Summer’s Tragedy Part 4

"Mom, I don't need to wear a yukata."

Akira stood up while spreading his arms, and his mother tied his obi (waist belt) around his waist.

"No, your Onee-chan is also wearing a yukata, you should also wear a yukata to look harmonious."

"Well, that's done, now call Ichika and the others inside."

Rena patted her son's back.

Akira walked to the door, sliding it open, and saw his five sisters, who were waiting with yukata clothes in hand.

Ichika : "Akira-chan looks good."

Nino : "Black yukata suits Akira."

Miku : "Akira is so cute."

Yotsuba : "Akira-chan's cuteness doubles."

Itsuki : "You look handsome, Akira."

Seeing Akira wearing a plain black yukata, the Quintuplets' eyes lit up, and they praised their little brother.

"Mom told Onee-chan to come inside." Akira said, walking to the seat.

"Wait for us, Akira-chan." Ichika reminded me.

"I know Ichika Onee-chan." Akira nodded.

Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki came into the room to put on their yukata.

"There's still 30 minutes left before the fireworks go off."

Akira looked up at the wall clock, which showed 8:30 p.m.

The reason he and his five sisters were wearing yukata, was because they were going to visit the fireworks festival being held in Izu City.

The Fireworks Festival is the highlight of the summer, every July and August, fireworks are always lit in various places throughout Japan.

The Fireworks Festival has a long history in Japan, starting in August 1613, the pioneer of the Edo shogunate era (1603-1867), Ieyasu Tokugawa received a gift of fireworks from China merchants and the King of England, James I.

His fondness for these gifts started the fireworks culture in Japan, along with the growing popularity of fireworks, important figures from Edo (Tokyo in the past) often gathered on the banks of the Sumida River while enjoying the wind blowing and the beauty of the fireworks.

The first public fireworks festival was held in 1733 to entertain the public and appease the souls of the 1 million people who died the previous year due to poverty.

The door was slid, then the figure of the Quintuplets walked in front of Akira, the five of them were exactly the same in appearance, hair, height, stature, and voice.

(Do not tell...)

Akira already knows what his five sisters want to do.

"Akira, it's time to play the <<Quintuplets Guessing Game>>!" Said one of the girls in yellow yukata.

"If Akira guesses correctly, there will be a prize waiting for him." The girl in the purple yukata smiled a little.

"Akira's spirit, as mom said, as long as there is love, you can tell us apart." The girl in the green yukata clenched her fists and gave encouragement.

"Show us the love Akira has for us." The girl in the blue yukata said calmly.

"Start Akira, if it takes too long, we will be late for the festival." The girl in the red yukata urged Akira to guess.

Rena stood by the door, saw her five daughters teasing her son, and smiled affectionately.

"Mom also wants to see if Akira has love to distinguish his sister."

"Even mom..."

Akira is speechless, his mother supports his five sisters' pranks. He looked at the five girls in front of him carefully, except for the different color of the yukata, all five of them looked exactly the same, like they were made from the same print.

(I now know how Fuutarou feels when asked to guess who is who) Akira felt embarrassed and wanted to mock Fuutarou for not being able to tell the difference between the Quintuplets.

Currently the Quintuplets were still elementary school students, their hair was all still long, and there were no prominent characteristics to distinguish them yet.

Purple yukata girl : "Hurry up Akira."

Green yukata girl : "Come on, Akira, you can do it."

Blue yukata girl : "Don't disappoint your Onee-chan."

Yellow yukata girl : "Onee-chan will be sad if Akira identifies it wrong."

Girl in red yukata : "Fight Akira!"

Akira :😐"

(Did I just guess randomly? No, if I do that, not only Onee-chan will get angry, but mom will get angry too… But I can't tell who is who, the five of them look like Power Rangers with some colors. ..)

(Wait a minute, color?)

An epiphany crossed Akira's mind, and he pointed at the girls one by one and said their names.

"The one wearing the yellow yukata is Ichika Onee-chan."

"The one wearing the purple yukata is Nino Onee-chan."

"The one wearing the blue yukata is Miku Onee-chan."

"The one wearing the green yukata is Yotsuba Onee-chan."

"The one wearing the red yukata is Itsuki Onee-chan."

The Quintuplets looked at each other, then at Akira in shock, astonishment, and surprise. Obviously, the five of them didn't expect that their younger brother, who usually guessed wrong, guessed right this time.

Ichika : "Congratulations, Akira-chan guessed right."

Nino : "Hmph, it's only natural that a little brother would recognize his sister."

Miku : "This is a surprise, usually Akira often guesses wrong."

Yotsuba : "How can Akira-chan tell us apart?"

Itsuki : "Good job, Akira, now let's go to the festival, I'm a little hungry."

With the exception of Itsuki, who didn't really think about the result, the other girls were curious how Akira could guess correctly.

"Akira, how can you tell your Onee-chan apart?" Rena was also curious.

Akira scratched the back of his head and told the truth:

"That's from the color of the yukata, Onee-chan wears a yukata according to the color she likes."

"Akira-chan has quite a keen eye." Ichika smiled.

"Next time we play the <<Quintuplets Guessing Game>>, don't wear clothes in our favorite color." Nino suggested.

"I agree." Miku nodded.

"I also agree." The Yotsuba said it energetically.

"Let's go, the fireworks will start in 15 minutes." Itsuki reminded everyone.

"We're going, mom."

Ichika and the others waved.

"Goodbye."

Rena waved her hand with a smile, after the departure of her children. She raised his hand to cover his mouth.

"Cough Cough..."

Seeing the blood on her palms, Rena said sadly:

"How much time do I have left? Too bad I can't see my daughter and son's wedding..."

....

The Fireworks Festival in Izu City is held at a shrine located on a hill.

Akira, Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki climbed the many stairs. As soon as the six of them reached the top of the hill, Miku looked exhausted with panting breath and her forehead drenched in sweat.

"I want to rest first, Miku Onee-chan."

Noticing Miku, who looked very tired, Akira suggested.

"Un, rest a bit." Miku agreed, she was completely out of breath.

"Let's sit over there."

Ichika looked around, saw an empty bench, and led everyone to sit on the bench.

"I'll buy a drink." Akira volunteered to buy a drink.

"I will accompany Akira." The Yotsuba said, she didn't look tired.

Ichika : "I want a Frappuccino."

Nino : "I just want mineral water."

Miku : "I want green tea."

Itsuki : "Then, I want milk tea."

After remembering the drink everyone wanted with the [Photographic Memory] that Akira had, he and Yotsuba went to find a vending machine.

There are vending machines all over Japan. These machines can be found in various places, from airports, roadsides, and Mount Fuji to public spaces where people gather.

This makes Japan the country with the most vending machines in the world.

It didn't take long for Akira and Yotsuba to find a vending machine near the shrine, and after buying drinks, the two of them came back and handed over their respective drinks.

The six of them weren't in a rush to visit the stalls, apart from Miku. Actually, Nino was also a bit tired, it's just that she hid it well.

Therefore, the six of them sat and observed the festive atmosphere of the festival while drinking.