14. A Million Times More Important
"Y-Yes."
The festival was about to end, and the final event—the fireworks show—was about to start. To view the fireworks from above, they decided to climb up to the shrine. Unlike the main area of the festival, which was well-lit, the shrine was secluded and dark, making it harder to see.
Heeding his words, Mitsuri slowly climbed the stairs to the shrine, carefully placing her steps…
"Eh?"
…only to trip because of her wooden slippers. Kotaro had just warned her about this, and she tripped anyway!
"Kyaa—Huh?"
She braced herself for pain, but nothing came. She slowly opened her eyes and found a hand holding her.
"Idiot. Didn't I tell you to be careful?"
"S-Sorry, Kotaro-sama."
"You better be. Do you know how worried I was?!"
Mitsuri looked at Kotaro, who was holding her face with worried eyes. Instead of feeling bad, her heart warmed at his concern. This feeling of someone caring about her… made her very happy!
While she was basking in the warmth, Kotaro was cursing the world. He had just resolved to protect this life at any cost, and now an incident happened. Was the world testing him?
"Mitsuri, there are still several steps left ahead. Should we turn back?"
Whether the world was testing him or not, Kotaro was extremely worried about her. He glared at those troublesome wooden slippers that caused her to trip. If he had been a bit later, Mitsuri might have been injured!
'I'll burn those slippers when we return!'
"It's alright. I can wal—Ouch!"
Mitsuri tried to take a step but cried out in pain and bent down instinctively. Kotaro moved as fast as he could to inspect her.
"This…"
It was dark, so he couldn't see clearly, but he relied on his sense of touch.
"Tell me if it hurts, alright?"
"Y-Yes."
He carefully helped her sit on a stair and grabbed her foot, gently examining it. He pressed on several points, but nothing seemed to be wrong. When he tried to move her ankle, she cried out in pain.
"Eek!"
Mitsuri's cry made Kotaro pause.
"Does it hurt?"
"Y-Yes."
"It seems like a sprain."
The trip had caused her ankle to twist violently, resulting in pain. Seeing that she was unable to continue climbing, Kotaro didn't hesitate to decide to go back.
"Let's return and get tre—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Mitsuri grabbed the edge of his clothes, stopping him. As the clouds cleared from the moon, he could see Mitsuri's pleading expression.
"K-Kotaro-sama, let's go up to the shrine."
"Mitsuri, now is not the time."
"B-But…"
"No buts. I won't listen to you. You're injured, and do you think I'm in the mood to look at fireworks?"
"Still—Kya!"
Ignoring her protests, Kotaro picked her up in his arms like a princess, making Mitsuri blush slightly.
'Damn! She's heavy!'
Now that he had lifted her up in a princess style, he couldn't just change it midway. Kotaro had to uphold his pride as her husband.
Holding the injured Mitsuri in his arms, he slowly descended the stairs. Mitsuri, though a bit shy about the intimate gesture, still urged him to go up instead of down.
"Kotaro-sama—"
"No! We're going to the doctor."
"B-But… I don't want our date to end like this."
Her words made Kotaro stop. Was she blaming herself? After a moment of silence, Kotaro replied back.
"Mitsuri, if you think it's your fault, you're wrong. You just tripped, that's all. We didn't get to see the fireworks this time, but there will be another opportunity. To me, you're a million times more important than a fireworks show. Do you understand?"
"Umm."
With such words, what could she say? Mitsuri simply snuggled into him more and nodded, her face heavily flushed.
Phooosh!
At that moment, the sound of something rising was heard. Both looked up to see a single line climbing into the sky, and then…
Boom!
With a loud sound, the single line exploded into a red flower. But that was just the beginning. Soon after the first firework, numerous others launched, filling the sky with various patterns and colors.
"It's beautiful."
"Hmm. But it isn't as beautiful as Mitsuri!"
The sudden compliment made Mitsuri blush, but she soon realized from his laughter that she had fallen prey to his teasing again.
"Kotaro-sama!"
Mitsuri puffed up her cheeks and punched his chest, oblivious to the damage she might have caused.
"W-Wait! Sorry, sorry."
"Kotaro-sama also said that last time."
"Yes, but this time it's true."
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Hmph! Kotaro-sama always lies."
Mitsuri remained doubtful, but what more could she do? She pouted and turned her head away from Kotaro's sight.
But her action made her even more vulnerable. Kotaro leaned in close to her exposed ear and softly whispered,
"But… I didn't lie when I said these fireworks aren't as pretty as you. Please forgive me, alright?"
"Umm."
Hearing his loving voice in her ear, what could Mitsuri do? She blushed and turned her head back to face him, making Kotaro smile.
That's how, under the bright night sky filled with colorful fireworks, a smiling Kotaro and a blushing Mitsuri ended their second date.
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A/N:
Originally, I thought about introducing a demon at the shrine. However, considering Kotaro's character, he wouldn't climb it as long as Mitsuri is injured.
That's why there is no demon appearance in this chapter.
If you have any criticism, please let me know.
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