When I Brought The Lost Little Girl To Her House, The One Who Came Out Of The Front Door Was The Most Beautiful Girl In The Grade. - Chapter 58

By the time Ayano and I reached the school grounds, a considerable number of people had gathered.

Seeing that most of the people here were probably couples, it was a bit intimidating.

“Now, the cultural festival is coming to a close. Let’s wrap it up with the campfire!”

“Light it up!”

With those words, we ignited the wood arranged in the shape of a well. Gradually, the flames grew larger.

The flickering flames conveyed the feeling that the cultural festival was truly coming to an end.

“Should we get closer?”

“Nah, let’s just talk here for a bit.”

“But aren’t you cold?”

“I’m fine! Despite appearances, I’m actually warm!”

Saying that, Ayano put her hand on my cheek.

It was indeed warm, but more than that, it was embarrassingly so.

“A lot happened, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, it did…”

“It’s kind of strange being right beside you like this. We didn’t have many chances to talk, especially since we were in different classes.”

“True…”

When I looked at Ayano, her eyes seemed to be wavering, gazing at the distant campfire.

Her eyes seemed to emanate an unsettling sense of unease.

“What’s wrong? You seem a bit down.”

“It’s a hypothetical situation… I was wondering, what if you were dating another girl? What would have happened? Then…”

“Then?”

Somehow, the atmosphere had turned serious without me realizing. My body was starting to sweat in an odd way.

“I would’ve been really sad!”

“Did you really feel that sad?”

“I was sad~. But it made me realize again. I really love you, Yuusei-kun.”

Hearing those words from Ayano’s lips, I could feel my face turning completely red.

“Huh? Your face is red? Are you okay?”

“It’s not red, I’m fine.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, even I love you…”

“Hehe, thank you.”

Saying that, she showed me a beaming smile. Could this be what happiness feels like? For a brief moment, I pondered on the concept of happiness.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yeah, sure!”

Saying that, we approached the campfire.

The closer we got, the larger it seemed. And above all, it was warm.

The crackling sounds were satisfying to listen to.

“U-Um, would you dance with me?”

“Of course!”

“Uh, but I’ve never really danced before…”

“I haven’t either!”

Urged on by the crowd, I held Ayano’s hand and tried my best to dance an unfamiliar dance, swaying gently.

“Hahaha! This is kinda fun!”

“R-Really? Well, that’s good to hear!”

“Yeah! Watching you dance in an unfamiliar style is quite entertaining, Yuusei-kun.”

I felt like I was being made fun of. No, was I being made fun of? But if Ayano was laughing, I couldn’t bring myself to be angry.

I abruptly stopped moving my feet. Then, I let go of Ayano’s hand.

“Beautiful.”

I said it in just one word, albeit at an odd timing. I conveyed what I thought directly to Ayano without any embellishments.

“Huh?! W-What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?!”

“Well, just thought I should mention it.”

“Hahaha! ‘Just thought I should mention it’—mention what?”

I found myself laughing along with Ayano because even I found what I said to be amusing.

“Oh, by the way, did you know?”

“Hm?”

“There’s a sort of jinx associated with this school’s cultural festival.”

“Huh? There’s something like that at this school?”

Ayano’s mention of a jinx piqued my curiosity.

Then, with a slightly mischievous smile, Ayano leaned in closer. I almost blurted out, “Too close?!” without thinking.

“Well, you see, it’s a jinx that says if two students who are in love with each other kiss during the 6:00 PM campfire of the cultural festival, they’ll be together for the rest of their lives!”

“6:00 PM… What time is it now?!”

“Huh?! Well, uh… 6:00 PM is in about 2 minutes.”

“…Oh, right.”

It’s not like I believe in jinxes or anything? I just became unusually conscious of the current time, that’s all.

But at this moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if I might end up resenting the god of love for this.

“Wait, did you actually take that seriously? Oh, I see, Yuusei-kun, do you want to be tied to me for life?”

“Ayano-san, is that something you dislike?”

“Huh? W-Well, I don’t dislike it… but…”

Phew, that’s a relief. If she had said she disliked it, I wouldn’t have been able to recover. But, well, I’ve come this far, and I can’t really turn back now, plus I’m sure Mitsumura and the others would be relentless later.

“Ayano-san, close your eyes.”

“W-Why on earth!!”

“Just do it.”

Upon hearing my words, Ayano obediently closed her eyelids. As I leaned in closer, she suddenly popped her eyes open.

“N-No, it’s no good!”

“Huh?”

“M-Maybe next time!”

“I’m sorry, I just can’t hold it anymore.”

I stole a light, slightly reddish kiss from Ayano’s plump lips.

At first, it was over quickly, but for some reason, I wanted to do it again, so I kissed her once more.

Ayano’s face was clearly visible in the light of the campfire.

“Mm…m~.”

Ayano’s voice brought me back to my senses, and I quickly pulled away.

“Uh, Ayano-san?”

“…Wh-Why?”

Ayano’s face had turned very red.

“Your face is all red.”

“S-Stop teasing me!”

She said that and playfully hit me quite hard. It wasn’t a cute punch at all.

“It’s just because it’s hot.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“I’m telling you, it’s just because it’s hot!”

“Alright, alright, I got it.”

After that exchange, we sat down and watched the campfire as the dance ended.

Ayano seemed a bit sulky, not saying anything to me, perhaps still annoyed.

I wondered if I had been a bit forceful or if teasing her afterward had been a mistake.

Later on, after the campfire ended, Ayano and I walked home together.

“Seriously, I’m telling you it was just because it was hot.”

“You’re still going on about it.”

I replied with a somewhat exasperated tone, and Ayano, who was walking beside me, suddenly stopped.

I also halted a beat later, stopping in sync with Ayano’s pace.

“What’s wrong?”

“Turn around.”

“Huh? Why, again…”

“Just do it!”

She said it somewhat forcefully, and thinking she was still annoyed, I promptly turned around with a “Sure!”

Then, I heard something, a scuttling sound approaching rapidly, as if something was kicking the ground forcefully. Suddenly, I felt a weight on my back as if something had jumped on me.

“W-What is it?!”

“Hehehe, payback for earlier! Ahh, muah!”

“Wha?!”

I was speechless. This was definitely Ayano biting near my neck. It didn’t hurt at all, but it had quite an impact.

With these kinds of happenings, the cultural festival, which had felt very, very short, came to an end.