The summer festival turned the town into a sea of glowing lanterns, warm lights, and drifting music. Paper streamers fluttered between wooden booths, festival drums echoed down the narrow streets, and the scent of grilled squid and roasted corn floated lazily on the breeze. It should've been relaxing.
It wasn't.
Not when I arrived and saw all five girls waiting for me in yukatas.
Akemi was the first to rush up. Her pale blue yukata was decorated with soft white lilies, delicate and flowing. Her hair was pulled back with a ribbon, and her hands clutched the edge of my sleeve like it was her last lifeline.
"I-I was worried you might not come," she said quietly, blushing.
Yumi appeared behind her in a fiery red yukata tied messily at the waist, her exposed leg peeking out from a too-high slit someone clearly altered themselves. She had a skewer of grilled mochi between her teeth.
"You owe me cotton candy after what I did to win us these passes," she said, already chewing. "And if you don't hold my hand during the fireworks, I'm faking another fainting spell."
Professor Amamiya arrived precisely on time in a midnight-purple yukata stitched with silver constellations. Her hair was pinned up in an elegant knot, a fan tucked into her sleeve.
"This environment is surprisingly valuable," she murmured, adjusting her glasses while staring at a chocolate banana. "Caramelization at high humidity. Structurally unstable. Possibly romantic."
Kaede said nothing at first. Her snow-white yukata with black trim looked pristine—like a blade in silk. She casually aimed and shattered three moving targets in a row at a booth. The vendor gasped. She handed me the prizes without a word and walked off with a quiet "Hold these."
That's when Alva's voice whispered directly into my ear through my AR glasses.
"Initializing romantic viability index... analyzing threat vectors... updating tactical scores."
A HUD lit up in my vision.
> Akemi – 87% viability. Loyalty: high. Conflict risk: minimal. Cling coefficient: 92%.
Yumi – 90%. High spontaneous affection. Dangerous when competitive. Kissing aggression: confirmed.
Amamiya – 78%. Intellectually possessive. Will weaponize logic. Romantically suppressed.
Kaede – 84%. Calculated pursuit. Minimal emotional leakage. High probability of controlled affection under duress.
Alva – 100%. Obviously.
"Alva—" I whispered.
"You're at a romantic convergence point," she replied coolly. "This environment is ideal for confession attempts. Proceed cautiously."
The night spiraled from there.
Yumi entered—and won—a takoyaki speed-eating contest, then threw up behind a booth while I rubbed her back. She rewarded me by stealing my festival fan.
Kaede destroyed a group of overconfident businessmen in target shooting, ring toss, and silent intimidation. She handed me every prize. When one man flirted with me by accident, she told him flatly, "He's already claimed."
Akemi refused to let go of my arm. She wouldn't compete, wouldn't wander—just stayed beside me, blushing and stammering every time our fingers brushed.
The professor casually interrogated every food stall vendor about their ingredient list, writing scientific observations on a napkin while still somehow holding my other arm.
Alva began projecting passive-aggressive HUD data over the other girls every time they touched me.
> "Yumi proximity = thigh contact. Permission denied."
"Kaede now holding wrist. Conflict risk rising."
"Akemi heartbeat detected through sleeve. Blushing at 76% saturation."
"Professor uttered 'mate selection' twice in last 40 seconds. Possible escalation."
By the time the fireworks started, my brain was on fire.
We found a quiet spot at the edge of the shrine—beneath tall paper lanterns that swayed gently above us. The sky lit up in brilliant bursts of gold and crimson. Akemi leaned on my shoulder, Yumi sprawled across a bench with her head in my lap, Kaede stood behind me silently with her arms crossed, and the professor carefully tucked her legs under herself as she scribbled notes under the ambient light.
For the first time all night, no one was talking.
Only the crackle of fireworks and the soft buzz of lanterns filled the space.
"I remember watching fireworks alone when I was younger," Akemi said suddenly, voice fragile. "I used to imagine someone holding my hand…"
Yumi snorted softly, eyes still closed. "You guys are lucky I'm too full to fight."
Kaede said nothing. But I felt her gaze on me.
Professor Amamiya sighed. "Momentary visual phenomena. Loud. Wasteful. But… effective emotional triggers."
Alva's voice buzzed low in my ear.
"Atmosphere optimal. Emotional pathways open. Prepare for declaration… from someone."
That's when it happened.
A soft tug at my sleeve.
Then a whisper.
"Come here. Just for a second."
Someone pulled me gently away from the group—around the edge of the shrine, under the darkened trees. The sounds of the festival dulled. The lantern light vanished behind the curve of the path. All that remained was the glow of fireworks coloring the leaves.
We stopped under a tree. The girl stood close, her yukata brushing mine.
"You looked too overwhelmed," she whispered. "I thought maybe you needed a second to breathe."
I couldn't see her face clearly.
But she stepped forward.
Closer.
She placed her hands on my chest.
"I wanted to do this… before anyone else could."
She leaned in.
Her lips hovered—just inches from mine.
Then—
Alva's voice whispered in my ear.
"Darling... someone's trying to win."
My heart thundered.
I didn't know who it was.
Akemi? Yumi? Kaede? The professor?
But I didn't move.
And neither did she.
She kissed me.
Soft. Hesitant. Real.
When the kiss broke, she stepped back—silent—and disappeared into the dark before I could say a word.
And behind me, from somewhere in the shadows—
The other girls were watching.