off-season? summerfes blips (syls)

At first, Roselia have agreed to go to summer festival together – by ‘together’ it’s the five of them.

.

Five minutes after the agreement, Rinko bailed out; she wanted to do something in the weekend with her family, she said.

Ako followed suit after a while, saying that Tomoe asked her to go on Taiko practice with elders.

A bit longer later, Yukina then joined with ‘I’m not interested if it’s not five of us, let’s reschedule’.

And so, Lisa has been holed up with a private chat with Sayo after then.

.

‘Everyone can’t come! While I already prepared yukata for it’, complete with sad emoticon, sent. Sayo paused for quite some time before replying.

There’s something fishy with everyone suddenly backing down out of already meticulous plan, yet, Sayo couldn’t put a lid on what’s so suspicious about it. Ako and Rinko were pumped about it earlier and Yukina seemed to be enthusiastic to see the festival by the shopping district; then there goes bam, their cancelation which left Sayo with big question mark in her head.

Faced with Lisa’s query by then, though, those nagging feeling dissipated, switching to what kind of replies she should make to Lisa’s message.

‘Do you still want to come to the festival this weekend, then? I can go with you.’

The reply from Lisa didn’t wait for a minute. ‘Sayo, are you sure?’ there’s a sign that she’s still typing for the next line – the line which took Sayo aback, her phone almost slipped away from her firm grasp. ‘It’s a date then?’

Sayo blinked, a lot. Date, Lisa said. She said date.

Well, it’s true they are going out, and added up the fact that it’s only two of them together to the summer festival at night, nothing could be more obvious. That being said, however, Sayo found herself pausing again, sweating hands clutching her phone and her face reflected by the dimming screen, she was red as tomato.

The turquoise-haired guitarist rolled to her back on the bed, letting the phone away from sight. Sayo get ahold of her warm face, and then down to her warming chest.

.


‘Yes, it’s a date.’ And it was sent after a round of composed breathing.


- -

Every night during summer, a festival would be there around shopping district, the stalls will continue up to the steps of the shrine. While the food stalls already opened around afternoon, it would be livelier at night since there would be several performances from townspeople like Taiko performances or folk dances.

There’s also fireworks watching as well. As the fireworks usually displayed around weekends, weekends would be the most crowded time to visit the festival. Of course, most people would love to seek the memorable parts of the festival. It is quite given that crowd usually will gather around at the moment fireworks is ready to be launched.

It’s not like Sayo disliked being in crowd much, she just happened to wonder a bit at how to walk around and enjoyed the stalls within these big crowds of people coming and going.

Usually, Sayo would be that person who’ll come thirty minutes before appointment. That Saturday night, however, everything seems to differ by a single word ‘date’ plastered there.

Sayo was sure she will be late: choosing yukata to wear is harder than she thought. Hina was there to be her extra “mirror” and eventual color checker plus color picker. There wasn’t much selection of yukata available at home, and Sayo’s choice landed on a dark blue yukata with white Lily ornament. Her mom helped to do her hair up after she finished on wearing the outfit.

Now, by the foot of the night festival crowds, Sayo has been waiting for ten minutes at an empty bench she could find outside the stalls area.

At times, Sayo would check her phone, waiting for a message whether Lisa would be late, or something like ‘Don’t leave me to the fun, Sayo!’ to put her mind at ease. Her idle thoughts wandered again at how to survive the crowds, and then back to the opposite way searching for the brown-haired bassist.

‘Date’—her heart thrummed in anticipation again. Taking short sighs in-between, Sayo then chewed on her lips. That night, it will be a walk alone together with stronger, more intimate atmosphere unlike how they usually walked back from practice. Sayo found herself drawing blanks at what she had planned to do there all of sudden.

“Sayo, have you been waiting?”

Lost at her own reverie, she didn’t pay attention to the upcoming guest in front of her.

While Sayo had expected Lisa will choose red color for her yukata selection—because red suited her well—Sayo didn’t expect she would see Lisa away of her usual ponytail for the night. The brown tresses were tied at the little ends, which is let loose by her right shoulder. Lisa got a white chrysanthemum as part of her hair ornament, aligned by the side of her right bangs.

Sayo was also late to notice the usual mint green eyes sparkled differently the moment she is aware of Lisa’s appearance.

If only there’s a better word to describe Lisa aside ‘breathtaking’ – of course, Sayo didn’t say it out of embarrassment.

“… Sayo? Sorry, are you angry that I’m late?” Lisa shied her watch away from stern-looking guitarist. There goes her usual dry laugh, in which made Sayo’s heart sank in regret. “I’m, I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Imai-san.” Sayo cut short as she got up. Swallowing her nervousness and wondering where the disappearance of her neat plan went off to, Sayo offered her hand to Lisa. “… Let’s go?”

The excitement has yet to begin.


- -


What they were doing first is to look around and see how many people in there and where they could safely walk without being lost in the crowd.

Their connected hands aren’t separated from the moment their walk started.

“It sure is lively~” Lisa remarked in sing-song voice. Visible redness by her cheek explained her vigor about the surrounding. “Where should we go first, Sayo?”

Sayo took a single glance to the shrine, before seeking the full food stalls by her left. “How about we pay the respect first? The crowd by the shrine seem to be thinner now.”

“Okay!”

They were treading the way pretty slowly, though maybe it is because they are wearing wood flip-flops. Part of Sayo wanted to enjoy the time they have together, also to match Lisa’s rhythm when walking. The guitarist might not know what the bassist is thinking right now, but seeing the wide smile on her face, Sayo surmised that she had done a good deed.

“Does your foot hurts?”

“Hmm? No?” Lisa answered. “How about you?”

“I’m alright.”

“Well, let’s just say something if either of us wanted to take a break~” Lisa beamed.

“Of course.”

There was this … twinkle that Sayo sees in Lisa when their eyes met. They were not that far apart from each other, or it can be said that they are glued together hand-in-hand because of how crowded the sea of people coming from the direction from and to the shrine.

Was this brown-haired girl is this beautiful? Sayo thought to herself.

“Sayo? You’re spacing out again.”

That smile is exceptionally sweet. Lisa is always one to worry, even more than how Sayo tried to be attentive. The brunette is an expert to look over somebody, too expert that sometimes she neglected her own well-beings.

“Sorry. It’s just-“

“Hmm?” now it’s her cattish smile there, Sayo could say she meant no harm, though.

“—you’re beautiful.”

Ah, she said it. And just then, their connected hands went slack for a moment. Both of them got their eyes widened. The buzzing voice of the crowd drowned them as they are stopping, beet red.

.

Lisa took the initiative to clasp their hands again, coughing to her other hand instead as if trying to ease the tension.

Wait, was there a tension at the first place?

“Ah, err. L-let’s go! We can … go to eat straight after coming to the shrine! Yeah!”

Lisa blurted nonsense, and Sayo couldn’t do anything else but to nod in agreement.



Next, Lisa looked up to the dozens of food stalls after paying the respects.

Thankfully, the somewhat awkward air has died after they took a moment of prayer. The mention of fireworks from the passerby elders surely getting Lisa all hyped, Sayo could tell by how she swung their connected hands.

Soon after a little skimming over stalls, Lisa took Sayo to stop.

“Anything you want to get, Sayo?” Lisa turned to see Sayo is glancing to her direction as well. There lies a pause.

“The cotton candy is nice. I tried them once when I watched Tomoe-san practicing Taiko.” Come Sayo suggested.

The brunette nodded. “Then, how about we split one box of Takoyaki together? It smells nice.”

“Sounds good.” Sayo agreed. “Since the fireworks might start soon, how about we go search someplace to settle? We can leave the games after fireworks.”

Since the Takoyaki booth is closer, they bought Takoyaki first.

Somehow, Sayo felt that there’s no need for them to split up and buying things simultaneously. It was a bit hard to find Lisa in the crowd earlier. It would be hard later if they are happened to be separated, so Sayo suggested that they stayed together.

As Sayo waited for Takoyaki to be done, while watching the stall owner spun the dough into Takoyaki balls easily, Lisa surprisingly leaning to her shoulder.

“I-Imai-san?”

She inhaled a deep breath. Sayo could sense the ripple from how her head bobbed close.

“I’ve been wanting to try this.” Lisa chuckled. Her voice is a hushed whisper to Sayo’s ear. Not to mention, she really looks comfortable.

“Am I being to clingy?”

“No, well-“

“It /is/ embarrassing, must I admit. Don’t worry, Sayo, I’m embarrassed right now. But I still wanted to be close.”

The old man by the stall made a comment about how nice it is to be young, adding more to the plate of embarrassment for Sayo. Lisa laughed it off, replying that they won’t pay an extra even though they are being praised. The old man was quite amused that the little chatters continued for a bit.

All in all, it is very warm – Lisa is too precious right now. Sayo opted to feel the calluses on Lisa’s fingers, and her smooth toe nails grazing on her skin as to ease her embarrassment.


- -


They took a spot on a slope of hill nearby the shrine as people assembled close to the fireworks site. There’s no place to sit, but there’s a stone fence where they placed the Takoyaki for both of them to eat, the cotton candy remained unopened in the plastic, and two bottles of red and blue Ramune—carbonized cool drinks staple in any summer festival times.

The townspeople were using speaker to announce that the fireworks will start soon. It is also informed that there will be a lot of fireworks than usual tonight, noting that it would be a worthy show.

When Sayo popped her Ramune, the first fire is lit on the sky, sparkling to a shape of flower.

It was amazing to see the fireworks up close, how the ringing voice left a muted noise in your ear before everything else is coming back to you.

Sayo felt a tug on her arms. Lisa, who’s equally hypnotized by the power of the fireworks is there, her mint green eyes reflecting the spark of fire.

This so-called date has been progressing with no plan. Sayo was sure she had things planned from where they will go to where they will take breaks. The turquoise-haired girl already know the nook and cranny of the festival area as she was there before to watch Taiko performance, and magically, Sayo has seem to forget everything but the fact that she’s walking together with Lisa right now.

Because they are eating Takoyaki, their hands are separated right now – though not their closeness. And now that they are watching the fireworks between their eyes and speak with a minimum mouth movements as the fireworks is too loud, they are between arms reach again.

‘Sayo.’ – She can see how Lisa’s lips moved. ‘I love you.’

“Wha—“

Okay. That was another unexpected flare Sayo doesn’t expect. That makes two. 2 – 1 to Lisa’s outright win.

The fireworks ended not too long after that, Sayo could finally hear Lisa humming happily to herself.

“Imai-san, that’s–that’s cheating, you know?”

“What’s cheating? Isn’t this the date between you and me? I can say it anytime~”

[ She's that beautiful, breathtaking prankster of gyaru who'll loves, cares and adores you to the deepest part of her heart. ]