Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 75

Chapter 75: Beneath the Midnight Blue Sky, You Wore an Asagi Butterfly

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On the evening of the last Sunday of summer vacation, I had come to the riverbank on the outskirts of town. It was small in scale, but a fireworks festival was being held there today. Well, even if it was small, it was still a festival in Tokyo, so both the road leading there and the venue itself were just as crowded with people.

“If I were alone, I definitely would’ve gone home.”

Muttering to myself, I checked my smartphone. The current time was just before six p.m. and when I opened my chat with Shizuku, she had sent a photo of where she was. It seemed she had arrived a little earlier than I had. We had decided to meet at the venue because Shizuku said she had somewhere she needed to stop by first. As long as we could meet up, I didn’t really care about the exact meeting spot. 

“I’m not sure we’ll be able to find each other…”

However, I quickly realized that worry had been unnecessary. The moment I arrived in front of the entrance shown in the photo, I spotted Shizuku.

“—Ah.”

A white yukata adorned with pale asagi-colored morning glories and butterflies, and her platinum-blonde hair braided and gathered near the back of her head. Her outfit and overall vibe were completely different from usual, yet I recognized her instantly. No matter how much she blended into the crowd, it truly took only a moment to find her.

I instinctively caught my breath. Even though I almost hesitated, I slowly approached her and called out.

“—Shizuku.”

“Ah, Suou-kun! Thank goodness, you found the place… huh?”

The moment she saw me, Shizuku froze as if she’d been struck by a popgun. Her eyes widened, and after standing there for several seconds, she finally spoke.

“W-Wait. Suou-kun, that outfit—”

“We came all this way to have fun. I figured I’d go this far.”

Scratching the back of my head more gently than usual, I answered. She was probably surprised because I had neatly styled my hair and was wearing a full yukata set.

“…Does it look weird?”

When I asked, she shook her head vigorously.

“Not at all! It’s totally—no, super totally perfect! It looks amazing!”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

I discreetly let out a breath of relief, and Shizuku stared at me intently.

“…Still, I’m surprised you even had a yukata, Suou-kun.”

“It’s not mine. I just borrowed my dad’s.”

To be precise, I was made to borrow it. Looking down at the black striped yukata I was wearing, I corrected myself internally.

“I was planning to come in regular clothes, but while I was getting ready, Mom and my sister kept insisting I wear this. So I ended up putting it on.”

They had even thoughtfully prepared a drawstring pouch and a folding fan I probably wouldn’t use. On top of that, I wasn’t used to wearing geta sandals, so walking had been subtly difficult the whole time… but since Shizuku seemed happy about it, I figured it was fine.

“I see. Then did Rin-chan and Mio Onee-san mess with your hair too?”

“No, I did this myself.”

“Oh, so you did that yourself… Wait, seriously!?”

“Yeah, seriously.”

The iron, the wax, the spray—everything. To clarify, Shizuku shouted “Seriously!?” once more.

“I can’t believe Suou-kun styled his own hair… You’ve always said it was too much of a hassle and never even tried. I mean… Suou-kun, you could actually do it yourself?”

“No. Mom taught me how. So I’ve only been able to do it on my own for a few days now.”

Thanks to that, the photos of my failed attempts had been safely stored in my sister’s phone gallery, but considering it was all for today, it was a trivial matter.

“…I see. But why—”

“Isn’t it obvious? Like I said, we came out here together. Of course I’m going to put in a little effort.”

Since I was the one who invited her, I couldn’t just show up dressed carelessly. That said, I had wondered if a yukata might be overdoing it but judging from the fact that Shizuku was wearing one too, it seemed I hadn’t made the wrong choice.

“Speaking of which, you came in a yukata too. Was the place you stopped by earlier…?”

“Yup! I got my dressing and hair done! I hadn’t been able to go to any festivals yet this year because of dieting, so I got a little excited for this one! So, how do I look?”

“…Yeah. It really suits you.”

I told her honestly what I thought, but she looked at me suspiciously.

“You really mean that? The way you said it was kinda flat.”

Maybe my comment had sounded a little mechanical. I truly meant it, but it seemed I hadn’t conveyed it very well.

“…Well, whatever. You’re always kinda low-key with your reactions anyway, Suou-kun.”

Perhaps because she understood me to some extent, she didn’t sulk or complain and quickly let it slide. Still, it irritated me that my feelings hadn’t fully come across.

“Anyway, the fireworks start at seven-thirty, so let’s check out the food stalls until then! I skipped meals since this morning for this! I’m seriously starving!”

So I grabbed her hand and stopped her as she was about to head into the venue.

“Shizuku.”

“Eh… um, Suou-kun—”

“Sorry. Let me say it properly. You really are beautiful.”

Without looking away from her blue eyes for even a moment, I said it simply and sincerely.

“—That’s seriously not fair.”

Shizuku squeezed my hand tightly and muttered while looking down.

“…What do you mean, not fair?”

“Not fair is not fair. Come on, let’s go!”

And just like that, with Shizuku pulling me by the hand, we stepped into the bustling crowd together.

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T/N: Why am I the one blushing?