v5 23 Apr 2007 02:06 pm
Night of the Summer Festival 1
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Not long after the fountain festival, our “summer vacation” finally arrived. We heard that Minako-san liked Hime-pond as an observation point, and was going there everyday. Because of it, Great Inoue-kun had plenty of opportunities to meet with the “person he yearned for” and he also seemed like he was going to Hime-pond often.
Great Inoue-kun, who was smart to begin with, had absorbed Minako-san’s knowledge and was on his way to becoming a “serious astronomer.” To say what was “serious” about it, if you ever saw him, he would start telling you about Greek mythology and the stories of the constellations as if lecturing. He really was an astronomer that was causing “serious problems” around him.
But. It was also true that the limit was steadily approaching him.
That’s right. Minako-san was “here until Obon.” Basically, once Obon passed, she would be going back to Tokyo.
There was something inscrutable in Great Inoue-kun’s feeling.
And. On the day of the summer festival, which was closing in on Obon, the biggest incident for us was about to happen.
Normally, it was only until middle school that kids would go willingly to the summer festival. It definitely wasn’t something that someone in high school would go to happily. At a glance, our group looked like they would “enjoy festivals,” but in actuality, that was precisely the case and we argued about it last year.
“Takaaki, you went to the festival yesterday, didn’t you?”
“D-don’t be stupid! I didn’t go!”
“Uh-huh. Don’t lie. I saw you at the festival.”
“That means you were there, too!”
“Wha!?”
When you make fun of someone, you need to check your own steps.
“N-n-no. I… I just took my elderly mother there.”
“What’s up with that story like “Old Japanese Tales”!? If you went, just say you went!”
“Now, now. I confirmed that both of you were totally there.”
“Then, you were there, too!”
“Wha!?”
“N-no, I wasn’t! I… I just heard from my friend that I went with.”
“So you WERE there!”
“Wha!?”
“Now, now, you guys……”
We had a trivial spiral-like loop argument.
But.
This year was different!
We decided that we would all go to the festival boldly…
… because…
… it was “us that swept” the shine where the festival was held.
It was because of the interfering secular hag, and the healthy Shinto priest with the bad heart, that we spent three hours cleaning this shrine. As expected, because we spent that much time, we had become somewhat attached to it. We decided that we would be on “festival patrol.”
There was the daytime and nighttime festival, we of course chose the nighttime. Of course, we chose it because it was more exciting.
Because Great Inoue-kun might have an adventure with Minako-san, we didn’t invite him, so it was the other 5 people who swept, and a couple other members we talked to.
The scenery of the nighttime festival then is no different from how it is now.
Bogus looking booths lined up.
The smell of burnt sauce and caramel.
Women in yukata’s coming and going under the lights of the bare light bulbs…
If anything, I think there were more “bogus looking booths” at the time.
The way that Saijoh-kun’s spirit was energized was dreadful.
He was warning anyone and everyone!
“Hey! You middle schooler! Don’t toss your losing ticket! Throw it away in the trashcan, the trashcan! I’ll break your arm!”
“Mister! Throw your cigarette butt away in the ashtray, the ashtray! There was one at the entrance, right?”
“Brat! Don’t toss your chopsticks! Bring it home as a gift to your mom! She’ll appreciate it!”
Like that, he made a big deal by yelling regardless of if it was a five year old or a hoodlum, so we really stood out. Because of it, the whole festival had a seemingly different feel.
“Crap! People worked hard to clean this shrine. What are they thinking!?”
Because we were standing out so much, there were some people who noticed our actions.
By the landing of the heart-masher stairs,
“You guys are here, too?”
It was Chuzai-san who had come as a guard.
It was the biggest festival of the year. Chuzai-san was obviously there as well as the security reinforcements that were called in from nearby cities.
“P-Policeman! When you smoke, smoke by the ashtray up there!”
Saijoh-kun launched a warning even at Chuzai-san.
“No. Unfortunately I can’t smoke while on guard, but… What are you so uptight about?”
The shrine sweeping, if you go back to the beginning, was caused by Chuzai-san giving us the “Two to a bike punishment.”
We included why we had to sweep the shrine in our short explanation to Chuzai-san.
But, Chuzai-san hearing this.
“Bu…….Buwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.”
Great laughter.
“S-so that’s it. You guys swept this whole place? Wa ha ha ha ha.”
“Yes. Part of the next property as a bonus, too.”
“T-t-that’s remarkable! Wa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.”
Infinite great laughter.
Crap! There was no way we could let this slide!
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