Mitsu Bay in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture.
On August 5th, this port at the Inner Sea is filled with people from all over the world enjoying the romantic fireworks.
It’s because the largest and grandest fireworks festival in all of Shikoku is held here.
In the midst of the crowd, tens of thousands of fireworks begin to burst along the seashore at 10 PM.
The dazzling fireworks lasting more than an hour are a romance that would make any girl’s heart flutter.
And before the fireworks begin to bloom, it’s a leisurely time for dates.
In the bustling streets, you can occasionally see some foreigners with blonde hair and blue eyes passing by.
Next to a stall full of hats, Hanamaru Hanabi, with both hands on her light brown round hat, has her soft shoulder-length hair perfectly framing her delicate face.
"Sakura-kun, does this hat look good?"
Uesugi Sakura: "What if I say it doesn’t look good?"
Hanamaru Hanabi took off the hat, holding it with both hands, and said weakly, "If it doesn’t look good... Hanabi wouldn’t know what to choose."
"The reason it doesn’t look good is because I haven’t helped you put it on."
As he spoke, Uesugi Sakura reached out to take the hat and placed it on Hanabi’s small head.
With the hat placed on her, Hanamaru Hanabi shrank her neck and then looked up at him with her arched eyebrows.
Her youthful, purplish eyes were brimming with light, and her smooth, delicate face had a slight blush.
"Doesn’t this look nice?" Uesugi Sakura said with a smile.
Hanamaru Hanabi couldn’t understand, "Is... there any difference?"
"It lacks a bit of shyness."
Uesugi Sakura took out his wallet, handed a 10,000 yen bill to the young vendor who praised Hanabi’s beauty.
Received 8,500 yen in change.
Consider it the first gift upon arriving in Matsuyama City.
It’s only in the afternoon, yet many young girls in yukata are already wandering the streets, and it’s only a 15-minute walk from Mitsu Station.
Couples are not few, and some young girls in yukata are quite stunning.
"Sakura-kun." Hanamaru Hanabi tugged at his sleeve.
"Hmm." Uesugi Sakura replied while looking around.
Hanamaru Hanabi pouted, "Sakura-kun, why do you keep looking at other girls..."
"Jealous?" He turned back, smiling at her face under the hat.
The girl didn’t quite know how to describe this feeling.
Her little hands tangled at her chest, and suddenly, she trotted ahead, her white feet pattering in her wooden sandals.
She took off her newly bought hat and held it in her arms, the wisteria hairpin by her ear swaying with light.
At this moment, under the blurred lights, Hanamaru Hanabi’s lightly blushing face was bright and clear among the crowd.
"Sakura-kun, why do you like Hanabi."
"What if my answer is I don’t know."
"Not knowing... doesn’t matter, Hanabi will still be the Hanabi who likes Sakura-kun, but Hanabi wants to know why Sakura-kun likes her."
"Do you still remember our first meeting?"
"Ah Sakura! Little Hanabi! Come over quickly!" Mrs. Hanamaru waved eagerly from the ice cream stall on the other end, drawing the attention of many passersby to the two.
Hanamaru Hanabi was a girl who didn’t like being stared at. It was fine before, cute but not very noticeable.
But ever since she put on the engagement ring, her adorable presence that hid in the crowd blossomed out, and she became eye-catching while walking on the street.
Not to mention that she dressed up especially beautifully today.
"Sakura-kun... let’s talk later..."
Hanabi scurried over.
Seeing the mother-in-law glance at her, Uesugi Sakura wasn’t sure if she was deliberately interrupting their conversation.
In front of the lantern-decorated stall, Mrs. Hanamaru handed the shaved ice to her daughter: "By the way, Hanabi, do you know why you are named Hanabi?"
The girl shook her head.
She took the shaved ice in her small hands but didn’t rush to eat. Instead, she handed it to Uesugi Sakura, who had just walked over.
Such loving action made Mrs. Uesugi smile wholeheartedly, "Isn’t it because Hanamaru Hiroki confessed to you at the fireworks festival."
"Of course, it’s not that simple." Mrs. Hanamaru took the hat from Hanamaru Hanabi’s hands and held it herself, "The name Hanabi also carries her own meaning."
During the couple’s alone time, the two mothers didn’t disturb them much, giving a few simple safety reminders before smiling and parting to enjoy the festival separately.
The mothers were confident that Uesugi could protect Hanabi well.
To match the festive atmosphere, Uesugi Sakura also wore a simple yukata, the same one that Hanabi was too shy to help him wear in the morning.
If the fireworks festival had any characteristics, it would be the crowd.
The crowd was so thick it was difficult to walk.
The ears were full of noise, with the sound of police using loudspeakers to guide the flow of people.
Trying to avoid the crowd, Hanamaru Hanabi cautiously followed beside Uesugi Sakura, feeling a bit timid, her geta sandals making crisp sounds on the road.
Suddenly, in a gap between the bustling crowd, the girl glimpsed something she particularly loved.
"Sakura-kun, Sakura-kun, it’s a shark shark!"
Uesugi Sakura followed the girl’s eagerly hopeful gaze and saw a huge shark quietly lying in a transparent gift box.
It was naturally a prize from the event.
"Ah, a shooting game."
It wasn’t with a BB gun but with a bow and arrow.
The venue was large, about fifteen meters long, with a large wooden wall decorated with hundreds of balloons.
For safety reasons, spectators could only watch from the front section of the venue.
"Didn’t I already give Hanabi a shark shark? Still want this one?"
That shark shark was so big that it could only be kept at home.
Which means Hanabi didn’t have a shark shark to hug while in Ehime Prefecture.