All Beautiful Girls Want to Stick with Me

Shizuka made her decision, turned around, and headed for the station to buy a train ticket to Chiba City.

From Tokyo to Chiba City, the train ride wasn’t long—just needed to keep an eye on the time and not miss the last train.

When she arrived at the festival site in Chiba City, it felt even hotter—mainly because of the massive crowd.

While many places were hosting fireworks festivals this year, Chiba City’s drew the biggest crowd—likely due to its urban setting. Those who enjoyed the hustle and bustle came here, while those preferring a quieter experience went to the one in Harumari.

With 50 minutes still to go before the fireworks show started, Shizuka didn’t just sit on a bench to wait. Instead, she went to play whack-a-mole.

Swinging the inflatable hammer as hard as she could without causing damage, Shizuka found her previously irritated mood slightly improved.

Then she spent 500 yen on cork bullets to shoot at stuffed toys with a prop gun. She used up all the bullets but didn’t knock down a single toy.

After all, everyone knows the prop guns at these stalls can’t be trusted for accuracy.

Though she really wanted that big penguin plushie, she didn’t have much cash on her. She decided to be frugal and moved on to browse other stalls to kill time before the fireworks.

Thunk.

There was nothing visible in front of her, but Shizuka clearly felt her left foot bump into something soft.

Not a pebble… but something small and squishy.

Wait… did I just accidentally kick a little penguin?

Shizuka thought, then looked down—and saw not a small animal, but a little white-haired girl in a pink and white children’s yukata decorated with pink flowers. Her small white feet wore wooden clogs. The moment their pink eyes met, Shizuka felt all her agitation dissolve. All she felt now was the gentle breeze of an August summer night.

”I’m sorry, did you get hurt?”

Shizuka reached out and helped the little white-haired girl up. Accidentally knocking down such a cute little thing filled her with guilt. If she could rewind time a few seconds, she’d go back and punch herself for it.

She couldn’t help but wonder—why was something this adorable allowed to exist in the world?

And that white hair—anyone would do a double take.

Was she a foreigner? But her face looked distinctly Japanese… Shizuka wondered.

The little girl wobbled slightly as she stood up, probably not used to wearing wooden clogs. This was clearly her first time wearing a yukata. Though her parents likely suggested she wear normal shoes, she had insisted on going full traditional.

Perhaps realizing how weak she seemed, the white-haired girl looked at Shizuka for a moment, her pink eyes welling up with tears.

Shizuka panicked. Her protective instincts flared, but she had no clue how to comfort kids and ended up fumbling awkwardly.

”U-uh, don’t cry! Where are your mom and dad?”

”I-I don’t know… hic hic... I got separated from Daddy, Mommy, and my little sister!” the white-haired girl sobbed as tears rolled down her cheeks, looking so pitiful it made Shizuka want to hold her forever and never let go.

So she got separated from her family… Shizuka felt a bit relieved. She had thought it was her fault for making the little girl cry. She could swear on her conscience—it really was an accident!

The little white-haired girl was so short, she looked like she was just about to start first grade. If Shizuka Hiratsuka hadn’t looked down, she wouldn’t have seen her at all.

”You got separated from your family? Don’t cry, don’t cry. Onee-san will stay with you and wait for your mom and dad, okay? Is your little sister with them too?”

”Yes. There were so many people earlier, and I was just looking at the pretty big sister selling takoyaki… then Daddy, Mommy, and my sister disappeared,” the white-haired girl said, tearfully and pitifully.

The big sister selling takoyaki?

Shizuka recalled passing a takoyaki stand earlier—indeed, there had been a beautiful girl with a ponytail making takoyaki, which had attracted quite a crowd. Whether they were there for the food or the girl herself was another matter.

Still, this little white-haired girl in front of her looked so pure and innocent, like a little angel sent down from heaven. She had probably just wanted to eat some takoyaki and gotten separated from her family in the process.

”I see. In crowded places, you have to stay close to your mom and dad, okay? Got it?”