Chapter 203: 202: You Can Dodge It

Words : 1801 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

In the night sky, volleys of fiery arrows shot upward, bursting into brilliant bloom at their peak, eventually fizzling out into cascades of glittering light. Beneath the dazzling fireworks, Takashi said something—but Narii couldn't hear a thing. Her ears were filled with the booming "thud!" "thud!" of fireworks exploding overhead. The fireworks seemed endless, lighting up the sky over the banks of the Sumida River in waves of vivid color. "What did you say?" Narii took a few steps forward in her wooden sandals and stood in front of Takashi, raising her voice. "Not telling you." A familiar mischievous smile spread across Takashi's face. "Why not! Come on, tell me—please?" Narii clung to Takashi's arm, shaking it back and forth, starting to act cute. "Nope!" "Why not?" "I already said it. You just didn't hear." "Well, it's not my fault those damn fireworks went off right when you spoke. Say it again, pretty please?" "Nope." No matter how Narii pouted or acted adorable after that, Takashi remained unmoved. He simply refused to repeat what he'd said under the fireworks. "Hmph, fine, don't say it." Narii, clearly irritated, shook off his arm and stomped ahead. But she hadn't gone far before she backtracked. Takashi: "?" Narii held out her small hand to him. Takashi placed his wallet in her palm. "Playing dumb, huh?" Narii shot him a glare. But she didn't give the wallet back. Instead, she slipped it into the handbag she was carrying. "You gave me your wallet—what else are you willing to hand over? Tell me, if I want it and you have it, will you give it to me?" As she spoke, Takashi's gaze dropped briefly to her handbag. "So, does that mean I can have your phone too?" Narii smiled sweetly at him. Takashi froze. The smile on his face vanished instantly. 'This damn mouth of mine! Would it have killed me to just hold her hand and shut up?' Panic flared inside him, but he still forced himself to stay calm. "Forget the phone—you can have my life." He reached into his pocket and gripped his phone tightly, trying to see if he could crush it with his bare hand. Unfortunately... With a measly strength stat of six, he couldn't even crack the screen. He handed the phone to Narii slowly, silently praying: Don't check it. Don't let it ring. No messages. Please. "Oh? You've got a password set? What's in here, a whole list of other girls' contacts?" Narii toyed with the phone absentmindedly. "You think I'm that kind of guy?" "Aren't you?" "I swear on Asakusa Shrine, if I'm lying to you, then—" Takashi cut himself off, remembering he'd made a similar vow with Maki not long ago. What if the oath really was binding? For a moment, Takashi hesitated, unsure whether to finish his sentence. But before he could decide, Narii had already tucked the phone into her bag. She was really just trying to mess with him. If she really wanted to see his phone, she wouldn't go about it this way. Under the quiet night sky, fireworks bloomed like vivid paintings, slowly unfurling above. Hand in hand, the two strolled between the street stalls, pausing here and there. The click-clack of Narii's wooden sandals echoed crisply against the stone pavement. "You want to join the baseball club?" Narii popped a takoyaki into her mouth. Finding it delicious, she speared another and held it out to Takashi. He opened his mouth and swallowed it in one bite. "Yeah, that's right." "Do you even know how to play baseball?" "I understand the rules. I've even helped Shota practice a few times. But if you're asking if I can play—probably not." Takashi unwrapped a lollipop and popped it into his mouth. "That's okay. I believe in you, Takashi. With your talent, you'll be standing on the mound at Koshien as the ace pitcher by the next game." Narii rested her head gently on his shoulder. "You sure know how to dream. That game starts next week, you know." Takashi poked her lightly on the head with a finger. "Where does your confidence come from? I don't even think I can become an ace in a week." "Want to know?" Narii tilted her head, a sly sparkle in her eyes. "Nope." "You don't get to say no!" Narii's pout was so exaggerated, it could practically hold an oil pot. She refused to leave—and dragged Takashi into staying as well. "Say it! Say you want to know! Come on, say it!" "Alright, alright, I want to know. Tell me, Missy." Takashi humored her like one would a child. "Then I'll tell you a secret—but you can't tell anyone else." As Narii spoke, she looked around cautiously, as if about to reveal some great secret, wary of anyone eavesdropping. Takashi responded half-heartedly with a lazy "Mm." "You're the best to me." Takashi paused, and as he looked down, his eyes met the girl's gaze—eyes glittering with starlight. Her burning gaze scorched into him. His eyelids fluttered slightly as he averted his eyes, trying to hide the flutter in his chest. As someone who'd been through a lot, Takashi knew all too well what it meant when the organ on the left side of his chest began to race. For him—whether it was Maki, Nagisa, Eriri, Shizuka, or even the seemingly fierce but secretly soft-hearted Momo—he could handle them all with ease. But when it came to Narii, he had no way of dealing with her. This girl completely had his number. For example, if Takashi liked someone, he'd never admit it before successfully confessing—because failing would be too humiliating. But Narii was different. If she liked someone, she would go after them without hesitation. She'd admit it openly and proudly, as if she wanted the whole world to know, leaving herself no way out. In an era where everyone was hiding their feelings, testing the waters, weighing the pros and cons—she chose to go against the grain. She loved passionately, more boldly than anyone, like she was declaring war against this age of fast, disposable romance. Every boy hopes for clear affection, sincere love, and to be someone's unwavering choice. Takashi admitted he had once hoped for the same. But that was in the past. Now, he had no expectations of anyone, didn't want to depend on anyone, and would never allow anyone to ruin the balance he had fought so hard to achieve. "You only think I'm the best right now because your feelings for me are putting everything through a filter." His voice was calm and composed. "In reality, I'm pretty ordinary. With your background, you'll meet someone better." "No, I won't." Narii stared straight into Takashi's eyes. "Even if I did, I wouldn't see them." Takashi returned her gaze. "Don't speak so absolutely. Let me ask you, Narii—do you really know me?" "Have you seen how insecure I get when I can't confess to someone I like?" "Have you seen how pathetic I looked groveling for a little money?" "You've seen none of it." "You don't know my past, just like you've never truly understood me. You only like the me in front of you now." "I don't want to give my whole heart to someone just because of a fleeting whim." "This is it. Let's just be friends." Narii was quiet for a moment. Then she stepped forward, facing Takashi head-on, her gaze stubborn. "I've held on this long. Not just to be friends." "You're right, Takashi. I don't know your past. I don't understand everything you've been through. It's fair for you to doubt my feelings and think they're impulsive." "I won't argue that—because time will prove I'm not acting on a whim. I'm chasing something I know may never happen, because my heart genuinely skipped a beat." "I just want to ask one thing—do you really not like me? Not even a little?" She stood still, gaze intense and unwavering. Takashi met her eyes just as firmly. In the still, prolonged silence between them, just as he was about to speak, Narii grabbed his collar, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered: "If you really don't like me at all—you can step back. This time, I'm giving you the choice." ... "Umaru, why did you stop?" Ebina Nana looked at the suddenly motionless Umaru and asked in confusion. But Umaru seemed not to hear her. She was staring blankly in one direction. Ebina followed her gaze and saw, not far off through the crowd, a boy and a girl kissing beneath the fireworks. The boy was handsome. The girl was fair-skinned and beautiful. They looked perfect together. ... Smack! A plastic bag full of goldfish slammed onto the ground, soaking the pavement. "You dropped it?" Saito Ichigo turned around and found Hoshino Ai staring intently at the kissing couple. Thinking she was feeling romantic, he immediately warned her, "You're an idol—you absolutely cannot fall in love, got it? If you do, your career is over. Worse, some psycho fan might stab you..." But Hoshino Ai ignored his nagging. She silently watched Takashi and Narii. No one knew what she was thinking. ... "So many people today." "Yeah, I'm never coming again. It's way too crowded. All the good spots were taken." Fireworks were pretty, yes, but after ten minutes, they got boring. After half an hour, most people were ready to leave. Yasuraoka Hanabi and her friends were heading home. Suddenly, a girl walking in front pointed and said, "Hanabi, look! Isn't that the guy who tried to hit on you last time?" Hanabi looked up from her phone. Under the glow of fireworks, a boy and a girl were kissing—a scene straight out of a romantic manga. If you ignored the fact that this boy had recently hit on her, still texted her persistently, and just last night had said he liked her. "That's disgusting. He literally hit on Hanabi!" "I told you, no man is a good man—especially not the hot ones." "Is he treating our Hanabi as a backup girl?" Her friends were indignant on her behalf. "Ugh." Yasuraoka Hanabi watched the scene unfold, feeling a little annoyed. ___ 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 203: 202: You Can Dodge It

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