The Sumida River Fireworks Festival is Tokyo's most famous, longest-running, and largest fireworks display.
Every year, attendance surpasses one million.
On the day of the Sumida River Fireworks Festival, a total of twenty thousand fireworks decorate the night sky in a colorful display—an overwhelmingly grand spectacle.
Stepping out of Asakusa Station, Takashi noticed that roadblocks had already been set up starting from the subway exit.
Police officers equipped with body cameras and holding megaphones were directing traffic on the streets.
Men and women in yukata could be seen everywhere.
Upon reaching the riverside near the Sumida River, Takashi saw multiple intersections blocked off with vehicle barricades and fences.
Due to the past incident in Nice, France where a truck crashed into a crowd at a fireworks event, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police had stepped up security compared to previous years.
When Takashi arrived at the riverside, the area was already lined with rows upon rows of vendors.
To match the festive atmosphere, every small stall was adorned with bright yellow vintage lanterns.
As night fell, the countless lanterns wove together and lit up warmly, nearly illuminating the entire venue. It was truly a spectacular sight.
At 6:13 PM, with some time left before his scheduled meeting, Takashi bought a generous amount of oden and wandered the area as he ate.
He strolled to a small outdoor music stage and stopped in his tracks.
On stage, a group of idols was dancing.
That wasn't the main point. The key detail was that the center idol—the one in the lead—was none other than Hoshino Ai, whom he had just seen earlier that afternoon.
"Being an idol really isn't easy," Takashi thought.
He guessed she had rushed over right after commentating on the baseball game.
Such dedication made Takashi willing to call Hoshino Ai the second-generation Queen of Side Jobs.
As for the first-generation titleholder, that naturally belonged to his only employee—Aoyama Nanami.
Speaking of which, he hadn't seen that kid working anywhere else lately.
Maybe his words last time had gotten through…?
"Is that him?"
From the stage, Hoshino Ai immediately spotted Takashi and gave him a playful wink.
And it wasn't just her—within moments of his arrival, all of B-Komachi noticed the clean-cut, striking boy in the crowd.
It was inevitable.
Even if you had average looks, standing out among the crowd here would make you seem handsome—let alone someone like Takashi, who could outshine even other good-looking guys.
Tch. That damned sense of immersion.
On stage, the idols who had been confidently dancing to the rhythm suddenly found themselves blushing and moving awkwardly the moment Takashi appeared.
From time to time, they even puffed their cheeks in mock annoyance, looking adorably sulky.
The fans assumed the idols were acting cutesy toward them, and some of the male fans started dancing along.
But none of them realized that the girls were now subconsciously turning away when looking at them.
Takashi watched for a while before walking away.
"Give me a mango shaved ice."
Standing in front of the shaved ice stall, Takashi suddenly felt someone pat his right shoulder.
He turned around but saw no one.
"Hey, I'm over here."
Turning to his left, he saw a purple-haired girl wearing a gray sweatshirt and denim shorts, with starry eyes and a cute little dimple on her face, smiling at him.
"Work's over?"
"Mm, it's done."
She stretched her slender arms upward, and Hoshino Ai's slender figure was clearly visible.
'This girl is small, but her figure is quite impressive.'
Hoshino Ai was very short, even among the small crowd of Southern folk, she was considered on the shorter side.
"What are you looking at, H!"
Hoshino Ai noticed Takashi's gaze and covered her chest with both hands.
Takashi smiled. "How tall are you?"
Hoshino Ai looked at him in confusion. "151, why do you ask? Changing the subject?"
"I've got 160 with my data cable."
Takashi smiled as he said this, and Hoshino Ai's face immediately darkened.
"Are you making fun of me for being short?"
Takashi smiled but said nothing.
"The shorter the girl, the cuter, didn't you know? This height of mine is the ideal type for boys."
"Standing next to you is like a father with his daughter."
Hoshino Ai compared them and, discouraged, realized that she really was much shorter than Takashi.
Her head only reached just above his chest, and that was with the added height from her insoles. There was still a noticeable gap between their shoulders.
If Takashi wore a mask, walking together would indeed look like a father with his daughter.
"Customer, your shaved ice is ready."
The owner handed over the mango shaved ice.
Layered and delicate like snow, the finely crushed ice was decorated with brightly colored mangoes, like gems embedded in a snow-white world, golden and tempting.
Hoshino Ai stared at it, her eyes showing a clear desire to eat.
"Want to eat? Buy your own."
Takashi turned his back, protectively holding onto his treat.
Hoshino Ai scratched her head, frustrated. "I want to, but I only have 100 yen left."
"Where's the money you earned?"
Takashi took a spoonful of ice and ate it.
"I spent it on food."
"Food?"
Hoshino Ai stared at the mango shaved ice without blinking. "Yeah, the prices in Tokyo are too high. My 60,000 yen a month isn't enough."
"60,000 yen? Don't you earn more working part-time?"
"Yeah, the idol industry in Japan is too competitive. I envy those celebrity gardeners; they can make 80 million just by glaring at the camera."
Hoshino Ai cupped her face with both hands.
"Huh, you know Big Treasure?"
Takashi looked at her in surprise, but then he remembered, Big Treasure had indeed spent some time in Japan, so it wasn't too surprising.
"Too bad you were born in the wrong country."
In fact, Hoshino Ai had no other flaws except being short.
She was pretty, graceful, and skilled.
If she were in his home country, even if she couldn't make it in the entertainment industry, she could still make quite a bit of money as an internet celebrity.
"Hey, I'll give you 100 yen, can I have a bite?"
Watching Takashi eat the shaved ice, Hoshino Ai couldn't resist and took out the only 100 yen she had left.
Takashi glanced at the 100 yen in her hand, then at Hoshino Ai who was eagerly watching his ice, and sighed.
"Forget the money. Go get a spoon and you can have one bite."
"Thanks, Dad."
Hoshino Ai eagerly ran off to get a spoon, leaving Takashi standing alone, bewildered by the situation.
Noticing the curious glances from the people around him, Takashi silently took out a mask and put it on.
Don't look, gotta keep my face.
Hoshino Ai returned, holding a spoon and happily ran back.
When she saw Takashi wearing the mask, she tilted her head. "Why are you wearing a mask at night?"
"Who do you think caused this?"
Takashi shoved the barely touched ice into her hands and walked away quickly.
"Don't you want it anymore? You're giving it all to me?"
Hoshino Ai chased after him, holding the ice.
"Yeah, don't follow me."
"Why?"
Hoshino Ai, with her short legs, could only run while chasing him, not forgetting to eat at the same time.
"Why did you call me dad?"
Takashi stopped and glared at her.
He wasn't really angry, though.
After all, men are creatures who have a soft spot for being called "dad."
No matter the gender, even if a boy called him "dad," Takashi would get excited.
But being called "dad" in front of a crowd, that was another matter.
Of course, if you asked him if he was angry, he wasn't.
"…"
Hoshino Ai bit the spoon with the ice cream and didn't speak, just staring at him.
Although Takashi was glaring at her, she had a feeling he wasn't angry—maybe even a bit happy.
"What? What's wrong?"
Takashi looked away, feeling guilty.
Hoshino Ai tentatively spoke. "Dad?"
Takashi raised his foot and quickly walked ahead.
"Hehe."
Hoshino Ai stared at his back and suddenly burst out laughing.
"Men are so easy to understand."
No wonder male psychology is often categorized under child psychology.
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