Infinite Stratos - Volume 4, page 10
"Okay."
"Ahh..."
In contrast to the delighted Ran, Houki made a very dejected response unhappily.
Ichika was in the middle, Houki on the left and Ran on the right, as they walked together. In the bustling summer festival, most of them are family members being together, friends being together and also lovers holding hands together.
(Thi-This is a good chance...! It's a good chance to get near Ichika-san! And that idiot brother's not around! But, but my rival's somewhat strong—un! I'll do my best!)
Ran glanced at Ichika's face as she secretly gave herself a victory pose to motivate herself.
(Uu—...I really want to get used to Ichika's blockheadedness, but at this point...as expected, he would praise other girls in yukata other than me...haa, this infuriates me...)
Thinking about this, Houki couldn't help but be even angrier. And her anxiety started to build up, including her own naive thoughts.
(Bu-But, well, never mind...I-I just got an indirect...ki...ss...anyway. Fufufu♪)
Though this may be just some unknown happiness to outsiders, to the person involved, it's enough that such a little happiness belonged to her.
Houki cupped her hands together as it seemed that she wanted to keep those memories.
"Speaking of which, Ran, you often came along with Dan, right?"
"Huh, yeah, sorta. My dad often said that it would be dangerous for girls to go out on their own, so he didn't allow me to go out freely."
—But it's because of that that I could mingle with Ichika-san.
Ran slightly muttered.
Only she could hear that voice in her heart. Deep inside her heart, Ran felt that that day was the anniversary of her first crush. The gentle, happy and warm feeling gradually spread through her chest.
(I may be able to be a little bolder today...)
I must do my best today! With those words, Ran reached out for Ichika's hand.
—*DONK*
"KYAH!?"
"Ah, sorry!"
"No, it's okay. It was my fault for not watching the road."
Having knocked into a passer-by, Ran lowered her head and apologized.
"Are you okay, Ran?"
"Ah..."
Ichika naturally pulled Ran, who lost her balance, into his chest.
She was in the chest of someone she likes. More delicate than Mozart's piano theme and more exciting than Vivaldi's Concerto, this was too sudden for a teenage girl.
"Huh, uu, ah...!"
Even though her arms were flailing meaninglessly, Ran couldn't do anything as she could only let her girl instincts run wild.
"Hm?"
"Ah, ah—it's that!"
Ran randomly pointed at the shooting shop...but that was done to prevent her thoughts from being revealed.
"Oh? Are you good with that?"
"Huh, mmn sort of."
Trying to prevent her quickening heartbeat from being discovered, Ran pretended to tidy her yukata and pulled her distance from Ichika.
(Ahh, did-did I just embarrass myself? U-Uu...Ichika-san's body's really sturdy—THAT'S NOT IT! WE-WE'RE-WE'RE GOING TO PLAY SHOOTING! I MUST DO MY BEST!)
"We're going then...hm? Houki? You'll get lost if you're so far away. Here."
Saying that, Ichika held Houki and Ran's hand at the same time as he headed to the shooting stall.
Most likely, he didn't know the feelings of the girls whose hands he was holding.
"Hello, welcome."
"Uncle, give us a game for three."
"Oh? You're holding flowers on both hands? How envious. Okay, no discount then!"
"Huuh? Don't say that. Give me a discount! At least to the girls."
"Gahahahah. I humbly refuse."
The boss of the shooting stall gave such a casual smile as he said that. He had a white T-shirt over his tanned body, and the muscles on his arms and shoulders could be seen. Ichika felt that he was nice, and so paid for all three of them.
"Thanks...oh, kid, you have some attitude there. Brats nowadays hardly pay for the girls."
"Yeah! So give me a discount—"
"I refuse. A popular guy's an enemy of all men! Gahahaha!!!"
Though the boss looked like a nice guy, there didn't seem to be any room for bargaining. Ichika, Houki and Ran received a pistol each, loaded the cork bullets, and readied them.
"..."
Like a sniper, Ran stared seriously at the target. Right now, she was hard to approach, much like a switchblade, and it felt that anyone who got near her would be cut.
(...I couldn't shoot well at all...)
Ran regretted that her self-defense mechanism that kicked in immediately a few seconds ago was basically digging her own grave.
"Oh—you look serious. Do your best, Ran!"
"Yes."
Not wanting to be distracted, Ran nodded her head.
(AHHH!! NOT GOOD NOT GOOD! I CAN'T DO THIS WELL AT ALL!)
But the longer it took, Ichika and even the surrounding customers would expect more for her.
(Got to end this now and then say 'Actually, I can't play this well, so please teach me', so let's do this! Yeah, let's do this then! That's the way!)
That's right, maybe there will be body contact when he teaches me. Besides, Ichika-san's grades in IS Academy were brilliant. I saw that on TV. Yup—Yup!
As the colors of pink, grape and fruit started to come up, the cork bullet suddenly shot out.
"Oh."
"Ohh?"
"Ohhh!?"
*PAK—PUNNK!!*
"You-You hit that metal plate...! The, the LCD TV~!"
"HUH? HUH? HUUUH...?"
It seemed that she subconsciously shot the hardest prize. Everyone, from the boss of the shooting shop to the surrounding customers and Ichika went wild.
"Amazing, Missy! I thought that nobody would be able to hit that—ahh, it's alright."
"Ha-Haa..."
"You made the LCD TV as the target! Amazing! And you even hit it! I'm impressed."
Ichika really looked impressed as he clapped his hands. The surrounding customers started clapping with him, and there was even more people.
"Kahahaha! I made a loss today! Damn it, take it take it~!"
"Tha-Thanks..."
The packaging wasn't really small, but it wasn't something a middle school girl couldn't take as Ran recevied the prize.
"That's great."
"Really..."
Seeing Ran lower her head dejectedly, Ichika had a '?' above his head.
On the other hand, standing on the other side of Ichika, Houki—
"Uu..."
Having missed 5 straight shots, Houki had no bullets left.
"Houki's as bad a shooter as always."
"SHU-SHUT UP! I-I CAN HIT IT WITH A BOW AND ARROW!"
"No, the prize will break, definitely...really, you need help."
Ichika handed his remaining bullets and even the loaded pistol to Houki.
"Basically, the way you're holding the gun is too weird. You must be like this, put your arms straight, look straight, and make sure the bullet's in the same trajectory—"
"..."
Saying that, Ichika made body contact with Houki. Though Houki looked emotionless, her heart was pounding crazily.
(WAHHH! THA-THAT'S TOO BOLD! H-HI-HIS HAND'S TOUCHING MY BODY!? UU~ HE'S BREATHING ONTO MY FACE...MOVE AWAY...)
—She didn't want Ichika to move away though.
"About that. Hm. How about it, got it?"
"Uu, mn."
"Try shooting then. Aimed carefully?"
"I-I got it!"
Sounding somewhat stronger now, Houki let out an 'Ahh' deep inside as she squeezed the trigger.
*PUNNK—Pok!*
"Oh! You hit the doll."
That was a head-sized penguin that's somewhat large and could be used as a cushion. The innocent eyes seemed to be protesting that it got shot.
"Oh! You shot good, Missy! Gahahaha, I lost badly today!"
"...I wanted the daruma nearby..."
"Hm?"
"No, nothing."
Even though she said that, Houki received the doll. Even though she was aiming for a different prize, she still gave a happy smile.
◆
"Mn~that Ran's so slow."
"Ye-Yeah."
They continued to walk and play and eat as they went through a lot of stalls.
Right now, it was about 8pm, and the fireworks ceremony was about to start.
"I don't think she would get lost...un."
Ran wasn't with them now, and that was to be expected, since the LCD TV was too large. She called Dan over to pickup the TV, so she was waiting outside the shrine area at the road for him.
Ran mentioned that it would be too much of a hassle to make them come along, so she made them wait at the drinking point at the shrine for a while. However, it didn't seem that she would be coming back anytime soon.
Just when Ichika was considering if he should look for her, the phone rang.
"Ex-Excuse me, is this Ichika-san?"
"Oh, what is it, Ran? You lost your way?"
"No, that's not it!"
"Hahaha, I was joking."
"Mu~"
A pouting could be heard from the other side of the phone as Ran let out a 'cute imouto' feeling. Ichika chuckled.
"Actually...erm, I got caught by my brother."
"Oh, Dan's here? Call him to come over too."
"No, well...he wanted me to go home with him no matter what."
That idiotic brother...Ran added that and sighed deeply.
"Sorry, I had to go because of that."
"I see. Be careful on the way then."
Ichika hung up the phone and walked to Houki who was waiting for him.
"Ran went back first."
"I-I see."
Houki got shocked by her unexpected cry of delight, and felt ashamed of her own attitude.
(This-This is really indecent. I...)
Thinking about this, Houki felt even more ashamed and lowered her head slightly as she played around with her fingers.
"Let's go then."
"Ah..."
Ichika grabbed Houki's hand again and walked to the woods behind the shrine.
(Go-Going somewhere that's empty...don't tell me.)
Of course, it wouldn't be like that. Besides, there's a secret viewing spot behind this woods for them to view the fireworks festival.
In the woods that had high trees all around, a certain area was open like a window.
The spot looked like a picture for the four seasons. In spring, it could be used to see the sunrise. In summer, it could be used to see the fireworks. In autumn, it could be used to view the full moon, and in winter, it could be used to see a snowscape. It was a secret place with the colors of all four seasons. Only Chifuyu, Tabane, Ichika and Houki knew of that place.
"Oh—this place hasn't changed at all."
His words didn't reach Houki's ears.
*Rii*, *Rii*, the sounds of insects could be heard. A light breeze blew into the woods where humans hardly stayed in, removing the heat of summer.
Being alone with the person she liked in such a place...Houki couldn't remain calm after it ended up like this.
(It-It's just-just me and Ichika...and-and also, the-the...atmosphere, it's rather good...)
Seemingly expecting something, Houki glanced at Ichika, but Ichika just looked at the sky in an excited manner.
(Is-Isn-Isn't this a good-good time to confess!?)
If anyone asked her who she wanted to confess to, she would probably say 'The answer's in my own heart' (Find out my mind).
(Uuu...?)
Houki continued to stare at Ichika as her face gradually reddened, and let out sweat that didn't have anything to do with the heat.
(Sa-Say-Say it! Just say it! it's the time to say it...just say it!)[4C 5]
Repeating the 5 step verb utilization in her mind, Houki forcefully backed away.
Right now, the chibi-Houki[4C 6] in her mind kicked her, and another chibi-Houki kicked the one in front of her, and another chibi-Houki continued to motion...just like that, it continued on.
(I, Me? Must I say it? Do I have to say it? Shouldn't the guy be the one confessing? No, it's that Ichika. He won't say it himself. Speaking of which, I don't know if he likes me—no! He likes me! He really likes me! Most likely! I guess...)
Realizing that she was repeating the words in her heart, Houki blushed again.
The buzz of the crowds was far away from them, and they couldn't hear anything now.
(Now-Now's the time—!)
Houki finally decided to confess, and said,
"I-Ichika!"
"Hm?"
"I-I-I li—"
*DOOOO-------NN!!!*
"Ohh! The fireworks started!"
"Ik-Ike--..."
"Hm? What's the matter, Houki?"
"..."
Houki kept the tightly clasped hands behind her body.
(Uu...I got interrupted by the fireworks...)
But it couldn't be helped even if she regretted it. It was her own fault for not confessing anyway.
The most famous of this fireworks would be the 100 shots. Once released, the booming sounds and the colors in the night sky would continue for an hour.
(I'll give up today then...haa...)
Thinking about this, she suddenly lost her strength, and the anger she couldn't vent on naturally disappeared.
"OHH~ AMAZING!!"
*PA!* *PAPA!* With the flash of the fireworks everytime, the light would show the side of Ichika's delighted face.
Seeing such a naive expression, Houki suddenly found herself laughable.
--Right now, just being with him is enough.
Thinking about this, Houki looked up at the sky with Ichika.
Red, blue, green, yellow, the fireworks in the sky continued to dazzle in the sky as most of the viewers enjoyed it.
"So pretty..."
"Mn, so pretty."
Looking up at the sky, Houki did something that was somewhat daring—
She linked her own arm with Ichika's left arm.
"Hm? What's the matter?"
"Is it alright?"
"Mn, it's alright."
Ichika just turned to the side for a while, and then his eyes turned to the fireworks in the night sky.
Houki's face was somewhat scarlet red under the fireworks. However, it wasn't because she was shy, but because she was delighted.
The summer memories of a 16-year-old passed by under the dazzling colors of the fireworks—
Chapter 4: A Quintet Causing Trouble in Love
Seeing that doorplate, her heart started to beat furiously.
'Orimura' was written on it. Charlotte read it a few times, and took a deep breath.
(It's OK, it's OK...Ichika said that he'd be at home today, so I won't cause any trouble.)
Charlotte wasn't in the IS Academy's hallways now, but on the street. She hesitantly stared at the intercom below the 'Orimura' doorplate, and the sun's rays relentlessly sprinkled on her blond hair.
(Hu-Ha—today's sun is really strong.....hey! It's not the time to think about that right now.)
While she was thinking about all sorts of things, her finger was going forth and back in front of the button but couldn't press it.
After hesitating a long time, a voice suddenly resounded.
"Huh? Charl? What is it?"
"Fueey?"
Rather abruptly, a voice came from behind, and Charlotte, embarrassed at a 120%, rapidly turned her head.
The one standing behind her carrying shopping bags was Ichika.
"Ah, Ah, that! T-Today's sun is really bright—NO!"
"?"
"T-T-That...."
Charlotte, panicking, couldn't say a single word, and started searching in her brain at full strength, full mobilization of the 256 Charlotte-chan.
"Ca..."
"Ca?"
"I've come over to play♪"
Hehe, after that she filled her face with a smile—though after the words left her mouth, she felt extreme remorse.
(U-U-Uwaaaa. I'm so stupid, I'm so stupid!)
"Is it? Then come in. Though I can't give you a huge welcome."
"I-Is that so? Then I can come in?"
"Of course you can. I obviously can't make you go back--ah, you are free for a bit, aren't you?"
"Y-Yeah. I am! Of course I am! I'm entirely free."
Facing a response that furious, Ichika couldn't help but to step back.
Seeing Ichika's reaction, Charlotte's face became immediately red.
"It's, it's...fine."
"Haha. What a weird one~OK, please enter, the door is open."
"Hn, Hn."
Submissively nodding, Charlotte was thinking inside her head the 'what a weird one~' Ichika said, and couldn't help but to think of hiding herself in a hole.
Though after this bit of vacillation, she quickly entered, rejoicing on the thought of entering Ichika's home.
(This, this is Ichika's home....)
After thinking this far, Charlotte discovered that it was her first time entering a boy's house, and the heartbeat indicator shot up in a straight line.
"By the way, today's really hot, please sit for a moment, I'll go fetch some drinks."
"Hn, hn, thank you."
While saying this, she sat on the sofa, and started looking everywhere.
Ichika's home looks like some normal homes, being a style where the living room is close to the kitchen. There were medieval goods bought by Chifuyu-nee everywhere. Though the things weren't new, under Ichika's care, there wasn't a single speck of dust on them.
(That's impressive, it seems that when Ichika said he was good at housework, he wasn't lying.)
When she was little, at her elementary school in France, there were also many boys who wanted to become like that.
To be honest, Charlotte also really likes people like that.
(Ichika will quickly become the househusband......hehe, househusband.)
After saying this, for some reason she suddenly thought of her life after marriage. She immediately blushed due to the embarrassment, and showed an indistinct expression.
"Here, barley tea."
Ah!?
"Since it was made this morning, the taste is still a bit light, though I think it should be OK."
"Hn, hn, thank you."
Being sucked in her fantasy, Charlotte was suddenly called back to reality, and was scared by Ichika's presence right beside her. She immediately drank the tea to cover her panic.
