'Ah!　They're here!
Come on, come on!　The fireworks are going to start!
Hey, good evening...

　Since the time for the fireworks was approaching, we managed to join Hassumi and the others without getting lost in the sea of people.
　Like Amana, the three of us were all wearing yukatas that suited us.
　If you look behind them, there were two women who were probably their parents.

Nishiyama-san and Kitatani-san. Thank you for inviting my daughter and I to the festival today.
Good evening, Minami-san. The yukata looks good on you!　Should I have worn it too?
Well, I'm sure Nishiyama-san would look good, just like Hasumi-chan.

　The first to reply to Amari's greeting seemed to be Hasumi's mother.
　The dynamic look is definitely similar........
　It's not too much to say to the person in question, but it's no exaggeration to say that she's a picture-perfect mother.

　As I was thinking this, I noticed a mature-looking woman wearing glasses coming up to me.

It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
'Eh....'
''Oh excuse me........my name is Izumi Kitatani, Tomoyuri's mother. I heard from my daughter that there is a man who is a good friend of her and Tenna, and since we're together, I thought that was true...
Oh, that kind of....well, I'm Kazu Hayakawa. Chiyuri-chan's energetic appearance always encourages me.
'She's a bit of a screw-up like me, but nice to meet you.

　Embarrassed, Izumi bowed her head and bailed.

　
　But her character is not similar to her mother.
　Maybe she has the same personality as her father.

'Huh?　Are Kana's fathers gone?
Well, my mom and dad had to do a lot of work on Kyu, so we came with Hasumi-chan's mom.
Oh, my goodness. Well, why don't you sit next to me and watch the fireworks?
Thanks, lady...

　

　And so everyone is here, but there's still some time before the fireworks.
　So.........

''Yes, Amana-chan. Happy birthday.
'What? You sure?

　When I handed her a small palm-sized box that I had in my pocket, Amana-chan rolled her eyes in surprise.

　That's right, today is not only the Summer Festival, but also Amana's birthday, and I've already bought her a gift for this day.
　I've already purchased a gift for this day in advance.
　Well, it's not too big, so it's a hairpin set that the girls would love.

　The place I bought it was a place, so I'm glad Kuroone-sensei was there so I didn't feel so cramped....
　By the way, my sister's advice was also very helpful when choosing the hairpin and its design.

'That's right!　We'll give you a gift for your birthday too!
We were all three of us!
Will you accept...?
'Wow!　Thanks, guys!

　After receiving the diary from Hasumi and the others, Amana thanked them while holding it with both hands as if it were a precious gift.
　Just like the camera set with a mini printer that she had taken at the ring toss shop earlier, choosing a necessity for Amana-chan to engrave her memories....
　I could see her smile naturally break out at the good timing, even if it was a coincidence.

'Good for you, Amana.'
Yes, I'm so happy!
'I'll give you a present from your mum when you get home.
Really?　Ehehe, I'm so excited!

　Perhaps because she was able to celebrate her daughter's birthday, Amari's tone feels much softer.
　Even if the facts about her real mother are known, the fact that they have become a closer family than ever before is probably a big part of the reason why the wall in her mind that existed inside her has disappeared.

　Just being able to see them laughing at each other was extremely satisfying for me.

　........that's when I felt it.




　I'm going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

　With a loud sound that shook the summer sky to the core of my body, a large brightly colored flower bloomed.
　It disappears in less than 10 seconds, but in the blink of an eye, the next large flower blooms.

''Ooh~tama~!

　The brilliance of the fireworks, which shot up one after another, made Kuro-One scream in admiration in an unbearable tone.
　Not only my sister, Amari and the other adults were also looking up at the sky in silence.

''Whoa!　It's huge!
I was surprised when I suddenly heard a loud noise, but it was amazing!
It's beautiful...
It's so sparkly!

　Children are especially excited.
　Their adorable eyes are wide open, and the sky of fireworks is burned into their memories for as long as a second.

　.........

　........I haven't seen fireworks in a long time.
　When was the last time I saw them.......was it when I was in high school?
　I can't remember it clearly because I've been so busy with my daily deliveries that I don't have the chance to come to the festival like this anymore, even though I'm a working man.

　Nevertheless, every time the sound of the fireworks echoed in my brain, my heart was certainly moved by it.
　Even though it's not the first time I've seen them, today's fireworks were particularly beautiful and I felt like crying.
　For some reason, I don't think I can put the reason for that feeling into words, even if I want to.

　However, if you just watched ordinary fireworks, your heart would not be shaken to this extent, but I understand the reason naturally.

"Onii-san, that's a beautiful fireworks display!
I suppose...

　I return the words of a girl who has much smaller hands than I do, with an unmistakable sincerity.
　It may be because Amana-chan is with you, who has no pretensions or pride, or any of that stuff, just pure admiration for the scenery in front of you.
　I wonder if it's because just by being next to her like this, I can stop stretching myself unnecessarily and just be myself, that I feel so much lighter.

　If possible, I hope she doesn't lose her innocence, even when she becomes an adult.

I thought to myself, "Hey, Amana-chan, why don't you go up a little higher and watch the fireworks? Shall we go a little higher to watch the fireworks?
"?　How are we going to do this?
'I'll just hold Amana-chan in my arms. Of course, I'm not going to force you if you don't want to, but...
'You sure?　I want to see it!
Oh, I've got it.

　Amana accepted the suggestion that came to her on the spur of the moment with no time to spare.
　I wondered if she had heard the conversation or not, but Amari, who looked at me sideways, smiled at me, so I didn't hesitate to hold her small body as she sat on my arm.

''Whew!　Sparkles!　Oh, man, don't you feel better?
'It's not much lighter than my usual luggage. Won't it be scary for you too, because it's suddenly too expensive?　Hold on tight so I don't get distracted by the fireworks and fall off, okay?
'Yes!　You're not scary because your brother is with you!

　Amana-chan, who is now in the same line of sight, smiles brightly as if she couldn't be happier.
　Seeing that smile, even more than the fireworks, made me smile as I was caught up in it.

'Hey, Onii-san,'
Hmm?
Can you just go ahead and do something else like you did with your girlfriend?
I...

　I don't know if it was the heat or the light from the fireworks, but her soft cheeks were tinted red, and she held up the little finger of her left hand with a shy look in her eyes.
　I don't have to tell you how cute she is, but most importantly, Amana wants me to come back next year.

　
　The difference in size is such that it could be broken if touched, but it was tied tightly together as if not to let go.　　

"──Ah. Let's watch fireworks together next year. I promise.
"...　Heh, heh, hell no!

　Amana gave me a big smile at being able to make a promise.

　Even though it's only been a year, kids grow up so fast.
　Will I still be able to hold her like this next year?
　Maybe I should call it parental love, just thinking that makes me feel sad and happy at the same time.

''Ahhhh!　You're being harassed by your brother!　Next time I want you to hold me in your arms too!
It's not fair!　I want to see the fireworks even closer!
I wish Kana could hold you in her arms...
'Oops!　Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, I get it, just calm down!
"Dame!　It's Amana's banquet now!

　Starting with Hasumi noticing our outfits, Chiyuri and Kana-chan are pestered by us as well.
　I could tell they were very jealous of us by the way they tugged on the hem of our clothes to express their selfishness.
　It's like being crowded by a bunch of hungry kittens.

　Amana proudly wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me as if she doesn't want to give me her treasured stuffed animal.
　I can't put into words how happy I am... Maybe I was a stuffed animal in a previous life.
　No, that can't be it.　

The first thing to say is, "Oh my goodness! Ms. Hayakawa-san is easily taken in by children, isn't she~
My husband would be so jealous if he knew.
''(It's not very popular to be envious of a child's partner, but if I could, I'd want Kaz-san to hold me too...)''
'Awesome~ Aniki. It's totally a Lori harem.

　The two parents are coming to look at me with some kind of smiling gaze, and Amari seems to be complicated, for what it's worth.
　Or rather, I want to stop the black sound from talking about something tremendously disturbing.

　The gazes of the people around you are not strangely disconcerting, but are gentle, as if they were witnessing a precious scenery.
　It's extremely embarrassing to attract attention in this way, but...!

　I can't even think about fireworks anymore because of the way the kids beat me up, but I'll never forget the summer festival I had with Amana and her friends today.