Ohno was getting ready for the fireworks. He and Sho were now lighting up some of the bigger fireworks. Most of us were sitting around the bonfire. As I scanned for the face of Mao, I saw that she was sitting beside Masaki and were whispering something to each other. Matsujun was sitting near me but we were not that close so there were no conversations between us.

             “Ready?” Ohno shouted, asking us if we were all set to see the fireworks.

             “Faster!” Sho exclaimed, “Mine’s going off in a minute already.”

              With that, the fireworks that Sho lit were already shooting up into the sky. The clouds disappeared and were replaced with a beautiful shower of colorful lights. After that, one by one, all the fireworks shoot up and we were surrounded with falling debris within minutes after they fell down.

             “Wow,” I heard Mao say.

              Even most of the guys were fascinated by the fireworks. The guys shouted and screamed at the top of their lungs as the fireworks display ended. Summer, I guessed, really meant only three things: fireworks, beach and watermelon.

             “Anyone hungry?” I asked.

            “Me!” shouted Ohno, Sho, and Masaki.

            “What kinds of food do we have?” Matsujun asked me.

            I thought about the goods inside the bags that we brought with us. “We’ve got tonkatsu, tempura, mochi, onigiri…”

            “I’ve got watermelons inside my car,” he said, “would you like me to get them now?”

            “Sure,” I answered, and he went to his car to get the fruits.

             He’s a bit quiet today, I mused. Matsjun was one of the talkative guys in our class before. Maybe because of the atmosphere between him and Mao was the reason behind his silence. I heard the car door slam shut and I looked to see that Matsujun fell down on one of the watermelons.

            I guess I wasn’t the only one who noticed because before long, Sho and Masaki were shouting out loud to him. “Stupid!” the two said in unison.

           “I just lost my balance!” retorted Matsujun.

            So the mood became a little less suffocating and the silence changed into happy tones as we all ate the food. The stars were twinkling happily as we laughed and exchanged stories of our schools and as we talked about the present lives that we were living separately.

           Matsujun, we learned, was a part-timing as an artist while studying. Even Sho turned out to be learning how to be a road racer in Aoyama along with Ichikawa Yui, one of our seniors, who was also a newbie road racer.

         “When I saw her there, I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Sho explained, “She was not the type to join such leagues but I guess she really enjoys it.”

          As we talked, I noticed that Ohno was nowhere to be found. I knew him best and I knew that he’s not into the mood to mingle anymore so, I decided to look for him. He’s in his own world again. I think he’s there.

          I guessed right. He was sitting on top of a big rock with his sketch pad and pencil. He was so intent on his drawing that he didn’t notice me as I approached him. Only when my shadow covered his sketch pad did he looked up and saw me.

           His drawing consisted of our images surrounding the bonfire. They were no ordinary silhouettes but they were like moving figures in the paper. He wanted to become an artist and drawing was his hobby ever since when we were young.

           He never wanted to be a mangaka so he always drew realistic figures. I remember that he also won a prize in school in art class. Eventually, he got so good that it looked like the people in the paper were the real life ‘us’.

          “Sorry,” Ohno apologized, “I didn’t mean to leave it’s just that I had a picture in my mind that I had to.”

           I sat on the sand beside the rock he was on. “It’s alright.”

          Our silence together was never awkward. I watched the guys as they laughed and enjoyed the night while Ohno continued to sketch. I was happily watching them when Ohno ended my bliss.

          “You like her.”

           Just like that, my mood changed. My heart was trying to jump away from my body as it thumped fast like a jumping rabbit.

           My mind was woozy as I said, “I don’t know.”

           “I know.”

            I hate Ohno’s statements not because they were short but because they were always true. He was one of those quiet types that can read the feelings of people. What he said just now was indefinite to me but when he said it, I understood that I do like Mao.

           Ohno was still sketching when I finally stood up and left his side. I had to think. I left the party even though I was one of the hosts. But she likes him more than me. How can I compete with Jun Matsumoto?