When we reached the top of the slope, the view suddenly expanded before us. The whole beach was visible from the seaside hill where the lighthouse stood. We could see the lights of the vendor stalls set up on the beach for the show and the silhouettes of people passing between them.
Moshimo Island poked out from the inky water. Faint lights on the island illuminated the dark figures of what must have been the fireworks crew.
It seemed they hadn’t started shooting them off yet.
We’d run the whole way from the station and were both out of breath, but we appeared to have shaken off Nazuna’s mother, Yusuke, and the rest of our pursuers. Our ragged breathing was the only sound across the dim hill.
We could have let go of each other’s hands at that point, but neither Nazuna nor I made any motion to do so. I, at least, didn’t want to.
Nazuna’s breathing slowly steadied, and she raised her head.
“Looks like we came, after all.”
“Huh?”
“To see the fireworks display. We’re a little far away, but still…”
“Oh… Yeah, I guess that’s right.”
I’d been preoccupied with my relief that no one else was around, and after everything I’d gone through that day, the fireworks date was the furthest thing from my mind. Nazuna seemed to have forgotten about it until then, too. We looked at each other and chuckled.
“Well, since we’re here, wanna see it from the top?”
“The top?”
I pointed to the lighthouse.
“Huh? The lighthouse? There’s a way to get up there?”
“Yeah.”
I neared the base of the lighthouse, still guiding Nazuna by the hand.
I put my other hand against the small door there and pushed. It opened easily but with a drawn-out metallic screech.
Nazuna hesitantly peered inside.
“Oh, there’s a staircase!”
“It’s a little dark, but it’ll take us all the way to the top.”
“How do you know all this? Have you been inside before?”
“Yeah, I think I have.”
“Do you think it’s okay? The sign says NO UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY.”
“Yeah, it’s fine. I mean, it’s not like we’re unauthorized.”
“What kind of answer is that? That doesn’t even make any sense!” Nazuna laughed as she responded.
Our hands still clasped, we went through the doorway. The spiral staircase was punctuated at regular intervals by bluish-white emergency lamps. It was narrow enough that we would have to ascend in single file. Nazuna stayed close behind me and matched my pace.
Each time she exhaled, her breath ran across the back of my neck. It was a rush, and it gave me the chills.
From outside the walls, we heard a whistling…then: Boom! Boom-boom!!
“That’s…”
“The show’s started.”
“Sounds like it.”
“Hey, Norimichi…”
“Yeah?”
“Are fireworks round? Or are they flat?”
“Huh?”
“Today, you guys were talking about it in the classroom. Remember?”
“Oh yeah. I guess we were…”
Only four or five hours had passed since then, but it felt like much longer to me—probably because I’d been going back and forth between the same set of hours over and over.
“Well…of course they’re gonna be round.”
“Really?”
Looking back, I had no idea why any of them had been so worked up over an argument about something so obvious. Just like Kazuhiro had said, it was a bunch of powder that exploded outward. It’d look round no matter which direction you saw it from.
A while ago… Well, my mind was so mixed up by that point, I didn’t know exactly when it had happened anymore…but I’d been here with Yusuke and all of them at the top of the lighthouse, and the fireworks we’d seen were flat. But that hadn’t been right. There wasn’t a world where that could happen. That’s why I’d returned to get Nazuna back.
This world was the right one, where Nazuna and I were together, hand in hand. And that meant the fireworks…
“I’m sure of it. They’re definitely round.”
We arrived at the cramped landing at the top of the spiral staircase. We could hear the explosions of the fireworks on the other side of the door leading outside. The sounds were coming closer and closer together. I recalled that last time, the door had been rusted shut.
I didn’t want to let go of Nazuna’s hand, feeling like doing so would somehow imply our separation. But I’d need both hands to get the door open. I untangled my fingers from hers, took a firm grip on the handle, and threw all my weight against the door.
It swung wide-open and sent me sprawling outward.
“Whoa!”
I stumbled forward uncontrollably but instinctively grabbed hold of the railing in front of me. The reaction enabled me to steady myself.
“Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m good.”
Another whistle came from the direction of the beach. We simultaneously turned our attention to the sky. The small trail of a firework streaked straight upward.
A few seconds later, we’d hear it explode and see the big, round shape bloom in the sky. I was sure of it…
Full of confidence, I lifted myself up on the railing. Nazuna was standing to my side. Out of nowhere, I suddenly felt a surge of desire to see what kind of expression she wore as she saw a firework explode. I furtively glanced toward her.
She stood with her eyes transfixed on the sky in front of us. It seemed that even the darkness of night couldn’t hide her radiance. I felt captivated anew by that resilient beauty.
I was also overcome with anxiety. How much time did I have left with her…? The hopes and fears in my mind wrestled endlessly.
Boom! Boom-boom!!
The firework exploded. I saw it reflect across her eye: a beautiful flower bursting forth in her dark irises… Except…something was wrong.
“What…?”
Nazuna was the first to murmur in response.
“Huh?”
I hastily flicked my eyes away from her face and back to the sky… The firework spreading out before us was a shape I’d never seen before: a formless mass worming out in every direction…
What in the world is this…?
There were sparks of all sizes, moving around at different speeds and in different directions through the night sky. They squirmed and wriggled as if the firework had a mind of its own…like a living organism writhing across the sky.
It was neither round nor flat. It was a weird, grotesque shape.
“What…? What is this?”
“It’s really…yucky…”
Nazuna was right. The fireworks weren’t pretty. They weren’t beautiful. The only thing they made me feel was a sickening sensation.
Is it some newly developed kind? Do modern shows use grotesque-looking, writhing fireworks like this…?