I, Aki Tomoya, will not be a simp.

Once this thought entered her mind, she became somewhat flustered and started to overthink.

"But it seems like he didn't even consider that possibility, so I shouldn't worry about it unnecessarily..."

With this thought in mind, Sayaka Kudo felt a little calmer.

However, what she didn't know was that the boy next to her had also thought about the same question before heading to Ueno.

However, it seems that no one can ask the other whether this counts as a date or not.

"Here you go, it's on me."

Passing by the apple candy stall, Aki Tomoya obediently took out his fanny pack to express the sentiments a boy should show on a day like this.

"Of course! But... thanks!"

Sayaka Kudo accepted the candied apple without any hesitation.

Then she looked at a stall selling sweet wine and joked, "An Yi, are you good at sweet wine?"

"You'd better stop now!"

He rolled his eyes at Sayaka Kudo.

The path to Senso-ji Temple isn't long, but the main problem is the crowds, which makes walking slow.

After wandering around Senso-ji Temple for a while, I followed the flow of people back.

The fireworks display starts at eight o'clock; looking at the time, it's almost time to begin.

After leaving Temple Street, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

There are so many people!

Sayaka Kudo gently wiped the sweat from her forehead, the ends of her hair already damp.

She turned to look at Aki Tomoya, and realizing she was still holding his arm, she smiled sheepishly and let go.

After resting for a while by the roadside, we needed to find a good spot by the river before the fireworks display started.

However, seeing Kudo Sayaka's flushed face, Aki Tomoya couldn't help but ask, "Do you still have the strength to walk?"

"How about you carry me on your back?"

"Looks like you still have energy. You're definitely different from other girls, Kudo!"

"Don't make me sound weird, oh dear!"

After exchanging a few lighthearted jokes, the two looked at each other and smiled.

I strolled leisurely towards the river; getting there before eight o'clock wouldn't be a problem.

When they arrived at the riverbank, a large crowd had already gathered. Instead of trying to squeeze in, the two leaned against a tree and chatted.

"An Yi, you know so many girls, don't you intend to date any of them?"

When asked this question, Aki Tomo didn't know how to answer.

He looked awkwardly at Sayaka Kudo, who was teasing him, and replied helplessly, "You really know how to pick topics. Don't talk about me, what about you?"

"Me? I...I won't tell you!"

"...You call me cunning? Aren't you just as cunning!"

The girl's triumphant laughter echoed in his ears.

With her laughter, a streak of fire shot into the sky and flew away with a whoosh.

The two of them looked up at the same night sky without prior arrangement.

The long tail of flame swayed in the night sky, and the fireworks exploded in an instant, adorning the originally quiet night sky like an iron tree in bloom.

The dazzling fireworks were reflected in their eyes.

The fireworks I saw on the rooftop of the school a year ago were just as brilliant and unforgettable here today, yet they seemed to have a different feel to them.

"Aki, today..."

Kudo Sayaka suddenly turned to look at him and opened her mouth to say something, but the sound of fireworks exploding behind her was drowned out, making it impossible for him to hear what she was saying.

Fireworks were bursting in the sky, but what he saw was not fireworks, but the girl's laughing face.

Even after the fireworks festival ended, Aki Tomoya still didn't know what Kudo Sayaka had said.

After the fireworks display, the two did not rush back. The girl beside them was still in high spirits, and Aki Tomoya accompanied her until very late.

On the way to the subway station, there were very few people on the street.

It was at this moment that he couldn't help but ask, "Kudo, what did you say when the fireworks were going off? I didn't hear you clearly. Could you repeat it?"

"You care?"

Sayaka Kudo's suddenly ambiguous and teasing gaze made him stop speaking abruptly.

Should I say I care a lot?

But then I started to feel a little embarrassed to ask.

Noticing his expression, Sayaka Kudo smiled slightly but didn't say anything more.

She didn't tell Aki Tomoya that she had actually asked if today counted as a date, and although she was curious to know how he would answer, she was too embarrassed to ask again.

The two remained silent as they boarded the subway.

On the deserted subway, Aki Tomoya and Kudo Sayaka sat together, the only sound in their ears being the noise of the moving train.

His heart was still unsettled; he still cared about something.

After thinking for a moment, Aki Tomoya asked the girl next to him again, "Kudo, does today count as a date?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a touch on his shoulder.

Aki Tomoya subconsciously turned his head to look and saw Kudo Sayaka's head resting on his shoulder, her eyes closed. It seemed she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

"Never mind, as long as you had fun today."

Chapter 214 didn't do anything, right? (1/?)

Sayaka Kudo fell asleep, as if she hadn't really had a proper rest during the summer vacation, but tonight she finally relaxed.

After being admitted to Keio University, she didn't relax, but she was definitely not as tired as she was in high school.

She didn't know how long she had slept, but when she finally woke up groggily, she realized she was leaning on Aki Tomoya's shoulder and quickly pulled her head back.

"I fell asleep?!"

She seemed unable to believe she was sleeping next to him.

Aki Tomoya smiled slightly and replied softly, "There are still two stops left, you can rest for a while longer."

I originally planned to wake her up after we got off at the station, but she woke up early.

But that’s fine too.

"But didn't you miss your stop?"

If she still has two stops to go, then Aki Tomoya has definitely already missed his stop.

I took out my phone and checked the time; it was already very late.

"You're going to the research institute tomorrow, right?! Ugh, why did you fall asleep...?"

Sayaka Kudo covered her face in embarrassment and muttered something.

He missed his stop because he fell asleep, and he even slept on someone's shoulder for so long.

Thinking about it now, it's a bit...

"Don't worry, you didn't drool while you were asleep."

At that very moment, Aki Tomoya still had the leisure to make a joke.

Seeing that she was sleeping so soundly, he couldn't bear to wake her up.

Missing the station is fine; it just means getting back a little later.

"Was I drooling?!"

"Didn't I say there wasn't any left..."

"That's why I'm worried!"

It seems that Sayaka Kudo is very concerned about what she looks like when she is asleep.

She then looked around the carriage. There were only a handful of people in the carriage, sitting at a distance from each other. Most of them were office workers who had worked overtime at night or were going home after drinking.

Realizing there were other people in the carriage, Sayaka Kudo lowered her voice and asked again, "While I was asleep, I didn't do anything embarrassing, did I?"

Don't do anything strange or say anything weird while you're asleep...

Girls still care a lot about their image in the eyes of boys.

When asked about this, Aki Tomoya could only honestly reply, "No, don't overthink it."

"..."