The festival grounds were still alive even after sunset.
Laughter, music, and the smell of grilled food drifted through the cool evening air. Lanterns hung from trees, casting a soft glow across the school courtyard.
Haruto had just finished cleaning up the last few tables from the café when Riku slapped him on the back.
"Good work, manager! You kept us from falling apart. A true hero."
Haruto sighed. "You were supposed to help, not eat all the sample snacks."
"Hey, morale-boosting is work too!" Riku grinned. "Anyway, they're about to start the fireworks. Go find Nakamura before someone else does."
Before Haruto could argue, Riku was gone — probably off chasing free takoyaki.
---
Aoi stood by the edge of the schoolyard, watching as the first spark lit the night sky.
The fireworks bloomed above her — brilliant reds and golds reflecting in her wide eyes.
Haruto walked up quietly beside her, holding two cans of juice.
"Here," he said, offering one. "Café manager's treat."
"Thanks!" she said, taking it with a smile. "Can you believe how pretty it is? It feels like the stars came down to visit."
Haruto followed her gaze. The sky exploded again in color — the sound echoing across the hills.
"Yeah," he murmured. "It's… nice."
They stood in silence for a while. Not awkward — just peaceful.
Aoi's ponytail swayed slightly in the breeze, her face lit up by every burst of light.
Then she laughed softly. "Remember when I spilled lemonade all over the committee room?"
"I remember having to mop it up," Haruto said dryly.
She giggled. "You always make it sound like I'm a walking disaster."
He glanced at her. "You kind of are."
"Hey!" She puffed her cheeks. "That's so mean!"
He chuckled under his breath. "But… it's also kind of fun."
Her expression softened. "So… you don't mind it? Spending time with me?"
The question caught him off guard. He hesitated — not because he didn't know the answer, but because it felt too big to say out loud.
Finally, he looked back up at the fireworks. "No. I don't mind at all."
Aoi smiled, the kind that reached her eyes.
For a moment, she looked ready to say something more — but another firework exploded, bright and loud, painting her face in light.
She blinked, then said quietly, "I'm glad you're my partner, Haruto-kun."
His heart skipped a beat.
He wanted to say something — anything — but the sky above them burst again in color, and somehow, words didn't seem necessary anymore.
They stood side by side, sipping juice, watching the fireworks fade into glittering smoke.
When the last one went off — a huge golden bloom that filled the entire sky — Aoi whispered:
"It's kind of sad when it ends, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Haruto said softly. "But we still get to see the next one."
---
That night, as the crowd began to leave and the lanterns dimmed, Aoi turned to him.
"Next year… let's watch them together again, okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Next year."
And as they walked home under the quiet glow of the streetlights, Haruto realized — somewhere between the laughter and the fireworks — that she had become the brightest thing in his world.