Chapter 14:

Fireworks and Other Warm Things

My First Love Tastes Like Glitter



Even though Hajime had finally gotten back from her training camp, her physical state wasn’t too keen on letting us see each other straight away: she needed some rest after her athletic advancements. Thus, our date plans had remained on the top shelf, gathering dust for an extra while longer.


I had offered to come and visit her at her place, either as Mikarin or plainly as myself, but she had refused. She claimed it was because both of her parents were on vacation and she didn’t want me to feel uncomfortable with them around. It was an acceptable reason: my nosy parents would lose their minds if I ever brought a girl over. That is precisely why they didn’t know about our little arrangement in the first place – it would’ve been awkward for all of the heads involved.


But right now, we were on our first date after a couple weeks of drought: Hajime had gotten past her soreness just in time to accompany me to the local summer festival.


Although, because of what Hana had said to me last week, I couldn’t wholeheartedly make the best out of it.


I was now paying considerable attention to even the tiniest of Hajime’s mannerisms. I considered myself to be pretty observant compared to the average person but I could detect nothing deviant of the usual: she was playing the role of my girlfriend perfectly, like always.


Just like always, she looked absolutely gorgeous in her modestly lilac yukata, squatting next to the goldfish pool with a fragile paper scooper placed between her fingers.


“Aww, it broke... I didn’t get a single one! It’s harder than it looks”, she mourned.


“Looks like there’s something that’s even beyond your expertise. Do you want me to give it a try?” I offered.


“No, it’s okay. I wouldn’t have been able to keep one anyways, I just wanted to try it for fun”, she said.


She got up, both from the ground and over her disappointment, quickly.


“Are you hungry, producer? Should we look for something to eat?” she suggested.


I was able to agree to her suggestion. It was most likely due to having gotten used to both going out and doing it with specifically Hajime that I no longer felt nauseous before our dates.


While we were strolling among the colorful stalls of varying expertise, trying to scout out the place most relevant regarding our cravings, she was thinking back on her youth. In character, of course.


“This festival reminds me of my hometown. We had nothing as big as this back in Hokkaido but summer festivals were always a way for us villagers to catch up and bond with each other after a long, frosty winter of being hurdled up in the warmth of our homes.”


“Summer festivals seem to hold a lot of nostalgia value for most people. Personally, it’s my first time visiting one. Barely made it before eighteen”, I chuckled awkwardly.


“Oh, that’s right, producer’s birthday is at the end of August! Do you have anything in mind for the big day?” she quizzed.


“Are you trying to interrogate me for gift ideas?” I questioned.


Her answer was a giggly maybe.


“You don’t need to get me anything. Just being able to spend time with you is plenty of a present. The best one I could wish for”, I smiled.


It was almost a reflexive answer – I told Neri-nee cheesy things like that all the time when I was talking to her in-game 3D model. Though, at that point, I bet even she would’ve smacked my guts out for being cringe. But of course, Hajime’s interpretation of her differed from mine occasionally.


“W-wow, what a smooth operator!” she noted.


She was, or at least pretended to be, flustered over my overwhelmingly affectionate remarks more often than not but I had never seen such a look on her face – it was the first difference I noticed during the evening. A red hue was dyeing her ears, cheeks and nose as she dropped back by a couple steps to walk behind me.


However, I started to feel uneasy the instant Hajime was out of my sight: I hadn't internalized just how many strangers we were surrounded by until I had nothing else to focus on. I skittishly reached out my hand and prayed that she would take the hint.


Hajime wasn’t the one to miss on social cues: even though she was completely flushed herself, she gently took my hand with no hesitation. If there was one thing in the world that stayed ever the same, it was the calming, cool sensation of her fingertips – a pleasant asset for a humid summer sundown like this one.


With our hands still intertwined, we eventually decided to stop by a takoyaki stall and ordered two servings. In the process of waiting for our food, Hajime let go of my hand to check something on her phone. With an anguished look, she immediately put her mobile back down and began to stare at me.


“Uh, what happened?” I asked.


“The fireworks are starting in five minutes! Time passed by way too quickly with you!” she sighed loudly.


I didn’t know whether to be mad at or amused by such an exaggerated reaction for such a minor inconvenience; I settled for the latter and responded her concern with a slight cackle. If it were me, I could only make a face as terrified as hers was if the company behind Kira-Kira Party went bankrupt and discontinued the game or something.


“It’s pretty hard to miss something so spacious. All you need is a working pair of eyes and a neck that tilts a little”, I joked.


As soon as we had gotten our food, we started chowing it down while desperately looking for a place with a decent scene. Unfortunately, no unicorns, leprechauns or fairies were on our side that night.


Whether it was the aftermath of eating too fast or the amount of human interaction I could tolerate, once again, hitting its limit in the midst of the crowded streets, I was feeling a little dizzy. I was able to stand, I had never gotten strung-out to the extent of fainting, but my view of the sky was pretty atrocious: I couldn’t even imagine how poor Hajime’s view must have been.


“Are you having trouble seeing the display? I know I’m probably not much help when it comes to height, but I could lift you up on my shoulders!” I offered, shouting over the sounds of exploding gunpowder.


“No, I’m fine! You’re underestimating the power of my geta”, she blurted.


That was definitely an odd, maybe even unexpected response, given how much she had been looking forward to the fireworks. Besides, that harsh denial was coming from the mouth of Hajime “My Love Language is Physical Touch” Aiko. But obviously, we did swear to respect each other’s boundaries and as long as it was under my control, I wasn’t about to do anything that upset her.


From the little that I could see of them, the fireworks were beautiful for sure. But I wasn’t really watching them. Not only because I could hardly make anything out of the display – my eyes were occupied with something else. Or rather, someone.


I was entranced by the profile of the girl standing next to me. When I was looking at her slender neck bent to its limit, and at her long eyelashes shielding a gloomily glistering gaze, I had suddenly become aware of the rhythm of my heart. With its every beat denser than the former, the flow of my blood began to accelerate its pace, conquering all my senses.


Was it Neri-nee or Hajime herself at fault? For the first time, I wasn’t actually sure. It was terrifying.


The fireworks were the conclusion of the main event but they were also what marked Hajime’s curfew: her parents had promised to come pick her up precisely then and according to the second-hand information I had received from her, they were the kind of people that shouldn’t be kept waiting.


As I was escorting her, she stopped at the crosswalk opposite of the parking lot. The lights were green but since she wasn’t going anywhere, neither was I.


“Here’s plenty fine. My parents think I’m with Hana-chan and Kotori-chan... Speaking of them, I have something for you. A curry delivery from Hana-chan! I can’t believe you met up with each other, I hope she didn’t tell you anything weird”, she blabbed as she placed the generously sized container in my hands.


As soon she had changed out of her role, I finally sensed it: something was wrong. Not only different, but wrong.


“Is something bothering you? Is it something that happened at the camp? Just tell me if it’s because you don’t want to be with me anymore. If you’re not up to this any longer, we can end it whenever.”


Though, those weren’t the words I wanted to say to her. I wanted to say that I would be there to listen if she needed it, but that she didn’t have to tell me if it was something that was none of my business. I wanted her to trust me, I wanted her to like me, I wanted her to assure she was still willing to be with me because right now, I wanted nothing more than to be with her. Communication was harder than it looked like.


And Hajime smiled. With her mouth, not her eyes.


“Come on Kujiran, where’s the sudden worry coming from? It was Hana-chan, wasn’t it? She’s just like that. I’m fine, trust me! Ending this is the last thing I’d want, I can tell you that much. I’m probably just a bit tired, you know. I had a good time tonight. See you!”


I always thought my words over and over before I disclosed them. Yet the one time that mentality could’ve been of use, I let my nerves get the worst of me.