The day of the fireworks festival.
Late afternoon, approaching dusk, at the Kasumigaoka residence.
"My, my." Holding groceries for dinner, looking every bit the picture of someone who had just gotten off work, Kao saw her well-behaved daughter sitting on the living room sofa and asked with a slightly surprised expression.
"Why are you still at home?"
"..." Utaha coldly lifted her eyelids, showing absolutely zero desire to answer such a stupid question.
"What's wrong?" A smirk, as if watching a good show, curved her slightly upturned lips. Kao carried the groceries into the kitchen, continuing in a nonchalant tone.
"Did you finally get stood up?"
"Hah?" Frowning slightly, her expression hinting at impatience, Utaha put down her phone, crossed her arms, and crossed her legs.
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting now? Don't hospitals give doctors medical benefits?"
"It's not that bad." Wiping her hands, Kao walked out of the kitchen with a freshly poured glass of iced barley tea, her expression perfectly calm.
"Mhm, judging by that reaction, you probably didn't get stood up."
"What are you even talking about?" Utaha, growing more confused by the second, watched her leisurely mother sit down on the sofa.
"I saw you staring at the flyer for the Chiba fireworks festival earlier, so I assumed you had made plans with a 'good friend' to go together."
Deliberately emphasizing the words 'good friend', Kao blinked, looking curiously at her bewildered daughter. Then, in a corner where her daughter couldn't see, she secretly sighed.
Good grief. Doesn't this kid have a boyfriend already? Why does she still act so clueless all day? Does she really think he's not going to run away?
"I feel like you're implying something else." Staring at her mother as if interrogating a criminal, Utaha said in a highly suspicious tone.
"Also, when did I ever say I made plans with someone to go to the fireworks festival?"
"That's exactly why Mom is worried," Kao muttered in a voice too quiet for her daughter to hear, pouting slightly.
"What did you say? Speak up."
"Nothing!"
Hearing her mother's tone, Utaha, who inexplicably felt like she was being called 'hopeless,' crossed her arms again, her eyebrow twitching involuntarily.
Annoyed, she couldn't help but bounce her crossed leg. Just as she was about to retort with the sharpest words she could think of to her devious mother,
she saw her mother pick up her iced barley tea and take small, deliberately pretentious sips.
That look was practically saying: 'I'm tired. I don't want to bicker with an ignorant little girl tonight, so scram, brat.'
Damn adult!
Gritting her teeth slightly and taking a few deep breaths, Utaha finally suppressed the urge in her heart that screamed, 'Ah, I really want to punch this woman!'
Unclenching her fists, Utaha picked up her phone again, her lips pressed tightly together as she continued browsing the news with a cool expression.
Looking at the promotional scenery photos of the fireworks festival on the website's homepage, as well as pictures of the grand scale of past festivals, Utaha's gaze gradually softened.
'Do your best, Miyahito.' Her eyes landed on a photo on her phone screen showing a bustling shrine and fireworks blooming in the night sky. Utaha's slightly upturned lips parted and closed involuntarily.
You have to succeed.
Miyahito.
...
Chiba City, the Aragaki residence.
"Big Brother, are you done yet?"
"Almost, almost."
Standing behind his sister, who was wearing a kimono and sitting properly on a small stool, Miyahito, who was styling her hair, looked up and smiled at the mirror in front of them.
"Ta-da! How does it look, Ayase?"
"Mhm! It looks so pretty, Big Brother." Looking at herself in the mirror with her beautiful hair styled up, Ayase happily swayed her head left and right, her eyes sparkling.
"Thank you, Big Brother."
"You're welcome, my lady."
Smiling with a hint of doting affection, Miyahito exaggeratedly twirled his arm and performed a very standard aristocratic hand-over-heart bow.
Watching her brother's performance, Ayase was amused. She squinted her eyes, slightly cupping her hands over her lips, and let out a few happy little giggles.
"Hehe."
Hearing his sister's happy laughter, Miyahito smiled with feigned 'helplessness' and reached out his hand to his sister, who was still giggling to herself.
"Let's go, Ayase."
"Yeah!"
With an indelible smile still on her face, Ayase placed her small hand—almost two sizes smaller than her brother's—into his open palm.
A gentle squeeze.
"Let's go!"
.....A short while later.
Standing at the doorstep, watching their two children happily get into the family car and head off to the Matsudo fireworks festival, Satomi smiled and lowered her arm. She naturally turned her head to look at her husband beside her.
Well... just as expected.
"Darling." Calling out with a slightly helpless tone, Satomi reached out and linked her arm with her husband's, saying in a low, mildly exasperated voice.
"Alright, if you're really that worried, do you want to follow them now?"
Hearing this, Seiichiro, who had just been looking unhappy and radiating an aura of 'Damn it, our son actually left his mom and dad behind to happily take his sister out to play!', instantly swept the gloom from his face. He asked in a slightly pleased tone.
"Really? Is that okay?"
"What do you think?" Shooting her husband a glare, Satomi smiled brightly and reached up to pinch his cheek, her tone extremely 'gentle'.
"Could it be that Mr. Seiichiro despises enjoying some long-overdue alone time with me?"
"Back when we were students, Mr. Seiichiro spent all day figuring out how to sneak me out from under my dad's nose. It seems time really does change a lot of things."
Even though his wife's voice was so gentle and the smile on her face so joyful,
Seiichiro couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, looking as if he had just seen the smile of a demonic ghost.
"Where's your answer, Mr. Sei·i·chi·ro~?"
"Ahem." Clearing his throat, Seiichiro silently wiped the inappropriate expression off his face, raised his hand to adjust his suit, and said in a serious tone.
"I've thought about it, and it's about time we head out too."
"Uh, Satomi, I think you should hurry and change into an evening dress. After all, besides the wonderful atmosphere, appropriate attire is also a crucial part of a candlelight dinner."
Saying this, Seiichiro seriously looked over his smiling wife, then nodded with a very serious expression.
"Remember to wear the necklace I bought you at 'Fendi' a while ago."
"Only platinum, symbolizing purity, and diamonds, symbolizing eternity, are worthy of my wife's charm."
Yes, Mr. Seiichiro today... his survival instincts were as sharp as ever.