouts resembling the kinds you might make while performing club activities reached my ears, followed by the song of cicadas. I wonder, why was it that their symphony sounded so much louder here than it did at my home? Was it because of the trees growing within the school yard? Probably. Whatever the case, it really did feel like there was a cloud of them singing right above my head. 
I entered through the main gate and headed towards the parking area. There weren't many bikes there—naturally—and although that did mean I could have left my bike right in the front, I still went out of my way to place it in the section reserved for my class. This was a pretty common occurrence, I'd noticed, for me to prioritize stability and custom over efficiency. Was that just the sort of person I was? 
I hopped off my bike and walked along the side of the building, purposefully making it so that I couldn't be seen from the sports field. It wasn't like I was going to get in trouble if anyone saw me. Rather, I just didn't want it to happen. After a bit of that, I soon found myself standing before the front door. What next? I hadn't explained my situation to a teacher, but then again, what was the worst that could happen? With that in mind, I went ahead and gave the door a pull. 
There was a certain weight to it. And yet, contrary to what I'd expected, it actually opened. Quickly, I grabbed the handle and pushed the door close. 
I looked to my left. Then to my right. There was no one around. The only thing I could hear was the sound of cicadas singing. 
Was it okay for me to go in? I wasn't sure. However, what I did know was that I could do so if I wanted to. 
I decided against putting my shoes in the rack and instead held them in my hand as I walked up the stairs leading to the classroom. Before that came the landing, though, the windows of which I passed while crouching low to the ground. Just in case. It really made me seem like a thief, sneaking around like this with my shoes pressed against my side. No doubt would it lead to a massive misunderstanding were anyone to see me, which is exactly why I made an effort to walk as fast as possible. 
Stairs, and then a hallway. I glanced through one of the windows as I silently walked past it, only to be met by a scenery which appeared practically artificial; the distant blue sky and white clouds really did seem like something you might see painted on a canvas. 
As much as I hated having to work or be with others, I knew that school was, by its definition, a place where there were people. 
It simply could not exist without them. 
I proceeded forward barefoot, when suddenly, I heard a sound other than my footsteps. It was coming from another floor and sounded like students talking, which thinking about it, really made sense; the reason why the building hadn't been locked appeared to be so that members of cultural clubs could still gather like normal. Right. I continued walking. Maybe it was just our school that did that, but it felt pretty unsafe in my opinion; with no people around, something might sneak in like I had. Not that there was anything worth stealing here. 
Next, I entered the classroom. No sooner had I opened the door than the hot air packed inside hit my face, welcoming me. Summer instantly encapsulated my body in all of its density, to the point where it felt like were I to wipe my face, literal droplets would fall off. Adding to this, the difference in temperature between the room and the hallway was quite immense, doubly more so when you considered that the only thing separating them was a single door. Was it possible that the place might straight-up catch fire with enough time as more and more heat culminated? Maybe. Then again, there wasn't any real need to worry; summer would likely be long since over by then. While summer and its warmth did symbolize eternity, that was not the case in reality, and by the time you knew it, they'd both be replaced by the cool wind of autumn. 
Passing through the empty room, I made my way to my desk and twisted over to look. Instantly, relief filled me; I had—in fact—left the notebook here. Shimamura Note was safe. Furthermore, it didn't seem like anyone had touched it. 
With that out of the way, I flipped the book open and checked its contents, the very text which had caused me all this trouble. 
Given that simply remembering what was written there was enough to make my heart skip a beat, it wasn't much of a surprise that for a moment, I seriously felt like I was going to pass out at the sheer sight of it. 
What I'd said earlier was true; my head would literally come off were Shimamura ever to see this. The word "embarrassed" didn't cut it. 
There was even a chance the outcome could be something worse than that. Like what? Simple; Shimamura might start despising me, avoiding me. As far as the current me was concerned, that was the one thing I feared more than anything. It was possible I was even more afraid of it than I was of dying. It just felt like so much more realistic of a worry. 
That was all to say, I would never again allow this notebook to leave my sight. 
I shut it close. 
Never again. 
Swearing myself that, I quickly turned around and began making my way outside, only for my legs to come to a full stop as I passed by where Shimamura sat. Had she forgotten anything herself? I peered inside her desk to check. As it turned out, there wasn't anything there, not even dust. 
I lifted my head, and in that instant, a thought passed through my mind. 
"Come to think of it..." 
I remembered a conversation we'd had in the past on the sports hall's second floor. 
Back in those days, I'd managed to be surprisingly forthcoming in the way I talked. Saying that the past me felt like a totally different person wasn't an overstatement. 
Anyway, putting that aside, here's what Shimamura had said: 
"I'd love to go to the classroom when there's no one there and do all sorts of mischief." 
Although my response at that time had consisted of a single uninterested groan, were she to come out to me with something like that again, there simply was no way that I would be able to maintain my composure. 
Reminiscing about the past, I crossed my arms. What might the "mischief" Shimamura had in mind look like in practice? The most she'd ever done to me was place her jaw on top of my head while I wasn't looking, and that obviously wasn't something you could do by yourself—not unless either your scalp or chin were extremely stretchy. 
Trying to reach a proper conclusion, I walked around the classroom, passing by all the different desks. 
That was a habit of mine I'd lately become aware of; I often found myself walking in circles while thinking about something. 
It was likely the case that, when my brain was left spinning its wheels, my feet felt like they should do the same. 
That continued for a while until eventually, I was forced to stop as lines of sweat began running down my neck. 
There was no reason to limit myself to the concept of mischief. 
Instead, I could look at Shimamura more broadly, in her entirety. 
Were Shimamura here right now, what might she think? 
I could barely make sense of her at the best of times. And yet, in that moment, I really did find myself thinking hard about that question. The effort I put into it was the essence of Shimamura Note, the regular me. You could say that I overthought things and was mostly just left spinning my wheels, and while there was a part of me that felt that way, it wasn't really relevant here. 
A cloud of warmth ran up my chin. Touching it with my fingers, I realised something. 
Were Shimamura here... 
...she'd likely think that it was too hot. 
I should do something about that first. 
My feet carried me to the window which I opened. 
Straight to the window, with no detours or anything. 
With all of them open, every single one, I bathed in the wind that blasted through. 
I suppose this also constituted for mischief. Two birds with one stone? Well, not that I was planning on leaving the place like this. 
Distancing myself from the window, I moved to stand in the very centre of the classroom. All sorts of sounds flowed in from the outside, almost as if they'd been eagerly awaiting for the opportunity. I could feel it on my skin as the once-stagnant air stirred about. 
There, I decided it. I was going to do one more thing I shouldn't. 
I sat on my desk and stretched out my legs. This was something I could never do if there were people here. 
My body sinking as if pulled down by gravity, a large sigh escaped my mouth. 
I could hear my ears ring as blood rushed through them. 
Were Shimamura here, would she find my current state ridiculous? Would she laugh at me? 
The sun disappeared behind the clouds before I managed to find the answer to that question, and for a moment, it became almost dark. The light which had previously filled the classroom was replaced by shadows. 
As if to bridge the gap between these two situations, the withered curtains began to waver ever so slightly. 
Their message was simply: Wind. Wind had come. 
My arms spread wide open, I sat there, allowing the air to blow past me. 
It still felt lukewarm. And yet, that wasn't all. There was more to it. 
The wind was clearly not stuck in the present. Instead, its aim was in the future, future towards which it was rushing. I breathed it in, praying that doing so would help me do the same. 

It then came. The day of festival. 
There I was, staring into the azure. 

"No dinner for me tonight. I'll just grab something while I'm out", I proclaimed that morning, earning a "hooray" from Mom who'd been grating ginger to be used for noodles, coupled with a small dance. 
Wait... We were having noodles again for lunch? Yes, I knew Dad had gotten a whole bunch of them as a gift, but that didn't mean we had to eat them every single day. 
"You're going too?" Mom asked my sister. A strange groan left her mouth as she watched the girl nod. "It's quite the thing, willingly going somewhere with that many people when it's this hot outside." 
Completely agreed. 
"Well, I mean, you can't see the fireworks from our house." 
"True, but you can hear them. Alright then. Take care of her, will you?" 
Having said that, Mom gave my shoulder a superficial tap. Was she doing this on purpose? Was I really that easy to see through? The answer to both of those questions was likely a yes. 
Though my mother, the woman really did have a mean personality. Plus, lately, her shoulders had begun appearing quite burly. All those days of hitting the gym were paying off, huh? 
"Speaking of which, will you two be dressed in yukatas?" 
She spread the sleeves of her clothes as if to demonstrate. 
"Yukatas?" 
"It's what you wear when you visit a festival, no?" 
"Oh, right. Yeah. Yukata. Hmm, I wonder." 
Going out of my way to change clothes felt like a step too far. I was also just reluctant to do it in general. 
It was almost as if there was something behind me pulling me back. What was this sensation? I tried attaching a name to it, but didn't manage to find any that fit. 
"I want to wear one!" my sister exclaimed while raising her hand. Yashiro was here as well, and after a short moment spent observing the situation, she too decided to hop onto the bandwagon, lifting both of her short arms high up into the air. 
Seriously, where had she even come from? 
"Just so you know, we aren't talking about getting candy or anything like that." 
"Oh..." 
Dejected, the girl drew her hands back in. 
"Do you even have a yukata in the first place?" 
"Indeed she does." 
The speaker this time was Mom, looking really proud of herself for some reason with her hands pressed against her hips. 
"She can use my old yukata from when I was her age. I stored it away, so it should be good to wear still. I think." 
Did she doubt herself? That seemed to be the case, as immediately after she was done speaking, the woman dashed away towards the room with the clothes cabinet. Then, a few moments later, she returned. Her feet really did move fast. I suppose this was yet another positive outcome of visiting the gym. 
In her hands she was holding two yukatas folded on top of each other, one red and one pale cyan. They were both patternless in their design, and as you might have expected, their colours appeared slightly faded with time. 
"The insect repellent I sprayed on these before putting them away means that they should be good to go. Probably..." 
"What's with the constant self-doubting? Are you just trying to make everyone anxious?" 
Ignoring me, Mom handed the yukatas to my sister. She spread the red one open at first, and immediately, you could see her entire face burst into a smile. 
"What weird clothes", Yashiro commented while observing the situation from the side. If anything, I'd say that the clothes she was wearing were the weird ones here. Not to even mention her hat. What was up with that thing? 
The hat currently on Yashiro's head was tall and narrow, and almost looked like it'd been woven from tree branches. Fresh leaves and vines peeked through the gaps between them, leaving me unsure whether I was looking at something artificial or an actual plant. Coupled with her already bizarre hair, she really did seem like she could be the main character of a children's tale or something. What was such a thing doing in our house, and why was she holding a rice cracker in her hand? 
"Want to try it too, Yachii?" 
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to learn about Earthling culture." 
Alright then, the girl followed and immediately began wrapping herself in the red yukata, prompting my sister to pull it away from her reach. 
"I think the blueish one would match you better." 
"I think it would not." 
"Nuh-uh. You'll see that I'm right when you put it on. Now, come here!" 
"Eek!" 
Yashiro ran away, and spreading the cyan yukata, my sister ran after her. Neither of them seemed particularly serious. Instead, they were just goofing around, having some fun. Quite the thing to do when it was this hot even inside, I had to say. Personally, I felt like I was going to drown in sweat the second I left the sweet comfort of the electric fan. 
An extremely exaggerated sigh left Mom's mouth as she watched the two girls run off. 
"Hmm? Is something wrong?" 
"I was just thinking, the way that girl runs, it really resembles you." 
"Really? What part of it?" 
"The way she holds her hands in front of her." 
"..." 
"I'm talking about the past. When you were way smaller. Don't you remember?" 
"No, I must have forgotten." 
That was a lie. I could feel my forehead growing ever so slightly warm. 
"You used to be so cute back then." 
"Yes, yes. Sorry that I'm not cute anymore." 
"Yep", Mom nodded, making it sound like she was agreeing to my statement. Really? How inconsiderate could a person be? "Do some soul-searching and see if you can fix that." 
Seriously, shut up. 
"Now then, what about you? Do we need to find a third yukata?" 
"I'm good. I'll just go there wearing what I always do." 
Looking at it objectively, I was pretty similar to Mom in the way I approached things. 
Plus, sitting idly in my own room, listening to fireworks going off in the distance, that didn't seem bad at all. 
Their sound alone allowed you to perceive their colourful flashes somewhere deep within your mind. 
"Hey, girls. Come back here. We're eating noodles now." 
"I'm back", Yashiro exclaimed, having instantly returned. It seemed like she'd at some point found enough time to wrap herself in the cyan yukata. 
No kidding; the cold blue did fit her way better than the bright red. 
Having walked into the kitchen, Yashiro proceeded to sit down at the dinner table, almost as if she was part of our family or something. 
"Cold noodles are very good. I like them." 
What? Why did she think we ate our noodles cold? While a simple statement, it raised a lot of questions. 
I passed the next few hours watching the little red and cyan creatures do this and that, sometimes getting dragged in myself, until eventually, evening rolled around. I was now in the process of getting myself ready for the festival, and already, I could see a distinct bug bite on the side of my thigh. So much for the insect spray. I went ahead and scratched it a little with my finger, and immediately, the mark grew itchy. Fair enough, I suppose; poke the hornet's nest and you'll only have yourself to blame for getting stung. 
The tireless song of the cicadas instantly filled my ears as I stepped outside. I looked up, and floating in the centre of the clear sky above, I saw the moon tinged blue. Given that the object let off no light on its own, it was possible to clearly make out all the individual craters and dents going along its surface. I continued staring, and soon, a realisation hit me; the moon—a common sight during the long summer days—appeared slightly closer than normal today, so much so that it kinda felt like it might start crashing down any second now. My eyes grew fixed on the potential looming disaster. 
I really would like to visit space before I died. That was something I'd dreamed of when I was a child, and still felt strongly about to this day. 
In that world of weightlessness, I'd sleep. Sleep to my heart's content. 
How might it feel being freed from one of the things that normally bound me? 
My body stuck under the oppressive, searing atmosphere of heat, it was only my thoughts which managed to touch the moon. 
Meanwhile, Yashiro—currently standing next to me—continued playing with my hand. She hadn't asked for permission or anything, making it seem like this was something she just assumed she could do if she wanted to. 
I considered shaking her off for a moment. However, I ultimately decided against it; there was something about the softness of her hand that really appealed to the weaker parts of my heart, leaving me with no choice but to give in. 
She was very affectionate, this girl. Innocent in the truest sense of the word. Touching her felt like placing my hand into a bowl of clear spring water—a metaphor which also matched her in terms of colour, I suppose. I wonder, had she ever touched the moon? She did say that she was an alien, so maybe. 
Though one of my hands was taken by Yashiro, one was still free. I gave it a quick glance before sticking it out into the opposite direction of her. Just as expected, my eyes immediately met with those of my little sister, earning a response from the girl. 
"What?" she muttered, clearly flustered. Her arms trembled, causing the butterflies printed on her red yukata to dance in place. Worth mentioning, she also had a new hairstyle; her usual long cut was now tied in a bun above her head, overall making her appear slightly taller than normal. Well, not that she was actually taller, not as far as her body was concerned. 
I waited like that for a moment, with my hand stuck out, until eventually, she timidly gripped it. Wasn't this kinda like fishing? Instantly, the image of Hino pulling up a massive fish from the pond came to my mind. 
"I got a big one." 
Satisfied in my catch, I raised my hand up high, only for my sister to headbutt me in the, well, butt. 
"You're getting punished for that." 
"Ugh." 
How exactly did I punish her? Well, let's just leave that part out. In any case, after I was done, the three of us began walking. 
There was quite a long distance between our house and the river near which the fireworks were going to be shot. I might have considered taking the bus if we lived closer to a station, but as things stood, that wasn't really an option, unfortunately. 
"Come to think of it..." 
Hadn't something like this taken place during winter as well? I certainly felt like I could remember that. Unless I was completely mistaken, I'd run into Hino there. 
I wonder, what about the festival tonight? Would she come? If she did, Nagafuji would likely be there with her. 
Those two truly were inseparable. Did they never get bored of each other? Bored of the other person's face, their voice, their behaviour? Was there never a moment where one of them felt like having to deal with the other was just a massive hassle? No, never mind; on a second thought, it was likely just the heartless me who saw things that way. 
You could obviously never get tired of your own family. Given that, I suppose it was fair to think of the relationship between Hino and Nagafuji as something similar, an extension of the same idea. 
An extension of family? That was kinda incredible, wasn't it, using relationships like that to grow its definition? 
Hino and Nagafuji. The next person who came to my mind was Adachi. 
Maybe I should have asked her to come too? Thinking about that, I glanced at my sides. 
"Hmm." 
Had I been alone, that would've been one thing, but with my sister, Yashiro, and Tarumi all here, I could hardly imagine her being interested in tagging along. 
Even if it didn't feel like it had really been that long, the fact that I'd hung with Adachi for about a year now meant that I more or less had a grasp on her nature. As such, I could say with confidence that she wasn't a very co-operative person. Take someone like that and toss them in a group, and at the end of it, all you would've accomplished was making everyone involved feel unpleasant. Given that Adachi herself was someone well aware of that fact, you could even say that she was acting conscientious by not coming. 
That was the kind of person Adachi was. And yet, when around me, she often acted like a total baby. 
Did that mean I was closer to her than other people? 
Why was it, I wonder, that she'd taken such a liking to me? I could ask her directly, but then again, the only thing I could imagine that leading to was her completely losing her composure. 
The thought of it kinda made me laugh. 
Whether or not I invited her here didn't really matter; at some point, an opportunity would naturally arise for us to visit a festival together. We'd talked about it just the other day. Plus, summer was long. With those as my arguments, I decided to put the matter aside for now, trusting that it would sooner or later work itself out. 
I was of the opinion that forming strict plans went against what school breaks were all about. 
Especially considering that this one had just begun. 
Then again, I thought the same every year, only for the eventual end of it to catch me by surprise. It never stopped feeling sad when that happened. 
As we made our way towards the river near which the fireworks display was going to be held, the different streams of people began merging into one. I was quite shocked to see just how many yukatas there were. Really, I'd even go as far as to say that most of the girls appeared to be wearing Japanese clothes. A mix of emotions passed through my mind as I glanced down at my own shabby getup. Then again, it wasn't like I was alone; there were plenty of people wearing just regular shirts and shorts, probably even more than there would be normally considering how warm it was. 
Putting all that aside, what really caught my attention was just how much more crowded the street was now. 
"Make sure to hold my hand tight, okay?" 
Having to look for them would be a massive pain were they to get lost. Well, my sister at least; the way Yashiro shone meant that you couldn't exactly lose sight of her. 
"I'm not a little kid anymore." 
"Grip, grip, grip." 
While the reactions of the two couldn't have been any more different, both of my hands did ultimately end up being squeezed. 
The stream of people continued its flow, first passing by a large hotel and then turning into the direction of the park. Given that there were no paid seats or anything like that, things were bound to get congested as everyone rushed to reserve a spot with a good, open view of the sky. Then again, most of those were likely taken already, especially when you considered that a not-insignificant number of people had elected to set up camp right in the morning. Personally, I had no intention of acting that enthusiastic about it. 
Fireworks wouldn't be shot high in the air if the way you were supposed to enjoy them was up close. 
Speaking of, though we couldn't see anything yet, the distinctive sound of explosions did reach us. 
"Ah, there she is." 
Under the shadow cast by an apartment building, I saw her. Saw Tarumi. 
She had her phone out and was currently fiddling with it. Was she planning to call me, perhaps, to see where I was? 
Something I hadn't considered earlier hit me as I stared at her; while we had, in the general sense, agreed to see each other at a specific time, as for where we were going to meet, that hadn't been decided. And yet, here she was. Had she known that this road led from my house all the way to the river and figured that I'd come by it? Smart thinking, Taru. Not that this excused us for not choosing a place to meet, because seriously, we really should've done so. 
"Ooh, Shima." 
Having at last noticed me back, Tarumi put her phone away and proceeded to wave at me. There, her hand still in the air, she weaved through the crowd and closed the distance between us. Comparing her to the other people around her let me once again get a sense of just how tall she was. 
"Shima." 

"Yep." 
Though already right in front of each other, we still continued waving our hands. Seriously, what was up with that? I couldn't help but smile a little, prompting Tarumi to immediately do the same. 
Unlike me, Tarumi had actually put in the effort to wear a yukata, the peony pattern of which appeared quite colourful under the light of the lamps. Her long hair was also tied up neatly, all in all giving the same sort of impression as the people you often saw in fashion magazines. 
That was certainly nice, although on the flip side, it did leave me as the odd one out. I almost felt like whereas everyone else was actually trying, I simply chose to wing it. Or better put, like I was a mere bystander, barely part of the group. So, like usual then? Hmm, yeah, I suppose. 
"Umm, so... This one's your little sister, right?" Tarumi asked after spending a few moments comparing the hair colours of the two girls, ultimately turning her body into the direction of my sister. Reasonable guess. Really, it would've been quite strange if she'd gone with Yashiro instead. Abnormal, even. As for the girl in question, well, the slight change in both the angle of our hands as well as the strength with which she gripped it let me know even without looking that she'd timidly taken a step backwards. 
"It's been a while. Well, not that we really remember each other, I guess. Umm, I used to come by your home often when I was in grade school. So yeah", Tarumi stated, pointing at her own face all the while smiling in a very forced manner. The lack of reaction coming from my sister suggested that she couldn't remember her at all. "Ahaha. Anyway, nice to meet you. Hope we can get along." 
"Okay", the girl replied faintly, the look on her face remaining perfectly meek. I couldn't help but giggle silently as I stared at her. 
She was so good at putting on the facade of a good child that the mask seller at the festival might soon be out of a job. 
It didn't take long for her to catch wind on how I was reacting based on the way my hand moved, prompting her to once again slam her head against my backside and—never mind, we can skip this part. 
I just want to say one thing; handing out punishment with both of my hands reserved was quite the ordeal. 
"So then, this is that other person you mentioned?" 
"I am, the other person", she nodded in response: "Yashiro Chigama". 
That was her full name? I'd completely forgotten. 
I always just called her Yashiro, and as for my sister, well, she had her own nickname for her—Yachii. 
"Wow... Your hair sure is something." 
Timidly, Tarumi placed her hand on Yashiro's head. Had she really not noticed her hair earlier? Just what had she been looking at instead? Oh... Me? 
While it was already far too late to be worrying about it, the thought did kinda make me blush. 
"Now then, shall we get going?" 
"It looks like it's gonna be kinda tough, but sure", I stated back, straightening out my body and scanning the road up ahead. Distinct walls of people had begun forming there. While that was quite the terrifying sight in its own right, what made it even worse was the way they slowly flowed forward, almost as if they were made of some sort of thick goop. For a moment, I found myself hesitating; were we really going to be taking part in this? 
As far as mosquitoes were concerned, tonight was likely going to be a real feast. 
We began moving. Meanwhile, the largest of all the fireworks—the sun—continued growing distant. In its wake it left all the heat and warmth it'd brought about, exiting the stage that was the coming night by itself, alone. Good grief. Even children knew to clean away their toys once they were done playing. Smiling wryly, I sucked in the lukewarm air. In terms of the solar system, the sun was definitely the oldest adult, which was exactly why I would've liked for it to keep the concept of discretion in mind. 
"Hmm?" 
Tarumi turned her attentions towards my hands. Specifically the hand that Yashiro was squeezing. 
"Is something wrong?" 
This simple question was enough to make her flinch. What a reaction. I was immediately reminded of Adachi. 
"I was just thinking, you sure do act like a big sister. Even now." 
"Oh?" 
I kinda remembered Hino also pointing this out earlier. That my "big sister level" was very high, or something in that vein. 
Even so, I didn't really want to be Yashiro's older sister. That'd just be... awkward. To be completely honest with you, I personally didn't see myself being suited for that role. I simply wasn't like that. 
"You feel so... adult now. Completely unlike how you used to be." 
"Really? I get the impression you're just saying that." 
No sooner had those words come out of my mouth than my entire face twitched. I really needed to do a better job refraining from saying the first thing on my mind. Tarumi instantly looked away, although as I waited for a bit, she did soon enough turn her eyes back towards me. 
There, giggling a little as if to hide embarrassment, she spoke: 
"Your hands sure seem to be popular, Shima. Do you offer them out on like, subscription basis?" 
"My hands... Oh, you mean this?" 
I lift my hands slightly in the air and gave them a quick glance. Indeed, they were both taken already. Hmm... Was she perhaps disappointed? 
Seriously, what was it about my hands that made everyone want to hold them so badly? 
"Now I almost wish I would've come pick you up at your house instead of waiting for you here", Tarumi mumbled deeply, her arms crossed. The way her brows and the corners of her eyes crumpled together made it seem like this wasn't meant as a joke. 
That actually wasn't a bad idea; meeting at either one of our homes would've made everything so much simpler and less complicated. 
And yet, the thought of it hadn't even crossed my mind. It was really there in that fact you could get a good sense of all the years that had gone by between us. 
Hmm... It was hard to put it into words. We were both standing on tiptoes, stretching ourselves beyond our abilities? Something like that? 
"In that case, allow me to lend you my hand." 
The speaker this time was Yashiro, swiftly pushing out her free hand into Tarumi's direction. 
I was kinda shocked to see her join the conversation. Honestly, at first, I'd thought she was just making random noises. 
"Umm... okay. Thanks." 
Tarumi's reaction was very typical of her; thought clearly bewildered, she didn't hesitate for a moment to grab the girl's hand. 
As for Yashiro, well, with both her hands held high by people taller than her, she was kinda just left dangling there in the air. 
The image reminded me of an alien being dragged away by men dressed in black, like in a story I'd once heard. 
Awkwardly, I let out a small laugh, and so did Tarumi. 
"Don't worry, she's not a bad girl. Even if she is a bit weird." 
Well, probably; the impression I got of her was that she was less a virtuous person and more simply acting in accordance to what she'd been taught. You know, like "help people who are in trouble". The kind of stuff parents told their children. There was no consideration of loss and gain mixed in, no judgment of what was right and what was wrong. 
Not even children were safe from the competitiveness that plagued the modern world, making people like her a very rare sight these days. An abnormality, you might say. 
"Right. Still... I honestly didn't think you'd come, Shima." 
I could practically feel the emotion in Tarumi's voice as she said this, still holding onto Yashiro's tiny hand. The sound of her exhaling was very noticeable as well. 
"Why is that?" 
"Well, it was one thing in the past, but these days, you always find everything so bothersome and... Oh, sorry. I didn't mean it like that." 
Cutting her sentence short, Tarumi quickly slammed her hand in front of her mouth. Was she worried she'd said something that I might take offence to? 
"What I'm trying to say is, you're very... lazy? Wait, no, that's not it either." 
"Hmm." 
It was honestly kinda interesting to see just how deep she would dig herself, which is why I decided to not say anything. 
Still, I had to ask, was that really a fair judgment of my character? I'd agreed to pose for her painting just the other day, hadn't I? 
"You're... non-committal? No, no. No. Hard to please? Someone who prefers to stay at home? Umm... Ah, dammit. I can't come up with a good way to put it." 
Lost in the maze that was language, Tarumi gripped her head with her one free hand. I found it very amusing watching her do that. 
As much as she doubted herself, the things she'd listed were all honestly pretty solid descriptions of me. At the same time, were I to go ahead and laugh innocently, I would probably be able to recall at least some of what made the past me the person I was back then, huh? I certainly felt there to be an opportunity there. The only problem was, I simply didn't have it in me to force myself to take the necessary step forward. 
The concept of returning to the past, to the old days hardly seemed that appealing to me. 
No matter how worn, how damaged, how chipped, if there really did exist something between us, something real, you should be able to see it even now. 
"Ooh! Ooh, ooh!" 
My line of thought was interrupted as all of a sudden, Yashiro began jumping up and down. How did she manage to do that when her feet were barely touching the ground? 
"I can smell something sweet." 
The avenue with all the food stands was still quite far away, and yet, the girl already had her nose pointed upwards. She always acted so unlike how a regular person would, even when it came to these sorts of small, insignificant interactions. Really went to show that it wasn't just her appearance that was suspicious; what lay beneath was very much so as well. I suppose you could call it fate, the fact that I was now here, heading towards a summer festival while holding hands with her. 
Putting all that aside for a moment, my sister sure was behaving herself. I even had to check that I hadn't accidentally lost sight of her, but no, she was still there. While her eyes weren't pointed towards the ground or anything like that, she also wasn't saying anything. Rather, she was simply walking forwards in complete silence. This was how she usually acted around new people. 
I went ahead and gave her dented cheek a quick poke. This prompted the girl to frown at me. 
"What?" she snarled. 
"You aren't speaking, so I wondered if you were tired." 
Wondered if you needed me to talk to you. 
I didn't actually say that last part out loud. I wonder, what sort of face would she make if I did? Personally, I was of the opinion that duty was first on the list of things that you should never feel towards your family members, and as such, I did often find myself wondering, was I looking after her just because she was my little sister? The order of things definitely did make sense there, it would've been a lot stranger if it was the other way around, but even so, I had to ask, was that really something that could last? 
There were way too many people on the riverside road when we got there, making it so that we had to walk in a line to have any hope of passing through. And yet, neither Yashiro nor my sister let go of my hands. The position this put me in was awkward to say the least, almost as if both of my arms were being bent backwards. Naturally, walking like that, with my shoulders stuck out, left me constantly bumping with my surroundings. It wasn't very pleasant, I'll tell you what. 
I was almost starting to view the whole thing a bit negatively, when all of a sudden, gold dust sprinkled down from the sky, as if shining light into my situation. 
How long had it been since I'd last seen a firework go off in person? Years, probably. 
"Look, Yachii. That's a firework", my sister explained to Yashiro, breaking her silence. She almost sounded a bit proud of herself. 
"Ooh!" the girl exclaimed back, her eyes pointed towards the golden particles above and her mouth half-open in awe. 
I wonder, how did these flowers blooming in the sky appear in the eyes of an alien? Was she able to see value in them? 
Joking, obviously. At least in part. 
As soon as the flash of the firework faded away, another one, equally vivid, was created in its place. It was almost as if the entire life cycle of a star, from birth to death, was compressed right there before me, this sequence repeating without an end closer than even the moon. Witnessing such a sight, even I couldn't help but feel slightly moved. 
We continued walking forwards, as if lured in by the fireworks. There, a tightly packed line of booths—standing by the roadside with no gaps in between—appeared in our sight, causing Yashiro to grow extremely excited. 
"Ooh! Ooh!" 
Clearly, this was far more important to her than the fireworks. 
"Shimamura, Shimamura!" 
"Yes, I know." 
The girl proceeded to yank my arm with far more strength than you might have expected from someone of her size. I decided not to resist, in part because—having skipped dinner—I was kinda hungry myself. 
It was clear what we were going to be doing next. However, before that, I quickly turned towards Tarumi to confirm that she was okay with it. 
"Do you mind if we go take a quick look?" 
"Sure, it's fine. I haven't had dinner yet either." 
Perfect timing, really, she added, her eyes pointed at the stand. Staring at her face, a thought crossed my mind. 
She hadn't spent the entire day waiting for me at that spot, had she? No way. I mean, we weren't talking about Adachi here. 
"The sweet smell appears to be coming from here." 
Now standing in front of the booth—the large, paper lanterns hanging from which painted its red roof slightly orange—Yashiro's nose moved up and down as she sniffed the air. Out of all the similarly coloured booths around it, this one had by far the biggest and most eye-catching sign. 
"Good-luck Takoyaki? What's that?" 
My feet came to a stop as the bizarre text caught my attention. Right in that instant, a woman emerged from inside, dressed in what appeared to be a robe with long sleeves—a bad fit for the warm night considering its apparent lack of breathability. 
Her red cheeks stood out against her pale skin, and looking at her, the image that came to my mind was more that of a candy apple rather than takoyaki. 
"Welcome, welcome." 
"Hi." 
"Only one serving of our takoyaki in a pack of eight has octopus in it." 
"Umm, what?" 
But, the sign, I tried pointing out, only for the woman to completely ignore me. 
"The lucky person who finds themself tasting octopus will get to take a fortune slip for free." 
Here, she added while emphasising the box set up next to her. It seemed like just a random pile of paper tickets to me. 
"In addition, the person whose fortune slip grants them great luck will receive one palm reading session free of charge. Truly, they are fortunate." 
"..." 
"Not only that, if the result of the palm reading is not to your liking, you are always able to change your fate by purchasing an extra pack of takoyaki and—" 
"Okay, I think we'll go somewhere else." 
"Ah!" 
That was close. You could never be too careful as there are always people out there trying to trick you, especially at festivals like these. 
"May I just tell you one thing, one piece of advice?" 
"Huh?" 
The woman now stood next to me. But, how? When? I was sure she'd been inside the booth just a second ago. 
Her plain face and getup made it difficult for me to imagine that she'd somehow managed to walk over to me while I wasn't looking. And yet, that was the only explanation I could come to. I was left utterly bewildered. 
I did have a second question too: Why was she following us? 
"In your future, I can see... trouble with women." 
"..." 
The woman's extended pointer finger drew a circle in the air before me. 
Seriously, what the heck was this person doing, saying stuff like that out of nowhere? Hmm... Now that I thought about it, she had mentioned palm reading, hadn't she? Yeah. A fortune teller, perhaps? 
"Umm, but I am a woman?" 
"'Trouble with men' isn't really something you hear people talk about when it comes to visions, is it? No. No it's not." 
This answer of hers—if you can even call it that—left me just as confused as I'd been before. Slightly unsure as to what I was supposed to do here, I took a step backwards. 
Had I gotten myself involved with some weirdo? 
"...It says that on my face?" 
"No, on your hand. I specialize in palm reading." 
I looked down. Both of my fists were tightly clenched. I looked back up. The woman was now grinning at me. 
No doubt about it; this person was nothing but trouble. 
"Thanks for the advice. Now, goodbye." 
I quickly began distancing myself from the woman. Much to my surprise, she didn't chase me further. Instead, she simply waved in my direction, wishing me well. 
The river of people then swallowed us both, and soon, it became impossible for me to see her. What had just happened? I really didn't know. 
"Trouble with women... huh?" 
"That's what she said, yeah." 
For some reason, it was Tarumi who appeared the most bothered by this whole thing. Was she perhaps reminded of something she'd experienced personally? 
"Ah, Shimamura. There's something good over there, I'm sure of it." 
What Yashiro pointed towards next was a booth selling tiny sponge cakes. On its sign were written the words "contains: honey, eggs, milk". Were you required to warn about those things if you wished to obtain a sales license? I could only assume so. Anyway, I glanced at Yashiro's face to gauge her reaction, and instantly, with no hesitation, I was able to tell that she wanted to try these sweets out. If only the questions on school exams were this easy. 
Unlike at the previous booth, there were no special events or anything of the sort going on here, which thankfully meant that we were able to purchase what we wanted without much hassle. Having to deal with stuff was just so tiresome, and in all honesty, I way preferred it when things were simple like this. Really, the only problem—if you could even call it that—was the fact that I had to be the one to pay. 
My sister was naturally penniless, and as for Yashiro, well, I had no interest in trying to make sense of her financial situation. 
Sounds of satisfaction filled the air as the latter of the two girls hungrily devoured her part of the cake they had split between them. 
"That was delicious." 
"I'm glad." 
"Now, what about the chicken over there?" 
"Oh, you." 
Don't go ogling at more food while your mouth is still full. 
The way Yashiro was acting here almost made it seem like she was usually kept in hunger. I really couldn't let her run loose, because if I did, there was no doubt my wallet would be left feeling mighty light by the time the night came to an end. The only thing heavy would be my feet, tired from walking around. With that in mind, I gripped her hand tighter, pulling on it like a leash each time she attempted to head towards the next booth. Even so, that wasn't enough; the smells, the atmosphere, and—most importantly—her constant pestering eventually grew too much for me to endure, and ultimately, I was left with no choice but to cross the road with my head hung. 
"Gyaah! Shimamura!" 
"Seriously, shut up." 
Personally, I didn't really want to eat chicken right now. No, I was more in the mood for yakisoba. My throat hungered for noodles—specifically a type other than what we ate daily back at home. 
"Wow, no kidding. You really are good at playing the role of a big sister, Shimamura", Tarumi stated in a slightly teasing tone, now dashing after me. 
That comment of hers didn't sit right with me. Not at all. Swiftly, I offered a rebuttal. 
"Well, what can I say. I've had a lot of experience. I remember constantly dragging you along, back when we were little." 
I was honestly pretty shocked how smoothly the words flowed out of my mouth. 
I'd felt no reluctance. It hadn't taken any time. I'd just... said it. 
A second passed, and another emotion filled my mind: Embarrassment. Seriously, why would I blurt something out without putting any thought into it? 
Tarumi instantly grew stiff. Was she perhaps shocked as well? Whatever the case, she seemed to recover far quicker than I did. 
"...Right!" 
A wide, childish grin appeared on her face. 
With the faint festival lights shining behind her, the sight really did look like something straight out of a dream. 
We continued much in the same manner from there on, doing this and that. Then, after some time, it began; I'd just finished slurping my noodles when the sound of fireworks hit my ears, marking the start of the show. I could hear people around us cheer as lights of all seven colours filled the sky. 
"Pretty", I went ahead and commented. While not the most original thing in the world, it was what came to my mind in the moment. Then, with that done, I turned my attention to my sister. "Can you see?" 
"Hmm..." she muttered. In other words, no. Clearly, the tall adults in front of us were blocking her sight. 
I guess I didn't really have a choice then. 
"Taru, could you take care of Yashiro?" 
Having said that, I let go of the girl's hand, placing both of mine under my sister's arms. 
"Huh? Wha... What?" she exclaimed, visibly shaken by how fast things were happening. 
Although she was a bit heavier than I remembered, I did manage to lift her up without much trouble. There, holding her in the air, I repeated my earlier question: 
"Can you see?" 
"...Yeah." 
Now facing forward, the girl nodded her head in a surprisingly meek manner. 
While I couldn't say for sure what Hino had meant by the term "big sister level", for me, it seemed well represented by the height at which I held my sister. 
Yashiro—in turn held by Tarumi—sounded like she was really enjoying herself as well. Well, to be fair, when didn't she? 
"Can you manage?" 
Is she too heavy? I went ahead and clarified. 
"Yeah, no problem", Tarumi replied, all the while awkwardly looking around. You could hear some bewilderment in her voice, bewilderment aimed towards Yashiro. "I'll be fine. Or rather, what's up with this girl? She's so... Umm... Fluffy. Like, super light." 
"Yeah, she's weird like that." 
"I feel like you're kinda weird too, Shima, for being able to ignore it so easily." 
Not that that's a bad thing, she added quietly. Or at least, that was how it sounded like to me. 
I hadn't been expecting her to say anything. Combined with all the noise and people talking around us, it was really difficult for me to interpret the meaning behind her words. 
She didn't think it was a bad thing? Was that so? 
"Hmm..." 
I brought my face right up to Tarumi's ear so that my sister—currently enthralled by the fireworks—wouldn't hear what I was about to say. 
Why did she act so startled as I did that? I wasn't sure. Regardless, I then began talking: 
"Sorry about today. For bringing my sister along and stuff." 
While I had already apologized on the phone, I felt it to be necessary to do so in person as well. I was going as far as to force her to tend to Yashiro here, after all. 
"Oh, sure", Tarumi muttered at first. However, quickly after, she drew her chin in and did a second take. "No, I mean. It's fine." 
The expression on her face didn't appear at all forced. Rather, I was left with the impression that she really stood by her words. 
Her eyes and cheeks—so smooth it almost looked like someone had gone and brushed them with sandpaper—became painted in the colours of the sky. 
"Personally, I was thinking that I first wanted to have some good fun with you, Shima." 
"First?" 
"Yep, first." 
Leaving the explanation there, Tarumi turned to look at the fireworks. 
Those words of hers were clearly meant to represent something, and yet, they received no follow up. 
Regardless, as I stared at Tarumi's eyes, pointed towards the sky as if gazing into the future, a feeling of a certain type filled me. A pleasant feeling. 
So pleasant that I could almost feel the non-existent wind blowing against my cheeks. 
"I see." 
I did for a moment consider asking her to continue, but ultimately decided not to. Doing so just felt crude to me. 
Fireworks might have been pretty, but you wouldn't want them to last forever. It was similar to that. Them being fleeting was exactly what differentiated them from mere graffiti. 
"So yeah, that's that. Anyway, now, I know it's super late for this, and it's kinda whatever, but..." 
A forced cough left her mouth. What was going on? Just as I was thinking about that, Tarumi—still holding Yashiro in her arms—took a step towards me. She then lifted her chin slightly. 
"Could I get a comment? Even a short one will do." 
I was initially left wondering what on earth could she have possibly meant by that. 
However, after a bit more time spent watching her awkwardly and exaggeratedly shake the sleeves of her yukata, I finally got it. 
"Ah." 
It seemed that she was asking for an opinion regarding her outfit. 
Her ears were now bright red. Strange, considering that none of the fireworks were of that shade. 
"Come on, Shima. Don't make me literally spell it out", Tarumi announced, her voice full of embarrassment. It sounded like she was both laughing and crying at the same time. 
"Sorry about that", I apologized, unable to help but laugh a little myself. 
Was it or was it not a compliment saying that she looked like a girl straight out of a fashion magazine? 
Struggling to find the words, I scanned her up and down with my eyes. Her left foot moved around awkwardly, and after staring at it for a little while, it finally came to me. 
"You look radiant", I stated frankly. It really was the way I felt. Still, I wonder, how was Tarumi going to interpret that comment? I was just thinking about that when all of a sudden, the strangest giggle left her mouth. Her expression was stiff, and her mouth now resembled a cream roll. 
"Even... Even more so than the fireworks? Just kidding. Ahaha." 
"Yep. You're glittering", I repeated, prompting Tarumi for some reason to cough in a very exaggerated manner. 
So exaggerated that I couldn't help but wonder, how was it that these comments appeared to her? 
I mean, I wasn't lying. She did shine. 
The light itself was coming from Yashiro's hair, sure, but we could just omit that part. 
It was there, on a certain July day, that an old friendship was renewed under a sky filled with fireworks. 
If I kept a diary, no doubt would this be what I wrote in it tonight. The thought kinda made me laugh. 

"Shimamura." 
My voice trembled as I watched her walk into the distance. 
The world around me began whirling, everything collapsing into a single vortex in the middle of which she stood. 
Hearing the vivid voices of the three—four if you counted hers—caused me to grow unsteady. It was like I alone had been cut off. 
For an instant, the lights of the fireworks above diluted the darkness of the night, turning it azure. 

Shimamura.