17. Doppelgänger Romance

We then walked through the festival's main entrance.

Quietly, and slowly but surely. Reaching the first base.

Fireworks then sparked joyfully, ignoring the massive crowd that was silent.

There were kids, adults, or even parents who wanted to enjoy themselves.

Those kids were eating dango, playing with fishes, or some kind of hide-and-seek game with others.

Those adults, meanwhile, were just sitting and talking, sometimes making fun of others.

Such a huge contrast then had drawn me into some sort of fascination, or rather an intrigue.

Because, deep down... I never really thought it would be this fun.

"Was this your first time, Akira-kun?"

How could I even answer that question?

Regardless of whether it was or not, it hardly mattered.

"You could say that." I replied, calmly.

"Or at least, I would count it as my first."

A short breath caught into me in the end.

Hearing that, she blushed, then proceeded to reach for my hand.

The one I later was holding onto, not wanting to let go.

"I see. Anyway..."

"Your first... how was it?"

This epic romcom scene in manga had been done quite frankly.

In fact, it was too perfect. And I would never want to forget this.

Ever.

"Heh, Akira? What are you daydreaming about, even?"

"Something pervy? Hmph~ I was asking you a question, you know."

That annoying saliva just caught in my throat, and I could barely swallow it.

"Eh? I mean... yeah, go ahead."

She pouted now. And dare I say it, it was the cutest Rin had ever been.

"Idiot. I was asking you about your first time."

Wait... First time? What kind of first time? Could that be...

My mind just went somewhere too far. Something negative.

Something disturbing. The one that made me want to puke.

Or else, run away from these intrusive thoughts.

Wait, Akira! You shouldn't think something like that!

Get yourself together and hold onto it!

"Ah, I mean— awww!"

She pinched my cheek like it was rubber.

"I knew it. How unpleasant. Dirty. Impolite."

Combining those words at once actually means the same thing, by the way...

She sighed in disbelief.

"Ah~ You are such a hopeless virgin, Akira-kun."

Again, could you stop combining both insults? You made it sound even worse!

"Maybe stop saying those lines as if you are some kind of romcom heroine."

I said those cringe lines while raising my glasses.

"Heh, you think so? Do I sound like a romcom heroine to you~?"

Rin replied even better, as if picking up that reference immediately.

No, she knew.

"Maybe. The possibility of that is less than ten percent. Let's say, according to statistics."

I replied almost immediately, not wanting to lose my face against her.

She sighed again, and it got even much heavier this time.

Seriously, do you see me as a total disappointment for humanity or what?

"Huft, how boring," she replied and looked away, staring into the crowd.

But then, something quite shocking was coming.

"So..."

"According to statistics I found in some random articles on an unknown website, while the chances of dating a romcom heroine are less than ten percent by probability, it is not impossible to meet one in real life."

Okay, quit it.

"Specifically, the 'It Girl' in romance itself, which embodies the prototype of a romcom heroine as some kind of trademark. Legitimately, they exist, but it is statistically much lower."

"However..."

No, seriously. Don't continue!

"Based on dating marketing dynamics in real life, it only falls under five percent, or could be even less, and more so, they are likely to be friend-zoned instead, with the probability of more or less a whopping thirty-five percent."

I wanna go home now. Can someone take me right away from this embarrassment?

No, the most annoying part here was that she raised her finger, then pretended to fix her invisible glasses. And as if it wasn’t obvious enough to you, she even mimicked my deadpan face!

As if she were some kind of narrator from a famous show about love as a war.

Yeah, the one with those, you know... let’s say, some genius characters or something.

No need to go further than that, or I’d be in serious trouble, okay?

"Is that where you get it from, Akira-kun?"

"No, false." I replied dismissively.

"It actually was a legitimate research on its own, backed by scientific proof."

"And the proof being?" She pushed my buttons.

"You."

"Hanase Rin."

That answer was... to say the least, sharper than any blade—at least for her.

All of a sudden, she was flustered, which later carried over into her so-called pouty remark.

"Hmph... that's way too anecdotal and shouldn't be validated in terms of research, no?"

"I couldn't care less."

"My feelings for you are more than valid—enough to prove it."

Hearing that answer, she was fidgeting with her hair.

Then, slowly but surely, she got closer to me.

Less than five centimeters apart as of now.

The proximity zone theory...

"You really are such an idiot, Akira-kun."

"Yeah, maybe." I smirked.

"Heh, you didn't even try denying it anymore~"

"That's so unfair..."

I ignored her while walking.

I was looking for a safe spot.

"What are you looking for? Ignoring me like this..."

Ah, there it is.

I found a hill along with its stairs.

"Let's go there, Rin."

She froze, not knowing how to react.

As if something was off. Or else, it was too unexpected for her.

But then, she narrowed her eyes.

"Heh~ What is it, Akira-kun?"

"Do you want to do something pervy so badly?"

I never reacted to her joke.

Why? Because...

I had made up my mind—my own resolve. I was entirely sure of it.

Hanase Rin in front of me is the only one I truly love. And I would never let her go.

Instead, I would let her remember this precious memory, stolen away by me.

For her. The one and only for me, regardless of whether I suck at poetry or not.

By the time we reached the top of the hill, I looked around.

"Akira, what are you—"

My index finger pressed against her lips, not wanting to hear any excuse.

She was silenced, and nodded as a sign of agreement.

Temperature, humidity, noise—

Everything was fine, perfectly set up for this very moment.

The very moment she would never forget.

Then, the fireworks went off.

It was the perfect moment as I leaned into her lips.

Her face reddened at first, but then she closed her eyes.

After that... 

Our lips met. 

A membrane contact that would have seemed cringe now felt romantic, and pure.

Quite a soft impact there, with a slight lean and a lowering of my neck.

The kiss then lasted for a few seconds...

Under the most perfect conditions according to reliable statistical data.

Ergo, it definitely was the one she would never forget.

Forever.