"Yukino-kun."

Yukino-kun!? I hastily accepted the call upon seeing the unexpected caller name.

"Hello, Yukino-kun…?"

"Oh, Reika-onee-san? Good evening!" I could hear Yukino-kun's spirited voice. Oh! It's really Yukino-kun.

"Good evening. What is it, Yukino-kun?"

"I'm sorry, for calling out of the blue. Were you busy?"

"No. A call from you is always welcome!" I was just lounging on my bed right now, after all!

"Thank you very much. Um, I returned to Japan just today."

"Oh, I see! Welcome back, Yukino-kun. Was summer camp fun?"

"Yes! I sent Reika-onee-san a postcard, but did you get it?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you for the beautiful mountain scenery."

"Good! I was really happy when you sent me a postcard, so I wanted to do the same."

"Oh…!" Yukino-kun's laughing shyly. His adorableness knows no bounds. We continued to speak cheerfully. "I enjoyed your messages very much. Wasn't it difficult to canoe?"

"Yes. My arms hurt really badly, and I got blisters on my hand. But going down the river on the canoe with everyone was hard, but really fun!"

"Oh, that's nice. Did you spend the nights in a tent at camp?"

"Yes. I was surprised at the huge bug that I'd never seen before."

"No, a bug!? Were you all right?"

"Sort of… Managed to chase it away, but I couldn't get to sleep for a while after that…"

"I would think so…" I don't like bugs, so I understand. It's outdoors, and if you find one, there's no telling how many others there are. "I'm interested in camp also, but I hesitate because of the insect problem. I can't relax and sleep when a bug might enter the tent at any time."

"Yes. I don't normally dislike bugs that much, but…" I nodded. My body starts to itch just from imagining a bug crawling across my face as I sleep. "And… Oh, wait. I know. Yes, I'll ask her now. Sorry, Reika-onee-san. I called today not just to let you know I'm back. Um, will you go see fireworks with me?"

"Fireworks?!"

"Yes! There's supposed to be a fireworks display soon."

"Fireworks display…" I just heard of this a few hours ago…

"I wanted to see it with Reika-onee-san, so I called you!" I can hear Yukino-kun's excitement across the phone, but… uh… I only have bad feelings about how Yukino-kun found out about fireworks upon just returning to Japan.

"By the way, Yukino-kun, where did you hear about the fireworks?"

"From Masaya-nii-sama." There! I knew it! No way. Going on the cruise with Kaburagi and Wakaba-chan is like jumping into the frying pan on my own. Sorry, Yukino-kun. I can't.

"Hmm… I'm a little… I wasn't actually invited by Kaburagi-sama, so I'm probably not welcome, so…"

"Eh? I'm not going with Masaya-nii-sama."

"Oh, really?"

"No. Masaya-nii-sama has other plans."

"Oh, is that right?" Oh, so I was jumping to conclusions. Ah, that was a shock. Of course. There's no way that Kaburagi would invite others on a date with Wakaba-chan.

"So how about it?" Hmm, I'm a little worried, but if Kaburagi's not involved, it might be all right… Yukino-kun's gone to the trouble of inviting me, after all…

"So we're going to see fireworks separate from Kaburagi-sama?" I confirm, just in case.

"Yes. Me and Reika-onee-san and my brother, the three of us!" Huh! Enjou, too!?

"Switch with me," I heard from over the phone just then. "Hello, Kisshouin-san?" Ugh! It's Enjou.

"…Enjou-sama?"

"Yes, sorry to bother you at night. Yukino really wanted to talk to you immediately. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"No, I don't mind that at all…"

"And as you just heard from Yukino, he wants to go see fireworks with you. It's this weekend, but do you have plans?"

"Um, let me check…" I have nothing this weekend, but I pretend to check my schedule. Ugh, but with Enjou…!? That changes things. I thought that it would just be me and Yukino-kun. Now that I think about it, an elementary school child with a high school student going out at night without a chaperone is unthinkable.

"So, brother, what's Reika-onee-san saying?" I could hear Yukino-kun asking. Can I really reject that anticipation Yukino-kun is feeling? No, I can't…

"Thank you for waiting. I checked my schedule, but it should be all right."

"Really? Good. Yukino, Kisshouin-san said she'll go with us."

"Yay!" Hearing his cheerful voice, I'm glad that I accepted.

"There. That's settled, so go to bed like you promised."

"Oh, but I'm not sleepy!"

"You're tired from your trip, so you might get a fever if you don't rest properly."

"But I'm not sleepy." The Enjou brothers quarrel. Yukino-kun's always a good boy at school, but he can act willfully like his age at home. His mother of the help came and led Yukino-kun away to his room. Good night, Yukino-kun.

"Sorry about that."

"Not at all." It must be tough being an older brother.

"Masaya was here until just now. After hearing about the fireworks, he wanted to go, too." He was there until just now, so he went to see Enjou after going to Wakaba-chan's home. You get around, Kaburagi. "And he whined about wanting to go with Kisshouin-san, so sorry about causing you trouble."

"No, I'm glad to be able to see Yukino-kun, also."

"Thank you, I'm glad to hear that." We set the schedule for the fireworks before ending the call.

I immediately rushed to the closet and opened the door. The restaurant with the hanging garden that Enjou reserved was definitely a great spot to observe the fireworks. As expected of the Enjou family, to be able to get reservations at that time. The restaurant doesn't have a dress code, but it's not a place to wear a yukata. What should I wear? Not too formal, but not too casual, but fitting for fireworks… I'll need something to put over, if we're outside. A stoll? Bolero? Cardigan? I started to pull out my clothes from the closet.

The next day, Kaburagi training resumed after cram school. I couldn't continue using the soreness after many days. But I would never go through the hellish training again, and murmured, "I'm still a little sore…"

"Oh, well. We'll take things lightly today." He gave in! It's good to try, even if it's unlikely.

After stretching, I got on the treadmill. Enjou's not here today. Kaburagi got on the machine next to me and began running much faster. I begin to trot to fulfill today's menu…. And I feel a strong gaze on me. There's only one other here, and I glance to my side to find Kaburagi staring at me with his arms crossed, and suddenly standing still. Huh? What…?

"Kisshouin Reika…" Kaburagi murmured my full name.

Huh?

"…"

"…" Only the treadmill and my footsteps can be heard. What? Why do you stay silent after saying my name, suddenly? It bothers me, so I stop running to face him.

"What is it?"

"Kisshouin Reika…" So what is it?

"…Kif…"

My heart nearly stopped.

"Huh?"

"Kisshouin Reika and Kif… Seems totally unrelated." Of course, that nickname didn't come from my name… But does that mean…

"What is this about…?" I asked, trying to hold back my fear.

"This friend of Takamichi called Kif-chan was there again."

"Oh…"

"Yesterday afternoon when I called you. It was then." Kaburagi gazed at me intently. "Just when I called you, I heard a phone ring in her house. And just when my call was cut off, the phone in Takamichi's home ended."

"…"

"Is that a coincidence?"

"It's not a coincidence…?" I managed to squeeze out.

"That really is a coincidence?"

"How else can I answer that…?" I was hot from running, but my fingertips had gone cold.

"Takamichi said that Kif-chan was a friend. But the junior high friends at cram school didn't have anybody that would fit. They never mentioned anyone like Kif-chan, either."

"I question you checking in on friends of the girl you fancy…"

"Could Kif be Kisshouin…?" My heart stopped.

"…What makes you think that I might be called Kif?"

"Nothing. Kif sounds like a dog." Kif comes from chocolate kifli like my hair. Oh, so Kaburagi doesn't know chocolate kifli!

"There are plenty of people in Japan, so there must be plenty of phones that ring at the same time."

"…"

"…"

"…that may be…" After a long pause, he conceded, "I must be overthinking…" I clung to the treadmill to stop my hand from shaking.

"Besides, weren't you with Takamichi-san just then? Isn't it rude to call like that?" I brought up his manners to change the subject.

"A lady from the neighborhood had her attention."

"Couldn't you have joined them?"

"What could I say about the local rules in throwing out trash?"

"Umm… Well…" I can't imagine the Emperor of Zuiran knowingly talk about crows scavenging the trash overnight. Does Kaburagi even know how his trash is disposed of? "By the way, Kaburagi-sama, are you aware that trash is separated and taken out on particular days?"

"…Are you mocking me?" I guess that he knows that much.

"So Takamichi-san was caught by a lady from the neighborhood. But calling when that happened?"

"…"

"Could it be that you couldn't stand being left alone by yourself, unable to join in?" His eyes opened wide. So that's it! "Oh! So you were lonely. Oh, oh, you couldn't stand being left alone and called."

"No! It's because you didn't send me your lunch menu!"

"Eh? Couldn't you have waited until night to ask?" I smiled at him.

Kaburagi glared and shouted, "Quit loafing! Run!" and he started sprinting himself. He didn't bring it up again after being hit where it hurt.

…Good. I managed to get away with it. Really glad Enjou wasn't around today.