Liar's Lips Fall Apart in Love - Volume 1 Chapter 2.4

The Summer When Something Changes 4

360° degrees, everywhere I look it’s people, people, and people.

The walls of people make it difficult to walk straight. It’s already sweltering, and the heat makes it hard to breathe.

From Shinmachi Street, where the convenience store is located, to where Sudo and the others are, it would normally take less than ten minutes.

But with this crowd, it’s hard to move forward as I want to.

I could feel Nanase, walking half a step behind me, grabbing the hem of my T-shirt tightly. For a moment, my heart skipped a beat. When I turned around, she looked at me with an apologetic face.

“Sorry. I don’t want to get lost again…”

“…Well, it’s okay.”

Nanase’s forehead was slightly sweaty, and her cheeks were redder than usual, probably because of the heat. A sigh escaped from her slightly parted lips. I felt strangely affected.

Noticing my gaze, Nanase started fiddling with her bangs uncomfortably.

“Is, is my face okay? Is my makeup smeared? Are my eyelashes still on?”

“…You look the same as always.”

As if reassuring myself, I responded. Nanase murmured with relief, “That’s good.”

“Anyway, I never thought it would be this crowded… Ah! I wanted to try a candied apple! Sagara-kun, can I buy one?”

Nanase raised her voice excitedly, pulling on the hem of my shirt. Reluctantly, I followed her to the candied apple stall.

“One, please.”

“Here ya go, thank you!”

The candied apple stuck on a chopstick cost five hundred yen.

It was a rip-off price, I thought, but seeing Nanase’s eyes sparkle as she received the candied apple, I held back any unnecessary comments.

A giant float could be seen in the distance, illuminated by the festival lights, shrouded in an extraordinary atmosphere.

The girl walking next to me still held onto the hem of my shirt with one hand.

Just that alone made me feel so restless – maybe because she was dressed differently than usual.

“I’ve never had a candied apple before. I always thought it looked beautiful… so this is what it tastes like.”

Nanase muttered to herself. It was a small voice, almost drowned out by the noise of the festival.

“I never went to a local summer festival in my hometown. I didn’t have friends.”

“…Huh.”

“I’m glad I got to wear a yukata and come to the festival with friends. I guess it was good that I tried hard. Thank you, Sagara-kun.”

I said nothing. Surely Nanase wasn’t expecting a reply.

By the time Nanase finished her candied apple, we had arrived at the Naginataboko float.

A woman in a bright light blue yukata was waving wildly; it must be Sudo. Next to her was Houjo. It was good that they managed to meet up safely. With this, my role was completed.

“I’m going back to work now. See ya.”

“Ah, Sagara-kun… wait, wait a minute.”

“What is it?”

“Um, well, you see. I, my…”

Just as Nanase started to speak,

“Nanase! Finally found you!”

A male voice rang out from not too far away. Parting the crowd, Kinami rushed over. Nanase’s face tightened slightly, and she gripped my shirt harder.

“…What’s wrong?”

She mumbled a vague “Uh, um…” before I could press her.

“Do you not like Kinami by any chance?”

Nanase gave a wry smile and nodded slightly.

Well, I had somewhat guessed it. It’s unfortunate for Kinami who seemed to have feelings for her, but he was uncooperative even in group work, so it’s his own doing.

“Kyah!”

Before Kinami could reach us, a tall man bumped into Nanase.

Before I could ask if she was okay──Nanase suddenly flung herself into my chest. The pure white nape of her neck was right before my eyes, and my heart felt like it was flipping over.

“Nanase.”

The girl with her face buried in my chest smelled unbelievably good despite being sweaty. My hands, with nowhere to go, roamed aimlessly in the air.

“What happened?”

“My eyelashes.”

“Huh?”

“My false eyelashes fell off…”

Nanase said in a fading voice. It seemed that the fake eyelashes glued to her eyelids had come off when she bumped into the tall man. I let out an exasperated sigh.

“Who cares about some eyelashes…”

“No, I can’t! It makes a huge difference with or without them! What should I do? I absolutely can’t let anyone see me like this.”

Nanase’s shoulders were shaking. I couldn’t understand it, but the presence or absence of lashes on her eyelids seemed to be a very serious and important matter for her.

While I was wondering what to do, Kinami had arrived right in front of us. He saw Nanase, who seemed to be hugging me (from his perspective), and furrowed his brows suspiciously.

“What’s going on? I thought who’s that with Nanase…”

“…We just happened to meet here.”

“Hmm. What’s up with Nanase?”

“…She seems to be feeling unwell.”

I said, trying to sidestep the issue, and Kinami expressed concern with, “Really?”

“Nanase, are you okay? Should we go somewhere to rest?”

Kinami reached out to Nanase, who still had her face buried in my chest. Nanase’s shoulders jolted, and the hand gripping my shirt trembled.

Before Kinami’s intrusive hand could touch her, I forcefully knocked it away.

“Huh? What are you doing?”

Kinami was obviously annoyed by my sudden action. He glared at me with dissatisfaction, but for Nanase’s sake, I couldn’t back down.

“…I’ll take her. That’s okay, right, Nanase?”

Nanase nodded silently, over and over. As we walked away, I could hear a sullen “What’s with him” from behind. I might have made an unnecessary enemy, but it couldn’t be helped.

◇◇◇

Haruko’S PoV

Sagara-kun took me to the toilet at Shijo Subway Station. I fixed my false eyelashes firmly, touched up my foundation, and reapplied my blush and lipstick.

Finally, with a decent face, I let out a sigh of relief.

That was close. It really was a crisis. The thought of being seen by Sacchan and the others with that face sends shivers down my spine.

Sagara-kun cleverly handled the situation and took me away.

I remember hugging him and my cheeks grow hot.

By the way, he was on his work break. He needs to get back soon.

I hurried out of the restroom, and there was Sagara-kun, leaning against a pillar, looking spaced out.

I noticed him glancing at a passing woman in a yukata, and I couldn’t help feeling a little put off.

──Do you like yukatas, Sagara-kun?

──Not really.

I’m starting to realize that Sagara-kun actually likes women in yukatas. His “not really” is synonymous with “yes.”

I checked my face once more with my compact mirror and made sure my yukata’s obi hadn’t come undone. I called out to him with a loud voice.

“Sagara-kun!”

Finally, Sagara-kun turned towards me. For a moment, he squinted as if he saw something dazzling. I rushed to him, conscious of my yukata’s hem.

“I’m sorry. You really saved me, Sagara-kun. My university life almost ended right there… Thank you.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

Sagara-kun shrugged in exasperation

“Well, I’m going back for real this time.”

As he started to walk away, I found myself involuntarily grabbing the hem of his shirt.