I'm a Kept Man for the Three Most Beautiful Girls in School - Chapter 33: Behind the Scenes

Chapter 33: Behind the Scenes

The day after Seina Nishioji started taking an interest in Kyosaka, she began her “behind the scenes” work on the group LIME chat. 

She brought up how much Kei Kyosaka had changed.

The read count was “7.” The group was girls-only, and many were interested in this kind of topic.

[Kyosaka? The Kyosaka? No way, has he really improved that much?]

[Wasn’t Kyosaka-kun always kind of good-looking? He just didn’t get attention because he was so gloomy.]

[He was walking arm in arm with some cosplaying girls. They didn’t seem to be dating, but both girls were super cute.]

[Really? No way.]

[Did something change for him?]

Seina was good at shaping impressions.

As the read count surpassed “10” and the conversation became a storm, more than half of the members began showing interest in Kei Kyosaka.

(That should do it.)

[Anyway, if we’re going to ask Kyosaka a lot of questions, the guys won’t like it, so let’s surround him ourselves.]

[Surround him? lol.]

[LOL.]

[Well, there are lots of things I want to ask him, so I’m really looking forward to the day.]

[We’ll leave it to you, Seina. Make sure it’s fun.]

[Okay, leave it to me]

(I really am a genius.)

Seina Nishioji thought about how she wanted to ease the guilt she felt from suddenly taking an interest in KeiKyosaka.

It wasn’t about making amends for the past; that would be too dramatic. But she wanted to clear away a bit of the uneasiness she felt.

Now, after all this time, she was concerned about it.

“Well, if I’m inviting him, I need to make sure he enjoys it.”

Throwing her smartphone onto the bed, Seina spoke to herself.

For a high school student like her, who hadn’t found anything she particularly wanted to do, this reunion could be a significant turning point.

She hoped it would be. She wished for it strongly.

※

In mid-August, when summer vacation was entering its latter half, I went to a summer festival with Chikage, Sakura, and Tsu-chan.

The sound of cicadas and the festival music were pleasant. Just listening to it made me feel a sense of tradition and culture, maybe because I had grown up a bit.

And, most importantly, the sight of the three of them in their yukatas was divine.

(Nice. Very nice.)

Chikage chose a black botanical-patterned yukata, with her long black hair tied loosely at the back, giving her a mature look. 

Sakura wore a vibrant, cherry blossom-colored yukata, and her Somei Yoshino-colored hair added a touch of elegance. 

Tsu-chan wore a refreshing white yukata with her blonde hair in a bun, adorned with a traditional hairpin, making her look dazzling for the festival.

Watching the three of them skillfully wearing their yukatas, my heart couldn’t help but flutter.

As for me, I was dressed in a traditional navy blue jinbei with geta sandals.

I don’t usually wear geta, so walking was a bit tricky. To make matters worse, the streets lined with festival stalls were crowded with locals, making it tough to move through the waves of people.

“Everyone, don’t get separated.”

“Okeihan, are you saying that?”

“Yeah, we’re more worried about you getting lost, Kei.”

“Agreed.”

“Ahaha…”

I couldn’t help but laugh softly. 

So, that’s how they thought of me…

“Hey, Okeihan, look over there.”

“Where?”

It seemed Tsu-chan’s gourmet radar had detected takoyaki, the top festival food. There were also other classics like grilled squid, chocolate bananas, and candied apples—staples of any summer festival.

“Who wants takoyaki? I’ll go buy some.”

“Oh, I want some!”

“I’m good, thanks.”

“I’m fine too. Let’s wait by the goldfish scooping stall so we don’t block the way.”

“Alright, I’ll go get in line.”

Tsu-chan left to buy the takoyaki, while Chikage, Sakura, and I moved to the goldfish scooping stall. 

Just standing around felt awkward, so I decided to try my hand at goldfish scooping. I called out to the stall owner and paid 500 yen to give it a shot.

“Kei-kun, can you do it?”

“Just watch me. Here we go.”

I dipped the scoop into the water and quickly lifted a goldfish. 

A plump goldfish landed in the bowl. The paper scoop wasn’t too thin, so it didn’t tear easily, making it relatively simple.

“Nice job.”

“Surprising. I didn’t think Kei was used to playing these kinds of games.”

“I used to do it a lot when I was little, with Akari.”

“I see. It would have been nice if Akari could have come too.”

“Yeah, but she’s a student preparing for exams, so she’s busy with summer classes.”

“During exam season, you feel anxious if you’re not studying.”

“That’s true, but it feels a bit early for exam season, though.”

My sister is quite the hard worker.

Unlike me, who started studying for exams in the winter of my third year of middle school, she has been preparing diligently since the summer. It’s true that being prepared prevents worries. Still, I wanted her to enjoy the festival atmosphere a bit, so I asked Akari to make a list of the foods she wanted me to bring back for her.

“Here you go! Whoa, Okeihan, did you catch a goldfish?”

“Yeah.”

Tsu-chan rejoined us, carrying a plastic bag with a pack of takoyaki. She noticed the goldfish bag in my hand and looked impressed, placing her finger on her chin.

“Teach me the secrets of catching goldfish later, okay?”

“Do you want a goldfish too, Tsu-chan?”

“Not really… Anyway, it’s almost time for the fireworks. Let’s go.”

“Agreed!”

“Kei-kun, don’t get lost.”

“I won’t get lost.”

I followed behind the three of them, making my way through the crowd.

“Oh, this spot looks good.”

“Yeah, there’s just enough space.”

“Kei-kun, over here.”

The spot the three led me to was a scenic hilltop. 

All four of us sat on a bench, sharing the food we bought from the stalls while we waited for the fireworks to begin.

As I bit into a sweet and salty grilled corn, we heard a loud boom in the distance.

“Wow…”

Our voices harmonized in awe.

The sky lit up with colorful fireworks, one after another, creating a breathtaking spectacle. Eventually, the grand finale arrived, covering the entire sky with vibrant lights.

We stayed there for a while, soaking in the atmosphere.

As I thought about how nice it would be for the four of us to come again next year, I fully enjoyed this year’s summer festival.