Chapter 202: 201: This Moment is Eternal

Words : 1404 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

"Dad, dad, I want this." "You better not push it." "I want it, I want it." In front of a goldfish scooping stall, a sixteen-year-old purple-haired girl with starry eyes clung to Takashi's leg, crying and complaining because he wouldn't give her money to scoop goldfish. Because the girl was so beautiful, even her crying looked angelic, and the surrounding boys couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "Beautiful girl, you can use mine." A boy with dyed yellow hair, dressed very fashionably, offered her his goldfish scooping net, even tossing his hair back as he did so. Hoshino Ai stared at him for a few seconds without moving, then suddenly turned her face away. "No, you're too ugly, and my dad has money, he'll buy it for me." Saying that, she looked up at Takashi with expectant eyes. "Right, dad~" Takashi: "..." As expected, even celebrities are just people. It's best not to have high expectations for them. "Here." It was almost time to meet up with Narii, so Takashi didn't want to waste any more time. He pulled out a 1000 yen note and handed it to her. "You... why are you suddenly giving me so much money?" Hoshino Ai took a step back in shock, adopting a defensive stance as if hit by a powerful shockwave. "Now you're being polite? You didn't act like that when you ate the stuff I bought you." Takashi stared at her, wondering how she could say such a thing after all the "dad" calls she'd used to get food. "Food is food, money is money, they're not the same." Hoshino Ai said confidently. "I get it, I get it. Just like how you leave money on the table in the dorms and no one touches it for days, but if you leave snacks on the table, your roommates devour them all as if there's a food shortage." "Alright, go have fun." Takashi didn't want to waste any more time with Hoshino Ai, so he shoved the money into her hands and walked away. Hoshino Ai stared blankly at the 1000 yen in her hand, then suddenly looked up at Takashi. "I'll definitely pay you back soon." "It's fine." Takashi waved his hand without looking back. "At least your 'dad' calls made me pretty happy." Takashi loved money, but he would never be stingy with himself. Games, fishing rods, cameras, sneakers, trendy brands, watches... he never hesitated to spend money on himself. Maybe to others, it looked like wasting money. But Takashi didn't care. Because, in his view, people are selfish creatures, and everything they do is for their own happiness and comfort. He enjoyed being with Hoshino Ai, and in his mind, the money was well spent. Hoshino Ai was taken aback, then cursed sarcastically, "Pervert, pervert, you actually get happy when a girl calls you dad. You're a hopeless pervert." ... At the intersection by the Sumida River, Narii's car was parked there. Even though the road was packed with cars, the car that Narii was in had cleared a spot, as if it had been reserved for her. Takashi opened the car door but didn't get in. He leaned on the top of the car and waved at Narii, teasing, "Good evening, beautiful miss, may I invite you to go watch the fireworks? Hey, what are you doing?" Narii grabbed Takashi's hand and sniffed his sleeve. "This scent... it's that little idol you sang with last time, right? What did you two talk about?" Wait, she can tell just from the smell? Is she part bloodhound or something? "She mistook me for a fan when I watched her performance from the audience, so I got the chance to shake her hand." As he spoke, Takashi brought his other sleeve up to his nose and sniffed it too. How come he couldn't smell anything? Could the structural difference between male and female bodies really be that significant? "That's all you did? Just shake hands?" Narii held onto Takashi's hand and looked at him with a sweet smile. "Narii, Dale Carnegie once said: 'Everyone has a strength,' and my strength is honesty." "Ever since you warned me, I haven't dared to get close to any girls." Takashi held Narii's hand with a sincere expression. You haven't dared? Is there anything the great Takashi can't do? Narii almost couldn't stop herself from slapping him in the face with those pictures of him with other girls. She had just threatened him earlier today, and he was already going on a date after school. And now he dared to say his only strength was honesty? Still, Narii didn't plan on pressing further. At least... not right now. Of course, a girl letting something go doesn't mean it's forgotten. Girls can be very petty. Some things, they can remember for a lifetime. "You better keep your word." Narii gave Takashi a meaningful look and then placed her hand in his. Holding Narii's hand as she stepped out of the car, Takashi froze when he saw her standing under the pale yellow lamplight. The girl had her black hair tied up, revealing her fair neck. Her pale pink yukata was embroidered with sakura and butterflies. Around her delicate waist was a rouge-colored sash, which, together with her full chest, outlined a charming figure. Her white toes peeked from wooden sandals, tapping against the stone path with each step—clack, clack. Looking at the girl before him, Takashi's heart thumped like that of a shy boy facing his crush—thump, thump—so loud they could both hear it. The noise of the street felt distant, as if from far away. Only the sound of his heartbeat echoed loud and clear. Narii noticed Takashi staring blankly at her like an idiot. She gave a soft chuckle. "What are you staring at, dummy?" "Nothing. Let's go." Takashi didn't dare look at her again. He was afraid that if he kept staring, the seal he'd placed on his feelings would come undone. "Aren't you going to hold my hand?" Narii reached her small, soft hand out to him. Takashi didn't look back—he didn't know where to focus his eyes—but his hand still reached for hers. The instant their fingers touched, he instinctively flinched, a strange reluctance welling up in his chest. That's right—reluctance. This reaction even surprised Takashi himself. He'd never had this kind of emotion when holding hands with any other girl. "Why'd you pull back!?" Narii was furious that he actually flinched. She had photos of him holding hands with other girls saved. He didn't act like this in those pictures. What was with this act of pretending to be innocent now? "Huff!" Takashi took a deep breath and silently gave himself a pep talk before gently wrapping her hand in his. Narii stared at his back without blinking. Suddenly, a sly, smug smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Takashi, don't tell me... you're nervous?" Takashi stopped walking, turned around, and looked down to meet the smug gaze of the girl. "...Yeah." Narii lifted her face to meet his eyes. "The moon is beautiful tonight." Takashi recognized this as a Natsume Soseki-style expression of love. People in Japan often express love gently and implicitly. They don't usually say "I love you" directly. Instead, they might say "The moon is beautiful tonight," implying a desire to share beautiful things with the other person. If someone says "The moon is beautiful tonight" to you, it means they really like you. And if you feel the same, you can reply, "And the breeze is gentle." Takashi looked straight at the girl. His lips parted as if to say something, but just then, a dozen fireworks shot into the night sky like meteors. Countless people looked up to watch them burst with a bang— Reflected on the surface of the Sumida River and echoing against the Tokyo Skytree, the fireworks made this moment feel eternal. ___ 20 Advanced Chapters available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you! Don't forget to leave a review too~ Check out the other translations too ___

Chapter 202: 201: This Moment is Eternal

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