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V5 Chapter 18: Springtime Warmth.JPG
🕑 Added 2025-06-16 09:25:59 +0000 UTCSince the celebration party was scheduled to start only after the Summer Fireworks Festival wrapped up, Kazami Haru used the time to message Chihaya Anon, planning to invite their "Creative Director" as a show of thanks.
The meeting spot? Right beneath a shrine gate sign near the festival grounds.
Maybe it was because of how striking Haru's performance had been as the keyboardist on stage, but he hadn't even stood there ten minutes before getting approached by multiple groups of girls in yukata, some his age and even a few older women, asking for his contact info.
For a country famous for its "shy and modest" cherry-blossom girls, their boldness when meeting a guy they liked was seriously on a whole other level.
Left with no other option, Haru bought and donned a Stone Mask, a terrifying & bizarre-looking mask that fully covered his face. Only then did the approach attempts dramatically decrease.
"What's taking so long?"
Standing under the sign for quite some time, Haru glanced at the time on his phone in frustration. When suddenly, he felt a hand tap his shoulder. He turned, half-annoyed, and started in a languid voice:
"You're seriously this late? I've been wai—"
But he never finished the sentence. His gaze locked onto a pair of sparkling, light-pink eyes—eyes with a hint of teasing glimmer in them.
A mature woman with short, pale purple hair stood in front of him, wearing a light gray, lacy, form-fitting dress. Her tall figure and subtle elegance exuded a mature charm. She smiled brightly at him.
Wait, who even are you, Auntie?
"Sorry, sorry~ Have you been waiting long, Kazami-kun?"
The woman, of course, was Yuutenji Nyamu, better known as "Nyamuchi ." With her signature "W" cat-mouth smile, the influencer had shown up at the crowded festival with just a cat-faced mask covering part of her face.
"What's with that shocked look?"
Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she looked him up and down.
Haru raised a brow, pausing for a moment before feigning confusion. "Sorry, and you are…?"
"…?"
Nyamu's smile froze instantly.
She had come with plans to mess with him a little, maybe tease him a bit. But this boy's poker face was beyond her expectations. Still, being the emotionally mature Nyamuchi she was, she didn't let it show, only letting out a playful, sulky tone:
"We only met recently! Wow… You're really pretending not to know me?"
What are you, an alien from Planet Babarue? I'm supposed to recognize you?
But what really puzzled Haru wasn't just running into Nyamuchi here, it was how she'd recognized him, even with the Stone Mask hiding his face.
Is black hair seriously a debuff in the 2D world?
"So, Yuutenji-san, did you come all this way just to say hi?"
"It's Nyamuchi-sama!"
She flashed a forced smile, clearly unamused. Glancing around casually, she tried to play it off.
"I was just strolling the festival and 'happened' to bump into you. So I thought I'd come say a totally normal hello~"
"By the way… were you waiting for someone just now?"
It sounded like a simple question, but the subtle probing in her tone was clear.
She'd already seen Haru with Yahata Umiri earlier. It was hard to judge what kind of relationship they had, maybe she was just overthinking it.
But with the fireworks about to begin, asking someone to meet up at this hour carried a whole different weight.
To her, even if Togawa Sakiko didn't have that kind of relationship with Haru, there was clearly something more than just "normal friends."
If they were watching fireworks together… that'd say everything.
To her surprise, Haru remained completely composed as he answered calmly, "The person I was waiting for has arrived."
"Huh?"
Nyamu blinked, then instinctively turned to look in the direction Haru was facing.
She'd been trying to guess all along, was it Togawa Sakiko? Yahata Umiri? The young lady from the Wakaba family? Or even the current idol, Uika?
She had mentally prepared herself for anything… but what she saw was a pink-haired head bouncing toward them.
Nyamuchi: ?
The girl had long, silky sakura-pink hair and a tall, athletic figure radiating cheerfulness. The moment she saw Haru, her clear gray eyes lit up.
But when her gaze shifted to Nyamuchi beside him, her expression turned from joy to confusion… and then, after a moment's thought, into mild irritation.
Who the heck is this?
The exact same thought crossed both their minds at the same time.
"Haru-Haru, sorry I kept you waiting~"
Brimming with energy, Anon grinned with a cute tiger-tooth smile and bounded up to Haru's side. Then she subtly sized up the woman beside him.
She was about to ask something, but then her gaze sharpened. As if confirming something, she quickly pulled out her phone, stared at it, then looked back up.
"Ah—!"
Anon gasped like she'd just solved a mystery. Her light-gray eyes widened in realization.
"Wait, wait, wait… are you Nyamuchi-sensei?! I've been following your channel for ages! I watch all your makeup tutorials and fashion guides and I even liked your recent drum cover!"
"Eh?"
Yuutenji Nyamu had been bracing herself for Chihaya Anon to interrogate her but instead, the girl hit her with this barrage of praise. Nyamu had to swallow the witty lines she'd been ready to fire off.
Faced with an adoring fan, Nyamuchi instantly switched to her well-trained, professional influencer smile. But just as she was about to launch into her online persona's signature combo…
Anon suddenly furrowed her brows.
"Haru-Haru, you know Nyamuchi-sama?"
Danger.
The joy of meeting her internet idol was swept away by a sudden wave of crisis.
Nyamuchi wasn't just a fashion and beauty influencer, she was the influencer Anon had been studying and adapting from. And now she finds out her "kind-of" boyfriend knows her?
No way! Chihaya Anon refused to add another rival to the list!
"I guess you could say we've just met. Just once, really."
Kazami Haru answered casually after a short pause. That offhand tone made Nyamuchi 's smile tighten even more.
Just met? Seriously?
Sure, technically this was only their second time meeting, but weren't they both part of Ave Mujica? Wasn't that supposed to mean they were "bound by fate" like Togawa Sakiko always said?
Yet the way Haru brushed it off ticked her off more than she'd admit.
Wasn't a guy his age supposed to be completely captivated by a mature big-sis type like her? But Haru seemed totally unaffected.
Don't tell me he's into ship girls or something? [1]
"Yes, Kazami-kun is right. We're not that close."
Stay cool, stay cool! You're the mature one here!
"Actually, I only saw him once while having coffee~ He left an impression because he's so good-looking. So when I spotted him just now, I couldn't help coming over to say hi."
"And since the person he's waiting for is already here, I'll head off to keep filming for my channel. Thanks for the support, and keep watching~"
Nyamuchi delivered her lines with a polished smile… but shot Haru one last irritated glare before turning away. His face twitched at that look.
Honestly, the reason Haru was a bit cold to her was simple, he just wasn't into women who wore fake smiles. Even with Nagasaki Soyo, he kept his distance for the same reason.
Thinking it over, Nyamuchi was just… kind of a handful.
Only once the influencer waved goodbye and disappeared did Anon's tense nerves begin to ease.
But when she saw her boyfriend still glancing in that direction, her cheeks puffed up like a mochi bun. That pout, full of silent protest, was aimed right at him.
Unbelievable. Ignoring your girlfriend to stare at another woman?
She glanced at Nyamuchi 's retreating figure too, then quickly snuck a look at her own chest, pouting harder. So flat. She pressed her lips together in frustration.
After a pause, she finally blurted out:
"…Haru-Haru, do you like big ones?"
WHAT?!
Accused out of nowhere, Haru's eyes went wide in shock.
No way he was driven by such shallow lust! True feminine appeal didn't come from "armor plating." Take Rikki, for example—killer body or Bocchi, whose build was top-tier.
"I seriously don't care about that stuff."
"Really? You mean it?"
"I'm more honest than Amon from Lord of the Mysteries."
Anon narrowed her eyes. She still found it kind of suspicious…
She'd heard from plenty of friends that most boys preferred girls with curves. But she was still super young, far more potential than the already-adult Nyamuchi !
Worst case, she could always try one of those "methods" people talked about…
But first, she had to win over Haru-Haru!
"Speaking of which~ Haru-Haru, aren't you forgetting something?"
She'd been waiting for this moment the whole walk over. The pink-haired girl raised her head proudly like a swan, her gray eyes glittering as she stared him down, expecting praise.
Haru caught on instantly and chuckled, clearing his throat as he put on an exaggerated respectful pose.
"This performance was a huge success, and it's all thanks to Anon-sama's help with our outfits."
"Hmph~ hmph~"
"No one else could've pulled it off like Anon-sama!"
Beaming at the praise, Anon crossed her arms and grinned smugly. Haru half-suspected he could praise her into doing literally anything at this rate.
"To show my appreciation, would you join us for the celebration party later?"
"Of course~ But… I have one tiny request!"
She made a pinching gesture with her fingers, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Haru wasn't surprised. He already knew this sneaky pink gremlin would demand some kind of shady deal. Mimicking Umiri, he nodded thoughtfully.
"What's the request?"
As long as it wasn't "Go fight Sukuna," it couldn't be that bad.
"That's a secret for now."
She'd almost said it. She really had. Anon was about to straight-up ask him out on a date, but that felt too forward and besides, if she made a move like that, someone would find out eventually.
This was a trump card, something to play when she really wanted to seal the deal.
But that didn't mean she planned to waste this rare moment alone with him. Fireworks were the most romantic part of the Summer Festival. The Kessoku Band afterparty hadn't started yet.
She had to use this time well.
"I haven't had the chance to look around the festival yet. Haru-Haru, won't you walk with me for a bit?"
As a thank-you, surely that was only fair?
…
Bzzt—
While accompanying the pink menace around the festival, Haru's phone buzzed with a Line notification. Glancing toward Anon, currently mesmerized by a candied apple stand, he avoided opening the app to prevent a "read" receipt. Instead, he peeked at the message on the lock screen.
[Nagasaki Soyo: Haru-san, you're still somewhere in the festival street, right?]
He raised an eyebrow. Just that one message told him Soyo was probably nearby and with her being the kind of girl who once straight-up confessed to him, her intentions were fairly obvious.
"…Ugh, so it really was a scam, huh?"
Anon groaned beside him, finally unwrapping her candy only to find it wasn't the "legendary gold apple" treat. She'd hoped to share it with Haru while pretending not to care.
Urban legends are fake. Total ripoff.
"Haru-Haru, I want a chocolate banana next!"
"We've got the celebration party later, you might want to save room."
Haru sighed, clutching his phone as she responded with something about "sweets going into a girl's second stomach." As she bounced off toward the next snack stand, he kept staring at the message on his screen.
It might sound weird, but he had a feeling Soyo harbored a crush on him.
And if she really did confess again… what would he say?
Bzzt—
Just as he was pondering the question, Haru's phone vibrated again. A second message from Nagasaki Soyo popped up on the lock screen. Unable to resist, Haru took a glance and the moment he read it, his expression started to stiffen.
[Nagasaki Soyo: Actually, Mutsumi-chan and I are at the festival too~ We even went to watch your live show together! I wonder if you saw us from the stage~ After watching, it seems like Mutsumi had something she wanted to say to you. Are you still nearby, Haru-san?]
[Nagasaki Soyo: Springtime Warmth.JPG]
Hiss...
Even Haru felt a shiver run through him this time. He didn't doubt for a second that Soyo was telling the truth.
He hadn't expected this at all. His most trusted double agent, codename Muuko, Wakaba Mutsumi, had apparently joined Soyo's side without him noticing?
But thinking it through, it made sense. Soyo had likely invited Mutsumi to the festival as a friend. Despite all the tension and conflict between them over Sakiko, Wakaba Mutsumi still considered Soyo one of her most important friends.
So if Soyo had asked her to come watch Haru's live, the soft-hearted "little log" would have had a hard time refusing.
"..."
After a brief hesitation, Haru made up his mind. He glanced toward the pink-haired girl beside him, who was venting her disappointment over not finding the mythical "golden apple" by munching furiously on her candy apple.
He casually tossed out a question.
"Soyo seems to be nearby too. She just messaged me asking where I was."
"...Huh?!"
Anon's face instantly stiffened.
This Summer Festival, she and Soyo had made a mutual agreement, no sneaking off. What she was doing now, technically, was stretching that agreement to the limit under the pretext of "heading to the celebration party soon."
Oh no, what now?
- - -
[1]: (sailor outfit or school uniform also a reference to Azur Lane)
