Epilogue

The fireworks began.

But in a quiet corner near the shrine office, Kazuki, seated by the hand-washing basin, was cooling his swollen cheek with a damp handkerchief while being scolded by Himeko.

“Kazuki-san, what were you thinking, jumping in like that?! You totally shocked me, and your cheek’s all red and puffy!”

“Haha, my mouth’s pretty cut up inside, too. I’ll probably dealing with canker sores for a while starting tomorrow.”

“This isn’t a laughing matter!”

Being lectured by his friend’s sister, Himeko, who stood with her hands on her hips and cheeks puffed out in anger, must’ve made for a pitiful and comical sight.

Yet Kazuki’s heart was so clear and bright that a smile kept slipping out despite it all.

He stole a glance at Hayato.

Hayato, too, was getting an earful from Saki.

“I was so shocked! Rushing in so recklessly, getting into a fight… I was on pins and needles watching you!”

“Well, uh, it’s just… my body moved on its own, you know, like…”

“What were you going to do if you got hurt, Onii-san? Geez!”

“Uh, well… sorry.”

Sure, Hayato’s provocative words and tackle weren’t exactly praiseworthy. He seemed to know it, too, shrinking slightly with guilt.

Catching Kazuki’s gaze, Himeko saw her brother’s state and let out an exasperated sigh, muttering, “Honestly, Onii’s just as bad.”

But Kazuki had something to say to Hayato. A bit shyly, he spoke up.

“But I was really glad you stepped in, Hayato-kun. Seriously, so glad. I mean, I thought you were an idiot, but…”

“Gee, thanks for the ‘idiot’ part.”

“Haha, but honestly, I was the biggest idiot for throwing that punch.”

“I never would’ve pegged you for doing something like that, Kazuki.”

“Haha, weird, right? My body just… moved. Like a reflex… Oh, wait—

Kazuki paused, realization dawning.

His expression turned serious as he glanced toward the shrine office, where Haruki, Iori, and Ema were explaining the earlier commotion. In a clear, resonant voice, he laid bare his heart.

“It’s gotta be because I love you guys—Hayato-kun, Himeko-chan, all of you—way more than I even realized.”

“K-Kazuki!?” “Kazuki-san!?” “W-W-What!?”

The words were so direct, even Kazuki felt a wave of embarrassment, his cheeks burning.

Hayato and Himeko were stunned, speechless. Saki floundered, her eyes darting between Kazuki and the Kirishima siblings.

But his heart felt light.

The murky weight that had lingered in his chest, swaying like sediment, had vanished completely. He felt reborn.

“After what happened with those guys, I built walls between me and others. I got scared to trust anyone. But seeing Hayato-kun back there, I knew for sure—you’re a real friend. I’ve already been saved, long ago…”

“Uh, yeah…”

Kazuki knew he was saying embarrassing things. Hayato was blushing, clearly unsure how to respond.

But he had to put it into words. He needed to say it.

Feelings don’t reach others unless you voice them—hadn’t Iori and Ema just taught him that?

There was one more thing he needed to say, clearly and directly.

With a slightly nervous look, Kazuki stood, his swollen cheek turning even redder, and extended his hand to Himeko with unwavering sincerity.

“I’ve had a lot of hang-ups about girls. But you were different, Himeko-chan. You always treated me so naturally, and today, you saw me, not my sister. Thinking back, you’ve saved me a ton, too. So!”

“Uh, w-what!?”

“I want to be friends with you, Himeko-chan. Not just your brother’s friend or a friend’s sister—real friends!”

“~~~~!?”

He seized the moment’s momentum to say what he’d long felt.

But for Himeko, it was sudden. Her face turned beet red, steam practically rising from her head. She stammered, “Ehh…” and “Ahh,” her eyes spinning. Hayato and Saki were just as shocked.

Kazuki’s outstretched hand hung in the air.

Maybe it was a bother to her—he thought, his face crumpling for a moment. But he took a step forward anyway.

“Himeko-chan—”

“Kazuki-san!”

“Y-Yes!”

“You don’t have to say all that—we’re already… Wait, what’s with your arm!?”

Himeko grabbed his hand with a forceful slap, but her eyes widened at the painful-looking scrape peeking from his sleeve, and she raised her voice.

Kazuki, noticing it for the first time, said casually, “Oh, probably from when they shoved me to the ground?”

“‘Probably’!? No way! Ugh, a Band-Aid won’t cut it! Onii, Saki-chan, let’s hit the convenience store!”

“Uh, sure.” “W-Wait, hold on!”

“…Ah.”

With that, Himeko spun around, grabbed Hayato and Saki’s hands, and dashed off.

Just then, she passed Haruki returning from the shrine office, tossing rapid words as they crossed paths.

“Haru-chan, take care of Kazuki-san!”

“…Hime-chan?”

Leaving a puzzled Haruki and Kazuki behind, Himeko and the others disappeared.

Haruki shot Kazuki a deadpan stare, so he shrugged in his usual way.

“Huh, just you, Nikaido-san? Where’s Iori-kun and Isami-san?”

“They’re at the shrine office, explaining—or rather, making excuses. I was fixing my disheveled yukata, and jumping into the conversation midway felt off, so I came back. They’re not planning to make a big deal out of it.”

“Got it.”

“…So, what’d you do to Hime-chan?”

“I just asked to be friends.”

“Like you did with Hayato that one time?”

“Yup.”

Kazuki didn’t quite catch the meaning behind Haruki’s words. He blinked, tilting his head in confusion.

But Haruki, seeing his face, let out a big, exasperated sigh.

“I’ve always thought this, but you’re kind of an idiot, aren’t you, Kaido?”

“Haha, I’m surprising myself, too.”

“Your face is looking pretty rough.”

“Yeah, it’ll probably stay swollen for a bit.”

“…I always figured you’d handle situations like that more smoothly, Kaido.”

“Yeah, the old me probably would’ve. But…”

“But?”

“When they mocked Hayato-kun and reached for Himeko-chan and the others, my mind went blank…”

Haruki peered at him curiously as his voice trailed off, growing quieter with each word as he recalled the moment.

Kazuki’s eyes widened, staring at his right hand, letting the feeling that had welled up inside him spill out, as if to confirm it.

“It was when those guys tried to lay a hand on Himeko-chan.”

“Huh?”

“The thought of them tainting her, touching her—I couldn’t forgive it. Those feelings surged up, overwhelming me, filling my head…”

In that moment, when Himeko showed fear toward them, something inside him snapped. It just broke.

Kirishima Himeko.

A girl he’d grown close to, often hanging out together.

Movies, the pool, after-school jobs.

Shopping in various towns, and today’s autumn festival.

Bright and trend-savvy, she always spread smiles around her.

And she never looked at Kazuki with special eyes.

Even today, she said his sister was his sister and he was himself, blowing away the faint unease in his heart.

Himeko’s radiant, sun-like cheerfulness suited her dazzling smile best. That’s why her rare, non-smiling expressions burned into his memory, refusing to fade.

Like when she mumbled about liking someone at the pool.

Or when she quietly confessed to hiding something from her brother and best friend.

Behind her constant smiles, she surely carried a deep pain.

Just like Kazuki. Or perhaps even more.

That’s why he desperately didn’t want her to make those faces.

And then, recalling the joy when she grabbed his outstretched hand earlier, saying she wanted to be friends—his chest throbbed. It ached sharply. He crumpled his yukata with the hand he’d been staring at, letting out a pained “Ugh,” furrowing his brow.

“Hey, Kaido, is your wound hurting!?”

“It’s not the wound, but it hurts. My chest, so much… Oh, I see—”

“What do you…”

His heart was pounding impossibly fast.

To confirm this new emotion sprouting in his chest, he placed various things on the scales of his heart.

The sister of a friend he trusted deeply.

A girl he’d just asked to be friends with.

And she still had feelings for someone else.

Yet no matter how much he piled on, the swelling emotion wouldn’t balance out.

His face twisted more and more.

Haruki’s worried gaze met his. His expression must’ve been that bad.

Just then, a firework burst in the sky.

Illuminated by the blooming flower in the night, Kazuki’s face looked like a lost child on the verge of tears.

The pain he’d once felt.

The fear of changing the status quo.

Yet he knew he couldn’t turn away from this emotion—and he shaped it into words.

“I’ve just fallen in love with someone for real, for the first time…”

◇◇◇

“—Wha?”

Haruki’s eyes widened, and she let out a gasp, as if she couldn’t believe it.

It was unexpected.

But it was definitive.

Kazuki’s words spread like wildfire, scorching Haruki’s chest.

Her breath caught. Her legs wobbled. Her heart wouldn’t stop racing.

Having been probing Kazuki’s strange mood, she understood his heart’s shift vividly.

It was the outpouring of a burning emotion. The intense heat only something genuine could emit.

And instinctively, she knew it was what lay beyond the wall she couldn’t reach when trying to trace Saki’s feelings earlier.

—What a massive emotion.

Unconsciously, she clutched her creaking chest.

Even Kazuki seemed shocked by the words that had spilled out.

His hands trembled, and he looked at her with pleading eyes.

Haruki didn’t know how to process it.

She’d thought Kazuki was like her—someone who just went along with others. That made it all the more jarring.

“What’s—”

“Kazuki-saaan, we got the medicine!”

Just as Haruki was about to ask, Himeko and the others came jogging back.

Kazuki flinched, his eyes darting nervously.

But Himeko didn’t notice his state, focused on tending to him, and grabbed his hand.

“We got antiseptic, too, so show me the wound.”

“!? Uh, no, Himeko-chan, I can handle it myself.”

“Come on, don’t be like that! It’s your dominant hand that’s hurt, right? Can you really treat it properly alone? Just let me, come on!”

“B-But, uh…”

“Ah.”

In the tussle over the treatment, Kazuki accidentally knocked the medicine from Himeko’s hand.

He made an awkward face.

Himeko puffed her cheeks, bending to pick up the fallen medicine.

Kazuki was clearly rattled by his emotions.

And no wonder—staying calm while consumed by such a blaze was near impossible.

It was lucky his expression was hidden in the dim light from the others.

“Geez! Stop trying to act cool and let me treat you!”

“…Okay.”

Kazuki slumped, letting Himeko take over. Hayato chuckled, his shoulders shaking. It was a comical attempt to cover up the moment.

“Got yourself in a mess, huh, Kazuki?”

“…Haha, no kidding.”

“All done! Oh, the fireworks already started!”

“Sorry for the wait!”

“Yo, sorry, took a while.”

“Ema-san, your boyfriend! The fireworks are on, let’s go watch!”

Ema and Iori returned from the shrine office. Prompted by Himeko, not just them but Hayato and Saki started moving, too.

“Wait, Himeko-chan!”

Snapping out of his daze after the treatment, Kazuki chased after Himeko, who’d turned her attention to the fireworks.

“Th-The handkerchief, it’s got my blood on it, it’s dirty, so I’ll wash it and return it…”

“Huh? It’s fine, I don’t mind stuff like that.”

“But I mind!”

“If you insist…”

With that, Kazuki somewhat forcefully took the bloodied handkerchief from Himeko. His uncharacteristic lack of composure was clear.

Haruki couldn’t help but worry he’d raise suspicions.

“Haruki?”

“!? Uh, w-what? What’s up?”

Hayato suddenly spoke to her, making her face and body tense, her heart racing oddly fast.

He peered at her overreaction with a puzzled look.

“Not ‘what’s up’… Aren’t you coming?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m coming!”

“Hey, wait—”

Unable to meet his gaze directly for some reason, she hurriedly chased after the others.

The fireworks bursting ahead painted the faces of the crowd in vibrant colors.

The continuous cracks echoing in the night sky felt like her own fragile heart.

Her chest, struck by Kazuki’s burning heat, showed no sign of calming.

It was as if something she’d unconsciously sealed had been ripped open.

That emotion—

Her eyes met Kazuki’s.

His shy, troubled smile was, for some reason, unbearably dazzling. Just like Saki’s.

Her face crumpled.

She knew nothing stays unchanged.

That some wishes, no matter how fervent, never come true.

She’d thought Kazuki was like her.

Yet the thought why overwhelmed her.

He must’ve wrestled with it in that moment.

Even earlier, he’d done something so unlike him.

Yet Kazuki chose to follow this scorching flame, tipping the scales of his heart decisively.

—Even if it meant they could no longer interact the same way.

Afterword

Hello there! It’s Hibariyu! Or, to be precise, the mascot cat of Hibariyu, a bathhouse in some town! Meow!

This is our sixth meeting here, surpassing the number of fingers on one hand. It’s quite a milestone, isn’t it? Looking back, I realized I’ve been writing Tenbin as an author for two and a half years straight. I’m shocked it’s been that long already!

But the story is still only halfway through, so I’m determined to keep tightening the screws and make it even more exciting for you all!

So, what did you think of this volume’s story? It centered around Kazuki while marking a major turning point for the overall narrative, I think.

The ending this time was one of the scenes I’d been dying to write for ages. I was fired up to craft it just right, but man, it was a struggle. When I finally put pen to paper, it just didn’t click. I spent nearly a month kneading it, writing multiple drafts, sending them to my editor, and getting feedback like, “This isn’t quite it,” over and over.

In the end, my editor’s advice and suggestions sparked an epiphany, and we shaped it into something truly satisfying, perfectly in line with Tenbin’s vibe! I can’t thank them enough!

For the next volume, I’m planning to shake things up with the classic school event—a cultural festival—while spotlighting a certain girl who hasn’t had much screen time lately.

I’m also excited to weave in scenes I’ve long wanted to write and some foreshadowing I’ve been setting up. It’s gonna be a blast!

On a different note, I’m a landlocked prefecture dweller, so I have this intense longing for fresh seafood.

Combined with a craving to get out of town, I drove three hours to Arida City in Wakayama Prefecture, a fishing port town!

My goal was a newly opened shop run by the local fisheries cooperative—think of it like a roadside station. The seafood rice bowl I ate there? Absolutely delicious!

It was so good, I went back for seconds. On my next visit, I ordered a shirasu bowl, piled so high with tiny sardines it made me laugh. I’m totally hooked on that place now.

Apparently, they hold regular tuna filleting shows, too. I’m scheming to time my next trip for one so I can indulge in an all-tuna bowl (lol).

A bit about our household meow.

Have you heard of FIP, or feline infectious peritonitis? Our kitty was diagnosed with it. It’s a disease that mostly affects kittens, progresses rapidly, and has a near 100% fatality rate. There’s no established treatment yet, and the only hope is an unapproved drug recently developed overseas.

It was pure chaos. The medicine, of course, wasn’t covered by pet insurance, and it was so expensive it wiped out my savings. But a life is priceless. After nearly three months of treatment, we’re now monitoring for remission. Kitty’s running around energetically, so for now, I’m breathing a sigh of relief.

We’re running out of space here.

Currently, two volumes of the manga adaptation by Kina Oyama-sensei are out. Please check them out!

To my editor, K-sama, thank you for all the discussions and suggestions—especially this time, you were a lifesaver! To Shiso-sama, thank you for the stunning illustrations. To everyone who’s supported me and all the readers who’ve made it this far, my heartfelt gratitude. I’d be thrilled if you keep cheering me on.

And fan letters? They’re always a huge boost when I’m writing.

Probably more than the senders realize.

So please, send them casually—heck, be reckless about it!

Not sure what to write? Just a single “Meow” is more than enough!

Meow!

December 2022

Hibariyu