Chapter 23
“Summer vacation is here!”
Students streamed out of Shujin Academy, their faces beaming with genuine joy, their youthful energy amplified by the anticipation of summer break. Every student longed for vacation, dreaming of carefree days.
Ryuji Sakamoto was no exception, his excitement evident in his loud, boisterous cheers at the school gate.
Ann, beside him, covered her face in embarrassment. “Stop shouting! It’s embarrassing!”
“What’s embarrassing about it?! I’m ecstatic!” Ryuji grinned widely.
Ren stood nearby, casually holding his phone, his posture surprisingly tall and handsome.
He knew why Ryuji was so happy. Not only because of summer break, but also because he had passed all his exams. Ren and Yu had both predicted a few questions correctly, and combined with their week-long cram sessions, they had managed to pull Ryuji across the passing line.
He had even been praised by his homeroom teacher for his remarkable progress, a commendation that had inflated Ryuji’s ego, making him greet everyone he saw.
Now that summer break had arrived, it was time to consider their plans. Ren, having completed his last Confidant activity with Ryuji, unlocking all his abilities, thought about their next move.
He opened the Phantom Thieves’ group chat.
[Ren Amamiya: @everyone The fireworks festival is in three days. Want to go together?]
[Ann Takamaki: Sure! I’m free that day!]
[Ryuji Sakamoto: Definitely! We have to celebrate summer break!]
[Makoto Niijima: Alright, I should be free.]
[Yusuke Kitagawa: Could fireworks be a source of inspiration?]
[Ryuji Sakamoto: @Yu Narukami Senpai, are you coming? You’ve been awfully quiet lately. Haven’t seen you in the group chat for a while.]
[Yu Narukami: I’ve been busy with my part-time job, so I haven’t had time to join your activities. I’m taking a break now, so I can come.]
[Yusuke Kitagawa: @Yu Narukami What kind of part-time job? Does it pay well? Is it time-consuming?]
[Yu Narukami: It’s translation work. If you’re good at English, I could recommend you.]
[Yusuke Kitagawa: What a shame. My English is as poor as my wallet.]
[Yusuke Kitagawa: By the way, I’ve developed a new energy-saving pie recipe. Want to try it?]
[Ryuji Sakamoto: No thanks. You can have it all to yourself.]
After their usual chaotic conversation, they finalized their plans for the fireworks festival.
At the last minute, Ren sent another message.
[Ren Amamiya: Remember to bring an umbrella.]
However, engrossed in their lively discussion, no one seemed to notice his message.
Ren sighed, closing the group chat and messaging Yu privately.
[Ren Amamiya: Tell Akechi you’re going back to Inaba for the summer.]
[Yu Narukami: ? Tell him what?]
[Ren Amamiya: Tell him you’ll be away from Tokyo for the entire summer break.]
[Yu Narukami: Why?]
To eliminate you as a suspect, Ren thought to himself.
From his past life, he knew they would encounter Futaba during the summer, and Futaba, as the creator of Medjed, would propel the Phantom Thieves’ fame to new heights, ultimately pushing Shido over the edge.
The Phantom Thieves would be in Tokyo, while Yu would be far away in Inaba. This would eliminate Yu as a suspect in Akechi’s eyes.
Ren wasn’t too concerned about being discovered by Akechi, but Yu had to remain hidden.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t explain his reasoning openly.
[Ren Amamiya: Don’t you think he’ll invite you out during summer break? If you reject him after returning to Inaba, he’ll get angry again.]
[Yu Narukami: Yeah, he gets angry easily.]
Yu actually considered Akechi a decent friend. Although he had a bit of a temper, he wasn’t as bad as Tohru Adachi. And Akechi had always fulfilled Yu’s requests, despite his complaints, taking them seriously instead of brushing them off.
As a friend, he was quite reliable.
So, following Ren’s advice, Yu messaged Akechi.
[Yu Narukami: I’m going to my uncle’s place in the countryside. I’ll be away from Tokyo for the entire summer break.]
After a while, Akechi replied.
[Goro Akechi: ?]
[Goro Akechi: Why are you telling me this?]
[Goro Akechi: And it’s almost 10 PM. Couldn’t you have waited until tomorrow morning?]
[Yu Narukami: Just letting you know not to invite me out during summer break. Invite Ren instead if you want to go somewhere.]
[Goro Akechi: Detectives are busy people. I don’t have time to invite random people out.]
[Yu Narukami: That’s good to know. I’ll bring you back some souvenirs.]
[Goro Akechi: Thanks in advance.]
Putting down his phone, Akechi slowly looked up at the scenery before him. It was a vast expanse of black and red, strange lights swirling in the sky. If Yu were here, he would recognize it as Mementos, the place he had visited once before.
Even at 10 PM, Akechi’s work wasn’t over.
The day of the fireworks festival arrived.
Yu had already informed his parents about his summer trip to his uncle’s place, and they had given him money for souvenirs, further increasing his savings.
After packing his belongings, his mother asked, “Yu, are you going to the fireworks festival?”
“Yes,” Yu nodded. “I made plans with my friends. I’ll leave for Inaba after the fireworks.”
“Really? That’s wonderful,” his mother smiled. “It seems you’ve made good friends in Tokyo. Your father and I are relieved.”
Yu walked over to his mother, knelt down, and gently pressed her hand against his cheek.
“Sorry for worrying you.”
“It’s alright,” his mother playfully pinched his cheek. “Sometimes you’re too considerate. It makes me worry.”
If Yu’s parents had been terrible people, he wouldn’t have grown into such a kind and resilient individual. They were good people, and even though their work kept them busy, they tried their best to be good parents.
That’s why Yu was confident, intelligent, strong, and always kind.
After reassuring his mother, Yu left to meet Ren and the others. Just as he reached the entrance, he remembered Ren’s message about bringing an umbrella.
Yu checked the weather forecast on his phone. No rain predicted for the entire day.
He hesitated, then went back inside to grab his umbrella.
It was getting late, and his phone buzzed with notifications from the group chat. He opened it and saw a flurry of messages mentioning him.
[Ryuji Sakamoto: @Yu Narukami Senpai, where are you? We’re all here!]
[Ryuji Sakamoto: Hurry up! Ann and the president are wearing yukatas!]
[Ann Takamaki: Shut up!]
[Ren Amamiya: Why didn’t any of you bring an umbrella?]
[Makoto Niijima: I didn’t see your message. And the forecast didn’t mention rain. It’s such a nice day. Will it really rain?]
[Yu Narukami: @Ren Amamiya I brought an umbrella. I’m on my way.]
[Ryuji Sakamoto: Oh! As expected of Narukami-senpai! He reads every message from Ren.]
[Yusuke Kitagawa: Yes, Ryuji finally said something relevant.]
[Ryuji Sakamoto: What’s that supposed to mean?!]
Yu chuckled, getting off the train with his umbrella and heading towards the festival. He saw people dressed in yukatas, their eyes bright with excitement, the streets lit up with colorful lights, the aroma of street food filling the air.
He joined the crowd, searching for Ren and the others.
His phone buzzed incessantly with notifications from the group chat, filled with their chatter and playful bickering.
The crowd was massive.
Unlike Inaba, Tokyo was densely populated, and large gatherings created a chaotic atmosphere. Any sudden movement could trigger a stampede. After being swept along for a while, Yu decided to stop and ask for their exact location.
Just as he stopped to send a message, a hand gently tapped his shoulder.
Yu turned around.
Behind him, Ren stood beneath the neon lights, Mona perched on his shoulder, not hidden in the bag.
Ren wasn’t wearing his glasses. The neon lights seemed to reflect in his eyes, usually hidden behind his black frames, making them sparkle. A faint smile touched his lips.
“Found you,” he said.
Yu couldn’t help but smile back.
“This feels like a scene from a drama.”
“Yes,” Ren nodded. “Do you want to be the female lead?”
The familiar exchange reminded Yu of their first meeting.
Back then, the atmosphere had been awkward, but now they could easily engage in this playful banter.
“What does the female lead have to do?” Yu asked with a smile.
Ren shook his head, taking Yu’s hand and leading him through the crowd. “This way.”
Finally, Yu saw the others.
Ann and Makoto, dressed in yukatas, spotted them first and waved. Ryuji and Yusuke stood beside them, seemingly having been reprimanded for something, keeping a safe distance from the girls.
“You’re here!”
“Hurry up, Narukami-senpai! The fireworks are about to start!”
“We made it just in time.”
“I knew Ren would find you.”
Ren pulled Yu back to the group. Before he could let go of Yu’s hand, everyone looked up at the sky expectantly. With a bang, the first fireworks exploded.
Brilliant colors bloomed in the night sky, even more dazzling than the neon lights below.
Everyone watched in awe, smiles on their faces.
Yu blinked, glancing down at his hand. Ren, seemingly captivated by the fireworks, hadn’t noticed he was still holding Yu’s hand.
Oh, they were still holding hands.
Should he let go?
Yu pondered this throughout the fireworks display, his gray eyes reflecting the colorful explosions.
But in the end, he didn’t let go.
