Episode 117: No Matter Who Is There

「Mayu-chan, thanks so much for today!」

「I got to see Yocchan and watch the fireworks, so it’s no problem at all.」

While packing up the tent, the mothers continued their friendly chatter. We were helping too, but I was so angry at my own pathetic behavior that I wasn’t even sure if I was managing a smile.

Before I knew it, the cleanup was over and the farewells were said.

「Thanks, everyone. Sara-chan, come back again sometime if you’d like.」

「Yes, thank you very much.」

「Well then, Yocchan, see you later!」

And with that, the fireworks festival was officially over.

「Now then, there’s somewhere I want to stop by before we head home.」

Mayumi-san suddenly said that just as the car started moving.

「It won’t take much time, so bear with me.」

The car began climbing a mountain road, and after a short drive, we came out to a spot that looked like a high plateau. She parked in the lot out front.

「Alright, everyone out.」

It seemed we’d arrived at Mayumi-san’s destination. It was a fairly wide lookout point, and even at this hour, there were a decent number of people around. Strangely, there were a lot of couples.

「Seems like there’re a lot of people who fit the vibe here.」

「Yeah, I noticed that too.」

Natsumi-senpai and Hayato didn’t say it directly, but they seemed to feel a bit out of place given all the couples.

「It’s beautiful…」

Sara-senpai’s voice rang out, full of wonder. Standing beside her, a night view stretched out from the plateau as far as the eye could see.

「…Incredible.」

「Yes, I’ve never seen a night view like this before…」

For a while, both Sara-senpai and I were entranced by the city lights sparkling before us. Before I knew it, Natsumi-senpai and Hayato had moved beside us, looking just as moved.

Did Mayumi-san want to show us this? What is this place, anyway?

「Fufu… do you know why I wanted to come here?」

Mayumi-san asked with a mischievous look on her face.

「No…」

「Okaa-san, there’s no way we’d know out of the blue. I’m happy we got to see a beautiful night view, but what is this place exactly?」

Maybe feeling like I was being teased, Sara-senpai spoke up firmly to Mayumi-san. But Mayumi-san kept that same playful expression.

「This place… is the spot where I have memories of being confessed to by that person.」

At Mayumi-san’s bombshell, all of us went silent.

「We came to see the fireworks together, and he told me there was somewhere he wanted to stop. Then we came here.」

As she told the story, Mayumi-san began walking while looking at the night view. We followed along naturally, and ahead of her, we saw a gate-like structure with a large bell.

「This place is called a Lover’s Sanctuary, and they say you’ll be happy if the two of you ring that bell together. I didn’t know that at the time, but it seems he’d looked it up before we even came to the fireworks…」

While saying that, she gently stroked the gate with the bell, looking quite nostalgic.

「It was so sudden, I was shocked. I was already surprised by the night view, so I hadn’t expected a confession out of nowhere.」

She began walking again while looking at the lights. None of us could say a word. Whether it was the atmosphere Mayumi-san created or the feeling of the place itself, I felt like I shouldn’t interrupt.

「So, that’s why this place is full of memories. Since I’m finally back after so long, I really wanted to stop by.」

「That’s a lovely story, Mayumi-san.」

「Yes, thank you for showing us such a wonderful place. Let me thank you too.」

Natsumi-senpai shared her thoughts, followed by Hayato giving his thanks.

I thought it was a truly wonderful story too. As for Sara-senpai…

When I looked at her, she was gazing at that bell. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking from her expression, but she was staring intently at it. Since it involved her parents, maybe she was having some deep thoughts…

But as I watched Sara-senpai, my heart was racing. There were people around us. Natsumi-senpai was there, Hayato was there, and Mayumi-san was there too.

But I’d shown her such a pathetic side at the fireworks. I’d even made Sara-senpai say she was waiting for me. Listening to Mayumi-san’s story, I felt like my own patheticness was being exposed even more.

I’m not trying to do anything embarrassing. No matter who hears me, I should be able to say it with pride. My surroundings don’t matter when it comes to telling Sara-senpai my feelings.

That’s right. I know she’s waiting, so why am I still making her wait!

「Sara-senpai! …No, Sara-san!!」

My loud voice rang out across the quiet plateau, sounding completely out of place.