The Heroines Want to Fall in Love 97

The Heroines Want to Fall in Love 97

---

Edited by: Tiny Fan Fiction

---

Chapter 97 An Unexpected Mishap, As Always

Under the cover of night.

The Tanabata Festival was bustling with excitement.

Couples strolled along the streets, chatting and laughing, most of them holding apple candy, water balloons, and round Ougi fans.

It was early July, and the temperature wasn’t low.

With nearly ten thousand people at the festival, the atmosphere was as hot as the weather.

“Senpai, it’s hot.”

“Want to take a break first?”

Just arriving at the festival, at the entrance, Isshiki Iroha suggested a break, slightly out of breath.

The walk from the train station wasn’t far, but being packed in the crowd had exhausted her.

The Tanabata Festival, which she’d been looking forward to, wasn’t as enjoyable anymore… Whatever, it didn’t matter where they went, as long as she was on a date with Senpai.

They found a bench under a tree and sat, watching the surging crowd.

“What do you want to eat later?”

“Cotton candy? I didn’t eat dinner, I’m a little hungry.”

“If you’re hungry, shouldn’t you eat something like yakisoba or takoyaki?”

“Senpai, you really don’t understand girls at all.”

Eating such greasy food in front of someone you like isn’t cute at all, Senpai, please be more considerate of me.

“If you keep this up, the world will be destroyed.”

Cause of death: Excessive cuteness.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

After a short rest, the two officially began their Tanabata date.

Yakisoba stalls, takoyaki, shooting games, small shops selling accessories… Because there were so many people, even though there was an entire street, it felt cramped… They couldn’t handle all the customers, and many shops had long lines.

Asakura Yuu and Isshiki Iroha waited for nearly half an hour before buying an apple candy that didn’t need to be prepared and cotton candy that was made quickly.

The atmosphere of the festival was intense, even more exaggerated than expected.

Not far away, the muffled sound of drums often echoed, and the festival floats were still some distance away from departing.

Even without going to watch along the reserved route, there was plenty of time, mainly because Asakura Yuu hadn’t eaten anything in the evening and was now starving.

Looking at a shop in front of them, Asakura Yuu asked…

“Want to eat yakisoba?”

Isshiki Iroha quickly pushed her luck: “Can I share with Senpai?”

“If you don’t mind…”

“Why?”

“Indirect kissing, and all that.”

“Senpai, can’t you just use 2 pairs of chopsticks? But, actually, I don’t really care about such trivial things, I’m not a middle schooler, you know, embarrassed by indirect kissing, how childish… Here, let you taste the feeling of indirect kissing with your kouhai, be careful, only one bite.” Isshiki Iroha handed the cotton candy to his mouth.

Before she could even react, Asakura Yuu took a decisive bite.

The pink cotton candy instantly transformed into a crescent moon shape…

“It’s… gone.” Isshiki Irohane widened her eyes, shooting him a glare filled with resentment: “Senior, I hate you!”

“I actually really like you…”

“Huh? Really?”

“I like your cotton candy, it’s pretty tasty.” Asakura Yuu grinned mischievously.

“…I’m not giving you any more.”

Seniors who only say half their sentences, I hate the most!

I was going to give you a few more bites, too.

Just as the two were bickering over the cotton candy…

“Isshiki-san?”

A greeting suddenly came from behind, and Isshiki Irohane turned around, her face lighting up with joy at the sight of the person…

“Takekawa-san?”

“And who is this?”

The girl called Takekawa by Isshiki Irohane had her hair in a single ponytail and was also wearing a yukata; next to her was a companion who, at this moment, was covering her mouth in surprise:

“Asakura-senpai?”

“Kinishita-san, it’s been a while. You’re as cute as ever today.” The last time Asakura Yuu saw her was near the start of the school term, when he accompanied Hachiman to the school.

“Oh my, you’re so flirty… today you’re playing with Isshiki-san?” Kinishita Yuko showed a gossiping expression: “Are you two on a date?”

Recently, there had been rumors about these two dating, but not many people believed them.

Is this confirmed then?

Coming out together to attend a festival on Tanabata, it’s hard to believe they’re not a couple, right?

“Maybe?”

“Eh, suddenly using such a vague line (Kotori)… does that mean you’re trying to confess to me, senpai? I’m sorry, even though my heart is racing, a confession in a place like this is just not acceptable. Please try again next time.” Isshiki Irohane bowed slightly, giving Asakura Yuu a ‘good person’ card.

“So you’re not dating after all, what a letdown.” Kinishita Yoko sighed; she thought she was about to get some juicy gossip.

“Takekawa-san, let’s go first, we shouldn’t disturb their intimate moment.”

Kinishita Yoko glanced at her companion standing there dazed, then pulled her away from the two.

After they left.

“Weren’t you going to date me as my girlfriend?”

“They’re my good friends… jokes might be taken seriously, and if they tease me about this later, what am I supposed to do?”

Wanting to show off but too scared to do so in front of familiar friends, Isshiki Irohane is really a handful.

All beautiful girls are troublesome, the cuter they are, the more trouble they cause.

That’s right, it’s the truth.

After this little interlude, the two bought a serving of stir-fried noodles, got 2 pairs of chopsticks, and Isshiki Iroha, who had just said she didn’t like greasy food, ended up eating almost half of it.

As time passed slowly, they had half an hour left before the flower car parade, so they sat on a bench, waiting for the main event to start.

If I had known, I would’ve brought a picnic mat, and we could’ve sat on the grass, avoiding the crowds.

Even though we found a relatively quiet spot, the noise still never ceased.

This is a must-pass spot for the flower cars, so it’s a great location.

“Senpai… after this festival ends, our relationship will be over, won’t it?”

“It already ended, didn’t it? The fake couple act.”

Isshiki Iroha looked down at her toes; she was wearing geta sandals, and after walking for so long, her feet were a bit sore: “I have no reason to keep bothering you, Senpai. Until you meet the next person who needs your help, I won’t come to disturb you again.”

“It’s fine if we just chat casually.”

“You have so many girls around you, Senpai; you won’t miss me, will you?”

You don’t have to say such pessimistic lines before you leave.

Asakura Yuu said with a sigh, “You’re pretty special, though.”

You’re the only one with an affection level with decimal points.

“I really like you, Senpai, but… if we were to actually date, I’d be a bit scared. I’ve heard that the emotion farthest from Binah is admiration.”

Liking someone can make you humble to the point of being covered in dust, plucking petals in a dark room, repeatedly counting “he likes me,” “he doesn’t like me,” “he likes me,” “doesn’t like me”…

Admiration covers up flaws, amplifies the bright spots, and puts the person you like on a pedestal.

That’s not right.

That’s not love, nor is it romance.

“This past half month, I’ve gotten to know a completely different Senpai.” Isshiki Iroha smiled sweetly at him, but her tone was slightly melancholic: “A Senpai I never really knew, one who doesn’t have many similarities with the one I imagined, but as expected, you’re very kind.”

After Isshiki Iroha finished speaking, she fell silent for a moment.

She looked up at the black night sky…

“If possible, I want to get to know the real Senpai next time. I want to know Senpai’s weaknesses, want to know your thoughts, Binah.”

Not as the idol Asakura Yuu, but as Senpai, a living, breathing person.

“…Senpai, why did you give up on kendo?”

Even with all the noise around, the air fell still.

“Sorry, I’m going to the restroom.”

Asakura Yuu said, then stood up without another word.

Isshiki Iroha watched his back as he quickly walked away, nibbling on an apple candy, her eyes inevitably filled with a sense of loss.

Half a minute later.

“Everyone!! The flower car is about to arrive, to ease the crowd, we need to evacuate the area, please follow the instructions and disperse.”

The crowd surged.

As the on-site staff blew their horns, people moved in an orderly fashion.

“Miss, please stand up.”

“Sorry, I’m waiting for someone!”

“It’s okay, everyone needs to move along this road, you can contact them again when you reach the end!”

Isshiki Iroha shook her head, she was afraid of getting lost.

Waiting a little longer should be fine.

At this moment.

“Isshiki-san? Come on, there are a lot of people behind, if you don’t move, you’ll miss the flower car!” Takagawa, who had parted ways earlier, called out.

Isshiki Iroha looked around, spotted a familiar face in the crowd, thought for a moment, and then followed.

After walking with the crowd for over ten minutes.

The two of them stood panting by the roadside.

“My phone…” Isshiki Iroha took out her phone, opened Line, but found no signal.

There were too many people, the signal was poor.

Takagawa also took out her phone.

“What should we do? I got separated from Yuzu too.”

“I don’t know.”

“Isshiki-san, why don’t we go up there? If it’s the main shrine, there will be fewer people, and we might be able to send a message, we can meet up with them at the bonfire.”

Faced with this suggestion, Isshiki Iroha thought for a moment.

She didn’t refuse.

It was crowded here, standing still, without a designated meeting spot, it would be hard to reunite again.

…………

---