Vol 2 CHAPTER 17: Summer Festival Scramble ①【Volume 2: With the Footsteps of Ruin Echoing, I Come Crawling for You 【NTR Execution Arc】】

The August 31st festival, just by virtue of the date, becomes the last big event of summer break—so students stand out more than usual.

Even though it’s held relatively close to my house, the festival itself is fairly large, and there are fireworks at the end. With that many people flowing through, if I’d left it to pure chance, there’s no way I’d actually run into the person I was waiting for.

That summer festival venue.

Near the entrance to the shrine’s approach—one of the largest grounds in the prefecture—while I’m loitering with my classmates, the person I’ve been waiting for finally shows up.

“Kudo-kun!”

I turned toward the voice, and there she was: Kotofuki in a yukata.

She looked delicate.

Wrapped in a cool, pale turquoise outfit, she felt fresh—so different from her usual school uniform. And it suited her image perfectly.

Dignified. Beautiful.

And the nape of her neck, visible beneath her neatly pinned hair, was downright alluring.

I almost found myself staring, but I remembered my mission and forced myself not to let my grin get sloppy.

“Hey, Kotofuki. Sorry for springing it on you—was everything okay?”

“Yeah, it was fine. I didn’t have any plans. And… thanks for inviting me.”

“Good—huh? Where’s Ichinose-senpai?”

And there it was—my opening jab.

I’m the one who basically nudged things into place, so I already know he won’t be here, but I still put on that face like, Wait, I thought senpai was coming too? and said it anyway.

Man… I really am a bad guy.

But it’s something I have to do, so I do it properly.

Kotofuki lowered her eyes. It was the kind of atmosphere that makes you want to ask if she’s okay, but she quickly looked up and laughed. “Ahaha. We’re doing our own thing today.”

Even in the small details, I could feel her dissatisfaction leaking through.

Well, yeah.

If your boyfriend cancels on a summer festival you’ve been looking forward to for ages, it’s easy to imagine you’re not exactly feeling happy-lucky about it.

And it’s not just this time.

All through summer break, Kotofuki must have gone through the same thing over and over. Because Takanashi and I set it up that way. How many times did she end up feeling hurt over that long stretch? Thinking about it makes my chest ache. Ache, ache.

I felt satisfied, confirming the plan was moving along smoothly.

Then I gave her the line I’d prepared.

“So… then it’s probably safe to say this—”

“Hm? Say what?”

Kotofuki tilted her head, and I said it like it was nothing.

“That yukata is seriously cute. It looks amazing on you.”

“…Huh?”

“Ah—don’t tell Ichinose-senpai, okay? If he finds out I was hitting on you, he’ll probably punch me.”

When I flashed her a grin like nailed it, she finally realized it was just a bit of teasing. Kotofuki shot me a scolding look like, “Y-You!”

“Sorry, okay— but come on, if you’ve got a girl in a yukata right in front of you, how can you not praise how gorgeous she looks?”

When I made excuses like some Italian ladies’ man, Kotofuki laughed at the joke. It was the kind of smile that made it look like the frustration she’d shown earlier had been blown away.

This was the result of my four months.

I swallowed every last bit of my own inner conflict and focused on one thing: acting, relentlessly, like her good friend. And this—this trust between us—was what I’d gotten out of it.

At first, Kotofuki probably held back out of that awkward “ex-boyfriend” relationship. But now she could smile at me, bright and open, like this.

Without even realizing how abnormal it was, she’d completely bought into the idea of, Even if we broke up, we’re still friends with a healthy relationship.

Let me just say this, Kotofuki: I seriously doubt there’s anywhere in Japan you could find an “amicable” relationship with someone who cheated, then brought up the breakup. If it exists, it’s a scam. And our relationship is, arguably, a kind of scam too.

But the time to make her understand that is still a ways off, so for now I’ll keep acting out the friendship she wants.

It’s not like I’m doing it through gritted teeth, either. Honestly, just being able to get along with her is fun, so for now, this is fine.

And then, looking a little embarrassed, she quietly gave me her thanks.

“But… thanks. That was… no, actually… I was really happy.”

“Yeah. Then let’s go.”

And just like that, we headed toward the summer festival grounds, wrapped in glittering lights.

Today, I can flirt with Kotofuki all I want.

Having actually tried it, I’ve gotta say—flirting with a woman who already has a partner is unexpectedly fun.