It's July 7th and there is a festival called Tanabata. There is a tendency among people to write their wishes on strips of paper, or what they call a Tanzaku, and hope that they become true.
People used to say that it was the day when Orihime and Hikoboshi meet once a year, but I think the story that wishes come true is more widespread to the youth.
Well, my life wouldn't be so boring if I could make my wishes come true just by decorating bamboo strips on the bamboo branch. But still, I guess human beings can't help but wish for things even when they know they can't be truly fulfilled.
A light blue strip of paper held in her right hand.
The writing is just a bunch of bland words. This strip of paper didn't contain any of my wishes, I just wrote it as my mother told me to.
The other company bigwigs see this strip of paper, which is filled only with my mother's desires, and not mine.
My mother has taught me and made me do countless things since I was a little girl, saying it was for the company's business.
A woman approaches with a steady thud.
The woman wearing a bright purple-colored kimono, a kimono that anyone would recognize as expensive at a glance, is my mother. She looks so good that it's hard to believe she had two children, and even if you told me she was still in her late twenties, I'd believe it.
"Haruno, have you finished writing your Tanzaku? It's your birthday, and you know the star of the show has to be there before anyone else."
Yes, today is Tanabata, and it's also my birthday. But I have no good memories of my birthday.
I've attended many parties with my parents since I was little, and birthdays are just one of those parties. My birthday, for my mother, is solely another day for company.
Hear what they had to say, and then give them the kind of phase they want and smile the kind of smile they want. That's it.
But instead, all I get is a sickening smile, a condescending glance, and a probing look. I was born on the romantic day when Orihime and Hikoboshi meet once a year, but I was far away from them.
"I know. I've already finished it, so let's go, Mom."
It is hilarious that it disgusts me.
"Thank you for everything. I hope you will continue to patronize us."
A middle-aged man laughs.
The president of a company whom we may form a partnership with in the future came to today's party.
Just give him a firm handshake and flatter him with a smile that men want, as always.
But if I do that with dozens of people, I get tired, too.
"Oh, I see. I didn't know a thing about it. I'm learning a lot from you, boss."
I don't feel good.
"Your hair looks great. You must have a great reputation at the company."
It's disgusting, it's disgusting.
"I don't have a boyfriend or anything yet. Oh, you want to get XXX? No, no, you're better than me."
It's disgusting, disgusting, disgusting.
"Engagement? I think it's a little early for that kind of thing."
Creepy, creepy, creepy, creepy, creepy...
I don't know when I started to hate going to parties so much, but I've always been able to put up with it. I could put up with it. And yet, for some reason, I can't keep it down these days.
My heart appeals to me that I don't want to be this fake self. I really don't know what it is, and I've never had anything like this until recently. Maybe it's because I'm now a college student, and I've started talking about getting engaged.
No, no, no. That kind of thing has been around since high school. …I know it's true.
Not since I met him.
After I met him and got to know him, I hated being me. My mask, which he says is a reinforced exoskeleton.
I was surprised when he spotted that at first glance. I couldn't believe that my mask, which I had built up all these years, could be seen through by a mere high school student. But as I got involved with him, I found him interesting, got jealous of his relationship with the girls, and messed with them a lot.
It's because I, Yukinoshita Haruno, who has always been expected to be perfect, for the first time found out that they could get what I wished for from the bottom of my heart.
Nothing but a fake.
What I wanted-
I got a drink from a waiter who was passing by.
It is a luxury hotel and the waiters working there are all top-notch.
They wear a spiffy, high-end suit and work with manual care. But then you find one waiter there who is moving abnormally.
For some reason, a waiter is serving on the other side, not facing me. He turned his hunched back toward me and I could feel his iron will not turn toward me at any cost.
It is probably why the customers are a bit curious about him, but there's something else he'd rather not expose at.
I hand my drink to the nearest waiter and walk up to the hunchbacked waiter.
If I knew him, there's no way he'd be working here. I decided to call out to him on the opportunity that it might be possible.
"Hi-ki-ga-ya-kun~ What are you doing here?" The waiter's back jumped.
This is apparently a hit.
"I'm Hikitani, not Hikigaya. I'm Hikitani, but you must be mistaking me for someone else." The waiter who looked back at me wore glasses and a fancy suit, like the rest of them.
"I'm sure you'll be able to fool me with such a boring excuse, Hikigaya-kun? You know you're a lousy liar, don't you?"
"Wow, I get it. It's my loss, Yukinoshita-san." I'm delighted to see Hikigaya-kun raise his arm to forfeit.
The glasses that he wears so casually suit him so well that even I might have missed them if he hadn't been acting so suspicious.
I robbed his glasses and checked his usual rotten eyes.
Yeah, rotten eyes as always.
But, well, why is he really here?
"I've been working for my father's acquaintance for a while now, and he asked me to do it just for today. The hourly rate was good, and I thought it would be okay if it was just for a day..." Hikigaya-kun looked at me awkwardly as he spoke.
"I see, so you just happened to find me in trouble."
"I've been trying not to get caught because I don't know what I would do if Yukinoshita-san found me here."
I don't know if it's conscious or unconscious to casually blurt it out, but...
"So I spotted you deliberately, huh, Hikigaya-kun?"
"No. If you think so, can I go back to work now?" If I were to be accused of such a frightened look, even I would be in trouble.
"No~"
I'm not certain how it could be, but my favorite person came to me in such a boring situation, so I couldn't let him get away, could I?
"I'm uncertain if I can go out with Yukinoshita-san because I have to work as a waiter, and it's a favor from a friend of my father's. So if I don't work hard, it will damage his credibility, right?"
I wonder if Hikigaya-kun thinks I'll let him get away with such an excuse that's 80% to escape and 20% for my father's sake.
And, you know what? It's like him when he implicitly tells you that you know what he's talking about.
Well, that's the funny thing about it, too.
"Well, I'll go and check. I know the manager here, so it's fine. So wait here, okay?"
"Eh? Hey! Wait!" I shook off his restraining voice and went to ask the manager of this hotel.
The manager and I have known each other for many years as we have a party here every time it is my birthday
And then, once and for all, his permission to use it came down to me easily.
At first, they thought that Hikigaya-kun had done something wrong and came to complain, but when I told them that I liked it and wanted to borrow him, he immediately replied, "Okay."
"Then you'll be my waiter for the rest of the day, Hikigaya-kun. You've done it!" I can't help but laugh when I see him listening to my voice with such a defeated look on his face.
"I'm apprehensive that I'm not going to get a promotion, that I'm going to go to heaven with all the stress I'm under. I don't know if I'll make it back alive today." I forced Hikigaya-kun, who was mumbling, to pull me along and look around at the dishes.
Luckily, I was able to find him at a perfect time, since my greeting party as the main person was over, and I only had to remain in the hall after this.
"Hoh, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Of course you are, you're my waiter for the day."
"No, no, but the others mugged too." I screwed a bite-sized piece of roast beef into his mouth.
I think I may have never seen a face that looked so stunned, not understanding what had happened for a second.
"How's it going? Do you like being fed by your sister?"
"That's just because the meat here was made from good meat, and it tastes delicious, and I don't think it matters who fed it to you."
The actuality that you can't get a good deal more than a few of these, you're going to need to have a look at the actuality that you'll be able to get a lot of these.
Well, but I'm not sure whether I can get any twisted feedback here.
"I'm uncertain whether that's true or not. Well then, Hikigaya-kun, give me one too." Then he hands me the meat stuck in his fork.
"What? What is this? You're not asking me to do this, are you?" In a complete change, Hikigaya-kun looks puzzled.
"I can't do it. It's impossible, Yukinoshita-san. Even just being with Yukinoshita-san is enough to make you stand out, but if you do that, you'll stand out even more."
He is making excuses as if he's rushing, but he says he would rather not stand out. I wonder if he knows that it's too late for that when he's with me, the star of the day.
I looked around briefly and saw that some, but not all, were looking at us.
Especially the one who told me about her engagement and her boyfriend, who looks like a pigeon that's been hit by a peashooter.
It is really laughable.
"But you see, I think it's too late for that." I'll tell Hikigaya-kun to take a look and let him know what's happening.
Because it's going to be more interesting that way.
Sure enough, he's looking more confused than before, and he seems to be in a hurry to figure out what to do.
"I'm not sure if it's a good idea to have a new one, but I'm sure it's a good idea to have a new one."
"No wonder because you're here with the star of this party, aren't you?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Huh? Hikigaya-kun... did you work here without knowing what kind of party it was?
And so, Hikigaya-kun, who looked surprised for a while, paled as if he noticed something.
"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" I'll be deliberate and worry about him.
"Haruno-san, could it be that this party is..."
"Yes, it's my birthday party. You got it, Hikigaya-kun. You're the star of my birthday party all to yourself." He is depressed, as if it's all over.
"So, yes." I hold out the fork again to him, who is sitting up. Seeing that, Hikigaya-kun started trembling.
Today, his expression is fascinating as it changes from one expression to the other.
Well, I'm the one who's causing them to change.
"You're a demon! No, you're a devil. You're a devil, remember?"
What a surprise... trying to escape by saying that. But it's sweet. As sweet as max coffee.
"Tsuzuki." All I have to do is call him one word, and he will easily catch back up to him.
Hikigaya-kun, who once again gives off a negative aura as if it's the end of the world.
He's the butler that mom approved of, after all.
"Welcome back, Hikigaya-kun."
"No, um, may I go now?"
"Hmm?"
"No, so, "Hmm?" It... it's nothing." It looks like he needs to be punished for asking such an obvious question.
While I'm thinking about what I'm going to do this time, someone approaches me. And the fun comes to an end.
"Ha-Haruno, what are you doing?" The person who called my name is a woman.
There's only one person in this place who falls under that category.
"Mom..."
Hikigaya-kun, huh? What? I'm not in a position to worry about that right now.
"Who's that over there, Haruno?"
It was a mistake that my mother found out that I was with him, but I thought of something interesting. Besides, I'm convinced this will be one hell of a punishment for him.
If you do it, your mother and the people who came today will probably be surprised.
But today is my birthday.
I've been putting up with a lot until now, so it's okay if I go through with my selfishness at least today. Besides, today is Tanabata, the seventh day of the seventh month, which is supposed to be the day when wishes come true.
And so, I spin thoughts that I can no longer tell if they are true or false.
"I'm dating Hikigaya-kun over here, and we've made a promise for the future, Mom."
The very first time I saw the bomb, everyone there was frozen in place, as if time had stopped. That's no exception, not even my mother.
Of course, the statement is a complete lie.
Her usual dignified air has gone, and she is looking at us with a stunned expression. No, to be precise, she's looking back at both of us alternately.
The other one, who was being watched, looked at me asking for my help, with an expression of confusion from what just happened.
That's also because most of the people around me are looking at him, not me. Because many people here know a little about me because we've been at parties and stuff like that numerous times.
But I never had any of those floating rumors.
"Really... is that true, Haruno?"
"Yes, it is."
I can hear the weak voice from my mother. The weakest voice I've ever heard.
I wonder if she's in shock, but if so, I'm happy to let my mom have her fill.
She walked past me, and stood in front of him.
I've thought about all the things my mom would say to him, but most of them are negative.
I can even see a future where I get slapped as hard as she can at the worst possible ending. It's the same for Hikigaya-kun, his face is turning as pale as a human could possibly do, and he looks as if he's about to die.
Even so, those rotten eyes are still asking for our help. But I'm curious what my mom would say, so I pretend not to notice that SOS.
Then she eventually, slowly opens her mouth. "Please take care of my daughter-no, take care of Haruno."
"Huh?" I don't know which of the words escaped my mouth.
Either from Hikigaya-kun, me, or both, my mother bows her head neatly and bows to him.
I don't understand.
There's no way that that mom would approve of him, even if the heavens were turned upside down.
No matter which pattern I tried to simulate, there wasn't a single pattern that Mother would approve of with him. And yet, Mother is bowing her head and asking him for a favor.
I thought a company-first mother wouldn't allow something like that unless he was the son of some big company.
I really can't keep up with my thoughts.
The most important thing to remember is that the best way to get the most out of your car is to make sure that it is a good one.
"Ha, ha." Then finally, the only thing that came out of him was a raw answer.
But mother, perhaps satisfied with what she heard, turned on her heel and left the place.
I was the one who started moving the fastest as the whole hall froze, and I hurried after my mother.
It hadn't been that long since I left the room, or maybe it wasn't that long since I left the room, but I ran and caught up with her right away.
"Wait, Mom, what you just said..." She looks back at me, perhaps noticing me.
Before I could say anything, she interrupted me. "I'm happy for you, Haruno, it seems your wish came true."
A wish? I don't remember making such a wish, and I never thought it would come true in the first place.
And yet, she says she's glad that my wish came true.
Is that about being able to feed one to your mother?
I ask my mother, wondering. "What's a wish? I don't have a-"
"Oh, you don't remember? It was when you were little. You wrote it on a strip of paper we got in kindergarten."
Tanzaku from Kindergarten?
There is no way I could remember what I wrote on those strips of paper, and I'm more surprised that my mom bothered to remember them.
"What did I write about it?"
"Mmm-hmm." Suddenly, my mother starts laughing.
My mother, who doesn't usually laugh, is laughing.
What did I wish for when I was a little girl?
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was just laughing at the memory. Likewise, I'm sure it was..."
"May I marry the man I love."
"Marry the man I love? How can you say that's what I really want? Don't make me laugh."
"Oh, but Haruno, you're crying."
"Damn it!" Tears stream from my eyes, just like my mom told me.
It can't be. That can't be what I asked for. I would never have such a maidenly wish, it must be a lie.
But no matter how much you deny it in your head, your heart will destroy it.
"So, please do me a favor, Hikigaya-san." Mom calls out to the back of the room.
I also turned around and there was Hikigaya-kun standing there, just as mother said.
"Why... are you here?"
"No, well, I was worried about Yukinoshita-san. Or rather, I couldn't leave her alone." Apparently, he was worried about me and came looking for me, but he was unlucky enough to have heard everything, and he looked batty.
Seeing a face like that makes my heart react.
I'm confident that's never happened before. I'm sure I've never felt these feelings before. Just looking at him makes my heart scream like it's going to burst.
July 7th, Tanabata day, the day when wishes are supposed to come true. So for once, I'm going to seriously wish for it.
To make my wish come true.
"Hey, Hikigiya-kun, will you marry me?"
"That's... sorry, I can't."
I was denied. Ah, I knew my wish would never come true.
What a thought. My heart is screaming.
"...Sorry, I have to go."
"Wait a minute! I'm not finished talking to you!" Hikigaya-kun calls out to me as I'm about to run away.
I stopped and looked back just one more time.
"You dumped me, what else do you have to say?" I ask back in a full-on grumpy mood.
He was afraid to open his mouth, too, as if he understood.
"No, no, no, I mean, I don't think marriage is out of the blue, so why don't we start by getting to know each other? I mean, why don't we start by getting to know each other?"
"What?" I didn't know what he said.
"Can you say that again? I didn't hear you right." He is staring at me intently with his cheeks flushed red.
"Uh, will you go out with me?" The reply to him is, of course, obvious.
I dived towards his chest with all my might.
It was so sudden that he couldn't support me, and he just collapsed.
Thudding is a sound that doesn't belong in a luxury hotel, I hit my body a little, but I'm more than happy now, I don't feel any of those things at all.
"Well, does this mean it's fine?"
"Of course, Hachiman."
I thought wishes would never come true.
Once a year on Tanabata day and my birthday, I've always had a bad day, but thanks to today, I think I'm going to like it better from now on!
"Take care of me, my future husband."
