"Idiot, that's not the right pose."
He suddenly felt his hand being held. Lemon pressed close, gripping the hand he held the gun with, helping him adjust his posture. Her palm was delicate and smooth, radiating a burning heat that made him a bit uncomfortable.
Staring straight ahead, Lemon said earnestly, "Yukio Mishima wrote in The Sound of Waves that when the ama diver taught the young boy to dive—"
"That was Shinji and Hatsue."
Bang!
The pellet struck the center of the doll.
Kiyono subtly released Lemon's hand and widened the distance between them.
Standing to the side, he watched the athletic girl happily hugging the prize and drifted into mild contemplation: Was I good? Or was she good? If she was good, why couldn't she hit it just now?
After telling Lemon the meeting point, that side quest concluded.
Kiyono continued to wander the festival street, guided by intel from the other girls.
Next, he unexpectedly ran into the pink-haired "heaven-sent" type.
—What is this constant feeling of triggering common-route storylines?! I'm not a GALGAME protagonist!
Kiyono pressed his forehead and sighed. These losing heroines each had their own problems: some were introverted, others airheaded…
But at this moment, the perfect heroine stood right in front of him.
He looked up. In his line of sight, Himemiya Karen held a child in each hand, occasionally wiping the crumbs from their mouths. Her pretty face was gentle, her whole being radiating the sacred glow of a young mother.
"Kiyono?" The pink-haired girl stopped, blinking.
"You've worked hard," Kiyono said sincerely. While Yanami was busy eating and Komari was lost, only Karen was minding the younger siblings!
"Eh, Yuuta and Haruna are both very well-behaved. I'm happy with them—it's not hard at all," Karen chuckled.
Upon seeing Kiyono, Haruna—the kindergarten-age girl—broke into a sweet smile; her pure eyes curved like crescents. She pointed at him and chirped:
"Daddy!"
"Ki—Kiyono? What do you usually teach the children?!" Karen was shocked.
"I never taught them to say that," Kiyono deadpanned.
Before Karen could press further, Haruna turned back, looked up at the pink-haired girl again, and said in a soft, mochi-sweet voice, "Mommy!"
This time, it was Kiyono's turn to glance over with suspicion.
"I didn't realize Miss Himemiya had a hobby of tricking her classmates' little sisters into becoming her daughters," he muttered.
"N-no, that's not it! I—I always tell them to call me big sister!" The girl's face flushed as she stammered.
"Alright, alright—let's go find Sister Yanami and watch the fireworks together."
Kiyono stepped up and pinched the little girl's cheek.
"I'm scared of Sister Yanami. She stares at the food in my hand," Haruna whispered.
Both of their expressions went odd.
A minute later, the greedy little girl, left hand in Karen's and right hand gripping Kiyono's with iron determination, happily walked in the middle. Meanwhile her older brother Yuuta, at an age that cared about appearances, despite envying his sister's treatment, deliberately walked off to the side like a cool, independent boy.
The truly independent pure-love warrior tried to shake off the loli's hand, but every time he moved, her eyes welled with tears—so he surrendered.
"I feel like this is a wonderful scene that would only appear in a dream," the graceful Yamato Nadeshiko smiled.
"Indeed, I've also gained a new understanding of Miss Himemiya's gentleness. To endure these two little rascals for so long at a fun festival—if it were me, I'd probably have handed them to their guardians already," Kiyono tried to lower his favorability.
"Is that so?"
Karen pressed a hand to her cherry-colored lips—nails pink and neat—then tilted her head and glanced at him.
"I think Kiyono would do the same as me, wouldn't you? Because Haruna trusts you so much."
—Oh my!
"Speaking of dreams…"
Her voice turned soft and sweet. "Kiyono, do you think people seen in dreams really appear in reality?"
"Probably—"
Stare.
His words cut off.
A chill rippled up from his bones. Kiyono sucked in a breath.
A girl—a blue-haired girl—appeared before them like a ghost, staring with the eyes of a legendary specter.
"You two have such a good relationship."
Her voice was flat, yet it somehow made his eardrums ache; Kiyono jumped.
"Anna! We've been looking for you!" Though Karen was surprised too, she quickly broke into a heartwarming smile, moved close, and walked alongside her.
Now Kiyono was left alone with the loli.
Yanami glanced over, took a bite of the cotton candy in her hand, and slipped back into her usual lively self, chatting and laughing.
—Boom.
The first firework burst across the night sky.
"Faster, faster!"
They quickened their pace.
After rushing to their spot, Kiyono had just sat down when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen: a message that took up half of it—composed entirely of one emoji.
A pair of eyes.
The eyes of [I'm always watching you].
Kiyono's eyelid twitched. He looked up and met Yanami's gentle gaze.
On the grass at the venue, Komari had already spread a large picnic mat—big enough for everyone. Fries, takoyaki, fried chicken, and candied apples were laid out across it.
In the night sky, fireworks bloomed one after another, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Lemon sighed softly as she watched the sky full of color; Komari quietly hugged her knees, looking up; Karen ate and watched with the two noisy children…
Kiyono's gaze drifted, then instinctively settled on the blue-haired girl beside him. Yanami turned her head.
"I think I dropped my wallet," came the soft whisper at his ear.
Click, click.
Beneath the silver fireworks, the girl in the yukata suddenly took his hand and gently tugged him away.
Kiyono had no time to refuse; he could only let himself be led as blooms thundered overhead.
She guided him through the lively fair and under a vermilion torii. Within its gate lay a clear pond, its surface reflecting the dazzling fireworks.
From here, the display felt different than at the main venue.
Yanami stopped casually by the water's edge.
"You dropped your wallet here?" Kiyono asked, curious.
"I lied," she said, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"Then why did you—"
Kiyono shut his mouth; the real reason had already formed in his mind.
"Consider it compensation. Everyone's here tonight, so I won't keep you too long."
Color spilled across her profile as she looked at him.
Her voice was unusually soft beneath the fireworks' roar.
"Just one minute is enough."
Yanami took a half step closer on her own.
So that's how it is.
Kiyono smiled, hummed assent, and looked up.
Tonight, an enormous full moon hung high; light danced across the sky—two glories reflecting each other.
The girl turned to look at the boy beside her. He stood quietly, gazing at the fireworks. Their flicker made Kiyono's silhouette appear and vanish in shifting light, fleeting and illusory—like a reflection in a mirror or the moon on water.
A strange sadness welled up in her heart.
She wasn't sure of any future possibilities. Kiyono lived in a world far wider than hers, always moving forward, needed by all kinds of people. She couldn't even see his back.
What would their relationship be when circumstances changed? Or rather… wouldn't it be natural to be forgotten? He saw so many girls like her—ordinary, quietly admiring—every day.
But.
Even so.
She didn't want to retreat behind a wall of excuses again.
She wanted to reach out.
Here, in this place closest to the gods—surely a slightly over-the-top action could be forgiven?
Bang!
Another firework climbed into the sky, lighting the heavens.
The girl silently counted down.
One second left.
In that final second, she gently took his hand.
Bang, bang, bang—
Countless fireworks erupted at once; brilliance surged higher and higher, the sound like a roaring waterfall.
In the shimmering light and shadow on the water's surface, their silhouettes seemed to merge into one.
That night.
[Simulation about to start…]
[Current world heroines: ??? Yukinoshita Yukino?, ??? Yuigahama Yui??, ??? Hiratsuka Shizuka?…]
At the same time, the blue-haired girl's eyes sharpened.
The second simulation was about to begin.
Studying the system's prompt panel, Kiyono unhurriedly made a cup of warm milk, then did twenty minutes of stretching to warm up. The hot shower loosened his body; finally, he lay in bed like a baby and pulled up the covers.
For an experienced simulator player, every step is a detail—professional to the bone.
Today's pure-love warrior was invincible.
[Simulator loaded.]
[Start simulation?]
[All outcomes of the simulation are decided by you personally—especially the heroines' emotional paths.]
Is the system hinting at something?
Kiyono clicked his tongue lightly and decisively pressed the start button.
[Simulation starting…]
[Worldline evolving…]