The Mischievous Senior and the Fireworks Festival

Another Saturday has arrived.

The tail end of April has already been tinged with the warmth of spring. The loquat tree in the yard has sprouted tender green buds, swaying gently in the breeze, like a child who has just put on spring clothes and is not yet used to his new attire.

Xia Mo, who had successfully advanced to Class 2 of Grade 4, rang the teacher's doorbell at 7:30 as usual. While changing her shoes in the entryway, she heard a series of crackling scales coming from the music room—

Erika has arrived, and she's clearly proving how hard she's worked this week by playing the piano.

Mr. Sato was drinking tea in the living room. He nodded to him, indicating that he should go in and practice first.

As Xia Mo pushed open the door to the music room, the sound of scales abruptly stopped. Erika sat at her piano, her hands still hovering above the keys, and turned to give him a wide grin.

"Xia Jun, you're sixty seconds late today."

"You didn't keep a timer."

"I've already made up my mind."

Xia Mo sighed, put the sheet music bag aside, sat down, and opened Hanon.

Erika didn't rush to continue playing. Instead, she turned her whole body around, supporting herself on the piano bench with both hands, like a cat crouching on a wall, waiting for its chance to strike.

"You seem to be in a good mood this week," she said.

Xia Mo paused for a moment, without looking up: "So-so."

"You're lying. When you came in, the corners of your mouth were turned up. Last week too, and the week before that too." Erika counted on her fingers.

"To be precise, ever since you told me about 'Asuka Saito,' you've had a constant smirk on your face every time you come to class. Haven't you noticed?"

At the end of summer, I flipped to the fortieth entry in Hanon and pretended not to hear it.

"Hey," Erika's voice lowered a octave, tinged with the excitement of someone digging for secrets, "You two saw each other again this week, didn't you? In PE class? For lunch? Did she bring you that... Burmese food again?"

Xia Mo was silent for two seconds before finally looking up at her: "Ikuta-senpai, aren't you practicing the piano? The teacher will be coming to check in a little while."

"Answer me first, and I'll start practicing right away."

Xia Mo was already familiar with this conversational pattern. Erika was that kind of person—she wouldn't give up until she got to the bottom of things, and that pot of clay usually couldn't withstand more than three sentences in her hands.

He closed the sheet music, leaned back against the piano, stared at a thin line on the ceiling for a while, and finally decided to confess to his senior.

"Yes, I met her. We had one PE class, and she ate lunch in the music room every day. Her mother's Burmese food was delicious; I sometimes traded egg rolls with her."

Erika's eyes lit up, and she covered her mouth with both hands, letting out a suppressed shriek: "Eating in the music room every day?! Natsuki, do you know this is a date?!"

"It wasn't a date," Xia Mo said, a little confused, "we were just...having dinner."

"Eating! Just the two of us! Alone! In an empty music room! Looking into each other's eyes! Is this not a date?"

"Ikuta-senpai, we're only fourth graders."

"What's wrong with being in fourth grade? Can't fourth graders have a crush?"

Xia Mo fell silent.

He turned his face to the window, looking at the loquat tree outside that had sprouted new buds, his eyes filled with both helplessness and resentment.

Although I was very unhappy, I couldn't find any reason to refute it.

Erika laughed so hard she leaned on the piano, her shoulders shaking, and it took her a long time to recover.

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore," she wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, sat up straight again, but the light in her eyes didn't dim at all.

"Seriously—I really want to meet her. You described her as so interesting, bringing octopus-shaped bento boxes, studying piano diligently, and being of Japanese-Burmese descent... I'm so curious."

"She's shy," Xia Mo said.

"I'm not scary! I'm gentle, cute, warm, and generous—everyone loves me, right?"

Xia Mo glanced at her, a look that held complex emotions, but ultimately said nothing.

He opened the sheet music and began playing Hanon No. 40. Erika pouted and started playing along.

The music room was quiet for about twenty minutes, with only the sounds of the two pianos rising and falling, like two parallel rivers.

Mr. Sato listened for a while, but he was still not very satisfied with Erika's arpeggios. He nodded in approval of Chopin's late summer piece.

Erika made a face at Natsume from behind and mouthed "See?" Natsume lowered her head and suppressed a laugh.

After the teacher left, the two of them collapsed onto the piano bench at the same time.

"I'm exhausted," Erika said, rubbing her wrists. "Natsu-kun, let's rest for a while. I have an idea, you can listen to it."

Xia Mo unscrewed the water bottle, took a sip, and gestured for her to speak.

"The end of July," Erika said, pulling her chair closer to him and lowering her voice. Her expression suddenly became serious, yet it also carried an undisguised anticipation.

"Isn't there a fireworks festival? Invite her out, and the three of us can go see it together."

I almost choked on water at the end of summer.

"Three people?"

"Yeah, me, you, her. That way she won't be shy. With such a cute senior like me in the middle to lighten the mood, it definitely won't be awkward! And the fireworks festival is so great, there are fireworks, goldfish scooping, cotton candy... Think about it, she's usually isolated at school, she probably doesn't go out with friends much, right?"

Erii spoke at length.

Summer fell silent.

Erika was right.

Asuka has no friends in class, is always the one left out in PE class, and aside from eating lunch with someone else, she usually just sits in the classroom alone eating rice balls.

Has she ever been to a fireworks festival? Has anyone accompanied her to watch the fireworks by the river on a summer night?

Xia Mo had never asked about these things before, but when Erika said it, he suddenly felt a soft spot in his heart.

"How about it?" Erika shook his arm. "If you're too shy to ask her out, I can ask her out. Just tell her, 'I have a senior who's very smart and kind-hearted. She wants to get to know you. Let's go see the fireworks together at the summer fireworks festival.'"

"If you say you're silly, maybe she'll be interested," Xia Mo said.

"You agreed?!"

"I didn't say I agreed, why are you like Gian? Where did you come from, Gian?!"

"But you didn't say you disagreed!" Erika's eyes shone like two light bulbs. "Then it's settled! Ask her when you go to school next week, I'll wait for your reply!"

Xia Mo opened her mouth, wanting to say, "Don't get so excited," but looking at Erika's face, which was full of excitement, she swallowed the words back.

He tightened the cap on the water glass, put it back in the music book bag, and remained silent for a long time with his head down.

"What if she refuses?" he asked softly.

Erika paused for a moment, then laughed.

That smile was gentler than the gossip and teasing from before, like the first cup of steaming cherry blossom tea in spring.

"Then just refuse," she said.

"But you'll have to ask her to find out. And—Xia-kun, don't you think? A girl like her would be so happy if someone told her, 'I want to go to the fireworks festival with you.' Even if we don't end up going, just hearing that would make her happy."

Xia Mo didn't speak. His fingers unconsciously touched the piano keys, pressing out a very soft note—the first note of "Secret".

The tender buds of the loquat tree outside the window swayed gently in the wind, each new leaf glistening in the sunlight, as if one could already see July—see that distant summer night when fireworks illuminated the river.

He suddenly felt that April to July didn't seem so far away.