Memories with the “Brat” – Part 5

The Brats and the Summer Festival

“Here you go, thanks!”

I hand over a strawberry-milk shaved ice along with the change.

“Thanks, mister!”

A little girl, probably a kindergartner, flashes a pure, untainted smile. It reminds me of how Miya used to be, bringing back nostalgic feelings.

The savory smells of food waft from all directions, mixed with the innocent laughter of kids and the crude chatter of tipsy adults.

It’s the neighborhood summer festival, held in a spacious local park.

Under white tents like those at a sports day, modest stalls are lined up. Some outside vendors are also present, making the small-scale event surprisingly lively. Moonlight Terrace has a stall too, and sales are pretty good.

“Hey, Yuu-nii!”

Miya’s voice rings out.

Here we go.

I glance toward the sound and see three brats heading my way.

“Hey, you made it.”

It’s rare… or maybe not, since it’s the summer festival, but the three are dressed in yukata.

“Oh, how cute!”

My mom’s eyes light up.

Miya’s wearing a black yukata with a fireworks pattern, perfect for summer.

Mahiru’s in a plain white yukata, simple but charming with her tanned skin peeking out from the sleeves. On closer look, her obi has gold butterfly embroidery.

Asaka’s in a light blue yukata with morning glory patterns, looking refreshingly cool.

“You guys look nice and cool.”

“Yuu-nii, you’re wearing your usual boring clothes. No sense of style,” Mahiru says smugly.

“Do you even know what ‘style’ means?”

“But these aren’t that cool,” Miya says.

“Really?”

“It’s kinda stuffy inside,” Asaka chimes in.

“Huh. I’ve never worn a yukata, so I wouldn’t know. Anyway, get something to drink. Help with the sales.”

The three brats order café au lait and shaved ice, then move to the dining area nearby.

“Yuu, take a break and hang out with them.”

“Got it.”

When I join them, Asaka grabs my hand. Her delicate palm is cool, probably from eating shaved ice.

“Yuu-nii’s here!”

“Mahiru, don’t cross your legs in a yukata. It’s slipping open.”

“But it’s hard to move in!”

“How long till the fireworks?” Miya asks.

The highlight of this festival is the fireworks show starting at 7 p.m. Rumor has it most of the neighborhood budget goes to this grand finale.

“Let’s see, it’s 1 p.m., so still a while.”

“Whaaat?”

“Let’s just walk around and have fun for now.”

“““Alright!”””

We roam the stalls, mostly buying food. Since it’s a neighborhood event, there are lots of familiar faces.

No rigged shooting games or lotteries with no prizes—that’s the nice thing about a community festival. It’s small-scale, but that’s okay.

As a kid, those shady carnival games fueled my gambling instincts and drained my wallet.

“Oh, chocolate bananas!”

Miya dashes off.

You could say chocolate bananas are a festival staple. Bananas coated in colorful chocolate stand in rows on the stall.

Still, 250 yen a pop is steep. They were 200 yen when I was a kid.

“Miya, Asaka, I’ve got an idea. If you lick the chocolate off first, you get to enjoy it twice as much.”

With that, Mahiru starts running her small tongue along the banana.

“Stop eating it like that!”

“Let’s fish for yo-yo balloons!”

Mahiru says, rolling up her sleeves.

Talk about nostalgic.

“Ugh, it broke again!”

Both Miya and Mahiru keep failing.

“Yuu-nii, you try!”

Fine, time to show them an adult’s skills.

“Hand it over.”

The key is to keep the paper string dry.

“…Huh?”

“Pathetic!”

“Scrub-nii!”

No way! Did they sabotage the paper string—nah, it’s normal.

“Let me try,” Asaka says.

“You too? Alright, be careful not to wet the paper part.”

“Okay.”

…

She’s scooping up yo-yo balloons like she’s flipping takoyaki.

“Asaka, you trying to bankrupt the stall?”

Near the entrance, an outside vendor has set up a haunted house.

As expected from pros, it’s pretty elaborate.

“…What do we do?”

I turn to the three, and they all look away.

“Alright, let’s go in!”

“Nooo, stop!”

“Let go, pervert!”

“Eek!”

“Hey, don’t scream stuff that’ll cause misunderstandings! What, you scared? Hahaha!”

“I-I’m not scared!” Miya says.

“Then it’s fine, right?”

We get in line and wait our turn.

Finally, it’s us.

“One adult, three kids.”

I pay, and I’m the first to go in.

“Now!” Mahiru shouts.

“Huh?”

Next thing I know, the brats have ditched the line.

“Hey, you guys!”

“We’ll wait at the exit!”

“Wait!”

“C’mon, it’s crowded, get in there,” the lady at the entrance says, pushing my back.

“No, hold on—”

“One guest, entering!”

“Eeeeek!”

“Hey, Mama!”

Mahiru runs to a stall.

A short-haired beauty, around thirty, is grilling yakisoba. She looks a lot like Mahiru.

So that’s Mahiru’s mom. I won’t say where, but she’s got some impressive assets.

“Mahiru, oh, Miya-chan and Asaka-chan too.”

“Hey,” I say, bowing slightly.

“Oh, you’re the famous Yuu-nii, huh? Mahiru’s always talking about you. I’m Ryuushaku Asuka.”

Her bow makes certain parts jiggle, but I won’t specify.

“Nah, it’s nothing like that.”

“Mahiru’s always going on about Yuu-nii this, Yuu-nii that.”

“Mom, shut up!”

Mahiru playfully tackles Asuka.

“Thanks for looking after my daughter. Take some yakisoba, on the house.”

“Thanks a lot.”

We take the yakisoba and head to the dining area.

“By the way, Mahiru, you call your mom ‘Mama’?”

“Shut up!”

2

As night approaches, the crowd grows.

“Hey, it’s about to start.”

I call out to the brats, who’ve been playing mobile games to kill time.

A sharp whoosh cuts through the air, followed by a boom as a flower blooms in the sky.

“Wow!”

“Awesome!”

“It’s beautiful.”

Fireworks are launched one after another, filling the night sky. As always, it’s breathtaking.

Someone tugs at my hand.

“Hm?”

Miya leans close to my ear and says,

“Let’s watch together again next year, okay?”

“Of course.”

Great wheels of light bloom in the summer night sky.

The tails of the bursting lights melt into the dim darkness.

The Brats Are on My Level

1

Summer’s finally over, and autumn is creeping in.

That said, September doesn’t cool off right away, and the muggy heat lingers.

“Hey, Aritsuki-kun, is it true you got lost in the Aeon mall?”

“What!? N-No, that was—”

“Shimomura-san heard about it.”

“Yeah, I heard too. What happened?”

“Well, uh…”

I can’t say it.

Getting dragged around by brats ten years younger than me…

Damn those brats…

After getting mercilessly teased at school on the first day back, I head home with a bit of resentment toward the brats.

Since it’s just the opening ceremony, I get to leave by noon. Slurping down some tired old somen, I hear familiar voices outside.

Sure enough, Miya, Mahiru, and Asaka are there.

“Hey, you guys start school today too?”

They’re on their way home, looking hot with red schoolbags on their backs.

Come to think of it, this might be my first time seeing Mahiru and Asaka in their schoolbags. They’ve got name tags on their chests and yellow school caps.

“Hm?”

There’s another change.

“Mahiru, you got pale.”

Her usually tanned, boyish skin is now almost bleached white.

“My skin finally peeled. It’s still a bit dark here.”

She pulls her shirt collar, exposing her small collarbone. The area around it is still patchy with peeling skin.

“Ugh…”

Seeing it half-peeled makes me itch to rip it all off. It’d feel so satisfying.

“Don’t stare like that, pervert.”

She glares at me and fixes her collar.

“You showed it off yourself…”

Anyway, I’m not interested in flat chests like that! I’m all about the hourglass figure—boom, tiny waist, boom!

I want to shout it, but not on a public street.

“Anyway, you guys look hot. Get something to drink.”

All three have sweat on their foreheads. The late summer heat is brutal.

“But we don’t have money since we’re coming back from school,” Asaka says glumly.

“I’ll treat you.”

“For real?”

“Nice one, Yuu-nii!”

“Yay!”

The three claim a corner of the shop. While sipping grape juice, Miya says,

“Oh, Yuu-nii, next week’s Mahiru’s birthday.”

“Huh? Really?”

“September 9th,” Mahiru says, a bit shy.

“Nice. How old? Heh, five?”

“Grr, seven!”

“Just kidding.”

“You better expect a gift.”

“Got it.”

“Yuu-nii’s got good taste for a guy. This hairpin you gave me for my birthday is cute,” Miya says, pointing to her head.

“That was from Yuu-nii?” Mahiru asks, looking jealous.

“Yup.”

“Get me something good too.”

“I got you.”

“My birthday’s December 8th, so don’t forget!” Asaka says, grabbing my hand.

“Got it, got it.”

“By the way, when’s your birthday, Yuu-nii?” Mahiru asks.

“Me? October 2nd.”

“Next month, huh.”

“Heh, I’m expecting something good from you guys.”

2

“Hmm.”

What should I get?

I’m at the accessory shop in the Aeon mall where I came with the brats during summer break. The store’s all cutesy, packed with girls, as expected.

Kids’ anime merch, stationery, and accessories fill the place, and I’m the only guy here, including the staff.

I stick out like a sore thumb…

Mahiru’s a girl, so something like this should work, but I’ve never seen her wear accessories.

She’s a tomboy with boyish tastes and clothes, so I can’t picture her decked out in sparkly stuff.

Her hair’s short, so no hair ties. A hairpin would overlap with Miya’s. Necklaces or rings feel too mature for her age.

“Hmm.”

Tough call.

Maybe I should look somewhere else.

The “what’s with that guy” stares are getting to me.

“Oh!”

As I’m about to leave, something catches my eye.

This could work.

It suits Mahiru’s wild vibe and looks pretty stylish.

It’s a black wristband with a simple white line. Unpretentious and perfect for her boyish style.

My taste is terrifyingly good.

I grab the wristband and head to the register.

3

September 9th, at Moonlight Terrace’s outdoor seating.

“Wow, so cool!”

Mahiru stares at the wristband on her delicate wrist with a rapt expression.

“It looks good on you, Mahiru-chan,” Asaka says.

“I’ve always wanted something like this.”

The wristband pops against her tank top and shorts. It’s sporty yet somehow childish—a perfect item.

“I get it. Fingerless gloves and wristbands are every kid’s dream.”

When I was a kid, I’d mimic anime heroes, wearing a backpack, hat, and fingerless gloves, tossing gacha capsules.

“Mahiru, you look cool. Hey, let me try it on,” Miya says, hugging her.

“Heh, go for it.”

The wristband moves to Miya’s wrist.

“Wow, I feel power surging through me!”

“Right?”

“Don’t forget my birthday,” Asaka says, grabbing my hand.

“I know, I know. December 8th, right?”

“Yes!”

“Yuu-nii!”

Mahiru climbs onto my lap as I lean back in my chair.

If she’s this happy, it was worth getting.

“Thanks.”

Her small body smells like sunshine as she hugs me.

“Ha…”

Sayaka sighs, watching the three girls and her son goofing around at the terrace.

“A black wristband for a girl’s birthday… you’ve got to be kidding.”

Mahiru’s happy, so it’s fine, but Sayaka feels unease and dread at her son’s childish taste.