Not as a surprise, we still caught high enough attention when I started making out with my girls. We're not in an obscure location. Just a less crowded place.

That's why as soon as I satisfied Yue who decided to go last with her cup of bittermelon juice, I had them pull their mask back down and we immediately took off from that place.

With Miho having just partially recovered from her state of weakness and dizziness, I made sure to secure a large area around us as we navigated back to the sea of people exploring the festival area.

Since it was already impossible for us to check the stalls one by one, I just plotted out a route that would lead us to the designated place to view the fireworks while letting the girls choose from the stalls we passed by.

lightsnοvεl With the taste of odd dango and bittermelon still lingering in our mouths, they collectively chose something that could completely cleanse it. Though they loved the way I helped them drink it, it's another issue altogether.

First, we went to get some cotton candies, four of which were made bigger than their heads. The stall owner caught a glimpse of their faces so he became a little generous because of their beauties.

Good thing I didn't buy one for me or else, the girls would be mad at him for giving me the regular size.

The girls shared it with me, plucking a bit and directly feeding it to my mouth. Due to that, I could sense the envious gazes from behind us. Some even straight out cursed at how lucky I am while others mocked us for being a showoff.

Well, we didn't need to be bothered by them. We just continued into the next stall.

To our luck, it's kind of an eatery that sells yakisoba and skewers which opens up a space for their customers to eat and rest comfortably.

The stall took up 3 spaces. The owner was probably rich or he just had great connections. In exchange, the prices were... double than normal.

Well, it's fine. I still have some funds left that I looted from Ichihara's goons. I'll thank him again for throwing out money when I see him next.

Hopefully, he stopped cowering behind his guardian and man up to face me.After eating and buying a pack which we would bring to Kaoru-san later, the girls and I continued to the shrine grounds to watch the short parade of the shrine deity's palanquin returning from outside.

Once that was done, we moved to the open area close to the river.

After picking a place where we could sit and relax while waiting for the fireworks display to start, I once again checked on my girls.

"How is it? Feeling better?" I asked Miho as I caressed her cheek from behind her dog mask.

Since it's not a full-face mask, I saw the girl's pleased smile as she gently squeezed my hand.

"I told you. I'm fine. I still hate crowds but I can't sit out creating new memories with you. You're as caring as before... My sky-high pride will never recover when it comes to you."

"I'm glad to hear that. But you see, in my eyes, you're still the same girl as before. Your pride didn't even disappear, you just learned to accept me. You set it aside and made me your most special person..."

Miho's cheeks instantly flared up from that. Then, she pinched my hand and let out her sweet laughter.

I'm just telling the truth though. Because of me, she set aside her pride to get close to the other girls. She even learned to work with them. And despite her discomfort with crowds, she put on a brave front to create more memories with me. If anything, I was extremely grateful for her understanding. My feelings for this girl welled up in my chest, filling me with warmth.lightsnovel

Afterward, my wellness check with the other two girls yielded the same result. My face was probably already flushed red when I arrived in front of the last girl, Yue.

Like the other three who eventually took off their mask to kiss me without difficulty, the girl did the same, ignoring the risk of getting recognized by the other people walking around us.

"I thought I'd already seen enough of your flustered look but this is something new, Ruki," Yue said as her eyes couldn't get me out of her focus.

Her warm hands were already cupping and rubbing my cheeks as she seemed to have picked up a new passion for kneading my face. Well, it's not a problem but Kaoru-san would probably wonder if I got into a fight later."I'm not flustered. You're all just irresistibly sweet today. I can't help it."

"Pfft. You're not this weak to sweetness before. You always had this stone-cold expression, repelling anyone who would come close to you. Yet, we still fall for you. You already know why, right?"

"With all of you repeating that to me every night, will I even forget about it?"

Well, I'm not complaining. It's actually like music to my ears every time they say that.

I'm already this hopeless about them...

Forgetting my feelings and then regaining them all at once... I'm probably gonna suffer a lot if one of them leaves me in the future.

But it's not the time to think about that future yet.

I should just continue taking care of them so they would never think about it.

Yue squeezed my cheeks together before smirking, "That's only right! We can't lose you again, Ruki. No matter what people say in the future, you're the only one for us... I can realize this dream of becoming a singer because of you. Even if it started with a heartbreak, everyone must have noticed it by now through my new songs. I've met you again and the wound you caused has already healed.".

Ah. Right. The song that put her into the limelight was bittersweet then her subsequent songs were full of reminiscence of the past along with her heartbreak. Now, after her short break and the release of new songs, everyone could dissect her new songs to be more colorful and full of affection. It's not a love letter but an announcement of how happy she is now.

Mhm... I have to protect her reformed smile.

"I won't disappear again. I promise." I said as I pushed my head in, giving her a short, fleeting kiss. With my fingers slowly slipping into her hair, fixing her fringes and caressing them smoothly, I continued, "This is still just the beginning. I'll keep coming to see you here so you have to do your best. I'll always be your number one fan. Even if I have this desire to love girls other than you, I have long understood how irreplaceable you are to me... I wish I could say that better. Unfortunately, this is our reality."

Ending that with a bitter smile, I watched Yue's face for a while before pushing for another kiss. Then one by one, Akane, Yua and Miho, who heard our conversation, joined us.

At the same time as the first fireworks blasted open and lightened up the sky, I got surrounded by my girls who got so moved they dragged me somewhere we could get more privacy.

Call us abnormal or anything but this complex relationship will continue to strengthen our bonds with each other.

When the day comes to reveal this to the world, we'll face their scrutiny with our heads held high and without faltering.

Of course, as much as possible, I will be bearing the brunt for all of them. It's my mission to protect them and make them all happy.