[One Shot] Summer Festival
Title: Summer Festival
Rating: K+
Word Count: 3,707
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely the creators of Eyeshield 21.
Summary: Kotarou isn't making Julie's Summer Festival experience any better, but things take a turn for the better the moment she meets two familiar people from Deimon.
Notes: Well, well! This is new for me! First of all, this is my submission for the hiruma_x_mamori DA community and this month's theme "Summer". Being in Malaysia, the only taste of summer I ever get is through the Japanese summer festival called Bon Odori. So based on that experience, I wrote this. I wrote a number of Japanese terms for some of the Japanese summer clothings and food in order to keep the Japanese feel to it, so if you're not sure what they mean, take a quick google! If not, ask me!
I also decided to put in a little twist by writing, for the first time, two characters from the Bando Spiders! They're actually a lot of fun to write so I hope you guys enjoy this. Let me know if there are any OOC moments, or if I've made any mistakes anywhere. It's also been a while since I wrote a long one shot, so I hope you guys enjoy this!
~*~
Julie couldn’t help but just stand there, fuming at Kotarou. She didn’t care if passersby were shooting her curious stares while others hurried away nervously. The beautiful lights and cheerful atmosphere at the Summer Festival dimmed in comparison to her fury after Kotarou harassed yet another passerby with his challenges for a game of shoot the can.
“Come on!” Kotarou shouted at a man who was trying his best to evade Kotarou and disappear into the thick of the crowd. “I just challenged you and a man’s supposed to accept it, not run! That’s not smart!!”
“Kotarou!” cried Julie, arms crossed in her yellow yukata adorned with white lilies. She didn’t care if she crumpled her newly bought yukata at this point. “Can you PLEASE stop doing that? Challenging them will not change anything!”
“Trust me, Julie, winning you that bunny will mean so much more when I’m being challenged!” Kotarou pointed at the stand where the white, fluffy stuffed bunny sat amongst rows of other stuffed toys that, admittedly, did catch Julie’s interest. But to have Kotarou causing such a ruckus for it was too much of a hassle at this point.
She sighed. “You’ve been doing this every year since we were kids… Last year, we invited Akaba and you challenged him so much, he didn’t bother to come with us this year.”
“That Akaba definitely isn’t smart! I wanted that rematch since last year!” Kotarou growled, remembering how he was defeated in every game available during the Summer Festival.
Julie could only sigh in defeat. Despite having known Kotarou’s antics for years and having formed many ways to at least counter his stupidity with whacks or distractions, there were moments where she felt completely drained. Coming for this year’s Summer Festival with him seemed rather pointless now…
“Sawai-san?” a young, female voice called out.
Julie’s train of thought was broken as she began to wonder which of her female acquaintances would call her that. She turned, confused for a moment until she took a good look and with eyes wide, she gasped, “Anezaki-san?”
Anezaki Mamori stood just a distance from Julie, donning a blue yukata with lilac petals floating across it. She was holding a kinchaku of similar pattern to her yukata in one hand. Mamori smiled as she approached her. “It really is you, Sawai-san! I almost didn’t recognize you in that yukata!”
“Me too!” Julie eagerly grabbed Mamori’s wrists in excitement. “But this is a surprise! You’re from Deimon, aren’t you? Why would you come all the way to this temple-?”
Julie was cut short as Kotarou had now exclaimed loudly. “YOU!”
Annoyed, Julie turned to see who his latest victim was when she realized he was pointing at Mamori. Was he serious?! Julie was about to raise her own kinchaku to whack Kotarou with when she heard a familiar cackle behind her.
“Oh! It’s that Fucking loud mouth kicker from Bando Spiders,” said Hiruma Youichi, the feared Quarterback and Captain of the Deimon Devil Bats. Julie could barely react to the strange sight before her. Hiruma? Here? At this temple’s Summer Festival?
“You may not be Musashi, but since this is not a kicking competition yet something of just as equal worth, I must challenge you, Hiruma Youichi!” cried Kotarou, causing a spectacle once again as curious and amused eyes began were upon him once more. “Let us play shoot the cans!”
Julie couldn’t help but smack her forehead in disbelief. This cannot be happening! Kotarou was challenging the most feared Quarterback in all of Japan for goodness sake!
Mamori, too, showed some signs of uneasiness. “Hiruma-kun, I don’t think it’s a good idea…”
“Why are you so fucking worried, Fucking Manager?” Hiruma grinned at her. “Shooting is my specialty.”
Mamori sighed. “That’s exactly it!”
“Come on, Hiruma!” Kotarou pulled out his comb and pointed it towards him. “I want to get the best present for Julie! That bunny and the victory of defeating you! I challenge you to get the best present for your little girlfriend right there!”
Mamori blushed and squeaked in protest as Julie opened her mouth to tell Kotarou off, but Hiruma sauntered forward, grinning from ear to ear. “Interesting! I accept your challenge, Fucking Poser.”
“SMART!” Kotarou cried as he combed his hair and promptly placed the comb back into his pocket in one dramatic sweep. “Let’s go! Get ready to be defeated!”
Hiruma and Kotarou began to walk towards the stall until Mamori cried “Hiruma-kun!” and reached forward to grab Hiruma’s hand. Julie could tell from the tone of her voice she was obviously worried, but to her surprise Hiruma merely looked at Mamori, still grinning and seemed to clench her hand a little tighter before letting go and continued to follow Kotarou.
Julie wasn’t sure how Mamori looked right now, so she slowly approached her, saying, “Anezaki-san?”
Mamori turned to look at Julie with a smile, her voice with a hint of a giggle. “Looks like boys will be boys, huh, Sawai-san?”
Julie blinked in surprise, but smiled in return. “You’re right.”
The two girls walked towards the stall as Hiruma and Kotarou paid ¥100 each to the owner and picked up a toy sniper. “I hope you’re ready to lose, Hiruma!” cried Kotarou.
“Kekeke, in your fucking dreams,” said Hiruma as he began to aim at the cans.
Julie shook her head and decided she was better off chatting with Mamori. “But it really is a surprise to see you and Hiruma-san in this temple! Are the other Devil Bats here too?”
“Oh no…” Mamori nervously replied. “They already went to the Summer Festival at the temple near Deimon.”
“Oh! That’s true! The Summer Festival was held there just a few days ago!” Julie cocked her head curiously. “So why come here?”
Mamori smiled nervously. “We… I mean, Hiruma-kun missed the Summer Festival there.”
“Eh?! He missed it?!” Julie exclaimed. “But the two of you are in your third year and it’s the Summer holidays! The two of you may be managing the teams, but if the other team members went for the Summer Festival, how is it possible that Hiruma-san missed it too?”
Mamori glanced at Hiruma who was cackling loudly as he had hit his third stack of cans while Kotarou shouted in frustration, obviously losing.
~*~
The Deimon boys cheered excitedly as they rushed towards the temple and began to attack every stall available. From chocolate bananas to okonomiyakis, to takoyakis and kakikooris, they bought almost every food available and gathered to eat them all up together.
“This okonomiyaki is amazing!” cried Kurita as he seemed to swallow 10 at once.
“Aaaahhh!! He’s eating it all!” cried Yukimitsu as he looked at the remaining food left.
Kuroki laughed in triumph. “Hah! I knew this was going to happen! Which is why I bought extra…!” Kuroki turned to point at what was supposed to be the stack of okonomiyakis he’d bought, but it had disappeared. “HAAH?!” he shouted as he looked around frantically…
Only to find Komusubi wiping his mouth from bits of cabbage and sauce. “YOU!! You ate it all!!” Kuroki growled.
Komusubi merely puffed his chest up as he pointed at Kurita and then to himself. “Strong!” was all he said.
“HOW DARE YOU!” he shouted and lunged forward, but Juumonji and even Togano held him back. “Oi, Kuroki! That’s enough!” said Juumonji.
“Don’t fight, boys…” Doburoku-sensei drawled as he took another swig of alcohol, much to almost everyone’s disapproval.
Another familiar voice could be heard in the distance. “I’m going to catch this goldfish! Watch me, my darling sister! Ahaha!” cried Taki as he held a fishnet made out of paper called poi in one hand and a bowl in the other facing a tub filled with many goldfishes.
Suzuna, dressed in a dark blue yukata and with off white pinwheels scattered across it, merely rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you still try, you fail every year,” she said.
“It will be different this year! I can feel it!” said Taki, smiling brightly. “Ootawara taught me the trick! Aim for the biggest goldfish and swoop in and catch it like a hawk! Watch me now!”
Taki eyed the biggest goldfish in the tank. “Ahaha! I got you!” With a splash, Taki’s poi dove into the water and quickly appeared into the air. Suzuna gasped as the goldfish struggled on the fishnet. “Look, my darling sister, look! I caught it!” Taki shouted excitedly.
But Suzuna panicked. “Wait, you have to put it in the-”
Too late. The poi’s paper net broke and the fish swam back into the safety of the tub. Taki’s jaw dropped in horror. Then he stood up dramatically, “IMPOSSIBLE!!”
Suzuna sighed. “You just never learn…”
“Mamori-san!”
Mamori turned her gaze away from the funny spectacle to see Monta standing before her, holding out some takoyaki. “I-I-I want you to have some since I noticed you haven’t eaten!”
Mamori smiled gently. “Thank you, Monta… that is very sweet of you!”
Monta turned a deep red as he looked away in embarrassment. “Mamori-san thanking me! With her beautiful yukata on, she is truly the ideal Japanese woman for me! My heart can’t take it anymore! MUKYA!” Monta shoved the box of takoyaki and rushed off shouting, “I will get more for you, Mamori-san!”
“Ah, Monta!” Mamori cried, but he was too far off. She looked at the takoyakis a little dismally. Something didn’t feel right, and she didn’t have any appetite because of it.
“Aren’t you hungry?” asked Musashi as he came to sit beside Mamori. He had squid on a stick in one hand and took a bite out of it. They both looked at the atmosphere before them as the Deimon team continued to wreak chaos.
Mamori shook her head quietly. “Something doesn’t feel right…” she said softly, almost letting the words drown in the noise around them. But Musashi heard them well enough.
“Mamori-nee-chan!”
Mamori’s quiet gloom disappeared as she replaced her aura with a bright smile. “Sena! What did you get?”
“I’ve got some bouncy balls from one of the games I played!” Sena proudly showed the bouncy balls, ranging from different sizes.
“That’s great, Sena!” Mamori clapped her hands. “You must have a big collection now! You’ve been collecting that for years since-” Mamori stopped for a moment, placing her fingers across her lips for a moment in deep thought. Then she got up abruptly and passed the takoyakis to Sena. “Make sure you eat these all up, Sena! Take care of the team for me!” Grabbing her kinchaku, she began to push herself through the crowds.
“Ah! Mamoi-nee-chan?! You’re going to miss the fireworks!” Sena stood there confused. He turned to Musashi who merely continued to eat his squid. “What’s going on?”
Musashi merely shrugged.
Mamori was running now. It was hard to do so with her yukata on, and getas were far from perfect running shoes. She took one of the buses and stopped by Deimon High. She ran past the security who seemed content to let her through and straight towards the clubhouse. And then she threw the door open…
To find the blonde demon in his dirty, worn out tracksuit with his arms folded before him on the coffee table and his head resting on them, fast asleep.
Mamori stood there for a moment to catch her breath. Then she sighed as she approached him. “Idiot.”
~*~
“He’s been really busy lately,” Mamori explained. “You know how boys are. The moment they focus on one thing, everything else becomes a blur to them.”
Julie was curious as to what Hiruma could be busy about, but decided it wasn’t her position to pry. “I see…” was all she could say. “So why bring him here? I mean… you could always wait until next year or something like that.”
Mamori pondered for a moment. Then she asked, “Don’t you think the Summer Festival has a lot of memorable moments? From the first time we tried to scoop for goldfish, to splurging on kakikooris and chocolate bananas. The pinwheels and masks displayed at every corner and the lanterns hanging above us as we try to dive our way through the bustling crowd. And most importantly…” Mamori glanced at Hiruma once more. “The friends and families who share those moments with us.”
Julie couldn’t help but look at Kotarou at this point. He was spitting in anger right now, as Hiruma continued to beat him. It was a familiar scene to her, that was true and despite her annoyance, she knew it would be strange to see Kotarou not being like this.
“I… didn’t want him to miss out on that,” Mamori continued. Then she turned a light shade of pink before looking at Julie and said, “That’s why I made sure we at least go to the next closest Summer Festival, and it so happened to be here! I can’t believe I got to bump into Sasaki-san and you, Sawai-san!”
Julie looked at Mamori and couldn’t help but smile in admiration. “You’re truly an amazing person, Anezaki-san.”
A loud cry pierced through the crowd, causing Julie and Mamori to panic. It was the stall owner Kotarou and Hiruma were at. “Have mercy on me, please!!”
The sound of Hiruma’s cackling made Mamori panic as she and Julie rushed over. “Hiruma-kun, what’s going on?!” asked Mamori, looking at the man’s terrified face.
Kotarou walked towards them, hunched in defeat. “He pretty much won all the prizes in that stall.”
Mamori gasped, and then marched towards Hiruma. “I told you not to overdo it!” she scolded.
“Keh, it’s not my fucking fault that this game was ridiculously easy!”
“That’s a lie! You knew very well that it was easy!”
“You have no proof of that.”
“I don’t need it. And you don’t need to win the whole stall either!”
“Well, don’t you like all these fucking cute stuffed creatures? You can pretty much make them into a bed now instead of letting them sleep with you.” He cackled some more.
“Hiruma-kun!” Mamori cried exasperatedly, but her view was suddenly blocked. She blinked as she looked into the beady eyes of a stuffed black teddy bear shoved before her. Confused, she held on to it and noticed that Hiruma had just passed it to her.
“That’s all I fucking need,” Hiruma said to the stall owner, who breathed a sigh of relief. Mamori was still looking at the stuffed bear until Hiruma put a hand on her back and pulled her closer to him as someone rushed past and almost bumped into her. “Come on, let’s get going.”
Blinking out of her confusion, Mamori nodded and turned towards Julie. She bowed a little and said, “Thank you for your time! Let’s do our best at the next tournament!”
“You too!” Julie waved back and watched as Hiruma and Mamori walked away. She couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction at this little encounter as well as her little inside knowledge on the Deimon’s Quarterback and Manager.
Then she heard Kotarou clear his throat. Julie turned, only to be face to face with the white bunny Kotarou had promised her earlier. “It didn’t come with the victory I hoped for though.”
Julie gaped at the stuffed bunny for a while and then couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Kotarou was now confused. “What’s so funny?”
“You lost just like this when you challenged Akaba last year!” Julie carried on laughing. “You would always boast like an ape, beating your chest in glory as you gave me the toy that you won! But last year you barely even looked at me after Akaba defeated you!”
Kotarou frowned in anger and was about to retort when Julie finally stopped and turned to smile at him. “But I can’t deny, that at least seeing you try was both frustrating and rather fun.” She took the stuffed bunny from him and gave it a quick squeeze of satisfaction. Then she pulled out her phone from her kinchaku and prompted Kotarou to follow her. “Come on, let’s enjoy the rest of the Summer Festival.”
“Wait, who are you calling?” Kotarou asked curiously.
“Akaba,” Julie replied.
“WHY?!”
“Convincing him would be tough but…” Julie smiled as she heard a ringing tone. “It really wouldn’t be the Summer Festival if he wasn’t around causing chaos with you too.”
~*~
“And here I was hoping you wouldn’t cause a scene,” Mamori sighed, practically dragging her geta across the stony pathway.
“You call that a scene, Fucking Manager,” Hiruma grinned. “Besides, that Fucking Show Off was totally asking for defeat. How can I not give it to him?”
Mamori could only sigh once more as they finally found a place to sit on the grass and watch the festivals in the distance. “The fireworks will be starting soon,” she said.
“So after this, it’s over as promised?” Hiruma asked as he sat down. Mamori sat down not long after, though there was an obvious frown on her face.
“Yes, it’s over… as promised…” she said, though it sounded like it was mostly to herself, hugging the stuffed bear Hiruma got her. They sat in the darkness, and if it weren’t for the crickets chirping loudly, the silence would have been deafening. Mamori still wasn’t sure whether it was a good idea to have asked Hiruma out like this. She must have been out of her mind, thinking that this could help him in some way.
“Hiruma-kun…” Mamori finally spoke up, her voice muffled as she leaned against the stuffed bear.
“What?”
“… You really shouldn’t push yourself so hard.”
Hiruma looked at Mamori, but could barely see her expression as she hid most of her face behind that bear. “… How much did you find out?”
“Doburoku-sensei was drunk.”
“He’s always drunk.”
“I know. Which is how he told me about your special training…?” Mamori looked at the busy scenery in the distance.
“Keh, so you took advantage of that moment, didn’t you? You’ve turned into a pretty sneaky woman, Fucking Manager,” he mused. Mamori kept silent, so Hiruma continued. “Just because I’m not playing this year doesn’t mean I’m going to stop altogether, Fucking Manager. There are always bigger dreams to strive for, and I have no intention of relaxing just because it’s the summer.”
Mamori pressed her face into the stuffed bear, her voice even more muffled. “I know… even so….” Mamori finally raised her head away from the stuffed bear. “I didn’t want to see you waste away your summer by pushing yourself too far… which was why I hoped that coming here would help… at least…” Mamori hesitated. Her words to Julie felt vague now, like it lost all its meaning.
Hiruma kept silent, his eyes on the sky. Then he said, “You’re awfully clingy to that fucking stuffed bear.”
Mamori blinked. “Eh?” She looked at the stuffed bear in her arm and realized that she was still holding on to it tightly.
“Maybe next time I’ll get a bigger bear for you, then you can fucking hide yourself behind it whenever you gab like this. And getting to see you so fucking riled up when you thought I took over the whole stall? Priceless! I thought you had gotten used to me all these years, but I must admit, it sure brings me back to see you getting so worked up over shit. I should do that more often!”
Mamori’s jaw dropped, she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be angry. “You really are-”
The sound of a whistle whizzing through the air causes Mamori to stop midway. This was instantly followed by a loud bang and big sparks of flower shaped red light fills the air, followed by a blue one and then a yellow one. Different shapes and sizes of fireworks soon filled the sky and she was captivated by it.
She turned to look at Hiruma for a moment who was illuminated by the different colours. He was watching the fireworks intently as well, but turned the moment he realized Mamori was looking at him. And under those sparks of fleeting light, an idea sparked in her mind as well. “I got it! Since you want to do this more, I’ll make a yukata for you next year!”
The sound of another firework exploding felt like a punchline to what seemed like a joke. “Huh?!” cried Hiruma.
“Don’t worry, I’ve made yukatas for Sena before so I know how to make one for men!”
“I don’t need you to start treating me like that Fucking Chibi!”
“I’m not! I just really think you’ll look good in one, Hiruma-kun!”
Hiruma was silent for a moment, as if he were contemplating as he watched the rest of the fireworks go off. He seemed to smile in both amusement and contentment at Mamori’s offer. As the fireworks finally died down, he said, “Fine, I’ll wear your fucking Yukata, on one condition.”
Mamori gulped. If Hiruma challenged her at games then…
“I’ll buy you 10 choco bananas and 10 takoyakis and I want you to eat them all.”
Mamori almost choked on her own saliva, causing her to cough in surprise. He was challenging her… with an eating game? “A-are you sure? I thought you wanted to go back straight after the fireworks?”
“And miss out on the chance to see you pig out? Never!” Hiruma cackled.
“But how will we get back? The last train leaves in about 10 minutes!”
“That’s what the Fucking Chameleon is for, Fucking Manager,” he grinned at her as he got up, dusting his pants a little. He offered his hand to her. “So what do you say, do we have a deal?”
Mamori frowned at him a little. “It really isn’t right that you keep using Habashira-san like that but…” Smiling, she grabbed Hiruma’s hand and pulled herself up. “Seeing you in a yukata would be a much better pay off!”
“Kekeke, you’re going to get fat, Fucking Manager,” he said.
“No, I won’t!” Mamori protested but she couldn’t hide the smile on her face. After all, next year’s summer would have a lot to look forward to!
Rating: K+
Word Count: 3,707
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely the creators of Eyeshield 21.
Summary: Kotarou isn't making Julie's Summer Festival experience any better, but things take a turn for the better the moment she meets two familiar people from Deimon.
Notes: Well, well! This is new for me! First of all, this is my submission for the hiruma_x_mamori DA community and this month's theme "Summer". Being in Malaysia, the only taste of summer I ever get is through the Japanese summer festival called Bon Odori. So based on that experience, I wrote this. I wrote a number of Japanese terms for some of the Japanese summer clothings and food in order to keep the Japanese feel to it, so if you're not sure what they mean, take a quick google! If not, ask me!
I also decided to put in a little twist by writing, for the first time, two characters from the Bando Spiders! They're actually a lot of fun to write so I hope you guys enjoy this. Let me know if there are any OOC moments, or if I've made any mistakes anywhere. It's also been a while since I wrote a long one shot, so I hope you guys enjoy this!
~*~
Julie couldn’t help but just stand there, fuming at Kotarou. She didn’t care if passersby were shooting her curious stares while others hurried away nervously. The beautiful lights and cheerful atmosphere at the Summer Festival dimmed in comparison to her fury after Kotarou harassed yet another passerby with his challenges for a game of shoot the can.
“Come on!” Kotarou shouted at a man who was trying his best to evade Kotarou and disappear into the thick of the crowd. “I just challenged you and a man’s supposed to accept it, not run! That’s not smart!!”
“Kotarou!” cried Julie, arms crossed in her yellow yukata adorned with white lilies. She didn’t care if she crumpled her newly bought yukata at this point. “Can you PLEASE stop doing that? Challenging them will not change anything!”
“Trust me, Julie, winning you that bunny will mean so much more when I’m being challenged!” Kotarou pointed at the stand where the white, fluffy stuffed bunny sat amongst rows of other stuffed toys that, admittedly, did catch Julie’s interest. But to have Kotarou causing such a ruckus for it was too much of a hassle at this point.
She sighed. “You’ve been doing this every year since we were kids… Last year, we invited Akaba and you challenged him so much, he didn’t bother to come with us this year.”
“That Akaba definitely isn’t smart! I wanted that rematch since last year!” Kotarou growled, remembering how he was defeated in every game available during the Summer Festival.
Julie could only sigh in defeat. Despite having known Kotarou’s antics for years and having formed many ways to at least counter his stupidity with whacks or distractions, there were moments where she felt completely drained. Coming for this year’s Summer Festival with him seemed rather pointless now…
“Sawai-san?” a young, female voice called out.
Julie’s train of thought was broken as she began to wonder which of her female acquaintances would call her that. She turned, confused for a moment until she took a good look and with eyes wide, she gasped, “Anezaki-san?”
Anezaki Mamori stood just a distance from Julie, donning a blue yukata with lilac petals floating across it. She was holding a kinchaku of similar pattern to her yukata in one hand. Mamori smiled as she approached her. “It really is you, Sawai-san! I almost didn’t recognize you in that yukata!”
“Me too!” Julie eagerly grabbed Mamori’s wrists in excitement. “But this is a surprise! You’re from Deimon, aren’t you? Why would you come all the way to this temple-?”
Julie was cut short as Kotarou had now exclaimed loudly. “YOU!”
Annoyed, Julie turned to see who his latest victim was when she realized he was pointing at Mamori. Was he serious?! Julie was about to raise her own kinchaku to whack Kotarou with when she heard a familiar cackle behind her.
“Oh! It’s that Fucking loud mouth kicker from Bando Spiders,” said Hiruma Youichi, the feared Quarterback and Captain of the Deimon Devil Bats. Julie could barely react to the strange sight before her. Hiruma? Here? At this temple’s Summer Festival?
“You may not be Musashi, but since this is not a kicking competition yet something of just as equal worth, I must challenge you, Hiruma Youichi!” cried Kotarou, causing a spectacle once again as curious and amused eyes began were upon him once more. “Let us play shoot the cans!”
Julie couldn’t help but smack her forehead in disbelief. This cannot be happening! Kotarou was challenging the most feared Quarterback in all of Japan for goodness sake!
Mamori, too, showed some signs of uneasiness. “Hiruma-kun, I don’t think it’s a good idea…”
“Why are you so fucking worried, Fucking Manager?” Hiruma grinned at her. “Shooting is my specialty.”
Mamori sighed. “That’s exactly it!”
“Come on, Hiruma!” Kotarou pulled out his comb and pointed it towards him. “I want to get the best present for Julie! That bunny and the victory of defeating you! I challenge you to get the best present for your little girlfriend right there!”
Mamori blushed and squeaked in protest as Julie opened her mouth to tell Kotarou off, but Hiruma sauntered forward, grinning from ear to ear. “Interesting! I accept your challenge, Fucking Poser.”
“SMART!” Kotarou cried as he combed his hair and promptly placed the comb back into his pocket in one dramatic sweep. “Let’s go! Get ready to be defeated!”
Hiruma and Kotarou began to walk towards the stall until Mamori cried “Hiruma-kun!” and reached forward to grab Hiruma’s hand. Julie could tell from the tone of her voice she was obviously worried, but to her surprise Hiruma merely looked at Mamori, still grinning and seemed to clench her hand a little tighter before letting go and continued to follow Kotarou.
Julie wasn’t sure how Mamori looked right now, so she slowly approached her, saying, “Anezaki-san?”
Mamori turned to look at Julie with a smile, her voice with a hint of a giggle. “Looks like boys will be boys, huh, Sawai-san?”
Julie blinked in surprise, but smiled in return. “You’re right.”
The two girls walked towards the stall as Hiruma and Kotarou paid ¥100 each to the owner and picked up a toy sniper. “I hope you’re ready to lose, Hiruma!” cried Kotarou.
“Kekeke, in your fucking dreams,” said Hiruma as he began to aim at the cans.
Julie shook her head and decided she was better off chatting with Mamori. “But it really is a surprise to see you and Hiruma-san in this temple! Are the other Devil Bats here too?”
“Oh no…” Mamori nervously replied. “They already went to the Summer Festival at the temple near Deimon.”
“Oh! That’s true! The Summer Festival was held there just a few days ago!” Julie cocked her head curiously. “So why come here?”
Mamori smiled nervously. “We… I mean, Hiruma-kun missed the Summer Festival there.”
“Eh?! He missed it?!” Julie exclaimed. “But the two of you are in your third year and it’s the Summer holidays! The two of you may be managing the teams, but if the other team members went for the Summer Festival, how is it possible that Hiruma-san missed it too?”
Mamori glanced at Hiruma who was cackling loudly as he had hit his third stack of cans while Kotarou shouted in frustration, obviously losing.
~*~
The Deimon boys cheered excitedly as they rushed towards the temple and began to attack every stall available. From chocolate bananas to okonomiyakis, to takoyakis and kakikooris, they bought almost every food available and gathered to eat them all up together.
“This okonomiyaki is amazing!” cried Kurita as he seemed to swallow 10 at once.
“Aaaahhh!! He’s eating it all!” cried Yukimitsu as he looked at the remaining food left.
Kuroki laughed in triumph. “Hah! I knew this was going to happen! Which is why I bought extra…!” Kuroki turned to point at what was supposed to be the stack of okonomiyakis he’d bought, but it had disappeared. “HAAH?!” he shouted as he looked around frantically…
Only to find Komusubi wiping his mouth from bits of cabbage and sauce. “YOU!! You ate it all!!” Kuroki growled.
Komusubi merely puffed his chest up as he pointed at Kurita and then to himself. “Strong!” was all he said.
“HOW DARE YOU!” he shouted and lunged forward, but Juumonji and even Togano held him back. “Oi, Kuroki! That’s enough!” said Juumonji.
“Don’t fight, boys…” Doburoku-sensei drawled as he took another swig of alcohol, much to almost everyone’s disapproval.
Another familiar voice could be heard in the distance. “I’m going to catch this goldfish! Watch me, my darling sister! Ahaha!” cried Taki as he held a fishnet made out of paper called poi in one hand and a bowl in the other facing a tub filled with many goldfishes.
Suzuna, dressed in a dark blue yukata and with off white pinwheels scattered across it, merely rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you still try, you fail every year,” she said.
“It will be different this year! I can feel it!” said Taki, smiling brightly. “Ootawara taught me the trick! Aim for the biggest goldfish and swoop in and catch it like a hawk! Watch me now!”
Taki eyed the biggest goldfish in the tank. “Ahaha! I got you!” With a splash, Taki’s poi dove into the water and quickly appeared into the air. Suzuna gasped as the goldfish struggled on the fishnet. “Look, my darling sister, look! I caught it!” Taki shouted excitedly.
But Suzuna panicked. “Wait, you have to put it in the-”
Too late. The poi’s paper net broke and the fish swam back into the safety of the tub. Taki’s jaw dropped in horror. Then he stood up dramatically, “IMPOSSIBLE!!”
Suzuna sighed. “You just never learn…”
“Mamori-san!”
Mamori turned her gaze away from the funny spectacle to see Monta standing before her, holding out some takoyaki. “I-I-I want you to have some since I noticed you haven’t eaten!”
Mamori smiled gently. “Thank you, Monta… that is very sweet of you!”
Monta turned a deep red as he looked away in embarrassment. “Mamori-san thanking me! With her beautiful yukata on, she is truly the ideal Japanese woman for me! My heart can’t take it anymore! MUKYA!” Monta shoved the box of takoyaki and rushed off shouting, “I will get more for you, Mamori-san!”
“Ah, Monta!” Mamori cried, but he was too far off. She looked at the takoyakis a little dismally. Something didn’t feel right, and she didn’t have any appetite because of it.
“Aren’t you hungry?” asked Musashi as he came to sit beside Mamori. He had squid on a stick in one hand and took a bite out of it. They both looked at the atmosphere before them as the Deimon team continued to wreak chaos.
Mamori shook her head quietly. “Something doesn’t feel right…” she said softly, almost letting the words drown in the noise around them. But Musashi heard them well enough.
“Mamori-nee-chan!”
Mamori’s quiet gloom disappeared as she replaced her aura with a bright smile. “Sena! What did you get?”
“I’ve got some bouncy balls from one of the games I played!” Sena proudly showed the bouncy balls, ranging from different sizes.
“That’s great, Sena!” Mamori clapped her hands. “You must have a big collection now! You’ve been collecting that for years since-” Mamori stopped for a moment, placing her fingers across her lips for a moment in deep thought. Then she got up abruptly and passed the takoyakis to Sena. “Make sure you eat these all up, Sena! Take care of the team for me!” Grabbing her kinchaku, she began to push herself through the crowds.
“Ah! Mamoi-nee-chan?! You’re going to miss the fireworks!” Sena stood there confused. He turned to Musashi who merely continued to eat his squid. “What’s going on?”
Musashi merely shrugged.
Mamori was running now. It was hard to do so with her yukata on, and getas were far from perfect running shoes. She took one of the buses and stopped by Deimon High. She ran past the security who seemed content to let her through and straight towards the clubhouse. And then she threw the door open…
To find the blonde demon in his dirty, worn out tracksuit with his arms folded before him on the coffee table and his head resting on them, fast asleep.
Mamori stood there for a moment to catch her breath. Then she sighed as she approached him. “Idiot.”
~*~
“He’s been really busy lately,” Mamori explained. “You know how boys are. The moment they focus on one thing, everything else becomes a blur to them.”
Julie was curious as to what Hiruma could be busy about, but decided it wasn’t her position to pry. “I see…” was all she could say. “So why bring him here? I mean… you could always wait until next year or something like that.”
Mamori pondered for a moment. Then she asked, “Don’t you think the Summer Festival has a lot of memorable moments? From the first time we tried to scoop for goldfish, to splurging on kakikooris and chocolate bananas. The pinwheels and masks displayed at every corner and the lanterns hanging above us as we try to dive our way through the bustling crowd. And most importantly…” Mamori glanced at Hiruma once more. “The friends and families who share those moments with us.”
Julie couldn’t help but look at Kotarou at this point. He was spitting in anger right now, as Hiruma continued to beat him. It was a familiar scene to her, that was true and despite her annoyance, she knew it would be strange to see Kotarou not being like this.
“I… didn’t want him to miss out on that,” Mamori continued. Then she turned a light shade of pink before looking at Julie and said, “That’s why I made sure we at least go to the next closest Summer Festival, and it so happened to be here! I can’t believe I got to bump into Sasaki-san and you, Sawai-san!”
Julie looked at Mamori and couldn’t help but smile in admiration. “You’re truly an amazing person, Anezaki-san.”
A loud cry pierced through the crowd, causing Julie and Mamori to panic. It was the stall owner Kotarou and Hiruma were at. “Have mercy on me, please!!”
The sound of Hiruma’s cackling made Mamori panic as she and Julie rushed over. “Hiruma-kun, what’s going on?!” asked Mamori, looking at the man’s terrified face.
Kotarou walked towards them, hunched in defeat. “He pretty much won all the prizes in that stall.”
Mamori gasped, and then marched towards Hiruma. “I told you not to overdo it!” she scolded.
“Keh, it’s not my fucking fault that this game was ridiculously easy!”
“That’s a lie! You knew very well that it was easy!”
“You have no proof of that.”
“I don’t need it. And you don’t need to win the whole stall either!”
“Well, don’t you like all these fucking cute stuffed creatures? You can pretty much make them into a bed now instead of letting them sleep with you.” He cackled some more.
“Hiruma-kun!” Mamori cried exasperatedly, but her view was suddenly blocked. She blinked as she looked into the beady eyes of a stuffed black teddy bear shoved before her. Confused, she held on to it and noticed that Hiruma had just passed it to her.
“That’s all I fucking need,” Hiruma said to the stall owner, who breathed a sigh of relief. Mamori was still looking at the stuffed bear until Hiruma put a hand on her back and pulled her closer to him as someone rushed past and almost bumped into her. “Come on, let’s get going.”
Blinking out of her confusion, Mamori nodded and turned towards Julie. She bowed a little and said, “Thank you for your time! Let’s do our best at the next tournament!”
“You too!” Julie waved back and watched as Hiruma and Mamori walked away. She couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction at this little encounter as well as her little inside knowledge on the Deimon’s Quarterback and Manager.
Then she heard Kotarou clear his throat. Julie turned, only to be face to face with the white bunny Kotarou had promised her earlier. “It didn’t come with the victory I hoped for though.”
Julie gaped at the stuffed bunny for a while and then couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Kotarou was now confused. “What’s so funny?”
“You lost just like this when you challenged Akaba last year!” Julie carried on laughing. “You would always boast like an ape, beating your chest in glory as you gave me the toy that you won! But last year you barely even looked at me after Akaba defeated you!”
Kotarou frowned in anger and was about to retort when Julie finally stopped and turned to smile at him. “But I can’t deny, that at least seeing you try was both frustrating and rather fun.” She took the stuffed bunny from him and gave it a quick squeeze of satisfaction. Then she pulled out her phone from her kinchaku and prompted Kotarou to follow her. “Come on, let’s enjoy the rest of the Summer Festival.”
“Wait, who are you calling?” Kotarou asked curiously.
“Akaba,” Julie replied.
“WHY?!”
“Convincing him would be tough but…” Julie smiled as she heard a ringing tone. “It really wouldn’t be the Summer Festival if he wasn’t around causing chaos with you too.”
~*~
“And here I was hoping you wouldn’t cause a scene,” Mamori sighed, practically dragging her geta across the stony pathway.
“You call that a scene, Fucking Manager,” Hiruma grinned. “Besides, that Fucking Show Off was totally asking for defeat. How can I not give it to him?”
Mamori could only sigh once more as they finally found a place to sit on the grass and watch the festivals in the distance. “The fireworks will be starting soon,” she said.
“So after this, it’s over as promised?” Hiruma asked as he sat down. Mamori sat down not long after, though there was an obvious frown on her face.
“Yes, it’s over… as promised…” she said, though it sounded like it was mostly to herself, hugging the stuffed bear Hiruma got her. They sat in the darkness, and if it weren’t for the crickets chirping loudly, the silence would have been deafening. Mamori still wasn’t sure whether it was a good idea to have asked Hiruma out like this. She must have been out of her mind, thinking that this could help him in some way.
“Hiruma-kun…” Mamori finally spoke up, her voice muffled as she leaned against the stuffed bear.
“What?”
“… You really shouldn’t push yourself so hard.”
Hiruma looked at Mamori, but could barely see her expression as she hid most of her face behind that bear. “… How much did you find out?”
“Doburoku-sensei was drunk.”
“He’s always drunk.”
“I know. Which is how he told me about your special training…?” Mamori looked at the busy scenery in the distance.
“Keh, so you took advantage of that moment, didn’t you? You’ve turned into a pretty sneaky woman, Fucking Manager,” he mused. Mamori kept silent, so Hiruma continued. “Just because I’m not playing this year doesn’t mean I’m going to stop altogether, Fucking Manager. There are always bigger dreams to strive for, and I have no intention of relaxing just because it’s the summer.”
Mamori pressed her face into the stuffed bear, her voice even more muffled. “I know… even so….” Mamori finally raised her head away from the stuffed bear. “I didn’t want to see you waste away your summer by pushing yourself too far… which was why I hoped that coming here would help… at least…” Mamori hesitated. Her words to Julie felt vague now, like it lost all its meaning.
Hiruma kept silent, his eyes on the sky. Then he said, “You’re awfully clingy to that fucking stuffed bear.”
Mamori blinked. “Eh?” She looked at the stuffed bear in her arm and realized that she was still holding on to it tightly.
“Maybe next time I’ll get a bigger bear for you, then you can fucking hide yourself behind it whenever you gab like this. And getting to see you so fucking riled up when you thought I took over the whole stall? Priceless! I thought you had gotten used to me all these years, but I must admit, it sure brings me back to see you getting so worked up over shit. I should do that more often!”
Mamori’s jaw dropped, she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be angry. “You really are-”
The sound of a whistle whizzing through the air causes Mamori to stop midway. This was instantly followed by a loud bang and big sparks of flower shaped red light fills the air, followed by a blue one and then a yellow one. Different shapes and sizes of fireworks soon filled the sky and she was captivated by it.
She turned to look at Hiruma for a moment who was illuminated by the different colours. He was watching the fireworks intently as well, but turned the moment he realized Mamori was looking at him. And under those sparks of fleeting light, an idea sparked in her mind as well. “I got it! Since you want to do this more, I’ll make a yukata for you next year!”
The sound of another firework exploding felt like a punchline to what seemed like a joke. “Huh?!” cried Hiruma.
“Don’t worry, I’ve made yukatas for Sena before so I know how to make one for men!”
“I don’t need you to start treating me like that Fucking Chibi!”
“I’m not! I just really think you’ll look good in one, Hiruma-kun!”
Hiruma was silent for a moment, as if he were contemplating as he watched the rest of the fireworks go off. He seemed to smile in both amusement and contentment at Mamori’s offer. As the fireworks finally died down, he said, “Fine, I’ll wear your fucking Yukata, on one condition.”
Mamori gulped. If Hiruma challenged her at games then…
“I’ll buy you 10 choco bananas and 10 takoyakis and I want you to eat them all.”
Mamori almost choked on her own saliva, causing her to cough in surprise. He was challenging her… with an eating game? “A-are you sure? I thought you wanted to go back straight after the fireworks?”
“And miss out on the chance to see you pig out? Never!” Hiruma cackled.
“But how will we get back? The last train leaves in about 10 minutes!”
“That’s what the Fucking Chameleon is for, Fucking Manager,” he grinned at her as he got up, dusting his pants a little. He offered his hand to her. “So what do you say, do we have a deal?”
Mamori frowned at him a little. “It really isn’t right that you keep using Habashira-san like that but…” Smiling, she grabbed Hiruma’s hand and pulled herself up. “Seeing you in a yukata would be a much better pay off!”
“Kekeke, you’re going to get fat, Fucking Manager,” he said.
“No, I won’t!” Mamori protested but she couldn’t hide the smile on her face. After all, next year’s summer would have a lot to look forward to!