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It was decided rather quickly.
Tonight, out by the courtyard, there’s going to be a huge fireworks display.
Akamatsu is naturally the organizer, Iruma is in charge of the fireworks along with K1-B0 (who's mostly there to supervise her), Shirogane will provide yukatas to those who want to dress up, and finally Tojo is overseeing catering. A fun get together to put their minds at ease from from their despairing situation.
How stupid, Harukawa thought.
As everyone else was prepping up for tonight, Harukawa takes a rare stroll around the school grounds.
She hates these sort of events. She hates stupid get togethers where everyone is awkwardly forced to get along solely for the sake of getting along. It's a waste of everyone's time, especially in the environment that they're stuck in. But what's even more infuriating is how everyone's so excited, especially that idiotic astronaut. He's been bouncing off the walls ever since they decided on having that stupid fireworks show, yelling about how it's going to be "fucking incredible", and how he's going to wear a yukata and everything.
And the worst part is, she's starting to look forward to it. She's starting to look forward to seeing loud, bright fireworks with everyone else. She's starting to look forward to seeing it with him in a yukata and everything, and how he's going to be flashing a smile brighter than the fireworks themselves.
Harukawa let out a frustrated groan.
She needs a distraction. Something like...
Like finding Yumeno sitting face down on the cafeteria table, surrounded by milk bottles.
Harukawa's curiosity was already piqued, but after hearing a sickly groan coming out of the tiny magician, she slowly approaches her out of concern.
"...Yumeno-san?" She pokes her shoulder.
The tiny magician stirs.
"Nnnnyyeehhhhh?" Yumeno lazily turns her head to face the person talking to her. "...Harukawa-san? What are you doing here?"
"Just passing by. What are you doing?" Harukawa picks up an empty milk bottle.
"I’m trying to drink as many magic elixirs as I can before tonight to charge my mana." She answers.
"...Magic elixirs." Harukawa repeats in a deadpan voice.
"Yes," Yumeno continues, not detecting the sarcasm in Harukawa's voice. "These elixirs specifically are perfect for a spell that'll make me grow older. Once I quickly consume ten more or so of these in a row, their effect should magnify tenfold and make me look more mature before nightfall... I think."
Harukawa rubs her temples. Where does she even start with this.
"Ok, first: you can't force a growth spurt by drinking lots of milk in one go. You're just going to get a huge stomachache." She begins.
"Ah... that explains why my tummy started to hurt by the 3rd bottle..." The magician mumbles.
"And second: why are you doing this in the first place?" Harukawa asks.
Yumeno pulls down her hat and grows quiet. Despite trying to hide it with her hat, Harukawa sees a blush creeping on her cheeks.
"...Chabashira-san..." Was the only thing Harukawa could hear.
"...What?" She asks.
"...Cha...hira...san..." Yumeno's voice shrank even more.
"I can't hear you-"
"Nnnyyehhh, I want to impress Chabashira-san!!!" Yumeno finally explodes with her face as red as her hair.
Ah. Now she gets it.
"She keeps squealing about how cute I look, so tonight I'm gonna prove her how mature I really am." The magician puffs out her chest.
"You don't like being called cute?" Harukawa questions.
"I didn't mind it at first, but then she started to treat me like a small animal. Like I'm some doll to be cooed at." Yumeno explains, her cheeks gradually becoming redder and redder. "I... I want to show her I'm more than that. That there's other things about me that I want her to like."
Once she finished explaining, Yumeno pulls on her hat again to cover her face. Even if her face is hidden, her pink ears and trembling hands give her away. Harukawa can only sigh.
"You understand, right? You have someone you like, don't you Harukawa-san?" Yumeno asks behind her hat.
A certain idiotic astronaut pops into Harukawa's head.
"Maybe." She stutters.
"Then you understand how important my quest is." The magician readjusted her hat and sits down again. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have magic elixirs to consume."
She takes another bottle of milk and brings it to her lips. But before she could even taste a drop, Harukawa swiftly snatches it away. The disapproving scowl on her face stops Yumeno from trying to take it back.
"What part of 'You're only going to get a huge stomachache' do you not understand?" Harukawa sighs.
Yumeno opens her mouth to protest, but the sick, gurgling sound the magician's stomach made says otherwise.
So instead she pouts. "You got a better idea?"
Harukawa puts down the bottle of milk before answering her question.
"I don't know if it's better, but I do have another idea. One that probably won't make you sick."
"Aaaaaaaahhh!! I can't believe you guys also want to wear yukata!!! You guys are going to look amazing, trust me!!"
Shirogane's cosplay lab has temporarily turned into a changing room for tonight's party. Multiple patterns of fabric lay on the floor for people to pick and choose from. Along with an overly eager Shirogane, Tojo was there to assist them. Apparently, her catering work was finished in advance, and she had ample free time on her hands.
"Nyyeehhh, why is it so cold in here? It's like someone casted a tier 3 blizzard spell in here." Yumeno whines.
"That's because the A/C is on full blast right now! You get really hot and sweaty putting on yukata, so cold temperatures are a must!" Shirogane explains.
Harukawa is already kneeling down and looking at all the assorted patterns. "Are we the only ones that came by today?"
"Nope!" Shirogane shakes her head. "Akamatsu-san and Iruma-san came by earlier with K1-B0-kun. They looked so good, I was almost jealous. K1-B0-kun looked kinda awkward to be honest, but he was really happy being able to wear Japanese clothing, so it balances out!"
"I see..." She starts to tune her out.
"Let's see, Shinguji-kun came by as well, so did Hoshi-kun and Gonta... Ooh!" The cosplayer suddenly clapped her hands. "That's right! Momota-kun was here just before you guys came!"
"W-What?!" Harukawa's attention was immediately grasped.
"Yup! He looked really good wearing it." Shirogane gives a sly wink.
"Hmph, good for him then." She mumbles.
"Harukawa-san, is the cold air by chance making you ill? Your face seems to be getting red." Tojo notes.
"Shut up." Harukawa promptly says.
"Hey, did Chabashira-san show up, too?" Yumeno asks the cosplayer and maid.
Shirogane tilts her head in thought. "Hmmm, she did pop in, but in the end she didn't pick a yukata to wear."
"Really?" The magician was surprised. "Why?"
"If memory serves right, she said wearing yukata doesn't suit her. She also said something along the lines of how 'She's not pretty enough to wear something as beautiful as yukata', I think." Tojo answers.
"What?! But that's not true at all!!" Yumeno yells.
"I know, right? I even picked out the perfect pattern for her and she refused! I swear, tomboy types like her can be so finicky with this kind of stuff." Shirogane sighs.
"No, that's not what I mean!" Yumeno let's out an annoyed grunt. "She's more than pretty enough! She's way more prettier than I can ever be..."
Suddenly all the energy (which she had extremely little of in the first place) that burst out from Yumeno fizzles out. She droops her head down and her shoulders sag. Harukawa places her hand on her shoulder. The magician glances over her with small tears starting to pool in her eyes, and Harukawa gives her a knowing nod.
"Shirogane-san, we need help picking out yukata. Do you have anything that'll make us look more mature?" Harukawa asks.
A gleam shines over on the cosplayers glasses. "Mature, huh? How adventurous! Someone's trying to make the most of tonight!"
Both Yumeno and Harukawa give her a dead glare.
Shirogane flinches a bit. She picks out two patterns, the black with red peonies for Harukawa, and the light pink with lilies for Yumeno. "...These should look good on you. By the way, there's a shower right by the corner. You'll need to use it before you try your yukatas on."
The two girls promptly get up and walk to the shower room.
Thirty minutes later, the girls begin to put on their yukata. Unfortunately, they've run into some unexpected difficulties.
"Well... this is... hmmm." Was all Shirogane can say.
"Indeed." Tojo adds.
It seems they've underestimated just how tiny and petite Yumeno's body was.
The foldover is way too long, making the elegant lily pattern vanish. The sleeves droop over and completely cover Yumeno's fingertips. Its an overall mess. She doesn't look mature at all. In fact, she looks like a child trying on her mother's clothing in an attempt to look mature.
"This... This is just a setback. Here, let's try a smaller pattern!" Shirogane whips out a different pattern.
But they still ran into the same problem. And again with the other pattern. And again with the other one.
Shirogane's trembling hands curl into a fist.
"I won't lose... I won't lose to this!! I swear on my title as the Ultimate Cosplayer!!" She roars out. "Tojo-san! It's time for my last resort!! Bring me the extra pattern in the back!!"
Tojo nods and slips out to the back.
"Hey, Shirogane-san? What's with these towels?" Harukawa points to the basket of towels by the side.
Shirogane adjusts her glasses as she looks at the basket Harukawa is pointing at. "Oh, those? You use those to wrap around your waist to make yourself look flatter, so your chest won't hang over the obi. But since neither of you have any curves, they're not needed at all!"
Yumeno and Harukawa give her an ice cold glare.
"D-Don't give me that look!! I'd kill for a petite body type, you know?! Every time I have to cosplay a character with a flat chest, I have to bind and it's a huge pain! Not to mention you don't have to deal with back pain as well! Ever thought about that?!" She stutters out an excuse.
Their glare didn't let up at all. Luckily, Tojo finally came back with the spare pattern from the back.
"Here you go." She gives the pattern to Yumeno.
"Thank you Tojo-san, you're my lifesaver." The cosplayer moans as she's free from the ice cold glares. Now that both of them have proper patterns to wear, they start to change.
Another thirty minutes pass, and both the girls finally put on their yukata.
"I don't look... weird, do I?" Harukawa asks shyly.
The red peony pattern complimented her scarlet eyes. Her ankle length hair was put up in a tight bun, accompanied by a red flower pin. The light makeup accentuated her blush and lips. It was something Harukawa never wore before, so she's rather anxious about how she looks.
"Not at all!! You look amazing!" Shirogane cried. "Oh, if only we had time for a photo shoot!"
Tojo nods in agreement. "It suits you quite well. You look very elegant."
Harukawa fidgets her sleeves since her pigtails aren't there to detangle at the moment. The compliments were reassuring, but the doubt still remains. Maybe because she's still needs to hear a certain someone's opinion.
"Pardon me for changing the subject, but what shall we do with... her?" Tojo gestures to the other yukata wearing girl sulking in the corner.
The bright, floppy tie dye sash contrasts with the dark gloom Yumeno wore on her face. The peppy goldfish pattern couldn't brighten the mood at all. It was a perfect fit for Yumeno. It also looks very childish.
"I don't understand why she's so upset. It fits her perfectly and compliments her features quite nicely." Tojo offhandedly comments.
"Tojo-san, that's kind of the problem." Shirogane replies back.
Harukawa walks towards the sulking magician. She kneels down and takes off the flower pin in her hair, making sure not to disturb the tight bun. She gives Yumeno's shoulder a light tap to get her attention.
"I think you need this more than I do." She offers.
Carefully, she inserts the pin into her bangs, showing off the forehead more. Harukawa picks up the mirror lying by Yumeno's feet and positions it in front of her face.
"It might not help that much, but it's better than nothing." Harukawa says.
A glimmer returns inside Yumeno's eyes.
"...Thanks." She mumbles.
Harukawa stands up, and pulls Yumeno up as well. Meanwhile, Tojo looks up at the monitor for the time.
She gasps. "Oh my, 7:30 already?"
"What?! The fireworks are gonna go off in a half hour!! I didn't even get a chance to change!!" Shirogane laments.
"I suggest you change now if you want to catch it then. Do want me to help?" Tojo offers.
"N-No, it's fine!! I'll catch up with you guys, so go ahead!" Shirogane rushes through. "Don't forget the geta!! Tojo-san will show you where to find them!"
Harukawa and Yumeno stare at how quickly Shirogane quickly grabs her patterns and runs before Tojo grabs their attention and leads the way.
"H-Harukawa-san, can you please slow down? I don't have enough MP left to cast haste on myself, let alone use a teleport spell."
Harukawa once again stops walking for Yumeno to catch up. Walking in geta is difficult enough, but trying to run in geta towards the courtyard is even more of a pain. Harukawa almost trips on herself multiple times, and Yumeno fell flat on her face twice already.
Strike that, three times.
An exasperated sigh escapes from Harukawa's lips as she shuffles back to Yumeno, who's lying face first on the ground. She knelt down and shakes the tiny magician's shoulder.
"...Yumeno-san." She calls.
"...Nnnnnnnnyyyeeeehhhhhhh..." Was her response.
"Yumeno-san." She shakes her shoulder harder.
"...Go on without me. This is already a huge disaster." Yumeno mutters with her face still planted on the ground.
"Hey-"
"Just go ahead, ok?! Everything's ruined!!" Yumeno faces up, revealing a faint bump on her forehead. "I look like a child, my feet hurt, my face hurts, and I can't make Chabashira-san see me as anything other than a cute animal to coo at no matter what I do!!"
The last few words were mangled by the choking sobs creeping into her voice. She slams her head back on the ground again. "I should've stuck with my magic elixir plan. At least if i got a tummy ache I would've had an excuse not to go."
Harukawa doesn't say anything, and only let her sob on the ground. After a good 30 seconds or so, after Yumeno's sobs quiet down, she starts to talk.
"...Do you see yourself as a small animal?" She asks her.
Yumeno stays quiet for a moment, and then answers. "...No."
"Well, what do you see yourself as?" She continues.
Yumeno says nothing.
"Because if you don't know what you see yourself as, how will Chabashira-san know?" She asks.
Yumeno still doesn't say anything, but slowly raises her face off the ground. Harukawa brushes off the dirt off her face, wipes away the tears, and readjusted the pin on her bangs to hide the bump on her forehead.
"I don't really care about what's the deal with you two, but can you really blame her if you don't know how you see yourself either?" She finishes.
Harukawa gets up and stretches out her hand. Yumeno grabs it and awkwardly pulls herself up. She brushes off the stray dirt off her yukata.
"...I guess I'll give it a shot." She mumbles.
They continue to walk.
Finally, they meet up with the main organizers: Akamatsu, Iruma, K1-B0 and Chabashira who is tagging along. All of them except for Chabashira were wearing a yukata, even K1-B0. Shirogane was right though, Harukawa thought, he really does look weird in it, but at the same time he looks ecstatic.
Yumeno freezes and hides behind Harukawa's back.
"I-I need a moment." Her voice shakes.
Harukawa rolls her eyes as she walks forward with Yumeno awkwardly shuffling behind her. Akamatsu immediately takes notice of them.
"Wow, is that you, Harukawa-san?! I didn't think you'd come!" Akamatsu beams.
"Shit, who would've thought bitchtits would actually show herself." Iruma notes.
"Iruma-san, don't be rude!" K1-B0 berates her. "Though it is true that I didn't consider the possibility of her coming, either."
"Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are." Harukawa says.
"Still, you look beautiful! That yukata looks great on you!" Chabashira smiles.
"Its a fucking pain to wear one though. All these towels make me feel like I'm in a fucking sauna." Iruma interjects.
"And walking around in geta isn't really that fun, but that's the price you pay for beauty I guess." Akamatsu whimsically sighs.
"Beauty, my right tit! Who gives a fuck about that when I get finally use that sickass fireworks cannon I made?! It's gonna ejaculate allllll over the night sky!! Hyaahaahaaa!!" The inventor howls.
K1-B0 coughs a little. "Phrasing, Iruma-san. Please work on your phrasing."
"Anyways," Harukawa was already starting to get irritated with this conversation. "Why aren't you wearing a yukata, Chababishara-san? I thought you'd like wearing this sort of stuff."
Chabashira was startled by such a question being thrown at her face. “T-T-Tenko just doesn’t like clothing that restricts movement, that’s all!!”
“Really? That’s a shame. I think you’d look great in one.” Akamatsu compliments her.
“N-No, that’s not true!” Chabashira blushes heavily from the compliment. But then her voice gets quieter as she continues. “Besides... Tenko’s not pretty enough stuff like this. Tenko’s eyebrows are too big, and Tenko’s face scrunches up in a really ugly way when sneezing. Someone like that can’t wear as something as beautiful as yukata.”
“No, that’s wrong!!” Yumeno yells behind Harukawa’s back.
Chabashira was startled by the sudden yell.
“Yumeno-san?!!” She wildly looks around the area.
Yumeno shyly waddles out behind Harukawa’s back, her eyes planted on the ground. She’s holding onto Harukawa’s sleeve for support.
“You...You’re definitely beautiful enough to wear yukata, beautiful enough to wear anything you want.” She mumbles.
“Yumeno-san…” Chabashira’s face starts to get red.
“So… So don’t stay stuff like that anymore, ok? Becuase it’s not true at all.” Yumeno barely finishes sentence as her face got hotter and hotter by the word.
They both stare at each other, their faces competing on who will blush the hardest.
“...Ok.” Chabashira finally says. “By the way, Yumeno-san. Your yukata, it’s…”
“It makes me look like a doll, doesn’t it?” Yumeno woefully finishes.
Chabashira wildly shakes her head.“No, not at all!! You look amazing… beautiful, even!!”
Yumeno covers her face with her hands, forgetting she doesn’t have her hat with her. “T-Thanks…”
Everyone surrounding them smiles. Even Harukawa lets out a small smile, happy that she’s seeing Yumeno finally letting out the emotions that’s been gnawing her all day.
But that all gets ruined after Iruma lets out a blood curdling shriek.
“SHIT!! The show’s about to start and I haven’t prepped the cannon yet! I can’t have it be limp before the main event!!” She screams and runs towards the cannon.
“I-Iruma-san, please wait!!” K1-B0 follows her.
“U-Uh, Yumeno-san!” Chabashira extends her sweaty hand towards the small girl. “H-H-Here, let me help. It’s difficult walking around in geta.”
Yumeno shakily grabs her hand with her equally sweaty one. “T-Thanks.”
They both run along, leaving Akamatsu and Harukawa by themselves. Akamatsu giggles at their awkward situation, and Harukawa sighs as she tends to the headache she got from all that noise. Thanks to her finely tuned ears, the pianist notices a pair of footsteps faintly coming their way.
“Oh, Saihara-kun! You made it right on time.” Akamatsu notices the detectives coming in.
Harukawa turns to see Saihara walk towards them. He was wearing his regular uniform but without the jacket, his hand nervously behind the back of his head. He greets them both.
“Aww, you’re just wearing your clothes today.” The pianist pouts.
“S-Sorry, it was too late for me to change. Plus, I’m more comfortable like this anyway.” He explains.
“Hmph, fine. I’ll forgive you just this once.” Akamatsu teases. “By the way, where’s Momota-kun?”
Harukawa immediately tenses up.
“Oh, he’s right behind me. Just give him a second.” He jerks his thumb behind him.
Harukawa quickly turns the other way. She’s not ready. She’s not ready to see him in a yukata, or ready for him to see her in one. Her body feels stiff, trying not to look.
But at the same time she wants to. She wants him to see her in a yukata. She wants him to see her after she picked out a pattern, fumbled as Tojo and Shirogane helped her put it on, put on makeup and put her hair up, and wore geta that blisters her feet. She wanted him to-
“Yo, wait up you guys!!”
She turns around.
The purple yukata with star patterns looked good on him. No, not just good, it was perfect. His chest that only peeked out of his regular t-shirt was more exposed, already making Harukawa starting to blush. And most of all, his bright, flashy grin was clear to see even in the night. It was like that yukata was made perfectly for him to wear.
Harukawa’s trying as hard as possible to make sure no one sees how hard she’s blushing. Unfortunately, Akamatsu already seen it clear as day, and makes a mischievous smirk.
“Hey, Saihara-kun, let’s go ahead already. Maybe Iruma-san needs our help.” She suggests.
“What? But, what about Momo-”
“Harukawa-san can meet up with him! C’mon, lets go!” She impatiently drags him over to the courtyard.
“I- Wha-”
And then Harukawa was left alone.
If she wasn’t paralyzed right now, she’d run after Akamatsu in full speed. But that isn’t the case. She can only turn around and stand by as she heard Momota’s footsteps get louder and louder, until he was right next to her.
“Oi, ‘the hell did everyone go?! I told them to fucking wait, didn’t I?!” He groans.
He looks ahead where everyone else was slowly gathering, not noticing the incredibly stiff Harukawa until she accidentally lets out a whimper.
“...Huh? Harumaki, is that you?” He asks.
She jumps a bit. Slowly, she turns around to face him, but her eyes were glued to the floor. He was way too close. Close enough to feel him stare at her. There’s an agonizing silence between them. Why is he so quiet? Why isn’t he saying anything? Why isn’t he-
“...Wow.”
She looks up.
There was a light blush creeping on his cheeks.
"Harumaki... you look gorgeous."
Harukawa couldn't hear the fireworks go off, because her heartbeat was deafening.
The two of them were illuminated under the fireworks, both unable to move. They could only stare each other, both their faces slowly heating up.
"Crap! It’s already starting!” He suddenly yells.” A-Anyways, 'the hell are we doing over here? We can get an even better view over there! C'mon, let's go!" He motions for her to follow him.
Momota takes a step forward, but suddenly something tugs at his sleeve. He stumbles a bit, and looks back to see Harukawa's hand gripping on his sleeve. Her head is facing down towards the ground, poorly hiding her pink cheeks.
"...It's difficult walking around in geta. I don't think I can make it on my own." She mumbles.
Momota says nothing. He slowly grabs her hand and entwined it with his own.
"...Got it." He says, unaware of his own face heating up.
They make their way to the courtyard with everyone else.