"I've said it all, let's keep it a secret for now." Qingdeng smiled mysteriously, "When we get to the destination, you'll know where I'm going to take you."

"...You must never take me to any strange places."

"No. The place I want you to go to is serious. It is a place where men, women, old and young can pass freely."

While talking with Qingdeng, Sanazi suddenly heard the sound of people in front of him.

As she and Qingto walked forward, they heard the noise getting louder and louder, and looked at the surrounding streets... Sanako suddenly seemed to have guessed the purpose of her and Qingto's trip.

A clear expression of where the earth is.

"We're here." Qingden said abruptly with a smile.

Sanako raised his eyes and looked forward.

The complex and colorful lively scene unfolded before Sanako's eyes in a compelling manner that made it difficult to look away.

What you see is a sea of ​​brilliant lights, row upon row of shops and vendors, and a sea of ​​bustling people.

What I hear in my ears are various accents from all over the world; the cadences of the merchants hawking; and the performances of entertainers who are full of praise.

What you smell in front of your nose is the mouth-watering aroma of food and wine; the sour and unpleasant odor of body sweat; and the spicy and pungent smell of gunpowder.

This is the venue where the fireworks display is held.

"Tachibana-kun, you...do you want to take me to watch the fireworks display?" Sanako asked hesitantly.

"Yes." Qingden nodded without thinking, then lowered his head and said to Sanako, "This is an annual festival... If I don't come and have a good time, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?"

"...Tachibana-kun." Sanako looked at the lively scene beside him, then looked at Qingto in front of him, his red lips slightly flattened, "I..."

"Miss Sanako."

Qingto seemed to have anticipated what Sanako would say. Just when Sanako could say "I", he interrupted him:

"Just now... when Jutaro said that you were missing, I told Mr. Jutaro and Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun that you suddenly came to me for discussion this morning."

"After learning of your whereabouts this morning, Mr. Jutaro showed a worried expression."

"Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun and I saw this and asked him if he knew anything."

"Then...he briefly described to me and Chiba Tamon Shiro-kun the entire conversation between him and your father last night, as well as the whole story that you may have heard."

"!" Sanako's pupils shrank slightly, and her beautiful eyes widened a bit, flashing with a complicated light that was dominated by shock.

Qingdeng pretended not to notice the change in Sanako's expression and continued to talk to himself:

"To be honest, an incident of this level is beyond the scope of what an outsider like me can get involved in."

"But even so, even a little bit, I want to do my best to do something for you."

"Even if it just makes you feel better, I'll be satisfied."

"Your second cousin... Chiba Eijiro once said to me: When you are confused and don't know what to do, you might as well try to change your mood."

"Try a life you've never experienced before."

“Go to places that you rarely go to or have never been to before.”

"As long as your mood gets better, maybe many problems can be solved naturally."

"I think Chiba Eijiro-kun's theory is very reasonable."

Having said this, Qingden paused for a moment, and then showed a peaceful smile to Sanako.

"This year's fireworks display only lasts tonight and tomorrow night."

"If you miss these two days, you will have to wait until next year to experience such a lively celebration again."

"Miss Sanako, please temporarily break away from the 'secret treasure land' you are used to staying in tonight."

"Tonight, just think about nothing and enjoy this annual summer celebration."

As if hearing something unexpected and unexpected, Sanako looked at Ayoto with an expression full of elusive emotions.

After a while, she seemed to be amused by Qingdeng's words just now, and a half-smile appeared on her cheeks.

"You brought me to the fireworks display just to make me happy..." She said in a half-joking tone, "What if I not only don't become happy, but instead become more depressed?"

"Well, this is..."

Qingden gently scratched the hair on the back of his head, then sneered as if he was embarrassed, and blurted out subconsciously:

"I don't dare to say that what I do tonight will definitely make you feel better."

"But I can at least promise you that I will stay with you tonight until you are willing to smile."

Sanako's body trembled slightly...with a dumbfounded look on his face, his wandering eyes swaying repeatedly on Qingden's face, chest, his hands folded in front of him, and the ground in front of his toes.

Not only Sanako was stunned.

Qingdeng also showed a dazed expression at this moment.

——What were I talking about just now...?!

At this moment, Qingdeng's heart was turbulent.

What he just said... basically went through his head!

They are all words that blurt out unconsciously as soon as they are formed in the mind.

It wasn't until he finished speaking that Qingto realized that he seemed to have said some ambiguous words to Sanako that were not qualified for their current relationship...

At this moment, Qingden recalled Kinoshita Mai's pretty face...

There is a strange feeling of guilt that creeps into Qingdeng's heart...

The two people, who looked dazed at the same time, both fell silent... However, before the atmosphere around them became strange, Sanako, who had been standing next to Aoden since just now, suddenly made a move.

She folded her hands in front of her body and moved forward, towards the dense flow of people in front, and towards the world surrounded by candlelight.

Qingdeng, who was still standing there, stared blankly at the beautiful figure gradually blending into the sea of ​​lights.

"……What's wrong?"

Sanako stopped, turned his upper body slightly, and looked at Qingto with the left side of his face.

The clear dawn and flickering candlelight shone from behind her.

The dazzling light, although keeping Sanako's figure in relative darkness, also perfectly outlined Sanako's extraordinary body curves.

"Didn't you say you would stay with me until I am happy?"

Although Sanako's face was in shadow, and because she only showed half of her face to Qingto, Qingto could not clearly see the changes in her facial expressions.

But he could vaguely see a hint of embarrassment and anger appearing on Sanako's cheeks.

The legs suddenly "moved on their own."

Qingden took two steps quickly, keeping up with Sanako's pace.

The two walked slowly...the backs of one big and one small were covered with a hazy film of light in the company of the moonlight and candlelight.

…

…

Traveling with Sanako... is the first time.

He was obviously very familiar with Sanako, but now he couldn't explain why, and he had no idea what to talk to Sanako next to him.

The same was true for Sanako. She didn't say a word the whole time and just stayed by Qingden's side quietly.

The two of them were silent the whole time, wandering aimlessly around the fireworks display venue.

But it doesn't feel boring or dull either.

Although he had been mentally prepared, Sanako's popularity far exceeded Qingto's expectations.

…

"Hey, look at that woman, she's so beautiful."

"Eh? Isn't this Chiba Sanako?"

"Chiba Sanako? That 'Chiba's ghost town'?"

"Oh, it's really her. Oh, I really can't get tired of looking at her face."

…

No matter where they go, there are a lot of eyes focused on them from all directions.

Most of the owners of these gazes actually don't know who the beautiful woman in front of them is, and they don't care who she is. They just want to admire the beauty with their astringent eyes.

Comparatively speaking, the attention paid to Ayoto, the "Nioh", has become much smaller. Both men and women only focus on seeing Sanako.

Forced by Sanako's popularity, Qingto couldn't help but murmured: "If this continues, it will be difficult to move forward..."

Although no one has come forward to harass them so far, but being watched by people like animals in a zoo will eventually make people feel very uncomfortable.

"I'm going to buy a mask to cover my face." Although Sanako had long been used to being watched by people, the current situation of being watched by dozens or dozens of people was beyond her endurance.

Qingden turned around and looked at Sanako carefully from head to toe.
To be continued...