noveldepot Chapter 119. Summer Has Arrived
Chapter 119. Summer Has Arrived
After accommodating a certain number of people, the venue for the festival announced that entry would be prohibited due to the large number of people.
The grass and the riverbank were filled with tourists. With only ten minutes left before the fireworks display, people had already set up their photography equipment. The noise from the scene rose and fell, and the lively atmosphere spread even before the sweltering heat of summer.
"Rin, I need to let go... I can't take it anymore."
The sudden words made Rin, who was looking towards the riverbank, turn her gaze to his face.
"What's wrong, brother?"
"It's sweaty hands... I've had so much sweat, I really need to wipe it off."
It doesn't seem to be because of the hot environment.
Even on windless nights, staying still for extended periods won't make you feel hot.
The culprit that caused my body to become like this is entirely—
[Brother, this is me now.]
A scene that did not occur in reality appeared in Kaoru's mind at this moment.
Rin on the subway... her tone and demeanor were completely unfamiliar to everyone.
"I didn't complain at all, but my brother is complaining on his own?"
Rin said this with a slightly dissatisfied tone, and took the opportunity to reach into her pocket with her other hand and hand over a handkerchief that she had prepared in advance.
It was the same orange color as the yukata she was wearing, reminiscent of the sunset streaming into a train carriage at dusk.
Ah... I'm saved.
Taking the handkerchief she offered, Xun carefully dried the sweat from every part of her body, wiping the spaces between her fingers and the sweatiest part of her palms clean.
"Rin, do you want to wipe yourself? You seem to be sweating too."
"No, my brother got my handkerchief dirty, it's disgusting."
"Disgusting... Don't say such cruel things."
"That's how you should deal with your older brother."
After wiping away the remaining sweat from her palms, Xun used the barley tea in the plastic bottle to roughly wash her sticky hands, and the uncomfortable feeling of her skin being coated with a layer of syrup finally disappeared.
He handed the handkerchief back to her.
Rin roughly snatched the handkerchief from Kaoru's hand and put it into the outer pocket of her yukata, then gripped Kaoru's hand tightly without further ado.
Hey! If you do that, all your previous efforts will have been wasted!
Rin seemed to be in a good mood, and Kaoru didn't want to do anything to spoil her mood. After letting out a sigh of compromise, he silently accepted the situation.
Anyway, Rin wouldn't mind this kind of thing—
Even if they say things like "disgusting" or "hateful," they are still very decisive when it comes to taking action.
This is what makes the younger sister so endearing to her older brother.
She will never look down on her older brother; most of the time, her reactions are instinctive, stemming from her proud and aloof nature.
A smile appeared on Kaoru's face as she thought about these things.
"Brother, your smile is disgusting."
Rin, who was standing next to him, noticed that smile and immediately frowned, gripping her right hand even tighter.
"Disgusting...is it? Shouldn't it be a smile full of kindness and concern for her younger sister?"
"I can't imagine what a brother who cares about his sister is like. The kind of brother that exists in my imagination doesn't exist in reality. Brothers are animals whose minds are only filled with women. They would never think about caring for their own sister."
"Uh... don't make me sound worthless..."
"It doesn't matter, anyway, my brother is bad enough, no matter how much I belittle you, you will never meet my expectations."
...Is this something to be thankful for?
Is he really an inadequate older brother?
Just thinking about these things made Kaoru unable to resist the urge to scratch her hair. At that moment, a breeze occasionally swept by, and the cool touch of the summer night wind gently caressed her cheeks, quickly dispelling much of the heat in her palms.
His gaze lingered on Rin's silent profile.
Her bangs, which were sticking to her forehead, were blown around by the wind. It seemed that ever since she left the house, she had been wearing this serious, thoughtful expression.
It's unpleasant to sense that the other person is hiding their feelings.
"Rin, you seem to laugh less often lately."
Kaoru isn't the type to run away from trouble. If Rin keeps his worries bottled up inside, he can't help but think about related things.
Self-blame, guilt, and other complex feelings would flood my mind.
"Yes, it's all thanks to you, brother."
Rin spoke in an incredibly relaxed tone, yet her words carried a heavy weight.
Her bangs, blown by the wind, continued to sway in her field of vision.
"If I ever become burdened, the root of my pain will only be my brother."
"cold......"
"Even if you tell me, it won't change the current situation, right? If that's the case, why are you so insistent on making me express my thoughts? You've always thought that you'd feel better if I just spoke up, right? But reality remains the same as before, nothing has changed, and in the end, I'm just letting you down... It must be painful, why am I the one facing such unfair treatment? You've never considered these things."
Rin's slightly trembling voice entered his mind.
Next-
If we say nothing and do nothing, reality will develop as Rin said, and will remain unchanged.
Troublesome things still happened.
What is happening will not end.
and so--
"Rin, tell me, I don't want to see you unhappy because of me... So, even if it's just this one thing that can be changed, I will try my best to do it."
By the time I realized it, my body had already involuntarily revealed my inner thoughts.
Rin's eyes reddened and her shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably.
Seeing her like that makes my heart clench uncontrollably.
Something has to be done.
"Alright, since you want to hear it so much, brother, I'll tell you what's on my mind."
With a sob in her voice, Rin seemed incapable of thinking.
However, when she resolutely said those words, such things no longer mattered.
"I... I've always admired my brother since I was little. He's always a step ahead of his peers in everything he does, he's always praised by those around him, he's always protected me like a father... I really like him. Can my brother understand? I know we're siblings, even though we're not related by blood. But this boundary binds us, and the outcome I hope for will never happen. I've been suppressing my feelings for my brother, and it's so painful... Especially when I see him walking with other women, my heart stops beating... But... but... I have no other way to stop it all. I can't take away my brother's right to love, so I have to take away my own right to love... It's so painful... My brother will never know..."
As she spoke, tears streamed down Rin's cheeks.
She cried uncontrollably. Rin, whom she remembered as always being strong, always silently bearing all the troubles alone, and who had longed for herself but had long since become the object of admiration, was now crying like a child. She reached into her pocket, trying to take something out to wipe away her tears, but in the end, she only found a handkerchief soaked in sweat. Suddenly, she began to laugh weakly, a smile as unreal as melting snow, beneath which lay a despair and sorrow that no one could empathize with.
The sound of cicadas could be heard from afar.
Xun lowered her face, then suddenly raised it again as if she had made up her mind.
Just as he was about to speak, the night sky above him was illuminated.
The cicadas' chirping subsided as if the tide were receding.
In the next instant.
The belated explosion caused the surrounding air to tremble. Rin raised her face, and in her blurry, tear-filled eyes, she saw a tail of light, more dazzling than the sun, trembling as it rose into the sky, breaking free from the control of gravity in an almost violent manner.
The clouds were illuminated, gilded with a golden hue, and a dazzling orb of light rose to the highest point, making its final stand.
Even a half-second lapse in concentration would cause the beam of light to be pulled toward the ground by gravity.
However, only one thing appeared in mid-air—
With a loud bang, a golden flower appeared in the night sky, its sparks scattering and drifting to the ground. As the surroundings fell silent, another burst of sparks bloomed in mid-air.
The jarring echoes of summer reached my ears.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
A dazzling and brilliant radiance.
The feel of summer.
A heart beating rapidly.
Everything before my eyes seemed to have been paused.
Fireworks burst into the night sky one after another, and as they faded, dozens more burst into bloom overhead, illuminating Rin's face. Only her tears remained unaffected, sliding down her cheeks and silently falling onto the grass at her feet.
The cracking sounds seemed endless.
"So beautiful... Rin."
Xun clenched the hand that was enveloped in her palm.
My gaze...I couldn't take it off her profile.
The other hand gripped his hand with the same force, and then, as if making a decision, it leaned its cheek closer.
Their lips touched, carrying the humid heat of summer. Strands of hair, illuminated by sparks, fluttered against their cheeks in the breeze. Coming back to their senses, Rin's cheeks were already flushed with a subtle blush.
There is no intention to stop here.
As if to release all the emotions that had been suppressed for so long, Rin's kiss took over her mouth in an almost frantic manner. At this moment, she was completely unaware that she was in a public place and could feel the gazes on her from all around.
It's as if I've already completely fallen into it.
On Rin's face was a kind of obsession with abandoning everything.
Should I push it away...?
Kaoru hesitated for a second, then abandoned her decision to do so.
Ignoring everything, I pressed my lips down with the same force.
The weight applied to her body caused Rin to lose her balance and fall onto the grass behind her. Kaoru rushed over without hesitation, and under the astonished gazes of passersby, their lips met.
"elder brother......"
Rin, captivated by the kiss, uttered cute yet indistinct sounds.
At first, she clutched Xun's clothes tightly out of shyness, but she quickly banished her shame from her mind and paid no attention to the intense gazes on her body and the gasps of passersby.
Brother... Brother...
so......
"cold......"
No...don't disappear...
"cold!"
Please... don't do that kind of thing...
"cold!"
My thoughts returned to reality.
The scene before my eyes—
Kaoru's brows furrowed in worry, and the fireworks behind her gradually subsiding.
That kind of thing... naturally didn't happen.
"Why... have you been crying since the very beginning?"
"You suddenly burst into tears... I was startled. I called your name many times but you didn't respond. Rin... what happened?"
As the night sky gradually calmed down, the scene from just moments ago vanished like a dream.
Rin shook her head slightly and spoke in a firm tone.
"No...nothing at all. I just thought the sparks were so beautiful that I couldn't help but cry in front of my brother..."
"What strange things are you saying? How could anyone cry over something like this? Rin... if you have something important to say, don't hide it from me. I want to know what you're really thinking."
If you're indifferent to the consequences of speaking out, then such a thing could probably be done very easily.
She felt no burden whatsoever, and didn't care even if it made her brother feel incredibly heavy.
But...
I can't do something that would make my brother feel burdened.
and so--
"It's just a little nostalgic... Do you remember, brother? When we were little, we went to the riverbank to watch fireworks and made a promise to each other ten years from now."
"The agreement...you mean...that thing?"
"Yes, ten years from now, something good will definitely happen to my brother and me that will change our lives. When that day comes, my brother and I will face it together."
"Well, for me, the good things actually happened a long time ago."
Xun placed her palm on the top of her head, gently repeating the same action as if she were stroking a small animal.
Enjoying the feeling of being touched like that, Rin nestled against his shoulder.
His eyes then closed.
In the next instant, thousands of sparks flew into the air so intensely that they could drown out a heartbeat.
[Brother, I love you so much!]
Those unspoken words, those buried deep within the heart, will die completely, along with the extinguished flames, and this heart itself—
Even so, that most sincere feeling will not change in the slightest.
Tomorrow, the future, the next ten years.
I will still hopelessly fall in love with my brother.
Imagining the warm touch of their lips pressed together, the moment she closed her eyes, icy tears streamed continuously from her eyes.
In the distance, the chirping of cicadas, which had just disappeared, drifted back.
Summer has arrived.