Chapter 15 - A stylish and sentimental sleepover.
It was a pretty typical late-July weekend evening, aside from the fact that we were in the middle of summer break.
Haru: "Oooh, Hikari, you look adorable!"
Yuki: "Yeah, yeah, it totally suits you, Hikarin~!"
Hikari: "R-really...?"
My usual classmates Haru and Yuki were way more hyped than usual, snapping photo after photo with their phones aimed straight at me.
...Well, technically, aimed at me in my swimsuit.
It was another scorching, cloudless day today, so the four of us best friends went shopping and spent hours picking out swimsuits.
Sure, maybe it was a bit late in the season to be buying swimsuits -- it's practically the end of summer -- but I had an urgent need, so there was no choice.
And here we were, back from our shopping trip, kicking off an impromptu fashion show in someone's living room to show off our new finds.
But this wasn't just my fashion show...
Hikari: "Oh, but Haru, Yuki, you two look awesome too! You'd never guess these were just impulse buys!"
Haru: "Hah, seriously, what were we thinking? This is my third swimsuit this year!"
Yuki: "We just couldn't resist after seeing how pumped Hikarin was!"
Yeah, after spending so long critiquing every suit I tried on, they couldn't hold back anymore, and each of them ended up picking a swimsuit of their own.
So now here we were, all of us in our new swimsuits, having a full-on photo session. The whole scene was pretty surreal.
Yeah, Haru and Yuki, and also...
Ayami: "Hey everyone, I found some wine in the fridge. Wanna drink it?"
Hikari: "Aya-chan! We're all underage!"
Aya-chan, our host, strolled out from the kitchen, decked out in a black bikini, holding a wine bottle in one hand and a glass in the other, looking like some sort of very oddly themed restaurant server.
Haru: "Anyway, Aya, your family is seriously loaded."
Yuki: "For real! I've never even been inside a riverside tower apartment before!"
We were hanging out in this fancy 3-bedroom unit in a high-rise overlooking a river somewhere in the city.
From the living room, you could see the river below, bridges, cruise boats -- the kind of view that makes you think, How many lives would it take to afford this kind of place?
Ayami: "Oh, it's nothing to brag about."
Hikari: "But, Aya-chan, doesn't your family live somewhere else? So this is, like, a vacation home?"
Ayami: "Well, it was originally where my dad was going to keep his mistress, but my mom found out, so... empty apartment."
Hikari: "Um, maybe don't just drop family drama bombs like that?!"
Yeah, having a fancy place like this really does come with its share of family secrets you're not supposed to talk about. Though we were all talking about it now.
Ayami: "Anyway, it's perfect for a sleepover, right? And especially tonight."
With a playful wink, Aya-chan set the glass on the coffee table, then cracked open a bottle of juice instead and started tearing into bags of snacks.
That's right. Today was all about shopping in the afternoon, and now, we were getting ready for an all-night girls' hangout at Aya's place -- a total summer vacation experience.
"It's summer break, so ditch the boyfriend for at least one night and hang with us!"
...As if I could turn down such a tempting offer, even if it made me sound like some lovesick high school girl.
I mean, come on, these friends of mine are just as important to me as he is -- well, maybe that's not really a fair comparison. They mean a lot to me, okay?
............
............
Haru: "So, Hikari, when's your unforgettable summer experience with Ta~kun? Where? How?"
Hikari: "I told you, I haven't even decided anything yet! And Haru, do you even know where that phrase comes from?"
Yuki: "No way, Hikarin, it has to be the beach, not just some pool! Just picture it: the two of you, alone in a cozy little cottage overlooking the ocean, watching the sun set..."
Hikari: "Look, if I could go on an overnight beach trip with him, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place!"
Here we were, sitting around in Aya's riverside high-rise, sharing pizza and snacks, but honestly, we aren't doing anything different compared to back at school during lunch.
This had practically become a tradition with us -- updates on my one-sided crush, followed by a "support session" where they all grilled me for not making a move.
...Well, I guess staying in swimsuits the whole time during the party is something a bit unique to a girls-only night.
Haru: "Anyway, we've only got one month left of summer break. Make your move, Hikari!"
Yuki: "Yeah, Hikarin, Haru's right! I need some real romance stories soon -- I'm getting tired of just daydreaming about it."
Hikari: "Well, then why don't you two go find boyfriends yourselves..."
We ate, drank (juice), talked, and laughed...
Outside, the long summer day had finally faded, and the city lights began to glow against the evening sky.
Ayami: "Alright, folks, the night is still young, but..."
Just as I was getting lost in thought, Aya-chan suddenly turned off the lights in the room.
Ayami: "It's showtime!"
She pointed out the window and...
Out of nowhere, the whole sky burst into a shower of colors, flashes filling our view.
Moments later, a series of booming explosions followed.
Hikari: "Whoa! This is amazing!"
Haru: "It's right in front of us!"
Yuki: "Taamayaaa~!"
Yep, the highlight of tonight was this.
Watching the city's annual grand fireworks show, practically right outside the window, lighting up the river below us.
Haru: "Hey, let's watch from the balcony!"
Hikari: "Wait, Haru! We can't go out like this!"
Hikari: "Come on, four high school girls in swimsuits watching fireworks from a balcony? We'd totally get caught by the live TV broadcast."
Haru, totally caught up in the thrill of it all, was about to open the window in her swimsuit.
I tried to stop her, but, honestly, I was just as excited -- I wanted to dash out there, too.
Ayami: "Hey, why don't we just wear these? I bought them earlier, matching ones."
Haru: "Oh."
Hikari: "Ohhh..."
Yuki: "Whoa~!"
As if she'd known all along we wouldn't be able to resist, Aya-chan pulled something out of the shopping bag...
............
............
Haru: "Whoa, it's right in front of us. Feels like my eardrums are gonna burst."
Yuki: "Kaagiyaaa~!"
On the balcony of a really high-up floor on this high-rise by the riverside...
The four of us leaned against the railing, gazing up at the fireworks exploding overhead.
...Wearing just our swimsuits with yukatas thrown on top, making for a look that was, well, a bit unique, to say the least.
Hikari: "It's beautiful, Aya-chan."
Ayami: "Yeah, this place might suck, but it has its perks sometimes."
Hikari: "There you go again..."
Haru and Yuki were pointing at each firework and shouting excitedly at each burst.
Aya-chan and I, meanwhile, were listening to the chaos on the left and feeling the boom of the fireworks from the front, still managing to chat with each other just loud enough to be heard.
Ayami: "But, well..."
Hikari: "Hm?"
Ayami: "Spending the night chatting with friends like this... I don't know, sometimes, or maybe more than sometimes, it's nice to have a night like this."
Hikari: "See? Right? Let's do this more often, okay? Aya-chan."
Just a little escape from the everyday.
Just enough to forget all the little things that weigh on me.
Sometimes, or more than sometimes, you need nights like this.
Ayami: "But Hikari... next year, you'd better try to watch them with him, yeah?"
Hikari: "No way, not with a crowd this huge. If it's just us two, something quieter would be better."
Ayami: "So picky!"
Hikari: "Haha!"
I'm Shirasaka Hikari, sixteen years old......
......and even without him here, I had a summer night I'd never forget.
TL Note: Tamaya and Kagiya were two fireworks makers in the 1800s that made displays so impressive people still shout their names as fireworks cheers.
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