Sitting down on the grass alongside Alice, we prepared some of the food that we had brought. There were no insects or anything like that within this space, so we can enjoy ourselves very comfortably.

  Compared to the bazaar, this space was a little dimmer, so it was easier for us to see the fireworks.

  [Errr, there’s still some time before it starts, right?]

  [If we assume that the fireworks will start exactly one hour from the time we parted with Makina, then we have about fifteen minutes left.]

  [Then, let’s just relax until it starts……]

  I’m not very hungry, so the food we prepared is mostly for Alice, but it’s also nice to be able to relax a bit in a quiet place since we’ve been going around the brightly lit bazaar along the way here.

  Well, compared to the normal festival bazaars, there aren’t many people here, so I didn’t really feel that tired…… But as I had such thoughts in mind, Alice suddenly tugged at the hem of my yukata.

  [Unnn?]

  [Errr…… Ummm…… I have something I’d like to try……]

  [Something you’d like to try? You mean something lover-like, right…… Like, kissing the moment the fireworks go off?]

  [That may look beautiful from a third person’s point of view, but we won’t really see anything even if we do that, right……]

  [I guess that’s true.]

  Alice is also getting used to being pampered…… Rather, even if she’s embarrassed, she seemed to have decided to be aggressive today, and I can see that she was a little bolder than at the beginning of our date.

  Well, her face is still as red as usual, so she really must be doing her best……


  [……So, in the end, what did you want to try out?]

  [Well, about our posture while watching the fireworks…… First, Kaito-san would sit cross-legged.]

  [That’s rather difficult to do while in a yukata…… Unnn, what’s this?]

  As I responded to Alice’s words, asking me to sit down cross-legged, something that looked like a game window appeared in mid-air.

  Errr, let’s see…… “This console is designed to automatically show up when my child wants to change clothes. Just touch the clothes you want to swap in and you’d change into them”…… She’s well-prepared.

  [……She’s very prepared.]

  [That piece of junk…… She definitely used her omniscience and foresaw this, didn’t she?]

  [Well, anyway…… Ahh, there’s a samue in the list, so I’ll change into that.]

  The console showed quite a variety of clothes, even those that looked like something cosplayers wear…… Ignoring those for the time being, I found the samue and touched it.

  Thereupon, I realized that my clothes had already been changed into a samue…… I was surprised, but considering that the person who prepared it was omniscient and omnipotent, it wouldn’t be surprising if she could do something like this.

  After pressing the “x” button on the console to turn off the screen, I sat down cross legged as Alice had requested.

  [……Is this alright?]

  [Yes, after that…… Please wait a moment. I need to prepare myself…… For now, take a deep breath- Hyaahhh!?]

  I somewhat knew what Alice wanted to do, but I’m not really sure if she could make it in time for the fireworks if I waited for her to finish preparing herself, so I decided to make my move.

  Pulling Alice’s body to me and sitting her down above my lap, I gently hugged her small body from behind.

  [……This is probably what you want, right?]

  [Yes, you’re right, b- b- but my heart is still not ready yet…… Auuauuu……]

  [You smell so good, Alice.]

  [Why are you saying something even more embarrassing here!? You do understand that I’m on the brink of overloading here, right!!!? Ahh~~ geez, my face is hot…… I feel like I’m already releasing steam.]

  [Ahaha.]

  [Why the heck are you laughing!?]

  The sight of Alice’s face that became so red that it really looked like she’d start releasing steam looked so amusing that I couldn’t help myself from laughing. Normally, she is really dependable, but on the other hand, when I see her this flustered because things don’t go her way, I find her impossibly cute.

  [No, I’m sorry. Alice’s reaction was just too cute so I couldn’t help myself……]

  [Uuuu, what the heck is with this sense of defeat…… Hey, just because I’m not good at this kind of thing doesn’t mean you can get carried away……]

  [Like I said, I’m sorry……]

  [Mnhhh.]

  As if in protest, Alice nuzzled the back of her head against my chest, and I felt a smile on my face as I embraced her even closer.

  Feeling Alice’s body heat through her yukata, it made me feel much happier than before.

  Alice may be sulking, but it doesn’t seem like she’s angry, as she’s lovingly holding my arm as I hugged her.

  [……Alice, are you mad at me?]

  [Even though you know the answer, you’re still going to ask that? Don’t you think that’s unfair? Well, it’s not like I’m mad at you.]

  [I see……]

  [Ahh, that’s right, it’s almost time for the fireworks.]

  [Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.]

  [……Yes.]

  Alice’s voice was very gentle, and I could tell that she was enjoying our time together, which somehow made me happy.

  [……Kaito-san.]

  [Unnn?]

  [I’m a sh*tty noob when it comes to love, so I can’t really put it into words…… but my love for Kaito-san…… is second to none, okay?]

  [Yeah, I love you too.]

  While I’m filled with happiness, feeling as if my deep emotions have connected with Alice’s…… As if to celebrate such feelings, a beautiful large flower bloomed in the night sky.

  **********