Natsuiro Matsuri IF - If I Hadn't Chased the Fireworks That Day
Summer of his second year in high school. Yuto gets a sudden call from Matsuri Natsuiro, a classmate he secretly admires. "I want you to chase fireworks with me!" Her words make no sense, but they sparkle. Before he knows it, Yuto is swept up in Matsuri's 'All-Japan Summer Festival Crossing Tour.' Her goal is to find Aoi, her best friend who she was separated from as a child. There's only one clue: Aoi appears for just a moment at a different summer festival every year. Relying on that alone, Yu
Natsuiro Matsuri IF - If I Hadn't Chased the Fireworks That Day - Lake Suwa, the first fireworks with you
The Shinkansen began to slow down gradually.
Outside the window, the green of the mountains and the townscape spreading between them came into view. The electronic information board displaying the station names read "Lake Suwa."
"[excited]We're here! Yuuto, hurry, hurry!"
Matsuri leaped up from her seat and casually grabbed her backpack from the overhead rack. Her small frame of 157 centimeters carrying a large bag looked a little unbalanced, but she wasn't the type to care about that.
Her ponytail bounced.
"[sigh]I know, I know. The station isn't going to run away even if you don't rush me."
I stood up while stretching. My body, stiff from the long journey, creaked.
I happened to glance at my reflection in the window glass. My bangs were slightly in my eyes, which was annoying. My unruly black hair was even more puffed up from the humidity.
(...I should get a haircut soon.)
While thinking that, I also noticed that the tips of my ears were a little pointed, and I unconsciously hid them with my fingers.
――――
When we stepped onto the platform at Suwa Station, the air was different.
It was completely unlike that stifling heat of the asphalt in Tokyo. The wind blowing in from the lake surface was slightly humid, but it felt pleasant.
"[gentle]It's a nice breeze."
Matsuri took a deep breath. As if the tension had left her shoulders, her silhouette softened just a little.
"Yeah."
The area in front of the station was compact. Several posters for the Lake Suwa Fireworks Festival were plastered on the tourist information center. The 71st one this year, with an audience of about 500,000. Fireworks launched over the lake—I had only ever seen them in photos.
"Where was the Minshuku Minazuki again?"
"[excited]This way! According to the map, it's about a ten-minute walk to the lakeshore!"
Matsuri marched ahead while looking at her smartphone screen. I followed behind her, walking a little faster.
――――
Minshuku Minazuki stood quietly in an alley one street back from the lakeshore.
It was an old, two-story wooden building that looked like it had been standing for at least fifty years. Seasonal flowers were arranged at the entrance, and when we opened the sliding door, the scent of tatami and old wood gently tickled my nose.
"[excited]Hello! I'm Natsuiro, I have a reservation!"
When she called out, a petite elderly woman came out from the back, smiling.
Her hair, mixed with gray, was neatly tied back, and she wore a navy-blue kappogi apron. When she smiled, deep wrinkles formed at the corners of her eyes, which felt strangely reassuring.
"[gentle]Ah, Natsuiro-san. You made your reservation so long ago, I was getting worried. I'm glad you arrived safely."
"This is the landlady, Minazuki Hana-san! She was introduced to us by Tamari-san from Tamari Books."
"[laughing]Tamari-san always takes good care of me. That person loves festivals and knows everything about festival information all over the country."
Matsuri started chatting amicably with Hana-san. Apparently, they had talked on the phone several times and had become quite friendly.
This kind of light footwork is something I don't have, I always think.
"[surprised]Alright then, the eight-tatami room on the second floor. It's 4,500 yen per night without meals. The futons are already laid out. One room for the two of you is fine, right?"
"Yes! That's fine!"
"[shocked]...Huh?"
A strange sound escaped my mouth.
(One room!? The two of us!?)
"[casual]What? Yuuto, do you have a problem with that?"
Matsuri said it as if it were nothing.
"[nervous]No, it's just... a guy and a girl in one room, isn't that a little bad? You know, um..."
My voice got smaller and smaller. It's a bad habit of mine. When I get flustered, I start talking fast, and my voice seems to fade away at the end.
"[surprised]What's bad about it? We have to save on travel expenses, and I don't really mind."
You don't mind, she says.
I mind.
My heart started pounding. Sweat beaded on my palms.
"[laughing]Now, now, being young is wonderful."
Hana-san smiled, looking back and forth between us as she went up the stairs.
Unable to say anything more, I readjusted my grip on my backpack and followed.
――――
The room was more spacious than I expected.
It was an eight-tatami Japanese-style room, and when we opened the window, we could see Lake Suwa. The lake surface, bathed in the afternoon sunlight, scattered sparkling grains of light.
And.
The problem was.
The futons.
Were laid out side-by-side.
(Close. They're way too close.)
The gap was at most fifty centimeters. A distance you could reach if you stretched out your arm.
"[excited]Wow! You can see the lake from the window! This is the best!"
Matsuri innocently ran over to the window and stretched her arms wide.
Her ponytail swayed.
I caught a faint scent of shampoo.
(...Calm down, me.)
I unconsciously scratched the back of my head.
――――
Evening came.
The sky gradually began to turn a deep crimson, and that color was reflected on the lake surface. The number of people in town increased. Families in yukata and couples were passing through the streets.
The food stall street was incredibly crowded.
On a street about 200 meters long, candy apples, takoyaki, goldfish scooping, shooting galleries, yakisoba—colorful lanterns swayed gently, and the sweet sauce smell unique to night stalls hung in the air.
"[excited]Look, look! Candy apple! I'm buying one!"
Matsuri happily took out her wallet.
The candy apple she was handed had a glossy, shiny candy coating, looking just like a jewel.
"Here, Yuuto, you'll eat some too, right?"
"[confused]No, I'm not really—"
"[stubborn]No need to hold back! One bite, here!"
The candy apple was thrust towards me.
Having no choice, I took a bite, and the sweet taste filled my mouth.
"[gentle]...How is it?"
"[embarrassed]Well, it's normally good."
"[laughing]What's that, 'normally'!"
Matsuri laughed out loud.
Seeing that smile, the depths of my chest warmed just a little.
――――
The crowd grew even larger.
So this is what it means for 500,000 people to gather.
Surrounded by people in front and to the sides, I felt like I might lose sight of Matsuri if I wasn't careful.
That's when it happened.
"[quiet]...Hey, Yuuto."
The tone of Matsuri's voice suddenly changed.
The brightness from just moments ago quietly faded away.
"Hm?"
"I thought I had to talk to you properly about Aoi."
Matsuri stared intently at the candy apple in her hand.
The smile had already disappeared from her expression.
"...It was nine years ago, on July 7th, the day of Tanabata."
I silently listened to her story.
――――
Nine years ago.
Matsuri and Aoi were still first graders in elementary school, always playing together.
That day, the two of them sat on the swings at Kasumi Park and apparently wrote wishes on tanzaku strips.
'When we grow up, let's watch fireworks all over Japan together.'
'I hope we can be together again next year too.'
Childlike, pure wishes.
But that became a promise.
"The next day, Aoi was gone."
Matsuri's voice trembled just a little.
"Aoi's mother collapsed from illness, and then... an organization called Verde Research took her away, saying they would 'protect' her. I wasn't told anything, she was just... gone the next day."
Verde Research.
The name Matsuri had mentioned on the Shinkansen. On the surface, it's a child welfare NPO, but in reality, it's an organization that finds talented children and brokers them to wealthy people.
"Back then, I didn't understand anything either. But as I got older, I researched and found out. That organization exploits loopholes in the foster parent system to corral children. Neither the national nor local governments audit them properly, so no one can help."
I couldn't say anything.
There were things I wanted to say. But the words caught in my throat and wouldn't come out.
(Even if I say something, I can't understand her pain.)
That's what I thought.
So I just stood beside her and continued to listen to her story.
"Aoi is still running away, even now. Being chased by the organization. And yet, she only shows up at summer festivals. It's stupid, right? But I think that's what's keeping her going."
Matsuri gripped the candy apple tightly and raised her head.
As if staring somewhere far off in the crowd.
"That's why I can't wait anymore."
Those words felt like they were filled with all the regret from nine years ago.
(If you wait, you lose everything—just like the old me.)
The memory of not being able to invite the girl I liked to the fireworks back in middle school came back.
The me who did nothing back then, and Matsuri, who is desperately trying to move now.
(I wonder if I still haven't changed at all.)
――――
At that moment.
The sky lit up.
BOOOOOM...
A low sound that resonated in my gut.
When I looked up, a giant flower of light had bloomed in the sky above Lake Suwa.
The same fireworks were reflected on the lake surface, the two lights spreading simultaneously above and below.
"[excited]It's started...!"
Matsuri gasped.
Fireworks were launched one after another.
Red, blue, gold, green.
As if using the night sky as a canvas, colorful lights bloomed and faded.
"[awed]Amazing..."
I also let out a voice involuntarily.
It was completely different from seeing them in photos.
The vibrations that shook the air. The smell of gunpowder. The wind blowing up from the lake.
Everything mixed together, creating a strange space that felt real yet unreal.
"...I wonder if Aoi is watching these fireworks too."
Matsuri murmured.
And then—at that moment.
"[shocked]—!"
Matsuri suddenly dashed into the crowd.
"[surprised]Hey, Matsuri!?"
I hurriedly chased after her.
But there were too many people. Shoulders bumping, feet being stepped on, the hem of someone's yukata tangling around my legs.
"[crying]Aoi!!"
Matsuri's shout was nearly drowned out by the sound of the fireworks.
I desperately pushed through the crowd.
I was out of breath. My heart ached.
Matsuri's ponytail ahead of me flickered in and out of sight among the crowd.
(Where is she...!?)
Matsuri ran all the way to the edge of the lakeshore.
But.
"...She's not here."
She stood still on the spot.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
"I didn't make it in time again..."
Matsuri hung her head, biting her lip tightly.
I finally caught up, breathing heavily over my shoulders as I looked at her back.
I tried to say something.
But no voice came out. I didn't know what to say.
(Am I unable to do anything again?)
Frustration tightened my chest.
At least.
At least, what I can do now.
I gently placed my hand on Matsuri's shoulder.
That was all.
But that was all I could do.
In the night sky, the fireworks were still blooming.
――――
When we returned to the inn, Hana-san brewed us some warm tea.
Back in our room, we sat silently on the futons, holding our teacups.
From outside the window, the sound of fireworks could still be heard in the distance.
"[quiet]...Aoi was there. Definitely."
Matsuri said quietly.
"That figure from behind, there's no mistake. She was a little thinner, but it was Aoi."
"I see."
I could only give a nod in response.
"[sad]Aoi, you see, only appears at summer festivals, every year. Just for a moment. Just barely enough for me to possibly find her. As if she's telling me not to forget her."
Matsuri hugged her knees and rested her chin on them.
"When I thought that she still remembered our fireworks promise, even while being chased by the organization, I was happy. But I'm frustrated that I couldn't find her."
Her voice trembled.
"[determined]...Next time, I'll definitely meet her. Talk to her. And bring her back."
She raised her head.
She was holding back tears, but her eyes were looking straight ahead.
Seeing her profile, the depths of my chest tightened.
(So strong, yet so fragile.)
Matsuri is always cheerful, kind to everyone, and never complains.
But I understand now that it's just a brave front.
She carries everything alo
Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.