After the sudden girlfriend request from the girls' group, Emi and I continued to sit on the bench, waiting for the dance to begin. It didn't take long for that moment to arrive, about ten minutes after the girls had left. A slow song started playing, and gradually people gathered in the center of the makeshift dance floor.

Emi and I watched the scene with smiles on our faces. Even though we weren't participating, seeing people happy brought us a sense of mutual satisfaction. It was as if, by witnessing others' joy, we could share a bit of their happiness.

Still, I had other plans for the evening, and they certainly didn't involve sitting on a bench for the rest of the night. With determination in my eyes, I stood up from the bench and walked towards Emi. At my sudden action, her eyes fixed on me, showing a mix of surprise and curiosity.

"Emi"

I called, turning my gaze back to the people dancing joyfully behind us. With a gentle smile on my face, my eyes met Emi's once again.

"What do you think about joining them?"

I asked as I extended my hand to Emi. Surprised, she hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in mine, accepting the invitation to dance.

"Are you sure? People might think you're dancing with another man"

Emi said, with a concerned tone in her voice. Without saying a word, I gently held her hand and led her to the spot where we would dance.

"Why shouldn't we? We were both turned down by our girlfriends, so we decided to dance together. It would be a waste not to, especially after coming all the way here"

Upon hearing my words, Emi gave me a surprised look before letting out a spontaneous laugh.

"Yes... I guess you're right"

Emi said, looking at me with a smile. Then, we made our way to the dance floor and started dancing. We were certainly attracting quite a bit of attention; after all, we were two men dancing together to a song that is usually danced by couples.

Instead of finding it strange or unpleasant, almost everyone seemed to find it funny. There were even some people laughing at our situation. In the end, Emi and I continued to dance, as if it were just her and me in the place, completely ignoring the reactions around us.

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Other couples were also dancing around us, but they didn't seem to mind Emi and me. In the end, I realized that everyone was there to enjoy the night with their partners, just like I wanted to enjoy the festival with Emi.

"Thank you, Ren"

Emi said with a gentle smile on her face as we danced. Her words didn't seem to be a thank you for something specific, which left me a bit confused.

"For what?"

I asked, confused. Upon hearing my words, Emi let out a small laugh and shook her head from side to side.

"Actually, I don't think it matters"

Emi said with a calm smile, her voice sounding as if all the problems she had been facing seconds ago were merely secondary. After these words, we continued dancing. We were silent most of the time, but I didn't really think we needed to talk. We just kept dancing until our feet got tired.

And that's exactly what happened. As soon as Emi and I grew tired, we returned to sit on the bench where we were before the dance started. Overall, we teased each other while our feet trembled. In the midst of the dance, Emi and I made a bet on who would ask to sit first, and that turned out to be the result.

I had really forgotten how competitive Emi could be at times, but I can't deny that I had fun with all of it. This will probably be a night I'll remember for a long time. As I thought about it, my gaze turned to Emi. She was sitting on the bench, swinging her feet and gently moving her head from side to side, following the rhythm of the music.

Seeing her act this way made me let out a small laugh. Somehow, Emi looked like a child swinging her legs like that.

"What's up? Why are you laughing?"

Emi asked, looking at me with curiosity on her face. It seemed my laugh hadn't gone unnoticed by her, and a small, subtle smile played on her lips.

"It's just... you swinging your legs like that reminded me of a child"

I said, keeping a teasing look on my face as I looked at Emi. Upon hearing my words, she stared at me, puzzled, but the smile on her face indicated she wasn't angry with my response.

"What do you mean by that? Are you making fun of me?"

Emi asked, raising an eyebrow with a hint of suspicion in her voice. Her lips displayed a discreet smile as she let out a small laugh.

"Not really"

I said with a smile on my face.

"I meant it affectionately, since just like children, you're cute too"

Upon hearing my words, Emi's cheeks gained a red hue, and she lowered her head, which brought a smile to my face. In two years, something I noticed about Emi is that she takes compliments well, maybe because she's used to hearing them since childhood. However, the same Emi always gets shy when I compliment her.

"Um... Ren"

Emi's voice suddenly sounded almost like a whisper. Her small hands grabbed the hem of my jacket as she looked away, her face blushing even more than usual.

"Yes?"

I asked, looking at Emi suspiciously. For some reason, she seemed to be acting strangely.

"What do you think about us staying in an inn tonight?"

Emi said, lowering her head even further. At that moment, my brain was trying to process the meaning of Emi's words, but no matter how much I thought, they could only mean one thing, given how Emi was reacting.