We kept making the rounds of the stalls, and before I knew it the fireworks start time was almost on us. We spread a picnic sheet on the grass and sat.
The two of them had bought paid-area tickets in advance, so the view was going to be ideal. The pre-launch announcement ended, and the moment the festival start time hit, the first shell launched into the night sky. From there, fireworks went up nonstop and color-flowers filled the dark.
“Fireworks really are the best.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while — kind of moved by it, honestly.”
“This is the summer of Japan feeling, exactly.”
The three of us watched the bright sparks scatter and fade into the night sky and talked. Fireworks really are exciting at any age.
“Genuinely gorgeous.”
“By the way, Ryouya-kun — between the fireworks and us, which is prettier?”
“Hey — what a question to drop on me!?”
“Want to hear Ryouya’s answer.”
I’d been muttering distractedly, and now they were both looking at me with full expectations. I had to answer.
”…Reona and Riona, I guess.”
“So in Ryouya-kun’s view, me and Riona are prettier than fireworks.”
“Will never forget those words.”
I’d agonized before answering, and now I felt I’d picked the wrong option. Although — if I’d said the fireworks, they’d have gotten mad. Neither option was correct.
This question had no winning answer. I was going to get teased about this for months. We kept watching, and ninety minutes flew by.
“That went fast.”
“Yeah. Felt like thirty minutes.”
“My first Kisarazu fireworks — really fun.”
Satisfied, we folded up the sheet. Massive crowd movement was happening — better to wait before joining the migration. As I was thinking that, Reona, looking at her phone, spoke up.
“Slight problem…”
“What now?”
“Look at this.”
She showed me the screen. The status board for the Uchibo Line, which we’d been planning to take home, said suspended due to a fatal incident, and the resumption time was unknown.
”…Of course it is. That’s going to be a headache.”
“With the trains out, the bus is going to be packed. We might not even fit on one.”
“Taxi back to Tokyo from here is at least twenty thousand yen.”
“That’s a lot. Even split three ways, it stings.”
For reference, the train would’ve cost about two thousand yen per person, so three taxi fares is at least three times more even by a conservative estimate.
“Taking a chance on the bus is risky. Probably just bite the bullet and taxi.”
“Oh — alternatively, let’s just stay somewhere tonight and head back tomorrow.”
“Good plan.”
“Hold on, that is very much not a good plan.”
Riona had instantly seconded Reona’s proposal, but I had not.
“Did either of us actually say same room?”
“Are you planning on us staying in the same room, Ryouya?”
“Th-that—”
I’d been operating on the assumption it was the same room, so I floundered. Years of training under their stunts had calibrated my sense of normal off — but yes, normally an undated guy and two girls do not share a room.
“I mean, anything other than with Ryouya-kun is unthinkable, but.”
“Riona and I are kind — we never leave Ryouya out.”
Reona-and-Riona running on factory settings. Stop toying with the heart of a virgin.
“Hold on — wouldn’t staying overnight be even more expensive? I can’t imagine any cheap rooms are open.”
“Oh — don’t worry, it’s a love hotel, those aren’t expensive.”
“Three people stay for around five thousand yen.”
“A love hotel is literally the one place we should not stay—!?”
How does a normal person arrive at love hotel as the answer here? Maybe — no, definitely — Reona and Riona had a few screws loose.
“So I’ll use the command I earned earlier. Tonight we stay together at a love hotel.”
“I trust Ryouya-kun isn’t the kind of person who’d break a promise.”
”…Fine.”
There was no way to refuse. Whatever. This was my third sleepover with them — probably it would be fine.