Chapter XXII

* POV: Kojima -

I watched in awe as the first round of fireworks lit up the night sky, bursting into brilliant colors and patterns. It was a breathtaking display, but my enjoyment was dampened by the realization that I had somehow gotten separated from the group amidst the bustling crowd.

Haruno appeared by my side, her face etched with concern. "There you are. I lost sight of you when that mob pushed through." she explained.

"Yeah, it's crazy out here," I said, scanning the sea of people around us. "Have you seen Kinoshita or Sugahara?"

Haruno shook her head. "Not since we got separated. Let's look for them."

We waded through the festival-goers, trying to spot our missing friends. The air was thick with the aromas of grilled foods and the sounds of laughter and chatter. I felt a tinge of worry, hoping Kinoshita and Sugahara were alright in this chaos.

After what seemed like an eternity of searching, I finally caught a glimpse of them in the distance. But what I saw made me pause in my tracks.

Sugahara and Kinoshita were standing together, holding hands with Kinoshita's head rested against Sugahara's shoulder.

Haruno must have noticed my sudden stillness, as she followed my gaze and let out a quiet gasp. "Well, well, what do we have here?" she muttered.

A loud boom started the second round of fireworks.

They were just as bright and vibrant as the first round.

I watched, eyes widening, as the brilliant fireworks exploded overhead, illuminating Sugahara and Kinoshita in their tender embrace.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and quickly opened the camera app. This was the perfect opportunity for a bit of playful revenge. I'm not the type of person to really do this, but it would be funny to see their reaction. I mean they practically did the same with me and Emi that one time at the karaoke place.

I took a nice flick of the two, holding hands all nestled together watching the fireworks. Probably going to tease them about it later.

Haruno seemed to read my mind, giving me a subtle nod of approval.

I tucked my phone back into my pocket, exchanging an amused glance with Haruno as the second round of fireworks concluded. The bursts of color faded from the sky, leaving behind trails of smoke and the excited chatter of the crowd.

We made our way over to where Sugahara and Kinoshita stood, still embraced and seemingly lost in their own little world. As we approached, they finally seemed to notice us, quickly breaking apart with flushed faces.

"Oh, hey guys!" Kinoshita greeted, her voice slightly higher than usual. "We, uh, got a bit caught up watching the fireworks."

Sugahara ran a hand through his hair, trying his best to appear nonchalant. "Yeah, it was quite a show."

I fought back my smug look, deciding to spare them further embarrassment for now. "It really was. We should find a better spot to watch the rest."

Haruno nodded in agreement. "There's a nice open area near the river. We can spread out a bit more."

The four of us made our way through the thinning crowds, eventually finding a grassy spot along the riverbank.

I could sense the lingering awkwardness between Kinoshita and Sugahara as we settled onto the grass. Kinoshita seemed to purposefully position herself closer to Haruno, while Sugahara stuck by my side.

"Great spot," Haruno commented, smoothing out her yukata as she sat down. "We should be able to see everything from here."

Kinoshita nodded, keeping her gaze averted from Sugahara's direction. "Y-Yeah, it's perfect."

An uncomfortable silence fell over us, broken only by the distant sounds of the festival. I shot a glance at Sugahara, who met my eyes with a helpless shrug.

Sooner or later, another brilliant burst of color exploded overhead, signaling the start of the next fireworks round. We all turned our attention skyward, watching in awe as the dazzling display unfolded.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Sugahara glance over at Kinoshita, a pensive look on his face. Kinoshita, however, remained focused on the fireworks, her expression a mix of wonder and contentment.

For a brief moment, I thought about teasing them again about their earlier embrace, but something made me hold my tongue. There was an unspoken tension between them, a strange sort of distance that hadn't been there before.

The fireworks eventually faded into the night sky, leaving behind a smoky haze and the echoes of oohs and aahs from the enthralled crowd. Haruno stretched her arms overhead with a contented sigh.

"Well, that was quite a show," she remarked. "Shall we head back?"

We all murmured our agreement, slowly rising to our feet. An awkward silence hung in the air as we began the trek back through the festival grounds. Kinoshita walked slightly ahead with Haruno, while Sugahara lingered by my side.

I couldn't help but notice the strange tension between Sugahara and Kinoshita. They exchanged a brief, stilted goodbye before parting ways with Haruno. Sugahara and I continued on together, the uneasy quietness persisting.

Finally, I decided to break the silence. "Hey, is everything okay between you and Kinoshita?" I asked, keeping my tone casual. "You two seemed a little awkward tonight."

Sugahara let out a soft chuckle, running a hand through his tousled hair. "You noticed that, huh?" He paused for a moment, as if considering his words carefully. "Well, Kinoshita and I... after we got separated from you guys in the crowd," Sugahara explained. "Next thing I knew, I was holding her hand so we wouldn't get lost again. And then..." He trailed off, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks.

I couldn't help but form a slight smile knowingly. "And then you found yourselves in this little predicament right?" I said, showing him the photo I snapped.

Sugahara's eyes widened in shock at the photo I had snapped. His cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red as he processed the compromising position he had been caught in with Kinoshita.

"Dude, you took a picture?" he exclaimed, sounding both embarrassed and a bit betrayed.

I shrugged nonchalantly, unable to suppress my smirk. "What can I say? It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Besides, you and Aisawa did the same thing to me and Emi that time at karaoke."

Sugahara opened his mouth to protest, but seemed to think better of it as he recalled the incident I was referring to. Instead, he let out a resigned sigh.

"Fair enough, I guess," he conceded. "But please tell me Haruno doesn't know about this."

"Actually...she was with me when I took the photo. She even asked me to send the pic," I replied.

Sugahara's eyes widened even further, and he let out a groan of dismay. "Great, just great. Now Haruno's going to tease me relentlessly about this."

I clapped him on the shoulder in a show of mock sympathy. "Hey, look on the bright side. At least you and Kinoshita seemed to be enjoying yourselves."

Sugahara shot me a half-hearted glare, but I could see the corners of his mouth twitching upwards ever so slightly. "Shut up, Koji." he said in a joking manor.

As we continued our walk, the tension from earlier had dissipated, replaced by the familiar camaraderie that had defined our friendship from the very beginning.

"But it wasn't, like, romantic or anything," Sugahara mentioned after.

"Yeah, I get it. Awkward things like that happen all the time," I explained.

"Don't worry," I added.

"Yeah, I just hope Kinoshita doesn't feel awkward about it, I mean she was kinda avoiding me after it happened," Sugahara added.

"She was probably just as embarrassed as you were," I said comfortingly.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he replied.

The lively festival was slowly winding down behind us as we made our way through the quieter residential streets.

We reached the intersection where our paths diverged, and we says our byes and split off.

I opened the door to the house, the familiar scent of home washing over me. Smokey came scampering over to greet me, meowing excitedly as he weaved between my legs.

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"Hey there," I said with a softly, bending down to scoop him up.

Carrying Smokey into the kitchen, I set him down and grabbed a can of wet food from the cupboard. The pop of the lid opening made his ears perk up, and he immediately began circling my feet in anticipation.

Stripping off my clothes, I changed into a loose t-shirt and shorts, ready to call it a night. As I flopped onto the bed, Smokey hopped up beside me, curling into a tiny ball at the bottom of my bed.

With a contented sigh, I let the weariness of the day envelop me, drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

* POV: Kinoshita -

I laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling as my mind replayed the events from the festival earlier that night. The echoes of the fireworks still seemed to reverberate through my thoughts, punctuated by flashes of Sugahara's face illuminated by the brilliant colors streaking across the night sky.

I couldn't stop thinking about the warmth of his hand as it grasped mine, pulling me closely into his body. The way his broad shoulders had felt. The scent of his cologne mingling with the smoky fragrance of the festival food stalls.

"One more time," I muttered to myself, reaching over to grab my phone from the nightstand.

I pulled up the photo Kojima had snapped of Sugahara and me during the fireworks display. We were embracing, bodies angled towards each other as the sparkling lights danced across the sky behind us. An intimacy charged the air between us in that frozen moment.

My cheeks flushed as I studied the image again.

I recalled me and Kaori's walk home after the festival.

"You two looked pretty cozy back there," Kaori teased, flashing me a devilish smirk as we strolled down the dimly lit street.

"It wasn't like that! We just got caught up in the crowd and..."

Kaori rolled her eyes. "Looky here at this photo that Kojima sent me," she said in a teasing manor.

She whipped out her phone, tapping away before turning the screen to show me a picture. There we were, Sugahara and I locked in an intimate embrace, the fireworks bursting brilliantly overhead.

"Ugh, delete that!" I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "It's so embarrassing."

"Yeah, it is embarrassing holding hands with him that is," Kaori smirked.

"It was an accident, I swear!" I insisted, peeking through my fingers at the damning image. "We just got shoved together by the crowd during the first round of fireworks." I explained

Kaori raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you were still holding onto each other after everyone else had cleared out?"

She had me there.

"Okay, fine," I relented. "Just send me the photo too, would you? The fireworks in the background looked really nice."

Kaori snickered, clearly not buying my excuse as she tapped on her phone again. "Pffff, you are not slick Aiya" she said dying with laughter.

Now here I am, four hours after the festival, in the middle of the night, wide awake, and constantly looking at this photo.

I looked over at my night stand, where my most recent photo I just framed was resting.

"I might have to get another frame," I said softly.

***

Today was Kaori's birthday and I had been planning this surprise party for weeks! Getting everything ready without her finding out was so difficult. Kaori is one of the most perceptive people I know, but I managed to keep it all a secret.

I gathered the decorations and party favors I had been stashing away and headed over to Kaori's house. Her parents were in on the whole thing and had given us the green light to set up while she was out running errands.

"She'll be back in an hour, so we need to move fast," her mom instructed as she let me inside. I quickly got to work blowing up balloons and hanging the 'Happy Birthday' banner in the living room. Just as I was putting out the last few plates, there was a knock at the door. Sugahara, and Kojima came to help finish up.

I smiled brightly as Sugahara and Kojima entered. "Thanks for coming, guys! We're almost done setting everything up."

I led them into the living room, which was now fully decorated for Kaori's surprise party. Colorful balloons floated near the ceiling, and a hand-painted banner reading "Happy 16th Birthday Kaori!" hung proudly above the couch. A table was set up with all her favorite snacks and a beautiful cake I had special ordered.

"Wow, you really went all out, Kinoshita," Sugahara remarked, admiring the decorations.

Kojima gave a small nod of approval. "Looks great. Haruno should be here pretty soon,"

We made a few final touches, arranging the party favors and putting out fresh flowers. Just as we finished, I heard the telltale jingle of keys at the front door.

"She's here! Everyone hide!" I whispered urgently.

We scrambled to our hiding spots - Sugahara and Kojima crouched behind the couch while I ducked into the kitchen with Kaori's parents. The door opened and Kaori stepped inside, arms laden with shopping bags.

"Hello? Mom, are you home?" she called out.

"SURPRISE!" We all yelled, jumping out to greet her.

Kaori's eyes went wide with shock, then quickly narrowed into her signature withering glare. "What is all this?"

I shuffled my feet nervously. "It's...your birthday party? We wanted to do something special for you!"

Kaori sighed deeply. "You know I hate surprises and making a big fuss."

Her mom chimed in. "But sweetie, you're sixteen now! That's a milestone worth celebrating."

Kaori seemed unmoved, simply dropping her bags and crossing her arms. An awkward silence hung in the air.

Finally, she spoke up again, her tone softer this time. "Well...since you all went through the trouble, I suppose we can celebrate. Just this once."

I beamed, relieved she was willing to go along with our efforts.

I watched with bated breath as Kaori slowly unwrapped the first gift - the fancy baking mixer I had picked out for her. A tiny smile played at the corners of her mouth as she ran her fingers over the sleek design.

"This is perfect, Aiya. Thank you,"

Relief washed over me at her approving tone. I grinned widely, giving myself a mental pat on the back for the thoughtful gift choice.

Next, Kaori tore into the wrapping paper surrounding Kojima's present - a beautiful set of embossed stationery and calligraphy pens. Her eyes lit up as she examined the intricate designs.

"Kojima, this is are pretty nice, thanks," she said sincerely.

"No problem," Kojima replied..

Finally, Kaori reached for the last remaining gift - a hardcover novel I had watched Sugahara carefully select during our mall trip. I leaned forward eagerly as she read the title, my heart fluttering a bit when her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Sugahara...how did you know I wanted to read this?" she asked, sounding almost accusatory despite her clear delight.

Sugahara rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, I happened to get it for you when Kinoshita and I were at the bookstore the other day."

"Is that so? Kinoshita didn't tell me she went on a little date with you," Kaori drawled, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"It wasn't a date!" I sputtered, feeling my face grow even hotter. "We were just hanging out, doing some shopping..."

Sugahara would usually brush it off and laugh at the comment, but for some reason, today he looked a little flustered and awkward.

I watched in anticipation as Mrs. Haruno began slicing generous portions of the decadent chocolate cake she had prepared earlier. My mouth watered just looking at the fudgy layers and silky frosting. She neatly arranged a piece on each of our plates.

"Eat up everyone, there's plenty more if you want seconds," Mrs. Haruno said warmly as she took her seat at the table.

We didn't hesitate, digging in to the moist, rich cake with enthusiasm. I closed my eyes, savoring the intense chocolate flavor. Mrs. Haruno was an incredible baker.

"This cake is amazing, thank you Mrs. Haruno," Kojima said sincerely after swallowing a bite.

Kaori gave a slight nod of agreement as she neatly cut another small piece with her fork, seeming to restrain herself from devouring it too quickly.

Even Sugahara, who usually wolfed down food without much thought, was taking his time to appreciate each decadent mouthful.

"Yeah, this is really delicious," he added after a moment.

Mrs. Haruno smiled, clearly pleased that her baking was being so well-received. "I'm glad you all like it. I know chocolate is Kaori's favorite."

Kaori looked a bit embarrassed by her mom's doting tone, but didn't protest. We continued enjoying the cake in contented silence for a few minutes.

"Sugahara, I have to ask - are you by any chance related to the Sugahara Hiroshi? You bear a strikingly familiar look to that of the family that used to own Blue Horizon Bank." Mrs. Haruno questioned curiously.

I paused mid-bite, glancing over at Sugahara with surprise. His eyes had gone wide, caught off guard by the sudden inquiry.

My fork hovered in midair as I watched Sugahara's face drain of color. His usual easygoing demeanor had vanished, replaced by an expression of pure shock.

"Oh, um, no I'm not," he stammered avoiding Mrs. Haruno's gaze.

I narrowed my eyes, studying him intently. Though Sugahara was typically an open book, his body language now screamed discomfort. His shoulders were tense, hands fidgeting with his napkin.

Mrs. Haruno looked taken aback. "Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to pry. You just look so similar to the CEO and owner Sugahara Hiroshi, that I assumed there must be some family connection."

"It's okay, really. I get that every now and then," Sugahara replied, forcing a polite smile that didn't reach his eyes.

It had seemed the others had noticed the sudden change in Sugahara's demeanor.

"Let's dig into the cake again, shall we?" I said brightly, hoping to cut through the tension.

Everyone murmured agreement, returning their attention to the decadent dessert. But my curiosity remained piqued.

After the cake, Kojima and Sugahara needed to head home, thanking Mrs. Haruno before leaving. I stayed behind to hang out with Kaori some more. Once the boys were gone, I turned to Mrs. Haruno.

"Mrs. Haruno, I was wondering if you could tell us more about Blue Horizon Bank? And the Sugahara family you mentioned earlier?" I asked, trying not to sound too eager. Kaori leaned in with interest beside me.

"Of course, dears," Mrs. Haruno replied kindly. She went on to explain that the company she worked for used to have extensive business dealings with Blue Horizon Bank. As part of her job in accounting, Mrs. Haruno had even met with the CEO, Sugahara Hiroshi, on several occasions to go over contracts and proposals.

"He was a real character, that one. Charming and charismatic, but also shrewd when it came to negotiating deals," she remarked.

Kaori nodded thoughtfully. "So do you guys still do business with them?"

Mrs. Haruno lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Well, this isn't public knowledge, but about two years ago, Blue Horizon Bank was forced to sell. The official story was that the shareholders voluntarily sold off the company."

She leaned in even closer. "But the truth is, the Sugahara family had...well, they had all died unexpectedly. So the bank had to be sold off quickly to settle the estate."

Kaori and I exchanged shocked glances. This was major news.

"How did they die?" I asked in a hushed voice.

"No one seems to know for sure. It was all very sudden and hushed up. Many think it was an accident of some kind that wiped out the whole family at once. All I know is that Blue Horizon was scrambling after they were gone. It was a huge scandal at the time."

I sat back, mind racing over this new information. If what Mrs. Haruno said was true, did that mean Sugahara was somehow connected to this tragedy? Is that why he seemed so rattled earlier? My curiosity was burning now more than ever.

I think about it every now and then, and realize that…

I don't know anything at all about the current Sugahara.