Chapter 316: Bonfire (Finale)

“Everyone, I bought a ton of fireworks! Who wants to light them? Little Aki, come over and help me put these down,” Kurata Ryoko said, beaming as she returned carrying a large bag of items.

Shiraishi Akira pretended not to hear her, but Kurata Ryoko called out “Little Aki” several more times, leaving him with no choice but to walk over.

As he helped her with the items, Shiraishi Akira said, “Uh, Miss Kurata, I don’t mind helping, but can you please stop calling me Little Aki?”

“But I’m older than you, so calling you Little Aki is perfectly reasonable. Besides, as a man, you shouldn’t be so caught up in trivial things like how people address you,” the intern journalist said, patting him on the shoulder.

Feeling a bit exasperated, Shiraishi Akira replied, “Miss Kurata, while you do make a fair point, I still think it’s better to just call me by my name.”

“You’re such a hassle. Fine, fine, I’ll call you by your name,” she relented. Then, as if struck by an idea, she added, “By the way, with all these beautiful girls here, is there anyone you like? Big Sis can help set you up.”

After the events of the treasure hunt yesterday, during which something happened that changed her perspective, Kurata Ryoko had started seeing this quiet and reserved young man in a new light.

Although Shiraishi Akira appreciated her good intentions, he couldn’t bring himself to trust someone as obviously scatterbrained as her to play matchmaker. He quickly declined, saying, “I appreciate the thought, but I’m not in the mood for that right now.”

Kurata Ryoko shook her head dramatically. “That’s just wrong. As a university student, your college life will be so dull without the spark of romance. Little Aki, I think you should change your quiet personality. With your looks and potential, if you could match even half the charisma of that guy Yoshikawa, finding a girlfriend would be a breeze.”

Here she goes again. Shiraishi Akira couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

Because the news had said there would be a meteor shower tonight, more and more couples and young people looking for something to do were gathering on the beach to witness the rare astronomical event. Naturally, Kurata Ryoko, Aiko, Takeda, and the rest of their large group joined in the fun.

After watching Bibi play on her Game Boy for a while, Amy lightly tugged on Naoko’s sleeve as she chatted with Tani Akiko.

“What’s up, Amy?” Naoko asked, turning to her.

“Naoko, where’s Lei?” The little girl looked a bit down, clearly upset that Lei Yin wasn’t around.

Naoko smiled and said, “He went out with Mr. Kuang Dao to buy something this afternoon, but he should be back soon. Don’t worry.”

Hearing that, the little girl felt reassured and turned back to watch Bibi play.

“Rumi, Miss Kurata bought a lot of fireworks! Let’s light them together,” Aiko called out excitedly, running over with an armful of fireworks. Murashima Mami followed slowly behind, also carrying some.

“Me too! I want to light some!” Shiraishi Yoko, who had been playing cards with Takeshima Shinobu, immediately chimed in.

“Awesome! It’s been ages since I’ve lit fireworks,” the kendo girl said happily.

“I knew you’d love it. What should we light first? How about this one? It’s the prettiest,” Aiko suggested.

“I think the prettiest one should be saved for last,” Rumi replied.

“Since you put it that way, fine. Let’s go with the second prettiest then.”

“Okay! Kazumi, let’s light it together,” Rumi said, turning to Kazumi.

Seeing how happy Rumi was, Kazumi smiled and said, “No need, you guys go ahead. I’ll just watch from here—it’s close enough.”

Hearing this, Rumi finally joined Aiko in preparing the fireworks, while Takeshima Shinobu and Shiraishi Yoko eagerly followed behind with their own fireworks in hand.

Seeing the girls lighting fireworks, others on the beach found it entertaining and soon went to nearby shops to buy their own.

Although she was sitting some distance away, Kazumi could still clearly hear the crisp, cheerful laughter of the four girls enjoying their fireworks.

“Aiko is sometimes just as childish as Rumi, but I really like that about her,” someone said.

Kazumi turned her head and saw that Aiko’s friend, Murashima Mami, had not joined the others to light fireworks. Instead, she was sitting on the sand not far from Kazumi, though Kazumi hadn’t noticed when she arrived.

Since she wasn’t very familiar with Mami, Kazumi didn’t say anything.

After a while, Mami suddenly asked, “Did you used to dislike Aiko?”

Kazumi glanced at her but still didn’t reply.

After another moment, Kazumi finally spoke softly, “Back then, I disliked any girl who got close to my brother, except for Rumi. No, to be honest, I hated them.”

“And now?”

Kazumi let out an almost imperceptible sigh. “Now it doesn’t matter anymore because my brother already has Miss Naoko.”

Mami said quietly, “You’re right. They are a great match. Only someone like Gennai can make Miss Naoko-san so happy.”

Just then, Takeda and Yoshikawa returned from buying drinks, each carrying a bag full of beverages.

After handing a cold drink to both Kazumi and Mami, the two immediately ran off toward Aiko’s group as if competing.

“Are all men this idiotic at times like this?” Kazumi said, her tone somewhat sharp.

Mami laughed and replied, “I think it’s just those two. Gennai and Shiraishi are the same age as them, but they’re completely different types.”

While everyone was busy with their own activities, a medium-sized delivery truck suddenly stopped at the edge of the road by the beach.

Two men wearing uniforms from a catering company stepped out of the truck, carrying three long tables. They proceeded to move the tables to the area where Naoko and the others were.

“Excuse me, you are…?” Kurata Ryoko asked, puzzled by the sudden arrival of the men.

“They’re here to help,” a young man’s voice said from behind her before she could finish her sentence.

Hearing this voice, Naoko and the others immediately turned to look. They saw Lei Yin and Kuang Dao carrying a large bag as they walked over.

Seeing it was really him, Amy excitedly ran toward Lei Yin.

“What’s this about…?” Kurata Ryoko asked, still confused as she looked at Lei Yin and Kuang Dao with their massive bag.

Lei Yin smiled mysteriously, then placed the bag he was carrying onto one of the tables. Turning to the group, he announced, “Tonight, you’re all in for a treat.”

Hearing this, Kurata Ryoko suddenly had a bad feeling.

Her instincts proved right. Watching Lei Yin and Kuang Dao’s next actions, the passionate intern journalist felt a strong urge to strangle them.

The two men gathered a large pile of firewood, doused it with alcohol, and set it on fire. Kuang Dao then built a simple rack next to the blazing bonfire. To everyone’s shock, he brought out a whole, cleaned, and prepared wild boar skewered on a metal spit. He placed it on the rack and began roasting it over the fire.

Kurata Ryoko wasn’t seeing things, and neither were the others. They couldn’t believe these two men had actually brought an entire wild boar to roast on the beach.

Looking smug, Lei Yin said to them, “You’re in for a real feast tonight. This isn’t just any pig; it’s a genuine wild boar. It took a lot of effort for Kuang Dao and me to have someone bring it here. Besides that, I also brought a lot of seafood. Tonight, you can all eat to your heart’s content.”

None of the women present could have imagined that these two would go to such lengths just for the sake of eating wild game. For a moment, they didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Do you even know why we came here tonight?” Kurata Ryoko asked in a tightly restrained voice after a moment.

“I heard from Naoko that it’s to watch some meteor shower, right?”

The intern journalist finally snapped. She grabbed Lei Yin by the collar and yelled, “Are you kidding me?! We came to watch the meteor shower, but you turned this romantic event into a barbecue party! And you’re even roasting a whole pig! What’s wrong with your brain?!”

Lei Yin gently pried her hands away and patted her on the shoulder. “Calm down, calm down.”

“Calm down? Do you have any idea how many girls dream of making wishes under a sky full of shooting stars? You ruined everything!” Kurata Ryoko grew even more agitated.

“Hey, don’t act like the meteor shower won’t happen just because I’m doing this. I’m not that powerful. Besides, what’s so interesting about watching a few meteors burn up into dust in the atmosphere? This is much more lively. Let me tell you, wild boar meat is a rare delicacy. It wasn’t easy for us to get it for you to try. And with Kuang Dao here, such opportunities are few and far between. Anyway, that’s that. Naoko, come help me sort the seafood I brought over.”

With that, Lei Yin walked toward the three tables laden with supplies.

“Hey, I’m not done talking!” Kurata Ryoko fumed, gritting her teeth.

Naoko walked over with a smile and said, “Miss Kurata, isn’t this kind of fun in its own way?”

Faced with the elegant and poised beauty agreeing with the plan, Kurata Ryoko could only reluctantly accept reality.

“Mr. Gennai, everything has been unloaded. Is there anything else you’d like us to do?” asked the two uniformed men after a while.

“No, that’s all. But how should we return the tables and utensils?” Lei Yin asked.

“Once you’re done, just call our company, and we’ll send someone over to collect them right away.”

“Got it. Thanks for your hard work.”

The two workers quickly left in their truck.

Meanwhile, Aiko, Rumi, Takeda, and the others returned from setting off fireworks. Seeing how things had changed, they were surprised and delighted, rushing over to ask what was going on.

“Mr. Kuang Dao, is there anything I can help with?” Tani Akiko asked softly as she approached Kuang Dao.

Glancing at her, Kuang Dao replied, “No, everything is basically ready.”

“May I sit here?”

“Suit yourself.”

With a graceful motion, Tani Akiko sat down and silently watched him work.

Noticing her gaze, Kuang Dao started to feel a bit uneasy.

After a while, Tani Akiko suddenly asked in a low voice, “Mr. Kuang Dao, may I call you by your name?”

Hearing the slight plea in her tone, Kuang Dao’s hand twitched involuntarily. He cleared his throat and said nonchalantly, “Do as you like.”

“Thank you, Kuang Dao.”

Her voice was calm, but the warmth in her tone made Kuang Dao’s hand tremble slightly once again.

※※※

With so many women helping out, Lei Yin was happy to slack off. He roasted some lobsters and scallops by the bonfire and enjoyed himself.

The scene reminded Amy of a year ago when she and Lei Yin had been stranded on a deserted island and had done the same thing. Finding it amusing, she and Bibi joined in, roasting some scallops on the fire—most of which ended up burnt.

Watching the two kids messing around, Lei Yin found it quite entertaining and let them enjoy themselves.

Just then, a phone rang in his pocket. Lei Yin walked to a seawall not far from the beach and soon saw the person waiting for him there.

“What do you want?” Lei Yin asked as he stopped by a vending machine and pulled out his wallet.

“Coffee.”

“Your taste hasn’t improved at all,” Lei Yin said as he got himself another beer and handed her the coffee.

“Hey, this doesn’t look like coffee at all,” Kazumi said, shaking the canned drink in her hand.

“The coffee sold out. Just pretend it’s soda-flavored coffee.”

Kazumi didn’t open the soda right away. Instead, she raised her head and quietly looked at him.

After a moment, she said, “Brother, shall we take a walk?”

The two of them slowly walked from the seawall to the sandy beach. The sea breeze occasionally lifted Kazumi’s long hair, giving her silhouette a fragile, delicate quality.

Finally, Kazumi stopped and turned to look at him. “Brother, why don’t you ask me why I suddenly called you out here?”

Lei Yin smiled. “If you don’t want to say, asking won’t help. If you do want to say, you’ll tell me even if I don’t ask. So, is there any point in asking?”

Kazumi glared at him and said, “You really are sly, Brother.”

“Alright, alright. Since you clearly want me to ask, I’ll ask. Miss, are you here alone? Care to join me for a drink?”

“Idiot.” Hearing his mock flirtation, Kazumi couldn’t help but show a faint smile at the corners of her mouth.

Sitting slowly on the beach, Kazumi held the unopened soda can against her left cheek and softly said, “Brother, do you remember I once asked you a question?”

“What?” Lei Yin sat down beside her and asked.

“I once asked you: if I weren’t your sister, would you still treat me as well as you do now? Do you remember how you answered?”

“Logically, I should’ve said: absolutely.”

Kazumi frowned slightly. “Hmph, you’ve forgotten after all. Your answer back then was, ‘Who knows?’ You said that if I weren’t Gennai Masashi’s sister, we might never have met in this lifetime. And even if we did, given my personality, I would’ve just treated you like a stranger.”

Lei Yin replied shamelessly, “You really have a good memory.”

Kazumi rested her head on her knees and said nothing.

Lei Yin felt something was off about her tonight. Just as he was about to ask, she suddenly said in a small voice, “Brother, before we came to Okinawa, Mom asked me to go home. Do you know why she was so insistent about it?”

“I’ve been waiting for you to tell me.”

Kazumi looked up at him, then said, “She asked me to meet someone. Her name is Saitamamura Naoko. She grew up with Mom and was her best friend. She’s also… my biological mother.” Kazumi quietly watched him as she said this.

To her surprise, her brother didn’t show any reaction of shock. He simply said calmly, “So that’s how it is.”

“So, Mom told you about this a long time ago? I was the last to know? I should have realized it sooner. Brother, you never repeated a grade, and we’re not twins, so it was impossible for us to be in the same grade. I should have figured it out earlier, I…” As she spoke, tears streamed down Kazumi’s face.

In truth, Rumiko hadn’t told him. Lei Yin had heard it from the vile man, Hirota Katsutoshi. While Lei Yin had known for a long time that Kazumi wasn’t biologically related to this body, it made no difference to him. After all, he was Lei Yin, not Gennai Masashi.

“Kazumi,” Lei Yin said softly, “I did know about this long ago. But do you really think my feelings for you have been fake all this time? Listen to me carefully: even though we aren’t blood-related, in my heart, you’ve always been my sister. Whether we share the same blood or not means nothing to me.”

Kazumi stared blankly into Lei Yin’s calm eyes. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but when tears completely blurred her vision, she could no longer hold back and threw herself into his arms, crying uncontrollably.

Lei Yin didn’t say anything, gently stroking her hair.

After an unknown amount of time, when she had calmed down, Lei Yin asked, “Why did your biological mother come to find you?”

Resting against his chest, Kazumi softly said, “She was a dancer back then. After giving birth to me, she left me in Mom’s care and went abroad with a man. But a few years after she went abroad, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer and had her entire uterus removed. She returned because she wants to take me abroad to live with her. Her husband passed away a few years ago, and she feels very lonely.”

“Did you agree to her request?”

Kazumi raised her head and said, “Of course not! A completely irresponsible mother like her—I would never acknowledge her. I was just afraid that after you found out I wasn’t really your sister, your attitude toward me would change.”

After thinking for a moment, Lei Yin said to her, “Kazumi, although she is indeed an irresponsible mother, many people don’t realize they’ve made mistakes until much later in life. You exist in this world because she gave birth to you, so in that sense, you owe her a debt of gratitude. I’m not saying you should go with her, but if you have the time in the future, you should visit her.”

Kazumi stared at him for a while before gently nodding and lowering her head, whispering, “Brother, can you stay with me for a while?”

“What’s in it for me?”

Kazumi handed him the soda she was holding and then leaned her head tightly against his shoulder.

Lei Yin smiled, casually opening the can of soda.

※※※

“It’s here! The meteor shower, it’s a real meteor shower!”

Hearing Takeda’s excited shouting, everyone immediately looked up at the sky.

Sure enough, streaks of light were flashing across the starry night sky, and the number of meteors gradually increased.

Many people were witnessing such a spectacle for the first time and couldn’t contain their excitement.

“Hmph, what’s so great about falling stars? Making such a fuss,” Kuang Dao muttered disdainfully as he continued drinking and eating wild boar meat.

Some of the girls began closing their eyes and making wishes. Their actions encouraged others, and soon most of the women were wishing upon the countless meteors. Even some of the men joined in. The scene became unusually quiet.

Watching Rumi earnestly making a wish, Lei Yin placed a pearl he had found inside a scallop into her hand.

“Senpai, this is…” The kendo girl looked at the pearl in her hand.

“A falling star that just came from the sky,” Lei Yin teased her.

Rumi looked at the pearl and then lowered her head, softly saying, “Thank you, Senpai. I’ll treasure it.”

Lei Yin reached out to pat her head and then turned to walk away.

Rumi silently watched his retreating figure. After a moment, she raised the pearl to her lips and gently kissed it.

※※※

When Lei Yin approached Naoko, he saw her making a wish.

Gently wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, he leaned toward her ear and asked, “What did you wish for?”

Naoko opened her eyes, glanced back at him, and then leaned against his chest, softly saying, “I can’t tell you, or it won’t come true.”

Lei Yin chuckled but said nothing, looking up at the sky filled with meteors streaking past.

“They’re so beautiful,” Naoko said as she gazed at the sky.

“I think you’re even more beautiful,” Lei Yin said, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Lei, I just made a wish!” Amy excitedly ran over.

“Did you?” Lei Yin, holding Naoko, scooped her up as well.

Naoko no longer looked at the sky. Instead, she quietly gazed at the man beside her, her eyes as gentle as water.

(FIN)

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TN: I’ve read this years ago, but kinda forgot about it. But now I’ve finally finished it. Though this clearly is not a true ending, I’m just glad I finished something I started years ago. Still, it’s a shame that the author abruptly stopped the novel, but it is what it is.

If you have a translation request, you can visit the Request page and I’ll see if I can pick it up.