~~ • ~~

I was still at my parents’ house.

My siblings were still here as well.

The house felt much livelier than usual.

But as always—

I stayed seated on the porch.

Relaxing.

Enjoying the summer air of the countryside, which was far more pleasant than the city.

The breeze was gentle.

The heat wasn’t sweltering.

From a distance, the chirping of summer insects mingled with the sound of the television from inside the house.

Beside me sat a cup of coffee.

I reached for it.

Just as I was about to take a sip—

Bzzzt.

My phone vibrated.

I took a sip of my coffee anyway.

Bitter, with a hint of sweetness.

Then, I set the cup back down beside me.

I reached into my pocket.

And pulled out my phone.

A name flashed on the screen.

[ Bardy Louis ]

"Hm..."

Looks like a job was coming.

I answered the call.

"Yeah?"

"Morning, Itsuki."

"Yeah, morning."

I leaned back comfortably.

"What is it? A new job?"

I guessed right away.

"Yeah."

A soft chuckle came through the line.

"And there’s a lot of it."

I let out a faint sigh.

"From tomorrow until next week."

"Can you do it?"

Right...

I understood immediately.

We were at the peak of summer.

And that meant the festivals were starting.

City festivals.

Concerts.

Summer stages.

The demand for installation and technical work was bound to be through the roof.

"It’s going to be packed, isn’t it..."

"It is."

Bardy chuckled again.

"So? Are you in?"

I glanced back into the house.

Yuna’s voice drifted faintly from within.

Since we were currently at my parents’ place...

They would definitely be able to watch over Yuna while I worked.

"Alright."

I finally answered.

"I’ll do it."

"Great."

Bardy sounded relieved.

"I’ll send you the schedule and the address later."

"Alright."

"See you on-site."

"Yeah."

The call ended.

Silence returned.

Only the sound of the summer breeze remained. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

_

That very same day, I headed back to my apartment.

I grabbed a few of my work tools.

Cables.

Technical gear.

My laptop.

Everything went into my backpack and a small suitcase.

Once I was packed—

I set off immediately.

The location was quite far.

It was a few hours’ drive away.

_

I arrived.

Before me stood a massive football stadium.

Truly massive.

The building towered overhead, its steel and concrete structure looking incredibly sturdy.

I walked inside.

Heading straight for the pitch.

And—

It was bustling.

More than just bustling.

Dozzens of trucks were already parked around the field.

People hurried back and forth carrying equipment.

Massive speakers were being unloaded.

Stage lights.

Steel trusses.

Cables.

The sounds of forklifts and clanking metal echoed everywhere.

I tilted my head up slightly.

The spectator seats stretched endlessly around the stadium.

Towering high.

*Bzzzt.*

My phone vibrated again.

I pulled it out.

[ Bardy Louis ]

I picked up.

"I’m here."

"I see you."

The reply came instantly.

"Get up here."

I stopped in my tracks.

"Where are you?"

"I’m in the highest row of the stands."

I immediately looked up.

My eyes scanned the area.

Left.

Front.

Right.

Back.

"I don’t see you."

"Look harder."

I squinted.

Focusing harder this time.

And finally—

In the very back section.

At the highest point.

Someone was standing there holding a pair of binoculars.

"Are you the one with the binoculars?"

"Yep."

A small laugh followed.

"Hurry up and get over here."

"Yeah... alright."

I hung up.

Then I began to climb the stadium bleachers.

Step by step.

_

A few moments later.

I finally made it to the top.

Standing there was a man with short blond hair.

He looked to be in his forties.

Tall and heavily built.

He was wearing a dark blue work uniform.

Not a formal suit.

But neat nonetheless.

Long sleeves.

Trousers.

Work boots.

He was still holding the binoculars.

A large work bag rested on the seat beside him.

I walked over.

"Itsuki."

The man smiled.

"Long time no see."

He studied me for a few seconds.

"You look a lot more alive than the last time I saw you."

I gave a small laugh.

A flat one.

"Haha... thanks."

"Did something good happen lately?"

"Not really."

"Come here."

I took a few steps closer.

And suddenly—

He opened his arms and pulled me into a hug.

It was a firm, heavy hug.

Warm.

"How have you been holding up..."

His voice was tinged with relief.

I slowly returned the hug.

He patted my shoulder a few times.

"Yeah, I’m doing fine."

We finally pulled away.

"How about you?"

"Good."

He gave a brief chuckle.

"Even though I ended up in the hospital a little while back."

I raised an eyebrow slightly.

"But I’m all clear now."

"Have you eaten yet?"

He asked.

"Not yet."

"Oh?"

He immediately pulled out his phone.

"I’ll order us something then."

"Thanks."

"Take a seat."

He sat down first.

I took the seat next to him.

From up here, the entire stadium was clearly visible.

The people down below looked tiny.

Bardy unzipped his bag.

And pulled out a laptop.

"That last design you worked on was incredible."

He said, opening a few video files.

Concert footage appeared on the screen.

Stage lights moved in sync with the music.

The visual effects I had worked on filled the giant screens.

"By the way..."

Bardy glanced at me briefly.

"Do you have any other designs?"

"Yeah."

I leaned back slightly.

"I have a few. But they aren’t finished yet."

"Oh... good."

His eyes immediately lit up with interest.

"Show them to me later."

"I might be able to use them for the marketing of the next festivals."

"Sure."

I gave a small nod.

"Understood."

_

The Summer Festival...

From where we sat, the sheer scale of the pitch was on full display.

Down below, people were bustling about with increasing urgency.

A few workers unloaded steel trusses from the trucks.

Others carried massive spools of cable.

Forklifts rolled slowly back and forth along the edge of the field.

Out in the middle of the pitch, several people were carrying surveying tools.

They walked, pulling out long tape measures.

Marking the spots.

The exact spots where the main stage would be built.

Where the LED screens would be installed.

Where the lighting towers would stand.

And where the massive sound systems would be angled.

Even from way up here, I could already picture what this place would look like on the night of the festival.

The lights.

The music.

The roar of the crowd.

_

Beside me, Bardy opened a file on his laptop.

"The main stage is here."

He pointed at the screen.

"The main LED setup has three layers."

"And this time, they want a brighter summer theme."

I studied the design.

It was dominated by dark blue.

Splashes of purple.

And clusters of white lights resembling stars.

"Not bad..."

I commented briefly.

Bardy gave a small smile.

"The first event starts in two days."

"After that, there’s an event almost every night."

"Idol concerts, bands, stage performances, fireworks shows..."

"Mm-hm..."

I gave a slow nod.

A short while later, someone arrived carrying two plastic bags of food.

"Finally here."

Bardy said.

He pulled out one of the lunchboxes and handed it to me.

"Thanks."

We started eating.

The summer breeze felt quite pleasant up here.

The sounds of the workers down below drifted up faintly.

Bardy continued to glance down at the pitch between bites.

_

"I have a daughter."

Bardy froze for a second.

He quickly turned to look at me.

"When did you get married?"

"You should have told me."

"No."

I gave a slight shake of my head.

"I’m not married."

"I adopted her."

"Oh..."

His shock quickly shifted into curiosity.

"What’s her name?"

"Yuna."

"Yuna..."

Bardy gave a small nod.

"How old is she now?"

"She’s in the fourth grade."

"Still quite young, then."

"Yeah."

Bardy chuckled, leaning back against the stadium seat.

"I have a daughter too."

I looked over.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"She’s in middle school now."

"She can be incredibly loud."

I let out a soft chuckle.

"Well then..."

Bardy continued, pointing his chopsticks at me.

"You’ll have to introduce Yuna to me sometime."

"Maybe the two of them will get along."

"My daughter loves taking care of younger kids."

"Even if she can be a bit of a nag sometimes."

"Who knows..."

I replied casually.

"That’s up to Yuna."

"Haha..."

Bardy laughed again.

"The look on your face has really changed, Itsuki."

I looked over at him.

"It’s more alive."

I fell silent for a moment.

A gentle breeze swept through the massive stadium.

Down below, the sound of clanking metal echoed sharply once more.

Clang.

Clang.

I watched as the workers began to erect the first structural frame of the stage.

Then, I answered softly.

"Maybe."

~~ • ~~