radicalducati Page 155
Page 155
At this moment, no one was home, except for a drum set, which was casually piled up in the corner of the living room.
Nina asked if everyone could practice at Taro's house. Taro gave them the basement, indicating that they could practice there.
Originally, the house was designed with the possibility of the band members coming here to practice in mind.
However, for Taro at the time, the most important thing was to find band members, so renting a long-term practice room in RiNG was more appropriate.
Taro, thinking about Aine's words, took out the live outfit that had been stored in the closet. Just as he was about to put it on, his hand stopped on the clothes...
He loosened his clothes and, as if possessed, changed into another set of red yukata. This set was a byproduct of making live costumes before. Compared to the official live costumes, it was much lighter and had fewer heavy decorations.
He changed into this outfit, which gave him a clean and refined look. He straightened his collar a little awkwardly, and then walked out the door to meet Aine.
Meanwhile, Aine returned home and took out the outfit she had planned yesterday. A pink and white striped yukata with cherry blossom patterns was draped over her body, making her look exceptionally cute.
"Hmm~ It felt really cute back then, but now it seems like something's missing..."
Aiyin stood in front of the mirror, her three fingers outstretched, pinching the long sleeves of her dress. She turned slightly, and the long hem of her dress drew a beautiful circle as she turned.
"Hmm...it would be better to change into another set, right?" Aine murmured to herself as she looked in the mirror, then turned and walked to her wardrobe, picking out yukatas of different colors and patterns.
How about this?
A gentle voice sounded in her ear, followed by a warm hand brushing aside her hair and placing something on it. Then she felt her body lose control as those hands pulled her in front of the mirror.
Just as she was about to say something, her gaze was drawn to the girl in the mirror. It was the same appearance and the same clothes, but with a small peach blossom in her hair, she looked so gentle.
"As expected of Mom." Aine praised the visitor first, then puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction and said, "But how can Mom just come into my room like that?"
"I knocked on the door for ages but didn't get a response." The mother wore a rather exaggeratedly helpless expression.
"I was just worried that something might have happened to my daughter, so I came in to check on her. You'll forgive your mother, right?"
"Hmm... speechless!" Aiyin, sunk.
"Alright, aren't we going to the summer festival? We'll be late if we don't leave soon." Mom patted Aine's shoulder meaningfully. "While making boys wait is a woman's prerogative, being too willful will only annoy people~"
Aine subconsciously picked up her phone to check, then breathed a sigh of relief. It was still early before the agreed time, and Taro should arrive just in time, so there shouldn't be any problem.
However, just in case, she decided to leave as soon as possible: "Okay, Mom, I'm off!" Aine gave her a bright smile and waved goodbye to her mother.
"Take care on your journey. If you're busy, it's okay if you don't come back tonight." Mom gave Aine a knowing smile and looked at her meaningfully.
As a mother, she knows her daughter well. She's a very shrewd girl, and if she really develops feelings for someone, she's definitely not a bad child.
If it were the same guy who came to my house last time, Taro Momoi, that would be even better. He seems like a reliable and honest person. What could be a more suitable son-in-law?
"Mom!" Ai Yin stomped her foot angrily, turned around and ran downstairs, whining, "Mom, I'm not talking to you anymore! I'm going out!"
As her mother watched Aiyin run away, she simply smiled serenely. Her child had grown up and no longer needed her mother's care.
After leaving home, Aine slowly walked to the agreed-upon location, where she saw a figure that surprised her greatly—Taro Momoi.
"Taro!" Aine waved excitedly at him, jogged over, and said with a squinted smile, "Why are you here so early today? You usually don't arrive at the last minute, do you?"
Taro heard this, frowned slightly, raised his head and said, "I will only come when it's my turn!"
"Hmph~ As expected of Taro. Um, Taro, look here—" Aine praised him slightly, waiting for Taro's gaze to fall on her.
She gripped the hem of her dress, her body stiffening slightly with nervousness as she turned around, then looked up at Taro, whose expression remained unchanged: "How is it? Does it suit me?"
"Yes, it suits you very well," Taro nodded calmly. "Really?" Aine looked at Taro with a hint of surprise, and saw him nod sincerely: "I wouldn't lie!"
"Thank you, Taro, I'm so happy." Aine said with a smile, looking Taro up and down: "I thought Taro would come in his live outfit."
"Live outfits are only suitable for wearing during live performances, I guess," Taro said somewhat uncertainly. He himself didn't know why he had changed into such clothes, but he just did it anyway.
"I see~" Aine didn't seem to care much. She blushed and reached out to take Taro's arm. "Well~ how about we take a walk around here before the summer festival starts?"
"Sure, sure..." Taro hesitated for a moment, letting the other person pull him along. He glanced into her eyes again and asked, "Didn't you have something to tell me?"
"Hmm, but that might be a bit of a heavy topic. Talking about it might ruin the mood for sightseeing."
Aine chuckled softly, pulling Taro's arm as they walked away into the distance.
"So, it's best to enjoy the summer festival for now!"
Aine turned to look at Taro, flashing a bright smile. She pulled Taro to an air rifle stall, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the grand prize:
"It's Kasumi-senpai's doll—it's huge!"
"Kasumi's band brings a lot of smiles and things to everyone in the shopping district," Taro explained with his arms crossed. "That's why everyone in the shopping district really likes the way their band is."
"When will we get our band's dolls too?" Aine asked casually in a low voice, walking forward and eagerly pulling out her gun to fill the balloons so she could take Kasumi's doll away.
"It will happen eventually, as long as we become the number one band in Japan... no! The number one in the world!" Taro said to Aine with such determination. Aine was stunned for a moment, and then nodded firmly in return.
"Yes! I believe so too! Let's cheer for the world's number one band!" Ai Yin said, then picked up her gun, aimed at the balloon, and roared, "The world's number one band can't fall here!"
"Boom-boom-"
Ai Yin carefully aimed and then cautiously fired. After firing ten bullets, she only managed to pop two balloons. Ai Yin hung her head in disappointment.
Then, I paid again to try it once more. This time it was a little better than before, but not by much.
She secretly glanced at Taro beside her, noticing his indifferent expression.
She couldn't help but grit her teeth secretly, gently rubbing her little tiger teeth against her lower teeth a couple of times, then instantly transformed into a smiling face, nudging Taro with her elbow and coaxing him in a sweet, cloying voice:
"Hey~ Taro! Help me pop the balloons, I want Kasumi-senpai's doll."
Taro slightly raised his head, glanced at her with downcast eyes, took two steps forward, and handed the money to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper's face immediately fell, and he reluctantly accepted the money, then reluctantly handed the air gun in his hand to Taro.
Clearly, the shop owner knew Taro, but Aine wondered what had happened between them. She looked at the two of them with a bit of curiosity, but her gaze finally settled on Taro.
Taro took the air rifle, weighed it in his hands, and quickly raised it to aim—
"Bang bang bang-"
The gun fired continuously from his hand. Then, Taro put the gun back on the table. The shopkeeper, looking dejected, took a brand-new Kasumi doll from the box below and handed it to Taro.
Throughout the entire process, he didn't even bother to check if all his shots hit the target, clearly believing that with Momoi Taro's abilities, it was unlikely he would miss.
Taro, without a hint of shame, picked up the doll and handed it to Aine, saying, "Let's go!" Then he walked away, head held high, looking in another direction.
"Wait! Taro, wait for me!" Aine chased after him impatiently and grabbed Taro's wrist.
……
"Wow—it's cotton candy, Taro! One for each of us!" Ayane, beaming with joy, left the doll in Taro's hands, holding a string of cotton candy in each hand, and handed one string to Taro.
……
"Konpeito—I think Renren would like it, hmm~ I'll buy one." She looked at the candies and bought one of almost every kind.
……
"Takoyaki! It looks delicious! Taro, it's my treat!" She handed herself the takoyaki with a bright smile.
……
I feel like this is the first time I've ever felt this way. Being by Aine's side, my heart has calmed down without me even realizing it.
Taro held Kasumi's large plush toy in his hand, his eyes fixed on Aine, who was frolicking like a husky, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
He didn't know how to describe this feeling. If he had to summarize it, he could only use very general adjectives. However, he felt that no adjective could clearly describe this feeling.
Having had her fill of fun, Aine returned to Taro's side and shouted, "Taro! The fireworks and drum performance are about to start, let's go watch!"
Unexpectedly, Taro simply looked up at the sky without any particular reaction. She hesitated for a moment, then reached out and grabbed Taro's arm, shaking it slightly: "Taro, Taro?"
"What's wrong?" Taro asked Aine casually.
"The fireworks and drum performance are about to start, let's go watch!" Aine repeated her words slowly and deliberately, and Taro smiled knowingly: "Okay!"
I have a fever and a cold.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves. I'm struggling to type right now, so don't wait for my update today. I might even just post a chapter to get by and then revise it after I get up. Sorry!
Everyone, please take care of yourselves. I'm struggling to type right now, so don't wait for my update today. I might even just post a chapter to get by and then revise it after I get up. Sorry!
Episode 49: Aine and Momoi Taro's Date (Part 2)
"The fireworks and drum performance are about to start, let's go watch!" Aine repeated her words slowly and deliberately, and Taro smiled knowingly: "Okay!"
Taro and Aine arrived at the taiko drumming performance area. Standing on the stage was someone Aine recognized very well: a girl with long red hair and a tall figure... but she couldn't see her face.
Ai Yin's eyes widened slightly as she tried to make out the person on the stage. She seemed to recognize no one like him.
At that moment, the person on the stage seemed to be drawn to something, looking towards Aine's position. The instant their face was revealed, Aine recognized the person—
It's Utagawa Tomoe, the drummer for Afterglow. Aine has met them a few times, perhaps because she's a member of the Don Brothers group.
Tomoe Utagawa saw Taro and Aine, and her eyes lit up as she waved in their direction.
Taro smiled and waved, and Aine, not to be outdone, waved back.
After greeting everyone, Utagawa Tomoe smiled and lowered his arm. So, this is what "we'll meet again" means.
Come to think of it, this is the first time Taro has come specifically to see his taiko drumming performance. Was it because of an invitation from the member of the Don Brothers group who was with him?
Utagawa Tomoe pondered this, glancing at Aine secretly.
Kotaro was very enthusiastic about the festival, but he was more of an active participant than a mere spectator.
Normally, I would invite Taro to play taiko with me. He plays taiko really well, to the point that even I am ashamed of myself.
However, after that incident, she never invited Momoi Taro again. Perhaps this was the first performance in repairing their relationship, the best opportunity for Momoi Taro to witness her growth.
Of course, she also learned from Lan that he didn't take the band-forming incident seriously. He still considered them friends.
But I thought it was a sign of a break, and I felt a little guilty thinking that way... So I'll conquer him with my perfect taiko drumming!
"Swoosh—bang—"
Fireworks rose and bloomed in the sky, signaling the start of the taiko drums. Sensing the start of the performance, Utakawa Tomoe took a deep breath, lunged forward, and assumed a stance that was perfectly aligned with his waist and stance.
With his arms waving, he struck the drumhead with the cypress drumsticks that Momoi Taro had brought, producing a deep and resonant sound.
"SAYA! SAYA! SAYA!" As if to vent all the emotions in his heart, Utagawa Tomoe roared.