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Ena dragged Mafuyu down the street to the park. It was difficult with the way their kimonos were tight around her body. But she did it. “Come on, Mafuyu!” Ena said, “the fireworks are starting soon!”
“Yes, I know,” Mafuyu said, letting herself be dragged by Ena’s hand. Her hand was warm and comforting. Mafuyu gripped her hand tighter, wanting to feel more warmth. But, she felt nothing in her heart, only warmth, not love. They turned a corner and finally, they were at the entrance to the park. Luckily they came there late so they didn’t have to pay for entry.
“We’re here! We’re here!” Ena squealed, pulling on Mafuyu’s sleeve. “The sky is so pretty, Mafuyu!”
Mafuyu looked at the sky and frowned. “I guess so.”
Ena looked at the girl and smiled. She let out a tiny giggle and continued to drag the older girl over to where the crowd was but a little far back. The brunette smiled big as she watched a group of people ready to set off the fireworks. “Ena,” she turned at the sound of her name. “Why did you bring me? Why couldn’t you bring Mizuki? Or Kanade? Or Momoi-san?”
Ena’s eyes widened, but she quickly shook her head and smiled. “I wanted to. You need to get out of the house more besides going to school and the family diner,” she said, eyes sparkling. “And I thought we could hang out, just us, without Mizuki or Kanade. Y’know?”
Mafuyu hummed and looked at where Ena was looking. She didn’t feel like talking, so she just watched. A few minutes later, the first round of fireworks appeared in the sky. “Oh, oh! Look, Mafuyu!” Ena shook Mafuyu and she looked. She had to admit, it was pretty. Her heart fluttered at how pretty it was. She felt—happy for once. She was content here, with Ena, watching the fireworks.
It would’ve been better with Kanade but…
“What?”
Shit, did she say that out loud?
She turned to look at Ena and her eyes were blown. “What did you say?”
In the background, the cheers of people and the sound of fireworks filled the air. But, all Ena could focus on was the taller girl in front of her, so probably just said that she would rather be with another girl than her.
“Ah,” Mafuyu muttered, breaking eye contact. “Nothing. Look at the fireworks.”
It took a few seconds before Ena did, looking up at the sky with a sour expression. Yes, the fireworks were beautiful, but she couldn’t get what her companion said out of her head. It would’ve been better with Kanade. Does that mean Mafuyu wanted to be with Kanade instead of her? So, does that mean that Mafuyu doesn’t like Ena like that ?
Ena’s heart started swelling. But, she was happy. Happy that she didn’t embarrass herself by confessing her feelings just to get rejected, and finding out that Mafuyu and Kanade started dating. Happy that she got closure. Happy that the older girl is finding love that isn’t her. Mafuyu deserves better anyway, and Kanade was better than Ena in every way.
Basically what she’s saying is that;
She was willing to let Mafuyu go, even if it hurts her own feelings.
“Hey, Mafuyu,” she started. She wanted her to know that she was letting her go. The girl turned to look at the brunette. Ena smiled. “The fireworks are beautiful, aren't they?
The lyricist's eyes widened. She felt immensely bad that she couldn’t reciprocate Ena’s feelings. She wanted to lie—telling the girl that she did love her—but Kanade told her not to lie, to always tell the truth and what her heart truly desires. And her heart wanted Kanade, not Ena. Hah, since when did she care about the girl’s feelings?
“…yeah,” she said after a minute of silence. She looked back up at the sky. “They are pretty.”
Ena gave a lopsided smile, her eyes welling up. She closed her eyes and tears threatened to fall out from the corner of her eyes. “Mhm,” she said, her voice breaking.
Mafuyu looked down, a hand clutching her chest where her heart was.
I like Kanade, not her, but why is my heart aching?