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 - Even so, I'll go.
[[Title <<Unwavering Companion>> Stage 2 — "Do Not Look Away, Even in the Face of Fear" — has been unlocked]]
[[Resolve Level increased: 35% → 42%]]
—Thump.
Yuuto woke to the sound of his own heartbeat.
The ceiling of the guesthouse "Tsukinowa." Countless wood grains running across it. It should have been the same ceiling as yesterday, but it felt like it was pressing down on him, heavy.
(...A dream, huh.)
He had barely slept last night.
Matsuri's stifled sobs had clung to his ears, refusing to leave. He hadn't been able to do anything. Unable to get up, unable to call out to her, he had simply stared at the ceiling and waited for morning.
"Yuuto. Are you awake?"
Matsuri's voice, from the next bed.
It was much quieter than usual.
"...Yeah."
He sat up.
Outside the window, it was already bright. Kyoto's morning sun streamed through the gaps in the curtains. Matsuri was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees. Her ponytail wasn't tied up. Her shoulder-length black hair hung limply.
"[gentle]...Did you sleep?"
"A little."
A lie.
But Matsuri was lying too. The dark circles under her eyes told the story of a night spent crying.
He washed his face in the washroom. When he turned the tap, lukewarm water came out. His face in the mirror looked terrible. Hair a mess, eyes bloodshot.
(Today, Kurosaki might come.)
Yesterday's warning repeated in his head.
—There won't be a next time.
—If you two make a move, her position will only get worse.
He turned off the tap. A water droplet fell into the sink and quietly vanished.
...What should I do?
He didn't know.
————
Breakfast was silent, in a corner of the lobby.
They wordlessly brought rice balls from the convenience store to their mouths. Matsuri ate only half of her salmon rice ball and didn't touch the rest.
The manager, Rei, was quietly reading a book behind the counter. Maybe she had sensed something from yesterday's incident. She didn't try to talk to them.
The clock hand passed eight.
The sound of cicadas echoed in the distance. It looked like it was going to be another hot day.
That's when it happened.
—Rattle, rattle, rattle.
The sliding door at the entrance slowly opened.
Matsuri's shoulders jumped.
The rice ball nearly slipped from Yuuto's fingers.
"[gentle]Good morning."
Kurosaki Tatsuya stood there.
Black cap, sunglasses. An old scar running from his left temple to his cheek. The same gentle smile as yesterday—no, gentler than yesterday.
"It's a fine morning. Did you sleep well last night?"
He took one step into the room.
Just that made it feel like the room's temperature had dropped by three degrees.
"[cold]What do you want?"
He desperately fought to keep his voice from trembling.
"[calm]My business is simple. I'm here to provide information."
Kurosaki gently placed the tablet device he was holding onto the table.
"Aoi is being transferred to a facility in Nagasaki the day after tomorrow. All the procedures are complete."
Matsuri looked up.
For a moment, a light flickered in her eyes. But Kurosaki's words continued.
"[cold]In other words, in two days she will be completely back under our control. She will never be able to leave again."
"...What are you trying to say?"
He somehow managed to force the words out.
"[cold]If you two stay quiet here in Kyoto, Aoi's transfer will proceed as scheduled the day after tomorrow. However."
The eyes behind the sunglasses narrowed.
"If you make a move here—for example, heading to Nagasaki—the organization will move up Aoi's transfer. They'll have a reason to take her away, even tonight."
"That's..."
Matsuri's lips trembled.
"[cold]I'm sorry, but please think about it rationally. The more you move, the more her freedom is taken away. That is the organization's rule."
Yuuto clenched his fist under the table. His nails dug into his palm.
(...Dammit.)
He wanted to argue. But he couldn't.
What Kurosaki was saying was a sound argument, hardened with fear.
If they gave up, Aoi would at least be free until the day after tomorrow.
If they moved—she would be caught tonight.
"[gentle]Please, have a good summer vacation."
Saying just that, Kurosaki turned on his heel.
The sliding door closed.
—Rattle, rattle, rattle.
Silence enveloped the lobby.
Rei opened her mouth as if to say something—and stopped.
Matsuri hung her head.
Her shoulders were trembling slightly.
"[whispers]...Yuuto."
A voice as faint as a mosquito's whine.
"...I'm sorry. It's my fault."
"Stop it."
A voice so strong it surprised even himself came out.
Matsuri looked up.
"[angry]It's not your fault. It's all that organization's fault."
Tears welled up in Matsuri's eyes.
"[crying]But, if I give up... Aoi won't be caught right away, right? Then—"
"You're giving up?"
"[crying]I don't want to give up! I don't want to! But..."
Matsuri stood up.
Her clenched fists were trembling.
"But if I move, Aoi gets caught! What should I do?! Tell me! What should I—"
Her voice broke off mid-sentence.
Matsuri put a hand against the wall and hung her head.
Her shoulders were shaking.
She was crying.
But—no.
(No. This is...)
In Matsuri's eyes as she raised her face, there was resolve.
Tears were spilling down, yet those eyes alone were burning.
"[crying]...Even so."
Her voice, though trembling, rang out clearly.
"Even so, I want to save her."
The air in the lobby changed.
"No matter what Kurosaki says, no matter what the organization says. Even if Aoi acts cold—"
Tears fell onto the table.
"I'm going to see her. Absolutely."
Without even trying to wipe her tears, Matsuri looked straight at him.
The moment he saw those eyes—
(Ah, right.)
Something burst deep in his chest.
What had he been doing all this time?
He had always just gone with the flow. Given up with a "Well, whatever." Bad at asserting his own opinions, finding it easier to just go along with everyone else—
(Pathetic.)
For the first time, he truly thought that.
Matsuri was this desperate.
What was he so afraid of?
Scared of Kurosaki? Scared of the organization?
That kind of thing—
"...Doesn't matter."
He stood up.
"Kurosaki said, 'If you move, Aoi's transfer will be moved up.'"
He replayed Kurosaki's words in his head.
Matsuri looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
"But—think about it. 'Being transferred' means she's still in Nagasaki."
He picked up his smartphone, left lying on the table.
"The day after tomorrow means today or tomorrow is the last chance."
He opened the map app. His fingers moved on their own.
Nagasaki. August fifteenth—
"[excited]...It's the night of the Spirit Boat Procession."
"Huh?"
"Nagasaki's Spirit Boat Procession. On the night of August fifteenth, the whole city is chaos with firecrackers and crowds. It's the only night of the year when pursuers have a hard time moving."
Matsuri's eyes widened.
"Aoi is trying to escape that night. So, before she's transferred to Nagasaki—we have to get to Nagasaki by tonight or tomorrow morning."
He looked at Matsuri.
"We'll make it in time."
For a moment, Matsuri just stared, mouth agape.
Then—
"[surprised]...Yuuto, were you always smart?"
"[serious]Is this really the time for that?!"
He couldn't help but retort.
Matsuri let out a small snort of laughter.
"[laughing]...What was that? You've never said anything like that before."
"...Shut up."
He laughed a little too.
The tense atmosphere relaxed, just a bit.
Right.
It's not over yet.
"[excited]Our stuff! Let's pack quickly! We'll take the Shinkansen to Nagasaki!"
Matsuri roughly wiped her tears and ran up the stairs.
Yuuto readjusted his backpack on his shoulders.
At that moment, the entrance sliding door—
burst open violently.
"[cold]I won't let you go to Nagasaki."
Kurosaki stood there.
He wasn't smiling this time. He had even taken off his sunglasses. Cold eyes pierced through them.
"[cold]I heard your conversation. Unfortunately, I'll have to stop you here."
He took a step forward.
"[scared]Yuuto!"
"[angry]Run!"
Grabbing Matsuri's hand, he dashed out the back door into the alley.
Footsteps echoed behind them.
Kurosaki was chasing them.
"[cold]It's useless."
—No good, he's fast.
They turned a corner in the alley. He kicked over a trash can to try and slow him down.
Clang!
A metallic sound. But Kurosaki's footsteps didn't stop.
—A bus stop!
A city bus was passing right in front of them.
"[excited]Get on!"
Matsuri leaped onto the bus.
He followed.
The doors closed.
Outside the window, Kurosaki stood at the bus stop. Expressionless, he looked up at them.
The bus started moving.
"[scared]Is he following us?"
"I don't know."
He was out of breath. His heart ached.
They got off the bus at Kyoto Station and blended into the crowd.
—Evening, Shin-Osaka Station.
The station was packed with the evening rush hour.
They bought tickets and headed for the ticket gates.
"[scared]Yuuto, over there!"
Matsuri shouted.
It was Kurosaki.
He was coming in from a different entrance. Walking towards them.
"Hurry through the gate!"
He tapped his IC card.
The departure bell rang out.
—Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
They ran at full speed along the platform.
Matsuri's ponytail bounced at the edge of his vision.
Kurosaki's footsteps drew closer.
"[cold]Wait."
—Psssh.
The doors began to close.
"—Jump in!"
He pushed Matsuri's back.
The two of them tumbled into the Shinkansen.
—Ssshhh.
The doors closed.
Outside the window, Kurosaki stood on the platform.
Expressionless, he watched them.
His eyes seemed to say—
(I'll go on ahead.)
Seeing it that way sent a chill down his spine.
————
The Shinkansen began to move.
The scenery outside the window slowly started to flow by.
"[whispers]...Matsuri, are you okay?"
Still sitting on the floor in the aisle, Matsuri didn't answer.
She was breathing heavily, her shoulders heaving.
Still clutching her backpack, she stared out the window.
He sat down beside her.
—Thump, thump.
His heart was still pounding wildly.
But—it was different.
He wasn't just trembling with fear.
(I finally moved.)
Not just going with the flow, but moving on his own two feet.
It was the first time.
"[gentle]...We'll make it. Absolutely."
He gently took the hand resting beside Matsuri.
Matsuri looked at him, surprised.
Still facing forward, he said it again.
"[gentle]Absolutely."
For a while, Matsuri gazed at his profile.
Then, she turned her gaze forward again—and gave a small nod.
The hand that squeezed back was strong.
—Inside the speeding Shinkansen.
There were no words.
But the warmth of their joined hands said everything.
This was different from before.
Something had clearly changed.
[[Relationship Value Update: Yuuto → Natsuiro Matsuri]]
[[affection: 58% → 62%]]
[[trust: 55% → 60%]]
[[openness: 40% → 48%]]
[[Resolve Level increased: 42% → 50%]]
Just a little further to Nagasaki.
The time left until the night of the Spirit Boat Procession—wasn't much.
Kurosaki was probably already on his way to Nagasaki, getting there ahead of them.
But—
(I will definitely find Aoi.)
The strength in their clasped hands was his resolve.
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