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thenon-fictiondays · 2 years ago

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Hirano to Kagiura light novel translation 3-2

Chapter 3: Present.

Part 2

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Having put on their sandals and passing through the entryway, they weave their way through the courtyard upon which the veranda looks out. The kids open the bag of fireworks, their chests puffed out in eager anticipation.

Watching them rifle through their stock of firework sets and peel off the tape seals, Kagiura is struck with the profound sense that summer has truly begun.

Up until last year, it had been the job of one of the adults to light the candles and place them around the courtyard, dripping a bit of wax on the ground to fix them in place.

This year, the task falls to Kagiura.

And what had been his job up until last year—filling buckets with water—had been left to one of the elementary-aged cousins. At one point, he’d been the one getting clapped on the shoulder and told, “it’s the most important job you can have when it comes to lighting fireworks,” by…wait, which uncle was it, again?

He lines up three mosquito-repellent incense sticks on the veranda and lights them.

His middle school-aged cousin, who had just arrived this morning, is taking no chances with bites in a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and socks. He looks as if he’d come for a camping trip.

His older cousin, who’d had a bit of a rest after drinking a glass of beer, is sitting on the veranda supervising.

It’s nice to have Hirano here—a little strange, but Kagiura’s still glad. The earrings he’d given him just the night before shine brilliantly in his earlobes.

He had told everyone at breakfast that it was Hirano’s birthday, so they’d all sung happy birthday while eating their fish.

Kagiura’s aunt had run out to buy him a cake, so Hirano spent the whole time gratefully apologetic, but he’d seemed happy.

The air is thick with the white smoke rising with the burning gunpowder.

Every so often, a large bug comes close to the group, but after a while they stop caring about them, entranced by the beauty of the multicolored fireworks.

When one fades, they light the next.

The fidgety children had been jostling each other for a turn at the fireworks set, but somehow there were no collisions.

When they reach the end of their stash, they divide up the two types of sparklers and compete to see who can make the small, round fireballs last the longest.

“So pretty!”

Who was it who’d voiced that quiet exclamation of amazement?

And once the sparks fall to the ground, suddenly the world is bathed in darkness.

They submerge all the fireworks in the buckets, throw out the garbage, and blow out the candles.

“We can leave clean-up until tomorrow, since it’s dark now.”

The words had come out of Kagiura’s own mouth, but his voice was unrecognizable, almost as if it belonged to a complete stranger. His silhouette seemed to burn out with the light of the fireworks and melt into the night. But the traces yet remain. He wants to stay just like this, immersed in the faint heat coursing through him down to his fingertips.

“We didn’t light enough fireworks, did we?” At the sound of Hirano murmuring those few words, Kagiura is struck with the feeling that if he lets the moment end like this, he’ll regret it.

“Should we go buy a few more, then?”

Having crammed just their wallets into their pockets and told Kagiura’s aunt their destination, they stood in the entryway spraying each other with insect repellant.

“Akira-kuuun, it’s not safe at this time of night, so make sure you bring your cell phone with you!”

The voice at his back was perfectly clear, but Kagiura deliberately ignores it.

When he’s with his relatives, the time seems to go by slower if he leaves his phone alone, even when it’s done charging.

Stuffing his feet into his sandals, he steals a glance to the side at Hirano, who spreads both his hands with an expression of feigned ignorance. He’s not bringing his phone, either.

Like this, they have plausible deniability.

Kagiura’s gait is light with the feeling of being free from the strict curfew of the dorms.

The intermittent street lamps are dim, and the borders between the slim waterways and the road are dangerously indistinct.

The faint hums of bugs they couldn't hear during the day tickle their ears. It almost feels like the end of summer, even though there’s no sign of cooler weather.

But today is only August 1st, Hirano’s birthday.

Summer isn’t over just yet.

“Where are we going, Kagi-kun? A convenience store?”

Walking while engulfed in the warm night air conjures the illusion that they’re spending the summer the same as when they were little kids.

Leading the way, a little ahead of Hirano, Kagiura slowly nods.

“Yup. That’s where we’re headed.”

No matter how many times he walks down the neighboring streets, the 24-hour supermarket is the closest to their house, and always has a good selection of products. The road to the convenience store is straight, but it takes 20 minutes to get there. If they walk slowly, they can have just a bit more alone time together.

“What should we do if they’re out of fireworks?”

Given the season, that’s not even a possibility, but the words came out of Kagiura’s mouth on their own.

“Buy some ice cream and call it a day?”

Buying snacks for the road is a daily occurrence for Kagiura, but this is the first time he’s heard Hirano suggest such a thing.

“It’s gonna melt by the time we get back home!”

“We can eat it while we walk. We’ll just buy enough for us two.”

“.....Oh, that’s what you meant.”

“What, did you wanna bring something back for your younger cousins?”

“Well, it’s just, my older cousins brought stuff back for me when I was a kid, so I thought maybe that’s what you were suggesting.”

He doesn’t snack nearly as much when he’s at home, so he has a little extra pocket change and besides, his relatives had given him some spending money—these words are on the tip of his tongue, but Kagiura leaves it at that. Even if their pockets were light, he doubts Hirano would be swayed from the idea.

“Oh, really? Yeah, sounds like a plan.”

“You think so?”

They keep their voices quiet so they don’t echo down the night road, which makes it feel like their bodies are blending in with the darkness. As Kagiura listens to the voice of the person by his side, it feels like they’re on their way to a place much further than the convenience store, and he swallows.

“Ah…you know, your relatives are kinda like you. Even though I just met them, it doesn’t feel that way at all. To be honest, before we got here, I thought, ‘it’s gonna be super awkward if I don’t fit in with them’, but just like you said, I’m glad I came.”

“You’re fitting in just fine, Hirano-san. You’re really good with the younger kids, too.”

“Yeah, ‘cuz I usually live with a young person.”

“Hm? You don’t have younger brothers or sisters, right?”

“I’m talking about you, dumbass.”

“.....Do I really seem that much younger? Am I a handful?”

“You suck at waking yourself up even on days you have morning practice, you tell me you fall asleep in class all the time, and even though you suck at studying you probably wouldn’t even cram before a test if I don’t tell you to.”

Kagiura’s at a loss for words, and his eyes swim.

Hirano had hit the nail on the head, so he doesn’t even have a comeback.

Hirano’s eyes crinkle with affection at Kagiura’s reaction.

“Of course you’re a handful. But I also know that you’re kind, and you give everything your all. I bet this is the first time you’ve gotten a break from club practice all term. The basketball hoop in the courtyard’s obviously well-worn, too. When I heard from everyone that you put your all into practice even when you come home over breaks, I thought, “man, Kagi-kun’s serious about playing basketball,” and I was impressed all over again. Even on a regular basis, if you’ve been working that hard for your club, of course you can’t help but fall asleep in class.”

Kagiura’s body temperature gets one degree warmer for each kind word spoken in Hirano’s soft voice. His silhouette, nearly dissolved in the windless night air, distinctly sharpens, and hot blood swells all the way to his fingertips.

He’s endured days of sorrow and being so tired he wants to complain that ‘working hard for something I want to do is only right’. In this world where results are everything, he’s not doing this just so he’ll be praised for his efforts. He’s also banking on the idea that he can make up for his lack of study skills with things he’s good at.

That’s why, Kagiura’s a little uncertain if it’s okay to show openly how glad he is that Hirano understands his feelings enough to be able to validate him.

He’s always tried too hard to play it cool in front of him, hasn’t it?

But a certain memory flashes into his mind.

At the beginning of May, when he’d just started school, even when he’d uttered his disgraceful feelings of jealousy towards his teammate, Hirano had praised him, hadn’t he?

He knows all too well of the uncontrollable piteousness and impatience that had seemed to line up at the starting mark beside Kagiura’s teammate.

“Thanks, Hirano-san.”

They wait a bit at the traffic light, now running on the nighttime schedule, and cross at the crosswalk, where the traffic lanes increase and the sidewalks get wider. The line of stores facing the large street contains many famous chains.

When they come near the front of the video rental store, emitting dazzlingly bright light, Hirano says “once we’re inside, you’ll have to guide me,” with a laugh. There’s still quite a few cars passing by.

As they start walking side by side, Kagiura’s fingertips, throbbing with his pulse, most definitely brush against Hirano’s hand.

Sucking in a breath, he steals a glance to the side, where the brand new earrings shine in Hirano’s earlobes. The faint sparkle of blue that matches the gentle color of his eyes shines all the more brightly against the night road.

“Hirano-san, those earrings look amazing on you.”

Having chosen them himself, Kagiura is all the more proud, and he grins from ear to ear.

“That’s ‘cause you picked them out.”

He’s right.

The one who is by Hirano’s side the longest—not quite 24/7, but from the time they come home to their dorm until they head out the next day—is none other than Kagiura.

Of course he’s the right person to pick out the perfect pair for him.

*****

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Sorry for another tag so quickly lol but as always thank you to reading list members @jeizet, @jujupanic, @massyworld, @umbreonwolfy, and @acidsuzanne-blog 💗

#ahaha im exhausted #i slept so late last night and had to wake up so early this morning #and now i'm working on this on a 5 hour car ride bc im still too sleepy to do my Actual work #hirano to kagiura #hirano and kagiura #hirano to kagiura light novel #hirano to kagiura translation #kagihira #hirano taiga #kagiura akira #harusono shou

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