After Asakura took the doll—the one he had been sitting on, which was clearly not quite right—and presented it as evidence to report that shady stall owner to the fireworks festival organizers, Hitori's tolerance for crowds finally reached its absolute limit.
Had Asakura not noticed the girl's distress in time, she likely would have—in a most un-"beautiful maiden" fashion—started "rainbow-vomiting" right there and then.
"Are you okay, Hitori?"
In a small grove of trees just off the festival's main thoroughfare, Asakura gently stroked the girl's back as he asked Hitori, who was currently facing a large tree as if performing a penance against the wall.
"S-sorry..." Hitori straightened up and spoke timidly. "I guess... places with too many people... I'm still just a little bit..."
"It's fine," Asakura reassured her. "Even I occasionally stand atop high places and say things like, 'Heh-heh-heh... look at them, humans are just like trash!'"
The girl's face was practically screaming the thought: "No! By any standard, that looks completely different from my situation!"—but being too timid to voice it aloud, she could only make that retort silently in her head.
"Since you don't feel up to walking around anymore, Hitori..." Asakura pulled out his phone to check the time. "It's still a bit early, but why don't we just go find a spot with a good view and get ready to watch the fireworks?"
"I'm sorry..."
The girl looked a little crestfallen; she likely felt that she was becoming a burden to Asakura—someone who couldn't even manage to simply exist within a crowd.
Asakura sighed.
He reached out and gently cupped the girl's soft, petite face in his hands. As her lips were involuntarily pushed into a pout—giving her expression a somewhat comical look—he spoke to her with earnest sincerity: "There's no need for us to be this formal with each other—we are boyfriend and girlfriend, after all. In fact, I've heard quite enough of your apologies already."
"I'm sorr... Mmph?"
The girl instinctively tried to apologize again, but Asakura gave her cheeks a firm squeeze, cutting her off mid-sentence and leaving her to emit only a strange, muffled sound.
"In that case, let's make a bet!" Asakura declared.
"...Mom... says I'm not allowed to gamble..." the girl whispered in response. "Let's... make... a... bet." Asakura, his fingers gently caressing the soft flesh of the girl's cheek—which he still held firmly in his grasp—spoke with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"...O-okay."
The girl caved.
"From this moment on, you are forbidden from apologizing to me. If you break this rule..." Asakura paused to think, then said with a beaming smile, "...you won't be going home tonight."
"Huh?" The girl blinked in bewilderment.
"And if you break it three times..."
"You're actually operating on the premise that I'm definitely going to break it?!"
"Is that a problem?" Asakura looked at her, still smiling sweetly.
"Ah, no..." Feeling the pressure from those "demonic claws" on her cheek seem to intensify ever so slightly, the girl meekly backed down. "By all means, please proceed... please..."
"Mm-hmm. If you break it three times..."
Only then did Asakura continue: "...then we'll announce our relationship to everyone in Kessoku Band."
"E-eh?! We... we have to announce it?!"
"And not just a simple announcement, it'll be a full-blown, self-destructive confession along the lines of, 'We've already gone all the way, we've even achieved Super Fusion!'"
"Noooo!" Hitori began to writhe and squirm like a helpless little grub.
The mere mental image of such a scene inflicted a critical, mortal blow to the girl's psyche.
"And if you break it five times or more..."
"There are additional rules?!"
"Well, it is Hitori we're talking about, after all."
"Ehehe... I feel so trusted..." The girl let out a goofy chuckle, but then a look of confusion crossed her face. "Huh? Wait a second... shouldn't this actually count as distrust? Which is it? Am I supposed to be happy about this?"
Watching the girl spiral into a state of utter bewilderment, Asakura simply said: "Just smile."
Does a lack of denial imply a lack of trust?
The girl's expression twitched; she wore a look that was far from a smile.
"If you break the rules five times or more..." Asakura continued.
"...I won't be able to just bluff my way out of it."
"Actually, the real question is why you thought you could bluff your way out of it," Asakura retorted, rolling his eyes at her with exasperation.
"Sorry..." Hitori apologized instinctively, but then her face went stark white. "...Oh."
"So impatient? So thirsty... Hitori?" Asakura remarked with a knowing smirk.
"No, no, no! That's not what I meant at all!" The girl shook her head frantically.
"Although I'm still feeling a bit weak, at this point—a hero can't back down from a fight! Let's do this!"
Asakura was practically radiating fighting spirit.
"Huh?! Right now? Right here?!"
"Of course not! The festival's main thoroughfare is right next to us—it's teeming with people. I'm not some pervert with an exhibitionist streak."
"Ugh... That look of utter disdain on your face really hurts, Kuma-kun..."
"If you break the rules five times or more..." Asakura continued once again. "Then, once summer vacation is over, I'll make a special trip to your school and announce to all your classmates that ownership of you has officially transferred to me!"
"A-baba-baba..."
At his words, the girl completely panicked; her facial features looked as if they were about to fly right off her face. "No way... That's... isn't that basically bullying?"
"I don't mind."
"Even if you say it with such a gentle smile, Kuma-kun..." Hitori looked on the verge of tears. "I certainly mind!"
"Is dating me really such a shameful thing in your eyes, Hitori?"
Asakura let go of the girl's face, took a step back, and asked her.
"Of course not! If anything, it's actually a bit of a waste for someone like you, Kuma-kun, to be dating someone like me."
"It's fine. I have other people I like, too."
"...It's actually kind of impressive that you can say something like that so openly, Kuma-kun."
Hitori muttered under her breath, feeling somewhat speechless.
But before she could even compose herself, Asakura had already taken her by the hand and began walking forward in silence. "Kuma-kun, are you angry?" Hitori asked, gazing somewhat anxiously at the boy's retreating figure.
"No. It's just that rather than staying here, it would be better to move somewhere with a clear view of the sky first."
Asakura replied, "After all, the fireworks festival is about to begin."
"Oh, I see... Right, it is the fireworks festival, after all."
Only then did Hitori feel her unease subside slightly; she obediently followed close behind him.
The two exchanged no words throughout the journey, yet the girl actually found herself enjoying this atmosphere—walking in lockstep behind him—even more.
In fact, for her, this felt far more pleasant: simply being able to sense the warmth radiating from his hands, to gaze upon the reassuring sight of his back, and to be spared the anxiety of wondering whether her words were eloquent enough—or if she might inadvertently displease him.
After passing through a small grove—where, every now and then, one could catch the sound of stifled, strange breathing and low moans (though neither Asakura nor Hitori showed any inclination to investigate)—Hitori's eyes lit up as she emerged into a wide-open space.
Before them lay a well-maintained lawn, already dotted with scattered picnic blankets—a clear sign that quite a crowd had gathered.
Along the edge of the lawn, near the footpath, a few scattered stalls could also be seen.
"This area is used by the shrine over there for various Shinto rituals," Asakura explained to her—information he had already taken the trouble to look up beforehand. "It also happens to offer the most expansive view in the vicinity, making it the absolute best spot for watching the fireworks."
"Oh, I see..." Hitori murmured softly.
She felt, for some inexplicable reason, a twinge of embarrassment at her own ignorance.
If only there were some way she could be of help to Kuma-kun.
"While using a picnic blanket would certainly be cleaner, the shrine staff do a pretty good job of maintaining this area; it's actually quite clean, so it's perfectly fine to just sit directly on the grass."
Asakura sat down, motioning for the young girl to join him.
Since there was still some time before the fireworks display began, Asakura struck up a casual, meandering conversation with Hitori.
"Huh? Is that so? Aside from your scheduled band rehearsals, you mean Ijichi and the others never actually asked you to hang out?"
As they discussed the situation with the Kessoku Band, Asakura couldn't help but sound a bit surprised.
He had previously assumed that the members of the Kessoku Band all got along quite well.
"...Well, they're all 'normies' with active social lives; naturally, they wouldn't have the time to bother with an outcast like me," Hitori said, flashing a hollow smile. "It's fine, though. I have my own things to do—like building graves for cicadas, for instance..."
"Now that is just too depressing!"
Asakura couldn't help but interject with a deadpan retort. "Why don't you do something a bit more productive instead—like uploading new guitarhero videos?"
"...Oh."
"Don't tell me you actually forgot that you still have videos you need to make?" Asakura's gaze suddenly sharpened.
"N-No, of course not! I remember it perfectly clearly... Um, it's just that I had other things to attend to, which is why I haven't uploaded anything yet..."
The girl's eyes darted nervously around.
Just then, a small child clutching a candied apple ran past them.
Startled, Hitori instinctively leaned closer toward Asakura.
Asakura was just about to seize the moment to pull her into a comforting embrace when he noticed that the girl's gaze was fixed squarely on the candied apple in the child's hand.
"Now, don't you go trying to snatch that away, Hitori," he admonished her with a feigned air of seriousness.
"Huh? Wait, what?! I would never do something that awful!" the girl protested immediately, shaking her head frantically.
"I'm just kidding."
Asakura turned to the girl and asked, "Hey, Hitori—have you never had a candied apple before? Aren't they pretty common?"
"...Well, I never really went to festivals or anything like that with my family back in the past," Hitori replied in a soft, quiet voice. "Then why do you have a yukata? Isn't this the kind of outfit you only wear when attending festivals or things like that?" Asakura asked curiously.
"W-well, this is what my family wears for Hatsumōde..." the girl replied. "It's only at that time—even if I don't want to go, I get dragged out anyway... But if you time it just right—specifically, if you head to the shrine for your first visit sometime between 2:30 and 3:00 AM—that's when there are the fewest people around. You don't even have to wait in line..."
"That's exactly what I'd expect from you," Asakura remarked admiringly.
He glanced around at their surroundings, then stood up. "Wait here for me for a moment."
Hitori: "Huh?"
Before the girl could even react, Asakura dashed over to a small stall at the edge of the lawn and bought a candy apple.
"Here."
With that, Asakura handed the candy apple to the girl.
"C-can I really?"
Hitori gazed at the candy apple with a hint of anticipation.
"Of course. Go ahead and take it."
"Thank you. In that case... I won't hold back."
The young girl accepted the candy apple; gazing at its glossy, vibrant red coating, she found herself drifting into a reverie.
Something she had often seen in anime—something she had long yearned for—had suddenly appeared right before her eyes. She wasn't sure whether to feel moved or simply filled with anticipation; all in all, her heart was a chaotic swirl of emotions. Yet, this feeling was by no means negative; rather, it was a bittersweet sensation—one that leaned decidedly toward the beautiful side of things.
However, this experience only served to intensify that inner urge she felt—the desire to do something, anything, for Asakura.
So, she adjusted her posture into a formal seiza kneel, then gently patted her thigh—swathed in the fabric of her yukata—and asked with a hint of shyness: "Um... if you don't mind, Kuma-kun... would you like to...?"
"I'll take you up on that." Asakura immediately lay back on the grass, resting his head upon the girl's soft, yielding thigh.
"That was fast!"
"By the way, Hitori... why did you want to offer me a lap pillow?"
"Y-You're actually asking after you've already lain down...? Though, I suppose that is very much Kuma-kun's style." The girl's ears flushed crimson; she was clearly quite flustered by the situation. She mumbled a soft aside to herself before finally answering: "Well... didn't you mention earlier that you were feeling a bit weak, Kuma-kun? So I thought... maybe lying down for a little while might make you feel a bit better..."
"...Yeah. That helps a lot."
Asakura felt a warmth spread through his heart.
Though, of course, he couldn't exactly tell the girl why he was feeling so weak.
"Would you like some, Kuma-kun? The candy apple?" the girl asked in a hushed tone.
"Not really craving it at the moment."
Asakura answered offhandedly, his eyes closed as he savored the sensation of the girl's lap. Perhaps due to a lack of physical exercise, Hitori's legs felt entirely devoid of muscle—soft and cushiony to rest upon. Combined with the faint scent wafting from her—a delicate blend of sweet milk and sandalwood—it created a sensation of absolute comfort.
"Have you had a candy apple before, Kuma-kun?"
Perhaps it was because Asakura's eyes were closed, robbing him of his usual sharp intensity; or perhaps it was simply because he was resting his head in her lap, appearing less imposing than usual. Whatever the reason, Hitori found that in this particular moment, she seemed able to converse with Asakura far more naturally than ever before. "No, I never really had any interest in festivals or anything like that before; I've never actually attended one."
Asakura replied.
After all, he hadn't been in this world for very long; prior to this, he had been constantly scrambling just to make ends meet, leaving him absolutely no room—or leisure—to pay attention to things like festivals.
As for candied apples and the like, he viewed them merely as a variation of tanghulu. Considering the sheer size of the apple versus the thin layer of sugar coating on the outside, he suspected they might not even be as enjoyable to eat as the candied strawberries wrapped in milk skin he used to enjoy back in his previous world—so, naturally, he didn't feel much appetite for them.
Yet, when Hitori heard this, the girl was taken aback for a moment—and, for some inexplicable reason, felt a faint flutter of secret delight in her heart.
Ah... so Kuma-kun is just like me, after all?
The girl glanced down at the candied apple in her hand, then looked over at Asakura, who was currently dozing on her lap, and wore an expression that suggested she had just steeled herself to make a monumental decision.
"Kuma-kun."
"Hmm?"
Asakura had barely registered the girl's soft call when—before he even had a chance to open his eyes—the crisp sound of a candied apple being bitten into rang out right beside his ear.
In that very instant, a pair of soft lips, carrying a faint, sweet scent, gently pressed against his own.
What followed immediately was a blend of the candy's sweetness, the apple's fresh fragrance, and the girl's warm breath—all flowing into his mouth through that kiss, slowly melting together like a tender, unspoken confession of love.
Asakura's eyes flew wide open in astonishment as he gazed at the girl, finding it almost impossible to believe that this was something the typically shy and timid Hitori would actually do.
And then, in the very next moment...
Accompanied by a sharp, whistling rush, a pillar of golden light and flame erupted from the direction of the shrine. Moments later, it burst silently across the night sky, scattering into a shower of shimmering sparks that drifted gently back down to earth.
The cascading radiance illuminated the crimson blush on the girl's face, making it glow even more vividly—a sight that felt, somehow, more genuine and more moving than any spoken words of love could ever be.