Mid-August, while the excitement from the pool still hadn’t faded.

At the local shrine, where lanterns lit up the night sky and festival music could be heard from afar, a large-scale summer festival was being held.

"Shizuku-chan, sorry to keep you waiting!"

"...I kept you waiting, Nanase-san."

At the shrine’s torii gate.

Seeing the two girls who had arrived at the meeting spot, I let out a small breath.

Hoshikawa Aoi was dressed in a cute yukata scattered with morning glories on a pale yellow base.

Her golden-thread-like hair, which she usually wore down, was styled up, and a frilly heko-obi was tied softly around her.

She looked like an angel.

On the other hand, Hojo Anju wore a high-end yukata with an elegant, mature design—red peonies on a black background.

A luxurious floral hair ornament swayed beside her fiery red hair, giving her the refined beauty of a noble young lady.

"Yo. You both look amazing. Your yukatas are really cute."

As a man in my previous life, I couldn’t help but voice my honest admiration.

After all, when it comes to Japanese summer, nothing beats girls in yukata.

It was pure eye candy.

"Ehehe... Shizuku-chan praised me."

"O-Of course! I had my mother prepare the very best for this day... M-More importantly, Nanase-san, what is that outfit of yours!?"

Blushing bright red, Anju shouted to hide her embarrassment.

Her gaze was directed at me.

Today, I was wearing a cool navy-colored jinbei (light traditional summerwear; Gojo from My Dress Up Darling fit.)

"Hm? This? Yukata is tight and hard to walk in, so I asked my mom for a jinbei instead. It’s easy to move in, it’s great."

My long black hair was tied casually at the nape of my neck, and I held a fan in my hand.

It was a boyish outfit with zero frills, but combined with my overwhelming looks and physique, it gave off a strangely alluring, masculine aura—like a young underboss casually wearing a kimono.

'W-What is with this ikeme!? I can’t even look directly at Nanase-san in a jinbei, she’s too cool...'

'Shizuku-chan looks so cool... All these females around are staring at her... I need to gouge their eyes out...'

A tsundere trembling while covering her face, and a yandere smiling sweetly while releasing dark killing intent toward the surrounding mob girls.

As always, they were emotionally exhausting.

"Come on, let’s go."

I started walking.

* * *

The shrine grounds were more crowded than I had imagined.

In this world, summer festivals were the perfect hunting ground for girls to show off their yukata to rare male targets.

Girls were roaming around with intense determination, filling the air with heat and killing intent.

"Whoa... there are so many people..."

"Don’t push! My yukata will come undone!"

Seeing the two stumble in their unfamiliar geta, I clicked my tongue.

At this rate, we’d get separated immediately.

"Hey, you two."

I stopped and held out both my hands toward Aoi and Anju on either side.

"Eh?"

"W-What?"

"If we get separated, it’ll be a pain. Here, give me your hands."

In a low, husky voice, I said it and firmly grabbed both of their small hands without giving them a chance to object.

It felt like I heard simultaneous explosions from both sides.

'H-Holding hands!? Nanase-san’s hand is big and strong... my mind is going blank...'

'Shizuku-chan’s hand...♡ Ahh, I’m the happiest in the world right now...♡'

Wrapped completely in my hands 'they were still six-year-old sized, but slightly bigger than theirs', both of them had completely stopped thinking.

"Alright, now we won’t get lost."

I nodded and began leading them through the crowd with the same composed stride I used when escorting junior coworkers in my previous life.

"Oh, those candied apples look good. I’ll buy you some."

"O-Okay!"

"I-It’s not like I want one, but I suppose I could accept..."

Not flowers in both hands, but two top-tier beauties.

Around us, girls murmured things like, “Wait, who are they... there’s no boys but their looks are insane,” and “That black-haired girl in the middle is ridiculously handsome...,” but I was too focused on choosing the best candied apples to notice.

* * *

After enjoying the festival, it was time for the fireworks.

As we climbed a dimly lit stone staircase toward a hilltop park with a good view—"Ah…”

Anju, holding my right hand, let out a small cry and crouched down.

"What’s wrong, Anju?"

When I turned around, she was grimacing and looking at her feet.

Her elegant black geta.

The red strap had snapped clean off at the base.

"A... no, these were important... my mother bought them for me..."

Not only had the strap broken, but her unfamiliarity with geta (wooden sandals) had left the skin between her toes rubbed raw, blood seeping out.

"That hurts, doesn’t it. Let me see."

Without hesitation, I knelt on the stone steps and gently took her injured foot.

"Hyaa!? W-What are you doing!? That’s indecent!"

"Stay still. Yeah, that’s a pretty bad blister. You won’t be able to walk like this."

When I looked up, Anju was biting her lip, her eyes welling with tears.

Her pride as the “perfect daughter of the Hojo family.”

And more than anything, her stubborn refusal to become a burden in front of her rival Aoi.

"I-I’m fine... I can walk on my own..."

She tried to stand, but her face twisted in pain and she nearly collapsed again.

At that moment.

"...Can’t be helped."

I sighed and crouched down in front of her, turning my back.

"...Eh?"

"Come on, get on."

Looking back over my shoulder, I smiled.

"A-a piggyback!? Don’t be ridiculous! You’re a girl too, how could you carry something so heavy—"

"Just get on. If a princess is limping around, it’ll ruin that beautiful yukata. I’m in a jinbei, I don’t care if it gets dirty. Hurry up."

The perfect blend of consideration and forcefulness.

The essence of my previous life’s popular-guy move.

In this male-dominant world, no boy would ever carry an injured girl.

And even among girls, there was no reason to help a rival in a mounting battle.

Yet this girl in front of her—offered her back purely out of concern, expecting nothing in return.

"Ah... u..."

A large tear rolled down Anju’s cheek.

Not from pain, but from a heart overflowing with emotion and an uncontrollable feeling of love.

"...I’m sorry... thank you, Nanase-san..."

Face flushed red, she clung to my neck with trembling arms.

"Yeah."

I replied briefly and lifted her up effortlessly, supporting her legs.

Compared to carrying snowboarding gear up mountains in my previous life, carrying a six-year-old was nothing.

But right beside this heartwarming rescue—

"........."

Hoshikawa Aoi tightly gripped the stick of her candied apple hard enough to almost snap it, glaring at Anju on my back with eyes devoid of light.

'...I’ll kill her. That red-haired pig, she broke her geta on purpose to steal Shizuku-chan’s back... I won’t forgive her, I’ll strangle her and throw her down the stairs right now...'

Just as Aoi’s special-grade yandere radar exceeded its limits and the temperature seemed to drop—"Ah, sorry Aoi. My hands are full right now."

While supporting Anju, I extended just my index and middle fingers toward Aoi.

"Grab my fingers and lead the way, okay? It’s dark, I might get lost without you. Can I count on you?"

"...Eh?"

Light returned to Aoi’s eyes.

'Shizuku-chan is... relying on me... I’m the one guiding her…’

Carrying someone might be special.

But being asked to lead and guide her—that perfectly satisfied Aoi’s overwhelming desire to be the one who supports Shizuku.

"Okay! Leave it to me, Shizuku-chan! I’ll guide you properly!"

Her earlier demonic expression vanished, replaced with a radiant angelic smile as she tightly held my fingers.

A tsundere noble on my back.

A yandere childhood friend in my hand.

Maintaining a perfect balance, we climbed the stairs.

* * *

Whooooosh—BOOM!!

The moment we reached the hilltop park, fireworks bloomed in the night sky.

Colorful lights illuminated our faces.

"Whoa, that’s amazing! Front row seats!"

I looked up and cheered.

But neither Aoi, holding my hand, nor Anju, who had gotten down from my back to stand beside me—were looking at the fireworks.

"...Yes, they’re beautiful."

"Yeah... really beautiful..."

Their gazes were fixed only on the side profile of the black-haired girl illuminated by the fireworks.

Overwhelmed by emotions burning hotter than the explosions in the sky.

'Ah... I’m done for. I’ve completely fallen for Nanase-san...'

'Shizuku-chan, Shizuku-chan, Shizuku-chan... I love you more than anything in the world...'

Under the summer night sky.

My unconscious ikemen escort had lit an irreversible, oversized fuse in the heroines’ hearts.