Chapter 107: Fireworks
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107: Fireworks
Despite a brief, unpleasant incident, we arrived at the goldfish scooping stall run by one of Karen's acquaintances without any further trouble.
"Greetings, Young Miss!"
A man with a mustache, a buzz cut, and black sunglasses shot up from his seat and bowed deeply.
"Oh, right."
The owner spoke to her with natural deference, and Karen accepted it as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Anyone could see the clear hierarchy between them.
I'd seen this kind of thing so often that I was used to it, but anyone who didn't know the situation would probably be wondering what was going on.
And just as I'd worried, Yaguchi, who was standing behind me, whispered to Karen with a serious expression.
"Karen, what did that man used to do?"
"Oh, it's nothing. He's a former subordinate of my father's. He retired and now runs a flower shop nearby as a hobby."
"A flower shop?"
Yaguchi stared, shocked by the stark contrast between the man's appearance and his profession.
To be honest, it didn't suit him at all.
Yuika, the only voice of reason among us, muttered, "Subordinate...?" but I decided to pretend I hadn't heard.
"We'd like to try scooping some goldfish."
"Ah, if that's the case, please, help yourselves. It's free for the Young Miss's friends."
"It's not like this costs much anyway."
The owner tried to refuse payment, but Karen pulled a thousand-yen bill from her wallet, and they had a brief squabble over it.
In the end, the owner reluctantly accepted the money Karen offered and handed each of us a small scoop net.
Sasha swung the net in her hand through the air and asked.
"You can really catch goldfish with this?"
Karen rolled up the sleeves of her yukata and nodded.
"It's made of paper, so it tears easily, but it's not as hard as you'd think if you get the hang of it."
As she said that, Karen fixed her gaze on the water tank, swung the net with a short cry of "Hup!"
Flop! Flop!
A red goldfish leaped energetically on the small net.
She puffed out her chest with a proud expression and asked, "How was that?"
It was definitely the work of an expert.
If it were me, I would've failed to control my strength and torn it for sure.
After Karen's demonstration, we each took a net, squatted in front of the tank, and started trying to catch the goldfish.
"Ah! It tore!"
Of course, it wasn't as easy as it sounded, and people started tearing their nets one after another.
They immediately had to buy new ones.
"Kim Yoo-Sung, aren't you going to try?"
"Ah, I'm good. I'm not very good at delicate things like this. You want to do it for me?"
When I said that and held out my net, Sasha took it, muttered, "Is that so..." and squatted down in front of the tank.
"Then I'll catch your share for you."
"What?"
She had to be a first-timer at goldfish scooping, so where on earth was all this confidence coming from?
But surprisingly—
"Hah!"
With incredibly clean form, Sasha scooped up a goldfish in one go.
And it wasn't beginner's luck, either—she did it three times in a row.
Seeing this, Rika cried out in astonishment.
"Sasha-chan, wasn't this your first time?!"
Sasha just chuckled smugly.
"I just copied Karen's movements from before. If I don't know how to do something, I just have to imitate someone who does."
With that, Sasha scooped up five more goldfish in the blink of an eye. She tossed aside her waterlogged, torn net and continued with the spare one I had given her.
It was nothing short of god-like skill. The rest of us could only watch, dumbfounded, as Sasha proudly presented her massive haul to the stall owner.
*
"Hmm, that was quite enjoyable."
Sasha held up a plastic bag containing three goldfish to eye level.
She had actually caught far more, but feeling no need to take them all, she had returned the rest.
The stall owner, who had nearly been forced to close up shop for the day, thanked her and bowed repeatedly.
This is why pros are so dangerous...
As we were all heading toward a nearby hill to watch the fireworks, Ryuji spoke up.
"Well, it's about time we took off."
"What?"
I looked at Ryuji, wondering what he was talking about. He and the Foreign Ghost gave me a sly look and a thumbs-up, then left with Yaguchi and his younger sister.
Suddenly, my reliable backup was gone. I swallowed hard, my nerves kicking in.
Now, besides me, there were only four girls left.
Worse, aside from Minato, who was basically just a texting buddy, all of them seemed to have positive feelings for me.
Honestly, it was a pretty stressful situation for me.
In a typical rom-com, the natsumatsuri, or summer festival, is an event where the male protagonist and the heroines confirm their feelings for one another.
But as an intruder who had wedged himself into the original story, I was a little scared.
What if the feelings they held for me weren't natural, but artificial—
It was a long shot, but if I considered the possibility that they liked me instead of the protagonist, Ryuji, because of some irresistible flow of the story, I found it hard to simply accept their feelings.
Honestly, considering my current build and appearance, it's hard to believe I'd receive this kind of genuine affection.
If someone still liked me despite all that, it would be a stroke of luck I'd be fortunate to encounter even once in my lifetime.
But when that kind of luck happens not once, but twice, three times, in a row, even I can't help but be suspicious.
I was just too damn popular.
How could I not have my doubts?
Unlike everyone else, I know that this is the world of a manga, after all.
And it would be a problem even if I did get into a relationship with one of them.
Just as I'd suddenly found myself in Kim Yoo-Sung's body, I might just as suddenly find myself back in my original one.
If that happened, I wouldn't be the only one hurt; I'd be leaving an indelible scar on the other person as well.
I was afraid of that happening.
"So, what should we do now?"
"Huh?"
Lost in thought, I let out a dazed sound at Rika's sudden question.
Realizing I hadn't been listening, Rika puffed out her cheeks slightly and said.
"The fireworks are about to start, so I asked what we should do. Are we all going to stick together until the end?"
She was right.
My earlier suggestion that we all hang out together was nothing more than a stopgap measure.
And now, the moment of choice I had briefly postponed had returned.
Depending on who I chose to watch the fireworks with, the pleasant atmosphere could turn icy in an instant.
I met the eyes of each of the four people surrounding me.
Rika, who was trying to act calm but looked at me with an anxious expression.
Karen, who looked at me with the expression of a rain-soaked kitten.
Sasha, who wore a confident but somewhat forced smile.
And finally, Minato, who was beaming as if to say she trusted me.
It was truly a cruel choice.
No matter who I picked, it would be hard to part ways with smiling faces after the fireworks were over.
After a long moment of deliberation, I finally opened my mouth.
"I..."
*
"Hehe! I get to have you all to myself in the end, Sunbae!"
The person I ultimately chose was my junior, Minato.
My excuse was that my promise with her came first.
In truth, by choosing her, a third party, I had prevented the friendship between the other three from fracturing.
I didn't want our current relationships to fall apart.
But Minato, unaware of my inner thoughts, was just happily clinging to my arm with a giddy smile.
Watching her made me feel a pang of guilt.
As we walked up the hill together, I asked her.
"Minato, how was today?"
Minato looked at me and smiled playfully.
"It was fun. Everyone was so kind to me, even though they'd just met me. It felt refreshing to be treated like a normal person instead of a celebrity for a change, you know?"
"I'm glad you had fun."
"They're all really nice people. I was honestly surprised."
"About what?"
Minato put a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm..."
"Well, kids my age usually find me intimidating. It's like they treat me as if I live in a different world. Maybe it's because I became successful too early. Ah—of course, I know I'm complaining about a good problem to have. But I've often wondered what it would be like to have friends my own age, and I feel like that wish was fulfilled today."
Recalling the day's events, Minato smiled brightly.
"When I think about it, it's all thanks to you, Sunbae."
"What did I do?"
"Because you stand in the middle like a strong pillar of support, maybe that's why only good people have gathered around you?"
I didn't know what to do with myself under the constant barrage of compliments.
As I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, she reached the top of the hill a step ahead of me, made a V-sign with her fingers, and said.
"Hurry up, Sunbae. The fireworks are about to start."
"Right."
I picked up my pace.
Soon, I was standing on the hill with its wide, open view. From down below, I could hear people counting down.
"10! 9! 8! 7! 6!"
Just then, Minato, who was standing beside me looking up at the night sky, clenched her fists and said.
"Sunbae, there's something I want to say."
"5! 4! 3! 2!"
"Suddenly? What is it?"
"1!"
Minato, who had been hesitating, finally looked me straight in the eye and spoke.
BOOM! BA-BOOM! BANG! BOOM!
"I like you."
Amidst the colorful fireworks exploding in the sky, I heard her voice with perfect clarity.
