Chapter 21
By the time we arrived at the VIP seats reserved for the Atobe Foundation on the banks of the Sumida River, it was already completely dark.
The banks of the river were already crowded with people and brightly lit. The shouts from various snack stalls, the music from the game stalls, and the laughter of the people were intertwined, filling the area with the unique noise and vitality of the festival.
However, when I followed Atobe through the isolation zone and walked into the VIP area with a great view and clean mats, I saw two figures.
"Kiriyama! Atobe-kun!" Tanaka Rie, wearing a pink cherry blossom yukata, waved excitedly at us. Next to her stood Oshitari Yuushi, wearing a dark blue yukata, rimless glasses, and a look of "what a coincidence."
"Oshitari-kun?" I was a little surprised.
"Ah, what a coincidence, Atobe, Kiriyama." Oshitari smiled harmlessly, as if it was really just a chance encounter. "Tanaka and I met over there while scooping up goldfish. I heard the view here is good, so I shamelessly followed you here. I think the chief won't mind?"
His eyes behind the lenses swept across Atobe's face, which remained calm but was obviously a bit colder than before, with a hint of cunning as if he was watching a good show.
Atobe glanced at Oshitari with a look that said, "Do you think I'll believe this?" But due to the occasion and the presence of Rie, he just nodded reservedly: "Whatever."
"Great! Kiriyama, come here!" Rie happily took my hand, "Let's go out and have fun! There are a lot of stalls over there!" She pulled me away from Atobe without saying a word.
The following time was filled with the festive atmosphere. Rie pulled me between the various stalls.
When I tried to scoop up the goldfish, the thin paper net was so fragile that I held my breath, attempting to scoop it up with the precise control of a martial artist, but the net shattered as soon as it touched the water, leaving me with no chance of even touching the fish's scales.
Oshitari next to him was very skilled and slowly caught several fish, which made Rie exclaim in surprise.
Atobe just stood far away, his hands in his yukata pockets, but his eyes always unconsciously followed my clumsy fishing figure, with a very faint smile on the corner of his mouth that he didn't even notice.
During the shooting game, I picked up a toy gun and aimed at the balloon. The eyesight and stability I had acquired through years of martial arts training finally came in handy.
"Pah! Pah! Pah!" She hit three prizes in a row, easily winning a cute lucky cat doll. Rie excitedly jumped up, hugging the doll. Atobe raised his eyebrows slightly, a flicker of approval in his eyes, then quickly returned to the serious expression of "inspecting the effectiveness of the sponsorship."
The air is filled with enticing aromas.
The golden taiyaki is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a sweet but not greasy red bean filling; the apple candy is crystal clear, with a crispy and sweet shell and slightly sour flesh when you bite into it; and there are also sizzling takoyaki, steaming hot, sprinkled with bonito flakes and seaweed.
Rie and I enjoyed the meal very much, but Atobe just tasted a little symbolically and spent most of the time just watching me eat, occasionally handing me a tissue, his movements so natural as if he had done it a thousand times.
Oshitari was eating grilled dumplings slowly on the side, his eyes behind the glasses scanning back and forth between Atobe and me, his smile meaningful.
As the night deepened, the crowd's clamor reached its peak. Then, the bell rang, and everyone fell silent, gazing breathlessly at the dark blue sky.
“Swoosh—bang!”
The first massive firework exploded in the night sky. Brilliant purple light cascaded down like a waterfall, instantly lighting up the entire river and illuminating every upturned face on the shore.
"Wow!" Rie exclaimed.
Immediately afterwards, countless fireworks rose and exploded one after another.
Golden chrysanthemums, silver willow branches, red peonies, blue stars...a myriad of colors intertwined and transformed, transforming the night sky into a dazzling dreamscape. A tremendous roar shook the chest, and the feast of light and shadow was dizzying.
I tilted my head back, completely immersed in this incomparable beauty, my eyes unblinking, the flames in the sky reflected in my clear pupils, and the corners of my mouth unconsciously raised high.
Atobe Keigo, who was standing next to me, didn't have his eyes completely fixed on the sky.
Under the brilliant light of fireworks, he tilted his head slightly and his eyes fell on the girl's profile.
The pale blue bamboo-patterned yukata shimmered in the shifting light and shadows, and the jade hairpin in her hair shimmered faintly. The pure and bright smile on her face was more dazzling than any firework in the night sky.
In the air, the faint fragrance of "Rose in No Man's Land" was faintly visible in the smell of gunpowder, lingering on the tip of his nose and also on the tip of his throbbing heart.
The words "You are the last rose in my barren wasteland" once again clearly emerged in my mind.
Amid the roar and light of fireworks all over the sky, Keigo Atobe clearly heard the sound of his heartbeat in his chest, which was louder than the explosion of fireworks.
He quietly pulled his hand out of his bathrobe pocket, curling his fingertips slightly as if he wanted to touch something, but in the end he just clenched his fist tighter and hid it back in his sleeve.
Only the gaze that fell on the girl beside him was incredibly gentle, with an almost pious concentration that even he himself was not aware of.
The dazzling fireworks display ended, and the bustling crowd gradually dispersed. As I settled into the back seat of Atobe's luxuriously comfortable Bentley, fatigue washed over me like a tide, mixing with the lingering excitement of the festival and transforming into a deep sleepiness.
Outside the car window, a drizzle started to fall, and the raindrops hit the car window, making a hypnotic rustling sound.
The air conditioning in the car was turned on very high, mixed with the lingering fragrance of roses and the crisp pine scent on Atobe's body, creating a reassuring and drowsy atmosphere.
The journey back to Tokyo seemed particularly long.
My eyelids grew heavier, and my head tilted uncontrollably. Several times, during the slightest bumps or turns in the car, my head would involuntarily tilt slightly toward Keigo Atobe's shoulder.
Every time I was about to get closer, an alarm seemed to sound in my fuzzy consciousness. My body would suddenly shudder and quickly jump away like a frightened animal. I would sit up straight, mumble "sorry" vaguely, and then force myself to stay awake for a few seconds.
But sleepiness is a powerful enemy. After a moment, the heavy eyelids slowly closed again, and the body leaned uncontrollably towards the warm and solid shoulder again.
Repeat this process.
Every tiny approach, every hasty escape, was clearly sensed by the nearby Tezuka.
I could sense that in the split second before I approached him, his entire body would instantly become extremely stiff, as if he were holding his breath. His eyes would quickly glance over at me, with a subtle hint of nervousness.
And when I suddenly bounced back, the body that was tense at that moment would slowly relax, followed by an indescribable, empty regret, even with a bit of annoyance, filling his body, and his hands on his knees would unconsciously tighten and loosen.
This silent, repetitive "torture" made Atobe's heart feel like riding a roller coaster, being thrown high and then gently dropped, over and over again.
His handsome profile appeared unusually tense in the neon light flowing outside the car window, and the corners of his lips were pursed into a straight line, as if he was trying hard to endure something.
In the end, sleepiness overcame will.
After a particularly gentle turn, my head finally gave up resistance and rested gently and steadily on Atobe's shoulder.
At that moment, Atobe's entire body shook violently, as if struck by a weak electric current. His hand, hanging by his side, curled its fingertips slightly.
I held my breath, not even daring to move my eyes, for fear that the slightest movement would wake me up from the sudden weight on my shoulders that smelled of roses.
He could clearly feel her warm breath brushing his shoulders through the thin fabric of her bathrobe. The clear and sweet rose scent became even clearer, mixed with the clean scent of soapberries on her body, lingering around his nose and penetrating into his lungs.
An unprecedented warmth, a mixture of tension, satisfaction, and a strange sense of peace, quietly flowed through Jibe's body. His stiff shoulders finally relaxed little by little, extremely slowly, and carefully took on this unexpected "burden".
He even adjusted his sitting position slightly to make her lean more comfortably.
The sound of rain outside the window seemed to become gentler.
The car finally stopped smoothly in front of my door.
The rain was still falling, not heavy, but enough to make the air damp and chilly.
The weight on my shoulders vanished, and a subtle sense of loss crossed my heart. I blearily opened my eyes and rubbed them. "Are we there yet?"
"Yeah." Atobe's voice sounded a little deeper and hoarse than usual.
The driver got out, opened his umbrella, and came around to open the door for me. Atobe also pushed open the door and got out, and the driver immediately moved the umbrella over his head. I thanked him and was about to say goodbye to Atobe before running into the rain and into my house.
However, the moment I took a step forward——
“Woo… woo…”
An extremely faint whimper with a wet and pitiful breath penetrated the sound of the dripping rain and reached my ears clearly.
I paused and looked in the direction of the sound.
Under the dim light on the roadside, a small, shivering figure huddled in a cardboard box in the corner.
It was a puppy, only about two weeks old, soaked from the rain, its fur clinging to its thin body, making it look even more vulnerable and helpless. Its dark eyes gleamed in the light as it stared at us pitifully, whimpering intermittently.
My heart tightened instantly.
"Ah, puppy." I whispered, turned around and ran towards the cardboard box without hesitation, completely forgetting the rain above my head.
"Hey!" Atobe frowned and immediately hurried to catch up, while at the same time tilting the umbrella held by the driver over my head without hesitation, completely blocking the raindrops falling towards me, while half of his own shoulder was instantly exposed to the rain, and the expensive dark blue yukata fabric quickly showed dark water marks.
I squatted down, carefully stretched out my hands, and picked up the cold and trembling little guy.
It was so small and light, whimpering weakly in my palm, its wet little head rubbing against my fingers, bringing a cool and tingling feeling.
What should I do? I looked at it helplessly, then looked up at Atobe.
"It was left here..." There was reluctance in my voice.
Atobe lowered his eyes and looked at the little thing that I was holding carefully in my hands, then looked at the undisguised worry and heartache on my face, his brows furrowed even tighter, but there was a hint of helplessness and understanding in the depths of his eyes.
He knew the character of the girl in front of him too well.
"Do you want to keep it?" he asked, his voice particularly clear in the rainy night.
"Yeah." I nodded vigorously without any hesitation.
Atobe looked at me and the whimpering puppy in my arms, then looked at his wet shoulders, and finally sighed helplessly, but there was a hint of indulgence in that sigh that he himself didn't even notice.
"Let's go into the house first, it's cold outside." He gestured to the driver to give me the umbrella, then he took another umbrella and protected us as we walked quickly into the house.
I opened the door and the bright lights dispelled the chill of the rainy night.
I put the wet puppy in a basket covered with an old towel. It was still shivering and whimpering softly. I frantically searched for a dry towel, worried that it might catch a cold and unsure if it could drink milk. I was at a loss for what to do.
Atobe stood at the entrance, looking at my clumsy and anxious appearance, then looking at the equally confused and helpless little ball of fur in the basket, and a strange, amusing and sad emotion surged in his heart.
He took off the yukata jacket with half of his shoulder wet, revealing the plain kimono underneath, and rolled up his sleeves, revealing his smooth forearms.
"Wipe it dry first." Atobe's voice returned to its usual calmness, with a reassuring sense of control.
He picked up the dry towel I'd found and, though his movements weren't exactly gentle and skillful, he began to wipe the puppy's soaked fur with exceptional care. His fingers were long and powerful, yet now he held a rare patience.
"Yeah." I quickly picked up another towel to help.
Two people squatted on the floor of the entrance hall, gathered around a small basket, clumsily wiping the body of a whimpering puppy. The atmosphere was somewhat subtle, yet strangely warm.
"It's so small, can it drink milk?" I asked worriedly.
"No, puppies will get diarrhea easily if they drink milk." Without even raising his head, Tebe took out his cell phone with quick movements, "Check for nearby 24-hour pet stores and buy puppy milk powder and bottles." His fingertips tapped quickly on the screen.
"We also need a pee pad and a nest." I quickly added.
"Yeah." Atobe responded and quickly placed the order.
While waiting for the takeaway to be delivered, we two new "parents" searched "how to take care of abandoned puppies" on our phones, reading through the results one by one and reminding each other.
I clumsily used the hair dryer on the lowest setting, carefully drying the puppy's fur. It curled up comfortably, purring softly. Atobe was in charge of mixing the puppy milk powder with warm water, his movements gradually becoming more proficient as he went from being unfamiliar at first.
Time flies by in the busyness and caution.
When the puppy was finally wrapped in a warm and dry towel, snuggled in the makeshift nest made of soft cushions, sucking the bottle contentedly, making a smacking sound, the sound of rain outside the window still did not stop, but the clock hands on the wall had quietly slipped past midnight.
"Huh..." Looking at the little guy who finally calmed down, I breathed a long sigh of relief. Only then did I feel the fatigue all over my body and my legs that were numb from squatting for a long time.
Looking up at Atobe, he also had a hint of tiredness on his face, the sleeves of his plain kimono were rolled up, his hair was a little messy, but his eyes were still clear.
"It's too late, and it's still raining heavily outside." I looked out the window at the rain that showed no sign of stopping, then looked at the puppy curled up on the sofa, and then looked at Atobe, "The guest room is clean, you...can rest here tonight?"
I hesitated for a moment, but still said it.
My parents passed away early, and I am the only one living in this house, so the guest room has always been empty.
Hearing this, Atobe paused slightly in his wipe of the powdered milk from his hands. He looked up at me, silent for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping across the sleeping puppy before returning to my face. His expression was complex, with a subtle tenderness.
"Yeah." Finally, he responded in a low voice, his voice was particularly clear in the quiet midnight, "Sorry to bother you then."
The rain beats against the windows, and the lights inside the house are warm.
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