A Love Longed for the Tiger Lily (GL) - Chapter 13

I got good news from my mom.

She still hadn’t been able to book an air conditioning technician, so apparently the AC at home won’t be fixed until the end of September.
She asked me to keep looking after Sayo in the meantime.

After we finished breakfast, Sayo immediately tried to retreat to her room.
Maybe it was because she wanted to study, being a third-year student… or maybe she just wanted to spend as little time around me as possible.

But right now, I had to tell her what my mom said.

This isn’t my fault.

The broken air conditioner at home is the villain here.

“Sayo, I need to talk to you for a sec—can you wait a moment?”

She flinched at my voice and gave me a look like I was some terrifying monster.

Am I really that scary? I wondered as I walked over to her.

“I just heard from my mom. The air conditioner at home isn’t getting fixed until the end of September.
So… your stay here’s going to be a bit longer.”

“…What?”

Her voice was full of obvious displeasure, and my mood instantly took a hit.

I get it—she doesn’t like living with me.
But if that’s how she feels, then I wish she hadn’t done that the other night.
Because of it, I couldn’t even sleep properly.

“Anyway, it’s decided, so I’m counting on you.”

After telling her that, I got to work cleaning and doing some shopping.
By the time all the housework was done, it was evening—just in time for the plan I had with Sayo.

“We’re going to do fireworks!”

Sayo hadn’t come out of her room all day.
When I knocked a few times, the door suddenly swung open and smacked me right in the forehead.

“Ow…”

I rubbed the spot and looked up—then I couldn’t say a word.

Sayo usually wore either loungewear or her school uniform.
Even those had a certain power, but seeing her in regular clothes completely exceeded expectations.

She wore a long skirt that suited her beautifully. Her hair was lightly styled, and her bangs were swept to the side, revealing the small mole beneath her right eye.

She looked… too alluring for a high school student.

Just thinking that felt like something my mom would scold me for, so I pushed those thoughts out of my head and forced myself to say something.

“You look really cute.”

“I don’t get what that’s supposed to mean. Let’s just go already.”

Without even glancing my way, she marched to the front door.
Panicking, I rushed after her so I wouldn’t get left behind.

“Where are we doing the fireworks?”

“I borrowed my mom’s car. I thought we could go to that riverbank a little ways out.”

I led her toward the parking lot where the car was.
The sun had already set, but the air was still thick with that sticky summer humidity.
Even so, we walked side by side through it all.

“I didn’t know you could drive, Taniguchi-san.”

“Falling for me yet?”

I got cocky after she spoke to me and ended up teasing her. Let’s just blame it on the heat frying my brain.

“Not at all. You look like the kind of person who’d run people over.”

“Pfft! That’s the first time anyone’s said that!”

Her reply was so unexpected, I burst out laughing.
Still chuckling, I started getting the car ready.

“…So you can laugh like that.”

“Hm?”

The sound of the engine starting overlapped with her voice, so I couldn’t hear her clearly.

“What did you say?”

“I said, your laugh sounds like a hitman’s.”

“That’s way too rude.”

Her cold tone was the same as always, but I was honestly in a great mood.
After all, she actually agreed to come do fireworks with me.

By the time we arrived at the riverbank, about twenty minutes later, the heat had finally started to fade.
The buzzing and chirping of insects filled the grass, forming a noisy chorus that almost felt too lively.

I opened the fireworks set I brought and thought about where to start.
Something simple seemed best, so I handed her a sparkler first.

Sayo’s expression was still cloudy.

I didn’t know what had changed her so much.
But if even a little light could bring some brightness back to her face, then this would all be worth it.

I lit her sparkler with a match.
It cracked and sizzled to life, shooting sparks straight ahead with unexpected intensity—nearly a full meter long.

When I turned to see her reaction, Sayo’s eyes were wide with surprise.
That alone gave me a little peace of mind.
I lit one for myself too and swung it carefully through the air.

“Taniguchi-san, that’s dangerous.”

She scolded me—but I couldn’t stop.

This is so fun.

I came out here hoping to cheer her up… and I ended up being the one enjoying it the most.

When was the last time I did something this childlike?

Ever since college, I’ve mostly hung out with people more mature than me—friends, partners, everyone.
I usually ended up going to trendy cafés or clothing stores.

Not that I hate those places, but…
I’ve always liked being active outdoors since I was little.
And this kind of thing—it just suits me better. I remembered that tonight.

Honestly, the last time I had this much carefree fun was probably when I used to play with Sayo as kids.

She gave me a cold look, but I didn’t care. I kept enjoying myself.

“Next up is this one!”

“What is it?”

“Firecrackers.”

To my delight, Sayo looked genuinely curious.
If she hadn’t reacted like that, I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun explaining.

“Watch this.”

I placed the firecracker on the ground and lit the fuse.

It sparked and popped, flashing brightly.

“This one’s loud.”

“That’s the point! That’s what makes it fun.”

“It’s loud like you, Taniguchi-san.”

“What kind of comparison is that?!”

She was totally making fun of me—and yet, I couldn’t help but smile at her.

I was just happy that she was responding to me—no matter how cold or sarcastic her words were.

“Alright, next is this one.”

“What is it? Is that even a firework?”

Sayo narrowed her eyes at the object I insisted was a firework.
It was small, round, and black—kind of like a magnet—so I couldn’t blame her for being skeptical.

When lit, it squirmed and uncoiled into a long, black tendril.

The Snake Pellet.

It’s a strange, quiet little firework that releases smoke as it wriggles out like a serpent.
It’s not flashy, but… I’ve always kind of liked it.

“Wah!”

Curious, Sayo had leaned in close—then suddenly clung to me in surprise.
The jolt from her unexpected touch almost made my heart leap out of my chest.

“Sayo…?”

I thought you hated being touched by women?

I’d told myself not to overthink things. That it was just a fluke.
But those little doubts were beginning to shift—turning from misgivings into something more solid.

Maybe… she really is okay being touched by me?

“I’m… sorry…”

Sayo quickly let go, almost as if burned.

The spot on my arm where she’d held me began to heat up.

Things had gotten awkward, so we moved on to the next firework.

“Next up: a fountain.”

“A… fountain firework?”

I placed a box-shaped firework on the ground and lit it.
With a crackling hiss, sparks shot upward in a glowing spray, like a miniature geyser.
The once-dark riverbank lit up all at once in golden light.

“These are nice too, huh?”

“…Yeah, I guess so.”

“…Huh?”

I glanced over and saw Sayo wearing a complicated expression.
One that didn’t match her words at all.
It was hard to read what she was feeling, and I didn’t know how to respond.

I wanted to ask again—but something told me that even if I did, she wouldn’t answer the same way.
So I just stood there, staring blankly at the showering sparks until they faded away.

And then, for the finale, there was only one choice.

“Okay. This’ll be the last one.”

I handed Sayo something surprisingly small and fragile for a firework.

“I know this one.”

“Oho? Then let’s see who can hold out longer.”

“What do I get if I win?”

That caught me completely off guard. I froze.

I’d expected her to say her classic, “That doesn’t make any sense.”
I hadn’t prepared for an actual answer—and now I didn’t know what to say.

“Taniguchi-san…?”

Her voice snapped me out of it.
Even though I knew she probably wouldn’t take the bet seriously, I tried anyway.

“How about… the loser has to do whatever the winner says?”

I smiled as I suggested it.

The truth was, I had a few things I wanted to confirm with her.
Though honestly, I figured she’d just roll her eyes and refuse.

“Sounds good. I’m in.”

…Huh!?

I was so shocked I couldn’t speak again.
Sayo actually looked motivated, like she was taking this seriously.
She’s usually so dismissive of this kind of thing—what could she possibly want that badly?

“So if you win, what are you planning to ask me to do?”

“If I told you before the match, it wouldn’t be any fun.”

“It wouldn’t make a difference whether it’s before or after.”

After I said that, she paused for a while in thought.
Then, with a straight face, she opened her mouth.

“Maybe I’d ask you to stop talking to me altogether.”

Her words felt like a punch to the gut.

Everything I’d done up until now—partly for myself, but mostly for her—was it all a mistake?

That fear came rushing in like a wave.

Still, there was no point worrying about it now.
And after hearing that, there was no way I could lose this match.

I want her to feel like staying here with me wasn’t a mistake.

No—that’s not it.

This match… is for me.

“If that’s how it’s going to be, then I’m not going to hold back either.
Just don’t cry when you lose, okay?”

Maybe it was the seriousness in my tone, but Sayo looked a little surprised.
She dropped her gaze down to the sparkler in her hand.

“Of course.”

At the same time, we both lit the ends of our sparklers.
They began to pop softly, crackling with tiny bursts of light.

Just for now, I turned into something like the Great Buddha of Nara—sitting completely still, unmoving.

Sparklers are meant to be admired for their quiet, elegant beauty.

But tonight’s sparkler wasn’t about beauty—it was war.

I was so focused on the little fire at my fingertips that I didn’t even spare a glance at Sayo.

Then my sparkler started to weaken, and my heart began to race with panic.

“Ah…”

Before mine fizzled out completely, I heard Sayo’s voice.

Seems like the goddess of victory was on my side tonight.

“I win.”

When I looked at Sayo with a grin, she was frowning in dissatisfaction.
But at least now I knew I wouldn’t be banned from speaking to her.

“Taniguchi-san, one more time.”

She handed me another sparkler, clearly frustrated.

“Don’t go saying the last match didn’t count, okay?”

“Just light it already.”

Pushed by Sayo’s determination, we started another round.
But the result was the same—she lost again. Her frustration only deepened.

“Taniguchi-san, are you cheating?”

“I’d never do that. Besides, there’s more to sparklers than just winning or losing, you know.”

I stood beside her, just close enough not to touch, and offered her another sparkler.

“Watch closely. There are four stages to a sparkler.”

When I lit it, a small glowing bud formed.
Then, with sharp little snaps, the sparks burst out in all directions, like a blooming peony.

The fire’s momentum grew, scattering out like pine needles.
That’s the moment when a sparkler shines at its most beautiful.
The sparks stretch far, scattering with all their might as if trying to sparkle for just a bit longer.

Eventually, the momentum fades, and the sparks fall one by one—like a chrysanthemum shedding its petals—quietly sinking to the ground.
It begins and ends with a glowing orb, as if returning peacefully to the earth.

Beside me, Sayo watched it all, completely captivated.

“Did you see all the shapes?”

“Yes…”

“Oh, and if you hold it at an angle like this, it lasts longer.”

“So you were cheating earlier.”

“That’s not cheating! When it’s tilted, gravity’s pull weakens, so it burns longer. A top student like you should’ve figured that out.”

Maybe I was being a little petty.
But considering how much she teases me all the time, I figured this was fair game.

“I’m really glad we got to do fireworks together again.”

“…You remembered, huh.”

“Huh?”

Honestly, I was more surprised that she remembered.
Was that why she agreed to do fireworks at all—even though she said it wasn’t fun?

“Taniguchi-san, one last round.”

Sayo placed another sparkler in my hand.

When had she become so absorbed in this?
At the beginning, when we lit the handheld fireworks, she looked at me like I was a fool.

Somewhere along the way, that changed—and I was too caught up in having fun to even notice.
I felt a bit guilty about that.

Earlier, I was focused only on the sparklers.
Now, I found myself watching Sayo instead—completely mesmerized.

I had no idea what she was thinking.

But every time the sparkler shifted shape, even if she didn’t smile or look particularly happy, her expression changed—just slightly.
Seeing that was enough to tell me this wasn’t as boring for her as she pretended.

Our final sparklers fizzled out in no time.

It’s strange how something so small, lasting only a few minutes, can move people the way fireworks do.

“…Fireworks are beautiful, aren’t they?”

“…Yeah.”

Sayo replied softly, her eyes fixed on the tiny, burnt-out spark that had fallen to the ground—
her expression tinged with just a hint of sadness.